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𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚘𝚑 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚒𝚝. 𝚒'𝚖 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 ❞

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ㅤ"𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄," May Black cursed as she stared in horror at the object her father was pointing at.

It was a tattoo gun.

"Absolutely fucking not," she continued, eyes wide in fear as she zeroed in on the one thing that terrifies her the most. Needles.

Sam scoffed, crossing his arms as he grinned. "You see dead bodies on a near regular basis and this is what gets you? Needles?"

"It's called trypanophobia," she retorted, frowning deeply as she turned to another direction, clearly avoiding the sight of the tiny thing as her breathing began to become erratic. "The irrational fear of needles. So, can we just...not?"

"It's tradition," Jared joked, but quickly silence once he saw her expression of both annoyance and fear. He decided then not to show off his own tattoo.

"You're gonna have to sedate me, then."

Old Quil, who was in attendance, snorted in response. He gave a look towards Billy and the tattoo artist who was clearly trying not to laugh. "You're gonna have to, dear Accalia. Like Jared said, it is tradition; it signifies that you're a member of not just the Quileutes, but also a member of the pack."

"But--" she cut herself off by whining like a child. "Fuck!"

Several minutes later, she was strapped down. They agreed that it would try to tattoo her, but in case it became too much, were willing to look for another alternative. They've already agreed to give her a smaller tattoo—a little bigger than a standard quarter—along with changing the area from her shoulder to her inner wrist instead.

"Christ almighty," she muttered to herself, already closing her eyes even as the tattoo artist simply placed the stencil on her left wrist. He was giving her a sympathetic look, but continued to do as he was asked. As long as she seemed fine, he was going to get the job done.

Holding her right hand was Sam, who refused to laugh at the situation—unlike Jared who had to be forced out of the Black residence because of his laughter. He remembered as a child how, despite her phobia, she'd accompany him for his annual flu shot whenever his dad couldn't come. Which was all the time.

So, he was willing to let her crush his hand.

"Why do I have to do this? Why?" She pathetically muttered to herself, clenching her eyes even tighter than she already was, breathing heavily through her nose, trying to ground herself. "Fuck, I hate this. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this--"

"We know you hate this," Billy sighed. "But you're gonna have to at least try."

"What do you think I've been trying to do?!" She huffed, suddenly feeling faint as soon as she heard the machine turn on. She groaned and took a peek at the tattoo artist. "Okay, yeah, if I pass out, I'm allowing you to continue inking me."

The man raised his eyebrows. "That- that's not--"

"I am giving you my full consent, tattoo guy. If you don't do it while I'm dead to the world, it will never happen."

"U-Uh..."

"Oh yeah, I can feel it. I'm passing out," she let out a breath as she turned pale. "Yeah, I'll see you guys later."

"You- you passed out?" Derek pursed his lips, still trying to figure out exactly how to react to May's sudden news. The woman was on speaker on Spencer's phone, and said phone was on the genius' desk as the rest of the team huddled around it.

Gideon was shaking his head, sighing through his nose. Hotch's lips were slightly quirked in amusement, while Elle was full-on grinning. Penelope was concerned, holding onto Derek's arm as if her life depended on it. As for Spencer, well...he was frowning deeply like a disappointed mother, arms crossed and hip jutted.

"Yeah, it was very strange," May answered nonchalantly, sitting up from her bed. She assumes she was carried back into her room by Sam after the whole ordeal. Her wrist was properly bandaged, but with her fast healing, she doubted she needed to wait for it to heal. She was still surprised at how getting a tattoo the normal way worked on her supernatural skin; she'll just have to ask the others about it later.

"So, why'd you even get a tattoo in the first place?" Spencer wondered.

"I got dared to," she lied effortlessly. "It's not anything stupid, though. Don't worry too much."

"Yeah? Then what design did you get?" Elle asked.

"It's this symbol," she began to explain. "A very meaningful one in our culture. Since us Quileutes are all about wolves, and believing in our spiritual ties to them...yeah."

"That's sweet."

"It is," Derek finally smiled. "You definitely don't need to have tattoos with meaning, but having one is definitely special. Wish you didn't pass out while getting it, though."

