The Flying Paladin (ITS THE SEQUEL)!!

9: Ho Ho Hold the fuck up

Lance

"Okay, mijo," I said with a laugh. "You have to knead the dough this way. See?"

Jack looked at the way my hands pushed the chocolate dough and giggled. "Okay Papa," he said. He took the spot where my hands were and begin pushing hard. I smiled and went to check on the cookies that were already in the oven and baking.

It was getting closer to Christmas every day and our family was preparing for their first christmas back on Earth.

Close to a month ago, Hunk and Pidge finally got together. It was super cute. Now of course, they're all over each other. I'd be disgusted if it weren't for that fact that I was the same way.

Right now, Keith and Shiro had the girls out scavenging for Christmas trees while Jack and I stayed home to make Christmas cookies. It was a wonderful time, and I'm so happy that we've had this chance to get to spend time together.

Jack was focused on the krackel cookies and I was focused on the sugar cookies in the oven. I pulled them out, my mouth watering at the smell. As soon as they were cooled, Jack and I were going to decorate them.

"Papa, are they done?" Jack called. I turned around to look and smiled.

"Yep," I said. "Now we put them in the bag and shake them?"

"Why?" Jack asked, tilting his head so he looked like a puppy. It was adorable.

"So that the powdered sugar can get into it." I said. I poured a good amount of powdered sugar into a brown bag and then gave it to Jack. He lifted a piece of the dough, rolled it into a ball and then placed it into the brown bag.

"And now I shake it?" Jack asked. I nodded. He closed the top of the bag and started shaking it. I laughed at his enthusiasm. After a while I stopped him.

"Okay now, we take out the cookie and put it on the pan." I said, releasing the bag from Jack's death like grip. He opened it and took out the cookie and placed it on the pan. "Now you do the rest!"

"And it tastes good?" Jack asked. I nodded.

"This was my favorite cookie whenever Christmas came around. Camilla and I would..." I trailed off. Jack, being the innocent child he was, didn't seem to get my melancholy behavior.

"Would what, Papa?" he asked. I smiled.

"We'd make the cookies together," I continued. "Every year until she went away."

"That sounds nice," Jack said, placing another cookie in the bag and shaking it.

"It was," I whispered to no one in particular.

A ding brought me out of my thoughts. The cookies were cooled. I walked over to the counter where I had placed them and moved them onto the table where I had set up the different frostings and sprinkles.

"Jacky," I called. "Are you almost done with the krackel cookies?" I asked. He nodded. "Okay, come over here and let's decorate these cookies!"

Jack's face lit up and he placed the final cookie on the pan before racing over to where I was standing. "Don't you have to place the cookies in the oven?" he asked.

"I will," I assured him, booping his nose where a dot of powdered sugar sat. "But I'm gonna get you started on the cookies first."

"I'm going to make one of the castle!" Jack said laughing. I frowned.

"Do you miss it, Jacky?" I asked him. He paused and then nodded.

"That's my home," he said. "Course I miss it."

"Don't worry Jacky," I said, petting the top of his head and placing a kiss on his forehead. "We'll be going back soon."

He hummed a response and started to decorate the sugar cookie in front of him. While he was icing them, I placed the krackel cookies in the oven and started a timer. Smiling to myself I walked back to the table and picked up my sugar cookie to decorate.

I thought about how this was the kids first Christmas on Earth. Every year we didn't really know when Christmas was, we just guessed to close around the time. We celebrated every year, but they never knew what it was like to experience a true Earth Christmas.

That's why we were going all out this year. Shiro and Keith dispatched to find the perfect tree with the girls, Jack and I making cookies. And when they come back with the tree, the whole family is going to decorate it while listening to christmas music in the background.

I laughed when I realized that the cookie I decorated ended up being a blue lion.

"Papa?" Jack asked. I looked over to him. "Will you always be my papa?"

I stared at him in shock. "What? Of course I will! What are you talking about?"

"Well, Nessa and I's reall mommy and daddy didn't want us." Jack said, and I felt my heart break a little. Why was he thinking about this? "So what happens if you guys stop wanting us?"

I pushed away from the table and walked quickly to Jack where I wrapped him up in a tight embrace. "Jack I will always love you. You are my baby. I promise your dads and I will never stop loving you."

"Really?"

"Really. You can be anything you want, anything at all. And nothing will make me love you any less," I said with conviction. He smiled, albeit watery, and kissed my cheek.

"I love you Papa," he said. I smiled.

"I love you too, nino." I said.

I sat him back down and he started decorating his cookies again. I hummed as I decorated my second cookies. I was anxious for my husbands to come home with our daughters so we could start the tree. I just wanted this Christmas to be perfect for the kids. They deserve it after everything they've been through.

A ring cut through the tranquil silence. It was my cell phone. I frowned at the foreign number. I clicked the talk button. "Hello?"

"Hello is this Lance McGane?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes, this is he." I said in confusion. "Can I help you?"

"I regret to inform you that there was a car accident involving Takashi McGane, Keith McGane and two unamed female... people. Your name was on their emergency contact forms." the voice said. "They are currently in the hospital with severe injuries."

My heart stopped.

My husbands...?

My daughters...?

Car accident?

"...that okay?" the voice said again. I distantly recalled him still speaking, but I was having trouble hearing over the pounding in my ears.

"Um..." my throat felt dry. "C-Can you repeat that?"

"They are currently in the hospital, and I can give you the hospital they're staying out. Is that okay?" the voice repeated. I nodded before realizing they couldn't see me.

"Um yes," I said. The person repeated the name of the hospital before offering condolences and hanging up. I just stood there, utterly numb.

They were in a wreck?

They had severe injuries?

Are they okay?

Is my family going to leave me?

Oh god why is this happening!?

I vaguely feel myself falling to the floor, sobs racking out of my body. I can just barely hear Jack run to my side and ask me what's wrong.

Distantly I hear a timer go off.

The cookies are done.