Chapter 8: Winter Days

Over two months had passed since the whole milk incident. Now it was the month of December, and everyone was in good holiday spirits. This was a special Christmas, since it would be Feliks and Toris's first one here with them. There was much snow covering the ground, which had kept the kids busy through most of December.

Each day though would play outside for hours, returning inside only when Alfred and Ivan made them. Their cheeks would be flushed with cold, mittens soaked from melted snow. Then of course came the time for hot chocolate, with lots of marshmallows!

A large Christmas tree (Ivan had chopped it down himself) was set up in the corner of the living room, crazily decorated with tons of garland and homemade ornaments. Only a few presents were underneath it, but soon of course there would be tons of presents. Alfred and Ivan had kept most of the stuff hidden in the basement and in the back of their closets. Ivan wasn't the best at wrapping presents, so Alfred did most of it.

Another thing; Ivan and Toris were a lot closer now. He really had complete trust in Ivan, just as much as he trusted Alfred. It made the atmosphere much more comfortable now. Toris was also much more open, talking, laughing, and smiling daily. All of his scary memories from the past were slowly fading away; happy memories from his new family taking their place.

Currently they were all at the local mall, to take the kids to see Santa and get pictures. Alfred was especially hoping to get a picture of Arthur this year. Last year, their first year with him, it did not go so well. The toddler had been frightened of sitting on a stranger's lap, so they could not get any good pictures. Hopefully this year would be different.

Toris had never gotten to do something like this before, which left him both excited and nervous. Feliks seemed to be really joyful about the whole thing. He had about a million things that he wanted Santa to bring this year. Toris however, had never celebrated a Christmas before. Back at his old home, Santa had never left any presents. His old caretakers had said it was because he was a naughty boy who didn't deserve anything. Alfred and Ivan had both assured him that this was completely untrue though.

The mall was a busy place, because everyone needed to do their holiday shopping of course. All of the noise made Toris a little uncomfortable. He was holding hands with Feliks, who was holding hands with Alfred. It was a rule that they had to since it was easy to get lost. Francis was holding Ivan's hand and trying to tug them faster towards the Santa Claus area faster. Arthur was of course being held, but kept insisting to be let down. Ivan told him to wait though, because Arthur was so small that he could get lost even more easier than the other children.

Finally they made it...only to see a huge line of other children already waiting

"Aw shit," Alfred grumbled.

"Alfred, language!" Ivan reprimanded him. "It probably won't take that long."

"Dude, look," Alfred said, pointing to a 45 minute waiting sign. "Maybe we should just come back another day."

"Non! I want to see Santa!" Francis protested, stomping his foot.

"Me too!" Feliks added.

"Then it's settled, we'll wait." Ivan decided. Alfred, who was certainly not one for patience, sighed. Honestly, he was worse than the children sometimes.

The wait was long and boring. It had only been ten minutes, and already Alfred felt like it had been ten hours. His stomach was also grumbling, especially since he could smell the scents of the food court, which was nearby. He knew that Ivan would never let him leave the line just to go get food for himself...which was where Arthur came in.

"Ivan, Arthur looks kinda hungry. How about I take him to go get a snack? We can bring some back for the others too, that'll give them something to do while waiting." Alfred suggested.

"But I figured that we could just get lunch at the food court after we're done with Santa," Ivan pointed out.

"Well yeah, but a little snack won't hurt. Come on babe, it's the holidays!" Alfred whined.

"Can I go too?" Toris asked, wanting to move his feet around a little. They were starting to fall asleep from just standing there.

"Of course you can buddy," Alfred answered.

"Alright...but be quick about it. We'll hold your spot," Ivan said, passing Arthur over to Alfred. The American cheered on the inside, grabbing Toris's hand and rushing away from the crowded line of many squealing children. Thankfully the food court had a McDonald's, which would of course be their first stop.

"Daddy I wanna get down," Arthur told him, squirming a bit.

"Wait till we get in line Art, then I'll let you down," Alfred promised. Thankfully the fast food line wasn't nearly as long as the Santa line. He set the three year old down on the floor next to Toris.

"Stay right next to me, okay?" Alfred instructed, so both boys nodded. Alfred meanwhile, scanned over the menu as he tried to decide what he was hungry for.

"Train!" Arthur all in the sudden called out excitedly. Toris followed his gaze and saw that the younger child was staring at the mall train, which was a train that children could ride around the mall on for a sum of money.

"Maybe we can go on it later if we're good," Toris suggested to his younger brother.
"I want to go on now," Arthur told him. "Let's go ride the train!"

"Wait, we're supposed to stay here," Toris reminded him quietly, seeing as it looked like Alfred had not heard their conversation yet.

"But the train is going bye-bye. I'll be right back." Arthur said. Before Toris could say anything more, Arthur lept out of the line.

"Wait Arthur don't!" Toris hissed. He was saved however, for suddenly two hands came down and swept Arthur up before he could take off.

"You're not going anywhere Arthur. I told you to stay right here." Alfred said sternly. "The mall is full of evil strangers who won't hesitate to kidnap you!"

