Rated: PG
Pairings: Finn/Rey, Han/Leia
It was Christmas Eve, 1892, in a small town in Germany. Clara Marie “Rey” Stahlbaum was so excited for her parents' annual Christmas party, she couldn't stop dancing. Her new white dress, with it's green and red ribbon trim and fancy frilly petticoats and lace collar, twirled around her legs. Her mother Leia had given her a new pair of white shoes to match. Not the strap shoes or boots her friends still wore, but beautiful shiny white slippers with real heels. She tried so hard to peek into the doorway to the ballroom, but it remained locked tight.
Her brother Benjamin was leaning against a wall. He looked bored, as usual. He was nearly five years older than her. Everything bored him, if it didn't anger him. Mother said he was going through a stage. Rey just hoped it would pass soon. Ever since he got into long pants, he'd stopped being fun. He would sometimes play with his toy soldiers, but he made fun of her games and the little figures she'd build from old metal scraps.
“Miss Rey, please calm down!” fussed old Cedric, the tall English butler who had been with her parents for as long as she could remember. He closed the door before she could peek out of it again. “You know Mr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum like the tree to be a surprise.”
She twirled around a chair. “I just can't wait any longer, Cedric! When is the party going to start?”
“Right about now, sweetheart.” Hans Stahlbaum came in from his office. Rey thought he was the handsomest father in Germany. He had thick, silvery hair, worn longer than the fashion, bright hazel eyes that always seemed to be laughing, and a crooked little smile. Though Rey loved her mother, she was really her father's girl. “Your mother is already greeting the first guests. I was told to help Cedric bring the children in, before they burst.”
Rey fixed his tie and pulled down his brown jacket. “How do you always manage to get your suit crooked? It looks like you have wings sticking out of your back!”
“Your mother's asked me the same question for years.” He fixed his cuff links. “I have a shipping business to run. I don't have the time for fancy clothes.”
“Father, it's just Christmas.” Benjamin stuck his considerable nose in the air. “I don't see what the fuss is all about.”
“How could you not fuss about Christmas?” Rey took her father's hand. “It's my favorite time of year! There's so many things to do and toys and games and parties...and of course, dances!” She pulled him around the room, dancing wildly with him.
They had just finished when a fuzzy head appeared between the doors. Christophe, her father's valet, nodded at Hans. His heavy brown beard actually seemed to bob. He looked like a giant teddy bear in a servant's uniform. “They are ready, Monsieur Stahlbaum,” he might have said. Christophe came from France, and he had such a thick accent, Rey frequently had a hard time understanding him.
Her father had no such trouble. Christophe had been his valet for years. “We're on our way.” He took Rey's arm. “Would you mind your old papa as an escort?”
She grinned at him. “I couldn't have a better one!”
The moment she saw the tree, she forgot everything else, forgot Benjamin and being teased. It was the most enormous, shining fir tree Rey had ever seen. It extended in all directions, nearly reaching the ceiling. Mother, Cedric, and Mrs. Maz the housekeeper had decked it out in sparkling glass balls and fruit and animals, lacy fans, sugar plums wrapped in foil, candy canes, and cut-out cookies. Tiny candles flickered on the branches. A star trimmed in tin and ribbon seemed to glow at the very top. The floor beneath it was laden with packages in every shape and size. Even Benjamin gasped.
“My dear, you outdid yourself this year.” Hans leaned over his wife Leia, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Leia was the most beautiful and intelligent woman Rey had ever known. She was the town's first woman mayor, who was known for being firm but fair despite her hot temper. Her fashionable plum-colored gown, with it's sweeping skirts and soft lace collar and cuffs, made her look like a fairy queen. Thick gray-brown hair was caught up in an elegant crown of braids.
“Oh Mother, it's amazing!” Rey beamed at her. “It's the loveliest tree in the world.”
Benjamin nodded, trying not to show his delight. “It's nice.” He grabbed one of the boxes under the tree, shaking it. “Is this one for me?”
“Ben!” Hans grabbed the package. “Wait for the guests to arrive, son.”
Benjamin glared at him, returning to sulking on a chair. “I wasn't hurting it. I was just testing it.”
Rey loved their Christmas Eve party. Mother and Father always invited their closest friends. Many of their friends had children her age, and it was fun to play with them outside of school. Poe Dameron, the cheeky son of Kes Dameron of the town council and his wife Shara, came bearing a box wrapped in green tissue paper. To Rey's surprise, she could hear mewing from within.
“Open it!” He grinned. “I hope you like her.”
Rey undid the ribbon and pulled off the top. The moment the box was open, a tiny, plump orange and brown calico kitten jumped out! “Oh, Poe, she's adorable!” She cuddled the little cat in her arms. The kitten purred, leaning into her new mistress. “What's her name?”
“I call her Bee Bee the Eighth.” Poe chuckled. “She's the eighth in her litter. Our old cat had kittens a month ago. We didn't have room to keep all of them. I know you wanted a pet...”
“Poe, she's perfect! Thank you!” Rey hugged her friend, ignoring Bee Bee's mewed protests.
She received such wonderful gifts! Kay Connix gave her a new chocolate-brown velvet cape. “It's what all the ladies wear in Paris,” she insisted. “It'll keep you warm in the snow.” Kay herself was so pretty. She had golden hair that was pulled into two buns on the top of her head. Her mother was an actress and her father a successful writer of plays, so she always knew what was in style. Her white and blue dress was trimmed with fluffy fur on the collar, cuffs, and skirt.
Jessika Pava and Termmin “Snap” Wextley gave her their gift together. “We pooled our resources,” Jess insisted. Her family was from the Philippines originally. She always looked so exotic, with her almond-shaped eyes and shiny black hair. Snap was the son of a retired general who was one of her mother's advisers.
“Oh!” Rey pulled a book out of the paper. “It's on repairing those new motor cars that have started appearing. Father just bought one a few months ago. He takes us all out in it when the weather's fine. He even showed me the engine. I hope I'll get to drive one someday!”
“We know.” Snap let out a hearty laugh. “It's all you talk about, besides dancing!”
Father and Mother gave her a gorgeous doll. It was a beautiful fairy ballerina in a glittering white and gold tutu, white satin shoes, golden satin wings, and a tiara trimmed with real crystal. “That's for you, my little Rey of sunshine.” Hans gave her a hug. “We know you love to dance.”
“Take care of her, though,” Leia reminded her. “She's not your average play doll. She's a genuine collector's item from the finest toy shop in Berlin.”
“I will, Mother!” Rey hugged her doll. “I promise!”
“Honestly!” Armitage Hux was a friend of Benjamin's. His father, Bristol Hux, was on the town council and the wealthiest man in town. He was tall and slender, with short gingery hair and a thin mouth that was twisted into a perpetual sneer. “Such childish notions. Christmas is so outdated. Don't you agree, Ben?”
Ben frowned for a minute, but then he sneered. “Yeah. You act like such a kid, Rey. Why don't you grow up?”
Rey glared at him. She never let her brother pick on her! “Why don't you learn to have a little fun?”
