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  Nikolas cut the turkey and everyone dove in, passing dishes around the table. Dinner flowed smoothly with everyone talking and laughing together. As Brandi laughed at something her younger brother Joshua said, she glanced up and looked out the window across from her. Noticing the snow coming down heavier, she said, “If the driveway looks bad when we go outside, everyone is staying the night.” Looking around the table, she saw the nods and smiled, since she knew none of the guys, her dad and grandfather included, wanted to argue the point with her.

  As the girls cleared the table after dinner, they made plans for Black Friday shopping, weather permitting, deciding where they wanted to go and what time. They had the table and kitchen cleaned with the dishwasher running in very short order.

  When they got back out to the front room, everyone was ready and waiting by the front door, Brandi's wolves included. Brandi was happy to see Nik even had the babies awake and bundled up as he held them, waiting for her. When the girls had jackets, gloves, and boots on, they all headed outside.

  All but Anna and Leah took off around the front yard, laughing and sometimes dropping to the ground to make snow angels. They already had several inches on the ground, and you couldn't see where the driveway was anymore.

  With a smile Brandi glanced up and opened her mouth, catching a snowflake on her tongue. Brandi then looked to see where the babies were. Seeing Jason and Brittany sitting in the snow playing near their eldest siblings, she closed her eyes and continued to catch snowflakes. Her eyes suddenly popped open when she felt something hit her arm. Glancing down, she noticed snow clinging to her jacket sleeve. Looking at the direction it seemed to have come from, she saw her husband standing there trying to look innocent. Giggling, she gave him a mock evil glare as she bent down to reach for some snow. Forming a ball with the snow, she stood and passed it between her hands. Grinning, she threw it at him, hitting him in the chest.

  With that throw, the fight was on. Everyone got involved, throwing snowballs at each other. Brandi and Nikolas continued the snowball fight with each other but also joined in against everyone else. Nikolas suddenly had Jason and Brittany with him, helping them to throw snowballs at their mother as well as everyone else. He even had Jim on his side to bombard her with snowballs. The snowball fight kept going until the younger kids got tired.

  Grinning, Doug shook off the snow he was covered in and, looking at Brandi and Nikolas, said, “Brody and I will help everyone get ready for bed. When they're in bed, can we play the X-box in my room?”

  Looking at each other, they smiled and Brandi said, “As long as all the younger kids are in bed and asleep, you may. Have Anna and Leah help with Jay and Britt if needed, please. Then, when you’re done, you two will need to keep the noise at an appropriate level so you don't wake any of them. And lastly, even though there isn't school tomorrow, I don't want you staying up late.”

  “Thanks, Mom. We'll keep the noise down and won't stay up late.” Doug gave Brandi and Nikolas each a hug and a kiss while Brody did the same to both Gray and Marilyn before they rounded up the other kids, with Anna and Leah taking the babies, and went inside.

  Looking at those still outside, Brandi said, “You all can use any of the unoccupied rooms upstairs. There’s more than enough room for everyone.” Feeling Nikolas come stand behind her, Brandi leaned against him before turning and putting her arms around his waist.

  They were standing in the middle of the front yard still. Gazing up at Nikolas, Brandi smiled.

  Looking down at her and also smiling, Nikolas asked, “Are you doing all right, Mate?”

  “I am, thank you. It's been a long, but good, day. But with the snow still coming down this heavy, I think I'll talk to the girls once we go back in about not shopping tomorrow morning. If they’re in agreement, how about we take the kids and go look for a tree on the back part of the property to cut down instead?”

  “Sounds like a good plan. Anyone else who wants to can join us.” At her nod, he smiled more. With gentle but practiced ease, Nikolas lifted her in his arms. As she moved her arms from around his chest, where they'd ended up when he lifted her up, to start to go behind his neck, he kissed her. They kissed as the snow fell on and around them.

  When they finished the kiss and he set her back on the ground, she had to hold onto him for a moment to keep her balance so she didn't fall. With a contented sigh, she turned to look around and found they were the only ones left outside.

