Daily Story
327
Dr. Horrible
Penny's hands shook with nerves. It was their first Christmas as a family, and she was not holding together well.
“Penny?” She jumped, almost dropping the ham she'd spent all day on. But large, warm hands covered her own shaking ones, steadying them, and securing the pan, saving it, (and the rest of Penny's nerves.)
“Oh,” she sighed with a small amount of relief, “it's only you.”
“Honey, are you doing okay?” Billy asked, setting the pan on the counter, and pulling his wife away from the china. She looked at him, determination in her eyes, as if to tell him that of course she was fine, they were only her parents.
“No. No, I'm not okay.” She whimpered, “your mother hates me, and my mother thinks I'm a failure.”
Billy wanted to comfort her, to tell her that she was just really nervous, and in reality everyone loved her, but he couldn't. He couldn't say these things, because he was feeling the exact same way.
Penny's father was a retired military general, who had no patience for his son-in-law's sporatic (and mostly fake) jobs. The minute Billy had met Garret Cooper, he knew there would be problems. After all, if you boil the men down to their very cores, one was the law, and one was the law breaker. Not to mention Billy had stolen his baby girl away.
And Alana Cooper, Penny's mother, was no better. She had yet to shut up about the football player Penny had dated in high school, ten years ago.
Nevermind the fact that the whole dinner had been Billy's idea in the first place. Penny hadn't spoken to her parents after she'd moved out, and it had taken the league's resources to track them down.
“This is why I didn't want to do this. Why I warned you that inviting my parents would be an absolutely henious disaster.” Billy could tell this was really taking a toll on Penny, moreso then it should have been. He felt a twinge of regret, their first Christmas had been so perfectly carefree. Waking up late on the only real day they had off, and staying in their dorky, matching christmas pjs all day long. Opening presents, and eating sinfully delicious food while watching the kids Christmas specials as they ran on tv.
“I'm sorry, Penny. I should have trusted you.” He pulled his wife into his arms, and let her rest her head on his shoulder.
“Have I told you how great you look tonight?” He asked, smiling down at her. Penny chuckled weakly.
“You hate green.” She smiled.
“Not on you. Come on, they're only going to be here for a few more hours.” Billy picked up the ham, and walked out of the kitchen. Back into the fray.
328
Alice & Tarrent
“Alice! Alice! What in the dialzags are you doing!” Alice Kingsliegh, a bright young woman of twenty, and currently the only human in Underland, turned to face her companion. Dialzags? That was a new one, though she was used to being yelled at in gibberish.
“Tarrent, darling, I'm inspecting this tree for Christmas.” She called back, trying to grasp a branch. The tree its self wasn't complying though, it insisted on lifting it's branches up out of her reach.
“Trees? For Christmas?” Tarrant stubled back in horror. “Murder!” He growled in his scottish accent, along with a rant that Alice tuned out. She jumped, and tried to grab a branch again.
“If only I were a few inched taller!” Alcie grumbled. “I give up.” Tarrant's head popped up at this statement, and he stopped ranting.
“You are?” Alice nodded, with the air of a disappointed child.
“It's going to be my first Christmas without a tree.” She murmured sadly and set the axe she'd been carrying down at her feet. In an almost comic twist of events, all the evergreen branches that had been held up over her head dropped, shrouding them both in a sea of green needles and snow.
“Is that all you wanted?” Tarrent asked, pulling Alice into him.
“We have a tree back home, buttercup. It grows from the floor every year.”
“Really?” Alice sniffed.
“Of course. You should have asked.” Tarrant picked up the axe, and the couple fought their way out of the branches.
“I was coming to ask you to decorate.” Alice's face lit up at the suggestion.
“Well, what are we standing here for? Let's go!”
Dr. Horrible
Penny's hands shook with nerves. It was their first Christmas as a family, and she was not holding together well.
“Penny?” She jumped, almost dropping the ham she'd spent all day on. But large, warm hands covered her own shaking ones, steadying them, and securing the pan, saving it, (and the rest of Penny's nerves.)
“Oh,” she sighed with a small amount of relief, “it's only you.”
“Honey, are you doing okay?” Billy asked, setting the pan on the counter, and pulling his wife away from the china. She looked at him, determination in her eyes, as if to tell him that of course she was fine, they were only her parents.
“No. No, I'm not okay.” She whimpered, “your mother hates me, and my mother thinks I'm a failure.”
Billy wanted to comfort her, to tell her that she was just really nervous, and in reality everyone loved her, but he couldn't. He couldn't say these things, because he was feeling the exact same way.
Penny's father was a retired military general, who had no patience for his son-in-law's sporatic (and mostly fake) jobs. The minute Billy had met Garret Cooper, he knew there would be problems. After all, if you boil the men down to their very cores, one was the law, and one was the law breaker. Not to mention Billy had stolen his baby girl away.
And Alana Cooper, Penny's mother, was no better. She had yet to shut up about the football player Penny had dated in high school, ten years ago.
Nevermind the fact that the whole dinner had been Billy's idea in the first place. Penny hadn't spoken to her parents after she'd moved out, and it had taken the league's resources to track them down.
“This is why I didn't want to do this. Why I warned you that inviting my parents would be an absolutely henious disaster.” Billy could tell this was really taking a toll on Penny, moreso then it should have been. He felt a twinge of regret, their first Christmas had been so perfectly carefree. Waking up late on the only real day they had off, and staying in their dorky, matching christmas pjs all day long. Opening presents, and eating sinfully delicious food while watching the kids Christmas specials as they ran on tv.
“I'm sorry, Penny. I should have trusted you.” He pulled his wife into his arms, and let her rest her head on his shoulder.
“Have I told you how great you look tonight?” He asked, smiling down at her. Penny chuckled weakly.
“You hate green.” She smiled.
“Not on you. Come on, they're only going to be here for a few more hours.” Billy picked up the ham, and walked out of the kitchen. Back into the fray.
328
Alice & Tarrent
“Alice! Alice! What in the dialzags are you doing!” Alice Kingsliegh, a bright young woman of twenty, and currently the only human in Underland, turned to face her companion. Dialzags? That was a new one, though she was used to being yelled at in gibberish.
“Tarrent, darling, I'm inspecting this tree for Christmas.” She called back, trying to grasp a branch. The tree its self wasn't complying though, it insisted on lifting it's branches up out of her reach.
“Trees? For Christmas?” Tarrant stubled back in horror. “Murder!” He growled in his scottish accent, along with a rant that Alice tuned out. She jumped, and tried to grab a branch again.
“If only I were a few inched taller!” Alcie grumbled. “I give up.” Tarrant's head popped up at this statement, and he stopped ranting.
“You are?” Alice nodded, with the air of a disappointed child.
“It's going to be my first Christmas without a tree.” She murmured sadly and set the axe she'd been carrying down at her feet. In an almost comic twist of events, all the evergreen branches that had been held up over her head dropped, shrouding them both in a sea of green needles and snow.
“Is that all you wanted?” Tarrent asked, pulling Alice into him.
“We have a tree back home, buttercup. It grows from the floor every year.”
“Really?” Alice sniffed.
“Of course. You should have asked.” Tarrant picked up the axe, and the couple fought their way out of the branches.
“I was coming to ask you to decorate.” Alice's face lit up at the suggestion.
“Well, what are we standing here for? Let's go!”