Mike & Karen Ch. 14

She'd exchanged gifts with them already, of course, since Christmas Day was devoted to other activities. The gifts had all been pleasant enough, but what did the fabulously wealthy keep getting one another that could possibly mean anything? What did any of it really mean?

Ecclesiastes had always been her favourite book in the Bible, even if almost no one else understood why.

The comforts of her surroundings, all this wealth, it was not enough. It wasn't in any manner the foundation of a happiness she wanted. A tool, perhaps, but no more, and hopefully not necessary. That would bother her. She admitted that her happiest moments in life, those with her family or her friends, were usually not predicated on money or its presence. Simply talking or enjoying a pleasant afternoon... laughing and enjoying junk food cereal while watching cheesy cartoons...

Unfolding great mysteries about how creation worked on both the biggest and smallest levels imaginable...

She pulled herself out of her own head and continued playing, this time the sprightly 'Ding Dong Merrily On High', while people reacted happily to the choice.

She wondered how much longer she had to enjoy this type of moment.

***

The present, Christmas Eve...

Mike looked at the solid wooden box in front of him curiously. It was sizable, certainly, and obviously closed in an amateurish manner, meaning it was not something professional. He noticed both Alex and Alexa smirking at him, while Jeanie and Freja did the same from the television screen they were Skyping through. Jordan sat in a chair nearby, looking younger and more hale than he had mere days ago. Karen was sitting in the corner, also smirking, while she played 'The First Noel' on her Celtic harp.

"Go on, dear," she encouraged him. "I for one am eager to see what these lunatics dreamed up."

Mike took hold of the wood at one corner with both hands and pried the lid open slightly by dint of brute strength, the nails that were supposed to hold it in place creaking as they bent.

"Holy shit, that's hot to watch..." Jeanie said quietly, fanning herself as she and Freja stared.

"I've got a small claw hammer here, dad," Alex offered, holding the tool out. "It might be easier than-"

"Alex, don't you dare interfere," Karen chided as she watched her husband intently, trying to not lick her lips. He was as strong as ever. "Watching this counts as one of my Christmas presents to myself, I'll have you know."

"Sorry, mom," Alex chuckled, stepping back while his father contested iron and wood, wedging a hand inside the opening he'd created and then pulling the lid back with a grunt, the pine splintering loudly. His eyes went wide as he gazed at the contents.

Sitting inside the long box on a thick bed of shredded newspaper, was a huge and somewhat bizarre-looking electric guitar. He picked it up by the neck and took in the sight. It was heavy, and had everything a proper guitar should have, but seemed strangely homemade. Which, of course, it was.

"We call it the AAJF-69," Alexa mentioned, beaming with delight at his reaction. "I provided the music theory."

"Ja, and I provided the engineering and construction under Alexa's and Alex's guidance," Freja added from the TV screen.

"Alex and I did the detailing," Jeanie said, enjoying the look on Mike's face. "Hope you like."

Mike looked at his son, who shrugged. "I also helped get the materials and then tested it, along with Alexa," Alex said simply. "We made sure it was too large for me, so it'll fit you just fine, we figured."

"I might have overpowered it," Freja said, holding up a hand. "So do not try it inside your living room, unless you are wishing to blow out your windows."

Mike was still looking at the instrument in awe. It was heavy, indeed, and very large, larger than a regular guitar by at least a third. It looked like a Gibson crossed with a steel factory and a Tesla coil. There were little valves and pipes he couldn't even begin to account for the function of.

"The Double A JF-69 is a one-of-a-kind, not to be found anywhere else on the planet," Jeanie announced imitating a game show host's voice. "Crafted with love, sweat and ears, its like will never be made again."

"You kids are too much!" Mike laughed, holding the guitar high for all to see. "And thank you. You know it'll see constant use."

"Just not in my house," Karen added, still playing. "I do love this house, and I'd hate to see it explode, even if we're due to move in a few weeks."

