(December, 1986)

Yule has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Aside from the fact that I've always loved winter (really, I love all of the seasons in their own ways...but autumn and winter are my favorites), Yule has always represented to me the very best that humanity has to offer.

When I was a little girl, it was pretty much the only time of the year when everyone in town was nice to me. Adults laid no ridicule on me, and the town kids let me join in the snowball fights and help make snowmen. Maybe it was easier to forget how odd I was with a thick woolen hat covering my pale golden hair and pointed ears. Maybe they just felt that nobody should be left out of the celebration. I'd like to think it was the latter...but realistically, I know the former is more likely.

During the ten years I was apprenticed to Jonathan Tremane in Dublin, Yule was pretty much the only time I got to see my mother for any significant length of time. For the first couple of years, Jonathan sent me home alone for the twelve day holiday, saying it was important for me to keep my connection to my roots and with my mother without his interference. Later, after I turned sixteen, he finally gave in to my mother's annual invitation to join us...the first year, only for two days at the end of the holiday for the big Yule feast.

The following year, having discovered how amazing my mother's cooking is, he stayed for four days. Then six days the year after that, and by the time I was reviewing for my Mage exams he was staying for pretty much the whole holiday. I didn't realize it then, but he was already subtly courting my mother. Mom thinks it's cute that I never noticed.

Yule has always been a special time of year for me.

So much had happened since last Yule that I was rather relieved when the joint Sending arrived from Jonathan and my mom.

Late one evening in the first week of December, a spectral snowy owl - which looked very much like my mother's familiar Apollo - swooped into the room I shared with Athena and Artemis and changed into a translucent image of my mom and new step-father standing side by side. My mother looked happy. Jonathan looked almost comically nervous. I knew from a conversation with him earlier in the year that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the 'family' thing yet.

"We've just finished moving into our new place in Swindon," mom began, "And wanted to invite you to join us for Yule."

"We're not really done unpacking," Jonathan interrupted, running his fingers through his hair, "And we know you were in Swindon just a few months ago - you all spotted the house for us, after all - but this is your home too, and we'd love to have you here for the holiday…"

My mom elbowed him gently before he could really get to babbling. "That includes your sisters, of course," she said smoothly, "And you should extend an invitation to Hollis and Elsie if they want to get away from the city for a couple of days."

"The house is big enough," Jonathan explained.

"And do invite Ben," My mother continued as if he hadn't said anything. "We haven't seen either of you since you returned to London, and we'd hate for anyone close to you to be stuck in that dreary city during Yule."

The city was hardly dreary, and was especially festive during Yule…but mom had never liked cities. That was one reason why they'd compromised by settling in Swindon. There was a small Druidic community nearby in Avebury that mom could open up relations with (and who weren’t aligned with the Eire Druid’s Circle), and Swindon itself was just large enough for Jonathan to "feel like he was in civilization" (as mom jokingly put it).

As for Ben...it'd probably be a good experience for him. I'd asked him a few days before if he had any plans for Yule - the leading sort of question one asks when one's boyfriend never mentions any family - and his response had been noncommittal and uninterested. When I'd pressed gently, he'd admitted to never having had much use for the holiday, as he'd always seen it as a family holiday, and he never had any family to speak of.

That had been a revelation, and maybe helped explain why he'd worked so hard to help me piece myself back together after having known me for such a short time. When you'd never had anybody, suddenly having someone would make that person so much more meaningful. I kind of understood that, since for many years the only family I'd had was my mother. May the gods help anyone who tries to harm the people I now considered family.

So...perhaps it was time to show Ben what having a family meant. If it didn't terrify him into fleeing, he'd definitely be a keeper. (As if he weren't already.)

"Anyway," Jonathan said, "Do let us know your plans, and we'll get rooms ready for anyone who wants to come. We won't even stick Ben in the cellar."

"Decent of them," Athena said dryly from where she was lounging on the window seat.

At the same time, my mother dug her elbow into Jonathan's ribs again. "Jon! Ignore him, Alys. Try to bring Ben along. We love you honey, and we'll see you soon."

