Demelza and Ross "scarves" or "my car broke down" thank you!!
Same non-specific modern AU as previous two prompts.
(at this point I should stop calling it non-specific, I think?)
* * *
“I expect this is the annual scarf,” Rosssaid, pulling a wrapped present from a jiffy bag and giving it an experimentalsqueeze. “Aunt Agatha never will change.”
“And you wouldn’t want her to,” Demelzalaughed, snatching the present out of his hands before he could poke a hole inthe wrapping paper. It wasn’t safe to leave presents under the tree – Jeremywas about ready to crawl, and had an unerring instinct for getting into thingshe shouldn’t – but she put it on a shelf behind the tree, ready for Christmasmorning. Despite their resolve to have a small Christmas, there was already anaccumulation of presents gathering on the shelf from friends and family. Itwarmed her heart to know people cared.
“That’s not the point,” complained Ross. “Thepoint is she makes me a new scarf every Christmas, and I end up not gettingenough wear out of a single one of them.”
He’d be glad of them when Agatha was gone,though. She knew that well enough, though she would never say so. She had a boxin the attic, full to bursting with the little clothes and shoes and toys thatshe hadn’t been able to bring herself to give away, after Julia’s death.
But Ross never got rid of any of Agatha’sscarves, though he complained every year about getting another one, so Demelzawas fairly sure he shared her feelings.
“Still,” he added, “she never misses aChristmas or a birthday. And here – something for Jeremy, too.” He took anotherpresent from the envelope and put it with his own, on the shelf. “D’youremember that awful dress she knitted for Julia?”
“I do.” She smiled, not entirely happily. Itwas rare that Ross spoke her name, but it was a good sign, really. They werehealing. And Jeremy helped, though of course he wasn’t a replacement. But hissmiles and gurgles and development eased the pain in their hearts. “Let’s hopethis one isn’t so…colourful.”
“Let’s hope my scarf isn’t neon yellow,” saidRoss, not sounding terribly optimistic.
