It was the most wonderful time of the year.

Juliette could agree with that sentiment, honestly. While she was raised Jewish for the first few years of her life, her mother had always been a big supporter of having Christmas anyway. She would come up with quirky Christmas traditions that were among Juliette’s favourite memories. Even after she died, Juliette still tried to carry out as many of those traditions as she possibly could, and she still cited it as her favourite holiday.

One of those traditions was spending the holiday with people that were close to you. For much of her life, that had just been her mother and a few close friends, but in recent years, those people depended on where she was in her life. That year, she was rather happy with the people that she got to spend Christmas Eve with.

She and Booker B. Bookman had been dating for a few months, and even though it had just been a short time, she was glad that he was in her life. There was no one else that she would have wanted to spend the holiday with.

Along with Booker, Christmas Eve included his sister, Vanessa Berry , and her girlfriend, Gina Schuyler . She and Vanessa had initially gotten off to a bit of a bad start, considering how she and Booker’s relationship had started and her friendship with Rebecca Grey-Morris , but they had cleared the air enough to have a relatively good relationship by that point. Juliette actually quite liked Nessa and her sense of humour. Plus, even though she had only met Gina a few times, she seemed like a lovely person. 

She was a little disappointed that she couldn’t spend the holiday with Becca, but they would be spending time together the next day to make up for that fact. There would be enough cheer to go around. 

It was a great setup, when she thought about it. Juliette stood in the kitchen, pouring mugs of mulled wine while Christmas music played in the background. The was a tree in the corner, food in the oven, the television was displaying a fireplace, and she was even participating in one of her favourite traditions of donning a tacky Christmas sweater. It was a little… risque, but it was a funny sentiment so she had gone for it.

After handing off the mugs, Juliette took hers and sat down on the couch around where the others were gathered. ”Anyone have any good Christmas traditions?” she asked the group, trying to get the conversation rolling. It was always interesting to hear what other people did with their holiday, since it was a little different for each person or family. 

It was Christmas time and Vanessa was in the holiday spirit. Vanessa liked Christmas, but she also knew it was one of Gina’s favorite times of the year, making it all the more special. Gina’s mother was going to visit in a few days, which was exciting all on its own, if not a little nerve-wracking. Vanessa did not often get to be the girl who was introduced to parents, so she was just hoping for the best. Thankfully, those thoughts could be put on hold for the night.

It was Christmas Eve and they decided to enjoy a nice, quiet evening celebrating with the people who mattered most. Nessa and Booker were playing host to the two women in their lives, Gina and Jules respectively. It had been a banner year for the Bookman siblings in the love department, so both of them saw this Christmas as a special occasion.

After the bump in the road that was their first meeting, Nessa had grown to like Jules, particularly for Booker. She was a good person, which was enough to ignore her friendship with Rebecca. She even earned credit for her daring and funny Christmas sweater, though Nessa was raising her own ugly sweater game as well.

Nessa accepted a mug of mulled wine from Jules, taking a moment to embrace the scent. She was on the couch, curled up beside a more-human looking Gina thanks to her brother’s aura. Vanessa was never one to shy from cuddling and PDA, so she hoped Gina was getting used to that alright.

The apartment was warm, with lights strewn along walls and doorways and a decorated tree in the corner of the living room that came just shy of reaching the ceiling. (Nessa specifically remembered telling Booker the tree would be too tall only for him to smugly shut her down when they arrived him and it was, of course, perfect.) A delicious Christmas dinner was cooking, so the whole apartment was filled with delicious scents. What was not to love?

Embracing the holiday mood, Jules asked about holiday traditions, which sent Nessa’s mind to a rare place: her youth. ”Hm. Well, when I was like thirteen, we started going to a friend of the family for Christmas Eve parties. They had this amazing punch they made every year,” she recalled, still kicking herself for never obtaining the recipe. ”I didn’t realize the first year that it was alcoholic. So every year, we went to their house and I would end up drinking a bunch with their daughter until we went to midnight mass all wobbly.” Admittedly, mass was always far more intriguing under the influence of alcohol, which was a sentiment she doubted her parents would have appreciated.

