Dreaming of an Omega Christmas Read online

  I guess you really do have to be careful what you wish for. Traviel said that he wished I could live in Vale Valley as well. He said it in front of the genie, who merely said “oops” and vanished. Even though Traviel didn’t technically have three wishes, it clearly had been granted. Poof: I had a house in Vale Valley and the financial means to stay here. Unfortunately, it seemed that it was just the house I got, and not the sense of belonging that went along with it. Just like his wish, I lived in Vale Valley. But it wasn’t a home.

  Sighing, I gazed out the window at the dark sky, remembering the first night in my house. Standing here in the same spot, watching the Fourth of July fireworks with Traviel and Elarian…

  “I may not have been given three wishes like you,” Traviel said. “But it seems like, somehow, I did have two granted. And if I had a third… Travis, I wish that the next time you see fireworks, you’ll watch them with a true love of your own. And a baby on the way!”

  “Come on, genie,” I muttered out loud. “Let Traviel have his wish…” I waited desperately for the strange feel of a cool of a breeze or the purple mist that seemed to accompany the genie’s wish granting. But there was nothing. Somewhere an owl, or maybe an owl shifter, hooted. I sighed again and turned back inside, half-hoping to see the genie sitting there, making himself at home. No such luck.

  ~~~***~~~

  The next morning I headed to Sweet Bites, the local bakery, to pick up a pumpkin pie that I had reserved for Thanksgiving. The person working at the counter was busy, with his back to me, but the bright teal hair was a dead giveaway.

  “Morning, Eden,” I said.

  “Hey, handsome,” he trilled, with a wide grin. “You can come right on back here; I’ll show you where to put them.”

  “Um… what?” I was used to his flirtations, but that last sentence didn’t make any sense. I wondered if I misheard him.

  “The berries. For the pies?” His grin faltered. “Oh, crap, I’m sorry. I thought you were Traviel.”

  I grinned ruefully. I should have known. “Nope, just me. Travis. The human,” I added, feeling just a bit bitter about it. I was used to hanging around the elves, but shifters always made me aware of how unmagical I was. Eden’s peacock-blue hair was a vivid reminder that he actually was a peacock.

  “Sorry, honey. What can I do for you?” His sincere apology, tempered by the suggestion-laced offer of help, lifted my mood a bit.

  “I reserved a pumpkin pie?”

  “Let me get that for you.” He sauntered into the back, just as the bell on the door chimed. I turned to see Traviel entering, carrying a large box.

  “Hey,” he said in surprise when he saw me.

  “Hey. You can just bring that straight into the back and ask Eden where to put it.” I told him. He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  Eden returned with my pie and his grin widened. “Well, isn’t this a doubly-sexy start to my morning. You can bring those right back here, Traviel.”

  Traviel snorted in an amusement and followed, with what I assumed was a box of berries.

  Being wood elves gave Traviel and Elarian the power to control plants, which included accelerating their growth. I knew they had started growing some things for the town restaurants, so they could use fresh, locally grown food in the winter. It seemed that Sweet Bites had placed an order for some holiday baking.

  Elarian came in a moment later with another box. “In the back,” I told him, before he could ask.

  Eden returned to his post at the front counter, so I decided to go ahead and just order a round of everyone's favorite Sweet Bites breakfast. By the time the elves were done carrying in their boxes, I was sitting and waiting for them at a table.

  “Oh, thank you,” Traviel said, recognizing his favorites at an empty place on the table. He sat down next to me. “You’re awesome.”

  “Thank you, Travis. Just what I needed,” said Elarian.

  I smiled and nodded to both him and Travis as he sat down, settling Kirielm in a high chair next to him. He produced some little cereal puffs for the baby and set them within reach.

  “I can't believe he's eating solid food already,” I said, as Kirielm grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. I looked fondly at the child they had dubbed my nephew from time to time as we ate and talked. Even though I did feel lonely here sometimes, there were some things that I would hate to give up. And while I felt awkward around Elarian and Traviel for the first couple of months, I seemed to have settled into a role as a close friend. Traviel had taken to jokingly calling me his brother, and quite honestly, I was starting to embrace it. I wondered if, as a human, I'd be able to find Vale Valley again, if I did leave. I wasn't sure I could do it without the help of the genie.

  After we finished, I got up to throw our trash away and heard Elarian's happy cry of surprise. I turned to see he and Traviel were greeting someone. I walked over as they introduced the man to their baby, and stood awkwardly near the table, wondering who the stranger was.

