Jim came over to pick Cara up the next day. She was horribly hungover and yelled at everything. Jim kissed her forehead and told her she looked pretty when she was hung over.

Cara did not look pretty when she was hung over. Matilda had cringed at the wholesomeness of Jim's statement. The cringing look had only deepened when he carried Cara all the way down to his car, bridal style.

Ugh, couples. Matilda thought like an old crone but did not dwell on it much longer. She had a plan that she needed to see through. And it required a lot of green.

*************

The bell to the Alderon gate sounded and the security screen near the door showed a strange sight. The Grinch, holding a red gift sack much like the one Santa carried. It was not the traditional fluffy green man with skinny legs and static hairdo. This Grinch looked slimmer in a faux fur pants and shirt combination with a shade a little darker than the traditional avocado green. It was the Grinch if he had been tamed, groomed and female. The Santa coat and red boots were typically cartoonish however.

"Is this a new Millennial thing, making a statement of some kind?" Mrs. Alderon asked her son who squinted his eyes, recognizing the face of the woman who, despite the costume, still scowled more like Matilda Merryweather than the stealer of Christmas.

Matilda had chosen not to go for the animalistic nose or the beard and crazy hair. She had instead turned her skin and her hair green, figuring her resting face would be enough to convey a distaste of Christmas.

The Alderon estates cut off their access by the huge iron gates that intimidated more than they welcomed. A small room by the right inner side contained a guard who gave access for guests allowed within.

The Lady Grinch was not one of them.

"I have been here Yardley. You know me."

"I have been given strict instructions not to let you in, Miss Merryweather." The man said, giving her the side eye. Matilda had been one of the few people who had treated him the same as she had treated others so they had developed a casual friendship. Which is why when the man asked, "And just what are you wearing?" It did not seem like he spoke out of place.

"You like?" Matilda posed for him, "Made it myself."

"You dressed up as the Grinch... on Christmas?"

"Pretty cool huh?"

"You are one weird woman, Miss Merryweather." The man scrunched up his face.

Matilda grinned, "Would you expect any less?"

In their conversation, they failed to notice Eric walking up the path.

"Matilda what are you doing here?"

"Eric! I'm glad I could meet you." The statement came out rushed. Matilda hadn't prepared much of what she was going to say, just that she would go and apologize.

"Are you here to ruin another event at my home? Because if you cause a scene for the Christmas—"

"I'm not here to cause a scene," Matilda said reassuringly.

"You're dressed as the Grinch."

"I thought it'd be funny!" She argued.

"What do you want, Matilda?"

Matilda held up a finger to make him wait while she rummaged through her giant red sack.

"Here. I got these for you and Ursula." She gave him the badly wrapped gifts. "Is Ursula here?"

"Yes. She's inside. She doesn't know you're here." Matilda opened her mouth to ask if she could meet Ursula but Eric spoke ahead of her, "No I don't think it's wise for you to meet her."

"Eric. I just want to apologize. To your parents too if that's okay."

"I don't think my parents would want to meet you."

"Well... I still want to say... I'm really sorry for all that happened Eric. I really didn't intend to ruin your lovely dinner. I'm really grateful that you guys always invited me. And I made a mess of things. I understand that I must have embarrassed you so much that night, especially with your parents so... I'm sorry."

Eric narrowed his eyes to her and pursed his lips. That was a good sign. It showed he was seriously considering her words.

"You know, out of all of us, Ursula is the one who is always defending you. Always. And you treated her like shit that night."

Matilda sighed regrettably, "I know man. I'm genuinely sorry about that. If you could just let me meet her, I can say it to her face."

Eric nodded. He held up her gifts, "I'll accept these. This was kind of you, thank you." He said robotically, in the politeness he was taught. "But don't think that everything will just go back to normal."

"I understand." Matilda didn't. She had dearly hoped things would go back to exactly how they used to be. She felt it was unfair that the gang had discarded her as an outsider so quickly after just one incident.

Eric didn't invite her in, but did agree to let Ursula come out to meet her. Again, Matilda felt this was rude and unfair but said nothing. She was just grateful she would get to meet Ursula.

"He could have at least invited me in." She grumbled to her self.

"You know how rich people are," Yardley said to her in a low voice, "Offend them once and you've offended them for a lifetime."

"Ursula's not like that, Yard."

"No one starts off like that. Money does strange things to people."

Ursula's thick form could be seen running over the path towards the main gates. Matilda dropped her bag and both women embraced each other in a massive hug.

"Ursu—"

"You fiend!" Ursula punched Matilda in the arm and Matilda yelped out in pain. Despite her short height, the woman had the strength only born through kneading dough for long hours and carrying giant trays of delicious confections.