“She's right, you know.” Poe was older, really closer to Benjamin's age than hers. He had been friends with Benjamin until he got all snooty and started to spend more time with Hux. “Christmas is a time of joy and charity, when families come together and share what they have.”
Jess put her hands on her hips. “I think you guys are the ones who need to grow up!”
“It's a time when people spend and spend and spend, without any thought to anything else.” Benjamin raised his chin stubbornly. He looked a lot like their mother when he did that. “I agree with Mr. Snoke. The holiday should be spent quietly, or not celebrated at all. Why do we need holidays anyway?”
Rey wrinkled her nose. “Why do you think so highly of Mr. Snoke? I don't like him, even if he is our tutor! I don't want to hear about how bad things are and how everything would be better if everyone did things his way. I want to learn about science and numbers and wonderful stories!”
“You're just a girl, anyway,” Benjamin grumbled. “You wouldn't understand.”
Rey smirked as a young woman who was so tall, she had to bend down to get through the doorway came in. “Would you say that around your Gwendolyn?”
Benjamin turned away and fiddled with his tie. Hux turned as red as his mop of carroty hair. Rey knew they were both sweet on Gwendolyn Phasen, the daughter of the town police chief. Rey thought that if Gwen was the police chief, crime in town would vanish overnight! Gwen was tall and strong, with short blond hair and intense blue eyes that always seemed to be boring holes into everything. Even the frilly silver and black gown she wore couldn't soften her long, lean figure.
“Hello, gentlemen,” she called, opening her black lace fan so hard, it snapped like a cap gun. “I'm so glad to see both of you tonight!”
Benjamin tugged at his collar. “You...you are?”
“I heard Mayor Stahlbaum has provided the most wonderful appetizers. I was wondering if someone would like to lead me to the table?” The moment she grinned at them from behind her fan, Benjamin and Hux both came running. Rey had a hard time not falling over laughing at the goofy, love-sick expressions on their faces.
“We'd be charmed to, my lady.” Hux kissed her gloved hand.
“Uh, yeah.” Benjamin grabbed her arm. He'd unfortunately inherited his father's idea of flirting, which was “argue with the girl until she likes you.” “How come you're always hungry? All you ever do when we're together is eat!”
Gwen wrinkled her nose and pulled her arm away. “All you ever do is criticize me. Really, you're worse than a child.”
Hux glared at him, but Ben refused to let go of her arm. They both led her over to the table laden with cakes, cinnamon star cookies, candies, nuts, sugared fruits, and almond tarts.
As Rey went to sit down with her new kitten, the door to the ballroom was suddenly flung open! A chilly wind blew snow around a small, slender figure in the doorway, making his cape fly up around his shoulders like wings. When the wind subsided, the figure pulled his cape around him, revealing only his gray-yellow hair and deep blue eyes. He swished around the room, trying to scare the children. They jumped away, giggling.
Rey knew who he was. “Uncle Luke!” She threw her arms around him, ignoring Bee Bee's squeaks. “I'm so glad you're here!”
Her uncle chuckled. “I could never fool you, my little ray of sunshine.”
Luke Drosselmeyer was a toy and clock maker, one of the best in Germany. He built the stately grandfather clock with the carved owl on top in the corner of the ballroom. He always made the children special toys just for them, especially at Christmas. He loved children. He had once been the town's teacher, but had retired many years before to concentrate on his toys and clocks.
Rey thought he was wonderful. Uncle Luke could make anything. She sometimes even helped him in his shop after her lessons. “What did you bring us, Uncle? A new doll? Or a toy car? Or a...”
“Well,” her uncle said with his big sunny grin, “why don't you look under the tree and see?”
To Rey's surprise, there were several very large packages that hadn't been there before. Father and Christophe were already pulling the top off the first. “Ooh,” Rey exclaimed at the red and gold-painted box, “a theater!”
He gathered the other guests around. “How would you all like to have a puppet show?”
Rey loved the show! She dangled the sash of her dress over Bee Bee's little paws, letting her play with it, while listening to the story of a prince who was cursed by an evil Mouse King. The King took over his lands, imprisoning the king and queen of the fairies and turning the prince into a wooden man. A smart, strong princess finally released the king and queen and kissed the prince, freeing him from the spell.
Benjamin rolled his eyes the whole time. “What tripe!” he muttered.
“Quiet.” Gwendolyn smacked his shoulder with her fan. “I want to hear the end!”
Everyone applauded when the show was over. “But wait!” Christophe and a dark-skinned young man brought the second and third large presents as Luke swished his cape again. “There's more!” The young man rolled the puppet show away. “These are some of my greatest creations.”
The children oohed and ahhed as they pulled out a life-size soldier in a chocolate-colored costume, reminiscent of the uniform of the Spanish army. A pretty Asian doll wore a lovely white blouse with a huge lace collar and a short, lacy skirt the color of ginger, with gold and red flowers in her black hair. A huge Russian Cossack marched around the room. Luke wound them up and let them dance together. Rey clapped in delight. She thought they were the most amazing things she'd ever seen!
The young man who helped with the packages stood off to the side. He was handsome in his simple black and white suit, with soft skin the color of coffee and gentle dark eyes. He too watched rapturously. “Aren't they amazing?” Rey asked him.
The young man nodded. “Mr. Drosselmeyer is a true magician. He's taught me so much already!” He gave her a big, bright smile. “My name is Finn. I'm Mr. Drosselmeyer's new apprentice. I was working for the chief of police, but I don't think I was really cut out for police work. Blood makes my insides feel queasy. Miss Gwendolyn is probably more suited to it than me!”
Rey smiled. She really liked Finn. He had a nice smile. “I love working in Uncle Luke's shop. Sometimes, after lessons, I'll come in and help him with anything he needs. Maybe I'll see you there.”
“That would be nice. I don't really know many people. I used to live in an orphanage in Munich, until I was old enough to find work.” He took her hand. “You're the first person besides Mr. Drosselmeyer who's really been nice to me here.” He stroked Bee Bee's head. “Your kitty's cute. What's her name?”
“Bee Bee the Eighth.” The orange and white kitten purred, enjoying the attention. She climbed into Finn's arms. “I think she likes you!”
“Miss Stahlbaum!” Rey winced at the sound of Mr. Snoke, her tutor. “What are you doing dilly-dallying with an apprentice? What would your mother think? You, the daughter of two of the most important people in town!”
Snoke was a nasty old man. He looked like Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, tall and gaunt and wrinkled and gray. Even his thin wool suit was a dull gray, a startling contrast to the bright colored gowns and suits around the ballroom. He didn't really approve of anyone who wasn't her brother or her mother. He would praise her brother for his penmanship and fencing, and scold her for her poor writing and grammar. She preferred working with her uncle to listening to him railing on and on about how much better off the town was when her grandfather was alive.
“That's my apprentice.” Uncle Luke put an arm around Finn. “My niece can speak with him whenever she wants.”
“Maybe I'd better be getting along.” Finn was already cowering under Snoke's glare. “I have work to do in the shop anyway.” He gave Rey his huge, blinding smile. Rey felt her insides turn all mushy. “I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Stahlbaum.”
