A Home for the Holidays
By: DKM and prplerayne
Synopsis: Van and Billie end up spending the holiday season together and surprisingly don't end up killing each other either.
Rating: PG-13
Authors' Note: A little bit of Christmas cheer for y'all.
Disclaimer: You know the drill, don't own, don't get pissed, just having some fun here, wishing this show had a second season.
"Merry Christmas everybody!" Deaq proclaimed as he walked into the Candy Store that Christmas Eve morning, holding gifts in his arms.
Billie looked up from her desk, unable to stop the grin that crawled across her lips. Even though she hated the holiday season, his mood was infectious. There were very few occasions where she ever became excited over something. One was her birthday while the other was Christmas, and only because she got presents. Billie didn't have many good holiday memories. Something always seemed to overshadow the holiday spirit, be it a fight or a disagreement or something much worse… She decided not to dwell on the bad things that happened almost every Christmas. This year felt like it might be different.
Van, on the other hand, scowled at his partner. He hated the holiday season with a passion, and there was nothing anyone could do or say to make him happy today. Christmas to him always meant the family getting together and fighting because his father was either in prison or his mother was screwing someone new. It had never been a happy time for him. He couldn't remember a single Christmas where there wasn't a fight involved between his parents. Ever since then, he hadn't been able to spend Christmas with anyone, fearing it would only equate to a fight.
"What's the matter, partner? It's Christmas! You know, peace on earth, good will to me, tidings of comfort and joy," Deaq happily boasted.
"Shut the hell up," Van grumbled, getting in a defensive position as he crossed his arms over his chest when his partner walked past him. He was sitting on the red couch in the lounge, his pissy mood keeping the other two from getting close. It was never a good thing when Van was in a pissy mood. He tended to be a total jackass when it came to even the slightest comment.
"What? Don't tell me you're a scrooge!" Deaq exclaimed as he plopped down on the other side of the couch. "Just like the movie says, Van, it's a wonderful life!" he added, provoking Van into flipping him the bird.
"Fuck you," Van snapped back, getting up and making his way towards Billie's office. When he saw the smile on her face, he asked, "What the hell are you so happy about?"
Billie shrugged and innocently replied, "Nothing." Yeah, right. She found his exchange with Deaq amusing.
"I don't like Christmas. There I said it! I'm a scrooge, so sue me," Van spat out, getting fed up with their good moods and smiling faces. It sickened him that they could be so happy right now while he felt miserable.
"What do you mean you don't like Christmas? All children like Christmas," Billie observed, trying to lighten his mood. But it didn't seem to work. Van just shot her a death look and kept walking towards the bathroom.
"And all children like presents," Deaq chimed in as he stood back up and waltzed up to Billie's desk handing her a small box wrapped in sparkly red wrapping paper with a silver bow on top.
"Aw! Thank you, Deaq," she replied, setting it on her desk as she turned towards Van's retreating form and added, "At least someone appreciates me around here!"
Van stopped for a moment, biting back the harsh comment he was getting ready to throw back at her and kept walking. He didn't want to be anywhere near them at the moment. He would rather sulk alone in his apartment than be here with those two shiny happy people. Van visibly shuddered at the thought. He entered the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
Billie shrugged off Van's response and began to pick at the nicely wrapped present. "Did you wrap this?" she asked, looking up at Deaq.
"Of course!" he replied, crossing his fingers behind his back. He wasn't about to tell her he'd had his mom do it for him. That wouldn't look to good on his part. Besides, it would only add more ammo to Billie's already full bag of insults.
Deaq watched as she carefully unwrapped the gift, keeping the pretty paper and bow in tact until it dropped out of her hand when she revealed what the gift was. "Oh, my God!" she shrieked. "An iPod!"
Van came out of the bathroom a minute or so after the shriek. He couldn't help himself. He had to see what it was. "Maybe a dead rat," he mused as he approached her desk.
Before he even got to say anything Billie jumped up. "Look what Deaq got me, an iPod!" she said excitedly.
"Whoop-dee-fuckin-doo," was all he said as he headed back to the couch, where he plopped himself back down and crossed his arms over his chest. He really wasn't in the mood.
"All work and no Christmas spirit makes Van a pissy boy," Deaq turned to Billie and said loud enough for him to hear. They watched as Van flipped him the bird again. But Deaq didn't take it to heart. He had one more trick up his sleeve to hopefully get Van out of his funky mood. "I guess I'll just have to return his present if he's gonna keep acting like an infant."
