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Alex closed his eyes and felt every sensation around him, especially the warmth that surrounded his manhood. Veronica saw the look of approaching ecstasy on his face and she focused on tightening around him and increasing her movement just enough so he could lose himself in his overloaded senses. "My sweet girl. My sweet little girl with the glitter eyeshadow and the beautiful nightie. I love you so much." At that moment, Alex exploded deep within her and set off her own orgasm warming her from her core. He closed her eyes and she milked him until he'd gone limp, again. She smiled down at him and he smiled up at her. "Best Christmas Eve, ever," he grinned. "You think Christmas Eve was great," Veronica smiled, "just wait till Christmas Day. Santa is bringing some very nice presents. Alex smiled as Veronica climbed off of him, pulling her skirts and petticoats off with her. "I think I'm going to need you to help me get out of this," she smiled at Alex. Alex smiled and rolled to his side with his back to her. "Sorry. Too tired. Good night." "Oh no you don't." Ronnie laughed and grabbed his ankles, pulling them towards her. "Come on, you little snot. I need some help." He laughed at her pulling on him. "How did you get into it?" "June helped me. She says I need an actual maid, but... it just seems kind of... weird, you know? It's strange enough to have a 'staff' in my house at all, but the idea of having A MAID... it just seems... odd." "Like a maid in a uniforms and all that?" Alex looked skeptical. "No." Ronnie laughed. "Even Sophia didn't make her staff wear uniforms. They'd wear regular clothes like June and Melissa." "Well," Alex shrugged as he lowered the zipper on the back of her dress, "you grew up with money. Did your mom have servants?" "Geez, baby, it's not the nineteenth century. We had 'staff,' not 'servants,'" she giggled. "We had a cleaning service come in a couple of times a week, and we had a woman who was essentially mom's... assistant, I guess. She was a cook-slash-secretary-slash-woman-who-did-a-little- light-housework. We never called her a 'maid,' though. He just called her 'Midge.'" "'Midge!?'" Alex helped Veronica out of the wide skirts and petticoats. "What kind of a name is 'Midge!?'" "She told me is was a nickname for 'Margaret,' but I never heard anyone call her anything but 'Midge.' She was a sweet lady, though." "So, she did what June does for your mom?" "Oh, God, no," Veronica laughed. "June is like an actual administrator. This place is massive and she runs it like a CEO. I can't imagine being able to manage a property like this with only four people, but she does it without breaking a sweat. It's just that, since I am planing on living here, more or less full time, and I'll still being touring, June thinks having a maid would be beneficial to both me and the smooth operation of The Haven. What do you think?" Alex was definitely more focused on the perfectly shaped breasts of his fianc? than the question, but he answered her with the most logical comment he could muster. "Can you afford it?" Veronica gathered the yards and yards of material that comprised the gown she'd just stepped out of and clutched it to her belly. "Well, see that's the thing, babe. Sophia left me a nice amount - not a fortune, but a nice amount, but she left an absolute fortune for the upkeep and running of The Haven. And when I say a fortune, I mean a fortune. So, since the maid would technically be an employee of The Haven Trust, the money would come from the trust." Before they could continue the conversation, they heard something in the hall. It was a quiet knocking on a door other than their own and someone calling out in a hushed voice, "Ali! Ali, are you in there? Ali?" Alex hustled to the door, the loose, silky layers of his nightgown flowing behind him. He opened the door and looked into the semi-darkness of the hall and said, "Mom?" She was standing by the door to his bedroom wearing a Terry cloth robe that hung open, displaying the pretty nightgown beneath. Lucy turned, surprised. "Oh, I thought this was your room... oh, it is... of course, I should have assumed... never mind that. Umm... a little embarrassing, but... do you think that Veronica might have a nice robe that I could borrow?" "Oh," Alex opened the door further and motioned his mother into the room. "Come on in and ask her." "Thank you," Lucy smiled and entered the room, but she came to a surprised stop when she saw Veronica standing topless, with her gown covering her lower parts. "Oh, my!" She laughed and turned her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything." Veronica looked down at her naked body and laughed as she spoke. "No, no, you're not interrupting anything. I was just changing. Just a second." She set her dress aside and walked casually to the lavatory and grabbed the robe that hung on the back of the door, wrapping it around her and tying off the belt. "There. I'm decent, now." Lucy looked cautiously at Veronica, then at Alex, as if noticing his nightie for the first time. "Oh, this is lovely! The lace and, is that silk? It's beautiful." Then she looked him in the eye. "It suits you." Alex felt his face blush just a little bit. "Thank you, mom." Lucy shook her head to get herself back to the matter at hand. "Well, you're probably wondering why I'm here at one in the morning, aren't you? Well, Veronica, I was wondering if I might be able to borrow a robe." "Umm.... Sure," Veronica smiled, "but... you do realize that you are wearing a robe now, right?" Lucy took a deep breath and suddenly looked a bit guilty about something. "Ahh... yes... this... well... see... Jim... Sergeant Hammond, that is, well, he came back here a couple of hours ago and he... well... we sat and looked at the tree for a while and... we had a little wine and..." Alex's eyes opened wide. "Oh, my God, Mom! You didn't...?" Lucy looked shocked at the accusation. "Oh, good heavens, Alex! Who do you think you're talking to? You've known me your whole life. Do you seriously think that I'd just jump into bed with someone I just met!?" "Then..." Alex's look of shock changed to a smile. "...why do you need a robe?" Lucy straightened her posture and closed her Terry cloth robe around her. "Well... if you must know... I want to look nice when we go down for breakfast in the morning." Alex smiled. "Aww, mom. That's so nice, but aren't you..." he just decided to stop right there. "What?" She asked. Alex shrugged. "Nothing... I just meant... well, I'm a good deal older than Maddie, so..." Lucy's eyes opened wide and she smiled, then put her hands on her hips in mock anger. "You think I'm too old for him, don't you? Well, little lady, I will have you I know that Jim is, in fact, two days older than me, so you don't need to worry about your mom being a cougar." Veronica interrupted and said, "I think I have about a dozen robes in the closet, Lucy. Come take a look." A few minutes later, Lucy was leaving with not just a beautiful silk robe, but the beautiful night gown that went with it, and she was thanking Veronica, profusely. Alex noticed that a broad smile was painted on her face, though, and that made him happy. She stopped at the door and turned to look at Veronica and Alex who stood side by side, her arm around his shoulder. Lucy looked the young couple and smiled. "I don't know why, but it just occurred to me that... I never said 'congratulations.' I know you really haven't had the opportunity to make your formal announcement, what with Maddie and Jim being here, but... now that I'm past the stupidity I displayed when I arrived, and I sincerely apologize for that, I can see that you are both very happy with each other. I think that must be the first step to being in love for a lifetime. That's wonderful. I'm very happy for you." "Thank you, mom," Alex said, leaning on Veronica. Lucy took an awkward step to the young couple and she touched Alex's soft cheek. Then, with even more awkwardness, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, surprising Alex, but making him feel warm and shocked, simultaneously. Then, surprising Alex even more, Lucy tuned to Veronica and kissed her cheek, too. "Thank you, Ronnie," she said, then turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her. "Wow," Alex chuckled. "That was different." Veronica hugged him tightly. "She's trying hard, babe. Give her points for trying. Maybe I should let you loose on my mother, too." She kissed his forehead. "Let's go to bed." Veronica grabbed her night gown and walked to her side of the bed as Alex climbed under the covers. "My mother has a thing for Maddie's dad," Alex said with surprise in his voice. "I never saw that coming." He watched as Veronica took off her robe and dropped the night gown onto her perfect body. "That might be an issue," Veronica nodded and climbed