oc advent challenge 2009
I'm going to collect these up and put them together while I can still remember how many I've written so far. This list is incomplete until I finish all 24 challenges, but that may not happen for another month. Alas, I've been bitten by the West Wing bug again.
Here are my OC Advent Challenge stories, featuring Cohens+1, Sandy/Kirsten, Seth/Summer, Ryan, Sophie Rose, Dawn, and Jimmy. Maybe more characters if my future stories manage to fit them in.
Day 1: Mistletoe
“And now for the finishing touch.” Seth declares, his arms gesticulating wildly. “Mistletoe. Tah-Dah!”
“Seth--”
“What, my dear brother? Do I sense a hint of Scrooge in your voice?”
Ryan inspects the living room, decked out in all of Chrismukkah’s finest. This year complete with a blue and silver tinsel Hanukkah tree at Seth’s insistence. For Sophie’s sake.
“You don’t think it’s a little much? ... The mistletoe, I mean,” he adds quickly, heading a classic Seth ramble off at the pass.
“You’re just jealous because it takes your girlfriend two weeks to get here from France. She should really just learn to apparate.” Seth grins.
Eyebrow raised, Ryan counters, “Summer is in Seattle until Friday.”
“Ah, yes. But today is Wednesday. Friday is only two days away, and then I intend to make good use of The Mistletoe.”
Ryan glances into the kitchen, where Sandy and Kirsten seem to have forgotten that their boys are home for the holidays.
“Trust me, man. It’s not you I’m worried about.”
Day 2: Ribbon
Bright red and shiny, the package stands out as it sits on her desk. In contrast, the green ribbon is deep and dark, and it reminds her of the ones her mother used to tie in her hair. The gift looks gaudy in the otherwise unadorned room. Out of place.
Summer never felt comfortable around the Step-Monster, even when they lived in her own house back in Newport. Seattle is even worse.
Her suitcase stands by the door, packed and ready. Summer has been ready for days.
The package beckons; she hesitates.
The tag reads, ‘Merry Christmas! Mom,’ in print that seems foreign.
She sighs, resigned, and picks up her phone. She doesn’t think; she just hits speed dial.
“Hey, Cohen. It’s me,” she smiles. “I’m coming home.”
She’s six hours down the I-5 before she remembers her mother’s gift, sitting unopened on her desk.
Day 3: Spice
“My last take home final has been submitted. The Chrismukkah Season can officially begin!”
Seth inhales deeply as he descends the stairs, the aroma of cinnamon and ginger and other delicious scents wafting in from the kitchen. He sinks down into the sofa, drapes one arm around Summer’s shoulder, and proclaims, “So, what did I miss?”
“Christmas cookies,” Ryan replies. “Some of Sophie’s friends are coming over to decorate them in a few hours.”
Summer nods, relaxing against Seth’s side. “Now that your mom can cook, she really can do everything.”
“Well, not everything,” Ryan disputes. “She made meat loaf last week when I came home to study for finals. That was rough.”
“Her Achilles’ heel,” Seth groans knowingly. “I’m pretty sure that was still brisket.”
Day 4: Candle - Kirsten reflects while she sets out the family's Advent Wreath
Seth is the first candle. He has grown and matured and become a man in ways she herself couldn’t even imagine a few short years ago in Newport. She hasn’t told anyone yet - not even Sandy - but he’s finally bought the ring, with her guidance. He’s going to ask Summer at Chrismukkah.
He is Hope.
Ryan is the second candle. He comes home for dinner at least once a week, dotes on his baby sister, comes to them with his problems. He laughs more and broods less. They’ve had some good talks, the two of them, making up for lost time. The old soul in a teenage boy’s body has faded, and her second son has emerged in his place.
Together, they are finding The Way.
Sophie is the third candle. The final piece of the puzzle. She twirls and dances in the backyard, and she has them all wrapped around her tiny fingers. With one well-placed smile, they cater to her every whim. She has more pet names than Seth had imaginary friends, and she will never doubt the love of her parents or brothers.
She is their Joy.
She and Sandy are the last. Whenever she can, she goes to visit him on campus. She waits outside the law library and she’s eighteen again, trying to understand how the senior who is nothing like her can look at her like she hung the moon. She’s had the love of that same man for the course of twenty-five years and three beautiful children, and although it doesn’t always make for good logic, it makes perfect sense.
