https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf3/outpost42/notes/63835/

snip

“Okay… here is the dear Molly dolly, if you want these then you need to grab them… if I go to jail for taking them you are going to go with me too.” Nathan said with a humorous tone as he knelled down and lifted up the little girl as he perched her up on his shoulders which allowed the little girl a chance to grab the candy with her little hands as she began to sort through the candy as he could see from the edges of his vision as he tried to peer as it appeared her arms were now full the treats.

“I gots dem all,” she said proudly as one Recee’s tree slipped from the piles in her arms plunking Nathan on his head before it landed on the floor.

“Did we leave any for other people Molly dear… ” Nathan said with a hint of worry, wondering if maybe this wasn’t as good of an idea to let her just grab into the jar unattended.

“Nope I gots them all ‘cept for the one you let fall to the ground,” Molly answered leaning in his arms to find the one lying a few inches from Nathan’s right foot. “We can get that one when you put me down,” she offered a logical solution.

“Some people might want some to”

“Maybe but if they do they can just ask you to get them one when the jar is filled back up,” she said cheerfully.

”… maybe leave a couple back doll.” he said as he heard a small huff as her heard her put a few back before he felt a wiggle as she tried to get back to the ground. As she landed Nathan looked up and grabbed the jar and saw only two were put back as he couldn’t help but smirk at the little girls gumption.

“You said leave a couple. A couple means two right Aunt Chloe,” Molly looked at her innocently. Deep down Molly knew Nathan wanted her to leave some but she did leave exactly what he told her too.

“I did say leave a couple didn’t I?” he said out loud as he looked down at the little girl who seemed to have the most innocent look on her face as he couldn’t help but love the fact that she did exactly what he asked to a T. “Well… we better run before they find us and take them away go run little one I one distract them!” he said aloud in a playful tone, assuming someone would round her up before letting her consume 4,000 calories of pure sugar.

Nathan Harland

“Okay. Meet me in the living room,” she called out as she scampered away as fast as her stocking feet could carry her. What wasn’t apparent until now was exactly how many trees Molly had confiscated. Nathan had never seen the initial amount in the jar. Not having big enough hands, Molly turned to the only thing she could to use to transport her secret contraband candy: her dress. Filling her top with as many as she could, Molly turned the white candy cane embroidered top into a makeshift basket to hold more than the one just in her arms.

Chloe laughed as Recce peanut butter trees began to fall out from inside her dress leaving a solid trail for someone to follow. “She’s doing the Hansel and Gretel thing,” Chloe laughed picking up the three pieces within her reach on the floor.

“This is gonna be trouble… you remember that goat that got released by Kelly? The chaos… children don’t compare to that.” Nathan said as he looked at Chloe with a slightly worried scowl as he wondered what his next move should be. Looking behind he her some shuffling from behind as he turned to find a woman who seemed older than time itself.

“Chloe are you going to make the potatoes or are we just going to skip them,” her Aunt Edna grumbled from the counter.

“Edna,” Jen hushed her. “She has a guest.”

“And I haven’t eaten since breakfast. He is also in the military. He is a big boy. I bet he is hungry too,” Edna shot back. It would not take Nate long to realize Edna not only liked her food. She also liked it on time. “Besides I need to take my medication. If we are changing the caroling to before church I need to eat,” she announced loudly.

“Caroling?” Nathan said as he looked over at Chloe with raised eyebrows. He didn’t know this was on the agenda. In all fairness he didn’t know any of this was on the agenda if he was frank.

“Yes about that,” Chloe wrung her hands slightly. “See your entrance was magical. I mean over the top baby but,” Chloe ran her hands down Nate’s shirt smoothing it even though it needed no attention.

“But you brought singers. Real singers and for twenty years we have been in second place for the Caroler’s trophy. My dad really wants it,” Chloe looked at him with an almost pleading expression. “I know it is a lot but if you just lip sync between me and the carolers we can cover you.” Chloe bit her lips hoping Nate was going to go with the flow. She ha no reason to think he would refuse but her family at times was a force of nature at the holidays that swept you up. If you didn’t keep up you got bashed among the holly and snowbanks.

“Chloe I can feel my sugar dropping. You are a nurse. You know how dangerous that is,” Edna moaned and groaned in the chair dabbing her forehead with a tissue that appeared from nowhere.

“Chloe check Edna’s blood pressure. She is our soprano. We can’t lose her. Stop playing house in the kitchen and help your mother and Aunt’s,” her father bellowed from somewhere in the house.

“Okay… you take care of the elderly I’ll take care of the children… we’ll meet up later and plan to take over the rest.” he said with a wink.

“Did I ever tell you that I think you are the bomb,” she beamed up at Nathan. Did I ever tell you I doodle my name as Mrs. Harland when I am bored between shift?

“Choe,” her mother yelled again.

“Coming,” Chloe rolled her eyes looking at Nate. “You sure you are not going to disappear out the back if I take my eyes off you. Run for the hills. Leave us for a nice quiet bed and breakfast,” she winked at him.

In the living room, Nathan would see a pile of candy only rivaled by a pile you might expect on Halloween night. For as big as the pile was, however, it visually did not seem to match what should have been in a full jar of candy. There were also several more kids in the room looking at the coveted cache. “You can have one,” Molly said to her cousin Sharon. “They are not mine. Half are Uncle Nathan’s and he said we could only have a couple so,” Molly began to pass out one tree to each kid in the room. “you can,” she continued to give out the trees, “one each. No more,” Molly warned pulling the remaining trees into a pile between her legs.

