18. Krampus

CHAPTER 18

KRAMPUS

T he tiny human barricades herself behind a pink door covered in unicorn stickers. A door I could rip off its hinges with one finger, but that wouldn't solve anything.

"Sam, honey, we need to leave soon." Mel's voice carries a tremor of worry.

"I'm not going!" Sam's voice cracks.

"What's wrong with the performance?" I lean against the wall, crossing my arms. "Stage fright? I once had to address the High Council of Ataxia. Scariest moment of my life."

"I don't want to go!" A muffled sob. "I'm just Snowflake Number Four."

"Snowflake Number Four?" I scratch my head. Human rituals continue to baffle me. "Sounds important."

"It's not." More sobs. "I don't even have any lines."

Mel sighs. "Honey, please. We talked about this. It's important to me."

"I wanted to be the Snow Princess," Sam wails through the door. "But Kristi Miller got to be the Snow Princess." The name drips with disdain. Kristi Miller. I file the name away for future reference. Should the need arise to inflict…disciplinary action.

"You'll have other chances, sweetie," Mel says.

"And then I wanted to be the Christmas Elf! But Mrs. Higgins said the Elf had to be a boy. So Jimmy Harrington got to be the Elf!" Another sob, choked with injustice. Jimmy Harrington. Added to the list.

I press my palm against the door. "Life's funny like that, kid. You think you know exactly what role you're meant to play, but the universe has other plans."

"What do you mean?" Sam's voice comes closer to the door.

"Well, back where I'm from, I had big plans. Thought I'd be ruling entire star systems by now." My claws trace one of the unicorn stickers. "Instead, here I am on this little mudball of a planet, talking to a door."

Mel's breath catches. Our eyes meet, and something electric passes between us.

"But you know what?" I continue, my voice softening. "Sometimes the part you didn't choose turns out better than the one you wanted. Look at me - I'm happier here playing protector than I ever was trying to be a conqueror."

The door creaks open a crack. One blue eye peers out.

"Really?"

"Really. And you know what else? Your mother's been looking forward to seeing her beautiful snowflake all week." I catch Mel's gaze again, letting her see the truth behind my words. "Sometimes being brave means doing something not for ourselves, but for the people we love."

"I just..." Sam's voice wavers. "What if I mess up?"

"Then you'll mess up spectacularly, and we'll all still love you just the same." I reach through the crack and tap her nose. "Now, what do you say we get that costume on and show everyone what Snowflake Number Four can do?"

The door swings open and my breath catches. Sam twirls in her shimmering costume, silver sparkles catching the light. The jumpsuit transforms her into a perfect crystalline snowflake, complete with delicate patterns that catch and reflect every beam of light.

Mel's hand flies to her mouth. Her eyes glisten with tears. "Oh, baby..."

I grab Mel's phone and start snapping pictures. Sam poses, throwing her arms wide, then spinning in circles until she gets dizzy. The camera captures every moment - mother and daughter hugging, Sam showing off her sparkly shoes, Mel adjusting the costume's shoulder strap.

My chest tightens watching them together. The way Mel smooths Sam's hair. How Sam beams up at her mother with complete trust and adoration. The gentle kiss Mel places on her daughter's forehead.

Something inside me shifts. These feelings... they're foreign, dangerous. I'm a warrior, a destroyer of worlds. I don't do... this. Whatever this warmth spreading through my chest is.

But as I watch them through the camera lens, the truth hits me like a plasma blast to the gut. I love them. Both of them. This tiny, fierce human and her equally fierce mother have somehow wormed their way past centuries of carefully constructed walls.

How? When? I've only known them for days. It makes no logical sense. Yet here I stand, taking family photos like some domesticated house pet, and my heart feels fuller than it has in three hundred years.

"Krampus! Take one with us!" Sam waves me over.

"The camera-" I start to protest.

"Has a timer function." Mel's eyes sparkle with amusement. "Get over here, you big blue furball."

I set the timer and rush to join them, wrapping one arm around Mel's waist while Sam bounces in front of us. The flash goes off, capturing this strange little family unit.

"Perfect shot." Mel checks her phone. "Now we better hurry."

The drive to the school sets my nerves on edge. Every shadow could hide a Grolgath assassin. My enhanced vision scans rooftops, alleyways, parked vehicles. But nothing threatens my... these humans tonight.

