A Hard Winter's Night

Chapter Seven: Snowflakes

His lips curved into a gentle smirk. Seemed like he found the bottle opener. "Sounds very nice."

"And we make a new ornament every year. Wanna see mine?"

He nodded, finishing his last bite of pancakes. "Sure."

As if her little smile couldn't get any bigger, she surprised him. Jumping off the chair, she ran over to the Christmas tree and stood on her tip-toes to reach for a silver orb ornament just out of her reach. Grunting, she roused the attention of Comrade who got to his feet and trotted over to her wagging his tail.

"You got it?" he asked.

"Yep!," she grunted out. Her little fingers merely brushing the bottom.

Winter admired her determination as it was a good thirty seconds of reaching and grunting without even thinking of asking for assistance. Comrade moved from side to side as if trying to assess a way to help. He couldn't decide if it was his own frustration or seeing hers that forced him to his feet and over to the tree.

"Hold on." He picked up the silver, glittery ornament covered with painted snowflakes. Definitely the work of a child, but it didn't take away from it's eye-catching design. "This is the one?"

Sandy nodded. "Yep!"

"Okay, here you go." He handed it down to her gently and her little hands accepted the ornament.

Her wide eyes looked at him with wonder. "Thank you. Wow, you're almost as tall as our Christmas tree! I bet you don't need a ladder to put the star on your tree, huh?"

Winter scoffed. "Probably not. But I don't have a tree."

Sandy's jaw dropped open. "Oh no, that's terrible. Everyone should have a Christmas tree. Where will Santa put your presents? How will you be able to put up your ornaments?"

He sighed at her inquisitive response and legitimate deep concern for his lack of a piece of overpriced shrubbery in his possession. "I don't have any of those either." And it would be wise for Santa not to commit breaking and entering unless he wants to wind up on missing persons. I'll be happy to show Santa where he could put his presents.

She gasped. "I'm so sorry Mr. Winter."

"It's perfectly fine, Sandy. I don't mind."

Her face crinkled in confusion. "Don't you like Christmas?"

He shrugged. He used to a long time ago. It was once a fun time of celebration and being with his family and his pack. A time where his mother and sister would surprise him with some birthday event or gift. Winter could see Trini embodied in Sandy's face, triggering a vivid reminder of his little sister and the joy she represented in his life. But like a distant memory, all that was left was a drop of emotion. Pain of having lost everything, including her. "Um, it's just not for me." Her eyes dropped in sympathy and a pang of guilt helped him rebound. "Hey, but I do get presents since it's my birthday." By the time the last word escaped his lips, he realized he shared too much. The scary part is that he didn't know if he did it to not upset her mother or because he wanted to see her cheerful.

Sandy grinned and nearly glowed in excitement. So much, he took a tiny step back. "Your birthday is on Christmas Mr. Winter? Really?"

He sighed. "To my own chagrin." When her expression displayed sudden confusion he shook his head. "I meant to say yes, it is."

"That's the coolest thing ever! You get to celebrate Christmas and your birthday at the same time. You get double gifts and stuff because I have a classmate who's birthday is on Christmas and he brags about how awesome it is. I hope you get lots of nice presents, and a tree and ornaments Mr. Winter for your birthday."