into the massive bed. "Jim and Maddie know you as a little girl, so..." Alex nodded. "Yeah, well, we were going to have to tell them about that at some point. Having the neighbors walk in on us and then becoming friends, was never our plan and now, this... we could never have seen that coming." Veronica pulled him into a spoon position, tight up against her. "Even if 'this' hadn't happened, I think Maddie is enjoying her time here, playing piano with you. She is eager to learn more. I can tell." "And she enjoys playing dress up with you," he teased. "Yeah." Veronica nuzzled his neck. "Let's enjoy Christmas, though. We'll figure it out on the twenty sixth." If anything, the snow on Christmas morning was even worse than it had been for the previous three days. There was already thirty two inches of snow on the ground and there seemed to be more on its way. The only news they were able to get was from a big, old radio in the kitchen and what they could hear was not a consistent signal, so all they really knew was the snow would continue for another few hours at least. There were only a few presents under the tree. Lucy and Eva had flown up from the south and Alex had only recently arrived from Hong Kong, so any gifts they intended to share needed to be small. In fact, Alex had planned on giving Veronica an engagement ring that morning, but that would not be possible, under the circumstances, so all he had for her to open that morning was a pair of noise cancelling, Bluetooth ear buds. Alex and Veronica were the first downstairs by the tree, followed by Eva and Lucy. Eva was already dressed for the day, while Lucy looked incredible in the lingerie she'd borrowed from Veronica. Veronica and 'the mothers' were all sipping coffee, a beverage that Alex never liked. June and Melissa brought in a rolling cart with a small urn of hot chocolate on it. They placed the urn on the sideboard and June conferred with Veronica about the breakfast arrangements, then left. When Alex rose to get a mug of hot chocolate, Eva had him stop by the easy chair and admired his nightie and the matching silk peignoir that he wore. "My mother," Eva said, wistfully, "always demanded that I be dressed 'just so' whenever we were traveling. She was the star and I was her prop. The little doll that she'd show off at dinner parties. I never liked it, but I did love the clothes. Of course, you look much cuter in it than I ever did, Alex." "Enough, mother," Veronica said, a bit irritated. "Be polite. There are guests in the house." As if on cue, Maddie entered, also dressed to the nines in a night gown and robe that Veronica had supplied. "Merry Christmas!" she smiled, in a way that only a teenaged girl on Christmas morning could, and that smile lit up the room. They all called back their 'Merry Christmas' greetings and Lucy asked, as casually as she could, "So, where's your dad this morning?" "He should be back in a few minutes," Maddie said as she joined Alex at the hot chocolate urn. "Dad and that lady... umm... Rebecca, I think - I'm sorry, I'm awful with names - anyway... they went down to our house to get the presents from under the tree and see if the electricity is on." "Oh, how nice," Lucy said, maintaining her faux-casual attitude. Alex handed Maddie the first mug of hot chocolate and poured another for himself. "Thanks," Maddie smiled. "Merry Christmas. That's a pretty nightie. You look like you're a princess or something." Alex smiled back, "Merry Christmas and thank you. You look as amazing as you did last night. You think your dad will like it?" Maddie looked around to be sure she could speak quietly to Alex and not be over heard. "I don't think he'll even notice. Did you know that my dad and your mom were down here drinking wine together for hours last night?" She giggled at the absurdity of people in their forties flirting with each other. Alex giggled, too. "Yeah. My mom told me. Did you see how nice she looks this morning? I think that's for your dad." Maddie bounced her arm against Alex in a playful nudge. "I think is adorable. Old people having crushes on each other. Who knows. If things work out, we may end up being sisters." As endearing as that sounded, Alex did feel a warm rush of fear pass through him. Sure, he'd love for Maddie to be his sister, but this had gone pretty far already. At some point, he'd need to talk to both Jim and Maddie - probably Jim first. Before Christmas was over, he needed to tell them the truth. "Merry Christmas," Jim called as he entered the sitting room carrying two garbage bags full of presents. "Ho, Ho, Ho and God Bless Us, Everyone!" He dropped the bags by the tree and pulled off his gloves, hat and heavy jacket. Alex noticed immediately that he was dressed better than expected in a smart, well ironed, button down shirt and a bright red tie. He looked around the room pretending to look for someone. "Now, where is my little girl?" He crossed the room to where Maddie and Alex stood with their mugs. He looked at Alex and then at Maddie. "Hmmm, let me see. One of you must be my little girl," pointed at Maddie, "but it can't be you. You're all grown up." Then he looked at Alex. "Maybe it's you. Actually, you might want to be my little girl this morning. There a whole bunch of presents in those bags for whoever that may be." Alex was surprised when Jim leaned forward and kissed his cheek, but he just smiled and said, "Merry Christmas, Sergeant Hammond." "And merry Christmas to you, too, young lady." He had a very endearing smile on his face. "You look absolutely lovely this morning, Alexandra. If I had to guess, I'd say that your attire was designed for the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, daughter of Tsar Nicholas the Second of Russia." He took Alex's hand and kissed it in a courtly manor. Alex felt a bit of a shiver to be treated so formally. He smiled and Jim said, "There is a large Russian community here. Knowing who Anastasia is might be very important someday." Alex couldn't help himself. "I know a little something about Anastasia - and not just because of the movie." "Really?" Jim asked. "Such as?" "Such as," Alex smiled, "she had three sisters, Olga, Tatiana and Maria, and a younger brother named Alexei who was a hemophiliac. They and their parents were all killed by the bolsheviks, who'd taken them prisoner, in 1918. Anastasia was only seventeen." The room was quiet for a moment until Jim let out a surprised laugh. "Wow. I'm... impressed." Alex shrugged. "I read a lot." "I guess," Jim nodded as he turned to Maddie and kissed her, too. "Merry Christmas, kiddo." Maddie kissed him back. "Merry Christmas, Daddy. Is the power back on yet?" Jim raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Not out here, but the radio station says that it's coming on in town." "Well. You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like," someone called from across the room, but it wasn't Ronnie. Alex looked past Jim and saw his mother. She'd spoken without even thinking about it, but didn't seem at all embarrassed by it. "Absolutely," Veronica said in support. "Thank you," Jim said as he turned to walk back to the 'adults.' "I will never be able to thank you enough for keeping Maddie safe and warm and making both of us feel welcome." "Our pleasure," Veronica smiled and held up her coffee mug in a toast. "You and Maddie are always welcome here." Jim made a show of looking for a place to sit, then chose to sit on the love seat next to Lucy. A moment or two later, Alex and Maddie joined them, Maddie carrying a mug of black coffee as well as her hot chocolate. She handed Jim the coffee then encouraged Alex to help her organize the newly arrived gifts under the huge tree. Once everything was organized, Veronica said, "Well, why don't we open the presents and then we can have some breakfast." That pleased Maddie quite a bit and she grabbed Alex's hand and encouraged him to help her pass out the presents. For the most part, Veronica, Alex, Lucy and Eva exchanged small pieces of jewelry, small pieces of technology and gift cards. Veronica seemed to like her Bluetooth ear buds and she gave Alex a new suitcase and carryon as well as a hand knitted, colorful scarf with matching mittens and matching hat with a big white Pom-Pom at the top of it. They looked very well crafted and very warm, but very little-girlish as well. They made Alex wonder if she'd doubted for a minute that he would enjoy his new wardrobe. Maddie had gotten Jim several nice shirts, some of his favorite candy from a local sweets shop, a new wallet and heavy wool, baseball-style wool cap with warm fleece ear flaps, which he immediately put on and dropped the ear flaps making him goofy in a very sweet way. The rest of the presents were all for Maddie. Jewelry, skirts, jeans, barn boots, cowgirl boots, a new phone, a gaming system, a new winter jacket, hair accessories, and on and