"Stop growling at that mailbox," Mel whispers. "You're making the other drivers nervous."

Sam skips ahead of us into the bustling elementary school, her costume twinkling under the fluorescent lights. A harried-looking teacher in a reindeer sweater shepherds her backstage with the other children.

"Kevin!" A woman in designer boots waves us over. "So nice to finally meet Mel's boyfriend."

My image inducer better hold up to close inspection. I force my face into what I hope passes for a friendly human smile. "Pleasure's mine."

"This is Mrs. Miller, Kristi's mom," Mel says through clenched teeth.

Ah. The Snow Princess's mother. I resist the urge to bare my fangs.

"Such a lovely pageant," I manage. "All the children are equally important to its success."

Mel's hand finds mine and squeezes. A silent thank you for playing nice.

More parents cluster around us. I endure their small talk, their probing questions about my job and background. I stick to the cover story Mel and I practiced. Investment consultant. Recently moved from Europe. Yes, the accent is Norwegian.

"You two make such a cute couple," Mrs. Harrington gushes. "Will you be joining us for the PTA bake sale next week?"

I open my mouth to decline, but catch sight of Mel's hopeful expression.

"Wouldn't miss it," I say.

The auditorium lights dim. Parents shuffle and whisper, settling into their seats. My enhanced vision picks up every detail - the crude cardboard scenery, the plastic snowflakes dangling from fishing line, the nervous energy radiating from behind the curtain.

Mel sits beside me, clutching her phone ready to record. The stage lights come up, and tinny music pipes through ancient speakers. A parade of small humans dressed as various winter objects prances across the stage.

Then Sam appears. She glides across the stage in perfect formation with the other snowflakes, her costume catching the light just so. My warrior's instincts catalog every potential threat, every exit, every weakness in the building's security. But I can't help stealing glances at Mel.

Her face glows. Tears sparkle in her eyes, but her smile could outshine a supernova. She radiates pure joy, pure love, pure pride in her offspring's achievement. I've seen the birth of stars, witnessed the death of galaxies, but nothing compares to the beauty of this moment.

My chest aches. Three hundred years of existence, and I never knew it was possible to feel this way. To want to protect, to cherish, to... love. The word no longer feels foreign in my mind.

Mel's hand finds mine in the darkness. Her fingers intertwine with mine, so small and delicate against my massive paw. Yet in this simple gesture, I feel more strength than in any battle I've ever fought.

I would tear apart armies for this woman. I would challenge the gods themselves. I would give up everything I am, everything I was, just to keep her smiling like this.

Sam twirls with the other snowflakes, and Mel squeezes my hand tighter. In this moment, I know with absolute certainty - this is where I belong. This is my purpose. Not conquest, not destruction, but this. Protecting this precious thing we've found.

"Let's celebrate!" Sam bounces in the back seat. "Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese's?"

"That's the place with the mechanical vermin, right?" I adjust my image inducer. "Sounds... charming."

Mel shoots me a warning look. "Best behavior."

The restaurant assaults my enhanced senses - flashing lights, screaming children, the reek of processed cheese. But Sam's excitement makes it worth enduring.

Until I spot it. A towering mechanical monster, all teeth and dead eyes. Just like the Reapers that hunted me across the Centauri system.

"Die, abomination!" My disintegrator materializes in my hand.

"Krampus, no-"

Too late. The beam reduces Chuck E.'s backup singer to atoms. Sparks shower the stage as children scream - with delight.

"That was awesome!" Sam claps. "Do it again!"

"No more disintegrating the animatronics." Mel massages her temples. "Or anything else."

"But mom, he made it better! Look, now Chuck E. has to dance alone!"

The staff seem oddly unfazed. Apparently, this happens often enough that they have a standard incident report for "spontaneous animatronic combustion."

After pizza and games, we head home. Sam perches on my shoulders, still buzzing with sugar and excitement. Mel walks close, her warmth against my side better than any combat high.

"I'm just a typical Earthman out with my family," I announce proudly.

Mel laughs. "Yes, completely normal. Nothing to see here."

Sam yawns above me. "Best... night... ever."

And despite centuries of battles and conquests, I have to agree. This simple evening with these two humans means more than any victory I've ever claimed.