This Christmastide

Disclaimer: I do not own “High School Musical” nor do I make any profit off of the writing of this short story. I also do not own the song “This Christmastide (Jessye’s Carol).” I use the lyrics without permission and, again, without profit.

Author’s Note: This is my first attempt at a One-Shot, so it’s quite long because I’m not used to condensing story ideas, and it is also complete, unashamed Chad/Ryan and Sharpay/Zeke fluff. Note that this means the story is partly SLASH. If you don’t like it, please just don’t read it. I love and appreciate reviews very much. So if you have an extra couple of minutes, please let me know what you think. If you should decide to flame please refrain from foul language and attacks on my person. Attacks on the work are just fine if you find fault with it. Thanks so much and happy reading!

“Now arriving at Gate C16, United Flight 1853 from Chicago. Baggage at trolley number six.”

Sharpay Evans-Baylor couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across her face as she stood up and walked slowly over to the area where all of her other friends and family were milling about making small talk, sipping coffee, and complaining good-naturedly about the late hour around wide yawns. Even though they were complaining, she noticed that they all had smiles on their faces and there was more laughter to punctuate the yawns than frowns. As for herself, her feet were swollen, her back hurt more than she even wanted to think about, she had to pee again, and all she really wanted was her nice, warm bed at home. Yet, at the same time, she was more excited now than she could remember being any other Christmas Eve. She set a hand to the small of her back and continued to walk slowly. It took her forever to get anywhere these days, but she refused to waddle, even if she was eight months pregnant.

“Hey, babe,” She also couldn’t help the way her heart melted just a little when her husband turned around to smile that special smile that was only for her while he held their first in his arms. Kenyen was sleeping, his cheek resting on Zeke’s shoulder, his arms and legs dangling down. He would be a tall one, their son. She could already tell by his gangly, thin limbs. She stepped up to them and placed a hand on Kenyen’s back even as she turned her face up to accept a kiss from Zeke. She sighed happily at the way a simple, chaste kiss from her husband could still make her stop in her tracks ten years into their marriage.

“Want me to take him?” she murmured, stroking a hand over their son’s beautiful curls as she admired the caramel of his skin, the perfect blend of tones from her own and Zeke’s.

“No, I got him,” Zeke assured her. She arched an eyebrow at him. She might have been pregnant, but the moment she couldn’t hold her son for a bit, even with a big belly, was the moment she knew something drastic had to change. But, Zeke was a worrier in every phase of her pregnancy, just as he had been when she’d been pregnant with Kenyen, and so didn’t let her do anything strenuous at all. He was especially worried in this, the last stage of her pregnancy.

She had to concede that he had a reason to be. They had dated all of their senior year of high school, once she had finally stopped going after Troy and opened her eyes to see what Zeke was offering. He adored her and wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that she was the happiest woman alive. His goodness and devotion at first made her like him, then admire him, then finally love him. She had told him that she loved him for the first time Christmas Eve of that year. They had made love for the first time a week later on New Year’s Eve, which they had spent alone in the mansion, happily watching movies and sipping sparkling cider. He had asked her if she would consider one day getting engaged to him that night and had slipped the promise ring onto her finger as they laid together, content and quiet.

Three months later Gabriella had found her over the toilet, losing her breakfast during homeroom. Gabriella had really proved just how loyal and kind she could be at that point and held Sharpay’s hand after school that day when Sharpay was waiting for the results of a home pregnancy test. After the first had proved positive they had gone back to the store and bought every other brand they could think of. Gabriella had been the one to hold her as she cried, so scared as to what the future might hold.

Zeke had been shocked, but just like the good man she had always known he was, he had asked her to marry him. He had told her that he had intended always to marry her anyway, but that this just pushed up the timeline a little. Their families had been supportive, though shocked and scared for them and a little angry that they hadn’t been safer. So, three days after graduation and five months pregnant Sharpay and Zeke had married in a small ceremony on the Evans’ mansion grounds with all of their friends and respective families around them. The Baylors had helped them find a moderately sized and priced apartment because both Zeke and Sharpay were determined that they would put themselves through school and raise their baby together, by their own power and only a little help from their parents when they really needed it.

