Chapter 37 – Merry Christmas!

I wake up early Saturday morning to see that Grandma is already busy as a bee getting everything prepared for the rest of my family coming this afternoon.

"Anna, finish your breakfast and help me set up the extra tables, please!" she requests, pointing to a plate of pancakes and maple syrup with eggs on the table.

"Where's Caius?" I ask, noticing the blankets from the couch have been cleared and replaced with a Christmas quilt.

"He's putting up some lights for me outside," she answers.

"Really?" ask, mostly to myself. I wonder if Caius has ever even celebrated Christmas before. I mean, Halloween came and went without a word, and there must have been at least one big Italian holiday in these last six months that flew by unannounced. I scarf my food down, wash the breakfast dishes, and immediately hop downstairs to grab the first foldable card table, unfolding it and setting it up with one of Grandma's white tablecloths before heading down to grab the others. When I finish setting the third one up, I hear the front door open with a blast of wintery wind.

"How'd you do?" I ask Caius, peeking outside to see his handiwork. Grandma and I slide our boots on to go out and check.

"Anna, put a coat on," Grandma scolds.

"It'll only be a second," I talk back.

"Not if we accidentally lock ourselves out," Grandma shakes her head disapprovingly before looking up to see the lights. "Wow! This looks beautiful Caius, and how did you get the lights so far up onto the roof? The ladder's only high enough to reach the top of the drain pipe."

"Oh it was nothing," Caius says with a smile, "The ladder was tall enough that I could hop onto the roof. It only took a moment." I look at the ladder, standing folded up next to the window, knowing he never even touched it.

"Oh, you kids and your youthful energy. Well, I'm glad you're putting it to good use before you get old like me," Grandma chuckles, turning to walk back inside, and gesturing for us to follow her.

I let out a short laugh and elbow Caius, "It looks like you've done this before," I say jokingly before following Grandma inside.

"It's a good thing we watched that Christmas movie together before coming," he smiles, crediting Home Alone.

* * *

After a couple hours, we have successfully transformed the living room into a festive haven, with strings of lights twinkling on the tree, and the ornaments we brought out that have been collected over the decades sparkled against the branches. Caius sits calmly beside me on the couch near the door, but I can sense a hint of curiosity in his gaze as he surveys the living room. He doesn't seem uncomfortable exactly, which I'm glad. He seems more... observant, like he's preparing for some grand social experiment, which I guess this is to him. I've never imagined him mingling with my family like this, yet here he is, and somehow it feels surprisingly normal.

The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway snaps me back to the present, and I exchange a quick look with Caius. Grandma bustles past us, wiping her hands on her apron, looking excited to greet our first guest. "Now remember, dear," she says to Caius, "You're family tonight. We're a lively bunch, but everyone is excited to meet you." She pats his arm with a smile.

"Thank you," he grins. There's a glimmer of amusement in his expression, but he maintains his collected demeanor.

The first guests knock at the door and Grandma opens it to reveal my aunt Linda and her family bundled up in scarves and hats, each one beaming as they step inside. My cousin Sarah, who's close to my age, pulls me into a hug straight away, her eyes widening as she notices Caius standing beside me.

"Hello!" She smiles, looking him over, "You must be Caius." She looks back at me suspiciously. "Mom said grandma said you had a friend," she says, one eyebrow up. "So I've already heard a lot about you," she says, turning back to Caius with her arm extended.

As Caius accepts her handshake I feel my cheeks warming as I try to figure out what exactly she's heard.

Caius grins, "It's a pleasure to meet you," he greets, his voice smoother than ever.

Sarah looks at me, completely intrigued, as Aunt Linda comes in for a hug, "It's not every day Anna brings home a friend from Italy," she smiles, "We've missed you," she whispers into my ear, squeezing me into her embrace.

"Not just a friend, I hope," uncle Jack jokes, finally making his way through the door with a big bag of gifts in hand. "I've always wanted to see Europe; Anna's wedding would be a great excuse to finally go." Aunt Linda nudges him with her elbow and I just laugh.