She sighed. "Not all of us have superhuman pain tolerance. And can handle the sight of needles."

"Regardless," Gideon cut in. "We are...proud...of you for getting a tattoo...and for passing out while getting it."

"Thanks, Gid, knew I could count on your support for my dumbass decisions in life."

"That wasn't support, that was acceptance of your dumb decisions in life."

"Ouch."

"What are we talking about?" May heard JJ's voice come through, and she assumes the liaison took a break from her work to join the others. "Is that May?"

"It is indeed BAU's very own May Black, who decided to get a tattoo on a dare and proceeded to pass out in the middle of getting it," Penelope butt in, the grin on her face obvious with the tone of her voice. "But we love her all the same, don't we?"

JJ giggled. "Yes, we do!"

"So when are you getting back?" Derek cut in, his words causing everyone else to discreetly share amused looks—all bar Spencer who had rolled his eyes. "We miss you."

Elle fake coughed. "I bet you do."

May, who didn't hear the woman's words, laughed. "I miss you guys too! And don't worry, I'll be back before you know it. Right now, the only solid plan I have is to spend Christmas at home. As for New Years, we'll see. I'll let you guys know."

"Alright," Spencer spoke up, finally picking up his phone, taking May off speaker. He pressed the device to his ear, shooting a quick glare at Derek as he asked, "how you holding up?"

"I'm definitely not sick anymore, if that's what you're hinting at," she huffed. "I've been doing well, better even."

"Then why are you stalling to get back to DC? I'm not saying you shouldn't spend time with your family, but come on."

"Fine," sighing, she admitted, "dad and I are mending our relationship. And I'm also trying to get back to my brother's good graces...without reuniting with his childhood crush who I may or may not have always disliked. Anyway, I kinda just..."

"Want to take a break?"

"Yeah," she whispered, breathing in deeply as she thought over the fact that she wasn't even resting; not when she's set to train as both a wolf and a supernaturally strong 'human', all while having to go through training herself to travel between this world and the after. "It's kind of hard to relax, though. I got used to doing something that not doing something feels wrong."

"It happens," he spoke. "Especially since you're a workaholic like me."

"Well, that just means you and I never get the time to relax," she laughed.

The Black family used to celebrate Christmas like most American families; a tree lit up brightly in the living room, stockings around the fireplace that had each of their names stitched onto them, a lot of food, and a lot of presents. But after the death of the matriarch, it seems like they lost their light.

Every Christmas now felt gloomy and, well, sad.

May could still remember their first Christmas without Sarah Black. It seemed like none of them wanted to celebrate. But for the sake of granting her final wish—to keep on living happy as if she never really left—they did their best.

But it all ended in disaster. May was the only one old enough to know how to navigate the kitchen, but she'd locked herself away in her room. So, the twins stepped up. But they burned their dinner, all while Jacob was at a friend's house. With Billy deteriorating physical health, he was no help either, as much as he wanted to be.

Which resulted in all of them celebrating Christmas separated, like shattered glass of a plate that was dropped on the floor. All scattered, all damaged, all irreparable.

It was pitiful, and thinking back on it had regret blooming deep within May's soul.

So for this Christmas, despite the twins being in separate states, she wanted to have a somewhat good Christmas.

She wasn't a good cook by any means, the talent completely skipping her. But she was good at following instructions. So, a cook book was all she needed. And after buying all the necessary ingredients for the meal she wanted them to have, she began her conquest.

In between cooking four different dishes, she was decorating the Christmas tree she forced Sam and Jared to haul into their small house. Both boys were given open invitations, and they had accepted; albeit a little hesitantly because of their 'reputation' in the eyes of Jacob Black. But May insisted, and the two were now also helping her prepare.

Sam was especially grateful for the invitation, as he and his dad don't exactly have the relationship that most father-son duos have. In fact, their relationship is practically non-existent, because Joshua Uley is the type of person that should not have been a parent.

Jared, on the other hand, only had his mother, who was sadly on duty on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So, spending his time with the Blacks was a welcomed idea.

Now, as May headed back to the kitchen, the two shapeshifters clamored to get the house decorated on time.