'Kidnappers?'Toris thought to himself uneasily, glancing around at all the random people walking. They looked normal...nobody looked like a kidnapper. Then again, what did a kidnapper even look like?

"I want down!" Arthur demanded loudly, breaking Toris from his thoughts.

"You don't get to anymore," Alfred told him. "You were about to run off."

"I'll be a good boy," Arthur said softly, giving Alfred that cute innocent look with his large adorable green eyes. Alfred sucked in a breath, internally trying not to fall for the sweet look. Of course he failed though, and sighed.

"Okay, you get one more chance."

Thankfully Arthur didn't try to go chase after any trains this time around. Alfred ended up ordering two McDoubles, a medium fry, and a large coke for himself. After that they went to the small little bakery booth that was next to the McDonald's, and got a cookie for each of the kids. Arthur was given the job of holding the cookie bag.

When they got back to the line, Alfred was relieved to see that now it was almost time for the kids to see Santa, they were just a few kids behind.

"What happened to getting a 'little snack?'" Ivan asked, eyebrow raised as he saw how much McDonald's his husband had picked up.

"I said that I'd get the kids a little snack, not me!" Alfred defended himself, shoving three fries into his mouth. Ivan could only sigh. Meanwhile, Francis, Feliks, and Toris ate their cookies while waiting. Arthur had of course already eaten his.

"Your turn Francis. Go on up to Santa," Ivan finally said, seeing that they were next. Francis walked up confidently and quickly climbed into the large beard wielding man's lap. Alfred grinned as he watched their oldest tell Santa of all the things he desired. There were professional photographers to take pictures, and each picture cost $20.00 per child, which Alfred through was a bit expensive.

Luckily for them though, there was a fifty percent off discount for children under five. Alfred made up a little white lie and said that Toris and Feliks were both still four...and they believed him. After all, neither child was very tall for their age. Feliks was especially short. So really they didn't have to pay nearly as much.

Feliks and Toris ended up getting their picture taken together, as they were both a bit nervous about sitting on a stranger's lap. Feliks had thought he would be excited, but once it was his turn he had hesitated and tried to stay back, which really didn't help Toris's confidence at all. Thankfully Ivan had convinced them, and so they went.

Arthur...he had made things complicated. He'd been completely silent up until he was actually sitting on Santa's lap and the guy had spoken to him. Then Ivan and Alfred both cringed as they saw his face scrunch up in what would probably be a fit of waterworks. The volunteer elves saw this coming, and allowed Arthur to jump off of Santa and run back towards his parents. Before he reached the exit though, he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"I wanna train please!" He yelled out loud enough to be heard, before ducking behind Ivan's legs.

Many people who had been watch laughed, Alfred and Ivan included. Well...at least he hadn't thrown a tantrum this year.

"Papa, hurry up!" Francis urged to his parent, staring down the white snowy hill with excitement. This weekend Ivan and Alfred had taken them to the winter carnival, which was a place that had many different sledding hills, and ice skating rink, and a booth that sold snow cones and hot chocolate.

"I...I'm h-hurrying..." Ivan puffed, breathing heavily as he lugged the large blow up snow tube on his back. Jeez, maybe he was getting out of shape. Francis didn't seem tired at all, despite the fact that they had traveled up the largest sledding hill that there was.

"Come on, let's go!" Francis said eagerly once Ivan had set the snow tube in the correct position. Ivan took a few more deep breaths before sitting down in the tube and lifting Francis into his lap. It took him a second to get them moving, but once they did there was no stopping them.

"Oh my god...I think I'm going to lose my lunch," Ivan muttered to himself as they sped down the hill very fast, even going over a few mini snow jumps. Francis seemed to be having the time of his life, squealing with laughter.

Once they had reached the bottom, Ivan just stayed laying in the tube for a moment, eyes closed. Francis however, climbed out and grabbed into Ivan's hand with his own mittened ones, jumping up and down.

"Again Papa, again!" He demanded. Ivan groaned.

"Nyet, let Papa take a break for a moment. Why don't we go meet up with the rest of the family." Ivan suggested. Alfred had taken the three younger ones to the kids section, where there were mini tunnels and snow forts to climb around in. For of like a winter wonderland playground.

"Hey babe, how was the sledding?" Alfred asked once they had found him. He was standing with some other parents, watching as the kids played together.

"It was...fun filled beyond belief." Ivan replied dryly. Alfred laughed, patting his lover on the arm.

"Why don't you take over here for a bit? I'll sled a couple of hills with Francis," Alfred suggested lightly.

"That sounds wonderful. Let's meet back up in twenty minutes and have hot coco, da?" Ivan replied.

"Sounds awesome," Alfred replied. "Now come on Francis buddy, let's go!"

Ivan shook his head as he watched Alfred and Francis run off together. Seriously, how was Alfred able to have so much energy? Well, probably because he was a gym teacher and exercised daily.

