Page 8 of Dreaming of an Earth Christmas

She didn’t look back. She didn’t want to catch Daniel’s attention if he hadn’t really woken up already, and she stood there sort of frozen in place, her back and shoulders tensed as she waited to see what would happen next. The following cry had her turning back and walking over to the floating bassinet. Alice looked down at her son with a rueful smile. No cooking that afternoon, at least not until T’kalinth showed up again. As soon as she picked up Daniel and held him in her arms, he grew quiet. A few moments of swaying side to side later, and his head lay heavy against her shoulder.

He was a beautiful baby. He had scales, like T’kalinth, but they felt thinner, with less texture. He was a soft, spring green color, and he had the most brilliant green eyes, just like her husband. There had been times when she’d believed he would never come, that they wouldn’t receive such a blessing. She hadn’t become pregnant quickly like Carlie and Alexis. She could still feel the longing that’d twisted and squeezed in her chest each month as she’d waited to see if it would be the time they’d finally become a family. Even with her baby’s breath warming her shoulder, she could recall how often she’d prayed for him.

Alice smiled and held him a little tighter to her chest, supporting his head with her hand. She could feel the softness of his tiny, downy feathers beneath her palm. If there was any year that she wanted to celebrate Christmas to the fullest, it was this year. She needed to lift her voice and praise her God for his goodness, and what better time than now, when all Christians rejoiced at the birth of another baby boy who had changed the world.

She felt the vibration of her wrist comm before she heard its call-tone. Alice quickly accepted the comm before the sound of the ring could disturb Daniel. “Hello,” she said briskly, wondering if Kat had forgotten something before.

“Alice! Hey—what’s wrong? Why are you whispering?”

“Bethenny,” she said with a relieved sigh, “how are you?”

“I’m fine, but enough about me, how’s my nephew doing?” her sister asked.

“He’s drooling on my shoulder right now, so he’s doing pretty well,” Alice quipped back. “I’m so happy you’ll be back for Christmas here. I know Kat’s excited about hosting this celebration at the palace, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without you.”

Bethenny laughed lightly. “I wouldn’t miss it, but it’ll be a little weird being around so many people. For so many years it was just you and me.” After a short pause, Bethenny spoke again. “Anyway, you wrote that you wanted us to bring a real tree—how big are we thinking? We don’t have much more time before we have to head back to Xithilene, so we’ll need to start searching now.”

“What will fit in your cargo hold?” Alice asked. “If it were for the apartment, that’d be one thing, but Christmas at the palace…I was thinking about the kind of tree they put up every year in the square near St. Thomas Aquinas. Do you remember the display there?”

“Do I remember it? We’d walk there every year with our hot chocolate on Christmas Eve—of course I remember it. I’m just not sure that we can manage a tree quite that large, especially this close to Christmas. There are rules about that sort of thing. Even if we wanted to, J’cinth and I can’t just land in a forest and take what we want. That’s the kind of behavior that gets your ship blacklisted from ever landing on Earth again. I’ll see what I can do. Don’t worry, big sis, I’ve got it covered.”

Alice smiled. “I know you do. I can’t wait for you both to come home. Are you and J’cinth thinking about giving Daniel a cousin anytime soon?”

“Uh, no. I love little Daniel, but we’re in no hurry. Eventually—eventually, Alice. Good things come to those who wait and all that jazz. I’ve got to go. Take care of the little guy for me. Aunt Bethenny is coming soon,” she cooed into the comm device. Alice laughed.

“He’s looking forward to it. I am, too,” she added more softly.

“Good. It’s going to be a great Christmas, Alice. See you soon.”

Alice sat down slowly, being careful not to move Daniel too much. She let her back rest against the layered blankets covering their couch and sighed with contentment. The soft sound of the authorization panel disengaging the door’s lock had Alice turning to face the main entrance, and the baby made a soft little stuttering sleepy noise. T’kalinth almost looked a little sheepish as he stole inside with a frantic look towards Daniel. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed, “I didn’t mean to wake him.”

She could see the softness in his eyes as he approached her, his legs seeming to move of their own volition. “You didn’t,” she replied. “He was just stirring.” Now that the baby was in her arms, she knew she could speak without disturbing him as long as she kept her voice low.

T’kalinth held out his arms. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course,” Alice said, carefully lifting their son from her chest as he bent down to take him.

She loved watching T’kalinth with Daniel. Her big man’s strong hands became so gentle. He treated their baby like the treasure he was—she had not been the only one to yearn for what they had now, and she knew T’kalinth shared her joy, even if he didn’t often express it in words.

Alice lifted her hand to stifle a yawn.

“Go lay down. You’re weary. Ka’alaniss has kept us all busy the last few days, but I’m home now,” said T’kalinth, inclining his head towards their bedroom.

Alice glanced towards the doorway with a longing look before she turned to the kitchen. “I can’t. I promised the girls I’d bring some of our favorites from Earth, and I haven’t even started baking yet.”

Her mate made a rough noise that combined an irritated hiss with his rattle. “You look as if you’re about to collapse right now. Believe me, we have plenty planned for your gathering. It will have all of your human traditions. You don’t need to be in the kitchen baking—your friends will just have to do without.”

“No. This is important to me. After Bethenny and I traveled to the city, we couldn’t do many of our old traditions, but I could usually scrape together enough credits to at least make our favorite Christmas cookies. This is Daniel’s first Christmas—I want it to be perfect,” she insisted.

T’kalinth bent his head to brush his face against the baby’s feathered scalp and then looked up to meet her eyes. Whatever he saw in her expression must’ve been convincing. He straightened up and glanced at the kitchen as his mouth hardened with determination.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Alice grabbed for the side of the couch—the lounger as T’kalinth called it. Her body seemed set on betraying her, and she’d swayed to the side. She really should sleep. She needed to be able to safely take care of Daniel.

“You’ll do what?” she asked.

“The baking,” he replied. “I know you have a list. You have lists for everything. Do your assistants at the restaurant have the recipes?”

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