  After Brandi and Nikolas got back inside and the girls had a chance to talk about it, they all agreed it would be safer to not go shopping, especially since the driveway still couldn’t be seen. Although it was an early storm, none were surprised since it was Denver and near the foothills of the Rockies.

  Feeling the day finally catching up to her, Brandi told everyone goodnight and headed to bed, falling asleep quickly.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning at breakfast, Nikolas let the kids know they were going to go look for and cut down a tree on the back part of the property. Once the cheering stopped, he told the rest of the table that anyone else who wanted to join them was welcome.

  After breakfast was done and the dishes were taken care of, Brandi and Nikolas with their ten kids, along with Gray and Marilyn with Brody and their twins, and her brother Michael with his wife Jessica, all headed outside once Brandi found a few different colors of ribbon. After grabbing a couple of coils of rope, they all got on snowmobiles. Brandi came up with a way to carry her twins with her while Nikolas, Anna, Leah, and Doug took Drew, Jon, and the triplets. Once the smaller kids were settled, they all headed to the back property. As the snowmobiles left, the ones who had stayed behind went out to the storage shed to bring in the decorations.

  Arriving in the back part of the property, they left the snowmobiles and started walking. Before they started looking, Brandi checked to see who else wanted a tree. Since both Gray and Mike spoke up, Brandi had Jessica and Marilyn each pick a ribbon. They then spread out and wandered. The girls each tied their respective ribbons to the tree they picked out.

  After Gray, Mike, and Nikolas cut down the specified trees, they tied each one to the back of the appropriate snowmobile. They took it easy going back so as to not ruin the trees. When they returned to the house, Nikolas helped Gray tie his and Marilyn’s tree to the bed and roof of Gray's truck while Eric came out of the house to help Mike tie the one he and Jessica had picked out. When the trees were tied securely to the trucks, Mike helped Nikolas carry the tree Brandi chose for their family into the house.

  Instead of waiting for the guys to secure the two trees to the respective trucks, the girls, with the kids, headed back into the house with Brandi carrying Jason and Anna helping by carrying Brittany. While Brandi waited, she got the stand out and set it where she wanted the tree to go. She then got a pitcher of water and set that off to the side to add to the tree once it was in the stand. When her husband and brother got inside with the tree, she stood back and let them know if it was straight or not as they tightened it into the stand. Once it was straight and tightened down, she handed the water to Nikolas to pour in.

  Looking at the tree, Brandi smiled. Nodding to herself, she said, “How about we let this settle for a little while and decorate it later this afternoon, or evening.” She heard some sighs but then an, “all right,” from the kids while Jason and Brittany bounced excitedly. Brandi knew the two youngest didn’t understand about Christmas yet and were only excited because their siblings and cousins were.

  Laughing, Nikolas said, “I'm going to go plow the driveway so people can leave when they're ready.” Grabbing the keys to the truck, he headed outside.

  Sitting down, Brandi started thinking. Looking at her oldest girls, she asked, “Do you mind watching your brothers and sisters for a while later?”

  They looked at each other and, shaking their heads, said, “No, why?”

  “I think I'm gonna have Dad take me into town to finish up shopping. Anything gotten now is from us. All the
special ones are done or will be delivered on Christmas Eve.” As Brandi finished, she noticed Doug run up to her and wait.

  Anna nodded. “Not a problem. What about for...” Seeing Doug, Anna finished with “Is that all done, too?”

  “Yeah, it is. Maybe some last-minute for it, but yep.” Looking at Doug, she smiled and said, “Thanks for waiting. What can I do for you, my sweet?”

  “Can I sleep over at Brody’s, at least tonight? I already asked Gray and Marilyn and they said as long as it was okay with you. Please?????”

  Laughing, Brandi replied, “Of course you can. Since I know you want to stay the weekend if possible, take enough so you'll have it just in case. Remember, though, if they leave before we decorate the tree, you'll miss out on that and any other decorating.”

  Giving her a hug, he said, “Thanks, Mom. And if I do, that’s okay. I do enjoy it, but if I miss this year then I miss.”

