Mikaela sat on the front porch, ignoring the biting could through her thick blue winter coat.
"I know you’re excited, but you can just as easily wait inside," said Annette, opening the front door.
"I’m good," said Mikaela, her eyes fixed on the driveway.
Annette was about to close the door, when the roar of an engine rent the air.
"He’s here!" squealed Mikaela, jumping up and down.
"Have fun!" snapped Annette, slamming the door shut.
Within a few seconds, Ivan’s BMW M5 pulled up the driveway.
"Daddy!" squealed Mikaela, throwing herself into his arms, just as he stepped out of the car.
"Oof! I missed you too, Princess. Ready to go?" he asked.
"Born ready!" said Mikaela, scampering into the front passenger seat.
Ivan got in behind the wheel, and started up the car, its climate control heating up the interior until Mikaela could pull off her scarf and cap.
Mikaela buzzed in anticipation as Ivan drove into the Sirius Zone’s Orion shopping district.
"This is another planet," she said, observing the glittering storefronts, and the LED decorative lights sparkling on the snow-covered trees.
"Well, not really a different planet," chuckled Ivan as they drove through the wide roads that were kept free of snow and water through horizontal jets of hot air blasting from the sidewalks and dians.
They stopped at an upscale boutique called Junior Elegance.
"Pick any dress you like," said Ivan, as he led Mikaela into the shop.
Mikaela stared wide-eyed at the racks of dresses, skirts, blouses, and other elegant looking clothes in the shop.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened them again to see a salesgirl in a black skirt-suit approach her.
"Would you like help with anything miss?" asked the girl
"C-could you show your blue dresses please?" asked Mikaela, trying to appear as sophisticated as possible.
"Of course, here we are," said the salesgirl, showing Mikaela a selection of dresses in various styles and shades of blue.
"Hmm, I’ll try this one," said Mikaela, pointing to a navy blue dress with short puff sleeves, a structured bodice with a square neckline, and a wide flaring skirt.
"Sure," said the salesgirl, and ushered here into the changing room.
"D-Daddy? What do you think?" asked Mikaela, nervously fidgeting outside the changing room.
"It makes you look very pretty, Princess," said Ivan.
"Thanks, Daddy. I feel pretty in it," said Mikaela, perking up and blushing.
"Now, let’s get you so shoes and socks to go with it," said Ivan, and Mikaela nodded.
They ca out of Junior Elegance with Mikaela wearing the dress, along with a pair of black leather Mary Jane flats, and opaque white pantyhose under her winter coat. The clothes she had entered the shop in, were packed in the shopping bags.
"Next stop, Swarovski," said Ivan, ushering an excited Mikaela into the car.
---
"Daddy, are you sure this is OK?" asked Mikaela staring at the Rhodium-plated bracelet inlaid with gleaming white Swarovski crystals on her wrist.
"Yes, it’s fine. You can stash all of this stuff at Captain Hawkins’ house if you’re worried about your mom finding them," said Ivan.
"OK," said Mikaela, feeling better.
"Well? How do you feel? Like a real Princess now?" asked Ivan, smiling as Mikaela admired herself in a mirror.
"Yeah. I actually feel like a girl now. Mom never let get a skirt or a dress, even when Anna used to wear them," said Mikaela.
"Yes, well. Let’s not talk about mom for a while. Co on. We have a dinner reservation," said Ivan, taking her by the hand.
He led Mikaela back into the car, and they drove a little further in a happy silence.
"What is this place?" asked Mikaela looking up at the sweeping steps of the Eminence restaurant.
"This is called Eminence, it’s a fancy restaurant," said Ivan, leading Mikaela up the stairs.
"Wow!" exclaid Mikaela, taking in the ivory tablecloth and upholstery of the restaurant, interspaced with gold-rimd plates and saucers.
They were shown to a table set for two, and Mikaela stared at the gleaming forks and knives, along with the almost invisible fine quartz goblets.
She clenched and unclenched her fists, as a dark expression crossed her face.
"Princess? What’s wrong?" asked Ivan.
"Why? Why does Mom hate this stuff? It looks so pretty, so clean, so... delicate. Is that why?" she asked, tears of frustration stinging her eyes.
"I’m afraid I don’t know Princess. She says it’s because it’s expensive, but I have always had enough money to take us out to a place like this at least once in a while," said Ivan.
Mikaela blinked the tears away, and shook her head.
"What kind of at do they have at this place?" she asked, opening the leather-bound nu.
"All kinds, but I promised your mom and Ms. Hirschfield to stick to good old beef and pork, this ti around," said Ivan.
"I won’t tell if you don’t," said Mikaela with a mischievous smile.
"Well, I said I wouldn’t let you eat anything fancy, I didn’t say I wouldn’t order sothing fancy for myself, and let you taste it," chuckled Ivan as a waitress approached them.
"Would you like to order?" asked the waitress.