They are finally at Peace.
Day 5: Donkey
“Alright, family!” Seth enters the living room, making himself comfortable on the sofa. “Did I miss anything good?”
“Only about half of the movie,” Ryan quips. “Were you in your room, or did you go all the way to the North Pole?”
“SHH!” Sophie turns dramatically, rising from where she sits between Ryan’s legs. Four years old, but already channelling her mother, hands on her hips and everything. “No talking during the movie. This is the best part!”
Summer laughs, leans in to him, and whispers. “She’s got The Kirsten down already, Cohen. Both of your asses are so screwed.”
Day 6: Sled
Kirsten raps softly on the door, waiting for the quiet affirmative before she enters.
“You almost ready?” she asks. She walks up behind Ryan, gently rubbing his shoulder as if to will away his burden. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”
“I do,” Ryan gives a small nod, a tight smile. “Dawn needs me.”
Kirsten sighs inwardly, hoping Dawn remained sober after her latest trip to rehab. “I thought you might say that.” She holds out her hand, “Here, I have something for you.”
Ryan peels back the tissue paper with unsteady fingers, a casual glimpse to how it should have been at two and not twenty-two. He tilts his head as he studies the ornament, and a sterling silver sled shines back in the early morning window light.
“It was my mother’s.”
Ryan meets her eyes with uncertainty. “I can’t,” he protests. “You should keep this.”
“No,” Kirsten shakes her head firmly and smiles. “Seth and Sophie both have an ornament from her collection, so it’s only right that you have one, too.”
He returns her smile, and they laugh softly when she pulls him in her embrace. Even through all of the good times, there’s a part of him that still needs reassurance.
“It’s only two days. Go to Albuquerque, do what you need to for Dawn. But don’t forget that your family is waiting for you when you come home.”
Day 7: Spirit - companion to Sled
I shouldn’t hate the Cohens, but I do.
I picked up Ryan an hour ago, and I’ve already screwed up twice. I was late getting to the airport -- damn traffic on the highway. By the time I got there, he was in the gift shop buying a teddy bear and a shot glass. “For Sophie and Seth,” he explained. “I promised them souvenirs; they miss me.”
I shouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.
I thought things would be different when I was sober, after he turned 18. He would come back to me and we would be together. Maybe he could take out loans and go to community college. I know that this is better, that he’s happier, but I’m selfish and I want him with me.
He’s doing so well, my baby. They tell me he makes the Dean’s List every semester, that he’s already got firms courting him for jobs after graduation. He spent a month taking classes in France over the summer so he could be with his girlfriend. Kirsten writes to me once a month to tell me about him, just like she promised when I went back to rehab.
I hate them for that, too. They could have ignored it when the cops called them, but they came down and put me in rehab. Again. Just ‘because we love Ryan,’ they tell me.
I’ve been sober for a year now, and this is the first time they’ve let him come.
We’re at my apartment now, and it’s smaller than the last place I lived. He’s going to have to sleep on the sofa. I know he’s used to better, even in the dorm, but he just smiles and tells me it’s fine.
He’s in the kitchen now, calling Kirsten and Sandy to tell them he’s here and he’s safe. He’s here, and my Christmas spirit is gone. It’s not that he calls me ‘Dawn’ now, it’s not even that I can’t have a drink. It’s that I hear him laugh on the phone, and I know the truth. He’s here when he would rather be there.
And that is why I hate them.
Day 8: Cracker
Jimmy-
I didn’t know where to send this, so I got your address from Julie. Kaitlin seems excited about Williams. You must be so proud of her, I know we are.
Seth and Ryan are well. Ryan is already fielding job offers, and Seth is weighing options for graduate school. Sandy and I suspect he’ll stay at RISD to work with his advisor and stay for Summer’s senior year. Sophie is growing up too fast. She’ll start kindergarten next fall.
Sandy loves teaching at the law school. I fear for the young, impressionable law students, but there isn’t much I can do about that. He always did love a captive audience. I’m still enjoying my gallery, but it’s busier now that business has really stepped up. I’ll need the distraction when Sophie is in school full-time next year.
I hope this letter reaches you before the holiday. Don’t be a stranger if you’re ever in the Bay Area.
Merry Christmas,
Kirsten
---
“Jimmy?”