Rey nodded. “I hope so!”
Luke could see how disappointed she was when Finn left. “Why don't I give out the remaining presents?” He put an arm around the girl. “I have special things for everyone.”
“Really, Mr. Drosselmeyer, spoiling the youngsters with your silly toys! It's childish and wasteful.” Snoke hit the side of one box. “You should be teaching them how to work and obey their elders, not about frivolity. You know your father Anakin would never have approved of such nonsense.”
“We all need a little frivolity every now and then, Snoke,” Luke said as he ducked into another large box. It almost looked like it was going to swallow him whole! He lifted out porcelain dolls for Jess and Kay. Gwendolyn had a silvery clock with crystal trim. Benjamin, Poe, Snap, and Hux all got toy soldiers. Hans and Leia got a handsome new wooden clock for the mantelpiece in the parlor. Christophe got his very own silver pocket watch. Even Snoke was given a small gray clock to hang on his bedroom wall.
“What about me, Uncle?” Rey looked up at him pleadingly. “You didn't forget me, did you?”
Luke chuckled. “Maybe I did. I can't remember...” He ducked into the box again. “Hmmm...nope...not that one...no...that's not it! Where is that gift?” He emerged with a box wrapped in bright red and green paper. “Here it is!” He handed it to Rey. “This isn't something I made. It's something I...found. On my travels.” Uncle Luke, Mother, and Father had traveled together all across Europe, finding unique items for Father's business, before Mother had Benjamin and they settled down. Even then, Uncle Luke still sometimes made trips. He never failed to come back with unusual souvenirs.
She ripped off the paper and opened the lid. “Oh, Uncle!” Her slender fingers revealed a small man made all of dark wood, clad in a painted-on red toy soldier's uniform. He had fluffy dark horse's hair under his tall black hat, and the widest mouth she'd ever seen on a doll. “I love him!” She moved a lever on his back. “I've never seen a doll like this!” She happily swirled around the room with him.
“Here.” Luke gently took the doll from her. “This is what he does.” He took a small walnut from a bowl on the buffet table. “He's a nutcracker.” He raised the lever, then gently placed the nut between the doll's jaws. When he lowered the lever on the doll, the jaws neatly cracked the nut in half. “Here you go.” He handed her one half of the meat, then tossed the other in his mouth. “He's economical, really. A doll and a kitchen tool.”
Benjamin grabbed the nutcracker from his sister. “I think he's ugly.” The lanky boy played with the lever, trying to figure out how the jaw moved. “Doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.”
“No!” Rey tried to reach for it, but he held it over her head. “Uncle Luke, make him give it back! He'll break it!”
Luke reached for the Nutcracker. “Benjamin Bail Stahlbaum, you give that to your sister at once!”
“I just want to try it!” Benjamin ducked over to the food table. “You never give me anything fun, Uncle Luke. Just boring toy soldiers and stuff.” He grabbed the largest walnut in the bowl, crammed it under the Nutcracker's mouth, and yanked the lever down as hard as he could.
CRRACCK! Not only did it not crack the nut all the way, but the nutcracker's jaw now hung open loosely, the hinges broken. Rey had just dragged Hans over when Benjamin threw the nutcracker on the table. “What a useless pile of junk. This isn't fit to crack nuts for the mice in this house!”
“I knew it!” Rey burst into tears, yanking the doll into her arms. “You broke him, Benjamin! You're a murderer!”
“I am not!” Benjamin snorted. “He's just some doll. It's not like he's real.”
Hans grabbed his son's arm, his face as red as holly berries. “You had no right to take things from your sister or playing with them roughly. Apologize to Rey this minute!”
The young man turned to his sister, frowning. “Sorry, Rey.” he muttered, looking at the floor. “I didn't mean to break it. I just wanted to see it. You get all the good toys. I never get anything I like.”
Snoke put his arm around Benjamin. “There there, young Stahlbaum. No harm done. It's only a toy. Why don't we go find your friend Hux and discuss your grandfather's policies on crime and jails? Now there was a real leader. Anakin Drosselmeyer was a good, strong mayor, not soft like your father.”
Rey was still crying when Luke came over to her. “Why did Benjamin do that?” She glared over her shoulder at her brother. “I hate him, Uncle Luke! He's such a bully!”
Luke shook his head. “I always did think Leia spoiled that boy. She shouldn't let Snoke influence him so much.” He pulled out his handkerchief and tied it around the Nutcracker's jaw. “There. That'll hold him until I can fix him tomorrow.”
Rey hugged him. “Thank you, Uncle Luke.”
He smiled at her. “You're welcome. Now...” He put the nutcracker under the tree as music began. “Would you care to dance with me, Miss Rey Stahlbaum?”
Rey curtsied as best she could. “I'd be delighted, Mr. Luke Drosselmeyer!”
Rey felt better when she danced. She danced with Uncle Luke, with her father, with Poe and Jess' fathers. She danced with Poe, who liked lively steps he learned when his family lived in Spain. She danced with Jess, who taught her real folk dances from the Philippines. Snap wasn't a good dancer. He tended to step on her toes. He was a good talker, though. They talked about fixing cars and the latest models. She even danced with Bee Bee, though the kitten squeaked and fussed so much, she finally let her chase the mice in the kitchen.
Ben mostly danced with Gwendolyn or Hux. Every time one boy would start dancing with her, the other would push his way in. Rey couldn't help giggling at them. They spent the dances glaring at one another. Gwendolyn, for her part, seemed somewhere between annoyed and amused by their behavior.
It was a wonderful party after that. Rey and the girls played with their new dolls. She introduced her beautiful fairy to the Nutcracker and to Bee Bee. She was sure they would become great friends. All of the girls stroked the kitten's back, listening to her purr. The only trouble was the boys kept running through on Ben's old hobby horses, pretending to be soldiers and have battles. Hans and Poe's father Kes finally took their horses and swords away.
The end of the party came all too soon. They were all expected to see their guests off. “You'll come by tomorrow, my little Rey?” Uncle Luke asked as she helped him with his brown velvet cape.
“Of course!” She smiled. “I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love helping you.” She smiled a little. “And I want to talk to Finn, too. He seemed really nice.”
“Finn and I would both appreciate that. He hasn't made many friends his own age since I hired him a few weeks ago.” Luke gave her a big hug. “Merry Christmas, Rey.”
She smiled. “Merry Christmas, Uncle.” He hugged Leia and shook Hans and Ben's hands and was finally off.
“Well, that's that.” Hans reached over his head and stretched his long arms. “I think it's time some children went to bed. We've all had a long night.”
“Father, I'm not a child anymore!” Ben made a face. “Can't I stay up like you and Mother?”
“Benjamin, we're going to bed, too. It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer.” Leia gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Good night, dear.” She gave Rey a hug. “You too, Rey. I know you'll be up bright and early to have our annual Christmas breakfast.”
“Mother,” Rey asked, “can I take the nutcracker to bed with me?”
“No. I'm afraid he'll have to stay with the other toys here in the ballroom, until we can find a place for him in your room.” She handed her a sleepy Bee Bee. “You can take your kitten upstairs with you, though, at least until we can make her a bed in the kitchen. Right now, you need to find a bowl for her food.”