Half way into her seventh month Sharpay began to have extremely painful cramps. She had called her doctor and laid down as per the suggestions, but they had not subsided. Zeke had rushed her to the hospital when she had begun to bleed. They had lost their baby that night. It took them months to believe what the doctors had told them, that there was nothing they could have done, that sometimes these things just happened. Losing their baby had been the hardest thing they had ever faced. As soon as they had gotten over the shock of teenage pregnancy they had thrown themselves into preparing for the baby’s birth. They had found joy in feeling their little girl move for the first time, choosing her name, and preparing their small second bedroom as a nursery. For a long time they didn’t speak to each other, preferring to pretend the other wasn’t there as they worked through their separate grief. But, it was only when they shared the grief that they finally began to heal.

“We’ll try again, baby. I love you so much,” Zeke had whispered to her as they lay in the darkness far apart on the bed a few weeks after their loss. It was the first thing he had said to her in nearly a month.

“Not for a while,” Sharpay had rolled over into his arms and buried her face in his chest, “Please not for a while, Zeke. I don’t think I could . . . I felt her move, Zeke. She was alive! How . . .” She had broken on a sob, and made a sound of pure grief and pain. Zeke had just held her closer and they had cried together, hanging onto each other for dear life.

“No, not for a while,” he had agreed when they had calmed and he was stroking her hair as she clung to him, “Not until we’ve had time to heal, not until we’re ready. But, someday.”

“But we won’t name the new baby Harper,” Sharpay had whispered.

“No,” Zeke’s voice had broken with emotion, “Harper was our baby. Harper will always be our baby.”

“I love you, Zeke. So much.”

“I love you, too, babe.”

Four years later they had graduated from college, right on schedule. Losing their baby had made Sharpay grow up a lot and lose much of the driving ambition that had kept her separated from her peers for so long. She could still be difficult to deal with, but on a whole she was much more conscious of the way she made people feel and how she came across. She had never lost her flare for performance, but had also found a new passion while at school. Teaching. She had done her student teaching right back at East High under Ms. Darbus’ watchful eye. When her student teaching had ended Ms. Darbus had surprised her by offering her the position of drama teacher at her alma mater, stating that it was time for her own retirement. Sharpay had agreed, Zeke could cook anywhere, he had told her. They lived a modest life, and they were happier than they had ever been.

Half way through her second year teaching at East High Sharpay had gotten pregnant again. She and Zeke had almost held their breath for nine months, waiting to see what would happen with this new pregnancy. As if God was making it up to them that their first had ended so badly, carrying Kenyen and his birth had been text book perfect. Now five years later she was carrying again and perfectly happy in her life as teacher, mother, and wife. If anyone had told her while she was in high school that this was how she would end up she would have laughed in their face, but now she couldn’t imagine her life any other way.

“I’m not trying to keep you from holding him, Sharpay,” Zeke smiled, reading her thoughts, “I know that he doesn’t weigh that much and you can hold him. But, we’re comfortable. I just want to hang onto him for a little bit more, okay?”

“Okay,” she sighed, leaning back a little, both hands pressed to the small of her back, seeing if it made her any more comfortable. She sighed heavily when it just brought a different kind of discomfort on.

“You hurting?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she answered, “Just a little, though. I swear, this one weighs twenty pounds.”

Zeke laughed and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close so that he could kiss her forehead. He gently reminded her that she had said that about Kenyen, too and they laughed quietly. Kenyen stirred in Zeke’s arms at their laughter and turned sleepy eyes on them, blinking owlishly. Sharpay could see a crying fit coming on. After all, he was only five and it was very late. To head it off, she leaned her head against Zeke’s chest and began to sing softly as he husband rocked gently, swaying all of them in the process.

“Green and silver, red and gold,” she sang quietly, “And a story born of old. Truth and love and hope abide. This Christmastide. This Christmastide.” She sighed in relief when Kenyen closed his eyes again and fell back to sleep.

“Good catch, Mom,” Zeke laughed more quietly than they had previously and leaned down to kiss her again.

“Not so bad yourself, Dad,” she responded.

“How long does it take to get off an airplane?” Troy’s voice broke through her haze of happiness a little. The tone bordered on annoyed, but Sharpay was sure it was just because he was tired just like the rest of them. At least, she hoped that was what it was. She turned to see him with his arms wrapped around his fiancé of nearly a year and smiled at them. Moon smiled back at her from her place in Troy’s arms and tilted her head back for a kiss.