Jonathan smiled and nodded, as close as he'd actually come to admitting he loved me thus far. But that was okay. Part of his mind - a large part - still saw me as his apprentice. And I had a hard time thinking of him as anything other than my former Master. So it would have been a little weird if he did anyway.

Their translucent image faded away.

"So," Athena said, sitting up and putting her feet on the floor. "Are we going to invite Ben?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked with a smile, getting up from my desk and stretching. "Absolutely we're asking him. If I have to tie him up and sling him over my shoulder to get him to go, I will."

Ben is a good six inches taller and about three stone heavier than I am, and it's all muscle. The mental image of me carrying him - bad knee notwithstanding - must have been too much for Athena. She almost collapsed laughing, her amusement suffusing me. I grinned at her.

Artemis, sprawled on her back on the bed with her fore paws curled under her chin and her hind paws splayed without any thought for dignity (when a cat - any cat - relaxes, they really relax), sighed gustily. >

"True enough," Athena said between giggles, wiping her eyes.

I smiled. "I'm going to go ask Hollis if he and Elsie would like to join us."

"Do you think they will?" Athena asked.

I grabbed my cane and headed for the door. My limp wasn't as bad as it had been, but improvement was slow, and having had plenty of warnings I now preferred not to risk it even indoors. "Probably not," I admitted, "But I'd like to make the offer anyway."

Hollis smiled at the offer and politely declined. "Elsie and I like a quiet Yule," he explained. "We might go to the theater once or twice, but otherwise we take the opportunity to shut out the world for a few days and just enjoy the peace. But I really do appreciate the invitation. It's very kind of you."

Sitting across his desk from him, I smiled and shrugged. "You'd be very welcome. But I don't blame you. Yule seems to be a time of peace and reflection for a lot of people."

"I assume you'll be burning a Yule log?" He asked with a smile.

"I'd be surprised if we didn't," I returned his smile. "Mom always liked to get the biggest one she could, and her old fireplace was pretty big. I imagine she'll bully Jonathan into getting one."

Hollis laughed. "Yes, I can see that. I was absolutely charmed by your mother when I met her in May, and I can definitely see her keeping my old friend under her thumb. Dear girl, go home, enjoy the holiday. Take your boyfriend and let them torment him a bit."

I giggled. "Oh, I'll get him there if I have to drag him by the ears."

“Don’t forget to collect some of the ashes of the Yule log,” Hollis added. “They’re a powerful component for protective and luck enchantments, and it’s the only time of the year you can obtain them.”

"I don't know about this, Alys," Ben's voice said in my ear the next morning. I had reached him by telephone in his office at Scotland Yard (a rarity in and of itself...his office tended to collect dust and closed files, and not much else) and immediately sprung the invitation on him.

"Come on," I cajoled gently. "It'll be fun. We can build a snowman, have snowball fights, drink cocoa in front of a roaring fire…"

"As long as it's not me on fire," Ben said dryly.

"Bentley Donovan," I said, my voice rippling with amusement, "Are you scared of my parents?" It felt strangely good to say 'parents' instead of mother. I'd have to find some way to tease Jonathan with the statement while we were visiting.

He sighed. "Isn't every guy afraid of his girlfriend's parents?"

"But you already know my parents," I said in a soothing, reasonable tone.

"I respect Jonathan a lot," he replied, "And your mother was a godsend during the first few weeks of your therapy...but I'm not sure about spending several days with them as your boyfriend…" He trailed off into silence, then sighed again. "Will it make you happy?"

"Yes," I said without having to think about it. "I finally have more family than just my mom, and I want as many of them there for the holiday as possible."

When he replied, his voice was warm and affectionate. "For you, love, I'd move mountains. All right, when do we leave?"

His words warmed me deeply. "I'll let you know as soon as I've finalized arrangements. You'll be able to get away?"

"I have enough vacation time stacked up, and have covered it for others often enough to take the holiday," he said. "You just let me know when you want to leave, and I'll be there to pick you and your sisters up. But don't be surprised if I get called in to do something."