  After a couple of coos to the baby he straightened, turned, and with a start I realized it was Falkanar, the wandering elf! He glanced at me with a nod of greeting, then did a double-take with wide eyes.

  “Who? What?” he stammered, looking back and forth between me and Traviel.

  “Ah.” Traviel laughed and clapped me on the back. “This is Travis. It's somewhat of a long story. Travis, I’m sure you remember Falkanar. You know him, in a way.”

  “We've actually met like this,” I said. They all looked confused, so I elaborated. “I ran into Falkanar at a grocery store back home. He's the reason I realized Vale Valley was a real place.”

  Falkanar’s eyes widened in recognition. “I remember that! I thought you were…” He looked at Traviel, then back at me. “Sorry, I also thought you were human?”

  “I am,” I admitted. He looked back at Traviel again.

  “It's a long story,” Traviel chuckled. “When did you get into town?”

  “Last night,” Falkanar said. “I figured I’d start off on the right foot with a good breakfast.”

  Elarian smiled at him “I’m glad you did. Why don't you grab your food and come over to our place? We can catch up.”

  “That would be great,” Falkanar said. “Let me just grab a bite.” He headed over to the counter to order.

  “You're invited too, of course,” Elarian said. “I'm sure he'd like to hear the story from all of us.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Elarian was grinning widely as he cleaned up Kirielm, and I knew he was happy to see Falkanar again. I honestly felt the same way. Even though I only knew the wandering elf from my time as Traviel, I knew he was a good man. In spite of the fact he could only stay in one place for a short amount of time, he pushed that limit to stay with Elarian, after finding out that the pregnant wood elf’s mate kept disappearing at random. He even drove Elarian to a couple of doctor’s appointments. I knew firsthand how grateful Traviel had been for the assistance in his absence. And I felt the same way. Not to mention the grocery store incident. That one was accidental on Falkanar’s part, but nevertheless it led me to Vale Valley, and I was grateful for that.

  The five of us headed back to Traviel and Elarian’s house together, while Falkanar regaled us with where his wandering had taken him over the last six months. Even though I tended to move around a lot, I couldn't believe how many places he had gone in just a few short months. Although, I suppose when you moved around every couple of weeks, you covered a lot of ground.

  We settled into the living room and Elarian got a pot of tea started, while Traviel settled Kirielm down on a play mat.

  Falkanar’s eyes once again darted between me and Traviel. “So, what exactly happened? More importantly…” He turned to Traviel. “Are you still disappearing?”

  “No,” Traviel said. “Thanks to Travis here, with a little help from a genie.”

  Falkanar’s eyebrow raised

  “Make that a lot of help,” I said.

  Together,
the three of us wove the story of how regular human me managed to get three wishes, bring Traviel and Elarian to life, and end up living in Vale Valley across the street from them.

  “That's incredible,” said Falkanar, when we were finished. He looked back and forth between me and Traviel again. “Just incredible.” His mouth quirked up into a smile. “I'm glad I ran into you, then.”

  “Me too,” I said honestly.

  “How long are you staying for?” Elarian asked.

  “Well, you know me,” Falkanar said, with a bitter smile. “Probably two weeks, maybe a little longer.”

  “Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving tomorrow?” Elarian asked.

  Falkanar shook his head.

  “Then, you're spending it here,” Traviel said firmly.

  “Oh, no,” Falkanar said quickly. “I don't want to crash anyone's Thanksgiving.”

  “You said you didn’t have plans,” Traviel countered.

  Falkanar shrugged. “Well, I hadn't really thought about it.”

  “You're not spending it alone,” said Elarian earnestly. “You helped me through a really tough time. And in a way you, helped bring Travis to us. You absolutely have to say for Thanksgiving, it wouldn't be the same without you.”

  “He's right,” Traviel said. “We insist.”

  “I'm crashing it anyway,” I added.

  Traviel smacked me lightly on the shoulder. “You're not crashing, you're a part of the family.” He flashed me a genuine smile. “You’re my brother.”

  I couldn't resist returning his grin.

  “All right, all right,” conceded Falkanar.

  “And you're staying here too,” Elarian said. “Check out of that hotel.”

  “I'm not here to impose,” Falkanar said again. “I'm perfectly fine in the hotel.”

  “And how often do you stay in a hotel instead of with friends?” Traviel asked.

  Falkanar shrugged again.

  “Then, there’s no use arguing. You know we have room,” Traviel said.

  “You also have a baby to take care of,” Falkanar said.

  I don't know what possessed me to offer, maybe I felt the same sort of gratitude toward the wandering elf that Elarian and Traviel did. Nevertheless, I found myself saying, “You can stay with me.”

