"I think," Ellie said carefully, "that normalcy is what we make of it. Look at what you're doing right now - spreading joy, just like the Santa Claus of legend. That's pretty normal, if you ask me."
Nick chuckled softly. "Perhaps you're right. It's just... sometimes I wonder if I'm fooling myself. Pretending to be something I'm not."
They approached the final house, a quaint cottage with frost-covered windows. As Nick bent to place the last toy, Ellie caught his hand.
"You're not pretending," she said firmly. "This kindness, this warmth - it's who you are, Nick. Vampire or not."
In that moment, standing in the soft glow of twinkling lights, Ellie felt a surge of affection for this complex, tormented man. Despite their supernatural differences, she understood him in a way she never thou