  Hearing the last of the conversation as he stepped up, Gray looked at Brandi and said, “We can wait, love. I'd be happy to help Nik put the lights on the tree since it's taller then he and I are. But neither you nor Marilyn would want to choose a tree that that's six and a half to seven feet tall. Nope, you girls need to find one that's at least ten feet tall. But that's fine. That's what ladders are for.” He grinned at Brandi, letting her know he was giving her a bad time about the height of the tree.

  Her eyes twinkled as she said, “Thanks, Gray. And of course we can't. It wouldn't be a proper Christmas tree if it wasn't tall.” Getting up, she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before she went to check on Jon, the triplets, and the younger twins. They were all taking their naps after spending the morning traipsing through the snow. Finding them still fast asleep and Drew playing with Brody and Doug, Brandi headed into the kitchen to see about making sandwiches for lunch.

  As she got bread, turkey, and condiments out, she looked over at the door from the dining room to the kitchen. “Something wrong, G’pa?”

  Smiling at her, he said, “No, child. I will be returning to the reservation soon. You are doing well with having your families combined, and the little ones are very happy with all their older siblings. I also wanted to tell you thank you for the room last night. I enjoy staying here with you as much as I do having you staying with me.”

  “Thank you, G’pa. And you’re very welcome. You have a room here whenever you want one. Thank you for the use of your snowmobile this morning.” Although this was sometimes the way conversations with Wind Rider were, this one was confusing to her. It was like there was something on his mind, but he didn't want, or didn't know how, to say.

  “My pleasure. Now, I think I will head home. Thank you for dinner.” He moved to hug her and kiss her cheek, when he said, “He will take care of you always, be true to you and never leave your side. You have found another of worth that I know I can trust with you and my great-grandchildren. Your mother would be happy.” Bending, he kissed her cheek again and left out the back door.

  Putting everything on the counter, she watched as he left. She realized what he was saying, without actually saying the words. With regards to his triplet grandchildren—Mike, Eric, and her—even though the boys were important to him, she was more so. She was his special one and the one he'd protect no matter what. But she already knew that from things he'd done in the past. She didn't tell him she loved him before he'd left, just as he didn't say it to her; they didn't have to. They both knew it, even though they did say it to each other frequently. He was the one she'd always turned to when there was a problem. He was her rock.

  Smiling to herself, she made sandwiches for everyone. She made smaller ones, and easier to eat, for the younger kids, except Jason and Brittany who would be ready to have their bottles soon as well as possibly some of their food for lunch. Just as she was about to take a couple of plates to the dining room table, Nikolas walked into the kitchen. Taking the plates, he leaned down to give her a kiss and then a smile. “I saw Wind Rider leave as I was finishing up.”

  “Yeah. He figured it was time to get home. His was the easiest for going and he didn't have to stay last night, but I'm glad he did. I thanked him for letting us use his snowmobile.” She didn't tell him about the rest of the conversation yet. She figured she could do that later. Remembering she then said, “Oh, Doug is going to stay with Brody for at least the night, maybe till Sunday if Gray and Marilyn don't mind having him that long. They'll wait until the tree is decorated before they go and Gray said he'll help you with doing the lights on the tree. You may wanna check to see if Jim and/or John will also help you both.”

  “I’ll ask them. That's nice of Gray. And I'm glad Brody and Doug get along so well. It is definitely good for Doug. He was never one to go and stay at a friend's house, or have one over, like he does with Brody. Did you have anything you wanted to do today, besides decorate?”

  “Actually, yes. Our eldest girls are going to watch their siblings while we go to town to finish shopping. I may not get anything from the sales, but at least we can get done for the kids.”

  “We can do that. What about for us or, more importantly, for you?”

  “I don't know. I gave the kids all ideas since I know they like to get something for us. But a gift for you to give me? In a way, I’m getting my present from you when we go in January.”

  He gently rubbed her back as they walked out of the kitchen.

  As plates got set on the table, four of the six who had been napping came running up to them both. Smiling down at them, Brandi handed them each a sandwich and said, “After you finish yours, please go tell everyone else there are sandwiches ready.”