He turns around to find his friend Beth, his only companion other than the yacht’s aging owners, at the cabin door.
“Christmas cracker?” she asks, holding her hand to offer a shiny wrapped package. “I picked them up this afternoon. Your room is in desperate need of some Christmas cheer. Have you been cooped up in here alone all day again?”
Jimmy shrugs his shoulders. “I got my mail,” he replies, motioning with the hand still holding Kirsten’s card.
“Nice picture,” Beth remarks off-handedly. She reaches out and takes the card from him, studying it intently.
He already knows the contents by heart. ‘Merry Christmukkah! Love Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Ryan, and Sophie,’ it reads. It mirrors the one sent by Julie, Kaitlin, the Bullit, and Ben. He’s unsure of which one stings more: the love of his life (but not hers) or his no longer gold digging ex wife; both far happier than when he left them. But either way, he can’t explain that to Beth, who is not much older than Marissa should be.
“Your friends have a beautiful family,” Beth comments before raising an inquisitive eyebrow. “But what’s this ‘Chrismukkah’?”
Jimmy sighs. He will never truly escape Newport; it follows him everywhere.
“It’s a long story...”
Day 9: Angel
Kirsten starts decorating her own tree the year she turns ten.
She makes her own ornaments and adorns the tree with everything her father forbids her mother from using on the tree in the foyer: especially colored lights and tinsel. She finds a beautiful angel at South Coast Plaza for the finishing touch. Her tree is banished to the basement, but she doesn’t care. Baby Hailey isn’t allowed in the basement, so she won’t destroy Kirsten’s carefully crafted masterpiece.
It’s just that, when the rest of her house is decorated for other people, she likes that this belongs to her.
Day 10: Wreath - set in Season 1
Ryan and Seth are sitting at the table, bagels in hand, for a late breakfast on the Saturday before Christmas when Kirsten races by, weighed down by shopping bags.
Ryan turns to Seth when she disappears into her bedroom. “Your parents didn’t get me anything, did they?” he asks. “I told them not to.”
Seth shrugs. “The Kirsten loves to shop. If it helps, think of it as a gift for her.”
“They’ve already given me more than I’ll ever be able to repay them for. I don’t need anything, and they’re not my parents.”
“Ahhh, but they are,” Seth explains between bites of bagel. “Do not doubt the powers of Chrismukkah. Face it, buddy. You have Newport Parents now, and part of that means going overboard on all things holiday. It’s part of the Cohen Family Tradition.”
Ryan smiles. He doesn’t care about the gifts, but he’s starting to like the idea of Chrismukkah.
He hangs the wreath on the pool house door later that morning. This time for good.
Day 11: Gift
Christmas is a production at the Nichol household, as though that could somehow cover up the fact that Caleb isn’t there.
Kirsten always notices.
He’ll come home from Paris or Barcelona or Tokyo with a brightly wrapped package and spout off excuses about how it can’t be helped. She likes the gifts, she does, and she’s grateful for everything she has. She knows she’s lucky. But there’s an unspoken truth she shares with all the other ‘lucky’ young girls out there.
She’d happily trade the money and fancy gifts if it meant her father could be home on Christmas morning.
Day 12: Wassail
Kirsten casts a sideways glance at her companion, shivering only slightly to mask her nerves. “Are you sure you want to go to this party?” she asks. “Christmas isn’t even your holiday.”
“Relax,” Sandy replies with one hand on the doorknob. “It’ll be fun.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she murmurs quietly before he silences her with a kiss and opens the door. It would not have been her first choice to attend a cast Christmas party tonight, but Sandy Cohen, as she is discovering, can be very persuasive. Every time she thinks they’re too different and it’ll never work out, he charms his way back into her life.
All of his friends and cast mates greet her warmly, in spite of the fact that she and Sandy have been more off than on in the two months they’ve known each other. So she politely shakes their hands and, drink now in hand, begins to make small talk. Small talk at Berkeley, she’s starting to discover, is a lot easier than what she’s used to.
Sandy returns to her side a few moments later, carrying with him the next round of drinks. “It’s a good thing we got here when we did,” he says. “We almost missed it.”
Before she can ask him what he means, the room quiets to the sound of a pitch pipe before the cast breaks out into song.
Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown...
One arm wrapped around her, Sandy smiles at her as he sings.