After high school Troy and Gabriella had tried to stay together, but it had been too hard when they were nearly on opposite sides of the country. They had broken up over Christmas break, saying that maybe someday they would get back together. They were each others’ first loves and there would always be a connection between them, they knew. But, they had never gotten back together. Gabriella had gotten an offer from a leading pharmaceutical research company directly after graduation and had left for London just three weeks later. She was still there, married to a man who owned a bookstore. She told them every year in the Christmas cards she never failed to send that she was completely happy in her life with her work and her family. Her twins were beautiful in the pictures that always came along with the cards.

Troy had done more than well in college basketball and had been drafted into the NBA directly after college graduation. He had played only a season and a half before blowing out his knee during a game. It had never fully healed and so he had never played professionally again. He had drifted for nearly a year, unsure of what to do. Basketball was all he had ever really wanted. It was the only thing he had ever really considered for his future. When it was taken away, he was lost.

Then, something had happened to save Troy’s life. His college coach had asked him to come back and be the assistant coach for the University of Albuquerque. Troy had gladly accepted. He had been in the position for nearly eight years and loved what he was doing. It was widely known that when the current coach resigned in the next couple of years Troy would be getting his job. He had met Moon when he had walked into the flower shop she owned to buy flowers for his mother’s birthday. He’d asked her for a date and she had said yes. A year and a half and a shared apartment later and they were ready to be married. Their wedding was only a three months away. Sharpay was to be one of Moon’s bridesmaids, so they were both anxiously waiting when she would be able to fit in her dress and they could make alterations on it. Sharpay had once asked Moon where her name had come from when they were having a girls’ day out. Her friend had turned to her, her bright green eyes laughing.

“How long have you been waiting to ask that?”

Sharpay had giggled, “Since Troy brought you to dinner that first time.”

“Well,” Moon had held a shirt up to Sharpay and then shook her head, not liking the color on her fair friend, “My parents were the last of the hippies. I was born at night and my mom’s focal point was the moon outside her window, so she called me Moon. Why are you named after a dog breed?”

“Oh, don’t even start,” Sharpay had playfully smacked her arm, “I don’t even know. My parents were temporarily insane?”

“You okay?” Moon called out to Sharpay as soon as she and Troy broke their kiss.

“Just a little tired,” Sharpay nodded, “But, I’m so excited!” She knew she had squealed a little, but everyone just smiled at her.

“Maybe you should go sit down, Princess,” her father walked over to them.

“Daddy,” Sharpay rolled her eyes, “I’ve been sitting forever. Really, you’re as bad as Zeke. I’m fine.”

“Fine,” Mr. Evans held up his hands, a small smile of defeat on his face, “Zeke, why don’t you let me have my Grandpa time and let me take Kenyen for a bit?”

“Sure, Dad,” Zeke carefully transferred Kenyen onto his father-in-law’s shoulder, stroking his son’s soft hair to calm him a little when he began to stir. Kenyen shifted himself around, putting his arms around his grandfather’s neck, then fell back into a deep sleep. Zeke’s gentle smile fell when he turned around to see Sharpay tapping her foot, her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised.

“You wanted to hang onto him for a bit?” she asked, “I thought . . .” Zeke stopped the tirade he knew was coming by taking her firmly in his arms and kissing her thoroughly. By the time he was done she was a little bit breathless, a little bit dizzy, and felt a little boneless. She was glad Zeke kept his arms around her because she was fairly certain her knees would have given out if he hadn’t.

“I hate it when you do that,” she growled lightly, trying to frown even though she couldn’t help the contented smile that kept spreading across her face.

“No you don’t,” Zeke whispered back.

“You’re right,” she giggled, “I don’t.”

“Oh! There they are!” Sharpay turned around when she heard her mother’s squeal of delight.

Her eyes immediately went to the escalator that her brother was just stepping onto. She couldn’t help the sound of pure joy that came from her to see him beaming as he came closer and closer to them. His partner came up behind him, smiling just as wide as he placed a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and waved to them all with the other. Sharpay was pleased that she hadn’t had to do a double take. It seemed her mind was finally getting used to the idea that the man her brother had chosen to live all of his life with was Chad Danforth.