"I won't be," I said with a sigh. I was well aware that because of the regular increase in supernatural activity that occurred around major holidays, Ben - and therefore I - might get called to look into something. "As long as nobody asks us to investigate sightings of the Wild Hunt," I added. "The idea of having anything to do with Herne or the Erl King really doesn't appeal to me." Especially since I now knew that they might, technically, be relatives on my father's side. That was just too creepy.

"Fervently seconded," Ben replied with a laugh. "No Wild Hunt, check. I'd better go. Am I still picking you up for dinner and the theater tonight?"

"I hope so," I replied teasingly. "Otherwise that new green silk dress I bought is going to go to waste."

"Is that the one you picked up while we were out two days ago?"

"Yes it is," I smiled. While relatively modest, with a high halter-style neck and bare shoulders, it was tight and came scandalously close to being too short for current styles...which meant it stopped about an inch above my knees. My mother probably would have had a heart attack if she saw me in it...either that, or gone out to get one herself. Thank goodness Hollis was generous with my salary.

There was a long pause, and when Ben spoke again he sounded a little breathless. "We can't have that going to waste. I'll see you at six?"

"I'll be waiting." I practically purred it into the receiver and was rewarded with a gulp and a clatter as he fumbled the phone while trying to hang it up.

Athena, sitting nearby, giggled as I hung up the phone. "He's going to explode soon if you keep doing that."

"Fun, isn't it?" I gave her a wicked grin, then sat back and sighed. "I wish you could've been there when I studied with those Tantric mages."

She blushed. "I've seen some of your memories of them. I'm not sure I could've handled it."

"Oh, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment for the first couple of weeks," I laughed and closed my eyes. "I never thought I'd look back on those months with fondness. But I find myself very glad of the lessons now."

"Because they let you drive Ben up the wall?"

I opened my eyes and smiled at her. "That too."

Athena looked at me curiously, cocking her head to one side, her feline ears shifting thoughtfully as she considered my statement. Then her tail twitched and she smiled. "Because you can enjoy flirting with Ben without being embarrassed by it."

I nodded. "Precisely so." I stretched and rose. "I want to cast a Sending to mom and Jonathan so we can start making plans. Then we still have time to do a bit of research before lunch."

Three weeks later found us waiting out in front of Hollis's townhouse for Ben to pick us up. It had snowed heavily the previous day - a minor miracle in London - coating everything in a pretty layer of clean white and reminding me powerfully of precisely why I was looking forward to getting out of the city for a few days. Don't get me wrong, living in a city has its benefits...quite a lot of them. But it also had a tendency to dull your sense as a self-defense mechanism against all of the sights, smells and general noise that a city generates. I was looking forward to getting out into the countryside, reconnecting with nature and letting my senses run wild and free again.

And giving my familiars more room to play in the snow. Athena sprinted past, wearing boots and a jacket for a change and giggling madly. A moment later, Artemis - already covered in snow, thus the chase - caught up to her and tackled her into the low snowbank I'd made while using magic to clear the sidewalk and a path to the door and street earlier that morning. There was a brief scuffle that resulted in Athena reclining in the snowbank, laughing gleefully as Artemis padded regally back over to sit beside me where she'd been before Athena's snowball had struck her.

> she reported, shaking the snow from her fur. >

"I've heard that can happen," I replied with a smile, bending to brush some of the snow from the top of her head. "Take pity on her."

> Artemis groomed one of her fore paws pointedly.

I chuckled. The one thing my familiars differed on opinion-wise were the benefits of Athena's being Elevated. Athena was of the opinion that it was the best thing that had ever happened to her - not only because it brought her that much closer to me…

And here we get into a problem of semantics. Traditionally, familiars refer to their owners (and I do - legally - own them, however odd that feels to me) as master or mistress. I had grown uncomfortable with that, having a closer relationship with my familiars than many spellcasters, and had asked them to use my name or call me 'sister,' since that's how I thought of them. They had taken to it like fish to water...but I occasionally got strange and sometimes disapproving looks when Athena was so familiar with me in public. Pardon the pun.

