Finding Family

Faye: Christmas

This chapter is very light compared to the last one because I felt too down writing that one. Also this is my Christmas part, so enjoy!

"Why is it every time I blink more tinsel appears Mrs Smith?" Mick asked me when he came into the living room.
I laughed. "No. No more tinsel appearing round here!" I replied, hiding a string of tinsel behind my back. The Christmas tree had been up since I got back from being on tour, but I liked sticking tinsel to things, so it had kinda just never stopped happening since.
"How did you even get it round the top of the door frame shortie?" He teased.
"With a great amount of skill." I answered, stepping closer to him so our bodies were touching. He slipped his arms round me just as I remembered the tinsel in my hand and tossed it across the room. "See I don't always need your help Mr." I added.
"Oh. Just sometimes then?" He replied, kissing my forehead.
I blushed, standing up on tip-toe so I could kiss his cheek. "Yeah sometimes."
He smiled and pressed his lips against mine, closing his eyes, and I closed mine, kissing him back. His arms slipped loosely round my neck and my hands found their way to his waist. Like he always did he kissed me so softly and as always it made me feel all warm and tingly inside. I kissed him back softly. And we embraced the type of moment that we rarely got to experience since we'd had Benjamin (and now with Steps they happened even less). We may not have as many moments of deep passion any more, but if anything that made them better. We spent a while like that, enjoying our rare opportunity to kiss one and other without Benjamin walking in (right now he was tucked up asleep in bed), and the only thing that could have made the moment seem more Christmassy was for it to be happening under a sprig of mistletoe.
When we pulled apart and I convinced myself to open my eyes, for a long while we stared into each other's eyes. I begun to smile and he did too. I still adored his company and I loved the life I'd set out for myself. The only thing that will make it more perfect was the idea that my baby girl was coming home in less than a week's time. And I was ready for that to become a part of my reality.
"I love you so much Tozie-boo." He whispered to me.
"I love you so much more Micky-moo." I answered softly.
We both smiled and kissed each other again.

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"Is it bed time yet?" Benjamin asked, bouncing up and down. He was already in his pyjamas (we'd been in them all day like we usually did on Christmas Eve), so I could see where his logic was coming from.
"Benjamin it's half five, we haven't had dinner yet baby!" I replied.
"But you say that father Christmas will come whens I go to bed!" He replied.
I laughed. I did say that, but that hadn't been exactly what I meant. "You silly bean not if you go to bed this early. You'll be up far too early in the morning if you go to sleep now!" I told him.
"Oh but... but I want to." He pouted.
"Why don't the three of us watch a film with nanny and grampie after dinner?" I asked.
He nodded and I brushed my fingers though his soft hair.
My parents (and Clare) were here to see us for Christmas, but right now they were downstairs with Mick while I'd somehow ended up with the job of evicting a spider from Benjamin's room. Normally we'd go to either Mick or my parents' house (alternating between the two each year) but I'd spent so much time travelling this year and I was so desperate to make the house all tidy and ready for my daughter that I'd ended up making my parents come up to see us instead of having to do the ridiculously long drive.

I sighed and took Benjamin back downstairs. Well we made it to the top of the stairs before he had to go back and grab Blue from his room. Then we managed to make it downstairs and concluded we'd just be better off avoiding my dad and Mick's conversation by going to the living room.
"Are you excited for Father Christmas to visit?" Clare asked him when he sat next to her on the sofa. I sat with my mum on the other sofa.
"I excited." He replied, snuggling up against my sister.
I smiled as I watched her take him in her arms. I knew how much she wanted children, but her luck with males had been really letting her down on that front. Still she adored taking charge of Benjamin for a while when I needed her to in absence of having children of her own to care for. "That's good sweetie." She said, kissing his head.
My mum smiled as she looked at them together, then looked at me, putting her arm round my shoulder. I tried not to cry.
"Why am I so weirdly proud mum?" I asked her.
My mum squeezed me closer to her. "That's how I felt watching you two grow up. It's natural honey. Just wait until you have Evalynn in the mix too."
"Four more days." I said, suddenly excited. "Just four more days then my family will all be together again mum! I can't wait."
"Awh honey and you know I'm happy for you. It'll be wonderful to get to see her at some point once she's settled in." Mum replied.
"I can't wait for you to meet her mum, Clare said she's just like I was as a kid."
"She is like you used to be I swear! Oh mum you'll love her so much and Evalynn basically looks like a mini Faye as well." Clare added.
Mum grinned. "Well then if she is I better prepare myself for trouble!" She joked.
"Clare for the last time - we don't look that similar." I told my sister. She pulled a face which was pure disbelief, but said nothing more.

