Touch of Hellfire (Original Version)

☕️117☕️

I pulled into the driveway and Mom came running out. "Why didn't you let me pick you up?!" she demanded.

"Because I parked in the airport," I explained. "There was no point!"

"That's what I said!" Rory exclaimed. She went to London while I was in Switzerland.

"So you can ski now?" Rory asked me. "I was okay at it," I shrugged.

Dad and Gigi came out to greet us. Gigi hugged me and Rory and attached herself to Rory's leg.

Dad took our bags out of our cars and I brought in the presents. "Did you do anything Christmasy in Switzerland?" Rory asked me. "The Christmas markets, oh my God they were amazing," I smiled.

"So you and Jess had a good time?"

"We did. Did you celebrate in London?"

"You traitors!" Mom declared. "I put Christmas on hold until you got back."

"It's not easy to be a grinch in Switzerland Mom," I pointed out.

***

Dad carried in the one of seven Christmas trees we had. Mom and I carried in two more. "Don't you think our Christmas trees are to homely? They're not the best looking trees."

"They have character by enduring birds, weather, fire, they're champions!" Mom insisted. "We must have all seven."

"Yeah Dad," Gigi piped up. "You are all crazy," Dad stated. "Are you and Logan good now?" I asked Rory.

"Yeah, you and Jess are good too, right?" she wondered. "Hello, Switzerland," I reminded her.

"Ooh, mistletoe," Dad took it out of the box. "That goes on the ceiling fan," I told him, looking for my elf hat. "It's tradition."

"Any other traditions I'm missing?" Dad asked us. "We have red and green M&M's in our cereal on Christmas morning," Rory told him. "We string up our stockings on the bannister."

"We always go to Weston's for a candy cane coffee, very festive," I added. "We put on Christmas music and drink eggnog but in reality we buy the cookies from Weston's."

"And evil twin here dresses up as the Grinch to put on a scavenger hunt," Rory pointed at me.

"We should go carolling," Dad suggested and started singing. Yeah, don't quit your day job.

***

Me, Mom and Rory were teaching Gigi how to make popcorn chains. "Now be careful with the needle because it's very pointy," Mom warned Gigi.

I winced once the popcorn made a squeaking sound when I pierced it with the needle.

"It has to be authentic," Rory told her. "I should write to Lucy."

Mom had to write a character reference for Luke to help with his custody battle. Poor Luke, it must suck.

"I'm back!" Dad called as he came in the kitchen. "What's in there?" Mom asked him. "No peeking," he scolded her.

"Lorelai knows Santa," Gigi piped up. "She does Santa's dry cleaning and Heather knows the Grinch."

Once we finished up on the chains, we went to Westons for our coffee. "They won't melt," Mom pouted.

"Does Dad know?" I asked Mom. "About the character reference?"

"Nope, let's go shopping," Mom said and left. Me and Rory caught up to her. "So you're not gonna tell him?" Rory asked her. "Honestly is the best policy."

"It's an okay policy but the truth is complicated, Christopher and Luke have a lot of tension so I don't want him involved."

"That's fair," I mumbled.

***

"Why can't they make books lighter!" Rory complained. "You mean out of something other than paper?" I frowned.

We walked into a store to find something for Dad but someone caught my eye.

"Isn't that Luke and April over there?" I asked Mom and the three of us went over. "Hi," I greeted them. "Hey April."

"She showed up out of the blue today," Luke told us. "Dad, don't act like it's Pearl Harbour," April rolled her eyes. "It was a nice surprise," Luke explained.

"I like the sweaters, very festive," April pointed out. "Well Rory was in London with Logan and Heather was in Switzerland with Jess so we wanted to do Christmas together," Mom explained.

"How was your Christmas?" I asked April. "It's not really a big deal for me, I'm sixty percent atheist and forty percent agnostic," she told me. "So how is the brooding cousin?"

"He's in New York, recovering from jet lag," I told her. Luke handed her the bag. "He's really great at giving presents," April told us. "Rory and Heather beg to differ," Luke mumbled. "You've always been great," I told him.

"Remember the unicorns?" I asked Rory and she laughed. "But still, Luke never forgot our birthday."

"October eighth," he piped up.

"We should go," Luke said. "Merry Christmas," April piped up before they left.

***

We were frosting the cookies together and Rory kept putting green frosting on my nose as I put red frosting on hers.

It was our own tradition. Rory was Santa and I was the Grinch.

What can I say? From the beginning, it was always good twin and evil twin.