This is okay, she thinks to herself. This is right.
13-24 still pending, 1/5/10.
Here are my OC Advent Challenge stories, featuring Cohens+1, Sandy/Kirsten, Seth/Summer, Ryan, Sophie Rose, Dawn, and Jimmy. Maybe more characters if my future stories manage to fit them in.
Day 1: Mistletoe
“And now for the finishing touch.” Seth declares, his arms gesticulating wildly. “Mistletoe. Tah-Dah!”
“Seth--”
“What, my dear brother? Do I sense a hint of Scrooge in your voice?”
Ryan inspects the living room, decked out in all of Chrismukkah’s finest. This year complete with a blue and silver tinsel Hanukkah tree at Seth’s insistence. For Sophie’s sake.
“You don’t think it’s a little much? ... The mistletoe, I mean,” he adds quickly, heading a classic Seth ramble off at the pass.
“You’re just jealous because it takes your girlfriend two weeks to get here from France. She should really just learn to apparate.” Seth grins.
Eyebrow raised, Ryan counters, “Summer is in Seattle until Friday.”
“Ah, yes. But today is Wednesday. Friday is only two days away, and then I intend to make good use of The Mistletoe.”
Ryan glances into the kitchen, where Sandy and Kirsten seem to have forgotten that their boys are home for the holidays.
“Trust me, man. It’s not you I’m worried about.”
Day 2: Ribbon
Bright red and shiny, the package stands out as it sits on her desk. In contrast, the green ribbon is deep and dark, and it reminds her of the ones her mother used to tie in her hair. The gift looks gaudy in the otherwise unadorned room. Out of place.
Summer never felt comfortable around the Step-Monster, even when they lived in her own house back in Newport. Seattle is even worse.
Her suitcase stands by the door, packed and ready. Summer has been ready for days.
The package beckons; she hesitates.
The tag reads, ‘Merry Christmas! Mom,’ in print that seems foreign.
She sighs, resigned, and picks up her phone. She doesn’t think; she just hits speed dial.
“Hey, Cohen. It’s me,” she smiles. “I’m coming home.”
She’s six hours down the I-5 before she remembers her mother’s gift, sitting unopened on her desk.
Day 3: Spice
“My last take home final has been submitted. The Chrismukkah Season can officially begin!”
Seth inhales deeply as he descends the stairs, the aroma of cinnamon and ginger and other delicious scents wafting in from the kitchen. He sinks down into the sofa, drapes one arm around Summer’s shoulder, and proclaims, “So, what did I miss?”
“Christmas cookies,” Ryan replies. “Some of Sophie’s friends are coming over to decorate them in a few hours.”
Summer nods, relaxing against Seth’s side. “Now that your mom can cook, she really can do everything.”
“Well, not everything,” Ryan disputes. “She made meat loaf last week when I came home to study for finals. That was rough.”
“Her Achilles’ heel,” Seth groans knowingly. “I’m pretty sure that was still brisket.”
Day 4: Candle - Kirsten reflects while she sets out the family's Advent Wreath
Seth is the first candle. He has grown and matured and become a man in ways she herself couldn’t even imagine a few short years ago in Newport. She hasn’t told anyone yet - not even Sandy - but he’s finally bought the ring, with her guidance. He’s going to ask Summer at Chrismukkah.
He is Hope.
Ryan is the second candle. He comes home for dinner at least once a week, dotes on his baby sister, comes to them with his problems. He laughs more and broods less. They’ve had some good talks, the two of them, making up for lost time. The old soul in a teenage boy’s body has faded, and her second son has emerged in his place.
Together, they are finding The Way.
Sophie is the third candle. The final piece of the puzzle. She twirls and dances in the backyard, and she has them all wrapped around her tiny fingers. With one well-placed smile, they cater to her every whim. She has more pet names than Seth had imaginary friends, and she will never doubt the love of her parents or brothers.
She is their Joy.
She and Sandy are the last. Whenever she can, she goes to visit him on campus. She waits outside the law library and she’s eighteen again, trying to understand how the senior who is nothing like her can look at her like she hung the moon. She’s had the love of that same man for the course of twenty-five years and three beautiful children, and although it doesn’t always make for good logic, it makes perfect sense.
They are finally at Peace.