"When I get a proposal I'll let you know," I joke back, prompting Sarah to look mischievously between us again. I glance at Caius to gauge his reaction, but he extends his arm out comfortably to my aunt and uncle, who both go in for a hug instead. If anything, he seems entertained by their reactions.

More relatives arrive soon after, filling the house with laughter. Caius starts off standing beside me, greeting each new face with a polite nod and a firm handshake, and we're able to successfully navigate the onslaught of questions with ease, offering just enough to satisfy my family's curiosity without revealing too much.

Uncle Joe, who arrives with a Santa hat perched on his head, claps Caius on the shoulder after introductions, clearly impressed. "So, Caius," he starts, sizing him up, "What sort of work do you do in Italy? Some kind of business?"

"Yes, it's a family business that I do diplomacy work for, dealing with people around the world ," he grins.

"Diplomacy, huh?" Uncle Joe nods, looking pleased with his answer. "Sounds important. And Italy must be pretty nice at this time of year."

"The weather's great, but of course it's missing the charm of a white Christmas," he grins.

The afternoon continues, and as family members catch up I see Caius telling another aunt more about Italy, and then later listening in to stories about my childhood, looking like he's filing every single embarrassing moment and little tale from those days into his brain's file cabinet.

"Anna has always been an unpredictable one," my aunt Tess teases, reaching over to squeeze my arm. "Once she climbed to the top of one of those pine trees in the back yard in the dead of winter and took a nap up there in the branches. Her parents thought she wandered into the woods and got lost. They had the police over and everything before she woke up and popped back into the house like nothing happened," she shakes her head.

"She'll keep you on your toes for sure," Uncle Joe agrees, at which Caius laughs.

"Oh, she already has."

* * *

The party begins to die down as the afternoon slips into the evening. There's still some laughter echoing from the kitchen, where a few of my aunts are finishing off the eggnog, talking in hushed voices. The Christmas tree lights cast a warm glow over the living room, where stray paper plates and empty wine glasses lie forgotten amongst the small piles of wrapping paper skirting around each piece of living room furniture. I take a deep breath, feeling exhausted, yet satisfied from the party. I felt closer to my extended family today than I ever have, maybe because I've always been one of the "kids" up until now. Tonight I really felt like one of the adults. Instead of the basic "How's school? What are you doing after graduation?" questions everyone asks the kids before they run off to play with each other, or in my case, follow my mom around like a little duckling, tonight's conversations flowed effortlessly, and the genuine mutual interest in what each other has been up to was refreshing. It's a bittersweet reminder of the life I could have had before everything went downhill.

I catch Caius gazing out the window from across the room and I walk over. A faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Enjoying the snow?" I ask, nodding toward the window.

"I've always been indifferent about it, but here there's a tranquility about it that I don't usually see." I smile, understanding what he means a bit. This day as a whole has felt the exact same way to me. We stand in silence for a moment, watching as the snowflakes drift down under the glow of the porch lights. Finally he turns to me, "Your family is very devoted to each other."

I nod, "They are. I forgot how much I missed these kinds of gatherings." He watches me for a moment.

"I'm sure it's hard knowing that you're taking a different path," he says.

I swallow, feeling a pang of sadness settle in my chest. "Honestly, after tonight it is a little. It'll be hard to get back here once I'm changed, and even if I do, staying at the same age for the rest of my life will start getting suspicious eventually, right? But if it weren't for you and my life in Volterra, I never would have been able to enjoy this moment. Literally who knows what I would be doing right now if I still had Derek, Justin, and Rudy following my every move. I'd probably be living as secluded as Daniel does just to keep them away from all of this," I say, gesturing to everything around me. "You gave me the chance to have this one perfect day with my family. And even if it's the last day I ever get with them, I want to thank you."

"Transitioning always demands sacrifices, but I'll do everything in my power to keep yours to a minimum," he promises.

I smile, "And thank you for being here," I say, wrapping my arms around his body and leaning my head on his chest.

