Christmas Special

"Daddy, watch out!"

But before Dom could duck, a ball of snow flew into his face and then Iris' laugh rang through the chilly morning.

"My turn!"

Dom laughed louder wiping his face and threatening, "Now, watch out!"

He threw the two balls of snow in his big hands, one at each of his girls. Purposefully missing his daughter, making her sweet laugh ring in the crisp morning air.

"Mommy, I need more!" Little Marie called out, making Iris temporarily lose concentration and head towards her daughter to create a bunch of little snowballs for her to throw.

That's when Dom sneaked behind his wife and masterfully pulled back her neckline to drop a handful of ice down her back, making her shriek and run inside, "Dom! You'll pay for this."

"You wanna make snow angels?" Dom offered his daughter who still stood bewildered at what had happened and why had mommy suddenly stopped helping her make more snowballs.

She nodded enthusiastically and laid on the snow as Dom joined her and the two stretched their arms and legs wide.

"Come inside you two! Look who is here!" Iris called from the inside.

"Merry Christmas!" Freddie dressed as Santa boomed as the four-year-old Marie rushed at him in excitement.

Nora hugged Iris and then Dom as Freddie spun around their daughter and then little Ted pulled at his father's pants, probably jealous of why his father was holding another child, even though the two were best of friends and occasionally acted as siblings. Ted was, after all, only a year older than Marie.

The two soon disappeared into the nursery to play with her toys as Nora joined Iris in the kitchen, "I'm so glad you guys decided to spend Christmas here."

"We decided it was about time, Marie learned about the world. We've had our time alone, and-" Iris explained.

"-And being on a secluded beach in a cottage is not your cup of tea?" Nora finished her sentence, and Iris nodded helplessly and then laughed.

"It's okay. You've spent an eternity alone. No more hiding. The world is yours." Nora had been the best counselor Iris could ask for. She sometimes wondered what this young witch had gone through to make her so perceptive and understanding.

"Thanks. That's the goal." Iris replied as she fixed a tray full of Christmas-themed desserts for her guests along with mugs teamed with hot chocolate topped with wiped cream and roasted marshmallows.

They joined the men in the living room as the children came to ask their parents respectively, "When will be open the presents?"

"What's the hurry? Don't you wanna show Uncle Freddie what you made to hang on the tree?" Iris asked.

"He is Santa! Not Uncle Freddie!" Marrie stomped her little feet as looked at the laughing adults.

Soon Nathaniel and Clara joined them and Sussane promised to be there with her mate and fiance before dinner.

They spent the day playing various games and pretending that the world outside their mansion did not exist.

Dom and Iris had made it a tradition to refuse all party invites as well as formal functions on and around Christmas. They had chosen this time to be too intimate and only worthy to be shared with family. None of the media was allowed even a snippet before the official interview days after Christmas.

As promised Sussane and Richard arrived before dinner and added to the joy of little Marie and Ted who were both on cloud nine. The family members rarely got to be together in one place due to how busy their life schedules had become.

"Present's time!"

The children chanted as their mothers tried to keep them patient but the two were ready to tear open all packaging to get to their gifts.

Once the children went to nursery, overwhelmed with all the new stuff they had received, the adults gathered.

Iris winked at Freddie, who stood up nodding at Nathaniel, who pulled Clara up, who called out to Sussane, making Dom look at them all suspiciously.

"We all thought what we could possibly give to the Alpha King?" Iris spoke first with a mysterious grin.

"A man who already had everything." Freddie smiled proudly at him.

"And can get anything he desires," Nathaniel added.

"Anywhere, Anytime, Anything." Clara extended.

"So, we decided to give you something special." Sussane had gone and just returned holding a huge rectangular box in her hands smiling at her only living blood relative in the world.

Dom was surprised as he was handed his gift by the people he cherished the most.

He undid the rainbow on the box and opened it to reveal an antique handmade photo album.

"Wait! Is this?" Dom asked looking up at everyone in disbelief.

"It is." Iris smiled tenderly, watching how tears welled up in the big man's eyes, something she had never seen in all the years they had spent together so far.

"Open it." Freddie nudged.

Opening it Dom couldn't help but trace his fingers as the fainting name etched inside and then completely broke down after flipping the first page and looking at the first picture.

It was a black and white tiny handmade portrait of a young beautiful woman holding a small baby in her arms with such unmatched grace and elegance, standing in front of a man taller than her, the younger self of Adolf Elijah McBlaze. The woman was his wife, and the baby was his heir, Alphonso Dominic McBlaze.

Dom traced his mother's face with his fingers.

It had been so long ago that even her face, her voice, her smell, and her expressions had been fading from his memory.

This window into the past with her personal album opened a portal of memories for Dom that he was eternally grateful for.

"How did you-?" He was speechless as he tried to ask how they had managed to acquire such an important piece of his mother.

"Don't worry about how and just enjoy that it's here. Now yours." Nathaniel placed a brotherly hand on his shoulder and allowed the Alpha to process his emotions and nostalgia in peace.

That night when Iris put Marie to bed, Dom joined them as they told her the story of a fierce Dragoness who captured the heart of a Dragon Alpha and married him to become the Alpha Queen of the shifters. How she had bravely fought the first war against so many fractions and had protected her family at the cost of her beast.

Marie had fallen asleep with an innocent motivation to 'be like her when I grow up'.

To which Dom and Iris prayed that may she never has to face such tragedies and need to be strong for other's sake.

That night her powers had manifested themselves for the first time.

A thunder had roared and a bolt of lightning had flashed inside the nursery. The taps had run and the sinks had overflowed in the whole mansion. The fireplaces had lit up on their own raising the temperatures exponentially.

She had been asleep the whole time, probably having a dream, as a sweet smile had played on her face. But her raw power had shocked, surprised, and worried everyone in the mansion.

It had been by far the most memorable Christmas of their entire lives.

**Author's note:

Have you lost a parent or someone close to you? I know it's a loss that no amount of time can heal and if you had a stronger bond, the hole left in its place stays that way as long as we live. May your departed rest in peace. On a brighter note, how do you guys prefer to spend your Christmas? Any special family traditions? Do share <3**