  The three of them turned in surprise and I shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve got a guest room, and Falkanar and I are somewhat acquainted. And it's right across the street.”

  “Well, I really don't want to be in anyone’s way,” Falkanar protested.

  “Not at all,” I said. “You wouldn't be. It's a big house and I've got no one else in it.” I was tempted to add that it was kind of lonely. “You’re more than welcome there.”

  “Thank you then,” Falkanar said.

  We soon said our goodbyes, and Falkanar and I crossed the street together.

  “This is beautiful,” he said as he looked over the house. “The genie made this?”

  “Apparently.”

  He chuckled and followed me inside. “Oh, this is wonderful,” he said, entering my living room with a large fireplace and full bookshelves.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Would you like a tour too?” I didn't often show off the house and felt a little bit proud.

  “I'd love one.”

  I took him around, showing him some of the features. At first, he seemed absolutely delighted by all the things that the genie had taken into account, including stocking the house with some of my favorite things. But partway through the tour, he grew quiet.

  “And this is the guest bedroom,” I finished. “Where you'll be staying.”

  Falkanar nodded, almost sadly, as his eyes roved around the room. “Your whole house is fantastic.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  He forced a smile. “Yes. It's just… it must be so wonderful to finally have a home of your own. I guess I'm a little envious… This seems like the sort of place that I feel like I could be happy. Well, not for long anyway,” he added with a bitter laugh.

  “You're welcome to stay here anytime you visit Vale Valley,” I told him honestly.

  “Thank you, really.”

  “You can consider it your home away from…” I hesitated, feeling bad for using a phrase that implied he had a home anywhere else.

  Nonetheless, he smiled, genuinely this time. “My home away,” he finished for me. “I like it.”

  I headed downstairs to let Falkanar freshen up. I was just settling down at my laptop when he returned, looking refreshed and relaxed.

  “I hope I'm not interrupting anything,” he said. “You said you're a writer, right?”

  “Yeah. And you’re not interrupting. I was just going over some notes from my editor.” He nodded. “What do you do?” I asked, immediately giving myself a mental kit. I wasn't actually sure if he did anything, considering he was constantly on the move. To my relief, he smiled and settled down in a nearby chair.

  “I'm actually a writer, of sorts, as well,” he said. I arched an eyebrow curiously. “I have a travel blog. I make it a point to visit some of the popular sites wherever I go and write reviews of them. And I review restaurants, hotels, that sort of thing. It's not hugely popular and there's not a lot of money.” He shrugged. “But I make enough to get by. And it gives me something to do.”

  “I've always been interested in blogging,” I said honestly. “I’ve just never really found anything I think anyone wants to hear about.”

  Falkanar laughed. “You'd be surprised. Sometimes my posts that I think people are going to go nuts for get hardly any views, and the ones I'm not pleased with get all kinds of interaction. You never know. Actually, speaking of blogging, my laptop is at the hotel. Along with all of my things. I should probably get those and check-out.”

  “Sounds good. I’ve got a spare key, let me grab it for you. I should be here, but you can have it just in case.”

  Even though Falkanar had already seen everything, I was compelled to run around quickly and tidy up while he was gone. I threw some dishes into the dishwasher and set up clean sheets and towels in the guest room. By the time he was back, I was settled into my editing. I was surprised to see he only had a single large bag with him.

  “Is that all you travel with?” I asked.

  Falkanar shrugged and averted his eyes. “It’s all I have,” he said, embarrassed. “It’s hard to stay on the move with too much stuff so…”

  “I understand,” I said quickly. “Help yourself to anything you need while you’re here.”

  “Thanks.” With a nod, he headed upstairs with his bag.

  We spent the rest of the day working in a comfortable silence. I edited and Falkanar said he was cleaning up and maintaining his blog. He also took the opportunity to do his laundry. The hours flew by, and I threw together a simple dinner for us. We ate while watching a bad holiday baking show, and spent the whole time laughing. It was nice to have someone to enjoy it with. By the time we went to bed, I was feeling happier than I had in a long time.

  It was a shame Falkanar could only stay a couple weeks or so. I felt like I never wanted him to leave. Maybe I missed having roommates. Due to my financial situation, I always had to split rent with other people. I wondered if some of my loneliness here was because I was by myself at home for the first time in a long time. Even the roommates I didn’t get close with were still a presence in the house.

  I fell asleep, wondering if I should consider renting out a room or two…