Anyway, Athena felt being Elevated had not only brought her closer to me, but had made her life easier in many ways. After all, she could now pick things up, use tools, read and write, communicate with anyone effortlessly, and all of the myriad other benefits that being humanoid brings.

Artemis, by contrast, felt no need to communicate with anyone but me or Athena - unless you counted getting Ben to pet her or her friendship with Hollis's housekeeper Elsie, an Elevated mouse familiar (wrap your mind around that one for a moment). She felt that doing anything which required tools was what humans were for, along with providing for her care and comfort. In other words, she was very much a cat, and took every opportunity to tease Athena - lovingly - about not really being one anymore.

The debate was usually fun to watch, and neither of them took it seriously. Sometimes I thought that maybe there were doing it for my amusement.

Athena approached, brushing snow from her jacket and bodysuit beneath. She was dressed in largely the same style she usually did, her only concessions to the cold and snow a pair of warm boots and a matching jacket. Otherwise, she simply didn't seem to feel the low temperature unless it was wickedly cold or if there was a strong wind. Only once or twice the previous winter had she bundled up, and both times it had been at night and during stormy conditions.

By common consent, we had packed all of our tools for work - including her shieldblade and gun - in my bottomless bag, which was sitting on the ground by my feet, with my utility belt wound around the outside of it. The only tool that hadn't gone into the bag was my cane, for obvious reasons.

Athena looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow. "That's a different look for you."

I shrugged. "I lost the bet. And you have to admit, he chose good colors for me, at least."

Athena looked me up and down again, then smiled. "True enough. It's a good look for you. And those leggings are doing wonderful things for your calves."

Ben was very taken with the fashion of women wearing cotton-lycra leggings and oversized sweaters during the winter. I had never seen the appeal...I didn't usually wear clothing that was either too tight or too loose, as prior to arriving in London 'tight' had been synonymous with 'leather' and 'tough to move quickly in,' and loose meant 'easy to snag on things or be caught by.' Discovering that there were fabrics that could be both tight and comfortable to move in had been something of a revelation. (Which makes the suburb of Killarney I'd grown up in sound more backwards than it really was - it was just very traditional, and I'd had no time or interest to waste on fashion during my apprenticeship.)

Two weeks earlier, Ben had managed to get me involved in a case involving a family group of trolls that had taken up residence beneath one of the bridges that runs across the Thames. Since it wasn't the bridge, the city had passed it off to Scotland Yard to deal with, and Ben had received permission from his superiors to ask for my help. Going into it, we'd made a bet - I won't go into the specifics of what the conditions were - with the stakes being that if he lost, I got to choose his outfit to wear when we went to Swindon, and if I lost, he got to choose mine.

I lost. It had been kind of embarrassing, and I'd had to replace the coat I was wearing at the time.

Note to those who are interested in doing this sort of thing for a living: Troll slime feels foul, smells awful, and doesn't come out of oilcloth. Also, don't burn it to dispose of it. Really, just don't.

Ben had shown up two days later bearing several boxes from a clothier he knew I liked in downtown London - the same shop which made most of Athena's clothes and all of my under-armor, in fact. They'd already had my measurements, so he'd had no trouble getting an outfit custom-made for me. The outfit in question? Dark green leggings that were perfectly fitted for my legs, an oversized cable-knit turtle-necked sweater in dark browns and reds, and a pair of low-heeled leather ankle boots that matched the sweater.

To go under the sweater, he'd had the shopkeeper (a lovely older woman named Mrs. Fenley, who always made me think of what a grandmother should be like - plump, friendly and always fussing over her customers) make a special bodysuit for me. At a glance, it had appeared to be a simple cotton-lycra bodysuit in a dark green that matched the leggings, with a full back, bare shoulders and a mock turtleneck. But there was a shimmery quality to the fabric that had told me at a glance that there was something unusual about it, and when I'd touched it I'd felt the magic in the fabric.

