For the Futurefolken.

[gone_byebye]

The point of re-entry to Ray's world is the same nearly every time. He makes a point of using the same exit from the Firehouse: a door that leads from the building's side into a nondescript alley. The door opens, this time, onto a windy November day. Ray glances up at the sky, then gestures to the others. "Looks like home," he says. A sniff of the air reveals gasoline, horses, and a couple of tough-to-identify stenches. "Yeah, smells like home too. C'mon, guys, I'm pretty sure this is my dimension."

Comments

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"He sounds like..." There was a grin on his face the slowly faded, and ended up slightly forced. "...sounds like somebody I knew."

Harper looked out the window. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to meet him. If he made any lame science jokes about Alice strings, it'd only remind him...

[gone_byebye]

"If the person you knew had facial expressions twice a year, at Nobel Prize season and Hanukkah, then you're on the right track," Ray said. "Actually, no. That's not entirely fair of me. He lights up pretty impressively when you offer him junk food-"

The cab rounded a corner onto Broadway and started into Herald Square, which was decorated for the Christmas season. Macy's and all.

"Next block, Harper."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"What's with the funny decorations?" Beka asked, trying to change the subject, as she knew why Harper's smile had faded like that.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"...Is that Christmas stuff?" Harper asked, his eyes going wide.

[gone_byebye]

"It's Christmas," Ray said. "Seasonal celebration of a religious festival that was basically a solstice celebration at its heart. Sort of a 'hooray, the sun's coming back and we're not all going to die in the freezing dark' kind of thing. People give presents, visit relatives, and eat inordinate amounts of food. Plus there's Santa Claus, but he'd take a while to explain."

He nods to Harper. "Yep. I know you know It's A Wonderful Life- any chance you ever heard of Miracle On 34th Street? This is where that movie took place."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"Wait wait wait, is this the jolly red fat guy holiday?" Beka asked turning to Harper.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

Harper nodded, a grin on his face. "Got it in one," he said. "This is the jolly red fat guy one--and you can ask Ray about the mistletoe thing, I was serious when I said I really didn't make that up."

He looked out the window, nearly pressing his face against the glass, a reminiscing, almost dreamy smile on his face.

"Before we moved to Boston, when we were still in Dunwich, dad would cut down a tree and bring it in. We didn't have much to decorate it with, but the pine smell was enough to make it Christmas-ey." He suddenly laughed to himself. "One year, there were these preying mantises all over the place, and we realized there was a nest on there. We had to sweep 'em all out. Mom was afraid to touch 'em--she fought off Magog before and here she was afraid of bugs--she kept squeaking every time she came across one. Siobhan, Declan, dad, and I wound up having to get rid of 'em all, although me and Siobhan and Declan wound up playin' with 'em more than anything."

The smile widened a little.

"There were a few ornaments mom had, that were handed down through the years, and we'd make ones outta bits of scrap, y'know, metal and stuff--they looked pretty good, too--and mom had a little star she put on top, made of glass. Every time it broke, dad would fix it and sometimes I'd help him--sorta became tradition. Anyway, the tree looked kinda nice. Christmas eve, we'd watch the old holo dad picked up of It's a Wonderful Life--classic Christmas movie, Beka; Ray told me the end of it finally." The smile faded a little bit, but only a little. "When we moved to Boston, we couldn't get a tree anymore--it was tough sneaking out of the camp without getting shot. So dad would make a tree--outta metal pipes, wood, whatever--he'd just cobble something together that we could hang ornaments on, and since we had to leave all of mom's behind, they were all ones I made--glued bits of scrap fabric onto stuff, gathered whatever colorful things we had--I'd save any little shiny thing I found, all year long, just for that, just for Christmas. Sometimes, if it was a good year, I even got a present."

There wasn't a trace of bitterness in his voice. He didn't even seem to realize he was talking. He was just smiling at the green wreaths, shiny red ornaments, and little blinky lights as if they were the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

[gone_byebye]

Ray listened for a while, silently thoughtful. Eventually he said:

"We're adding one more destination to our list before we go back, Harper. I don't mean to drag this out, but you really need to see Rockefeller Center before you go."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"What's Rockefeller center?" he asked, curiously.

