The Miracle on the Brooklyn Bridge
Tour life makes everything difficult. Finding clean clothes, keeping up a relationship, staying friends with bandmates; one of the hardest things can be holidays.
Easter only occurs should they remember it.
St. Patrick’s Day is the band favorite. They can never remember anything that happened, but they usually assumes that means it went well.
They always separate and go with their girls on Valentines Day (if they forgot that holiday they’d be skinned alive) and just catch up with them.
Halloween is the most interesting. It usually ends with Winnie and Ted running around America dressed up as odd characters and smelling like bourbon. This past year they went dressed in drag, and much to everyone’s surprise, Ted made a fairly attractive woman. Issie claims that she’s refusing to let him go treat or treating next because of the mishap.
Christmas is never the same year to year.
Something always goes wrong, or goes unbelievably right, or something explodes. Last year all three happened, no thanks to Winston.
But honestly, Ben has had more than enough of the first one going on.
It’s four AM Christmas Eve- well, Christmas now- and Ben could not be more alone. The Brooklyn Bridge isn’t providing him with any miracles like it usually does. Every time he’s ever been on the bridge something has happened. Something good, something surprising; something always cheers Ben up. But tonight it isn’t delivering.
All the boys were in England. Ben hadn’t the heart to force them out to New York to celebrate the holiday with him. He couldn’t get a flight to England in time either and he didn’t want to intrude on anyone anyhow. Marcus is currently holed up in his new home with Carey, probably asleep.
Ted and Issie are God knows where. Last he heard they were floating around Scotland.
And Winston has disappeared of the face of the planet as well, his only appearances slightly treasonous and covered in a blonde wig and fishnets.
Jemima isn’t here either. She’s so busy with all of her own things that Ben rarely sees her. They text and talk over the phone almost constantly, but that’s a lot different than seeing her, or giving her a kiss, or hearing her sexy morning voice in person.
So here he sits, overlooking the city from his customary spot on the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s one of his favorite places to go should he need inspiration, or just a nice view. The only problem is it’s not the city skyline he wants. He can’t seem to find the Eye of London. It’s the the London Tower Bridge beneath his feet, and not the Thames below that.
“Not supposed to be alone on Christmas, haven’t you heard?”
Ben jumps at the familiar voice, turning to see if it’s really who he thinks it is.
“Jem,” He breathes, his frown instantly changing into a surprised and very happy grin.
He practically tackles her in his hurry to hug her, to feel her arms around him again. It’s the best Christmas gift he could ever ask for.
“What’re you doing here?” He asks in between kisses.
“It’s Christmas!” She says with a little laugh. She puts one finger to Ben’s lips in order to stop his frantic kissing. “I went to your flat to surprise you , but you weren’t there. I had to come looking for you.”
Ben smiles and hugs her tight again. “Let’s go home and get warmed up, yeah?” Ben takes her hand and they start walking even as the sky opens up and little flecks of white start floating down from above.
“I hope there’s enough room.,” Jem says thoughtfully as they walk.
“What for?” Ben laughs. He hadn’t done any decorating or put up a tree or anything. He hadn’t the time nor the desire to with Communion taking up so much time. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t known Jemima was flying out to see him anyway.
“Ted brought a tree, and Winnie is helping him decorate it. Carey and the other girls started cooking and Marcus went out to find an absurd amount of alcohol and mayonnaise.”
Ben blinks, frozen for a moment and unable to understand. “Wait. So everyone is here?” He says weakly. His heart is soaring with joy. The bridge had really presented him with a sort of miracle.
“Of course everyone is here, silly!” Jem says, smiling wickedly. She pecks Ben on lips again and tugs on his sleeve to get him moving again. “Let’s go!”
*(*)*
“Teeeeeed!” Winnie moans unhappily. He had wanted to help decorate the tree but due to the tree fire accident they had two years ago, Ted had duct taped Winston into a chair the moment they broke into Ben’s flat. “I wanna help!”
“You’ll set the tree on fire again if you try to decorate it. And if I let you help the girls you’ll just catch Ben’s kitchen on fire instead. And then,” Ted explains to the squirming man child, “Ben will catch you on fire. And we need a banjo player who accepts crappy wages.”
Winston looks horrified. “I thought we all earned the same amount!”
Ted cackles evilly, hanging another ornament off a branch of the beautiful tree.
“I’m back!” Marcus calls, the door shutting behind him. He brushes snow out of jet black hair and shrugs off his a coat after dropping the groceries in the kitchen.
“Good, I need you to come here and hang this mistletoe for me, I can't reach,” Carey steps down from a chair she had set under one of the lower arches in Ben’s flat. Even with the boost from the chair she still couldn’t manage.
Marcus gives Carey a sweet kiss as she holds the mistletoe out to him. “My poor little noodle. Too cute and small to reach all the way up there?”
Carey hits him in the shoulder playfully, trying to look mad. “Shutup and get to it, would you?” Her ‘angry’ face quickly turns into a lopsided grin as Marcus gives her another peck on the cheek.
“Yes, dear,” Marcus replies happily.
Just as Marcus has finished his task, they can hear people tramping up the stairs.
“She must have found Benji then,” Ted says.
Winston squirms uncomfortably in his prison chair. “Maybe he’ll be feeling the holiday spirit and let me out, yeah?”
Susan pokes her head out of the kitchen with a stern look on her face. “If he lets you out, I’ll just tie you back up. There’s no way you’re ruining Christmas again this year, not after all this work we put into it!”
Winston grins suggestively. “I’ll be honest. you lost me with the whole ‘tying me up again’ thing. Do you think Ben would mind if we borrowed his bed?”
“You’re damn right I would,” Ben grumbles as he opens the door.
“Surprise!” Everyone yells.
“Jemima told me you’d all be here when she found me,” Ben admits. He goes around and gets hugs from everyone, minus Winston due to his awkward state of being.
“Welcome home, mate,” Marcus says, patting Ben on the back.
“Thanks. Merry Christmas everyone. I’m just… really glad everyone is here.”
“Glad to be here, now could you get me outta this?” Winston asks impatiently.
Ben takes one swift look at Winston and decides to leave him there.“No need for you to be free and spoil Christmas. Again.”
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A/N Merry Chrstmas/ Happy Holidays everyone!!! <3
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