"Ow! Ursula what the hell!" Matilda rubbed her arm.

Ursula punched her again. "I'm angry at you. That's why." She said with a stern face. But then it crumbled into a face tearful with both joy and sadness. Both women embraced each other in a bear hug, Matilda squishing Ursula as much as she could. Ursula was made to be hugged.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Matilda said.

"Let's forget about it, Till. I don't even care now."

"I got you a present. Eric has it."

"You did?" Ursula finally pulled back, though they still held each other. "Aw Till, you shouldn't have."

"I wanted to."

"But I didn't get you anything."

Matilda had bought their holiday gifts four months ago so this statement stung a little. She pushed the sting back.

"Doesn't matter. I'm glad I got to make up with you."

"Well come inside I—" Ursula caught herself and Matilda spared her the pain of saying that she wasn't invited.

"Can't stay long. I have to deliver the rest of these."

It was only then that Ursula noticed the giant red bag of gifts. "Oh damn, that looks heavy. How are you carrying that around?"

On my broom. "It's not that heavy. But seriously, I have to stop by Mal's and then Bas's place."

"Alright. Go to Mal's first. Bas might give you a hard time. You know how he is when he gets mad."

"Yeah I know."

*************

"I come with bearing gifts," Matilda held up the large red Santa Claus bag.

"Dude what are you wearing?" Sebastian laughed at the sight of her. He had this disturbing ability to appear casual and friendly even towards people he hated. But people close to him could tell when he was being genuine and when he was being merely polite.

Matilda could tell, he was only being polite now.

"Can I come in? It's a little cold out." She asked.

Sebastian opened the door wider. Kat stood at the kitchen counter in a stylish red dress and her hair up in a messy bun.

"Hey Kat. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Matilda."

Matilda noticed that Sebastian had put on a crisp, white shirt and formal dinner jacket. His collar was open but from experience she could tell he was going to put on a tie later. Which meant they were on their way out somewhere.

It jarred her that she could tell this just by the way his collar was unbuttoned.

"Are you guys going anywhere?" To a party the gang is having without me? Eric and Ursula did seem dressed up but they had their own event going on. Sebastian and Kat both looked at Matilda. Matilda herself felt awkward and suddenly very shy.

"I uh, got you guys something. Well I got everyone something," she ruffled through her red sack, "I thought I'd do this thing where I'd go around like Santa but as the Grinch, just to be ironic..." She produced two gifts wrapped in red paper with little snowmen, "man, carrying all of this around is tough. I don't know why Santa couldn't have had a wheelbarrow or a truck or something."

She handed a box over to Sebastian. To Kat she gave a smaller box, a collector's edition of a Disney princess figurine. She figured Kat might appreciate an addition to her collection.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do this." Kat said. Matilda was quickly learning that this was a way of saying I don't have anything to give you back.

"I wanted to." Matilda told her.

"I'll give you guys some space." Kat started to leave but Sebastian stopped her.

"No, no. You can stay." Matilda wished he wouldn't have said that but she realized she had to apologize to Kat too.

"I... wanted to apologize. For my behavior at Thanksgiving." Matilda said it like a rehearsed speech; robotic and unemotional. She couldn't let her emotions show because if she did, she would start crying. And Matilda would be damned if she cried in front of anyone.

"I made a mess of things, I went overboard, I... crossed some lines. I ended up ruining dinner for everybody and for that I am really sorry."

She fidgeted with the hem of her Santa jacket, waiting for their reaction. Kat stayed stoic and unreadable and Sebastian was impassive.

"Okay. Yeah I understand. Anything else?" Sebastian said, as if to simply end this conversation. Matilda was a little shaken by his response.

"Um... I don't know." She said, feeling pathetic. She was standing by the door feeling very uninvited. Kat and Sebastian were standing and neither had told her to sit. Was she just supposed to leave?

"Look, I know you guys must be pissed at me. I totally deserve it. I just... can't we talk about it? Work it out?"

This seemed to soften Sebastian's hardened face.

"Babe maybe we could use some..." He quietly said.

"Yeah." Kat went into his bedroom and flashed Matilda an encouraging smile.

Sebastian looked at Matilda expectantly but she didn't know what to say. She had already apologized. Should she say sorry again?

"I missed you—guys. The gang."

Sebastian played around with the glass bowl on his counter top.

"We missed you too." He said quietly. She approached him.

"I am so sorry for what I did to you and Alton. Bringing your personal matter into the everything... For what it's worth I'm going to go over and apologize to him too."

"You will?" Sebastian looked up hopefully.

