WHO: Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray WHAT: Making cider and talking about holidays WHEN: Saturday WHERE: Their House WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Jem loved Christmas. He always had. Not the religious aspect, exactly, but the feeling in his heart throughout the season. It felt...special to him. It was a time of peace, a time of joy. A time when fighting stopped and when families came together. It was a more innocent time, or at least it wanted to be. Black Friday was thankfully in the past, so hopefully there would be no more moments like that to ruin his idealist view of the holiday.
Being from a long time in the past, he had decorated the house in the only way he knew how. Simply. There was a wreath on the door, and candles in the windows, and a tree in the living room decorated simply with just lights and garland. Having read Tefe’s post, it was a living tree, with its roots kept watered in a bag with dirt. They would replant it when the holiday was over. He had no desire to hurt or kill something.
When Tessa came home, she would smell the spiced cider he had set to simmering in their slow cooker.
Christmas was still a few weeks off, but there was no reason that they couldn’t bring the season home earlier than that. It was one of Jem’s favorite times of the year.
***
Christmas was bittersweet for Tessa here. While she was happy she got to spend the holidays with her two loves ones, it made her miss her aunt as well. For so long their family had been just the two of them, and they had been happy despite their poverty.
And she saw, too, how loss of family affected her clients. Many of them were on their own now, with their loved ones gone or living their own lives. She felt their loneliness keenly.
Coming home, however, never failed to lift her spirits - especially when she came home to the smell of spiced cider and the sight of her husband in the kitchen. She smiled and came into the kitchen. “It smells amazing in here, love.”
***
“It smells like Christmas, don’t you think?” That particular combination of spices - Cinnamon, and nutmeg, especially - always smelled that way to him. “My father used to make this when I was a little boy. At Christmas time.”
They’d celebrated Christmas at the Institute in Beijing, his parents, himself and all of the other Shadowhunters. His mother hadn’t been Christian, but she’d enjoyed the festival nonetheless, and some of Jem’s favorite memories of his parents were those times when they’d sing together and eat together, and there’d been so much laughter and happiness.
He didn’t speak of his early childhood much, and when he did it was only to Will and Tessa.
***
“It smells wonderful.” Tessa came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He felt so strong and healthy, so alive Jem had always had fire and passion in him - just in a different way than Will’s bright flame. It was so good to see and feel it in him now.
“Can you make this all year?”
***
“I doubt you’ll want it during one of Madison Valley’s scorching summers,” he said with a soft smile, warming as she put her arms around him. “But if you ask, of course I will. Anything for you.”
Since arriving in Madison Valley, so much had changed for him. He would never be as bright as Will, but he was stronger and healthier than he had ever been before. That was a blessing he thanked the Angel for over and over every day.
***
It was a fair point. Summers in Madison did get extremely hot. But it warmed her to hear his words all the same.
“You spoil me so. How did I ever get so lucky as to have you in my life?”
He was tall, but so was she; it did not take much effort to lift herself high enough to press a kiss to the back of his neck.
***
“I am the lucky one,” he said softly. He shivered a little as she kissed the back of his neck, and after stirring a bit more, he turned around to face her, his heart in his eyes. He would never try to hide the way he felt for her. He could not. He had loved her nearly from the moment he met her.
“The holiday season is always so precious when loved ones are near...is it not?”
***
Tessa did not think she would ever tire of seeing him look at her this way. She was sure her love for him was just as blindingly obvious.
”Indeed,” she said softly. “And since we have our loved ones here, let us make the best use of our holidays.”
***
“Maybe we should also host a gathering for loved ones and friends on Christmas day? I know that is not usually our thing, but I think we’ve been here long enough that people would come.”
For some reason, Jem was feeling more festive this year, and more social. A party sounded like a nice idea.
***
“Perhaps the day after,” Tessa suggested. “I have some some clients who did not have family to celebrate thanksgiving with. I would like to be able to give them a Christmas where they could be around friends and others. Do you have anyone in your clinic who might benefit from this gathering as well?”
***
“Yes, certainly.” Actually, almost everyone who came to his clinic could use a celebration. Addiction was a terrible thing in so many ways. One of them was that it cut you off completely from the people you loved, estranged you from your friends. Your life became completely about the drug, with no room for anything else.
“I am sure that many of them would like to come.”
***
“Then let’s plan that.” Tessa smiled as she recalled their conversation on the network. “Will cannot have any access to caffeine as we prepare for this.”
*** “How can we prevent it? Of course, we can make sure we don’t have any on hand here, but the moment he goes to Starbucks…”
Jem made a hand gesture as if to express the futility of it all.
***
“We could make him too busy?” Tessa ventured. “Or….”
She slowly smiled. “We could make him think it was all his idea. Will would not back down from a challenge. So perhaps we can have him challenge himself to not drink any coffee before Christmas.”
***
“Ah, now that would work perfectly, my love. If he thinks it’s his idea, he’ll be stubborn as an ox about sticking to it. Now we will only have to figure out how to manipulate him into that direction.”
A twinkle of mischief glinted in his eye.
“Do you have any ideas?”
***
Tessa shook her head. She did not have ideas - yet. But she was certain between her and Jem, they would come up with something. They knew Will so well.
“Not as of yet. But perhaps after some cider, I may be more inspired.”
***
“It should simmer a few moments longer,” he said. “To let the spices set.” He brushed her hair out of her face, then leaned in to kiss her, softly.
“Would you like something to eat, too? I went to the bakery. I’m afraid I’ve yet to master actually making cookies.”
***
Tessa would have been happy to simply stand there in his arms, kissing him, but she had a feeling the cider would burn if they started down that route.
She pulled away reluctantly, although she stayed close. “What did you bring home?”
***
“Nothing fancy, I’m afraid,” he said, turning to the sack he’d left on the counter. “Sandwiches and soup from the Downtowner.” There was nothing terribly special about the food, except that it was good quality and reliable.
***
“And here I thought I’d get cookies,” Tessa teased. He had, after all, made reference to them.
“But sandwiches are fine.” It was simple fare, but they had simple tastes.
***
He grinned. “Check the bottom of the bag.”
And indeed, under the sandwiches were a little surprise - a bag of their chocolate chip cookies, which were possibly even better than the ones at the bakery. He’d never let Tessa go disappointed.
***
Tessa made a sound of delight when she discovered the surprise. “I should have known better than to doubt you, my love.”
She moved to get some plates. “Come to the dining room when the cider is ready. I will set the table.”
Because even soup and sandwiches deserved a sit down dinner in the Carstairs-Herondale household.
***
Jem knew of no other way. Things were more formal in their day, and the way people at here - always on the run - seemed so entirely unpleasant to him.
It didn’t take much longer for the cider to finish, and when it did, he brought the whole crock-pot into the dining room so that they could refill their glasses if they wished. Using a ladle, he filled their glasses.
When they had both taken their seats, he raised his glass. “To love, to Christmas, and to the best two and a half years of my life.”
***
Tessa raised hers in turn. “To health,” she said softly. “And a future as bright as the spirits that inhabit it.”
In particular, she was thinking of Jem’s spirit, that had shined so brightly even through his illness, and that was beacon of hope and love to her now.
“Maybe it always fill those around it with light.”