Day 5: Donkey
“Alright, family!” Seth enters the living room, making himself comfortable on the sofa. “Did I miss anything good?”
“Only about half of the movie,” Ryan quips. “Were you in your room, or did you go all the way to the North Pole?”
“SHH!” Sophie turns dramatically, rising from where she sits between Ryan’s legs. Four years old, but already channelling her mother, hands on her hips and everything. “No talking during the movie. This is the best part!”
Summer laughs, leans in to him, and whispers. “She’s got The Kirsten down already, Cohen. Both of your asses are so screwed.”
Day 6: Sled
Kirsten raps softly on the door, waiting for the quiet affirmative before she enters.
“You almost ready?” she asks. She walks up behind Ryan, gently rubbing his shoulder as if to will away his burden. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”
“I do,” Ryan gives a small nod, a tight smile. “Dawn needs me.”
Kirsten sighs inwardly, hoping Dawn remained sober after her latest trip to rehab. “I thought you might say that.” She holds out her hand, “Here, I have something for you.”
Ryan peels back the tissue paper with unsteady fingers, a casual glimpse to how it should have been at two and not twenty-two. He tilts his head as he studies the ornament, and a sterling silver sled shines back in the early morning window light.
“It was my mother’s.”
Ryan meets her eyes with uncertainty. “I can’t,” he protests. “You should keep this.”
“No,” Kirsten shakes her head firmly and smiles. “Seth and Sophie both have an ornament from her collection, so it’s only right that you have one, too.”
He returns her smile, and they laugh softly when she pulls him in her embrace. Even through all of the good times, there’s a part of him that still needs reassurance.
“It’s only two days. Go to Albuquerque, do what you need to for Dawn. But don’t forget that your family is waiting for you when you come home.”
Day 7: Spirit - companion to Sled
I shouldn’t hate the Cohens, but I do.
I picked up Ryan an hour ago, and I’ve already screwed up twice. I was late getting to the airport -- damn traffic on the highway. By the time I got there, he was in the gift shop buying a teddy bear and a shot glass. “For Sophie and Seth,” he explained. “I promised them souvenirs; they miss me.”
I shouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.
I thought things would be different when I was sober, after he turned 18. He would come back to me and we would be together. Maybe he could take out loans and go to community college. I know that this is better, that he’s happier, but I’m selfish and I want him with me.
He’s doing so well, my baby. They tell me he makes the Dean’s List every semester, that he’s already got firms courting him for jobs after graduation. He spent a month taking classes in France over the summer so he could be with his girlfriend. Kirsten writes to me once a month to tell me about him, just like she promised when I went back to rehab.
I hate them for that, too. They could have ignored it when the cops called them, but they came down and put me in rehab. Again. Just ‘because we love Ryan,’ they tell me.
I’ve been sober for a year now, and this is the first time they’ve let him come.
We’re at my apartment now, and it’s smaller than the last place I lived. He’s going to have to sleep on the sofa. I know he’s used to better, even in the dorm, but he just smiles and tells me it’s fine.
He’s in the kitchen now, calling Kirsten and Sandy to tell them he’s here and he’s safe. He’s here, and my Christmas spirit is gone. It’s not that he calls me ‘Dawn’ now, it’s not even that I can’t have a drink. It’s that I hear him laugh on the phone, and I know the truth. He’s here when he would rather be there.
And that is why I hate them.
Day 8: Cracker
Jimmy-
I didn’t know where to send this, so I got your address from Julie. Kaitlin seems excited about Williams. You must be so proud of her, I know we are.
Seth and Ryan are well. Ryan is already fielding job offers, and Seth is weighing options for graduate school. Sandy and I suspect he’ll stay at RISD to work with his advisor and stay for Summer’s senior year. Sophie is growing up too fast. She’ll start kindergarten next fall.
Sandy loves teaching at the law school. I fear for the young, impressionable law students, but there isn’t much I can do about that. He always did love a captive audience. I’m still enjoying my gallery, but it’s busier now that business has really stepped up. I’ll need the distraction when Sophie is in school full-time next year.
I hope this letter reaches you before the holiday. Don’t be a stranger if you’re ever in the Bay Area.
Merry Christmas,
Kirsten
---
“Jimmy?”
He turns around to find his friend Beth, his only companion other than the yacht’s aging owners, at the cabin door.