"Yes. I promise."

"Good. Because he hates you now. I even say something similar to your name and he gets provoked."

"Yikes."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence. Which was a strange experience since Matilda and Sebastian had never run out of things to say before.

"Bas... I really am sorry. I crossed the line and I messed things up for you and Kat." Sebastian looked at his closed bedroom door and rubbed his neck.

"You know she almost broke up with me?"

"What?"

"Yeah. We got into a big fight. She told me she didn't think I was serious about her, that I was trying to hide her."

Well you were.

"And she didn't get why. And then her parents showed up and that was another mess. "

"Yeah, what was that all about?"

"I don't know. I was trying to get Kat away from Phil and his damn family. I kept telling her we had to leave but she kept insisting we stay. And the next thing we know her parents are asking me what she is going at the dinner."

"Was Gwendolyn around then?"

"Winnie? My ex? Yeah, I think I saw her. She's usually around."

"What do you mean around?"

"I mean I see her a lot. At the country club, at parties and dinners."

"Did she always use to be around."

Sebastian scrunched his nose and furrowed his brows in thought. "You know what, I don't think so. What does she have to do with anything though?"

"I just... don't like her. That's all."

Sebastian smiled, "Really? I actually thought you two would get along. You're very alike."

"Sure we are." She said sardonically, rolling her eyes.

"But, yeah. Kat's parents showed up and I... I don't know what happened with me I just lost it. I started fighting with her, asking her why she invited them and she said she didn't. And then Alton showed up saying he'd been locked up in the closet for an hour—"

"—it was barely thirty minutes—"

"—and saying that you were a crazy person. And then I shit just hit the fan. Honestly, I don't even remember half the night, everything kept happening one after the other."

Matilda just nodded in understanding.

"I am sorry. Truly. If you need me to prove it—"

Sebastian held his hand up, "It's fine Till." He smiled reassuringly.

"Alton... how are things between you too?"

"They're fine," Sebastian said, "We're fine. Honestly all that crap about harassing you and paying you off is what I was afraid he would do to Kat. Good thing he didn't."

But it's okay he did it to me? Matilda hoped he would say something about Alton's behavior towards her, but Sebastian wasn't even thinking about it.

"And you know what? He actually helped me with Kat. Because if he hadn't talked to her I'm not sure we would still be together."

"Alton helped you guys make up?" This was unexpected.

"Yeah. He's actually been really supportive."

Of course he has. Kat has the right background, the right upbringing, the right... everything.

"Well I'm glad that worked out."

"But you do have to apologize to him. Otherwise none of us will ever hear the end of it."

Matilda nodded.

"You know I..." Sebastian hesitated, "I expected you to do this sooner... I was hoping you would." He gulped, pressing his lips together uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry Bas." She came forward and hugged him, "I was a bad friend." Sebastian hugged her back but Matilda noticed that he didn't negate her statement.

"It's okay Matilda." He said, letting her go.

"Okay. I'll be off. I have a lot of stops to make." She picked up her bag of gifts.

************

Mal and Phil gave a less chilly reception than Matilda expected. Phil actually seemed a little oblivious to everything which was not a surprise.

"It's okay, Till." He had said dismissively, not even letting her finish her apology, "Happens all the time. Mal's in here."

Phil led her to the chrome kitchens of his penthouse suite. Unlike the warm, earthy tones of the Alderon estate, Phil and Mal's place was all white and chrome. It felt futuristic and chic but devoid of the natural feel that Eric and Ursula enjoyed.

Mal was making herself some herbal tea. Her belly had gotten very big since Matilda had last seen her over a month ago but the rest of her looked a little malnourished. Her eyes seemed hollow, cheekbones protruded and collar bones seemed more prominent. Even her hands had developed a little tremor that Matilda noticed when she brushed her hair away from her face.

They didn't say hello. Phil had left the ladies alone to talk in their privacy. One could say he was being a gentleman but really he didn't want to deal with anything that involved feelings. For all his faults, Phil never took anything to heart, even offences so Matilda knew that things would be good with him.

With Mal, she was less certain.

The air between them was tangy with friction. Matilda stood there awkwardly, tongue-tied. With Sebastian, it had been the matter of being overwhelmed with emotion. With Mal, it was a matter of fear. Mal could be very intimidating when she was mad.

"How are things with you, Mal?" Matilda started. Mal scoffed.

"Good enough." She said standoffishly.

"I came here to apologize."

"Yeah Bas and Ursula texted me a while ago."