All their lives it seemed, Ryan and Sharpay had known that there was something different about Ryan. They hadn’t been able to place it when they were young, but they had always known. It seemed their parents had always known, too. When Ryan had come home with a black eye because he had tried to kiss a boy on his baseball team the way Sharpay had been able to kiss the boy in her class, the Evans had sat their children down and spoken openly and frankly two them.

Ryan was different than most other boys. Usually boys liked to kiss girls and girls liked to kiss boys, but sometimes boys liked to kiss other boys. But, not all other boys wanted to kiss them back. Ryan was one of those boys who would like to kiss other boys. Now, Richard and Gillian Evans had no problem with the fact that Ryan would always have a preference for his own sex rather than the opposite, but there were mean people in the world who wouldn’t understand him, who would try to hurt him because they thought that a boy kissing other boys was wrong. Ryan had cried, pressed his hand against his bruised eye, and asked them, fearfully, if there was really anything wrong with it. Gillian had taken her boy in her arms, holding him close and rocking a little, like he had thought he was too grown up to allow her to do anymore, and had told him in no uncertain terms that it was not wrong and that she and his father loved him no matter what. But, they also didn’t want him to be marked before he even really had a chance, so they were going to move the family. Sharpay had seen how hurt her brother was and, despite her young years, knew how badly he could still be hurt and so hadn’t put up a fuss.

Living in New Mexico was much different than living in Rhode Island, but the twins had discovered their affinity for acting and the rest had become history. They were completely happy all the way up through high school. Ryan had never tried to hide who he was, but he had also never kissed another boy again. He had learned a painful lesson when the one boy he thought he could trust, the one who had made his chest a little tight every time he saw him, had hit him, eyes burning with hate, and called him that foul name. He had told himself that he would wait until college, where he imagined people knew exactly who they were. The one thing he had never really counted on was Chad Danforth.

After the summer the Wildcats had spent working at Lava Springs, Chad and Ryan had become friends. Troy was still Chad’s best friend, but the rift that had opened during the summer was too wide to heal overnight and Chad had found other friends to occupy his time when Troy was out of the picture. The rift had eventually healed, but Chad was not the type to drop a friend once one was made and so it became normal to see Ryan and Chad sitting together at lunch, heads bent over something as they discussed the current favorites for the World Series or helped each other finish up homework. Chad would help Ryan with his English, Ryan would help Chad with his Calculus and Chemistry. At first, Ryan and Chad had bonded over the fact that they both played baseball rather well. That had worried Sharpay, especially after Ryan had told her that he had a crush on the caramel skinned, fluffy haired Wildcat. Ryan may have forgotten what had become of his first baseball crush, but she never had. Though, she found out Ryan had learned his lesson. He might have had a crush on Chad, but the only one he mentioned it to was her and he never acted on it. At the end of high school they had said goodbye with a friendly hug and well wishes for their opposite futures.

Ryan had been able to live the dream they had both wanted. She had been jealous for a time, but learned to find content in what she had. There was no way, after losing Harper, that she was going to lose Zeke, too. Though he would have followed her anywhere, she knew that he couldn’t have been happy in a big city. To her way of figuring, love was putting someone before yourself, so she had traded one dream for another and learned to be happy in her new dreams. Ryan had done wonderfully on Broadway, as they always knew he would. He had worked his way up through the chorus to a swing role and finally to a starring role in a new production. That role had won him a Tony. He had been two successful shows a year ever since. His life was like a fairy tale, except for the fact that he was lonely. One would think that being gay and in the theatre there would have been options all over the place. There were, he had told her, but no one who could hold his interest for more than two weeks.

But, fate had conspired. One thing about Ryan that no one had ever really known was that he loved helping people. Most of his allowance when they were young had been spent on organizations bent on making life better for others. When he fell in love with New York, it only seemed right that he help out there, too. He was determined to make it on his own, so he had considerably less money to help, but that didn’t stop him from giving his time for volunteer work. As soon as he was established enough to take the time off, he had volunteered to coach for a summer baseball league in association with an organization to keep inner city kids off the streets called Haven. He was shocked to learn, at the first meeting with all the coaches, that one of the men in charge of Haven was none other than Chad Danforth.

