the merriness in the mob ;
"Dad, you forgot the raisins!" Caitlin lays the cover of the pan, the steam of the rice making her brother get closer to the stove and receive a gentle slap on his hand, from his stepmother, who's just passing by. He folds his arms, moody. "It's good for me, I hate raisins!"
From the living room, a man's laughter comes, and Eshley crosses the space between them to kiss her husband in the lips. "Don't be so picky, Mario, raisins are nice." Which is a weird thing for Marcelo to say, since he is not very fond of raisins himself.
"Besides, you can't have a Greek rice without raisins." Eshley's voice is so gentle that completely disarms her stepson's protests. Tony leans, kissing her once again, and from the door-post, the kids watch. Caitlin smiles widely, and Mario makes a face at the happiness the couple so honestly and openly shows the world. He's this close to feeling uncomfortable when the doorbell rings.
"That's my cue." Caitlin laughs and the adults part, while he opens the door. It takes less than a second for him to jump on the newcomer. "Aunt Ellys!!"
Elora stands, blonde and all smiley, cherishing her nephew and kissing his forehead. She lets go of him for a moment, and the surprise that crosses Eshley's face makes her smile widen.
"Elora? Oh my god, you are a woman!" They hug tightly, haven't seen eachother in years.
"Can say the same, Esh." The other woman is replaced by Caitlin, brief and tenderly, and then for her brother, Marcelo kissing her forehead like he always did. "So you finally put the fire on my little brother's pants out?"
Tony hugs his wife by her waist, laying a kiss on her naked shoulder. "Or else is making it burn for something else..."
"Hello? Children in the room?" These words, spoken by Mario, make everyone else laughs.
"So now you're a child?" The little guy blushes when his father mentions his early attempt to be called a grown man - or at least, grown enough to go buy the Christmas' stuff on his own. His aunt nods, messing with his hair proudly. "Very clever, Mario."
Again, the doorbell rings. Mario looks at Caitlin, smug for the compliment he just heard. "Your turn."
She slaps him in the shoulder and hops like a bunny towards the door. Her smile makes the sun ashamed of burning, both her arms and legs hugging the blonde guy standing at the door. "Damian!"
In the living room, Tony gasps and has to deal with his family's mocking. "What is he doing here?"
"Esh said I could bring a friend. C'mon, dad. It's Christmas. He can't be alone." Those brown eyes, beautiful, wide, sparkling with a question, with a request. The Christmas' spirit hovers around him, and Tony sighs, defeated by his own blood.
"What do you ask me with these puppy eyes that I won't do with a smile?" She hops again, more than happy, and Damian crosses the room, shaking hands with the man and tapping him on the back friendly. Incredibly, they are smiling, both of them. "Welcome, trespasser."
"Thank you, oldie." Tony frowns, but Damian moves over to say hi to the rest of the family. He is still thinking if this was the best thing to do, when a familiar voice calls him.
"Hey, Tony, the door stays open, now?" He welcomes his long-time friend, and is followed by Mario, who is fairly more interested on the girl standing beside Hayato.
"Del!!" They hug, her tiny hands grabbing Mario's hair. He smiles wider for her than he had for anyone else. "I'm happy you're here."
"I'm happy too, Ma." She smiles and hands him a box, all wrapped up in red with a white ribbon on it. "Where do I put this?"
His eyes go curious in a while. "What is this?"
"A curious cat lost its tail..." And the voice belongs to Caitlin, what makes him turn and try to slap her in the butt, an intent that is frustrated by a protective Damian, who holds her high.
"Shut up!" Mario shouts, and Del laughs, being led by Esh to lay the present underneath the huge Christmas tree which is crowded with the massive amount of stuff everyone's laid beneath it.
"Where's Tavia?" The question comes from Elora, who's helping Esh to sift sugar on top of a savoury cake.
"On her way", says Tony, popping off a cork of a red wine. "I foresee a lot of trouble convincing the old man to join us."
"Salvatore will never change..." Hayato agrees vehemently, picking glasses from the cupboard, being helped by Damian and Caitlin. As if the saying of his name had the power to summon the man, Salvatore shows up by the open door, arms outstreched to embrace his protége.
"Tonio! Ma sei belissima questa decorazione..."
"Grazie, zio, grazie." He sounds honestly proud to receive the compliment. "Esh and the children came up with it."
Behind him, the rest of the Fasano family is coming inside, being saluted by everyone.
"I'm fairly doubting we'll all fit this table." The voice is grumpy and easily silenced by Ottavia's elbow, stright on his ribs.
"Don't be so negative, Christopher." She smiles, hugging her godfather. "Hi, padrino, children. Hi, Elora... Where's Esh?"
"Kitchen!" But not for long, as the woman heads to the living room and welcomes the woman who is considered an aunt by Tony. "Dona Elda, glad you could come."
Mario steps up, staring at the guy beside Christopher. "Massimo, what are you doing?"
"Counting", says he, and Caitlin restrains a laugh, followed by Del, who's holding a bottle of soda, once the kids won't drink any wine that's not ceremonial.
"There are enough chairs for everyone, I'm sure, cousin." Caitlin kneels in front of a cupboard, picking a plate and handing it to Eshley, whose face makes clear that she thought of something.
"What reminds me that I need help with the table, who's with me?" Except from Caitlin and Del, who already are helping, no one moves a finger. Eshley lays her hands on her hips and appeals to pure blackmail. "The first to help can have the pudding."