”Now I usually skip the mass and keep the drinking,” she added, following it with a sip of her mulled wine. ”Oh, and we’d always get back home and open up gifts that night. As far as I’m concerned, going to sleep and opening up gifts in the morning is blasphemy.” To be fair, Nessa was also not a patient person, particularly in her youth.

Ah Christmas. It had to be one of the best times of the year. Not for some greedy reason like receiving gifts (though that was awesome) but because of the people he got to spend the time of year with. Booker could scarcely remember a holiday that he had spent alone. Maybe his first year or two of college, when he was busy studying or in a torrid affair, but it didn’t last long. Before college, it had always been with friends and “biological family”, and afterwards, it had been with his sister and whichever love interests and friends were in their lives.

For Booker, Christmas only filled his head with good memories and experiences: snow, warmth, fires, a comforting person to curl up next to, and seeing the whole city act just a little nicer. Really, there was no greater time of the year. The only sad thing was that the message of happiness and goodwill to all people only occurred this one time. Still, he had hope and somewhere, somehow, the world would be a better place.

This year, Booker was actually quite pleased that both he and Nessa were going to be sharing their Christmas with their loved ones, Juliette and Gina. Last year Nessa was silently pining over the redhead, and Booker was still cut pretty fresh from his failed relationship with Chris. But it seemed that most of those trials were finally over and both parties had found love anew -- hopefully this time it would stick.

Peeking out from the kitchen, Booker had to chuckle at the bevy of holiday cheer that he spied. The funny Christmas sweaters could be seen as far as the eye could see, a tradition that Booker was only too happy to take part of.

Dipping back in, Booker carefully removed the tray of candied coated nuts that he had been preparing. The snack found its way into a festive bowl painted with cartoon reindeer led by a single, red-nosed one. Snacks in hand, he walked out from the kitchen, becoming a sight that was very much in the theme of the others.

Booker too had decided to wear his own Christmas Sweater, inspired from his favorite Binge show, Odder Stuff. Booker even added to his overall, crimson look, with a festive Santa hat which sat perched upon his crown. Which his scruffy chin, towering height, and muscular build, he probably looked like a modern interpretation of the jolly fat man, only instead of being left cookies and milk, he consumed protein bars and muscle milk. Not that he was turned off in the slightest by the very precise descriptor (thank you, Nessa!); he was just happy everyone was here.

>>”Anyone have any good Christmas traditions?”

>> ”Hm. Well, when I was like thirteen, we started going to a friend of the family for Christmas Eve parties. They had this amazing punch they made every year...I didn’t realize the first year that it was alcoholic. So every year, we went to their house and I would end up drinking a bunch with their daughter until we went to midnight mass all wobbly.”

He snickered as he bent down, setting the bowl of freshly made candied nuts on the coffee table, within reach of everyone. He knew very well the story that Nessa was telling, even seen her a few times himself wobbling into church. It seemed that some traditions, thought slightly altered, were hard to kill.

>>”Now I usually skip the mass and keep the drinking...Oh, and we’d always get back home and open up gifts that night. As far as I’m concerned, going to sleep and opening up gifts in the morning is blasphemy.”

He rolled his eyes as he flopped onto the couch next to Juliette, draping his arm around her shoulders. ”I keep telling you, Nessa, patience is a virtue.”

Booker liked to wait until morning to open his presents, mainly because he enjoy the anticipation. That was why, without fail, he always managed to hide Nessa’s big gift until morning. This year would prove to be no different, despite whatever techniques, begging, or threatening she would attempt to employ in hopes of divulging where her final gift was. At least Gina was here to keep her in line. He turned his gaze to the aforementioned gargoyle.

”Maybe you can give her a lesson in dealing with anticipation?”

Keeping up with the silly holiday sweater trend, Gina sat folded next to Nessa. Her mutation was in flux, courtesy of Booker's aura. He'd get just far enough away that the grey would start creeping back into her fingertips and then, with his return, it'd recede once again. Her visage was very much like the Gina of years past. A more humanoid, tan-and-freckled rendition of the young woman, with smaller wings, a shorter tail, and less distinct talons. Nessa nestled close, and the gargoyle absently kissed her cheek. It was the little things.

When Juliette mentioned traditions, a smile broke across the gargoyle's face. Christmas was her favorite holiday, hands down. She loved Christmas lights, she loved being with her (small) family and appreciating what she had. A chuckle rippled from her as Nessa regailed tales of alcoholic punch.