[gone_byebye]

"One of our most famous Christmas tourist attractions, after the Santaland in Macy's- but since Santa won't be in place until next Thursday there's no point in that. Rockefeller Center has an ice skating rink, but more importantly, it has the Tree."

Yes, the capital was audible.

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

She had patiently listened to Harper reminisce--he opened up so rarely.

But there was one thing niggling at her.

"What's up with this tree thing, anyway?" she asked them both. "I know the fat guy came from some real guy going around giving kids presents, but where'd the tree thing come from?"

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

Harper, Fount of Useless (and Usually Incorrect) Historical Knowledge, said, "Ah, that's easy. It all started with George Washington. One Christmas he cut one down, and refused to lie to his dad about doing it, so his dad figured 'hey, why waste a perfectly good tree?' and brought it in and they put candles on it and stuff, and it's been tradition ever since."

[gone_byebye]

Ray glanced at Harper, then nodded. "Funny thing is, it was another fifty years before anybody dared to put a Christmas tree in the White House, even though George was the first President. We've gotten a lot better about it ever since, though."

He wasn't going to go through the Germanic tribes' Yule celebrations. George Washington involved less intestine. And frankly, the Christian version, which had Martin Luther in it, would take too long and involve explaining too much stuff he personally put no stock in.

"Anyway- Harper? I suggest you look out your left-hand window. And up."

They'd turned onto the street with Jim Hanley's, but to the left was one Damned Tall Building...

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Whoa. Not as big as the Vestiglian Monolith, but for a building built by men, geez," Harper said, wide-eyed.

[gone_byebye]

"There are taller," Ray says. "There used to be two right on this island that were taller. They're gone- there was an accident- and there's a taller building in Chicago, but... yeah, she's something to be proud of. You should see her after dark, when they light up the top in seasonal colors."

He paid the driver and slid out his side of the car. "Okay. Once you're done looking up, look to your right. We have a store to visit before getting in the big honker there."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

Harper quickly climbed out of the car stood around, looking at the building, his hands in his pockets, then finally turned and ran into the comic book store, making a sort of noise that sounded something like, "Teeeeheee!"

[gone_byebye]

"Is he always like that?" Ray asked of Beka.

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"I have known him for about the last ten years and sadly, the answer is yes. He's always like that. Always."

A pause.

"I deserve a medal."

[gone_byebye]

"Yes," said Ray. "Yes, you do. Unfortunately, I can't give them."

He led the way into the comic book store. The name was a little bit of a misnomer, as the front end was heavily dedicated to busts of various heroes and villains, and to books and T-shirts- plus an entire aisle was clearly nothing but toys. But the rest? Rows and rows and rows of both fresh shiny comics and old bagged back issues. There were several customers- some Ray's age, some teenagers- and a couple of people working the counter, which was off to the left, affording the staff a clear view of the toy aisle.

"See anything you like?"

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Yep," Harper chimed up, even though he didn't seem to be picking up anything to buy. Then it became abundantly clear why this was so, as Harper gave a casual glance around to see if the coast was clear, and with quite a casual flick of the wrist, a comic somehow made its way into his pants.

[gone_byebye]

Ray, for his part, managed to keep his expression from changing. However, he turned to glance over the rest of the store.

"You know what? I think I'm gonna go see if the latest issues of Green Lantern Corps are still in stock. How about we meet up over by the gumball machine in... oh, I dunno, fifteen minutes?"

There was no way he was going to be able to stop Harper, he was pretty sure of that. All he could hope for was to avoid it turning into a catastrophe.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good to me," said the engineer, happily perusing through more comics--which then, too, disappeared on his person.

[gone_byebye]

"Just be careful in the back," Ray said as he started away. "They watch the porno section much, much more carefully."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

At the word "porn," Harper perked up and then, with no shame at all, gravitated towards the back.

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"Why'd you have to tell him that?" Beka asked Ray. "He's going to be back there forever, now. We're never going to be able to get him out."

She started looking at the books and frowning at them.

One had a particularly interesting cover--with what looked like a starship captain on it. Beka figured it was the equivalent of a realistic fiction for her.

She squinted at the words on the back and held it out to Ray.

"Uh, what's that say?"