on and on. She was thrilled, of course, but almost embarrassed by the cornucopia of riches her father had presented to her, while poor little Alex had hardly gotten any presents at all. Maddie stood and whispered something to her father. "Oh!" He said, surprised he'd forgotten, "It's in my coat pocket," The girl bounced over to where her father had left his coat and fished a small, white box out of it, then she brought the box to Alex and held it out to him. "Ali," she smiled, "I make these and I wanted you to have one." Surprised, Alex took the box. "Oh, gee, Maddie, thank you, but... I don?t have anything for you." "Are you kidding me?" She asked, astounded. "You?ve already shown me how to play piano so much better than I ever did before! I owe you a lot more than this. Open it!" Alex opened the box to find a small necklace; a fine silver chain with an oblong, two inch long, black rock hanging from it. "See," Maddie beamed, "I pick up these minerals at craft shows, then I polish them and use sterling silver wire to make a setting, then attach them to the chains. I sell them at Christmas Gift fairs and stuff. I hope you like it." "I love it!" Alex said, truthfully and enthusiastically. "Can you put it on me?" Maddie took the chain and opened the clasp, moving behind Alex. "Hold your hair up for me." Alex did as he was told and in a moment, the clasp was closed and hanging on Alex?s neck, it?s dark onyx stone standing out in contrast to Alex?s pale, tender skin. "Do you like it?" Maddie asked. "It?s beautiful." He looked around. "Is there a mirror around here?" "In the hall by the front door," Veronica smiled. "Come on," Alex said. "I want to see what it looks like when I?m wearing it!" Veronica was actually surprised that Alex was so excited, but he seemed absolutely thrilled to be remembered by Maddie on Christmas morning." They found the mirror. Alex looked at the necklace and touched it as he gazed into the mirror. "Maddie, thank you, so much. It?s so pretty." Maddie smiled and fluffed Alex?s hair a bit as she looked at their reflection over his shoulder. I?m glad you like it. I really hoped you would." She smiled at Alex and he smiled back. "I really hope our parents hit it off, Ali. I?d really like a little sister." Alex felt bad about that remark. He really wanted to tell her the truth, but... Instead he smiled and hugged her. "I?d love for you to be my sister," he said and it made Maddie smile more broadly. Their late breakfast/brunch was what June called Sophia?s traditional ?Strata? ? essentially a two layer bread pudding with ham and cheese in the middle and on the top. Only Eva and Veronica had eaten it before, but everyone enjoyed it that morning. After the meal, Jim asked, "I know it might be rude to ask the hostess to go to work on Christmas, but is there ANY possibility that we might be able to convince you to sing for us today?" Veronica smiled, looking regal in her armed chair at the head of the table. "Well, I suppose it might be possible. I do love to sing for you and Maddie. Especially when I have the best accompanist in the world to play for me." "Wonderful," Jim said. "We?ll look forward to it." "Oh, how nice," Eva said with a sarcastic tinge to her voice, "just like when my mother was alive. Every holiday would start out as gathering of family and friends and end with mother showing off for everyone assembled." "Oh," Jim was taken a bit aback by her tone. "I didn?t mean to upset anything." "Oh, don?t be silly," Lucy said. "Eva?s just teasing. We?re both very proud of our children and we would like nothing more than to hear Veronica and Ali play some music for us. Isn?t that right, Eva?" Eva forced a smile and picked up her mimosa and offered Lucy a silent toast in the same way that Veronica had toasted Jim, earlier. "Thank you, Lucy," Veronica smiled and hoped that her mother might pick up on Lucy?s lead. She turned to her mother and said, "By the way, mom, did you see the red envelop under the tree with your name on it?" Eva scowled a bit and thought about her few presents. "I didn?t see a red envelope." Then she looked at Alex. "Child, take a look under the tree and see if you see a red envelope addressed to me." Alex looked at Veronica and rolled his eyes, before hustling back into the sitting room and kneeling in front of the tree, finding the envelope that had been accidentally pushed partly under the tree skirt. He came back into the dinning room and handed it to Eva, who read the note inside, then looked at her daughter. "I don?t get it? Are you giving The Haven to me?" Veronica blinked in surprise that her mother could possibly have deduced that from the note. "No, mother, I am inviting you to come live here... with me. We could do some remodeling in the east wing and set up an nice, spacious apartment for you." Eva returned her gaze to the note and reread it several times. "Well, why on earth would I want to do that?" Veronica took a deep breath and stood, pushing her chair back under the table. "No reason mother. No reason whatsoever. Forget that I ever made the offer." She walked out of the room. Alex looked around, "Umm... excuse me, please. Umm... I think we need a little time to change our clothes and prepare for our little concert, so... umm... excuse me." He stood and gathered up the loose material of his peignoir and nightie and jogged out of the room to catch up with Veronica. "Well, what was that all about?" Eva said in a superior voice. "The drama of living with a diva, I guess. I had the same issues with my mother. Everything was always so dramatic! It was ridiculous. Veronica might as well be Sophia?s clone." Jim looked from Eva to Lucy with an uncomfortable nod. Then he looked at Maddie and said, "Come on, honey. Let?s go get your things together. Perhaps it?s time we headed home." Maddie, who?d looked hopelessly confused by the goings-on of the adults, suddenly looked shocked and panicked. "Daddy, no, please. I really want to hear them. Please." Lucy touched Jim?s hand with hers and said, "Jim, don?t be silly. It?s still snowing, you still have no power and your daughter is still only fifteen and needs to be safe and warm. Why don?t you take Maddie upstairs so she came get ready and let Eva and me deal with... just... give us a bit, ok?" She winked at him. He heaved a heavy sigh and stood. "Ok. Come on, Tillie. Let?s go upstairs." "Dad!" Maddie grunted through clenched teeth. "I?m sorry, I?m sorry. Maddie." He glanced at both women. "Sometimes, dads can?t seem to do anything right ? even picking a name for his daughter." "Ha," Eva laughed sardonically. "Get used to it. It doesn?t get any better. You think it will..." "Eva, please," Lucy held up her hand to hush the older woman before rising and calling Maddie to her. They were about the same height, Maddie just a tiny bit taller. "Maddie, have you ever read Shakespeare?" Maddie shook her head. "We read ?Romeo and Juliet? in class, but I didn?t really get the language." "Then you read the line, ?What is in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.? Right?" "I guess," Maddie shrugged, confused. Lucy laughed. "You know, Lucille is actually my middle name. My first name is ?Geraldine.? Isn?t that terrible?" Maddie agreed that it was and even laughed a little. "Honey," Lucy continued, "Matilda is a lovely name and so is Tillie, but I know... they?re kind of old-lady-ish, right? So what? You are a beautiful and amazing young lady who is as sweet as a rose. So, don?t get upset by the little things ? and believe me, I am speaking from experience here. Getting upset over something as little as a name is just going to give you an ulcer." She leaned in close and whispered, "If my parents had loved me just a quarter as much as your father loves you, my life would have been much happier." Maddie glanced at her uncomfortable looking father and whispered back, "He?s pretty great, isn?t he?" Lucy glanced at Jim, too, then whispered back to Maddie, "I think so, too, but don?t tell him that, just yet." Maddie let out another laugh and hugged Lucy. "Thank you. All set, dad?" A very confused Jim said, "Yeah. Yeah. I?m all set," and he and his daughter left the room. Lucy took that opportunity to close the doors behind them. Before sitting again, she closed the other set of doors, too. Then returned to her seat and smiled at Eva. Eva, clueless to the upset she?d caused, looked around the room and shook her head. "This was MY mother?s you know? MY mother?s." She shook her head and waved her arms around. "All this. All of it. It all should have gone to me, but NO! No. My mother, in her infinite wisdom and her infinite desire to hurt me, left it all to Ronnie. Can you believe that. All of this to Ronnie. She?s not even thirty and she has all this." She shook her slightly drunken head at the unfairness of it all. "I can hear Sophia telling her lawyer, ?Fuck Eva. Leave it all to