(co-written by Liquid O)
Lilith had made her drive home with Eliana sitting in the passenger seat next to her. They had finished a long shift day at their job heading home near sunset as they drove up to the farmhouse.
“You know sometimes I used to imagine when I got older and had a job and a kid.” Lilith started.
“Yeah? You come home to a beautiful woman who would kiss you on the cheek and welcome you home after a long day.” Elaina said and gave a slight chuckle.
“Fuck no. When I was a kid, every foster family I was sent to was a married couple; stable jobs, maybe a few kids—Sure they’d seem happy but I could tell they were full of crap. I never wanted any of that…I just wanted to be with someone who loved me." The black haired woman explained.
“Well maybe you’ll find the right one someday. Sorry I’m not bisexual enough for you.” Eliana joked.
“Funny. But as I was saying I never even wanted kids or even thought about it…at least until Alyssa was born. I just hope I can be a good mother.” Lilith said.
“Seriously, I know the job hasn’t been easy for you and you’re still adjusting to being a mom, but you’re doing the best you can do making up for....lost time. But really Lilith, I thank god almighty every day you came back into our lives, you’ve been nothing but helpful to us.” Eliana said.
“Anything for you and the girls. I’m sure this time must be especially hard for Rebecca missing Luca and all.” Lilith said as Eliana nodded her head as they made their way up onto their porch.
“Yeah, he loved this time of year and making it the best he could for Rebecca.” The other woman said.
“Yeah…he always celebrated Christmas, Set said even when they would stay in an abandoned parking garage or condemned building, he always made everything festive. And I know Rebecca especially loved it.” Lilith smiled.
“Speaking of Rebecca, tonight’s when we do our candlelight vigil with the girls.” Eliana said as they came into the house.
“Candlelight vigil?” Lilith asked as the two of them went inside and saw Rebecca and Alyssa sitting at the table and fixing up a few candles for the four of them.
“What’s this all about then?” Lilith asked as Eliana went over to Rebecca and gave her a kiss on the head as Lilith sat down at the table while Eliana started getting their dinner ready.
“So ever since Becca lost her dad and....I lost you for a while, every holiday we have a candlelight vigil. When we wrote the names down on the paper that we use to catch the wax of the candles. I did one with you on it, but you know, I don’t really know who to do it for this time.” Alyssa explained.
Lilith looked at Rebecca writing her father’s name down on the paper. Lilith was glad her daughter would never get to know or meet her grandfather, but there was one person Lilith thought of that would be a better fit.
“Why don’t you write down ‘Amelia’ instead?” Lilith suggested as Alyssa looked at her.
“Who’s Amelia?”
“Well years ago, back before you were born and I was carrying you, I went to the Morelands years back and asked them about the other members of my family. They didn’t have too much because that...monster had destroyed nearly every record of his family. But I did learn at least one name: Amelia Kane. She was my mother, and she was your grandmother. I don’t know what she was like or know anything beyond her name, but I’m sure if she ever met you, she would love her granddaughter.” Lilith said with a smile as Alyssa wrote down Amelia’s name on the paper.
“Alright you three, we’ll have dinner first then do the vigil.” Eliana said as they got the table ready to eat.
After the four of them had finished with their dinner, they prepared their candles with Luca and Amelia’s name on them and made their way outside. Eliana and Rebecca lit their candle together, as did Lilith and Alyssa.
“So what do you guys usually do after this? Sing a song?” Lilith asked.
“Yeah, we sometimes sing a Christmas song. But I don’t really feel like singing ‘Silent Night’ it’s nice, but sometimes it makes me feel just a little sad.” Rebecca explained.
Lilith then thought for a moment before an idea came to her mind and gave her daughter little smirk.
“I’ve got a song that we could sing: ‘Goodbye Norma Jeane, though I never knew you at all, you had the grace to hold yourself, while those around you crawled.’” Lilith began singing.
“ ‘They crawled out of the woodwork, and they whispered into your brain, they set you on the treadmill, and they made you change your name.’” Eliana sang now along with Lilith.
“ ‘And it seems to me you lived your life, like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in. And I would’ve liked to known you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did.’” Lilith, Eliana, Rebecca, and Alyssa all sang together with smiles on their faces. They then gave a smile before they blew out their candles.
“Not exactly a Christmas song, but still a good song to sing to.” Rebecca said.
“Eh, Christmas songs are overplayed so much these days. Besides we’re not exactly the most average family around.” Eliana said giving her daughter a hug.
“So what do you all do after the vigil?” Lilith asked them.
“Usually we just play in the snow or toss snowballs at each other.” Alyssa explained as Lilith now had a thought processing in her head.
“I’ll be right back.” Lilith told them all as she rushed back inside. The three of them looked at each other confused before Lilith came back out after a while with a piece of paper and a crude drawing of a bad looking man on it.
“What’s this?” Alyssa asked looking at the paper and trying not to laugh at her mother’s artistic skills.
“This is a very crude drawing of Ezekiel Kane, and we’re all going to have a little game of bullseye with it.” Lilith explained to her daughter as she stuck the drawing onto a tree and formed a snowball and gave it to Alyssa to toss at.
Alyssa, Lilith, Rebecca, and Eliana, all took turns hitting at the crude picture trying to make it fall. Alyssa came close to hitting it, but Lilith was able to hit a bullseye at it every time. After having fun with it, the other three now noticed Lilith was striking the snowballs harder at the image.
“This is for trying to kill me as a baby,” Lilith said directly hitting the image. “This is for trying to kill me and my friends when I was a teenager,” Lilith said hitting the image harder with a snowball. “This is for killing the only mother I’ll ever know,” Lilith said hitting the image harder than before. “This is for killing me as an adult and taking me away from my daughter!” Lilith said shouting at the image as she continued to pelt it with snowballs while it was on the ground. “YOU FOUND A WAY, I KNOW, YOU FOUND SOME GOD DAMNED WAY OF KILLING ME FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE! EVERYTHING IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!!!” Lilith said as she now pounded at the picture on the ground.
“Mom! Mom! Mom, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Alyssa said putting a hand on her mother’s shoulder getting her to stop. “He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe, you’re with me. You’re with me now.” Alyssa said as she saw her mother’s eyes well with tears.
“I don’t deserve you,” Lilith cried now into Alyssa’s arms. “I don’t deserve a good daughter like you.”
“Yes you do mom. There’s no other woman I’d be proud to call my mom. Ever since you came back, I’ve loved what I’ve got to do with you for lost time. Hunting, training, bowling, singing goddamned stupid karaoke songs at the bar in town. It’s all that stuff and more I’m glad I get to do with you now. You, Becca, and Eliana are my family, you’re all the family I need right now.” Alyssa said as she and Lilith hugged and Lilith now wiped her eyes away of her tears.
Lilith and Alyssa now looked at each other and smiled before they were both hit by snowballs.
“Hey! We were having a moment!” Alyssa said to Eliana and Rebecca with a laugh and a smile.
“Sorry, we thought you were done. So let’s stop with the crying and get with the fighting. Mother and daughter against mother and daughter.” Eliana said tossing a snowball up and down in her hand.
“You ever been in a snowball fight before?” Alyssa asked Lilith as Lilith gave a little smirk and formed a perfect snowball before tossing it towards Eliana with a perfect curve.
“Whoa!” Alyssa said amazed looking at her mother’s arm skills.
“I was in a few snowball fights growing up.” Lilith smirked as she and Alyssa now gathered snowballs to toss at Eliana and Rebecca who along with them were laughing with them happily as the game proceeded on.