“Poe gave me a bag of food in the box she came in.” She took Bee Bee into her arms. “I'll take her to the kitchen. Miss Maz will probably have a bowl she can eat out of.” She gave her Mother a kiss. “Thank you for the doll, Mother. Merry Christmas!”
Leia patted her daughter's arm. “You're welcome, dear. I'm glad you like her. I know you love dancing.”
Hans grinned and opened his arms. “Give your old dad a hug!” She did so, letting him squeeze her tightly, ignoring Bee Bee's surprised squeaks. “You have a nice night, kid. Don't let the cat make a mess. Ol' Maz will have a fit. You know she likes a clean kitchen.”
Christophe's hug was even bigger. “Joyuex Noel, ma petite Rey.”
Mr. Christophe gave the best hugs! And he was really warm and furry, too, like hugging a blanket. “Thank you, Mr. Christophe. You too!”
“Ben...” she started. Her brother finally sighed and gave her a small hug.
“Merry Christmas, sis,” he muttered before finally fleeing upstairs.
“I don't know what's gotten into him lately.” Leia looked concerned. “He doesn't listen to me anymore. He certainly doesn't listen to his father! He and Hans have been at odds for months, ever since he said he didn't want to work either for the town or in his father's shipping business.”
Rey looked over her shoulder as Snoke kissed Leia's hand. She did not like the gleam in his eye. “Perhaps your husband is being too hard on the boy. He is a man now, not a child. All young men go through rebellious stages. Just let me do my work on him, Mayor Stahlbaum. He's the finest pupil I've ever had. He'll find his place soon enough. He may be as good a man someday as your father Anakin Drosselmeyer.”
Leia frowned. “Anakin Drosselmeyer was one of the worst mayors we ever had in this town. After Mother died, he started taking bribes, arresting innocent people on trumped-up charges, and hiring people to ransack the homes of his political rivals. A lot of people were very happy when he finally died.”
Her father pushed between them, taking Leia's hand and glaring at Snoke. “Go get your own date for tonight. This one's taken.”
“Hans,” Leia snapped as she made for the steps, “that wasn't necessary, not to mention rude. We were just talking.”
The taller man watched as Snoke sniffed and headed out the door. “Didn't look like 'just talking' to me. He thinks he can worm his way into your good graces by acting like the gentleman he isn't.”
“You're not one to talk,” Leia snapped. “When I met you, you were no more than a common thief and smuggler!”
“At least I was honest about it.” Hans followed her upstairs. “Snoke has all these big ideas, but when you get down to it, he's just a jerk trying to get ahead on your money.”
“May I remind you,” Leia hissed, “that he's teaching our children?”
“That wasn't my idea,” Hans grumbled. “You're the one who suggested him. You insisted on taking charge of their education. My hands were tied.”
Rey could just barely hear her mother sigh at the top of the steps. “I only wanted what's best for them. Snoke's well-learned. He taught the Chancellor's children and several families that knew my father. I thought it was the right thing to do.” She leaned into his chest. “Hans, I love you. I've never wanted anyone else.” She could hear the grin in Leia's voice. “Even after all this time, you still drive me crazy.”
Hans' voice was very happy, and maybe a little smug. “I know.”
Two silhouettes on the floral wallpaper kissed, deeply and passionately. No one kissed quite like her parents did. They always made it look like one of those romantic stage melodramas her mother loved.
An annoyed mew from her arms reminded her that she had a job to do. “Sorry, Bee Bee.” She rubbed the kitten's head, listening to her purr. “Let's go get you something to eat.”
Mrs. Maz was cleaning up in the kitchen when she arrived with Bee Bee. She was the oldest and tiniest person Rey knew, with her fluffy gray hair and huge, thick spectacles...and yet, she could terrorize anyone who dared make a mess in her domain. Rey was pretty sure she was sweet on Christophe, her first husband having passed on years ago. She made excuses to get him into the kitchen or to have him taste-test her latest creation whenever she could get away with it. She'd seen Chrstophe leave the kitchen blushing under his beard on more than one occasion.
“Here you go.” She put the food for the cat in an old tin bowl. “That'll work until we can find her a real pet bowl. She is a cute one.” Bee Bee let out a happy squeak and dug in, not even noticing when Maz stroked her back.
“Mrs. Maz,” Rey said as she sat down at the table in the center of the large room, “why do Mother and Father argue so much? My friends' parents don't argue nearly as much as they do.”
“I think it's their way of loving, dear. Everyone has their own way of being in love. They're just such forceful personalities, I don't think they're used to giving in to anyone. Even the people they care about.” She took two cinnamon star cookies out of a clay jar and handed them to the girl. “Here you go. Don't tell your mother I was giving you cookies in the middle of the night. She does like you to be regular about meals.”
Rey nibbled on her cookie. “Maz, what's it like to be in love? Does it mean arguing and then kissing, like Mother and Father? Or mooning over someone until they like you, like Ben's doing with Hux and Gwendolyn?”
Maz joined her at the table with two cookies of her own and a mug of hot tea. “It means different things to different people. My Yoda was a very quiet man. Very learned. He taught children for fifty years before he died. He taught your uncle, you know. We did sometimes fight. He could be a stubborn old goat.” She smiled. “But the best part was always when we made up.” She squeezed Rey's hand. “Your parents love each other, no matter what. It'll take more than some shriveled prune in a suit to come between them.”
Rey licked the crumbs off her fingers. “You don't like Snoke either, then.”
“Not at all. I don't think he really cares about teaching. He only wants the position in a fancy household, so he can move into your mother's good graces and join her council. He wants to rule, not teach.” She sighed. “I think your mother's starting to see it, but he has your brother over a barrel. That boy's so desperate to become his grandfather and not his father, he'll take the first avenue he can...even if he's going down the wrong road.”
“That's what I think.” The girl sighed. “I wish Ben would listen. We used to have so much fun together, but now he thinks he's better than I am. He thinks he's better than anyone, except for Snoke.”
“It's his age. He'll learn quickly when Snoke turns out to be full of hot air.” She chuckled when Rey and Bee Bee yawned at the same time. “I think two young ladies need to get their rest.” She handed the sleepy kitten to Rey. “You go to bed, both of you. It's been a long night. Merry Christmas, Rey.”
Rey kissed her on her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Maz. Thank you for the cookies!”
“You're welcome, dear.” She hustled the girl out the door. “Now, move along, child. I still have to sweep out the stove and lay down traps for the mice. I hope your new little friend likes rodent stew. Those darn critters have been getting worse and worse. I found two in the cheese yesterday!”
Rey wrinkled her nose as she headed across the dining room. “I wouldn't want to eat a mouse, would you, Bee Bee? I'll bet they taste terrible.” The kitten mewed her agreement.
She was so tired after her long day, she didn't see the mouse until she heard something squeaking loudly underfoot. She jumped and saw a flash of fuzzy gray dashing for the area behind the cupboard in the ballroom. “Mother really needs to get someone to do something about the mouse problem,” she gasped. “That one was the size of an ornament on the tree in the ballroom!”
Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company.
It was Christmas Eve, 1892, in a small town in Germany. Clara Marie “Rey” Stahlbaum was so excited for her parents' annual Christmas party, she couldn't stop dancing. Her new white dress, with it's green and red ribbon trim and fancy frilly petticoats and lace collar, twirled around her legs. Her mother Leia had given her a new pair of white shoes to match. Not the strap shoes or boots her friends still wore, but beautiful shiny white slippers with real heels. She tried so hard to peek into the doorway to the ballroom, but it remained locked tight.
Her brother Benjamin was leaning against a wall. He looked bored, as usual. He was nearly five years older than her. Everything bored him, if it didn't anger him. Mother said he was going through a stage. Rey just hoped it would pass soon. Ever since he got into long pants, he'd stopped being fun. He would sometimes play with his toy soldiers, but he made fun of her games and the little figures she'd build from old metal scraps.
“Miss Rey, please calm down!” fussed old Cedric, the tall English butler who had been with her parents for as long as she could remember. He closed the door before she could peek out of it again. “You know Mr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum like the tree to be a surprise.”
She twirled around a chair. “I just can't wait any longer, Cedric! When is the party going to start?”
“Right about now, sweetheart.” Hans Stahlbaum came in from his office. Rey thought he was the handsomest father in Germany. He had thick, silvery hair, worn longer than the fashion, bright hazel eyes that always seemed to be laughing, and a crooked little smile. Though Rey loved her mother, she was really her father's girl. “Your mother is already greeting the first guests. I was told to help Cedric bring the children in, before they burst.”
Rey fixed his tie and pulled down his brown jacket. “How do you always manage to get your suit crooked? It looks like you have wings sticking out of your back!”
“Your mother's asked me the same question for years.” He fixed his cuff links. “I have a shipping business to run. I don't have the time for fancy clothes.”
“Father, it's just Christmas.” Benjamin stuck his considerable nose in the air. “I don't see what the fuss is all about.”
“How could you not fuss about Christmas?” Rey took her father's hand. “It's my favorite time of year! There's so many things to do and toys and games and parties...and of course, dances!” She pulled him around the room, dancing wildly with him.
They had just finished when a fuzzy head appeared between the doors. Christophe, her father's valet, nodded at Hans. His heavy brown beard actually seemed to bob. He looked like a giant teddy bear in a servant's uniform. “They are ready, Monsieur Stahlbaum,” he might have said. Christophe came from France, and he had such a thick accent, Rey frequently had a hard time understanding him.
Her father had no such trouble. Christophe had been his valet for years. “We're on our way.” He took Rey's arm. “Would you mind your old papa as an escort?”
She grinned at him. “I couldn't have a better one!”
The moment she saw the tree, she forgot everything else, forgot Benjamin and being teased. It was the most enormous, shining fir tree Rey had ever seen. It extended in all directions, nearly reaching the ceiling. Mother, Cedric, and Mrs. Maz the housekeeper had decked it out in sparkling glass balls and fruit and animals, lacy fans, sugar plums wrapped in foil, candy canes, and cut-out cookies. Tiny candles flickered on the branches. A star trimmed in tin and ribbon seemed to glow at the very top. The floor beneath it was laden with packages in every shape and size. Even Benjamin gasped.
“My dear, you outdid yourself this year.” Hans leaned over his wife Leia, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Leia was the most beautiful and intelligent woman Rey had ever known. She was the town's first woman mayor, who was known for being firm but fair despite her hot temper. Her fashionable plum-colored gown, with it's sweeping skirts and soft lace collar and cuffs, made her look like a fairy queen. Thick gray-brown hair was caught up in an elegant crown of braids.
“Oh Mother, it's amazing!” Rey beamed at her. “It's the loveliest tree in the world.”
Benjamin nodded, trying not to show his delight. “It's nice.” He grabbed one of the boxes under the tree, shaking it. “Is this one for me?”
“Ben!” Hans grabbed the package. “Wait for the guests to arrive, son.”
Benjamin glared at him, returning to sulking on a chair. “I wasn't hurting it. I was just testing it.”
Rey loved their Christmas Eve party. Mother and Father always invited their closest friends. Many of their friends had children her age, and it was fun to play with them outside of school. Poe Dameron, the cheeky son of Kes Dameron of the town council and his wife Shara, came bearing a box wrapped in green tissue paper. To Rey's surprise, she could hear mewing from within.
“Open it!” He grinned. “I hope you like her.”
Rey undid the ribbon and pulled off the top. The moment the box was open, a tiny, plump orange and brown calico kitten jumped out! “Oh, Poe, she's adorable!” She cuddled the little cat in her arms. The kitten purred, leaning into her new mistress. “What's her name?”
“I call her Bee Bee the Eighth.” Poe chuckled. “She's the eighth in her litter. Our old cat had kittens a month ago. We didn't have room to keep all of them. I know you wanted a pet...”
“Poe, she's perfect! Thank you!” Rey hugged her friend, ignoring Bee Bee's mewed protests.
She received such wonderful gifts! Kay Connix gave her a new chocolate-brown velvet cape. “It's what all the ladies wear in Paris,” she insisted. “It'll keep you warm in the snow.” Kay herself was so pretty. She had golden hair that was pulled into two buns on the top of her head. Her mother was an actress and her father a successful writer of plays, so she always knew what was in style. Her white and blue dress was trimmed with fluffy fur on the collar, cuffs, and skirt.
Jessika Pava and Termmin “Snap” Wextley gave her their gift together. “We pooled our resources,” Jess insisted. Her family was from the Philippines originally. She always looked so exotic, with her almond-shaped eyes and shiny black hair. Snap was the son of a retired general who was one of her mother's advisers.
“Oh!” Rey pulled a book out of the paper. “It's on repairing those new motor cars that have started appearing. Father just bought one a few months ago. He takes us all out in it when the weather's fine. He even showed me the engine. I hope I'll get to drive one someday!”
“We know.” Snap let out a hearty laugh. “It's all you talk about, besides dancing!”
Father and Mother gave her a gorgeous doll. It was a beautiful fairy ballerina in a glittering white and gold tutu, white satin shoes, golden satin wings, and a tiara trimmed with real crystal. “That's for you, my little Rey of sunshine.” Hans gave her a hug. “We know you love to dance.”
“Take care of her, though,” Leia reminded her. “She's not your average play doll. She's a genuine collector's item from the finest toy shop in Berlin.”
“I will, Mother!” Rey hugged her doll. “I promise!”
“Honestly!” Armitage Hux was a friend of Benjamin's. His father, Bristol Hux, was on the town council and the wealthiest man in town. He was tall and slender, with short gingery hair and a thin mouth that was twisted into a perpetual sneer. “Such childish notions. Christmas is so outdated. Don't you agree, Ben?”
Ben frowned for a minute, but then he sneered. “Yeah. You act like such a kid, Rey. Why don't you grow up?”
Rey glared at him. She never let her brother pick on her! “Why don't you learn to have a little fun?”