Booker directed the conversation towards Gina, which the gargoyle accepted just as readily as she accepted the proffered mulled wine.

"We always open one gift on Christmas Eve," the gargoyle admonished, "Just one. And then we'd save the rest 'til mornining." Her expression was still gleaming-- perhaps that was just the room's effect, though. Everything felt like motes of light were hanging around them. It was the ambiance, "It gives you something to look forward to, without, like, ruining the surprise?"

"My family always cuts a tree the first weekend of December," Gina reminisced, "And we go view Christmas lights... main street in town was always done-up really nicely, with evergreen wreaths..." the thoughts that Gina sauntered through draped her in nostalgia. The gargoyle strolled willing down that path. Another chuckle escaped her, "You could always tell it was Christmas in my house, when Mom put out all her nativity scenes. She collects them."

Gina sipped the beverage timidly, the steam seeping into her pores. Did that count as Christmas tradition? Or was she just rambling? Though the age gap wasn't fantastic, Gina was acutely aware of the fact that she was the youngest in the room. She couldn't help but feel that her wide-eyed adoration of Christmas would emphasize her youth.

Booker’s arm around her shoulders was a welcome addition to the already warm and festive room. He looked a little like Santa Claus, if Santa had given up cookies forever and started on the diet regimen that Chris Rapt had taken for his role in Protectors of the Cosmos. She settled into his side and tucked her legs under herself to make her position as comfortable as possible.

She grinned as Gina and Nessa began to tell tales of Christmases past and their adventures with them. As she sort of expected, Nessa’s was a little more cynical, while Gina’s was quite the opposite. It simple to see the differences in the two women, but also where they complimented one another as a couple. Juliette listened intently as they each recounted their stories in turn, both of them admitting that they wouldn’t necessarily wait until Christmas morning to open their gifts.

She knew that Booker would be likely to fall into the other category of wanting to wait until the morning to open presents, but she fell more into the former. ”I like the idea of having a sneak peak,” she admitted with a grin, quitely reliving memories of her own. What Gina had said about having something to look forward to while still keeping the idea of a surprise alive was one that she agreed with, and it sort of fit her own Christmas traditions.

”My mom grew up Jewish, and while she definitely wasn’t the picture of religious integrity, she still liked to keep a few of the traditions alive. We would light a menorah each year and instead of spending money on a stocking, she would spread gifts out across the eight days and then do a larger gift on Christmas morning.” It was less of sneak peak and more of a mishmash of Christmas and Hanukkah, but she still liked to include it in the category. It was one of her favourite traditions and she planned on keeping at least some part of it if she ever had a family of her own.

Juliette took a sip of her own mulled wine and then leaned forward to grab a handful of candied nuts from the bowl. She missed her mom quite a bit around the holidays, and while she had gotten the chance to go see her grandparents for Thanksgiving, she still wished that she had been able to spend both holidays with them. Still, since her real family was so small and seemed to be decreasing in numbers each year, she was glad that she had people to spend time with, even if they weren’t blood related. Holidays were for the people you cared about, after all.

”So, Nessa, have you opened anything yet?” she asked curiously, nodding gently to the tree where there were wrapped items stacked underneath.

There was something so cozy about it all, from the silly Christmas Sweaters to the recounting of old memories. Booker was happy with a woman who seemed to get him and enjoy the unique guy he truly was. Nessa had a girlfriend who was currently transformed into a soft, tan state and who was comfortable enough with staying nice and close on the couch; exactly where Nessa wanted her. She understood that life was unpredictable, but if things could be just the way they were every Christmas, she’d consider herself lucky.

As with any day of the year, Booker found ways to tease his little sister, calling her out for her impatient personality. He even tried to employ Gina to be a “good influence” and show her how to enjoy anticipation. Given their courtship, Vanessa thought that was worth a laugh. ”Please, if Gina’s taught me one thing, it’s that if I really want something, I should stop overthinking it.” She punctuated the sentence with a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s freckled cheek. ”So by that logic, it’s totally fine that I spent the past week looking for your gifts.”