As Nathan finally announced his presence in the room, Molly pulled her legs into an Indian style position to hide the loot. Fluffing her dress over her knees to conceal it all, she smiled up at Nathan. The candy canes are on the tree,” she pointed to the large tree covered in various ornaments. “You can have as many as you like.”

“Well that is very kind of you, but I do have to ask… what happened to all those peanut butter trees… you had so many if I recalled? There was tons of them, overflowing and abundant. You wouldn’t be holding out on Uncle Nathan now would you? I would hate to have to bring out the tickle monster again…” he said as he looked at her then to the other kids. If he knew one thing about his army of cousins, they always tried to compete but if one person went after one of them they went after them all.

“Nope I shared them all,” Molly held up her hands showing them they were empty.

“She did not. They are,” Cara said rolling her eyes but not looking up past her communicator screen. She would have continued but saw Nate raise a hand silencing her. Cara debated on saying something but so far Nate seemed cool. Instead, she took a pic of him uploading it to Immediagram with the caption My Uncle Nate?!?!?!?! He’s all that but we are not sure if it includes chips…yet. The image was of him surrounded by her cousins staring up longly like he was their hero.

Kevin did the math. Molly might be holding out but this Nathan was tall and an adult. He could down three times the amount of sugar they did and no one would say a word. They had to keep the stash to themselves and steal more from Molly later. “Have a candy cane,” he said standing up near Molly.

“Okay… fair enough… then I am gonna have to just count to three, and I don’t get my share the monster is coming for you all.”

“Have a candy cane,” said a voice as another child stood in the room.

”… 3”

“Have a candy cane,” a softer feminine voice was added to the mix.

… 2…”

“Have a candy cane,” said another which was followed by a solemn chat low and bold as if a thousand voices were mounting together to defend what all children thought was their rightful gift at Christmas.

Before one could be said Nathan swooped down and took Molly in his arms as candy seemed to scatter from under her like she was some kind of chicken laying eggs as he began to tickle her.

“You want her back you gotta get me…” he said to the yells as the children seemed to form up around him, becoming ankle biters as they seemed to become weights around his legs as he began to walk through the place like some monster as he stomped through with no regard of any of the prying eyes around him.

Nathan Harland

“Keep him from the trees,” Kevin bellowed as Molly squealed with laugher being twirled over his head.

Godzilla or Candy Stealer which is worse Cara Immediagrammed another image of Nathan but this time he was stumbling about like the great Japanese monster missing presents unlike the beast that laid waste to Tokyo. What wasn’t surviving was the Recee trees that were being systematically crushed by shoe sizes ranging from fifteen to three.

“What is going on here,” Jen Kendrick said half laughing half-serious. “Kevin, Dylan get off of Nate. Nate if you fall into my tree you are going to put it back up. Cara, get your feet off the furniture. Molly, you had better eat dinner,” she looked at the lot.

“Dinner’s ready,” Jen said immediately causing the stampede of children to leave the attack on Nate and head to the dining room. It was not about the food but more the tradition. You ate, went to church and then got presents. She had a small smile thinking about the whines when they found out life was changing but that was the great thing about life and traditions. They changed all the time.

“Lemme dowwwwwwn,” Molly squirmed around hard until her stocking feet hit the floor. There was no way she was going to be miss eating.

Jen stood in the door as the kids cleared out of the room looking at Nathan. “Have a second,” she asked.

“You made my daughter’s Christmas,” she said with a smile. “I am not sure what you two had going on but since July I have not thought you two were just friends. So are you official now,” she asked genuinely interested in his response?

“Good. I like you. No come eat. We have a big night,” she said exiting the room.

==============
Christmas Dinner
==============

“Don’t eat the jello,” Chloe said as the bowls began to circulate the table taking it from Nate before he had a chance to scoop some out. “Edna mixes flavors and not always for the best. Save it as dessert and push it around the plate,” she whispered in his ear.

“So Nathan what ship are you on an what exactly do you do. Chloe says you are a doctor,” Chloe’s father asked causing the previously loud chatter to end abruptly.

“Must get paid a lot for that. What do you make a year,” Frank asked not caring about how crass that sounded. If his nephew in law was going to be rich, there was no reason for him not to know about it sooner rather than later.

“Frank,” Barbara put a hand on her husband’s arm but did not stop or retract the question.

“What? I just want to know he can take care of our Chloe Joey one day,” he protested.

“Not much rhymes with Chloe so they call me joey and made the critter my family animal. We all have one,” Chloe explained her nickname in a low tone as they got off how much his yearly credit salary was. “There is Molly Collie, Jen hen, Drew Emu, Cara Beara,” she started to go around the table. “Frank is bank as in piggy bank because he is so cheap,” she whispered in a lower tone close to his ear. Her breath tickled his neck and ran down over his shoulder. She was so close the scent of her perfume hung a second longer when she left letting Nate realize how much he wanted her to remain this close. “If you stay in this crazy zoo you will get a name one day,” she winked at him.

“Um....Mr. Harland....can we get paid,” one of the extras walked into the dining room all but forgotten until now. “The food is great but the kid’s table is kinda low and making our knees ache?”

“No, he will double your pay if you stay another ninety minutes,” Frank offered rapidly.

“No I will pay double…or at least double for the extra hour,” Drew seconded standing up from the table.

“Drew we haven’t had dessert yet,” Jen looked at her husband slightly annoyed.

“And we have never had that trophy yet. This is the year baby. We can have dessert when we get back. Come on....what do you say,” Drew looked at her pleadingly. “We can’t keep these people here all night so it is do it or lose it time.”

Chloe