“She's right, you know.” Poe was older, really closer to Benjamin's age than hers. He had been friends with Benjamin until he got all snooty and started to spend more time with Hux. “Christmas is a time of joy and charity, when families come together and share what they have.”
Jess put her hands on her hips. “I think you guys are the ones who need to grow up!”
“It's a time when people spend and spend and spend, without any thought to anything else.” Benjamin raised his chin stubbornly. He looked a lot like their mother when he did that. “I agree with Mr. Snoke. The holiday should be spent quietly, or not celebrated at all. Why do we need holidays anyway?”
Rey wrinkled her nose. “Why do you think so highly of Mr. Snoke? I don't like him, even if he is our tutor! I don't want to hear about how bad things are and how everything would be better if everyone did things his way. I want to learn about science and numbers and wonderful stories!”
“You're just a girl, anyway,” Benjamin grumbled. “You wouldn't understand.”
Rey smirked as a young woman who was so tall, she had to bend down to get through the doorway came in. “Would you say that around your Gwendolyn?”
Benjamin turned away and fiddled with his tie. Hux turned as red as his mop of carroty hair. Rey knew they were both sweet on Gwendolyn Phasen, the daughter of the town police chief. Rey thought that if Gwen was the police chief, crime in town would vanish overnight! Gwen was tall and strong, with short blond hair and intense blue eyes that always seemed to be boring holes into everything. Even the frilly silver and black gown she wore couldn't soften her long, lean figure.
“Hello, gentlemen,” she called, opening her black lace fan so hard, it snapped like a cap gun. “I'm so glad to see both of you tonight!”
Benjamin tugged at his collar. “You...you are?”
“I heard Mayor Stahlbaum has provided the most wonderful appetizers. I was wondering if someone would like to lead me to the table?” The moment she grinned at them from behind her fan, Benjamin and Hux both came running. Rey had a hard time not falling over laughing at the goofy, love-sick expressions on their faces.
“We'd be charmed to, my lady.” Hux kissed her gloved hand.
“Uh, yeah.” Benjamin grabbed her arm. He'd unfortunately inherited his father's idea of flirting, which was “argue with the girl until she likes you.” “How come you're always hungry? All you ever do when we're together is eat!”
Gwen wrinkled her nose and pulled her arm away. “All you ever do is criticize me. Really, you're worse than a child.”
Hux glared at him, but Ben refused to let go of her arm. They both led her over to the table laden with cakes, cinnamon star cookies, candies, nuts, sugared fruits, and almond tarts.
As Rey went to sit down with her new kitten, the door to the ballroom was suddenly flung open! A chilly wind blew snow around a small, slender figure in the doorway, making his cape fly up around his shoulders like wings. When the wind subsided, the figure pulled his cape around him, revealing only his gray-yellow hair and deep blue eyes. He swished around the room, trying to scare the children. They jumped away, giggling.
Rey knew who he was. “Uncle Luke!” She threw her arms around him, ignoring Bee Bee's squeaks. “I'm so glad you're here!”
Her uncle chuckled. “I could never fool you, my little ray of sunshine.”
Luke Drosselmeyer was a toy and clock maker, one of the best in Germany. He built the stately grandfather clock with the carved owl on top in the corner of the ballroom. He always made the children special toys just for them, especially at Christmas. He loved children. He had once been the town's teacher, but had retired many years before to concentrate on his toys and clocks.
Rey thought he was wonderful. Uncle Luke could make anything. She sometimes even helped him in his shop after her lessons. “What did you bring us, Uncle? A new doll? Or a toy car? Or a...”
“Well,” her uncle said with his big sunny grin, “why don't you look under the tree and see?”
To Rey's surprise, there were several very large packages that hadn't been there before. Father and Christophe were already pulling the top off the first. “Ooh,” Rey exclaimed at the red and gold-painted box, “a theater!”
He gathered the other guests around. “How would you all like to have a puppet show?”
Rey loved the show! She dangled the sash of her dress over Bee Bee's little paws, letting her play with it, while listening to the story of a prince who was cursed by an evil Mouse King. The King took over his lands, imprisoning the king and queen of the fairies and turning the prince into a wooden man. A smart, strong princess finally released the king and queen and kissed the prince, freeing him from the spell.
Benjamin rolled his eyes the whole time. “What tripe!” he muttered.
“Quiet.” Gwendolyn smacked his shoulder with her fan. “I want to hear the end!”
Everyone applauded when the show was over. “But wait!” Christophe and a dark-skinned young man brought the second and third large presents as Luke swished his cape again. “There's more!” The young man rolled the puppet show away. “These are some of my greatest creations.”
The children oohed and ahhed as they pulled out a life-size soldier in a chocolate-colored costume, reminiscent of the uniform of the Spanish army. A pretty Asian doll wore a lovely white blouse with a huge lace collar and a short, lacy skirt the color of ginger, with gold and red flowers in her black hair. A huge Russian Cossack marched around the room. Luke wound them up and let them dance together. Rey clapped in delight. She thought they were the most amazing things she'd ever seen!
The young man who helped with the packages stood off to the side. He was handsome in his simple black and white suit, with soft skin the color of coffee and gentle dark eyes. He too watched rapturously. “Aren't they amazing?” Rey asked him.
The young man nodded. “Mr. Drosselmeyer is a true magician. He's taught me so much already!” He gave her a big, bright smile. “My name is Finn. I'm Mr. Drosselmeyer's new apprentice. I was working for the chief of police, but I don't think I was really cut out for police work. Blood makes my insides feel queasy. Miss Gwendolyn is probably more suited to it than me!”
Rey smiled. She really liked Finn. He had a nice smile. “I love working in Uncle Luke's shop. Sometimes, after lessons, I'll come in and help him with anything he needs. Maybe I'll see you there.”
“That would be nice. I don't really know many people. I used to live in an orphanage in Munich, until I was old enough to find work.” He took her hand. “You're the first person besides Mr. Drosselmeyer who's really been nice to me here.” He stroked Bee Bee's head. “Your kitty's cute. What's her name?”
“Bee Bee the Eighth.” The orange and white kitten purred, enjoying the attention. She climbed into Finn's arms. “I think she likes you!”
“Miss Stahlbaum!” Rey winced at the sound of Mr. Snoke, her tutor. “What are you doing dilly-dallying with an apprentice? What would your mother think? You, the daughter of two of the most important people in town!”
Snoke was a nasty old man. He looked like Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, tall and gaunt and wrinkled and gray. Even his thin wool suit was a dull gray, a startling contrast to the bright colored gowns and suits around the ballroom. He didn't really approve of anyone who wasn't her brother or her mother. He would praise her brother for his penmanship and fencing, and scold her for her poor writing and grammar. She preferred working with her uncle to listening to him railing on and on about how much better off the town was when her grandfather was alive.
“That's my apprentice.” Uncle Luke put an arm around Finn. “My niece can speak with him whenever she wants.”
“Maybe I'd better be getting along.” Finn was already cowering under Snoke's glare. “I have work to do in the shop anyway.” He gave Rey his huge, blinding smile. Rey felt her insides turn all mushy. “I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Stahlbaum.”
Rey nodded. “I hope so!”