“Christmas cracker?” she asks, holding her hand to offer a shiny wrapped package. “I picked them up this afternoon. Your room is in desperate need of some Christmas cheer. Have you been cooped up in here alone all day again?”
Jimmy shrugs his shoulders. “I got my mail,” he replies, motioning with the hand still holding Kirsten’s card.
“Nice picture,” Beth remarks off-handedly. She reaches out and takes the card from him, studying it intently.
He already knows the contents by heart. ‘Merry Christmukkah! Love Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Ryan, and Sophie,’ it reads. It mirrors the one sent by Julie, Kaitlin, the Bullit, and Ben. He’s unsure of which one stings more: the love of his life (but not hers) or his no longer gold digging ex wife; both far happier than when he left them. But either way, he can’t explain that to Beth, who is not much older than Marissa should be.
“Your friends have a beautiful family,” Beth comments before raising an inquisitive eyebrow. “But what’s this ‘Chrismukkah’?”
Jimmy sighs. He will never truly escape Newport; it follows him everywhere.
“It’s a long story...”
Day 9: Angel
Kirsten starts decorating her own tree the year she turns ten.
She makes her own ornaments and adorns the tree with everything her father forbids her mother from using on the tree in the foyer: especially colored lights and tinsel. She finds a beautiful angel at South Coast Plaza for the finishing touch. Her tree is banished to the basement, but she doesn’t care. Baby Hailey isn’t allowed in the basement, so she won’t destroy Kirsten’s carefully crafted masterpiece.
It’s just that, when the rest of her house is decorated for other people, she likes that this belongs to her.
Day 10: Wreath - set in Season 1
Ryan and Seth are sitting at the table, bagels in hand, for a late breakfast on the Saturday before Christmas when Kirsten races by, weighed down by shopping bags.
Ryan turns to Seth when she disappears into her bedroom. “Your parents didn’t get me anything, did they?” he asks. “I told them not to.”
Seth shrugs. “The Kirsten loves to shop. If it helps, think of it as a gift for her.”
“They’ve already given me more than I’ll ever be able to repay them for. I don’t need anything, and they’re not my parents.”
“Ahhh, but they are,” Seth explains between bites of bagel. “Do not doubt the powers of Chrismukkah. Face it, buddy. You have Newport Parents now, and part of that means going overboard on all things holiday. It’s part of the Cohen Family Tradition.”
Ryan smiles. He doesn’t care about the gifts, but he’s starting to like the idea of Chrismukkah.
He hangs the wreath on the pool house door later that morning. This time for good.
Day 11: Gift
Christmas is a production at the Nichol household, as though that could somehow cover up the fact that Caleb isn’t there.
Kirsten always notices.
He’ll come home from Paris or Barcelona or Tokyo with a brightly wrapped package and spout off excuses about how it can’t be helped. She likes the gifts, she does, and she’s grateful for everything she has. She knows she’s lucky. But there’s an unspoken truth she shares with all the other ‘lucky’ young girls out there.
She’d happily trade the money and fancy gifts if it meant her father could be home on Christmas morning.
Day 12: Wassail
Kirsten casts a sideways glance at her companion, shivering only slightly to mask her nerves. “Are you sure you want to go to this party?” she asks. “Christmas isn’t even your holiday.”
“Relax,” Sandy replies with one hand on the doorknob. “It’ll be fun.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she murmurs quietly before he silences her with a kiss and opens the door. It would not have been her first choice to attend a cast Christmas party tonight, but Sandy Cohen, as she is discovering, can be very persuasive. Every time she thinks they’re too different and it’ll never work out, he charms his way back into her life.
All of his friends and cast mates greet her warmly, in spite of the fact that she and Sandy have been more off than on in the two months they’ve known each other. So she politely shakes their hands and, drink now in hand, begins to make small talk. Small talk at Berkeley, she’s starting to discover, is a lot easier than what she’s used to.
Sandy returns to her side a few moments later, carrying with him the next round of drinks. “It’s a good thing we got here when we did,” he says. “We almost missed it.”
Before she can ask him what he means, the room quiets to the sound of a pitch pipe before the cast breaks out into song.
Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown...
One arm wrapped around her, Sandy smiles at her as he sings.
This is okay, she thinks to herself. This is right.
13-24 still pending, 1/5/10.