It was clear that, when it came to Gina and Jules, Christmas was connected deeply to family. Memories with mothers and, in Gina’s case, siblings. Booker was wonderful, but she did envy the women who had such warm memories with their parents. She then remembered that they were all together, apart from their families. Instead of feeling envy, it was important that they shared the time and embraced the holiday with their loved ones.

Nessa took another sip of her mulled wine, (in line with her previously stated holiday tradition,) her other hand gently rubbing Gina’s knee. Juliette mentioned gifts, which was exciting in its own right because gift exchanging would definitely be a fun part of the night to share together. ”Not really. I mean, we did a gift exchange at work already, but in this house, we don’t do our unwrapping until tonight. Though I have a few guesses about what the big doof might have gotten me.” she said, eyeing her brother, who at this point would have known well enough to avoid her gaze.

”It was easier before he knew I was psychic. Now I can’t get him to look me in the eyes and I still haven’t figured out what his ‘big present’ for me is,” she grumbled, before turning back to Juliette, keeping her gaze at eye-level in case she could catch some thoughts. ”I do know what he got you,” she added in a singsong voice.

Resting her head on Gina’s shoulder, she spoke in a softer voice. ”And I promise, I’ve been avoiding spoilers from you,” she promised, still very much thrilled for her first Christmas gift exchange with her girlfriend.

Booker couldn’t trust his sister. That was just the totality of it. She was a sneak who didn’t know how to control herself when it came to being surprised. She waited in line, for hours, for a single new release game, she asked inquisitive questions whenever her birthday came closer, and now that he knew she could read minds (other people’s minds) he made sure to never tell other people anything that had to do with her. Therefore, reading Juliette or Gina’s mind for her Christmas present was going to offer her no results. Booker may be the only one in the room without superpowers, but he was far from defenseless.

>>"We always open one gift on Christmas Eve. Just one. And then we'd save the rest 'til mornining….It gives you something to look forward to, without, like, ruining the surprise?"

>>”I like the idea of having a sneak peak,”

With raised eyebrows and a look of satisfaction, Booker grinned obnoxiously to his sister. She really was incorrigible when it came to waiting for her Christmas presents, birthday presents, any gift, really. There was one time where she got the stupid idea in her head of starting a wedding registry just so that she could get the gifts and then claim that she and her fiance broke up. Booker was only like, sixty-percent sure that she was kidding in that regard. Thankfully she never went through with it...as far as he knew.

”See, you little brat?” he teased. ”Nothing wrong with a bit of patience.”

>>”Please, if Gina’s taught me one thing, it’s that if I really want something, I should stop overthinking it...So by that logic, it’s totally fine that I spent the past week looking for your gifts.

He rolled his eyes and just chuckled as he sat back against the couch, letting Juliette nestle more closely against him. Gently he ran his fingers across her arm, watching the scene around him. Really it was probably more than he could have asked for. Nessa was happy in her relationship with Gina, and Booker couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found someone like Juliette. This was one of the most picturesque Bookman holidays that he could think of in recent memory, the last being several years ago when either Nessa, nor Booker, were dating and were just having a holiday with friends. But this totally blew that one out of the water -- and in such a way that for the briefest moments he feared something ruining it.

But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. He zeroed in on Juliette and Gina sharing stories of their own Christmas pasts, stories that made him smile and think of what the meaning of family really was. It wasn’t so much that Booker was jealous that both Nessa and Gina had amazing parents, but more irritated that his own parents couldn’t get their act together. Again, now wasn’t the time. So Booker ignored those pestering thoughts and instead just smirked, sipping wine and munching on roasted nuts as the two lovely women spoke.

Truly this was what Christmas was all about.

>>”So, Nessa, have you opened anything yet?”

>> ”Not really. I mean, we did a gift exchange at work already, but in this house, we don’t do our unwrapping until tonight. Though I have a few guesses about what the big doof might have gotten me...”It was easier before he knew I was psychic. Now I can’t get him to look me in the eyes and I still haven’t figured out what his ‘big present’ for me is,”

Booker shook his head. ”Feel free to look in my eyes all you want, you little sneak.” He smirked. ”You and I both know you’re not getting a damn thing from them.” He then gestured to Juliette and Gina. ”And as for these two, I didn’t tell them anything. So you’re just going to have to be...oh...what’s the word?” he asked, turning in mock confusion to his own girlfriend. He then snapped his fingers and turned back to his sister. ”Patience! That’s the word.”