Luke could see how disappointed she was when Finn left. “Why don't I give out the remaining presents?” He put an arm around the girl. “I have special things for everyone.”
“Really, Mr. Drosselmeyer, spoiling the youngsters with your silly toys! It's childish and wasteful.” Snoke hit the side of one box. “You should be teaching them how to work and obey their elders, not about frivolity. You know your father Anakin would never have approved of such nonsense.”
“We all need a little frivolity every now and then, Snoke,” Luke said as he ducked into another large box. It almost looked like it was going to swallow him whole! He lifted out porcelain dolls for Jess and Kay. Gwendolyn had a silvery clock with crystal trim. Benjamin, Poe, Snap, and Hux all got toy soldiers. Hans and Leia got a handsome new wooden clock for the mantelpiece in the parlor. Christophe got his very own silver pocket watch. Even Snoke was given a small gray clock to hang on his bedroom wall.
“What about me, Uncle?” Rey looked up at him pleadingly. “You didn't forget me, did you?”
Luke chuckled. “Maybe I did. I can't remember...” He ducked into the box again. “Hmmm...nope...not that one...no...that's not it! Where is that gift?” He emerged with a box wrapped in bright red and green paper. “Here it is!” He handed it to Rey. “This isn't something I made. It's something I...found. On my travels.” Uncle Luke, Mother, and Father had traveled together all across Europe, finding unique items for Father's business, before Mother had Benjamin and they settled down. Even then, Uncle Luke still sometimes made trips. He never failed to come back with unusual souvenirs.
She ripped off the paper and opened the lid. “Oh, Uncle!” Her slender fingers revealed a small man made all of dark wood, clad in a painted-on red toy soldier's uniform. He had fluffy dark horse's hair under his tall black hat, and the widest mouth she'd ever seen on a doll. “I love him!” She moved a lever on his back. “I've never seen a doll like this!” She happily swirled around the room with him.
“Here.” Luke gently took the doll from her. “This is what he does.” He took a small walnut from a bowl on the buffet table. “He's a nutcracker.” He raised the lever, then gently placed the nut between the doll's jaws. When he lowered the lever on the doll, the jaws neatly cracked the nut in half. “Here you go.” He handed her one half of the meat, then tossed the other in his mouth. “He's economical, really. A doll and a kitchen tool.”
Benjamin grabbed the nutcracker from his sister. “I think he's ugly.” The lanky boy played with the lever, trying to figure out how the jaw moved. “Doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.”
“No!” Rey tried to reach for it, but he held it over her head. “Uncle Luke, make him give it back! He'll break it!”
Luke reached for the Nutcracker. “Benjamin Bail Stahlbaum, you give that to your sister at once!”
“I just want to try it!” Benjamin ducked over to the food table. “You never give me anything fun, Uncle Luke. Just boring toy soldiers and stuff.” He grabbed the largest walnut in the bowl, crammed it under the Nutcracker's mouth, and yanked the lever down as hard as he could.
CRRACCK! Not only did it not crack the nut all the way, but the nutcracker's jaw now hung open loosely, the hinges broken. Rey had just dragged Hans over when Benjamin threw the nutcracker on the table. “What a useless pile of junk. This isn't fit to crack nuts for the mice in this house!”
“I knew it!” Rey burst into tears, yanking the doll into her arms. “You broke him, Benjamin! You're a murderer!”
“I am not!” Benjamin snorted. “He's just some doll. It's not like he's real.”
Hans grabbed his son's arm, his face as red as holly berries. “You had no right to take things from your sister or playing with them roughly. Apologize to Rey this minute!”
The young man turned to his sister, frowning. “Sorry, Rey.” he muttered, looking at the floor. “I didn't mean to break it. I just wanted to see it. You get all the good toys. I never get anything I like.”
Snoke put his arm around Benjamin. “There there, young Stahlbaum. No harm done. It's only a toy. Why don't we go find your friend Hux and discuss your grandfather's policies on crime and jails? Now there was a real leader. Anakin Drosselmeyer was a good, strong mayor, not soft like your father.”
Rey was still crying when Luke came over to her. “Why did Benjamin do that?” She glared over her shoulder at her brother. “I hate him, Uncle Luke! He's such a bully!”
Luke shook his head. “I always did think Leia spoiled that boy. She shouldn't let Snoke influence him so much.” He pulled out his handkerchief and tied it around the Nutcracker's jaw. “There. That'll hold him until I can fix him tomorrow.”
Rey hugged him. “Thank you, Uncle Luke.”
He smiled at her. “You're welcome. Now...” He put the nutcracker under the tree as music began. “Would you care to dance with me, Miss Rey Stahlbaum?”
Rey curtsied as best she could. “I'd be delighted, Mr. Luke Drosselmeyer!”
Rey felt better when she danced. She danced with Uncle Luke, with her father, with Poe and Jess' fathers. She danced with Poe, who liked lively steps he learned when his family lived in Spain. She danced with Jess, who taught her real folk dances from the Philippines. Snap wasn't a good dancer. He tended to step on her toes. He was a good talker, though. They talked about fixing cars and the latest models. She even danced with Bee Bee, though the kitten squeaked and fussed so much, she finally let her chase the mice in the kitchen.
Ben mostly danced with Gwendolyn or Hux. Every time one boy would start dancing with her, the other would push his way in. Rey couldn't help giggling at them. They spent the dances glaring at one another. Gwendolyn, for her part, seemed somewhere between annoyed and amused by their behavior.
It was a wonderful party after that. Rey and the girls played with their new dolls. She introduced her beautiful fairy to the Nutcracker and to Bee Bee. She was sure they would become great friends. All of the girls stroked the kitten's back, listening to her purr. The only trouble was the boys kept running through on Ben's old hobby horses, pretending to be soldiers and have battles. Hans and Poe's father Kes finally took their horses and swords away.
The end of the party came all too soon. They were all expected to see their guests off. “You'll come by tomorrow, my little Rey?” Uncle Luke asked as she helped him with his brown velvet cape.
“Of course!” She smiled. “I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love helping you.” She smiled a little. “And I want to talk to Finn, too. He seemed really nice.”
“Finn and I would both appreciate that. He hasn't made many friends his own age since I hired him a few weeks ago.” Luke gave her a big hug. “Merry Christmas, Rey.”
She smiled. “Merry Christmas, Uncle.” He hugged Leia and shook Hans and Ben's hands and was finally off.
“Well, that's that.” Hans reached over his head and stretched his long arms. “I think it's time some children went to bed. We've all had a long night.”
“Father, I'm not a child anymore!” Ben made a face. “Can't I stay up like you and Mother?”
“Benjamin, we're going to bed, too. It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer.” Leia gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Good night, dear.” She gave Rey a hug. “You too, Rey. I know you'll be up bright and early to have our annual Christmas breakfast.”
“Mother,” Rey asked, “can I take the nutcracker to bed with me?”
“No. I'm afraid he'll have to stay with the other toys here in the ballroom, until we can find a place for him in your room.” She handed her a sleepy Bee Bee. “You can take your kitten upstairs with you, though, at least until we can make her a bed in the kitchen. Right now, you need to find a bowl for her food.”
