Christmas Time Is Here: Academy Exclusives

Erica's Motherless Cubs

Erica gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

Her newest cub, come to join the den just this past month or so.

He spoke broken English at best and she'd gleaned everything she could from Owen, Sean and Kota before he'd shown up with the others. He was hesitant to join the others in the living room and she just wanted to make sure he was okay. "Merry Christmas, Silas." She said when he turned his head to look up at her.

Goodness, he was going to be a tall one. At 11, he was just a tad bit shy of a head shorter than her.

He cracked a brief smile at her and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd been taking lessons on how to smile the least amount from Owen. That boy had a millimeter smile if she'd ever seen one and it was clear that he might just be passing it on. "Merry Christmas." He repeated, hesitating a bit over pronunciation.

She beamed at him. "That was excellent." She said, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Why don't you join the others?"

He stared at her, trying to work out what she meant.

She nodded to the others, playing a video game together while they waited for Owen and Sean to be dropped off so that presents could be opened. "Play." She said. "They'll let you join in."

He shrugged slightly. To be honest, he didn't play that many video games before he got here. And he was still trying to figure things out about these boys, his new friends. He wished North was here. North was actually related to one of them and he wasn't. He should have been the outsider and he wasn't.

He felt like it.

He hadn't had a good relationship with his own brother since before they left Greece.

Before the fire took his mama. At his brother's hand. He still wondered if it had been the right thing to do, stopping his brother from taking his life.

All of it would have killed his dad though.

Before North had insisted that he wouldn't come to the states if Silas and his family didn't get to go too. Well, here he was and North was still a month or two away from getting here.

Erica kept her hand on his shoulder. "Come." She said, steering him into the kitchen and motioning him to take a seat at the table. She came over with a plate of cookies and set them down in front of him. "I found this recipe in a Greek cookbook. It said they were traditional Christmas cookies."

He stared at her for a long moment before staring down at the plate of powdered sugar coated cookies. Could it really be ...? He glanced up at her for a moment before his hand stole out and he took a cookie, taking a bite of it quickly and chewing it before his eyes closed and his mind flooded with memories. "Kourambiedes..." He mumbled after he swallowed, opening his eyes and looking at her. "Mama's favorite." He said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Oh, Silas, I'm sorry."

"No, it okay." He said with a little shrug. "She let me help."

Erica smiled. "Maybe next year, you can help me make them." She said softly, watching as he ate another bite of his cookie. "What else can we do to help you?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. It okay." He said again, wanting to tell her more but unsure of what English words to use.

"Are you excited to get presents today?" she asked, getting up to get a cup of coffee and sit down again.

He shrugged. "In Greece, presents are not today." He struggled with the words. "On Epiphany."

"Oh, so no presents at all until January 6th?" she asked, sipping her coffee. He graced her with a smile and nod. "Interesting."

"Today is for songs and chanting in the village." He found the words simple but necessary to tell her how different this was for him. "Mama bless house with holy water and basil." His eyes turned sad again at the thought of his mama.

She reached out and rested a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. "I know your dad is busy with your brother and starting his business." She said softly. "But if you ever need to talk or a mom's advice, I'm here to listen. I would never dream of replacing your mama."

He tilted his head to look at her. "The others." He motioned in the direction of the living room. "Besides Kota. You are the mama?" he asked with halting speech.

"Well, not Victor, not really. But yes, the others do not have mama's either." She said softly, wondering if she was right in figuring that they hadn't told him that yet.

His brow furrowed. "No mama's." He repeated. "Gabriel, Nathan and Luke, no mama."

She nodded and took one of the cookies from the plate and bit into it.

"Oh." He blinked at her. "I did not know."

"I know. They will probably tell you soon but I thought it might help you get to know them a bit more."

Silas considered her words and took another cookie. "Okay." He said after eating most of it. He smiled at her. "I go play game. Take cookies?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled at him. "Sure. Take some napkins." She got up to grab a stack of napkins for him to take with him. "Tell them the cookies were your mama's favorite." She said softly as she set the napkins down on top of the cookie plate. She was surprised when he got out of his chair and hugged her, his arms going around her waist.

"Thank you." She heard his muffled words as he repeated them over and over again as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back. "Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα." (Merry Christmas) He tilted his head up to look at her and repeated it. "Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα."

She tilted her head and looked at him "Is that Merry Christmas in Greek?" She asked and he beamed at her and nodded. "Say it again?" she requested.

He said it again and once more, slower when she requested him to.

"Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα." Erica tried it, watching his eyes light up, even though she stumbled over the word slightly and was certain that the inflection was entirely off. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Now go, share the cookies." She said with a smile.

His face creased into a broad smile and he let go of her and reached for the cookies and napkins, cheerfully telling her "Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα." Again before he headed into the living room.

Erica sat down with her cup of coffee, mumbling the phrase over and over again as she gathered her thoughts about her newest cub.

(Fade...)