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After dinner Benjamin, Clare and I watched the Polar Express together. Mick made it halfway through the film before getting bored (we seemed to end up watching it every year because as it turned out Benjamin really liked it), though he stayed in the front room with us but did something out of one of his puzzle books. I was honestly quite amazed my sister claimed to have never watched it, and even more amazed when I found out it was true.
"I give up with you Clare." I said to her when she assured me she'd definitely never watched it.
"What it's a kids film?" She replied.
"Yeah and you're the person who made me watch Nightmare before Christmas so we're going to guess the idea of children's films doesn't bother you." I retorted with a grin.
"Can I go to bed now?" Benjamin asked.
I sighed. "I suppose so. But first don't we need to leave Father Christmas a snack?"
"Yeah." He replied.
Smiling I lifted Benjamin up and carried him to the kitchen. No-one had followed us to help or criticise, so I sat him down on the table in the middle of the kitchen, where I knew he wouldn't be able to reach anything dangerous, and then set about finding the things we leave out for Father Christmas. Milk and a mince pie for Father Christmas, and some carrot and water for the reindeer; which incidentally was exactly what Clare and I used to leave for Father Christmas when we were children.
"Do you want to help me by taking the carrots?" I asked, handing him the little tub.
He nodded and I smiled, lifting him down onto the floor. He toddled off with them to the front room and I smiled before following. We put them on the table at the edge of the room out of the way (as I told him "so Father Christmas doesn't knock them over"), and I tried my best to hide the fact that I was crying again.

"Come on B lets go and put some fairy dust outside." I told him.
It was the last thing we did on Christmas eve before Benjamin went to bed. We'd done it the last couple of years since another mum I knew nearby had told me about doing the same thing with her daughters. 'Fairy dust' in this case was some oats mixed with a little bit of glitter and some sugar, which you probably shouldn't throw into your garden, but it was harmless just to do it once or twice right? I helped Benjamin slip his wellies on by the back door, then opened the door into the garden and headed out onto the patio before tipping a little bit of fairy dust into his tiny hand telling to hold it very tight for a moment. Mick came and stood behind us in the doorway and I offered him some. He said he didn't want any, but I dragged him outside to join in with Benjamin and I anyway. I took some in my hand too, and looked at them both with a smile. What followed was one of those magical moments you wish could last forever.
"Father Christmas visit here and bring us all the festive cheer!" I said.
I allowed Benjamin to try his best to repeat it on his own, helping out with the harder words. "Father Cwistmas visit here and... urh..."
"...bring us all..." I said to help him out.
"Bwing us all the f... fes... festwive?"
"Festive. You were very close though!" I corrected him
"...Festive cheer!" He finished, then even in the darkness I could see him beaming with pride.
I would have clapped if I didn't have a handful of fairy dust so instead I just smiled and congratulated him. Benjamin and I both looked expectantly at Mick who sighed realising he wasn't going to be let off of joining in again and then repeated it himself. Then I counted down from three and we threw the fairy dust into the garden. Mick lifted Benjamin up and drew me into a hug with his spare hand. I slipped an arm around them both and kissed them both on the cheek.
"Come on, we should go back inside." I told them after a moment.
Mick nodded, carrying Benjamin into the house. I watched for a moment as they went into the house and Mick helped Benjamin with his wellies, smiling at how beautiful and perfect the moment was. I knew I'd never forget it, not even for a second.

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When Benjamin had said good night to everyone and everyone had been given the chance to say goodnight, hug and kiss Benjamin I took him upstairs and read him a Christmassy bedtime story. And when I finished that I let Mick kiss him good night and I tucked Benjamin and Blue in nice and tight before going back downstairs myself. I immediately took the mince pie from the side before Mick had the chance.
"How is it fair that every year without fail you eat the mince pie?" He asked me.
"You're not observant enough to remember it's there." I replied, sitting down with him.
Clare laughed from across the room. "I mean if you can't notice a mince pie why are you a parent?" She asked.
"Hey! Don't blame me!" He replied. "It's half her fault!" He added nudging me.
I tried not to laugh as I hit him playfully.
"So would you rather have milk than cider?" He asked.
"Mick it's Christmas Eve!" I exclaimed.
"So?"
"God we start drinking now we'll be too drunk to think by this time tomorrow night!" I told him.
"So you'd rather have the milk? That's fine."
I took the bottle of cider off him with a smile. "That's not what I said and you know it."
He laughed. "Merry Christmas Tozie-boo." He whispered to me.
"Merry Christmas Micky-moo." I whispered back.

Happy Christmas if you celebrate it, and if not Happy Holidays!
Lis