The Greatest Gift Part Thirteen
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The Greatest Gift
A Voltron Adaptation by MoiraOriginal story by Philip Van Doren Stern
Story adaptation for the big screen by Frank Capra
Further adapted by me, borrowing from both the authors’ classic tails.
This is a stand alone tale, not pertaining to any other story I have done.Legal Stuff
Voltron, Defender of the Universe and its characters property of World Events Productions, Ltd. ‘The Greatest Gift’ originally written by Philip Van Doren Stern. Story adapted for the big screen by Frank Capra. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Original characters and storyline are property of the author, please do not use, reproduce, or repost without permission.Rating NC17
The NC17 rating due to sexual situations, violence, drug use, and strong language.
So, if you don’t care for that kind of stuff, stop now! You’ve been warned.
And yes, even with all that, is really is a Christmas tale.So, if you dare, grab a fresh box of Kleenex, a cup of cider, dim the lights, and dive in.
The Greatest Gift
A Voltron Christmas TaleEpilogue
Five Years later, and two weeks after Christmas.
“Princess….Princess.” Keith can hear Nanny yelling from his room as he walks down the hall toward it. “It is not proper for a person of your birth to be running around like that!” He can hear the shuffling on furniture from inside. “Princess get back here!” He opens the door to his room stepping inside. A small, half wet, naked, raven tussled flash runs right for him. He drops to his knees and caches the giggling bundle up in his arms, rising into a spin as the toddler burrys her hands and face into his hair giggling the whole time. A very exhausted looking Nanny approaches brushing loose strands of hair from her face. “She is just impossible!”It taking every ounce of his strength not to laugh, at the picture Nanny makes before him. Her hair has almost completely fallen from its bun. Her dress is drenched in water and she is gasping for breath with a rosy glow to her cheeks. He instead smiles, slowly speaking his words so as not laugh. “Can… I help…you…Nanny?” The mirth in his is voice unmistakable.
“She refuses to wear her clothes!”
He turns to the little girl in his arms who is still giggling, prying her back to look at her. He tries not to get caught up in her eyes but it is too late as her saucer like blue green eyes find his and smile up to him. He’s caught and knows it, but also doesn’t care. He puts his finger on her little nose. “Is this true Angelica? Are you not behaving for Nanny?” The toddler putts on a pout doping her eyes she knows better than to lie to him. He uses his finger to lift her chin up. “You do want to go outside and play don’t you?” The girl pouts but nods her head. “Well, then you have to put your clothes on.” He walks up to Nanny. “Now why don’t you let Nann…” The toddler grabs on tight to his neck crawling up him burrowing in to his hair again. Keith can’t help but to hug her tight. He looks to Nanny who just holds out her arms in exacerbation. “Nanny, why don’t you take a break. I’ll take her this time.”
Nanny harrumphs shooting him a glower but it soon melts into a smile at seeing how much the little princess loves her father and how much he loves her in return. She picks up the scattered wet towels and leaves the room.
Keith walks over to the bed where Nanny has set out all her clothes, sitting himself down he stands her up on the bed beside him. Grabbing the red turtleneck, he begins to dress his now very cooperative daughter. “Why do you give Nanny such a hard time?” He ruffs her long jet-black hair as it appears through the neck opening. She just smiles innocently up at him as he helps guide her arms, her small hands eventually finding the armholes. He then holds out her underclothes so she can step into them and then slides them up with a tickle to the ribs finish.
“Na Na fun.” She giggles and starts to bounce on the bed as he now searches for her paints.
He grabs up her paints holding them out for her to step in. “You are going to wear her out!” He laughs as she refuses his aid and struggles into her pants herself. Triumphantly pulling them up all the way, grinning from ear to ear. “Good job! Soon you won’t need any help.” He reaches out fastening them. “Now, where are you boots?” She giggles and grabs them up from the bed but moves them out of his reach when he tries to take them. He instead grabs her ankles pulling her feet out from under her sending her laughing and giggling flying down to the bed. He springs up next to her tickling her little ribs causing her to squeal and squirm in delight. He then grabs a tiny foot. “I wonder? Are your feet ticklish too?” The toddler squeals and wriggles trying to get free. “I thought so.” He plants a kiss on it then blows hard the noise sending her further into hysterics. He finds her socks pulling them on and then pulls on her boots. He stands and lifts her up into his arms giving her a big squeeze. “I love you, my little Princess.”
“I wov you daddy.” She kisses him with a big wet smack. He puts her down on the floor, her little legs already running before they touch.