“Poe gave me a bag of food in the box she came in.” She took Bee Bee into her arms. “I'll take her to the kitchen. Miss Maz will probably have a bowl she can eat out of.” She gave her Mother a kiss. “Thank you for the doll, Mother. Merry Christmas!”
Leia patted her daughter's arm. “You're welcome, dear. I'm glad you like her. I know you love dancing.”
Hans grinned and opened his arms. “Give your old dad a hug!” She did so, letting him squeeze her tightly, ignoring Bee Bee's surprised squeaks. “You have a nice night, kid. Don't let the cat make a mess. Ol' Maz will have a fit. You know she likes a clean kitchen.”
Christophe's hug was even bigger. “Joyuex Noel, ma petite Rey.”
Mr. Christophe gave the best hugs! And he was really warm and furry, too, like hugging a blanket. “Thank you, Mr. Christophe. You too!”
“Ben...” she started. Her brother finally sighed and gave her a small hug.
“Merry Christmas, sis,” he muttered before finally fleeing upstairs.
“I don't know what's gotten into him lately.” Leia looked concerned. “He doesn't listen to me anymore. He certainly doesn't listen to his father! He and Hans have been at odds for months, ever since he said he didn't want to work either for the town or in his father's shipping business.”
Rey looked over her shoulder as Snoke kissed Leia's hand. She did not like the gleam in his eye. “Perhaps your husband is being too hard on the boy. He is a man now, not a child. All young men go through rebellious stages. Just let me do my work on him, Mayor Stahlbaum. He's the finest pupil I've ever had. He'll find his place soon enough. He may be as good a man someday as your father Anakin Drosselmeyer.”
Leia frowned. “Anakin Drosselmeyer was one of the worst mayors we ever had in this town. After Mother died, he started taking bribes, arresting innocent people on trumped-up charges, and hiring people to ransack the homes of his political rivals. A lot of people were very happy when he finally died.”
Her father pushed between them, taking Leia's hand and glaring at Snoke. “Go get your own date for tonight. This one's taken.”
“Hans,” Leia snapped as she made for the steps, “that wasn't necessary, not to mention rude. We were just talking.”
The taller man watched as Snoke sniffed and headed out the door. “Didn't look like 'just talking' to me. He thinks he can worm his way into your good graces by acting like the gentleman he isn't.”
“You're not one to talk,” Leia snapped. “When I met you, you were no more than a common thief and smuggler!”
“At least I was honest about it.” Hans followed her upstairs. “Snoke has all these big ideas, but when you get down to it, he's just a jerk trying to get ahead on your money.”
“May I remind you,” Leia hissed, “that he's teaching our children?”
“That wasn't my idea,” Hans grumbled. “You're the one who suggested him. You insisted on taking charge of their education. My hands were tied.”
Rey could just barely hear her mother sigh at the top of the steps. “I only wanted what's best for them. Snoke's well-learned. He taught the Chancellor's children and several families that knew my father. I thought it was the right thing to do.” She leaned into his chest. “Hans, I love you. I've never wanted anyone else.” She could hear the grin in Leia's voice. “Even after all this time, you still drive me crazy.”
Hans' voice was very happy, and maybe a little smug. “I know.”
Two silhouettes on the floral wallpaper kissed, deeply and passionately. No one kissed quite like her parents did. They always made it look like one of those romantic stage melodramas her mother loved.
An annoyed mew from her arms reminded her that she had a job to do. “Sorry, Bee Bee.” She rubbed the kitten's head, listening to her purr. “Let's go get you something to eat.”
Mrs. Maz was cleaning up in the kitchen when she arrived with Bee Bee. She was the oldest and tiniest person Rey knew, with her fluffy gray hair and huge, thick spectacles...and yet, she could terrorize anyone who dared make a mess in her domain. Rey was pretty sure she was sweet on Christophe, her first husband having passed on years ago. She made excuses to get him into the kitchen or to have him taste-test her latest creation whenever she could get away with it. She'd seen Chrstophe leave the kitchen blushing under his beard on more than one occasion.
“Here you go.” She put the food for the cat in an old tin bowl. “That'll work until we can find her a real pet bowl. She is a cute one.” Bee Bee let out a happy squeak and dug in, not even noticing when Maz stroked her back.
“Mrs. Maz,” Rey said as she sat down at the table in the center of the large room, “why do Mother and Father argue so much? My friends' parents don't argue nearly as much as they do.”
“I think it's their way of loving, dear. Everyone has their own way of being in love. They're just such forceful personalities, I don't think they're used to giving in to anyone. Even the people they care about.” She took two cinnamon star cookies out of a clay jar and handed them to the girl. “Here you go. Don't tell your mother I was giving you cookies in the middle of the night. She does like you to be regular about meals.”
Rey nibbled on her cookie. “Maz, what's it like to be in love? Does it mean arguing and then kissing, like Mother and Father? Or mooning over someone until they like you, like Ben's doing with Hux and Gwendolyn?”
Maz joined her at the table with two cookies of her own and a mug of hot tea. “It means different things to different people. My Yoda was a very quiet man. Very learned. He taught children for fifty years before he died. He taught your uncle, you know. We did sometimes fight. He could be a stubborn old goat.” She smiled. “But the best part was always when we made up.” She squeezed Rey's hand. “Your parents love each other, no matter what. It'll take more than some shriveled prune in a suit to come between them.”
Rey licked the crumbs off her fingers. “You don't like Snoke either, then.”
“Not at all. I don't think he really cares about teaching. He only wants the position in a fancy household, so he can move into your mother's good graces and join her council. He wants to rule, not teach.” She sighed. “I think your mother's starting to see it, but he has your brother over a barrel. That boy's so desperate to become his grandfather and not his father, he'll take the first avenue he can...even if he's going down the wrong road.”
“That's what I think.” The girl sighed. “I wish Ben would listen. We used to have so much fun together, but now he thinks he's better than I am. He thinks he's better than anyone, except for Snoke.”
“It's his age. He'll learn quickly when Snoke turns out to be full of hot air.” She chuckled when Rey and Bee Bee yawned at the same time. “I think two young ladies need to get their rest.” She handed the sleepy kitten to Rey. “You go to bed, both of you. It's been a long night. Merry Christmas, Rey.”
Rey kissed her on her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Maz. Thank you for the cookies!”
“You're welcome, dear.” She hustled the girl out the door. “Now, move along, child. I still have to sweep out the stove and lay down traps for the mice. I hope your new little friend likes rodent stew. Those darn critters have been getting worse and worse. I found two in the cheese yesterday!”
Rey wrinkled her nose as she headed across the dining room. “I wouldn't want to eat a mouse, would you, Bee Bee? I'll bet they taste terrible.” The kitten mewed her agreement.
She was so tired after her long day, she didn't see the mouse until she heard something squeaking loudly underfoot. She jumped and saw a flash of fuzzy gray dashing for the area behind the cupboard in the ballroom. “Mother really needs to get someone to do something about the mouse problem,” she gasped. “That one was the size of an ornament on the tree in the ballroom!”
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