“Ryan!” Chad had been just surprised, “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same about you! How long have you been in New York?”

“About six months,” Chad had unconsciously thrown his arm around Ryan’s shoulder as they walked, not noticing how Ryan had stiffened. The six years they had been apart had only done good for Chad. He looked almost professional in his button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and his collar and tie loose. He wore glasses now when he was reading, Ryan noticed, and pushed them up into the hair that he kept bound whenever he wasn’t using them. He even had something other than tennis shoes on!

“I went to school in Chicago, where my uncle lives and works, and somehow, I’m still not even sure how, got involved in this program they do called Haven. I took classes to help with the running of a non-profit ‘cause I really loved it, you know? I graduated, helped out more, eventually got to basically running the Chicago branch when it was decided by the board that because it was doing so well, it was worth a shot to try it in another city. I didn’t want to move, but they asked me to come up here for at least a little while until the branch is really on it’s feet, you know?”

“Yeah,” Ryan hadn’t been able to help the smile on his face, “I know. Well, congratulations! Everyone’s talking about how much good Haven is doing.”

“Thanks,” Chad had rolled his shoulder, a little uncomfortable with the praise, “And how about you? Heard you won the Tony you always wanted a couple years back. That’s awesome, man. I’ve been meaning to come see you in a show but so far I haven’t had the time.”

“No worries. And . . . thanks,” Ryan had blushed a little at Chad’s compliment, feeling all of the sudden like he was back in high school and about to start shuffling his feet, “Well, I guess I better get going! Got a lot to do before I meet my team this afternoon!”

“Hey, Ryan?” Chad had called out just as Ryan was almost out the door.

“Yeah?” he had popped his head back in.

“Want to come over for dinner tonight? My place? I’ll cook. We can . . . catch up.”

“Sure,” Ryan had smiled, “I have your number on these forms. I’ll give you a call. Eightish?”

“Yeah . . . Great . . .” Chad had started shuffling his feet and Ryan had scolded himself all the way to the baseball diamond for thinking how incredibly cute it had been.

Nothing had happened at dinner that night. They had talked and laughed, but it had been strictly as friends. Nothing had happened for almost a year, except that they spent most of their spare time together. Ryan found himself volunteering at Haven more and more often and Chad found himself spending more money on Broadway shows than he ever thought he would, just to be able to see Ryan on the stage. Chad thought Ryan was magnificent and Ryan thought Chad was the kindest person he had ever met. They had watched each other closely for the whole of that year, claiming they were nothing more than the best of friends. Ryan would feel the emotion rise in his throat when Chad would blow on a little girl’s scraped knee after disinfecting it. Chad would find any excuse he could to touch Ryan, even for the briefest of moments.

It had been hard on both of them while Chad was deciding, almost exactly nine months into their rekindled friendship, if he would be staying in New York or going back to Chicago. It had driven Ryan crazy, as he had told Sharpay over the phone numerous times and in person when he had flown out for Kenyen’s first birthday. He didn’t want to lose the best friend he’d ever had, next to her, but how could he tell him that he wanted him to stay without bringing up the fact that he was falling for him? He had been so frustrated and so in love, though he hadn’t seen it that way yet, that she hadn’t been able to even be annoyed at his moodiness during his stay. She had simply kissed his forehead, told him it would all work out, and handed him his nephew to play with for a bit. Who could resist a happy baby, after all?

When Ryan had returned from New Mexico Chad had invited him over for dinner and told him that he had decided to stay, that Haven in New York needed him more than the Chicago branch. Ryan hadn’t been able to hold back anymore and had gotten up from his seat, walked around the dinner table, leaned over Chad’s chair, and kissed him harshly. The kiss had been everything he had ever hoped it would be as Chad pulled him into his lap and responded enthusiastically, his arms tight around Ryan. His heart had jumped into his throat when they had finally pulled apart and Chad was looking at him with eyes that reflected the intense desire he was feeling.

“Finally,” Chad had growled in a low, I’m completely turned on, voice, “I thought you would never make a move. You’ve been driving me nuts for months!”