He looks out her bright purple jacket, hat, and gloves as she races around the still standing big Christmas tree in their room. He bends down smiling as he watches her. “Ready?” She spins and bolts for him, leaping up into his waiting arms.
The two leave their quarters. She riding tall in his arms holding onto his neck taller than everybody except Hunk that is and she likes that. She smiles and waves at all the happy faces she meets in the halls. Everyone always stops to smile and wave at her when her daddy is carrying her. She squeals and giggles waving back at them all. He just shakes his head. “You are such a flirt.” He smiles looking to her, the most beautiful little angel he has ever seen.
Lance remains motionless hunkered down in his small hole listening intently for his pursuers. He then hears the sound of feet crunching in the snow. Getting a sly grin he readies his missiles. Closer the sound gets, very close now. He springs out of his hole letting loose his two snowballs but his four year old target hits the ground anticipating his attack the snowball whooshing over his head. He smiles deviously up at lance with his dark as night eyes that match his unruly hair then dunks covering his head. Before Lance knows what’s happening he is pelted from behind with snowball after snowball. “Hey! Wait!…No fair!” Lance laughs. He is then tackled to the ground. Now two four year olds wrestle with him on the ground each pelting him with snow, the writhing mass laughing the whole time.
“Need any help there Lance?” Hunk laughs taking in the whole scene. The three on the ground stop, exchanging knowing glances.
“Get Uncle Hunk!” Lance screams and the three charge a still stunned Hunk snow flying everywhere. He is soon on the ground the two boys pining him trying to hold him down while Lance pelts him with snow. Hunk’s belly laugh almost shaking the boys free.
“I’ll save you Hunk!” The now young adult Pidge yells charging in with his own barrage of snow missiles. Soon the whole throng is in a melee of snowballs no one remembering who is on whose side anymore.
“Gentleman…” Coran clears his throat. “I believe lunch is almost ready.”
The three men and the two boys all stop and grin together. “Get Uncle Coran!” They all wail, Coran soon disappearing into a heap of snowballs. They all eventually sit on the ground laughing and smiling at one another as they brush the snow off themselves.
“Looks like we missed all the fun.” Keith approaches kneeling to set his daughter down who makes a beeline for Lance’s arms. The two four year olds seeing their chance charge Keith each piling into a waiting arm. “Daddy, we got Uncle Lance good!” “Yeah, he never even saw me!” “Got him really good.” “Then we got Hunk…” Keith tries to follow as they both continue to explain their exploits dizzying himself trying to track the explanation.
Hunk and Pidge help Coran to his feet. Coran, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance holding little Angie then all watch their captain and king with amusement, never getting enough of seeing the three of them together. It is just like seeing triple. Keith’s twin boys look just like little versions of him, and now it’s becoming apparent that they also have inherited his tactical skills as well. The four Uncles are in for it and they know it. Lance laughs as he looks into the blue green adoring eyes of Keith’s little girl. “It was bad enough with just one of them wasn’t it?” he coos. “Now we’ve got three!” The little girl giggles as he bounces her. “And you… you rule the castle don’t you, Angie?”
“Oh boys.” Allura’s voice calls. “Lunch is ready.” She seems to just glide across the snow towards them, the ice blue gown she is wearing hugging her every curve. Her face is radiating, captivating them all as she grows near. All of them except Keith that is, who’s face falls flat at the sight of her, all the color draining from his face.
“Mommy!” Little Angelica squeals wiggling free of Lance and running to her mother who scopes her up into her arms lavishing her with kisses. Angelica is the vision of her mother except that her eyes are a little greener and her hair is raven black like her fathers.
Hunk stretches up. “Come on, lets eat!” He walks up to the still frozen Keith who is kneeing on the ground extending a hand down to each of the boys. “Hungry?” They both leap to their feet and Hunk leads them off to the food followed by the rest of the team and Coran. Keith remains sitting on the snow lips slightly parted staring at nothing.
Allura regards him for a moment and then sets little Angelica down. “Go on, go with you uncles.” The little girl beams and then runs after them, Pidge scooping her up into his arms. She then glides over to Keith, her face positively radiating. “Not hungry, my King?” He slowly shakes his head. “Aren’t you getting cold sitting there in the snow?” He shakes his head again. She giggles dropping to her knees in front of him. “What’s the matter, your majesty?” She smiles magnificently at him.
His eyes then focus on her for a moment, taking in her breathtaking beauty radiating before him. He swallows hard. “I know that look and it isn’t good.” He reaches out to her chin to pull her face square to his. “Do you have something you need to tell me?”
“No…nothing.” Her eyes sparkling brightly at him.
He quirks an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms across his chest. “Nothing?”
