Groff-Miranda/Miranda-Groff

Eight

~December 20th~

"Cici, got all your stuff?" Jon asked, getting the last suitcases into his car.
"Yep. All your stuff here?" Cici responded, opening the door to the passenger seat and getting in. "Let's go?"
"Here we go!" Jon grinned, starting the car. "Let's go see my parents!"
"Oh, I love this song, turn it up!" Jon said, keeping his eyes on the road. They had been driving for about an hour, but we're already ready to get out.
"You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep!" Jon and Cici sang together.
They kept singing, until, barely whispering they sang the end. "I like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly, it's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because my dreams are bursting at the seams."
"Woo. That was great." Cici laughed.
"I didn't know you could sing! You sound great! Any training?" Jon exclaimed.
"Well, there was a chorus I was in from second grade until eighth, which was graduation year. Then, I did one year of their high school ensemble, but that crashed and burned. I got a scholarship to it every year, so no one had to pay for me. Every Monday and Wednesday I'd drive for an hour to get to Boston, have a two hour rehearsal then go back home. I loved it." Cici said, sighing. "I miss it."
"What did you guys do?" Jon asked.
"We sang at Tanglewood a few times, we sang with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, we took some trips around the world and sang in different places. Did a ton of operas, that was always fun. We were a professional children's chorus, so things that professional children's choruses do."
"Hm." Jon hummed. "Interesting."
Cici yawned.
"Rest. I'll wake you up when we get there." Jon said.
Three hours later Jon shook awake a drowsy Cecilia.
"We're here!" He whispered, pointing to a house.
Cici and Jon walked in, people pulling Jon into hugs, laughing. Cici stood awkwardly by the door.
"Cici, come here. This is my mom, and my dad, and my brother David. Everyone, this is my foster child, Cecilia." Jon grinned, introducing Cici.

~Christmas Day~

"It's Christmas!" Cici whisper-shouted, jumping up and down Jonathan's bed. "Get up!"
"Ugh, let me go back to sleep. Wake me up when everyone is already up." Jon groaned, turning over.
"Everyone is already up. Everyone's waiting for you at the tree, come on you lazy butt." Cici laughed, pushing Jon off his bed.
"Ouch."
Everyone exchanged presents, smiling and laughing.
"Cecilia, this is for you." Jon's mother said, handing her a small package. "From all of us."
"Oh! You didn't need to get me anything!" Cici said, looking at the gift. She opened it, and inside there was a small silver chain with a silver cross.
"It's beautiful, thank you." Cici said, putting it on. 
"Cici, I found out there's a Catholic Church a couple miles from here, and there's a mass at one, I can bring you if you'd like." Jon offered, smiling.
"You're the best. Thank you so much." Cici laughed, hugging Jon.
"You haven't even gotten your first present yet, my goodness, you're already calling me the best. This is a lot easier then I thought." Jon grinned. "Lin and I both got you two presents, the second one we got together, you'll get it when we get back to NYC. This is from me, and this is from Lin. You can't give them back, we want you to have them. I know you're gonna feel like we spent too much money, but don't say anything."
"I'm scared now." Cici said jokingly.
"Here. This ones from me." Jon laughed, handing Cici a small box wrapped in paper. She took the paper out and gasped.
"No way. I can't take this. This-"
"Stop. You need a phone. Enjoy it, don't break it, and dont do anything stupid." Jon said, pushing the box of the iPhone 5S back onto Cici's hand. "Here's Lin's."
Cici opened this box, even more wary. She nearly cried when she saw a MacBook Pro.  "Are you guys kidding me?"
Everyone opened the rest of their presents, very happy. By the end of the hour, Cici had gotten hardcover copies of Harry Potter from Jazzy and Anthony ("The first thing you told me was that you lost all of your copies."), a deluxe CD of the 2012 remake of Les Miserable, along with a DVD of it from Javi, Renée got her a Visa Giftcard, Chris and Pippa worked together to get her two tickets for the first showing of Chicago on April 10th, Daveed got her posters (Les Mis, Hamilton, RENT, Chicago, Wicked, Hairspray, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Sherlock) to hang up in her new room, whenever she got one, and Oak got her a two year subscription to Playbill.
"Good Christmas?" Jon asked, watching Cici try to stuff everything in her suitcase.
"Yeah. Best one I've ever had. "