A hint of amusement flickers in his eyes. "On the contrary, I should be thanking you. It has been... enlightening," he pauses, his eyes drifting back to the family photos on the wall, which all hold joy and laughter that's just as frozen in time as he is, and that I'm soon to be. "That story about you running wildly into—"

"Okayyyyy," I stop him, not needing yet another rehash of one of my most mortifying moments, "I'm glad this day has been educational for you." He laughs.

Just then, I hear Grandma yell down at the top of the basement staircase for my uncles and cousins to get their butts up here or their wives are leaving without them. I laugh, wiggling out of Caius's embrace to give goodbye hugs to the rest of my family.

"It's getting late," Grandma says after the last set of boots walks out the door.

"Thank you, Grandma," I tell her, going in for one last hug before bed, "We'll start cleaning up in the morning for you."

"Thank you, but I think I'm going to sleep in, so you both feel free to as well," she yawns, "Well, I'll leave you two to talk. I'll see you in the morning," she says before giving us both kisses on our cheeks and retreating down the hall to her room.

* * *

The rest of our week in Minnesota goes by in the blink of an eye, and as the day of our departure wears on, I feel the weight of our final goodbye, and the reality of what we're going to be facing back in Italy creeping back in. When I walk out of this house, I don't know if or when I'll ever see it again. Grandma hugs us tightly as we stand in the doorway ready to leave.

"Take care of yourself, Anna. And if you ever need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me," she smiles.

I nod, my throat tight, "I love you, Grandma."

"I love you too, sweetheart. I'm glad you're happy over there. I'd love to keep exchanging letters." When I pull back, I see the sadness in her eyes too. Caius places a hand on my back.

"You know grandma, we can always video call too, you'll have to get one of the uncles to come over and set up a Facebook account for you or something," I tell her.

"I might just do that!" she exclaims, turning to Caius.

"It was such a pleasure to meet you," Caius says, prompting another hug from Grandma, which Caius gladly accepts.

"Oh, you're a good boy," Grandma tells him, "Take care of my granddaughter."

"I promise to," he assures her.

* * *

As the plane descends, I see the faint outline of the Italian countryside below, shadowy and quiet under the night sky. Volterra isn't far, and I feel my heart racing as we approach the car waiting to take us back to the castle.

The relaxed Caius I was able to enjoy in Minnesota shifts back into focus as we go through the castle's gates.

"Welcome back," a voice cuts through the darkness. I turn to see Marcus standing solemnly by the entrance.

Caius looks up. "Marcus. I trust preparations are underway?"

Marcus nods, his gaze drifting to me for a moment before returning to Caius. "Yes. The guard has been training non-stop. Aro has taken additional measures to ensure we are prepared."

I swallow, feeling anxiety prickle in. Marcus gestures for us to follow him, and we make our way through the dimly lit corridors, which are filled by the echo of our foot steps. We reach the main hall, where Aro is waiting. His eyes light up and he greets Caius with a nod as he sees us walk in before turning to me.

"Anna, my dear," he says, "It's good to have you back with us. I trust your journey went well?"

I nod, offering a faint smile, "Yes. Thank you for allowing me the time to visit them."

A hint of satisfaction crosses Aro's face. "Good. Now we must focus on the task ahead. Athenodora's forces gather, but we are ready. The Volturi will stand strong." I feel a shiver run through me at his words. This fight isn't just about me or Caius, it's literally a fight for the future of the Volturi itself, and it could change everything. I think back to my bookworm childhood when I wished I could be the main character of all my favorite fantasy novels, like Harry Potter, the Mortal Instruments, and even all the Wattpad stories that drew me in, despite all the conflicts that arose. Now that I'm a part of my own supernatural conflict, I'm eating those young, naive words of mine.

Aro glances once more at Caius and I, his voice lowering. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

I nod and follow Caius out the doors. "I want you to stay with me from now on," he says in the hallway. "We'll grab anything you might need from your room, but I don't want you to be anywhere alone until this is finished." I nod, understanding.

With a deep breath, I throw some extra clothes, books, and supplies into a couple of my tote bags and walk with Caius back to his room. Despite the pressure, a sense of purpose fills me. This castle is my life, and where I belong now. I'll do the best I can to protect it.