“But, why didn’t you . . .” Ryan had been shocked, his mouth falling open, leaving him open to another mind-blowing kiss from Chad.

“You’re my friend Ryan,” he finally responded when they broke apart again to breathe, “I didn’t want to take a chance that you didn’t want . . .”

Ryan had wrapped his arms around Chad and ground against him a little, “Proof enough of what I want?” He knew his voice had been breathless and begging, but he found he couldn’t care as Chad picked him up and carried him into the bedroom.

Later, when they were in bed together, quiet after energetic love-making, Ryan had asked Chad when he had realized.

“What? That I was gay?”

“Yeah.”

“High school. I’m mean, I’d always known something was different, especially when the other guys were so hot for porno and all that jazz and it just didn’t do anything for me. But, I didn’t realize what was different until we were at the lunch table and you were working so hard trying to explain something to me and all I could think about was the fact that I wanted to kiss you. Then, of course, comes the whole denial thing. I slept with Taylor prom night and the only way I could get off was by imagining you.”

“How romantic,” Ryan had raised an eyebrow, his voice wry.

“Never said it was,” Chad had shrugged and run a hand down Ryan’s bare back, “But, it’s the truth. I didn’t really accept it until half way through college when I began to steadily date a guy instead of just fu . . .”

Ryan had cleared his throat. He didn’t really want to hear about Chad’s past conquests.

“Sorry,” Chad, to his credit, blushed, “Anyway, long story short . . . I took him home to my mama, told my whole family I was gay, and that was that. We didn’t last all that much longer, but after that I had no more secrets. My family was okay with it, my friends were okay with it, I was okay with it.”

“How is it I never knew?” Ryan asked, “Didn’t you stay in touch with Troy? ‘Cause he and Zeke still talk and Zeke tells Sharpay everything and you know how she can talk.”

“Yeah, Troy’s still my best friend. He’s like a brother. Probably always will be,” Chad had nuzzled Ryan’s hair, “I asked him not to tell anyone else unless they asked. I won’t hide, but there could be a lot of complications if I advertise to everyone that the leader of a youth organization is gay.”

“Don’t I know it,” Ryan sighed, “I was surprised when I was allowed to coach at all. You know I’ve never hidden. Kind of hard for me to hide anything. It pisses me off. I mean, come on, I’m gay, not a pedophile. I generally prefer my men with a little more . . . hmm . . . just a little more.” He had smiled coyly when Chad had looked down at him, and then pressed his lips to Chad’s again. It was a long time after that before either of them spoke again.

No one had been all that sure that they would last, but here they were four years later, absolutely devoted to and in love with each other, and taking the next big step in their lives. Sharpay felt the tears burning at the back of her eyes as she stepped up to Ryan and he uncovered the head of the little girl sleeping in his arms. She imagined he had covered her with the blanket when they had gotten off the plane, trying to prevent the brighter lights from bothering her. Already she had her arms wrapped possessively around his neck. Sharpay couldn’t find words, but she stroked a hand over the inky black hair, the almond shaped eyes, the small, upturned nose. She was perfect. It was amazing how silent everyone was as they all came up to look at the little one who continued to sleep soundly even as they all touched her, as if making sure she was real.

Sharpay stepped over to Chad and allowed him to wrap her up in his arms. She cried into his shirt and was surprised when she looked up to see that there were tears running down his face as well. They held onto each other, joined by Troy and Moon when they were done inspecting the little girl.

“She’s beautiful, Chad,” Sharpay whispered when she finally found her voice again.

“I know,” Chad’s voice broke with emotion, “And she’s perfect. She’s ours.”

“Baby boy!” Chad pulled away a little when he heard his mother’s voice. Ayana Danforth was now holding the sleeping angel he and Ryan had adopted for their own, Gillian standing next to her, a hand on her newest grandchild’s small back.

“Oh, baby boy!” Ayana couldn’t hold back the sob as she kissed Ryan, then her son when he crossed to her. The four of them, Chad, Ryan, and their mothers, just stood, arms around each other, for what felt like forever, looking at the little miracle in the center of the circle they created with their bodies. She finally came awake and looked around, confused, beginning to cry until Chad took her and began to pat her back comfortingly while Ryan hummed quietly, the same Christmas carol Sharpay had sung to Kenyen to comfort him. For some reason, that only made Sharpay cry harder.