The first to arrive home was Jacob, who had to stop by the doorway just to take in the look of his home.

"Uhh..."

"Jacob," May greeted. "I'm preparing dinner for us." She pointed at Sam and Jared. "I invited them over. You remember Sam, don't you? I used to babysit him. And Jared, you've probably seen him at school."

"Yeah, I know them," he furrowed his brows. "And they're celebrating Christmas with us?"

"Mhmm."

"Where's Dad?" He gave her a confused look.

"On his way," she told him. "Why don't you freshen up and come join us after."

"...okay..."

Soon enough, while Jacob was showering, Billy came home, wheeling himself into the living room. He didn't really realize the state of his house until a couple minutes after he positioned himself in front of the fireplace. His eyes zeroed in on the Black children's childhood stockings.

In order: Accalia, stitched on a red stocking that had old marker drawings that she did when she was 5; Rachel, stitched on a green stocking with star-shaped stickers that were peeling off; Rebecca, stitched on an identical green stocking, but with glued on sequins instead; and finally Jacob, stitched on a red, green, and white striped stocking.

"May, what's...oh," he looked around with wide eyes full of wonder. May couldn't help but assume he began reminiscing on the times when they were whole; when they were happy, and actually acted like a family. "It's...very festive."

"As it should be, dad," May smiled, placing everything on their dining table before walking towards him. She leaned down to press a kiss on his forehead, before kneeling in front of him so they were eye-level. "I know I haven't been the best daughter to you, nor the best older sister to my siblings. But these past couple of days have been a fucking rollercoaster. I just...now that I'm here, and knowing I won't be back in DC for a while, I just thought that maybe it's about high time we celebrate Christmas again. I don't have any presents or anything, but--"

"Presents aren't necessary," Billy spoke, eyes suspiciously watery. "But I do have something that might be familiar to you. Your mom wanted you to have it back, but I never really...I wanted to give it to you in person. But you were...you don't really go home as much as I would have liked--"

"I--"

"There's no need to apologize," he told her, cupping her cheek tenderly. "You're here now, that's what matters."

He gestured her to follow him, and she did. As they passed the two shifters, Billy gave them each a nod of acknowledgment before he wheeled himself into his room. Sat on the bedside table that Sarah once occupied were wooden sculptures May immediately recognized.

As a child, May was surrounded by parents who were artistically inclined. Sarah was gifted with making baskets, while Billy had a talent for wood carving. Both activities were exciting for the child, so she quickly forced her parents to teach her. But it was ultimately wood carving that stole her heart.

The first sculpture she made was a wolf.

And the better she got at it, the more wolves she created. She ended up making a total of six for this collection. The first wolf she made was about the size of a mug, the second a little smaller. Up until she reached her sixth, which was half the size of the first.

It represented her family.

After completion, she glued them to a slab of wood, keeping them together. Then, she gifted it to her mother.

"Your mother treasured it very much," Billy told her. "But it's yours now. Something to remember us by."

"It's not like I'd ever forget," she sniffled.

Billy sighed. "Truthfully, it feels like it sometimes."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be," he shook his head. "I told you, you being here is what matters."

She walked forward and grabbed her art, holding it gently in her arms. "Merry Christmas, dad."

"Merry Christmas." 

author's note: important psa!!

i know for a fact that stephanie meyer used the quileutes solely for her benefit. much of what's canon is not at all true in real life (obviously, not including the actual supernatural side of it). this includes the design of the tattoo used in the movies; it is in no way "special" to the quileutes in any way. i am just going off of the twilight saga itself, not the real tribe. 

i try to incorporate the true quileutes and their real culture as much and as often as i possibly can, but know that a majority of what's written about them on this book is fictitious. i just wanna get that out there because, at times, writing about the quileutes through stephanie's eyes feels wrong, especially with the knowledge that they did not receive anything from the earnings of the series, in both the book and movie series.

sorry for the rant, i'm just feeling real guilty about it for some reason.

anyway, here's a christmas special!!! it's honestly a bunch of ideas that i wanted to put out but could not write a whole chapter on, so i just compiled them, and hoped to god it's coherent.

again, happy holidays to all of you!