Ronnie.? Some mother, huh?" Lucy shook her head. "Eva... did you grow up here? In this house?" Eva considered that. "Well... we spent summers here, mostly. Tanglewood is just down the road, so it was convenient for Sophia. She had a home on St Thomas, one in Vail and the one in Miami where I live, now." "So... you did inherit a house, then?" "Oh, no, no. My house was a wedding present for my first marriage." Eva said, as if everybody received a home from their parents as a wedding present. "So..." Lucy made a show of thinking, "... did Sophia still own the other houses when she died?" "No," Eva waved her hand in disgust, "once she was in her mid eighties and couldn?t travel anymore, she moved in here full time and sold the others. Now, to give you an idea of how nice THOSE houses were, Sandra Bullock bought the house in Vail and Justin Timberlake bought the one in St Thomas. Pretty nice, huh? I would have loved to have gotten a hold of one of those." She looked around again. "Or this one." Lucy nodded sympathetically. "Is your place in Miami small, or in a bad part of town?" "No! Of course not!" Eva was shocked at the very idea! "It?s lovely! You should come down, sometime. Of course when Sophia had it built, Miami was more of a party town than it is now, but over the years it?s become quite fancy. Cher lives a few houses away from me on one side and, on the other side, Matt Damon just rebuilt a beautiful old place. Of course, everyone keeps pretty much to themselves, but you do see them around the beach or when we?re out on our boats. They?re all very sweet." "My goodness," Lucy shook her head in mock sympathy, "it must be very difficult to have lived your life. You grew up in four homes in a beautiful locations and were given one of those homes where you live amongst movie stars. You certainly deserved more than that, didn?t you?" "I?m sorry," Eva was trying to suss out the situation, "are you being sarcastic or something?" Lucy sighed. "I apologize, Eva. I am being sarcastic and I shouldn?t be. I should come to the point. See... your daughter and my son are in love, which means that you and I are going to be family. See, I had an eye opening conversation with my son, yesterday, and I realized that I had been behaving in a way that was pushing him away from me, and that wasn?t what I?d intended. What I?d wanted was for him to just be like everyone else instead of being who he is. When I realized that, I felt awful and I decided to change." Eva sighed a bored sigh. "Ok. Your point?" "My point," Lucy stood, a bit tired of the discussion, "is that your daughter ? your only child ? just invited you to live here. In this beautiful home. To share that with her. And you blew her off without so much as a thought for her feelings. I don?t think you even noticed it, Eva, but you broke her heart and all she was trying to do was get closer to you." Lucy walked to the door and opened it. Before she walked out, she turned Eva and said one last thing. "Do what you want, Eva, but pushing your daughter away because she was left something that you wanted seems like a pretty terrible way to spend you life." As Lucy turned to go, Eva said, "Geraldine?" Lucy turned, irritated, and waited. "Thank you for your advice." She held up her glass in yet another sarcastic toast. "I?ll take it under advisement." Upstairs, Veronica stormed into her room, mad as hornet, with Alex hustling to catch up, about twenty feet behind her. "I mean, why did I even try to make her happy?" "Ronnie, I?m sorry." He tried to console her as he closed the door behind him. "Forget about her for today and let?s just get lost in some music, together. Ok?" She flopped down on the bed and held her head in her hands, letting out a grunt. "Argh! She knows just how to push my buttons and you know what ticks me off the most? I let her. I friggin? let her get to me. I was ready for her to say something at some point and I was bound and determined to not let her get to me. Then ? first time it happens... here I am in my room beating myself up, just like I did when I was Maddie?s age. Damnit!" "Ronnie," Alex sat beside her and held her hand in his. "Look at me. I love you, you love me... I was going to do this this morning, but... hang on." Her ran out of the room and across the hall and came back a moment later with a small box. He knelt in front of Veronica, opened the box and presented it to her. "Veronica Harrington... will you marry me." The ring wasn?t huge. It was moderately priced and tastefully set. It probably had actually Alex substantially more than three months income, but the truth was, Alex didn?t make all that much money. None of that mattered to Veronica, though. What mattered to Veronica was that Alex had just presented it to her as token of a vow. A vow to spend his life with her. To love her. To become one with her in every way. That?s what mattered to Veronica. "Oh, baby..." she looked at the ring and her eyes filled with tears of joy. "Oh, baby, baby, baby..." she tore her eyes from the ring and looked at Alex. "Yes... of course I?ll marry you, but..." she leaned forward and softly kissed his lips. "...you already knew that." Alex smiled and kissed her cheek. "I did, but... now it?s official." "It?s beautiful, babe. Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug and a big kiss. "I have something for you, too." Veronica rose, went to her bureau and pulled a similar, little box from a drawer, handing it to Alex with a coy smile. "I didn?t know if you?d ever get around to asking, so... here." Alex opened the box to find another engagement ring. This one smaller than the one he?d presented to Ronnie a few minutes earlier. "I don?t understand," he said. Veronica smiled and took the box from him, removed the ring, took his left hand and slid the ring onto his finger. It was a simple setting ? really just a beautifully cut, square, Princess cut stone in a thin platinum band. "Will you marry ME?" Veronica smiled. "Wow," Alex looked at the beautiful, but decidedly feminine ring on his hand and all the ramifications of what it meant flashed through his head. Yes, he?d known gay friends who wore engagement rings, but those were rather manly looking things ? this was not. Was she asking him to be her husband or her wife? It took a moment, but then he saw it. She was asking him to be her partner. He husband and her wife, and that?s what he wanted, too. "It?s beautiful," he said, then hugged her tightly. "Yes. I?ll marry you, too." "It?s not too... girly?" Veronica asked with genuine concern. Alex laughed out loud. "Hahaha... have you seen what I?m wearing right now?" "No, I know," she looked at his hand, "but I want you to be comfortable wearing it every day." "I?ll never take it off," he smiled and admired it. "It means everything to me. Thank you." Veronica kissed his forehead. "Good. Now!" She clapped her hands and stood. "I have something for you to wear for today?s concert." She hurried to her closet and pulled it out. As expected, it was amazing, but strangely perfect in its simplicity. It was just red. That?s all. No extra ornamentation except a large bow of the same red material in the center of the high waisted belt line. It had a modest scoop neck, dainty, cap sleeves and a fitted bodice that, below the bow, poofed out into a wide, full circle that laid in pretty, wide, casual vertical folds that looked full and elegant. "What do you think?" Veronica asked with a smile. Alex touched the soft material. "It?s beautiful. Very... classic, I guess. Kind of like a cocktail dress from an Audrey Hepburn movie." "Exactly what I thought," Veronica agreed. "I think it was probably meant for my mother to wear to cocktail parties with Sophia. It has silk shoes dyed to match, but they have a higher heel than you?ve tried so far. They?re only like two inches. I think you can handle them. But the best part..." Veronica took a moment to pull a few things out of the bag. "Look. Bra, panty and petticoat slip are all the same color red! Isn?t that the prettiest thing you?ve ever seen?" In fact, it was. After only wearing girl?s clothing for just a couple of days, Alex was fast becoming a connoisseur of female fashion and this was a delicious ensemble of clothing. He wanted to wear it and the fact that the style was a bit more mature appealed to him, too. "It?s gorgeous," he whispered. "I should brush out my hair before I try it on, though." He walked to the vanity and began brushing, which made Veronica smile. While he brushed, Veronica listened as he, very quietly, counted his strokes. God, that was so sweet. She laid out the silk, lace covered panties, the little, padded bra that reminded her of being in sixth or seventh grade herself, and the soft petticoat next to the dress. The shoes were put on the floor for him to step into after dressing. "Ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred," Alex said, under