"Oh. Well," Matilda took a deep breath, "I just wanted to say—"

"Save it. If Ursula's forgiven you then it's water under the bridge." It didn't feel like water under the bridge, especially the way Mal kept snapping at her. She hadn't even looked at the gifts that Phil had lazily put on the kitchen counter.

The kettle indicated that her tea was done. Mal poured herself a cup and offered one to Matilda. The brew stank like medicine so Matilda declined. Mal took one sip, make a disgusted face and threw the entire contents down the sink, keeping an eye out for Phil.

"If my husband asks, I drank the whole thing."

"What is that?"

"Something his mother makes me drink. Apparently she knows best about how to be pregnant since she gave birth a century ago. I mean Jesus, she believes that the ultrasounds are wrong and that I will have a son, not a daughter."

"It's a girl."

At this, Mal smiled ruefully. "Yeah. And I had no idea before marriage about how anal Phil's mother was going to be about having a grandson."

"Does she know it's a girl?"

"No. I made Phil not tell her. Who knows what she'll do when she finds out? I bet she'll make me eat even more shit to get the baby to change genders."

Matilda cringed, "That's not how it works."

"Try telling her that. It's like we're back in the eighteenth century and she's the town elder. And honestly, I expected some of this shit from her. Mrs. Montfort has always had this... vibe about her. But I never thought Phil would go along with it."

"He supports her?"

"A hundred percent. I get it, she's his mom but... I'm his wife too... I just..." Mal huffed and clutched her belly. "I need to eat something or I will murder someone."

Mal opened her giant, chrome fridge and reached in deep to find the box of chicken nuggets stowed away in the back.

"Aha! I knew Phil kept a stash."

She took out a wok and heated up the oil. Matilda watched in silence as she started frying all thirty pieces of nuggets.

"You sure you can eat all that?"

"Now you're gonna tell me what to eat too?" Mal snapped furiously, "Honestly I am sick and tired of being told I'm fat and angry and hormonal and not in my senses. I am in my fucking senses alright? I know what I'm doing, I don't have pregnancy brain I can think for myself I don't need everyone telling me what to do all the time!" She grabbed the counter for support and leaned forward, closing her eyes, taking calming breaths.

"Sorry." She said after a while, "It's been a rough couple of weeks."

"I'm sorry you're going through this Mal." Matilda moved closer, not recognizing the person she was talking to, because this pregnant woman in front of her did not seem like the self-assured prosecutor Matilda had always known. She seemed to be some wild woman who may burst at any given moment.

"Tell me what's been going on with you."

"Nothing," Mal looked at her, "It's nothing. Phil's mother is just... she thinks she knows whats best and most of the time she does but..."

"You don't have to listen to her Mal."

"But I do. I have to. Otherwise the entire family goes insane about how I'm the difficult daughter-in-law and how Phil's brothers have such wonderful wives. I was never a troublesome child or a problematic teen but here I feel like a fucking criminal. In my own home! And Phil... I get it, I try to. I try so hard to get why he's getting so distant and weird everyday and I..." Mal trailed off, her lips trembling and her eyes turning red.

"Mal." Matilda reached over and hugged her. Mal hid her face in her hands and sobbed.

"If I had known it would be like this... Oh God I can't believe I don't want my baby anymore." Mal sobbed even louder. Holding on to Matilda for dear life. "What kind of a mother am I?"

Matilda looked over to the oven. The nuggets sizzled in the pan, their delicious smell spreading everywhere. Matilda looked over and saw that they were turning a bit too brown.

"Mal, your nuggets."

"Oh right!" Mal got a plate with a napkin and quickly took them all out before they burned, piling them like a delicious mountain.

Phil came in, having smelled the food from the lounge. "Mal, what are you doing? You're not supposed to eat that junk."

"Then why do you get to?" Mal's argument was warbled as she chewed through a nugget.

"I'm taking this away—" Phil moved closer to the plate and Mal slammed the point of a fork on the counter top.

"Philip. You touch my food and I swear to got my child will grow up fatherless." Mal used a tone reserved for Kinghaven's worst. Even Phil had to back off.

"Suit yourself. I'm not the one my mother will be talking to."

When he was out of earshot Mal said, "Fuck your mother," under her breath. She then chewed into another chicken nugget and moaned in true bliss. "Damn, I've missed this."

"Have you and Phil... talked about what has been going on?"

"I would if Phil listened. My mom says men can get like that some times. My father apparently got the jitters too when Trisha was born. But he changed when he finally saw her. Became a whole new man."

"How is your mom?" Matilda asked just because it felt impolite not to.

"I wouldn't know. I don't get to see her this Christmas."

"What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Montfort said it would be best for the baby if I don't travel that far."