All of a sudden, everyone wants to help. The girls start managing everyone, and the table sets really fast. It's the first time they all have a Christmas together, like the big happy family they are. In the corner, the Christmas tree blinks its lights, like if blessing them all.
From the living room, a man's laughter comes, and Eshley crosses the space between them to kiss her husband in the lips. "Don't be so picky, Mario, raisins are nice." Which is a weird thing for Marcelo to say, since he is not very fond of raisins himself.
"Besides, you can't have a Greek rice without raisins." Eshley's voice is so gentle that completely disarms her stepson's protests. Tony leans, kissing her once again, and from the door-post, the kids watch. Caitlin smiles widely, and Mario makes a face at the happiness the couple so honestly and openly shows the world. He's this close to feeling uncomfortable when the doorbell rings.
"That's my cue." Caitlin laughs and the adults part, while he opens the door. It takes less than a second for him to jump on the newcomer. "Aunt Ellys!!"
Elora stands, blonde and all smiley, cherishing her nephew and kissing his forehead. She lets go of him for a moment, and the surprise that crosses Eshley's face makes her smile widen.
"Elora? Oh my god, you are a woman!" They hug tightly, haven't seen eachother in years.
"Can say the same, Esh." The other woman is replaced by Caitlin, brief and tenderly, and then for her brother, Marcelo kissing her forehead like he always did. "So you finally put the fire on my little brother's pants out?"
Tony hugs his wife by her waist, laying a kiss on her naked shoulder. "Or else is making it burn for something else..."
"Hello? Children in the room?" These words, spoken by Mario, make everyone else laughs.
"So now you're a child?" The little guy blushes when his father mentions his early attempt to be called a grown man - or at least, grown enough to go buy the Christmas' stuff on his own. His aunt nods, messing with his hair proudly. "Very clever, Mario."
Again, the doorbell rings. Mario looks at Caitlin, smug for the compliment he just heard. "Your turn."
She slaps him in the shoulder and hops like a bunny towards the door. Her smile makes the sun ashamed of burning, both her arms and legs hugging the blonde guy standing at the door. "Damian!"
In the living room, Tony gasps and has to deal with his family's mocking. "What is he doing here?"
"Esh said I could bring a friend. C'mon, dad. It's Christmas. He can't be alone." Those brown eyes, beautiful, wide, sparkling with a question, with a request. The Christmas' spirit hovers around him, and Tony sighs, defeated by his own blood.
"What do you ask me with these puppy eyes that I won't do with a smile?" She hops again, more than happy, and Damian crosses the room, shaking hands with the man and tapping him on the back friendly. Incredibly, they are smiling, both of them. "Welcome, trespasser."
"Thank you, oldie." Tony frowns, but Damian moves over to say hi to the rest of the family. He is still thinking if this was the best thing to do, when a familiar voice calls him.
"Hey, Tony, the door stays open, now?" He welcomes his long-time friend, and is followed by Mario, who is fairly more interested on the girl standing beside Hayato.
"Del!!" They hug, her tiny hands grabbing Mario's hair. He smiles wider for her than he had for anyone else. "I'm happy you're here."
"I'm happy too, Ma." She smiles and hands him a box, all wrapped up in red with a white ribbon on it. "Where do I put this?"
His eyes go curious in a while. "What is this?"
"A curious cat lost its tail..." And the voice belongs to Caitlin, what makes him turn and try to slap her in the butt, an intent that is frustrated by a protective Damian, who holds her high.
"Shut up!" Mario shouts, and Del laughs, being led by Esh to lay the present underneath the huge Christmas tree which is crowded with the massive amount of stuff everyone's laid beneath it.
"Where's Tavia?" The question comes from Elora, who's helping Esh to sift sugar on top of a savoury cake.
"On her way", says Tony, popping off a cork of a red wine. "I foresee a lot of trouble convincing the old man to join us."
"Salvatore will never change..." Hayato agrees vehemently, picking glasses from the cupboard, being helped by Damian and Caitlin. As if the saying of his name had the power to summon the man, Salvatore shows up by the open door, arms outstreched to embrace his protége.
"Tonio! Ma sei belissima questa decorazione..."
"Grazie, zio, grazie." He sounds honestly proud to receive the compliment. "Esh and the children came up with it."
Behind him, the rest of the Fasano family is coming inside, being saluted by everyone.
"I'm fairly doubting we'll all fit this table." The voice is grumpy and easily silenced by Ottavia's elbow, stright on his ribs.
"Don't be so negative, Christopher." She smiles, hugging her godfather. "Hi, padrino, children. Hi, Elora... Where's Esh?"
"Kitchen!" But not for long, as the woman heads to the living room and welcomes the woman who is considered an aunt by Tony. "Dona Elda, glad you could come."
Mario steps up, staring at the guy beside Christopher. "Massimo, what are you doing?"
"Counting", says he, and Caitlin restrains a laugh, followed by Del, who's holding a bottle of soda, once the kids won't drink any wine that's not ceremonial.
"There are enough chairs for everyone, I'm sure, cousin." Caitlin kneels in front of a cupboard, picking a plate and handing it to Eshley, whose face makes clear that she thought of something.
"What reminds me that I need help with the table, who's with me?" Except from Caitlin and Del, who already are helping, no one moves a finger. Eshley lays her hands on her hips and appeals to pure blackmail. "The first to help can have the pudding."
All of a sudden, everyone wants to help. The girls start managing everyone, and the table sets really fast. It's the first time they all have a Christmas together, like the big happy family they are. In the corner, the Christmas tree blinks its lights, like if blessing them all.