his breath. "All set?" Veronica called over. "Yep!" He nearly skipped over to the bed, taking off his robe on the way. "Here, let me help you get that off," Veronica lifted the nightie over his head, leaving him naked for a moment, until she handed him the red panties. When he?d tucked himself, Veronica ran her fingers along the silk material covering his bottom. "Ooh, sexy." He smiled and shook his butt from side to side, giggling. She helped him on with the bra and slip and was about to help with the dress when there was a knock on the bedroom door. Looking a little surprised, Veronica walked over and peeked out. "Hi." She said in a friendly manner. "Hi," the person in the hall said. "Do you have a pair of heeled sandals I could borrow to wear with this dress?" "Sure," Veronica replied, cheerfully, and let the person in. "Oh, hi!" Maddie smiled as she caught sight of Alex, standing barefoot in his petticoat slip. Maddie was wearing a pretty, red and black checked, sheath-style dress that hugged her developing curves nicely. "Hi," Alex replied, a bit sheepishly, acutely aware that this fifteen year old child looked so much more mature than he did. "Oh," Veronica stopped, realizing she?d not completed dressing Alex. "Umm... Maddie, could you help Alex get that dress on? Unfortunately, it buttons up the back, so she can?t get it on by herself." "Oh," the teenaged girl smiled broadly, happy to be of service to the younger girl, "absolutely!" She picked up the dress, unbuttoned the small, cloth covered buttons in the back, and spoke as she prepared the garment. "Look at you, all in red." She looked at the slip and reached down to touch the petticoats. "Huh. This is soft, isn?t it? One of the reasons I hated petticoats as a girl was because they were all stiff and uncomfortable, made of nylon and tulle. These are soft." "They?re satin," Ronnie called from the closet. "Real satin ? you know, made from silk, not nylon." Maddie shook her head. "Nice. Are they comfortable?" She held the dress up to lower it over Alex? head. "I guess," Alex shrugged, not really having a frame of reference from which to make a comparison. When Alex had his arms in the sleeves of the dress, Maddie began buttoning the twelve buttons up his back. "I wonder why the dresses from the trucks that fit you all button up and the ones that fit Veronica and me all have zippers." "I can answer that," Veronica emerged from the closet with a pair of black, heeled sandals. "Because it was cuter for girls to wear clothes they could not possibly put on without help. It also created a sense of infantilism that was the style of the time for girls. I think it taught them to be dependent on others from an early age. Regardless, though," she smiled at Alex, "it is cuter." "All done," Maddie patted Alex?s back and spent a moment or two adjusting his skirts so that they hung correctly over his petticoats. She inspected him for a moment, then said, "Your ears aren?t pierced. How come? Did your mom say no, or are you scared to have it done?" Alex hemmed and hawed for a moment before Veronica came to his aid. "Her mom. She says that Alex can get them done when she?s thirteen. Oh, but, Ali, I have some clip-ons in Sophia?s jewelry box. Come here and take a look." All three of them looked into a tall, shallow cabinet that was built into the wall. Veronica opened it to reveal a lot of jewelry ? A LOT OF JEWELRY! "Now, we don?t want anything too heavy for your first time. Clip-ons will pinch a little, anyway, and we don?t want them to bother you." She pulled a small pair of diamond studs, also in a square, Princess cut style. "These are perfect!" She gently clipped them to his ears. "Do they feel tight enough?" Ronnie asked him. "Shake your head to be sure. We don?t want to lose a Diamond earring, now do we?" "Oh, they look amazing!" Maddie gushed. "You?re adorable, Ali!" Alex smiled. "Do you want a diamond pendant, too," Veronica asked. Alex touched the gift that Maddie had just given him, which hung from his neck. "No. I want to wear the one Maddie made for me." "Aww," Maddie smiled. "You?re so sweet." "I suppose I should get dressed, too," Veronica said. "We?ll help you," Maddie said, but Alex bowed out, not wanting to get hot and bothered over Veronica?s body with a fifteen year old in the room." "Umm..." he hurried over to slip his feet into the shoes, "I think I?m going to go show my mom my dress. Ok?" "Oh, ok," Veronica smiled. "Ask her if you can borrow some of that red lipstick she was wearing this morning. It?ll be perfect for that dress." "Alright!" Alex said, on his way out the door. "I?ll see you down stairs." Maddie laughed. "She?s excited!" "Yeah," Veronica smiled as well, looking at the closed door and imagining him walking down the hall on those slightly-higher-than-he?s- used-to heels. Maddie sat in a chair and proceeded to put on the shoes she?d borrowed. "How did you two end up working together? You?re both so different and she?s so young." Veronica stood behind a five foot tall screen decorated with flowered material and removed her night gown. "It?s... kind of a long story, actually, but... from the first time Alex played for me, I knew that I?d found the best accompanist I?d ever find." "Wow," Maddie tightened the straps on her shoes, "and she?s so young. At first I thought you were her sister because you dote on her so much, but I guess it?s just because you?re teaching her about show business, huh?" Veronica stepped from behind the screen in a black bra and long half slip, with a thoughtful look on her face. "Maddie... you like Alex, right? I mean playing piano together and all, right?" "Sure, I think she?s great. I?d love to get to know her better, too, but... she seems a little uptight when I try to be friendly with her." Maddie stood and looked at the shoes. "These fit perfectly. I don?t know if I?m imposing on her, you know? I mean... I?m not trying to, like, invite myself over or anything, but I really have enjoyed being here and you and Alex are like the greatest musicians I?ve ever met, so... maybe... I?d kinda like to come over frequently and get better at piano and... oh, man, I?m going to sound like such a mooch, but... I?d really like to learn how to sing, too." Veronica was surprised. "Really? Why, Maddie, I?d absolutely love to work with you, if you?d like." "Cool," the girl smiled, "but I bet you charge a lot for lessons, right." "Maddie, you and your dad are our neighbors. I want you to always feel welcome here and I wouldn?t think of charging you a penny and neither would Alex." Veronica looked at her dress, hanging on the closet door. It was a very grand black gown with gold thread work and intricate gold bead work all about the bodice. This was not one of Sophia?s. She?d bought this one in France to wear at her opening night at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She?d loved this dress so much that she was willing to pay nine-thousand-six-hundred dollars for it. It was worth it, though. She wanted to wear it today for a myriad or reasons - To celebrate Christmas, look and feel beautiful and, if she was honest, to show her mother how beautiful she looked in it. She sighed and looked back at Maddie. "Maddie... if you?re going to be here, with Ali and me, then I need to tell you something. Something very personal and very private and you have to promise that you will never tell anyone about it. Not your dad, not your friends ? nobody. Ever. Ok?" Maddie blinked. She was intrigued. An adult taking her into her confidence was a new thing and the warning had piqued her interest. "Yeah. Sure. Of course." After he?d exited Veronica?s bedroom, Alex made a quick stop in his own room to look at his ensemble in the mirror. The petticoats he wore today were much fluffier than the ones he?d worn with the sailor dress. He looked at how the dress stopped just at his knees with the red petticoats just visible. There was no doubt that people would see them when he sat to play. So what, though! That?s obviously how the dress was designed. He looked at his heeled shoes, which made him feel taller than he?d ever felt, the flounciness of dress?s skirt, the big bow on his waist, and then at his new ring, his new pendant and his earrings. Such feminine touches. They made him feel butterflies in his stomach, but more than that... he looked nice. Really nice. He liked this feeling. He?d never felt at home in a tuxedo before ? even one tailored for a boy. He felt right in these clothes, though. He needed to get his head around these feelings. Right now, though, he wanted to share how he looked and how he felt with his mother. He returned to the hall and walked three doors down, to his mother?s door and he knocked quietly. "Yes!?" Lucy called. Excited, Alex turned the knob and entered the room. "Hi, mom, I just wanted to..." he stopped and turned to leave. "...oh, God, I?m sorry!!" He headed