Alexa now went and knelt in front of Jordan, her hands on his lap. "I'm sorry, Jordan, I must admit, I wasn't sure what to get you."

The old man smiled and caressed the beautiful girl's cheek. She put her hand gently over his and closed her eyes, knowing that this was a loving touch she'd missed feeling her whole life.

"My dear Alexandra," he said softly. "You are back in my life, and I have the family that meant more than anything to me gathered around me in my golden years. Who could ask for more than that?"

Alexa sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye before giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek. She then went and joined her sister, taking over at the harp and playing 'Silent Night', while Karen moved to open her present. It was small, merely an envelope, but that could only mean something wonderful.

She pressed her fingers to her lips as she looked at the contents, trying not to cry.

"Yep," Mike said as he came and put his arm around his wife while she looked at the photograph of an exquisite orchestral harp. "We found one. A Leon & Healy Louis XV Special Edition."

"Look at it," she murmured, her fingers still over her mouth. "It's perfect, the colours are perfect."

"Plays like a dream too," Alexa said from the harp in the corner. "Hope you don't mind my play-testing it to make sure. I know I'm not as orchestral as you, but I think you'll like it all the same."

"Yeah, it's named after a French king or something," Jeanie said, still watching from the TV. "I may speak French, but the only kings I know are Elvis and Burger."

Karen laughed through the tears she was stifling, and hugged her husband, son and younger sister for the perfect gift. She'd wanted one for years now. She smiled at Freja and Jeanie. "I promise I'll thank you two when you get back."

"We are looking forward to it," Freja said, winking. "What is left? It is early morning here, my family will be up soon."

"Alli, come here, please," Karen said, beckoning to her sister. She then waved her hand at the sound system set into the wall, which started playing Christmas music in the absence of Alexa playing the harp. The blonde girl joined her family, while Karen passed her an envelope.

"Seems like the night for envelopes," Alexa said as she opened the tiny package, which was held shut with wax, pressed into the Blackwell seal. "Gotta work hard to top a Louis Quinze harp."

"What a strange thing to happen to say..." Karen remarked blithely.

"It's technically for both of you, but we did this with you in mind, Alli," Mike added. "I think you'll like it."

Alex was watching his wife, rather than the contents of the envelope. She examined the contents, growing silent and seeming to freeze in place.

Her eyes rolled into her head and she slumped, with Mike catching her quickly as she seemed to faint. Alex frowned and removed the envelope from his wife's hand, reading what was inside while his mother looked on in amusement. He slowly gaped up at the two of them in astonishment.

"You... you arranged for us to be married at Versailles?" he breathed in disbelief.

***

Christmas Day, the Scott Mission downtown...

"There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth: those with the commitment, and those who require the commitment of others."

People inside the mission, both volunteers and those using its services, applauded loudly as Mike pronounced the John Adams quote for them all. Behind the food serving stations, Karen watched on happily, having paused in serving the day's food. Beside her, the kitchen manager, an old friend named Angie, put her arm around Karen's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

"Gotta admit, you guys really know how to make a girl's day," the blonde woman stated, nodding. She was almost sixty, and had been managing the kitchen for nearly thirty years now, mostly thanks to Karen. "You're been a blessing in my life for three decades, you know that?"

"You can't be too much help to your own species," Karen answered, starting to portion out turkey again, while Alexa was distributing cranberry jelly and stuffing. Alex was rushing giant pans of food back and forth from the kitchen, while Mike cleaned away dishes and utensils and Jordan was crisply arranging new table settings for more guests. The stereo system, recently replaced at the expense of the DeBourne patrons to replace the ancient, tinny one, was playing an instrumental version of 'Angels We Have Heard On High' over the speakers. Outside, the day was bright and cold, a winter wonderland.

"Think you'll manage to keep from accosting your nephew for the next five hours?" Karen asked her little sister as they served everyone.