  ~~~***~~~

  After breakfast, Falkanar excused himself to fold his laundry. As he walked by with a basket of dry clothes, I noticed that there didn’t seem to be very many. Of course, the small bag he travelled with probably didn’t hold many. I wished I had thought to offer some clothes he could borrow, and wondered if it would offend him or not.

  Not long after he was done, we left for Traviel and Elarian’s. They were aiming for an early evening Thanksgiving dinner and I knew they’d either need help with Kirielm or the cooking
. Based on what I knew from TV and vague childhood memories from when I actually kept in touch with my extended family, I knew Thanksgiving preparations were chaotic and stressful. To my surprise, the day was neither.

  It turned out that Falkanar wasn’t a half-bad cook, so he joined Elarian in the kitchen. Travis and I helped out where needed, while taking care of Kirielm. The day was full of cooking and laughter.

  In all honesty, I expected to be jealous watching Elarian and Traviel spending a family-focused holiday together. Instead, I found that I felt almost like part of the family. Even Falkanar seemed to be enjoying himself. The two of us really hit it off and by the time we were heading back to my house, loaded down with leftovers that Elarian insisted we take, I felt as if I had known Falkanar for years instead of hours.

  We worked a bit on our respective projects and watched a bit of TV. After a small dinner of leftovers, we headed up to bed.

  Chapter Three

  Falkanar

  I was surprised when I woke up an hour later than I normally did. Then again, I had gone east a couple of time zones recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was still stuck on west coast time. All the rich Thanksgiving food probably hadn’t helped.

  For a few minutes I stayed put, snuggled into the bed. It was nice to be in a real bed for once. Hotel beds were fine, but they were always too hard, with too soft pillows, and scratchy sheets. The genie, assuming Travis hadn’t bought any of it himself, hadn’t skimped on quality. The mattress felt like one of those fancy memory foam ones, the pillow was heavenly, and the sheets were so silky I didn’t want to get up at all, especially since I knew the air and floor waiting for me would be chilly. At last, I was too wide awake to be still, and I got up.

  I headed into the bathroom and was shocked to find a change of clothes set out for me. It was obvious I didn't have much, but it never bothered me. I was used to it. For a moment I wondered if I was just crazy and Travis had set them out for himself, but the clothes hadn't been there last night. And it was the guest bathroom. I pulled them on, and was pleased to see that they actually fit quite well. The pants were a little loose in the waist and came up a little bit high. But I had traded in my summer shoes for some boots that would go high enough to hide their legs. Like the pants, the long sleeve shirt was a little too loose on me and the sleeves just barely reached my wrists, but it was a nice soft material and a welcome change from the same few outfits that I cycled through. I typically wore my clothes until the season changed, then traded them at a thrift store.