“Her name is Tien Elisha Danforth-Evans,” Chad told his mother and mother-in-law as they hugged each other, never taking their eyes off of the new addition to their families.

“Tien,” Ryan whispered, his little girl looking at him intently, “That’s Grandma and Mama Ay.”

“What does Tien mean?” Hazel, one of Chad’s older sister asked as she came up to look at the baby.

“She’s a fairy in Vietnamese mythology,” Chad spoke louder. Now that Tien was awake, there was no reason to keep it down. As long as she was in Chad’s arms she seemed fine and was even sitting up, looking around at all of them gathered around her.

“She’s appropriately named,” Carmen, Chad’s other sister, commented, blowing her nose, “Damn it. It makes me want another one.” Carmen’s teenagers rolled their eyes, but they were smiling.

“Oh, no,” her husband laughed, pulling her to him, “We’re done.”

Everyone laughed as Ryan stood next to Chad, unable to keep his hands off of his new baby, putting one hand to her back and the other around Chad’s waist. The women sighed collectively when Tien leaned toward him and set her small forehead to his, giggling when he kissed her nose.

“Tien is almost two years old,” Ryan told them all, his chest visibly swelling with fatherly pride and love, “They weren’t sure of her exact birthday so we decided to make it May 17th. It’s the day Chad and I met again in New York. She doesn’t talk much yet, but she will.”

“Then we’ll be wishing she was quiet again,” Darrick, Chad’s older brother smiled, teasingly covering his own ten year old son’s mouth, “Happens with all kids. No way to prevent it, even with duct tape.”

They all laughed again then quieted when Richard approached, Kenyen awake and aware in his arms. He was studying Tien intently, head cocked as if he didn’t quite understand her. He squirmed to get out of his grandfather’s arms, then walked calmly up to the two men he knew as his uncles. He tugged on Chad’s jacket to get Chad to squat next to him. For a moment they all held their breath as Kenyen and Tien simply stared at each other.

“Mommy, what is she?” Kenyen finally asked, breaking the spell and making them all laugh breathlessly.

“She’s a cousin, Kenyen,” Sharpay found the words around her laughing gasps.

“Oh. Mommy?”

“Yes, Kenyen?”

“Is she my cousin for life?”

“Yes, baby, she is.”

“Good. Mommy?”

“Yes, Kenyen?”

“Can I kiss her?”

“Yes, baby, you can.”

All of their hearts melted when Kenyen leaned forward, his little lips puckered. For a moment Tien pulled away, seemed to think about it, then leaned forward and pressed her sweetly puckered lips against Kenyen’s for a brief moment.

“Merry Christmas, cousin!” Kenyen nearly screamed. They all winced, but Tien only giggled and clapped her hands, delighted.

“Merry Christmas indeed,” Gillian laughed, “Come on, let’s go home. You’re all invited over tomorrow and we’ll welcome Tien to this clan properly.”

As they walked out of the airport, Sharpay turned her face up to the sky, drinking in the brilliance of the cold, dark night.

“Green and silver, red and gold,” she whispered to herself, “And a story born of old. Truth and love and hope abide. This Christmastide.”

“Honey, come on!” Zeke called out, “It’s freezing.”

“When you’re carrying this baby you can tell me how fast to walk!” she called back, laughing. It was perfect, watching as everyone hurried to the cars, all laughing and smiling, all tiredness forgotten. She could hear Chad razzing Troy about being the last one with kids. Moon joked that they wouldn’t have to wait much longer, then had to push Troy into walking again when he stopped. She assured him that she was joking and he scolded that she couldn’t just give a guy a heart attack like that. Her mother and Chad’s mother were cooing to Tien as she giggled in Ryan’s arms and Kenyen was asking Zeke if he could open a present when they got back to Grandma’s house. Her father was chasing one of Hazel’s kids, who was shrieking with laughter. They would have to welcome Tien into a clan, like her mother had called them, after all. There was a connection called family and it went through all of them.

“Peace and love and hope abide,” Sharpay sung quietly up to the stars.

“This Christmastide,” her brother’s crystal clear voice answered back.

“This Christmastide.”