for the door. "Alex, Alex Alex!" Lucy was pulling a robe around her and Jim was pulling up his pants. "Alex, honey, wait. Just wait, honey. I didn?t expect you to just walk in." "I?m sorry, mom," Alex stopped in the doorway, the door half opened. "I had no idea you were... I mean... I?ll just go." "No, honey," Lucy reached him, gently moved him back into the room and shut the door. "It?s fine. There?s nothing to be embarrassed about. Jim and I were... well..." she sighed. "Did you want something, dear?" She forced a smile onto her face. Alex was more embarrassed than he could have imagined. He?d walked in to find his mother and Jim both jumping off the bed and straightening their clothing. Jim?s pants were partially lowered and his mother was straightening out the night gown she?d borrowed from Veronica the previous night. "I..." Alex shrugged. "I just wanted to, umm... show you my dress and umm... my ring... oh...and to borrow some red lipstick... but... umm... I?m sorry that I interrupted." Jim, seeming to have recovered his demeanor and fastened his belt buckle, joined Alex and Lucy. "Well, look how beautiful you look, dear," He smiled at Alex, touching his shoulders and giving him an inspection. "Very grown up." Alex look down at his dress and then back at Jim. "Thank you." Jim took a deep breath, glanced at Lucy and smiled paternally at Alex. "Alex, honey, I know that this... well... what you saw might be... confusing, but..." "No," Alex stopped him. "I?m not confused, see... Sergeant Hammond... I?m not as... na?ve as you think." Jim chuckled. "A woman of the world, huh. Well, let me just explain. See, your mom and I have strong feelings for each other, and even though we just met..." "Jim," Lucy stopped him. "I think that Ali has something to tell you." "Oh?" He asked. "What is it, darling?" "Maybe we should sit," Alex said. Once they were seated, Alex looked at Jim and bit his lip as he thought. "Umm... Sergeant... I am not as young as I appear. See, I?ve always been small... very small... and people have always assumed I was a lot younger than I am." Jim nodded. "Ok. So... how old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?" Alex looked at his mother who nodded. "I?m twenty two." Jim?s eyes opened wide. "Twenty... Wow. Ok. I get that you?re small, but... the clothes are pretty young and... at the risk of sounding politically incorrect... you?re not very well developed for a twenty two year old woman." Alex nodded. "Yeah. And that?s the other thing I needed to tell you. See... I?m not a girl at all." That took Jim a moment to process. "No. You can?t be... you?re a guy?" Alex nodded. He went on to explain how he?d been in the position of being caught in girl?s clothing when Jim and the two mothers had shown up unexpectedly. Jim blinked as he considered everything that he?d just been told. "Well... why didn?t you just tell us then?" "That was my doing," Lucy explained. She told him how angry she was and how she and Alex had reconciled recently. "So..." Jim was thoughtful, "...is this just a temporary thing then? Are you going back to wearing your male clothes, now?" "I don?t think so," Alex said. "See, even though I didn?t plan to ever put on a dress, now that I have... I feel like I belong like this. I?m more relaxed and comfortable this way. I just feel more... right... like this." Jim nodded. "Ok, but... and I?m not making any accusations, mind you... I?m just asking... what about Maddie?" Now it was Alex?s turn to be confused. "Maddie? I mean... I really enjoy spending time with Maddie. She?s very talented, she just needs some guidance with her focus and technique and I?d like to help with that if I can." "Yeah, but Alex," Jim rubbed the back of his neck, "Maddie thinks of you as a younger friend. Are you going to tell her the truth or should I?" "No, I?ll do that," Alex insisted. "I planned to tell you both, today, but things just kind of got ahead of me when I walked in on you." Jim nodded. Lucy waited a moment before asking, "So, Jim... are you ok with this?" Jim smiled. "Am I ok? What do you mean? You mean with Alex dressing this way? What difference does it make to me, Lucy? I want to have a relationship with you, not Alex. Alex, are you happy this way?" "Yes," he said. "Is anyone forcing you to dress this way?" "No." Jim looked at Lucy. "Are you ok with Alex living this way?" Lucy smiled. "I?m just happy to have Alex back in my life." "Then I?m good with everything. I just want to be sure that Maddie is told about this today." Alex nodded. "I promise." "Ok, then." Jim stood and smiled. "I believe that you wanted to borrow some lipstick from your mother." "Oh, yes!" Lucy jumped up and got the lipstick from her purse. As she was applying the lipstick to his lips, Jim?s cell phone rang. "Huh!" He said as he pulled the phone from his pocket. "Some of the towers must be powered up again." He pushed the ?accept? button. "Hammond. ? No heat? ? How many are there? ? Oh, Geez. I don?t know. Where?s the chief? ? Ok. I?ll be in touch. Give me an hour or so. I don?t know what to tell you, right now. Bye." "What?s the matter?" Lucy asked. Jim shrugged. "I?m sorry, Lucy, but I?m going to have to leave. The high school has been a shelter for people without heat or power and now the generators there have failed and it?s getting colder. I?m going to have to go in to the station and figure out what to do with the hundred and thirty people who are sheltering there. Heck of a way for them to spend Christmas, huh?" "Oh, Jim, I?m so sorry." Lucy looked deflated. "Part of the job," he said, moving close to hug her. "I?m really sorry. I?ll be back as soon as I can. I need to talk to Maddie before I go. Alex, do you know where she is?" "Yes," Alex nodded. "She?s in Ronnie?s room. I?ll show you." All three of them walked back down the hall the way that Alex had come. When they reached Veronica?s door, Alex knocked. "Just a second," Veronica called back, making Alex consider how differently the last half hour would have been if his mother had replied the same way. "Maddie," Alex called in, "your dad has to go to work and he wants to talk to you." "Daddy, no!" Came from the other side of the door before it swung wide. "Oh, come on, Dad, it?s Christmas. Do you really have to go in?" "?Fraid so, honey," Jim said as gently as possible. "The Chef is in the hospital with chest pains from shoveling and I?m on call. We?ve been using the high school gym as a shelter and the generator there died about an hour ago. There?s over a hundred people there and it?s getting cold. We have to find someplace they can go till the power is restored. I?ll be back as soon as I can." "Oh, daddy," the girl sighed. "This has been the nicest Christmas in years. No one else can take care of all that stuff? You?re going to miss Ali and Ronnie?s concert." Jim hugged his daughter. "I?m sorry, honey, but duty calls. You look lovely, by the way." He kissed her cheek. "I swear... you have grown up so much in the last two days. Your mother would be so proud of you." ?Your mother would be so proud of you? was a phrase that Jim used frequently, never wanting Maddie to forget her mother, but it seemed more heartfelt and sincere this time. Maddie?s disappointment melted a bit. "Oh, daddy," she whispered. "I understand." "Where do you plan to house these people?" Veronica?s voice came from behind the door. "I don?t know," Jim said, honestly. "I?ll have to see if there are some church halls that can accommodate a few each. First thing to do is figure out what parts of town have power and what parts don?t." He looked at his daughter. "Look, my cell just worked for the first time in days, so I?ll call when I know how long I?ll be. Ok?" "Ok," Maddie replied, sadly. "Hang on, Jim," Veronica?s voice said, again. Let me check on something. They heard a little movement then Veronica?s voice. "June, I know this is an odd question, but, all those rooms in the west wing that were used when Sophia had those huge summer weekend events... how many people can they hold?" There was silence. "If some of us helped you and Melissa, how long would it take to get them ready?" Silence. "Ok, next question ? if some of us were to help Cook, could we feed an additional hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty people for a day or two?" More silence. "Stew and pasta would be fine, of course. Now, last question ? can you ask Rebecca if our driveway is clear to the main road?" Silence. "Ok, then, June ? I think we should prepare for a hundred and thirty people, maybe more, arriving in the next few hours or so and I?m sorry that this is interfering with your Christmas. We?ll help as much as we can." Silence. "Thank you, June. You?re an angel ? a Christmas angel!" A moment later, Veronica, wearing her nine thousand dollar, designer gown, appeared in the doorway. "Holy cow," both Alex and Jim whispered simultaneously at