"Hi father!" Arthur waved to him from on top of one of the snow forts. He looked pretty adorable dressed in his large puffy snowsuit. Ivan waved back and then tried to find the other two little rascals. Feliks and Toris were a little bit away, having a snowball fight with a few other kids.

Eventually Alfred and Francis returned, and they all went to get some hot chocolate. By now they had been there for a few hours, and the kids were all getting a little tired. Alfred figured that after they went ice skating for a bit, then they could go home.

Ice skating...now that was something Ivan excelled at. During high school he had been on the ice hockey team. It was his favorite sport, which gave him something to talk to Matthew about, since he loved it too.

The outdoor rink was a little crowded. They had rented skates, and now Alfred was holding Arthur's hand as he carefully got the three year old onto the slippery ice.

"Careful now," Ivan warned, as he himself helped Feliks and Toris onto the ice. Francis himself had a little bit more skill, but still preferred to clutch onto Alfred's other hand. Feliks was a bit daring, moving his feet a little. Toris however stayed stiff, clutching onto Ivan's arm tightly. He had never been skating before, and it was scary not being able to gain his footing properly.

"Wow, how do people go that fast?" Feliks wondered aloud as he watched other people whiz past them, going very fast.

"With lots of practice," Ivan answered.

"So if I practice then I can go that fast too?" Feliks asked.

"Da, of course." Ivan told him.

They only spent a half hour skating, because the kids were really tired from their long day. Arthur had also sneezed a couple of times, which had made them rush a bit bit more. After all, it was not the time for the little guy to get sick again.

Like all children, their kids each had their own health problems. With Arthur, it was colds and ear infections. He always seemed to get colds more often than the others, and more than fifty percent of the time he would develop an ear infection afterwards. Dr. Elizaveta had told them it was a common thing for young children though, so they weren't extremely worried.

With Francis, it was allergies. He was pretty allergic to both dogs and pollen, which meant that spring and summer always left him with itchy eyes and runny nose. Luckily they did have some medicine to help with that. He couldn't really get too close to dogs though, otherwise he would be sneezing like crazy. If he wasn't allergic, they would probably have a pet dog since Alfred loved them so much.

They hadn't had either Toris or Feliks long enough to discover all of their health stuff yet. Toris hadn't gotten sick since they'd had him though, so that was a good sign. He'd just had some injuries from his..old home. Nothing had been wrong with Feliks either, but the paperwork did mention that he was allergic to shellfish.

Anyways, they ended up leaving to avoid Arthur getting another cold. Besides, all of the kids looked exhausted. Oh well, at least they would sleep good tonight. Alfred had to laugh at how only being in the far for five minutes had put everyone besides him asleep, Ivan included.

Their family was great.

December 24th, Christmas Eve.

It was getting late in the evening. Soft holiday songs played in the background, and in the living room the whole family was together. All of the kids wore Christmas type pajamas. Arthur was in red fleece footie pajamas, Toris and Feliks wore matching green and red striped ones, and Francis had full green ones. Now as they were gathered in the living room, Ivan was reading The Night Before Christmas, something they always did on Christmas Eve.

Arthur was snuggled up in Alfred's arms, thumb in his mouth as he was on the verge of sleep. Francis and Feliks were both sitting near the tree, but close enough to listen. Toris sat next to Ivan, amazed by the wonderful images of the book. It just completely set the whole Christmas mood, as did the plate of cookies and glass of milk sitting next to the tree.

"...Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night. The end!" Ivan finally finished enthusiastically, closing the book shut. "I think now it's time for some certain children to head for their own beds, so Santa can come."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Alfred said, chuckling as he observed the sleepy kids. Arthur was now conked out, Toris was leaning against Ivan's arm, Francis kept blinking, and Feliks's head kept falling and then jerking back up.

"Alright, time for everyone to head upstairs for bed," Ivan instructed. "Here Toris, I'll carry you."

"Okay father..." Toris mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

Ivan was speechless, but pulled his little boy into a hug. Finally, he was father to Toris now! This was something he had been waiting for, for a long time. Tears of happiness were threatening to spill from his eyes. Alfred watched the exchange with happiness of his own, and tears actually had escaped from his eyes. Darn it, Alfred thought, he was too emotional for his own good.

Once all the children were tucked in and fast asleep, Ivan and Alfred retreated to their own room. It was time to get all the presents ready now. In less than ten hours the kids could come running into the bedroom with their stockings, shouting about how Santa had come. This Christmas would be a really special one, Alfred was sure of it.

But that's another story.

a/n: Well, that's the ending. First of all, sorry this took a few days. Second of all, sorry if the ending sucked. Third of all, thank you to all of you amazing reviewers! Fourth of all...um...lemme think..

Oh! So you guys seemed pretty keen with me writing more one-shots/stories centering around this family right? Cause if so, then keep checking my profile because soon Francis's story will be up. I'll do the other three's stories too, I've decided.

Also, if any of you have a one-shot requests centering around this family, please feel free to leave the request as a review or pm or something.

Thanks to everyone for reading/faving/following/reviewing and everything!