There was a note included (in Mrs. Fenley's elegant handwriting) letting me know that it was a new fabric she was experimenting with and that she'd appreciate my feedback once I'd been using it for a while. The fabric itself was woven with a mix of Kevlar fibers and finely extruded titanium mesh, then heavily enchanted for flexibility, durability, all-weather comfort and stain resistance (seriously). The end result was a garment that was as thin and light as silk, as form-fitting as a fitted racing-style bathing suit, and highly resistant to penetration. According to her note, it would be extremely difficult to cut or penetrate with blades, and would stop most small and medium caliber bullets entirely. Additionally, it had some minor defensive magic woven into it (using the titanium mesh) that would disperse some of the energy of heat, cold and electric-based spells that struck it, as well absorbing some kinetic energy.

It must have cost Ben a small fortune, but by the time I'd finished getting dressed I'd already resolved to try to get a few more.

All told, the outfit was surprisingly comfortable and warm enough for cold weather. Comfortable, sexy and practical. When you've got a boyfriend who can think in terms of all three at once, you wear what he buys for you and thank the gods that he's more intelligent and sensitive than 90% of men. Also, he had accepted the habit I'd gotten into of wearing my armor all the time, in spite of it having come about due to feeling vulnerable after my injuries...and found a way for me to wear something that was lighter and more comfortable for casual-wear than my usual reinforced leather bodysuits, while still providing some protection.

I really did love him.

As if thinking of him had summoned him, Ben pulled up to the curb in an unfamiliar car - probably drawn from the Scotland Yard motor pool - and waved before climbing out and coming towards us.

Until a year ago, automobiles had been something of a novelty to me. Sure, they'd had some in Dublin...but where I'd grown up outside Killarney they were almost completely unheard of. Steam and magic-driven cars were still a bit too expensive for everyone to own one, but the prices were coming down quickly. There had been a couple of attempts over the years to expand into the use of refined oil as a cheap fuel source, but it had never caught on - it smelled bad, generated more pollution than any sane person would be comfortable with, and the refining process had been too easy to gain a monopoly over. The three companies that had tried to make a go out of it had driven themselves out of business within five years.

It had taken me a few months after arriving in London to get used to the idea of being to simply call for a cab (or flag one down) to take me somewhere for a fairly reasonable fee. Cab services; making life easier for professional Mages every day.

Ben stopped a few feet away, his eyes drifting down to my legs and back up. "I wasn't really sure you'd wear it. You look good."

I smiled up at him. "It's very comfortable, actually. Shall we go?" I bent to pick up the bag...only to discover that Athena had silently scooped it up already. She gave me a winsome smile and trotted lightly down the walk towards the car, her tail swishing back and forth jauntily. Artemis rubbed up against Ben's leg before following her sister.

"She's going to have to start letting me do things for myself again eventually," I said quietly.

"She will," Ben assured me, "When she's ready. And when you stop being agitated by it."

"I’m not…"

"You're tapping your cane," he said gently.

I looked down and realized he was right. I was rhythmically tapping my cane on the walk. "Damn," I muttered, forcing myself to stop, then sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me today. I'm all out of sorts."

He took the last couple of steps to me and hugged me, bending to give me a warm kiss. "You're allowed. It's Yule, and I'm sure that somewhere in the back of your mind you're thinking 'I didn't have to walk with a cane last year,' or something of the sort."

"You know me far too well, Ben Donovan."

He smiled and turned, looping an arm around my shoulders and leading me down to the car. "It was in the job description. 'Wanted,'" his voice turned into a theater announcer's voice, "'Boyfriend, must be tall, handsome, strong, and psychic.' I have to work hard to fill the requirements, but it's worth it."

I laughed and gave him a one-armed hug, then let him hand me into car's passenger seat. Athena and Artemis had already taken over the back seat, and Ben hurried around to climb back in on the driver's side. He turned up the heat a little to warm the inside of the car back up, put it in gear, and slowly pressed the accelerator down carefully to pull away from the curb without sliding on the slippery streets. Then he grinned and picked up speed, heading for the motorway. "We're off!"