the sight of her extraordinary beauty dressed the way she was. "Bring them here," Veronica said in a nearly regal manner. Jim sighed. "Veronica... I appreciate your kindness, but I can?t ask you to open up your home ? especially a home with this many valuables ? to people who I do not know and can?t vouch for." Veronica folded her hands in front of her, making her already statuesque appearance even more commanding. "Jim... This section of the estate is a private residence unto itself. The east wing, the wing I offered my mother, is a combination of several large apartments and employee housing. The west wing is entirely guest accommodations. There are sixty rooms with two double beds and a lavatory in each. That entire section is separated from this building and is only connected to the kitchen, which can be locked up to keep people out of the main building at night. If we double up, that?s a hundred and twenty people. I assume that there are some families with children, so they could have four or more in their rooms ? June tells me that we have a sizable collection of inflatable mattresses if needed. You have a problem ? I have the solution." Jim nodded. It did make sense. "The plan was," Veronica continued, "to have the concert, then a late lunch. Why don?t we get everything ready, then we can set up a buffet in the ballroom and we?ll invite everyone who?s arriving to the concert. I think that sounds much nicer for everyone concerned than the few of us isolated here with no new friends and for all of those people to be hungry and cold." "Ok," Jim nodded, "BUT I want you to keep track of every penny you spend on food or anything else and give me a tally when this is all over. The town will reimburse you." "Of course," Veronica nodded. "Rebecca assures me that our driveways and the road that connects to the state highway are passable and she will head out there and keep them clear as everyone arrives. She said that the state road didn?t look bad, but of you can order the town plows to clear the way from the high school to here. She says it?s only about a mile and a half away." "Might I suggest," Jim snickered, pulling out his cell phone, "that, if this whole ?opera thing? peters out, you might consider becoming a town manager." "I?ll keep that in mind," Veronica smiled. "Now, ladies," she said, including Lucy, Maddie and Alex, "I suggest that we put robes on over our dresses and go pull off the sheets that are covering the bed clothes in the west wing and get things ready for our guests." "I?ll help, too," Jim, said, but then he turned his attention to his phone. "Lee, this is Jim. First, call the town barn and have them send plows to clear the way from the high school to The Haven Estate. Then call Joe over at the school department ? his cell number is in the town directory ? and have him send three or four school buses to the high school to move those people. Make sure the buses have tire chains. We?re going to move everyone up here, but suggest, and suggest VERY strongly, that they leave their cars at the high school. We don?t want anyone getting hurt moving them up here. ? Yes, The Haven. The big estate up the hill from my place. ? No. The owner invited everyone. For crying out loud, Lee, just get those people up here where they can get warm and have some food. ? Yes. That?s a great idea, Lee. Thanks." Jim looked at the others, all of whom were wrapping robes around themselves, "I think we should see them here in forty five minutes or so. The officer on duty at the station had a great idea. The emergency crew at the high school will come up, too and they?ll bring the milk and some of the other food that is available to them. Breakfast cereals, loaves of bread, hot dogs and buns. That should help out." "That?s, great, Jim, but I don?t think that it?ll be a good idea to suggest to Cook that she makes hot dogs. Not if you value your life, anyway." "Good to know," Jim laughed. "I?m ready to help. Where do we start." They passed through the kitchen to get to the west wing. Veronica stopped to apologize to Cook, June and Melissa for adding to their load, but they all seemed excited at the prospect of having guests in the house again." It took less than a half hour to remove the dust covering sheets from the beds in the west wing, not that June had allowed the rooms to become dusty. They all looked as if they had been cleaned that morning. When they reached the ball room to set up the buffet tables and the round banquet tables that had been used in there many times before, June, Melissa and, shockingly, Eva, were just finishing up. Cook had a huge pot of chicken stew she?d made weeks earlier, then froze to be eaten a little at a time, heating on the stove and was baking rolls to go with the stew. "Give me your robes," Lucy instructed. "I?ll bring them upstairs and leave them on Veronica?s bed. I?ll get dressed and be down in a few minutes." "What can we do to help?" Veronica asked June. "I think we?re ready, Miss," June smiled. "If working for Miss Sophia taught us anything, it taught us how to change plans in a heartbeat and work quickly. I might suggest that you prepare yourself for your guests and that young Miss Alex plays some music as we finish up in here." Veronica smiled at June. She was shockingly good at her job and she was proud to show off her skills. "Thank you, June. You?ve done an amazing job." "My pleasure, Miss." "Alex," Veronica smiled, "I guess the piano needs you." She exited to look out the front door, awaiting the arrival of the school buses. "Come on!" Maddie grinned broadly and took Alex?s hand, half dragging him to the Steinway. "Play me something amazing before everyone gets here." Alex sat and immediately broken into the ethereal bliss that is Liszt?s ?Transcendental Etude #5.? The smooth arpeggios and left hand melody were always exciting for Alex to play. The piece lasted just over three minutes when it was done, Maddie was sitting on the bench beside him, her jaw hanging open. "Every time I hear you playing, I can?t believe what I?m seeing and hearing. You are unbelievable." "Thank you," Alex replied, quietly, "but I kind of need to talk to you about something." As uncomfortable as his conversation with Jim had been, earlier, he dreaded this one much more. He really liked Maddie and wanted to be her friend. She was always nice to him and he didn?t want to disappoint her in any way. This needed doing, though. "Ok." Maddie nodded. "What is it?" He decided to take the same tact he?d taken with Jim. "Look, Maddie.... I?m not as young as you probably think I am." "What!?" Maddie said, far too excitedly. "How old are you, then!?!?" "Well..." Alex looked at her and something wasn?t right. "I?m a... I?m..." Maddie had a strange half smile on her face that Alex found puzzling. "I?m really a bit older than you..." he shook his head. "Did Ronnie tell you something about me?" "Something about you?" Maddie made a pretense of thinking. "I don?t think so." Alex squinted. "You?re a rotten actress, you know." Maddie looked more innocent than she should. Alex nodded. "She told you. I can tell. She told you and you were going to make me suffer through having to confess everything to you, weren?t you?" "Oh, don?t be mad," Maddie smiled and hugged him. "I think you?re even more awesome, now that I know. Come on. Let?s be friends." Alex shook his head and let out a nervous giggle. "You guys suck, you know that? You both suck. Putting me through all this and then calling yourself my friend." Maddie gave his cheek a big, smacking kiss and laughed. "Come on, now, don?t be a little brat. You and I are going to be sisters ? whether our parents get married or not." She used the arm that was around his shoulders to give him a good, hard shake." "Come on, Ali. Be a good sport." Alex squelched the smile he?d been working hard to keep hidden and just broke into the opening phrase of Rachmaninoff?s ?Moment Musicaux No 4,? which delighted Maddie to no end. The magic of Alex?s playing was broken with Jim?s voice calling, "Maddie! Come on, hon, we need your help getting everyone in." Both Alex and Maddie were surprised to see that guests were arriving. Most just had their heavy coats, but some had small duffel bags of clothing and some who had small children had games and toys and diaper bags, etc. "Ali," Jim instructed, "just keep playing for everyone. Maybe some holiday music, if you know some." Alex nodded and switched from the classical music he?d been playing to just noodling through familiar Christmas melodies, elegantly improvising around the melodies and re-harmonizing as he played. The plan was to get everyone seated and warmed up in the ball room, feed them, then give them the option of staying for the mostly unplanned concert in which Alex would accompany Veronica through who knew what pieces. Alex had always played for very formal audiences. Well behaved people who paid good money to get dressed up to go out and listen to music and enjoy it?s complexity and nuance, but as people filed into the room and Lucy and Eva guided them to round tables, Alex noticed something unusual. It first happened as he played a simple version of ?Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.? First, it was a mother with a very small child on her lap, bouncing the child and happily singing along. Then an older man who was rubbing his cold hands together joined in. Soon, at least half the room was singing along ? not too loudly, certainly respectfully, but actually just singing and, for the first time that day, enjoying Christmas. It gave Alex shivers. These people were enjoying his playing in a whole new way than he?d ever experienced before. When the song ended, he received a big round of applause. Not and ovation, mind you, but a sincere showing of appreciation. He smiled and gave them a nod and a wave of thanks. "Darling, come here for a moment," an older woman said from the edge of the stage. Alex got up and walked to her. "Oh, honey, that dress is so beautiful. You?re just a living doll, my dear. Tell me, how did a pretty little thing like you learn to play piano so good?" Alex smiled, both at the compliment and at the woman?s misuse of the word ?good.? Alex strived to use correct grammar at all times. He felt it made him seem more mature. "I practiced a lot," he answered honestly. Without warning, the woman reached across and started fluffing out his skirts and petticoats. "I bet you did, sweetheart. Tell me, where did your mom buy this dress? I?d love to get one for my granddaughter. She?s about your age and a few petticoats would help her remember that she?s a girl ? instead of running around in jeans and playing basketball like a boy, all the time." Alex shrugged. "I don?t know where it came from. I?m sorry. It was a gift from a friend." "Oh, how nice," she smiled up at him. "Well, it looks adorable, sweetie. Do you think you could play ?Silent Night?? It?s my husband, Kenny?s, favorite Christmas carol." "Sure," Alex nodded. "I can play that." He sat and began to play the simple, beautiful melody and was shocked to hear almost everyone in the room join in, singing along to the song. When he finished the song, Veronica stood on the edge of the stage and asked for everyone?s attention. "Merry Christmas, everyone. I know that this isn?t how you planned to spend your holiday, but we hope that you will enjoy your time at The Haven. Many of you may have known, or known of my grandmother Sophia who lived here for sixty years or so. My name is Veronica and I have just inherited this estate and I welcome you to The Haven. In a few moments, we will have a lunch ready for you. If you need something other than what we?re serving, you can talk to either me or June," she indicated June to her right, "and we?ll do our best to accommodate everyone?s needs." "Now, should you need to stay with us through the night, we have plenty of room for everyone. Even if you?d just like to take a nap, we will show you to a guest room and you can make yourself comfortable." There was a round of appreciative applause from everyone. They were happy to be in a comfortable, warm space where Christmas was actually being celebrated. June gave Veronica a wave and Ronnie said, "Well, I guess things are ready, but I just have one more thing to tell you. After dinner, Alex," she indicated him, "and I were planning on giving a concert of some light classical music and show tunes. We?d like to invite you to join us if you?d like. I think you will enjoy the presentation, if you chose to stay with us. Ok, well, the food is ready, so... please... eat up and enjoy." More applause as people lined up to make the most of the buffet. Even Veronica was surprised to see that there were more options than just the chicken stew. Cook had made a huge bowl of angel-hair pasta and a very rich looking sauce as well. Combining that with the breakfast cereal and the sandwich meat and bread that had been brought from the high school, and it was clear that no one was going to go hungry. When dinner was done, except for a few people looking for lavatories, everyone stayed in the ball room for the concert. Veronica took the stage, still looking like a goddess in the black gown with gold thread highlights. She looked at Alex, allowing him to choose the first selection. She was pleasantly surprised when he began playing Pietro Yon?s ?Gesu Bambino,? a piece that was typically done as a duet, but Veronica knew that Alex would cover the second vocal part on the piano. It turned out that Alex had made an excellent choice for their first selection, though. The gentle lilt of the 12/8 introduction caught the attention of the people assembled and by the time Veronica entered the song, they were already enchanted. They followed that up with a soulful version of ?Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,? with Veronica leaving her operatic tone behind so that she could sing in a tone more appropriate for the Judy Garland classic. They went on that way for over an hour and a half. A operatic piece followed by a more popular piece, typically from a Broadway style production. Twice, Alex played short pieces on his own to give Veronica?s voice a break. He played Chopin?s ?Military (Heroic) Polonaise? and Rimsky- Korsakoff?s ?Flight of the Bumble Bee.? Both were huge crowd pleasers. The audience was mesmerized my the, apparently, little girl who played so brilliantly and occasionally flailed her legs so violently as to cause her abundant petticoats to blossom and fall again. Finally, they finished the concert with a somewhat ironic sing-a-long of Irving Berlin?s ?White Christmas,? but the best part was that this whole big group of people who?d arrived a couple hours ago, tired, cold and hungry, were now warm, well fed and enjoying Christmas Day. Alex had never contributed to people?s lives in that way before and he found it very rewarding. As the people were applauding, a man came up to the stage and asked Veronica if he could say a few words. The crowd seemed to know him, so Veronica invited him onto the stage. He held up his hands for the crowd to quiet down. "Wow," he smiled and it was immediately obvious that he was a politician of some kind, "what an amazing concert, huh? Let?s hear it for these two amazing girls, huh!?" The crowd applauded some more. "For those of you who don?t know me, I?m Ralph Wilson and I am the Town Manager for Lenox. When this storm hit, I knew that it was going to be a doozy and I was very concerned about the situation. Obviously, we could never have anticipated the severity of a storm like this, but I hoped that we?d weather it together... and obviously we have, but not due to the constant planning and preparing that we have done in town offices, but due to the generous spirit of our new neighbor, the great Veronica Harrington." More applause. "Now," he smiled some more, "the name of Veronica Harrington is very well known to anyone with even a passing interest in modern opera, but I have to say, I sat here today completely overwhelmed by this amazing woman?s talent and generosity." More applause. "And I?ve been sitting out there with you all day just being amazed by this amazing young lady on the piano! What is your name, dear?" Alex told him and Ralph called for a round of applause for Alex, too. "I can?t thank Ms Harrington enough for the kind and generous way she has treated all of us today, but..." he grinned, broadly, "... I may have thought of a way to at least offer... just a little bit of thanks. While we were being entertained today, I took a few short videos and sent them to a friend of mine who is a classical music corespondent for The New York Times and also for CBS television. She was overwhelmed both by the generosity and talent of our hostesses and she will be contacting both Veronica and young Miss Alex for an in-depth interview and feature stories in both the Times and on the CBS Sunday Morning television show!" The audience applauded wildly. Alex shot Veronica a shocked look. Veronica replied with a little shrug. Things had just gotten much more complicated. Music links Khatia Buniatishuili ? Liszt?s Transcendental Etude #5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMAFS-Lvzw Rachmaninoff Moment Musicaux No 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhLDse5R8dQ Gesu Bambino ? Kathleen Battle and Fredrica Von Staade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nChsp_KuCZQ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ? Judy Garland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygjdymMdsBU Chopin ? Military Polonaise ? Van Cliburn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw1gaY5krNo Rimsky-Korsakoff ? Flight of the Bumblebee ? Evgeny Kissin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVmvULWX_4Q