December 25, 1919/20

[iwouldfollowyou]

It's Christmas morning -- not that they haven't been awake the whole night as usual already -- but the dawn is just beginning to creep it's first rays toward the little hidden house, and Edward is sitting on a chair on the porch staring at an indiscriminate point in the forward distance.

Comments

[teachyouwhoiam]

Happy Christmas, Edward.

Carlisle hasn't lost all of his Britishisms.

[iwouldfollowyou]

He's quiet.

A minute passes. And then another.

Finally, "The children are beginning to wake up."

[teachyouwhoiam]

Carlisle appears in the front doorway.

"Will you shriek as they do when opening presents?"

[iwouldfollowyou]

Edward looked up a beat later -- distracted by a small set of three, filled with awe and glee in a doorway, far away, grabbing hands and running for mama and dada's room -- with a mockingly patronizing look.

"I don't shriek."