"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." -Norman Vincent Peale

'~-Spencer-~'

December 24th, 2011

Almost eight years had passed since my wedding day. If you were to ask most people if eight years felt like forever, they would probably say no. In hindsight, maybe it would seem like forever, but before they knew it, the seasons would change as their planet revolved around their star, and decades would pass. This was not the case for my family.

Crystal was starting middle school, which stressed Amelia out because she recalled her middle school years being the most brutal years of her life.

My job needed me now more than ever since I had climbed the ranks and gained the respect of my peers. Plus, the team that I had grown to love were like family to me, despite the invisible lies that separated us.

The real reason that those eight years dragged on so slowly was that Amelia and I had been trying for another baby. There were three false-alarms during this long period, so eventually, we had given up the hope that we could have another child.

Today was Christmas Eve, one of the most anticipated days of the year by our children. They each took turns guessing what their presents would be, giggling and squealing at the possibility of getting a monster truck.

"I don't know what you guys are getting. Only Arachne knows." They pouted, crossing their arms.

"Arachne is not even real." Crystal mumbled.

"Yes, they are!" Jason shouted.

"They are very much real, Crystal." Amelia appeared suddenly, resting her hand on my arm. "Long ago, Sunbright and her companions fused to create Arachne. In their new form, they wove the Magic Web. The legends say that the spirit of that ancient form still lingers, giving gifts to the children of the Magic Web."

Derek and Jason gaped in awe at the story, struck by the detail of it all. Crystal rolled her eyes while crossing her arms.

"For not being your child, she's certainly got your attitude," I whispered in her ear. Amelia shoved me playfully in response.

"Hey, I got something for you." She whispered back, taking my arm. "Mommy's gonna go talk to Daddy, okay?" Our children nodded as Amelia led me to the other room.

"What's up?"

"Well, I have two presents for you. One I'll save for tomorrow, and the other I want you to think about today." Amelia hesitated. "Do you know what the Staff of Immortality is?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's Sunbright's staff. It was passed down through the Divine family until it disappeared five hundred years ago. As its name suggests, it can grant artificial immortality to mortals. However, it can only be wielded by Sunbright's descendants."

"Cool, you know what it is. Um, I found it."

My mouth opened in shock.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, I did."

"So, you're saying that I could live forever."

"Well, immortality for us works differently; we can't die from old age. But yes, you could live forever with me since I am naturally immortal."

There was a small part of me that wanted to say no, as I knew that I would be outliving all of my friends. However, I also knew that I could live a lot longer with the love of my life.

"Then yes, I would love to actually have a chance at spending a few hundred years with you. I don't want to leave you here because of something as stupid as mortality."

She nodded, teleporting us to a darker room that was not connected to the house. There, on a pedestal, hovered the staff, its light yellow base glimmering back at us.

Amelia stepped forward and reached out her hand. Two seconds passed before it flew into her grasp, the overflow of magic infecting her veins in rainbow patterns. I closed my eyes as golden swirls of magic danced around my body.

I gasped as the magic sent shivers of pain through me. My muscles collapsed in on themselves as I fell to the floor in pain. I curled up into the fetal position, shivering as tears formed in my eyes. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and the seizing pain stopped.

I felt a hand run through my short hair.

"It's done."

December 25th, 2011

I woke up to three ecstatic children bouncing on my bed. I groaned, lifting myself off of the mattress and maneuvering downstairs. Amelia and I quickly morphed some appropriate clothes onto our bodies before teleporting the whole family to the Divine household. 

"The royals are here!" Matt shouted, running up to hug the children. Amelia jokingly pouted, to which Matt responded with a hug and a laugh.

"Let's get started." Amelia chirped, and the kids dashed to the tree where their presents were. 

Jason opened his gifts, which were shark toys and a marine biologist kit.

Derek's presents were toy planes and a lego tank.

Crystal had gotten some jewelry and a bunch of green camouflage-patterned clothes.

Next was Alina, who was given a bunch of princess dresses (at her request).

Then, it was my turn. I snatched the gifts that had my name labeled on the top. First was Matt's gift, which was a bunch of FBI themed stuff and some extra coffee packets. Then, I opened the present from the rest of her family, which were some expensive mantle pieces and decorations that served as family heirlooms.

Finally, it was time to open Amelia's present. I carefully unwrapped the orange box, which had a couple of things inside. They were small toys, made for someone much smaller than me. I was wildly confused until I saw a white stick in the bottom of the box.

"No way." I dug into the box, lifting the stick so that I could see it clearly. A massive smile appeared on my face as I hugged Amelia, tears flowing freely from my eyes. 

"HOLY SHIT, IS THAT-" Matt shouted, running over as gasps escaped from the rest of the family.

"I'm pregnant." Amelia smiled, tears now streaming down her cheeks. Cheers erupted from everyone in the room as I continued to embrace my wife.

"Oh my God, you're pregnant." I laughed, kissing her sweetly. I had never thought this day would come.

The kids were squealing in delight. 

"I'm gonna be an older brother!" Jason cheered, giggling with his siblings.

"You're gonna be an actual father." She whispered to me.

"Not that I already wasn't." We laughed as I kissed her deeply once again.

"Alright, you two, stop making out and let the rest of us open our presents." We broke our kiss with a chuckle.

I was going to have a child- one that was mine. All mine. And I was going to love them more than I had ever loved anything in the universe (besides for my other children, of course).

This concept felt so surreal to me as we began to open the other presents, ecstatic for our future together as a family of six.

"A baby makes love stronger, the days shorter, the nights longer, savings smaller, and a home happier." -Unknown

Grab your tissues for the next chapter! ;)