  Nodding, they said in unison, “Thanks, Momma.” As they all sat down on the floor, she smiled.

  Walking back into the kitchen, with Nikolas behind her, she went to get a pitcher out of the cupboard. Finding she couldn't reach it, she stepped out of the way so Nikolas could. When it was down, she poured tea into it then handed it and the milk to Nikolas to take out while she grabbed glasses. When they returned to the dining room, Brandi noticed sandwiches gone, and the four were standing to wait for something to drink. Setting the glasses down, she handed the ones for them to Nikolas to fill with milk. Taking the cups back, she handed one to each and watched as they sat back down to drink it.

  Walking out to the living room, she announced there was also tea and milk on the table for anyone who wanted it. Picking up the baby monitor from the dining room table, she then excused herself to go check on the babies and give them, at least, the bottles she was carrying for the moment.

  When lunch was done, including Brandi and Nik feeding Jason and Brittany the food she’d fed them the evening before, only Gray, Marilyn, Brody, their twins, and Jim stayed.

  Brandi gave everyone a hug as well as a kiss as they left and told each that she was glad they'd come. She knew Alex and Joshua were staying at her Uncle Ben's until the weather was a little better for flying.

  Once the last truck was gone and dirty dishes were back in the kitchen, Brandi set Jason and Brittany in their playpen, now in the living room, before she moved to the boxes with the tree decorations. Pulling out the lights, she plugged them in to check and then handed them to Nikolas.

  Getting the ladder, Nikolas climbed up high while Gray followed up a few steps behind Nik to be able to pass the lights up easier, and Jim made sure they weren’t tangling as he fed them to Gray. It didn't take the three of them very long to get finished. Once the lights were on the tree, she pulled out the ornaments and handed them to the kids before she handed up ones to Nikolas.

  In no time at all, it was decorated and looking like a Christmas tree. Since Gray, Marilyn, their twins, and Brody, with Doug, hadn’t left yet, Brandi got everyone to help decorate the rest of the house, with Nik, Jim, and Gray putting up the lights outside. Brandi went out to watch them, after asking Anna and Leah to watch their little brother and sister for a few minutes, and smiled. She then looked around at the rest of the outside decorations. Smiling
up at Nik when he joined her, she nodded at everything. It was looking and feeling like Christmas to her.

  Chapter 3

  December 2010

  As much as Brandi enjoyed Thanksgiving, she was glad to see November done. And although Halloween was her absolute favorite holiday, Christmas was a very close second. She and Nik were also only doing half days at the ATF office, helping the guys close up their open cases as well as taking care of any paperwork that needed to be done.

  Watching out the back door, Brandi softly smiled as she watched her husband, with her three wolves, run in the snow. Gazing up at the full moon, she whispered, “Thank you,” as if she were talking to the goddess Luna. There were times she shifted and frolicked with her husband, but something had told her that tonight she shouldn’t. Leaving the back door open, she stepped to the stove to fix her tea. Once done, she moved to the living room and sat where she could enjoy the fire Nikolas had started in the fireplace for her as well as look at the tree—the only light in the room coming from the fire and the Christmas tree lights—with Christmas music playing quietly in the background.

  A tall, handsome man watched from the shadows of the tree. He knew he should be home getting ready since he only had three weeks from this night until the one night he worked as well as just being home with their daughter. Stepping out, calling her by the shortened version of her name that he’d used for somewhere around 1720 years, he said, “Merry Christmas early, Ree,” as he moved to where she was sitting and joined her.

  Not expecting anyone, and, surprisingly, not sensing he was near, Brandi jumped slightly at the voice. Setting her tea on the table in front of her, she turned toward him as she squealed, “Nicky!” before she hugged him close. “What are you doing here? And, how long have you been here?”

  The man she called Nicky returned the hug and laughed, a big booming laugh that spoke of who he truly was. Remembering she had at least two children sleeping in the house, though having forgotten briefly, he toned it down to a light chuckle. “Long enough to have watched you fix your tea and then come sit down. You were lost in thought so hadn’t realized I was over by the tree. I’m here to see you, although I already know you’re happy. Which I am very glad about.”