Van's head shot up when Deaq mentioned the words "return his gift." He hadn't been counting on that. He thought he could have gotten away with the pissy mood and a gift, but apparently Deaq didn't see it that way. It was time to give it up and let bygones be bygones. Who knows, maybe this Christmas it would be different. "No, you don't have to return my gift," Van finally said as he stood up once more and marched back to Billie's office to receive his present. "I'll be good. I won't be scrooge anymore."
Deaq turned to Billie with a big smile on his face. "See, 'tis the season! Give the boy a present and he's happy again!" he observed as Van walked up to them and sat down in one of the comfortable black chairs in front of the desk. Deaq was about to give him the medium sized box wrapped in blue and red, but pulled it back as Van reached out to grab it. "Not until you promise me you'll stay in a good mood, at least until I leave."
Van rolled his eyes, but replied, "I promise I won't turn back into Scrooge until you leave." Deaq finally give him the present, which, unlike Billie, he ripped open to reveal the new X-Box 360. Suddenly, his eyes lit up like a child locked in a toy store. "X-Box 360! Cool!" Van excitedly said.
"Sure, that's what the box says, but is that what's actually in the box?" Billie teased.
Van just scowled at her for a moment, then deciding that she had a point, opened the box, but with more care than he'd used removing the wrapping. "Oh, my God; it actually is! This is the best present ever! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he blubbered excitedly as he bounced around the office like a ping pong ball. He tried to throw his arms around Deaq for a hug, but his partner quickly backed away.
"Whoa, Sparky, contain your excitement, please," he said, giving Van a weirded out look.
Hearing Deaq call him "Sparky" made Billie snicker. "That's great! Fantastic!" she giggled.
"How do you figure that?" Van asked skeptically as he glared at her, his grey green eyes sparkling.
"Because 'Sparky' is a name they usually give a little hyper dog, and you are the most ADHD adult I've ever met," she lightheartedly explained. "Not to mention you are certainly a dog, too; a horn dog," Billie mentioned as almost an after thought.
"Oh, really?" Van asked as he quickly moved towards her and threw his arms around her neck in the hug Deaq sidestepped. He then proceeded to place a sloppy puppy-like kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, yuck!" Billie shrieked as Deaq burst out in fits of laughter. She pushed Van off her body with all her might, throwing him back as she wiped her cheek with her shirt sleeve. She couldn't believe he had done such a disgusting thing. It almost made her sick. "You do that again and I'll make sure you can never reproduce," she warned as he snickered at her the way she'd snickered at him.
"Calm down, you two," Deaq chimed in before punches were thrown. He looked down at his watch and realized he was running late. "I'd love to stay here and be referee, but I have a plane to catch," he said before making his way out of Billie's office and towards the door.
"What? Where are you going?" Van asked, not having known about this little development.
"Spending the holidays with the family in New York until after New Years," Deaq happily answered as he turned towards them and smiled. "Something maybe you two should do."
Van rolled his eyes as Billie looked away. He caught the frown that quickly appeared and disappeared from her face. There was something about Christmas and families that Billie wasn't too happy about. He began to wonder what it was and decided to ask her about it later.
"Don't go killing each other while I'm gone," Deaq called over his shoulder as the door shut behind him.
"Great, I'm stuck here with you for a week," Billie grumbled. It was her turn to get pissy after Deaq mentioned spending time with family.
Van stared at her for a moment realized they had just switched moods somehow. "Well, Scrooge, maybe we should do what the man says," Van suggested.
"Who are you calling 'Scrooge?' Last I remember, you were the one in the bad mood," Billie shot back, trying to regain her gleeful manor. It wasn't working, though. To her, the words "Christmas" and "family" didn't go together so well. It was a painful reminder of things that had happened in the past she tried to avoid talking about.
"Hey, if the show fits," Van shrugged as he grinned widely at her.
"Hey, I'm not a scrooge, you are! I just happen to hate the whole idea of Christmas, that's all," she shot back, trying to justify herself.
"Same difference," Van replied. He sat down at one of the chairs in front of her desk and watched her as she began to fiddle with the papers surrounding her computer.
"What do you want, Van?" Billie asked, sounding tired and defeated. "Do you want me to tell you all about my crappy childhood and make you feel better about your own?"