She drops her eyes taking his hand in hers. She then looks slowly back up to him through hooded eyes. “Well, nothing you need to worry about for say eight or so months.”
His lips start to quiver as he avoids looking at her. She lets go of his hands and instead reaches up to his neck. “You know I think I like this tradition your parents had of conceiving their children on Christmas.”
“Why are you so damn fertile on Christmas anyway? I think I’m going to go away now for every Christmases from now on.” He chuckles, finally meeting her gaze, instantly loosing himself in their blue depths, her motherly glow completely intoxicating. He reaches out to stroke her cheek. “I love you, my wife.”She moves in closer lips just brushing. “And, I love you, my husband.” They then dissolve completely into one another lost in their kiss, passers by smiling at the couple, happy in knowing that their King and Queen truly love one another and their love spreads through every part of the castle.
She slowly pulls back blissfully smiling at the man who has so captured her heart. “I saw the doctor today, he said everything is fine.” Keith eyes fall to her belly, placing his hand there.
“Did you ask if it is a boy or a girl?”
She looks to him, coyly smiling. “It?”
He bites his lip. “Sorry, I mean the child.”
She looks at him giggling and shakes her head.
“So, You didn’t ask about the child?”
She giggles even more and shakes her head no again.
He looks at her confused. “No you didn’t or no you did?”
“No, I didn’t ask about the chil…dren.”
“So you didn’t…” His face drops. “Ally?”
“Don’t blame me! Twins don’t run in my family.”
“Twins! No, no, no!” He puts up his hands in front of him.
She lunges at him making him drop his hands back behind him to catch himself as he leans away from her. “Well, your majesty. “ She grins. “You should have thought of that two weeks ago. Our anniversary, remember?”
His face twists into a wicked grin leaning further back. “You seduced me.”
“That’s not how I remember it.” She laughs pushing him the rest to the way to the ground now looming over him.
He pouts up at her. “I remember it well… it started just like this.”
She leans in brushing against his lips. “Is that so.” She gets a devious look sitting up on top of him pining him down with her legs. She then aggressively goes for his ribs tickling him. He starts writhing and laughing uncontrollably under her onslaught, his laughter just egging her on more. Suddenly she becomes aware of the crowd of smiling onlookers that has gathered near them. She blushes beautifully dropping down to him to hide.
Keith laughs at her wrapping her up into his arms, cradling her to his chest. He looks to their audience. “If you would excuse us?” The crowd all bows deeply to the royal couple the giddy smiles not leaving their faces basking in the glow of their King and Queen. Keith then tunes them out, as he has had to learn how to do over the last five years. He grabs up either side of his wife’s face and meets her lips in a tender yet passionate kiss. The onlookers eventually find they have to turn away feeling that they are now intruding in a very intimate moment indeed as the King of Arus lies in the snow with his Queen atop him, both lost in a passionate lip lock that is not going to end any time soon.
The end of ‘The Greatest Gift’
Hope you enjoyed it, Any feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thanks!
The Story behind the Story
Philip Van Doren Stern wrote a short story titled ‘The Greatest Gift’. He never could get anyone to buy it. He eventually gave up and had it printed up and sent it out as a Christmas card one Christmas. That’s when R.K.O. Pictures came across it and bought the rights. But, being a short story it needed to be adapted for the big screen. They have several writers make an attempt at it but it never seemed right so they shelved it.
Enter Frank Capra. He found the story and bought the rights from R.K.O. He also got the other writers adaptations with the deal. But, he didn’t like what they did with it. He felt that they were missing out on the biggest theme on the original tale. Of how one man can dramatically change the events of his world. So he sat down himself using some of the other writer’s ideas and wrote his own screenplay. Finally renaming it and shooting it as a motion picture. The film released in the theaters in 1946 and in spite of its star cast it was a flop.
But times were changing, and soon TVs were the thing to have and TV stations were hungry for anything to show especially at Christmas. When Frank Capra’s film was made available for TV stations to play for free, it wasn’t long before every TV station, hungry for and Christmas content, played it at Christmas. And year after year it played eventuality becoming the never to be missed movies of a manys holidays. THAT is how it became the Christmas classic we know it as today. And today one cannot imagine a Christmas without it. It truly isn’t Christmas without ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’
As for me, I figure I just did what Frank Capra did, and rewrote it yet again, using the same driving theme, one mans self doubts of his worth. I took a couple scenes almost verbatim from ‘The Greatest Gift’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, only with slight changes. (Did you spot them?) Then I made all new scenes creating a new version of story and taking it to all new places. (and planets for that matter ;) )
Hope you enjoyed it.
Merry KA Christmas!
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