"It's only an hour, Mal."

"Tell her that. And mom can't come over since they're having the entire family over, like they do. So I don't fucking know how my mother is doing Matilda." Mal took another nugget, and another, and another, till her face was full and began to chew.

Matilda swallowed thickly. Alton's words rang in her mind along with the memory of everything that happened in the closet. Matilda shoved the image of Alton Spencer away, along with his words.

"Mal, you're happy with Phil, right?"

Mal looked at her for a minute. "You know what Till, I don't know."

Matilda looked away. The glow between Mal and Phil was still there, it was undeniable to Matilda that they were meant to be.

"Why? You think I should leave him?"

"Do you think you should leave him?"

"Ursula thinks I should." Again, Matilda was hit with the painful reality that her friends were closer to each other than they were to her. Of course Ursula knew all about this, why did Matilda think they were sharing a moment just between them?

"But no," Mal continued, looking melancholy, "I only hate him now because of everything that is going on, but times will change and so will all this. Phil... he's thick headed but he has given me some of the best days of my life. I'm not gonna leave him just because we've hit a rough patch. That's not how relationships work."

Matilda sighed and nodded. She didn't have anything to add to this, with herself never having been in a relationship that lasted long enough to hit a rough patch. All of her boyfriends ended up discovering their true loves within weeks, if not months.

"Why are you making that face?" Mal asked, referring to the guilty look Matilda was carrying.

"I just... Alton said something. When we were locked in the closet. He said... that you and Phil weren't right for each other and... I was the one who pushed you to go out with Phil—"

"Okay, first off. You did not make me go out with Phil, I chose to go out with him. Secondly... you can't take everything Alton says to heart. He means well but the man doesn't really know how to put things delicately."

Matilda snorted, "Yeah, you can say that again."

Mal pressed her lips in a thin line, appearing to hesitate with her next statement, "You know Matilda, I totally understand if you hate Alton, but he's really not that bad."

"Not that bad? Did you not hear how he accused me of holding him hostage? Of harassing me because he thought I was dating Sebastian? He tried to pay me off, Mal. Like some cheap prostitute."

Mal winced, "Yeah. You're right. Those were all jerk moves."

"And he tried to get you to leave Phil! How can you of all people defend him?"

Mal moved closer, speaking in a low voice.

"Okay, if you breathe a word of this, I will totally deny it, because it's Alton told me to keep this a secret. But everyone in the gang is hating on him because of what he did."

"They are?" Matilda perked up. The gang are angry at Alton for me?

"Yeah, Sebastian was so hurt that Alton kept butting into his love life. Eric was really angry."

Oh.... Right.... Sebastian. Of course only Sebastian got hurt.... Right...

"But... When I first got engaged with Phil I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And as the wedding date got closer and closer I realized I was out of my depth with Phil's family. I mean they all are these ultra-educated people who know every piece of history and have every detail on every political party ever. And don't even get me started on what they consider to be basic table etiquette. I mean they have almost thirty different forks for dinner. How insane is that? I only know how to use the one."

Matilda nodded in understanding.

"I felt so lost, I almost called the wedding off myself. But then, Alton started giving me these classes. It started off as just basic guidance, some tricks to appear as one of the Montforts. But then after the wedding I started relying on him more and more and... we just continued. And he didn't just teach me table manners, he taught me about the topics he and his uncle try to trap other people with because they know what others usually don't. And he taught me about history and flower arrangements—"

"Flower arrangements?" Matilda was bewildered.

"The things that man can do, Matilda you'd be shocked. He taught me how to be a proper lady, it was totally like My Fair Lady."

"Like what?"

"It's an old film." Matilda rolled her eyes. "And he started me off on how to appear more cultured and sophisticated. I don't know if you've noticed a change—"

"—oh I've noticed the change." Matilda recalled the luncheon at Alton's townhouse.

"But I never felt I could fit in till he started helping me out. I owe a lot to the man. And he doesn't even let me acknowledge it."

It's probably to his own benefit. He wouldn't want anyone else to know he was associating with someone beneath his rank.

"You should really go easy on him, Till. He's really not that bad once you get to know him.

"Okay, Mal. I will." Matilda appeared sincere but she had no intentions of going easy on her opinion of Riley Alton Spencer.

By the time Matilda left, it was starting to get dark and Mal had finished all thirty chicken nuggets without offering even a single bite to Matilda. Her stomach was starting to growl but she kept it quiet by tightening the belt of her Santa jacket.

Mal hadn't even commented on her costume. Matilda was a little disappointed by that. She hoped to grab a bite but she could tell she didn't have time.

She still had one more stop to make.