"No promises," Alexa replied, doling out green beans with sliced almonds. "And you're lucky he's here, or it'd be you I'd be hauling into a storage closet to thank for Versailles."

"Goodness," Karen said, fanning herself for effect. "One hardly knows what to say."

"That's my line, Kar," her younger sister said, smiling and sticking out her tongue. "What did I do to get so lucky?"

"We could all ask the same thing, now that you're back in our lives, Alli," the older sister pointed out, smiling and nodding as she gave an old man a large helping of turkey. "Every day, I wake up and it still seems unreal to me. But every morning, I get down on my knees and thank the Lord this is how it worked out. Because I don't know what I did to deserve my life either."

"Guess we'd best make the most of it, hm?" Alexa mused, sighing contentedly. "After all, it's gonna be a pretty intense year."

Karen nodded. "Moving to the manor, the legal battles we face, introducing you to the DeBournes again... but we have the four of us, and nothing under Heaven can stand against that. Never doubt it."

"I never will," Alexandra Aurora Andromeda Blackwell said, her voice carrying the weight of certainty. "I promise you. Merry Christmas, Kar."

"Merry Christmas, Alli," Karen said warmly before laughing and calling out loudly to the dining hall. "Merry Christmas one and all!"

Merry Christmas indeed.

***

Author's Notes: Yes, yes, this chapter is nearly six months behind the actual time of publication, but I work in TV and movies when I'm not doing this stuff, so while I am sorry for the delay, I make no apologies, since I like getting paid and eating.

Lots of singing in this chapter, but it's Christmas, so that's to be expected. The old Acadian tune 'C'est toujours le temps des fêtes!' is a great romp. I don't own the music, it's Acadian folk music. Similarly, 'Il est né, le divin Enfant" is an old French Christmas song from the mid-nineteenth century.

'Big-titted Airhead' was my own parody of the song 'Beauty School Dropout' from the movie Grease. It's a really great parody if you have the song playing in the background to match the lyrics up with. And if you recognize Santa, well, then you've read my story over in Humour/Satire 'Miracle On RR34'. Go you!

I hope you all enjoyed the Jordan story, because I rather like him as a supporting character. He's not going to be a constant figure in every chapter, but he will be around, rather like Heather is. And he means so much to Karen, I just had to give in to her request that he live with them. I can't deny that woman anything...

Yes, the cat is out of the bag, with Alex unexpectedly announcing to the world that he's marrying his aunt. Nobody knew he was going to do that, even Alex, likely. Still, like Karen and Mike discussed, it was probably the right call. Only time will tell.

A guitar with more bells and whistles than a steampunk airship, a two hundred-thousand-dollar harp, and a wedding in Versailles. Can I cook up Christmas presents or what?

Flashback-wise, we are beginning to see how young Mike and Karen are coming to understand that no matter how much they love their families, the worlds they live in are just getting too small, and there must be something (and someone) else intended for them. Expect that march to continue steadily.

Yep, absinthe Christmas cocktails and Christmas mead. They both exist, and they are wonderful. I'm brewing mead these days myself right now (a bochet, if you must know), and finding it quite enjoyable. If you're the adventurous type, it can be quite rewarding to make for yourself.

I might also point out that the eggnog crisis with Jeanie really happened at my house one Christmas, with a friend. Lovely girl, but none too bright. Good times.

So as stated, next up is the move into the Blackwell manor, which brings a new set of both opportunities and challenges for our crew. It opens up a lot of doors for me, which is the important thing. Let's see what happens, shall we?

Oh, wait. I already know. Ha!

Yes, yes, I have many other stories to catch up on, and I promise you, I will. But I need to (biscuit) hammer these next few chapters out soon, because I'm on a bit of a time crunch. Your patience is appreciated.

That's all for now, I hope the spring weather has found you and keeps you warm after a miserable winter. My work schedule is picking up again, and I'm striving to squeeze in all the writing time I can, so wish me luck.

Keep your stick on the ice!

- Management