He loved to torture his sister, especially when it came to such important life lessons. While he was certainly that he wouldn’t be able to keep all her gifts wrapped until morning, he did have her big one hidden away in a place that she would never find it until morning. So long as he could get away with that tiny victory, then he was a happy camper.

However, even as Booker enjoyed his successful, he soon felt the clouds begin to rise again. His eyes shifted back over to Nessa, watching as the woman gave Juliette a conniving grin.

>>”I do know what he got you...And I promise, I’ve been avoiding spoilers from you,”

He tilted his head. Deep down, he knew that Nessa wasn’t so greedy that she would ruin a surprise gift just so that she could get hers handed to her in a silver platter. That wasn’t his sister. At least, that was the faith he was putting in her. Still, he wouldn’t feed into the temptation and merely just shook his head as he reached over to the table, picking up another handful from the plate of nuts.

”Psh, who’s to say that was the actual gift I got her?” he teased mysteriously. ”I have layers upon layers of plans. I could have easily gotten a decoy gift for her that I let you see.” And, to cap that moment, proceeded to stick out his tongue towards her, just to make it stick.

Gina listened to the other tales of Christmases past-- Juli's story of Christmas and Hannukah blended (how cool!), and Nessa's humorous confession about having scoured her and Booker's apartment for her gifts. A shiver ran through Gina as Nessa murmured about "avoiding spoilers" into the crook of the gargoyle's neck.

"Not telling you has been absolute torture," the gargoyle teased, smiling. Even withou the telepathic assistance, Gina was not a secret keeper. She tended towards oversharing when it came to projects and, well, Christmas projects were no exception. Gina loved to tell her friends and loved ones what she was working on, but you just couldn't do that with Christmas gifts. Especially when the person receiving said gifts was a f***ing psychic.

Gina smiled at the sibling antics that unfolded between the Bookman's, sipping her mulled wine. She missed her brothers. A lot. Watching Booker torment Nessa only solidified that sentiment. The gargoyle glanced towards Juliette, shaking her head in good humor at Booker's antics. Gina was perfectly contented to sit and enjoy the company of the others present, without leaping into the conversation, She took another sip of her drink, watching the steam roil upwards.

The question of whether Nessa had opened any of her gifts yet had been one that had come to Juliette as soon as she claimed that she liked to open them early. It was interesting to hear that she had had enough self-control to wait to open any to that point, especially since they were nearing the evening of Christmas Eve. If she really was as impatient as she and Booker both claimed, then she was doing fairly well for herself. Much better than her track record suggested, anyway.

Juliette grinned broadly as the conversation turned to whether or not Nessa had been able to read Booker’s mind yet. The information that her boyfriend’s sister was psychic was definitely… strange, but it explained some things. Namely why she had been acting so strange the night that she had walked in on her and Booker. It also made Juliette slightly more wary about looking her directly in the eyes, especially when Booker was wearing something tight…

She met Booker’s eyes when he looked at her with a mocking expression. Always one to participate in a joke, Juliette played along, making exaggerated facial expressions as she followed his line of thought. Patient. Nessa. She could certainly try it out.

>>”I do know what he got you,”

”Eek! No! Don’t tell me!” Juliette squeaked, covering her eyes with her hands. For a moment, she forgot that Nessa’s mutation only worked one way, and that Booker, the adapted was sitting right next to her. There was no way that Nessa would be able to spoil it for her, and it didn’t even matter, since they were meant to be doing their gift exchange shortly. Even if she did somehow ruin the surprise, it would only matter for a few hours.

She wouldn’t, however, put it past Booker to have come up with some multi-layered story to lead Nessa down the wrong path. She wasn’t entirely sure that it was worth it just for her Christmas gift, but it sounded like something that he would do. Anything to mess with his sister.

Juliette had settled back down since her sudden aversion to looking at Nessa, so her hands were back in her lap and she was resting back in the crook of Booker’s arm. ”Honestly, I’m just amazed that any of us made it this far without revealing gifts if Nessa is as bad as everyone says.” She grinned and looked directly back at Nessa, knowing now that she wouldn’t be able to read her mind. ”Though maybe we should just exchange gifts now and put her out of her misery.”