What About Now

Chapter 27 - Christmas Tree

Taylor's P.O.V.
Once I'd helped the kids unpack their suitcases, and had finally managed to unpack mine too, I left Teddy and Mia playing in their room and headed downstairs into the living room. The wooden floorboards creaked and cracked as I walked over them, and if it weren't from the light coming up the stairs from the living room, I would have been pretty freaked out. Old house. Creaky floorboards. The only thing this place was missing was a ghost... Okay, maybe I shouldn't mention that one to the kids. Shuddering from the thought of there being something otherworldly in this house along with us, I quickened my pace down the steps and let the warmth from the living room embrace me as I entered. And a large smile spread across my face as I did. Kaya was stood on her tip toes, hanging tinsel from the top of a large mirror. Bella was sat curled up in the armchair, with a book in her hand, and Dylan was crouched on the carpet in front of the fireplace, building up a fire. This was exactly how Christmas should look.

"Having fun, love?" A voice with an unmistakable accent said next to me. I turned with a smile and Thomas grinned at me.

"This is just perfect, isn't it?" I said quietly, as Thomas looked up at the others and smiled.

"Yeah, it is," He replied, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Although I wouldn't have put Dylan in charge of getting the fire started."

"Ur, right," I laughed nervously, "I best go check on him! Don't want him setting the entire place on fire!"

"I don't think he's even capable of getting the fire started," Thomas smirked, watching as Dylan struggled with placing the logs in the fire place.

"Dylan, you having a bit of trouble there?" I asked, crouching down next to him.

"Urm, no, no I'm good," He muttered, scrunching up newspaper and throwing it into the pit, "Just getting the fire ready!"

"Okay," I said, unconvinced, "Do you actually know how to start a fire?"

"Of course I do!" He cried, pretending to be offended, "You just watch this, Miss Taylor Brooks! This is how you get a real fire going!"

Ten minutes later...

"Dylan, I think you can stop blowing the fire now!" I said warningly, pointing at the fire that Dylan had miraculously got going. Although, it had required him asking Thomas to light and chuck the matches into the fireplace, seeing as Dylan was scared to do so himself! But we'd got a fire going, and that meant that we were warm!

"Taylor, please, I've got this!" He sighed, picking up the bellow (the weird tool that blows air onto the fire), "Once I'm through with this fire, all the snowmen in this town will be melting their butts off!" I gave a nervous look to Thomas and Kaya, who were perched on the arms of the sofas that sat on each side of the fireplace. They just shook their head, and Thomas chuckled quietly.

"Okay, in three, two, one," With a deep breath, Dylan began pumping the bellow furiously at the fire. Each pump of air made the fire blaze even brighter, and for a minute I actually believed what Dylan had said. But then it all went downhill.

"Dylan, stop blowing it now!" Kaya said hurriedly, "You've got it big enough! It's going to go out if you blow it anymore!"

"Just one more!" Dylan gave the fire one last blow of air, and that was all it took for the flames to go out. Dylan sat there speechless, as the other four of us stared blankly at the once bright and warm fire. The logs were dark and black. The newspaper was hardly burnt. And not even the slightest, teeny tiniest spark was still alive amongst the mess.

"Right, well, I, um," Dylan stuttered, placing the bellow down on the floor and wiping his hands on his jeans, "Thomas? You wanna come light the fire?"

Once we finally had a fire lit, and we were moderately warm, we called the kids down to decorate the tree. First went on the lights, which consisted of me following Kaya round and round the tree, as we circled it with the white lights. There were that many lights, that half way through I actually had to stop walking for a moment because I had gotten way too dizzy to continue. Dylan took my place, and as the rest of us went about the rest of the living room, hanging up tinsel, and other decorations, I couldn't help but notice how Kaya kept laughing at all the little jokes Dylan kept telling her. A small smirk played on my lips, but I hid it. When the lights were on the tree, and we'd all hung the baubles and decorations on the branches, there was just the star left.

"Right, who wants to do the honours?" Bella smiled, looking down at the four kids who looked around excitedly.

"Me!" Mia exclaimed, her hand shooting upwards.

"No me!" Ben squealed, pushing in front of Mia.

"What about us?" Both Teddy and Hannah said quietly.

"Okay okay, I have an idea," Kaya laughed, holding up a hand, "How about all four of you put the star on top of the tree?"

"But we're too short!" Mia whined, standing up on her tip toes and reaching as far up as she could, "See?"

"Well there's only one thing for it then," Kaya smiled, looking up at the rest of us.

"Okay, you all got an end of the star?" I asked, holding Mia's legs as she sat on my shoulders. The four of us were all stood around the tree, each with one of the kids on our shoulders. Thomas had Ben, Dylan had Teddy and Kaya had Hannah. It took all my effort to not burst into a fit of laughter at the lot of us. We looked like we were trying to imitate a pyramid in gymnastics or something - four adults stood around a tree, and four little children on top, all holding their arms out to put the star on top of the tree.

"Yes," The kids all said together.

"Okay, well on it goes!" Dylan cried as we all leaned forward so the kids could reach the top branch. They slid the star over the branch, and then cheered excitedly when it was finished. We all took a step back and admired the tree.

"Wow, it looks amazing!" Bella gasped, wrapping her arm around Thomas' middle, "Well done you lot! It looks perfect!"

"It does!" I agreed, lifting Mia off of my shoulders.

"And it'll look even better with presents underneath it went Santa arrives tomorrow night!" Dylan grinned, causing the kids to cheer and scream.

"Yes it will, but it's not that time yet sadly!" Thomas added, receiving a light hit around the back of the head from Dylan.

"Hey!" He complained, rubbing his head, "What I meant is it time for them to go to bed!"

"Ohhhhhhh!" The kids groaned, along with Dylan who joined in at the end. I rose my eyebrows at him with confusion.

"Seriously?" I laughed at Dylan, but he just shrugged.

"Bubbles, do we have to go to bed?" Teddy said quietly, giving me his 'puppy eye' look. Smiling, I crouched down so I was at eye-level with him.

"Yes, I'm afraid you do," I said gently, ruffling his hair with my hand, "But if you ask reeeaaallly nicely, Uncle Dyl will read you a bedtime story!"

"Yaaaaaay!" Teddy, Mia, Ben and Hannah all exclaimed, jumping up and down around Dylan, "Please Uncle Dyl? Pleeeeeaaassse?"

"Oh fine!" Dylan rolled his eyes, letting Teddy take hold of his hand, "But just a quick one!"