"I’ll have the roasted venison with truffle mashed potatoes, and Coca-Cola to drink," said Ivan.
"I’ll have the beef, and the sa to drink," said Mikaela with a grin.
"Very good," said the waitress and left.
"Is Santa going to put on the naughty list?" asked Mikaela.
"Even if he puts you on one, you’re always on my nice list," chuckled Ivan.
"Daddy? What do you really do for work? How can you afford all this stuff, and you said you even own WonderWorld?" asked Mikaela.
"For the longest ti I was happy to just teach at MIT. Then, I got a job at Sirius Software, because I taught the guy who owns it, and he offered more money than what I made at MIT. It ca through just when mom decided she had enough of and filed for divorce. For a while, I did both jobs, teaching at MIT, and working part-ti at Sirius Software, but then political stuff started to happen. Sirius Software and the Sirius Zone started to break away from the US, and I got fired from MIT. Without a full-ti day job, I decided to try my hand at investing in things, and that worked out pretty well. I t a guy who is in the restaurant business, Michael DuPont, and so we struck a deal to build WonderWorld together. I’ll design the rides, and the tech stuff, he takes care of the food and other stuff. That was a big success, and so I decided to start my own tech company and make stuff that Sirius Software doesn’t," said Ivan.
"What is the stuff that you make?" asked Mikaela.
"You saw how the roads didn’t have any snow? That system is what I built. I also make the lights on the trees, and I own that Junior Elegance shop we went to," said Ivan.
"I see," said Mikaela, as the waitress returned with their orders.
"Here’s to a fun Christmas Eve," said Ivan raising his glass.
"Cheers," said Mikaela and they clinked their glasses together.
"Here, a taste," said Ivan, holding out a forkful of venison to Mikaela.
"It tastes... weird but in a good way," said Mikaela, chewing on it experintally.
"It is an acquired taste. Don’t force yourself to like it," said Ivan.
"Yeah, I’ll stick to my beef for now," said Mikaela tucking into her own steak.
---
"Best Christmas Eve ever!" sighed Mikaela, as Ivan drove them back to Pine Springs.
Mikaela had changed back into the clothes she had worn earlier, and had carefully packed the dress and bracelet into her backpack.
To placate Annette, Ivan had gifted her an enormous brown teddy bear, which Mikaela was clinging onto.
They arrived at Edward’s house, and as Ivan had predicted, Annette was standing in the driveway with her hands on her hips.
"Ready with the peasant act, Princess?" asked Ivan as he stopped the car.
"Ready," said Mikaela taking a deep breath.
Ivan got out of the car, and opened the door for Mikaela.
"Co on, Princess. Out you get," he said, taking the teddy bear from Mikaela and helping her out.
"Well? Is that what you got her?" asked Annette.
Mikaela took the teddy bear from Ivan, and ran into Edward’s house.
Annette made to follow her, but Ivan blocked her path.
"The deal was that you get her at 8 AM tomorrow morning," he said.
"I have a right to know," growled Annette.
"Annette, I’m warning you only once. Back off. It’s still my ti with Mikaela," said Ivan, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"You’re not corrupting her like you did Aaron, Ivan. I swear I will do whatever it takes," said Annette through gritted teeth.
"Annette, I’m going to go in, sing so carols with Captain Hawkins, and then leave, by myself, for Midnight Mass. Interfere, and you’ll spend Christmas alone and destitute. Do I make myself clear?" asked Ivan.
Annette recoiled in fear at Ivan’s tone and words.
"Good night, and rry Christmas," said Ivan, and walked up the driveway to Edward’s house.
---
"Welco ho, Professor Zakhrov," said Kristen, as Ivan entered his house in Fenrir Township.
"Ah! Are you a sight for sore eyes!" sighed Ivan, pulling Kristen towards him and gently kissing her.
Kristen lted into his embrace, for several monts, before pulling away.
"How was your evening with Mikaela?" she asked.
"Mikaela was wonderful. Annette on the other hand, is a different story. She actually was waiting in the damn driveway of Edward’s house when we got back," said Ivan.
"Well, don’t worry about her. Are you ready for our celebration with Midnight Mass at St. Joseph’s?" asked Kristen, picking up her coat.
"Yes. Let’s go," said Ivan, and linked Kristen’s arm in his.
"How was Christmas Dinner with the rest of the Sirius Software gang?" asked Ivan as he drove them towards the church.
"Lonely, because you weren’t there," pouted Kristen.
"I know, I’m sorry," said Ivan.
"Don’t be, Professor. I know your reasons for keeping our relationship from Annette and Mikaela. I agreed to them," said Kristen, gently stroking his arm.
"Thank you, Ms. Ford. You truly are an angel," said Ivan, as he pulled into the church parking lot.
Kristen fought down her blush as Ivan helped her out of the car, and they went into the massive Gothic style church.
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