"Maybe," he actually sounded serious. "What could be worse than finding your mother screwing another man in your bedroom on Christmas Eve?"
"Plenty," she said under her breath even though he'd heard her.
"Really, you wanna bet on that? Because I bet my story is ten times worse than yours," Van declared.
"Oh, you think so?" she sounded intrigued. From what she'd told him so far, he did have a good reason to hate Christmas, but not as good as hers.
"No, I know so," came his cocky reply. Van looked almost determined as he stared at her with those intense grey green eyes.
"You wanna prove it?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
He took the bait. "Fine, I will," he answered. "Dinner, tonight, my place, seven, don't be late. I'll prove to you that my Christmas's suck way more than yours."
"Hey, you wanna specify terms first before I even agree to this?" Billie pointed out as she folded her arms across her chest and stared back at him with the same intensity in her own sparkling blue eyes.
"Okay," Van said, immediately coming up with the perfect idea. "How about the loser gets to be the other's bitch for a week? Bitch meaning slave, lackey, doing whatever the other wants, so long as it's not sexual, being at the others disposal for anything, related to work or personal; you know, what you do to me right now, just in a more prolific way. And this isn't just a one hour a day thing, but the whole week, 24/7." He was so sure of himself that he was willing to be anything at the moment.
A wide smile came across Billie's face as she extended her hand and answered, "Deal."
Van took it, giving her another cocky grin as he also replied, "Deal."
'Let the games begin,' she thought, unable to wipe the smug smile off her face. Van was going down, and she was already plotting what he'd be doing for her for the next week. He stood up and started to make his way out of the office, Deaq's gift under his arm.
"See you tonight," Van called as he exited the Candy Store, realizing he had a lot of work to do before Billie came over that night. He still needed to buy and prepare the food and get the place in somewhat better shape than it was in. Not too happy about having to go food shopping on Christmas Eve, Van dragged himself to the grocery store anyway. It was jam packed, just as he'd expected, with last minute shoppers much like himself.
As he browsed through the aisles, Van realized how much he hated this place. The grocery store just wasn't his turf. He was more suited to the mini-mart, buying Twinkies, chips, and beer, not real food. This place was making him feel awfully nervous with so many people around and the potential for chaos to erupt at any moment. He began to walk faster, grabbing whatever the small basket he held could fit, which was a lot he realized. He picked up some mixed vegetables, a box of mashed potato mix, a tube of sweet rolls, and a bottle of eggnog.
When it came to the ham, though, it was a different story. The meat aisle looked like a disaster area. There were so many people crowded around it that he could barely see any of the food displayed. But somehow managing to get to the throng of people, he spotted a small ham sitting at the end of the display. Van had his hand on it when another, smaller hand started to make a grab for it as well. He tightened his grip on the piece of meat before looking up to see it was a young woman in her teens. She wore all black and had a painted white face. Van wanted to laugh, remembering his own high school days and the "Goths" he had dealt with. She shot him a glare, her every intention to take the ham as her own. But there was no way he'd let that happen.
"It's mine," Van growled, having no intention of letting it go.
"It's mine!" she practically shrieked, pulling on it.
"Oh, hell no!" Van shouted back, pulling it in his direction.
It soon became a tug of war between the teenager and the cop, both glaring at each other as they pulled the ham in either direction, waiting to see who'd let go first. Van wished he'd brought his badge with him. That would have given him some leverage. But no, it was locked in the Candy Store vault. They continued to struggle until Van finally put in the extra effort and pulled it away from the girl.
"HA!" he shouted in her face, making a run for it before she could even realize what had happened.
"Merry fucking Christmas!" Van heard the girl yell behind him as he found his way to the alcohol aisle. He grabbed several bottles of wine, his food shopping for the day finally done and over with. All he had to do now was wait in the massive checkout line and go home to prepare the food.
It would take him two hours to get through the line and back to his one bedroom Manhattan Beach apartment. It wasn't so bad, considering he'd fixed up the place considerably. When he'd first moved in after leaving the hotel, the place was a total mess; none of the faucets worked, there was no warm water, floors were dirty, and the walls had several cracks in them. After several months of putting weekends into cleaning, fixing, and painting, it finally resembled a nice apartment. It now needed a bed instead of the mattress he slept on, a dresser, and some drapes. He'd already found a nice couch for the living room, a TV, a DVD player, a stereo, a small table and chairs for the dining room, and a few pots, pans, plates, silverware, and glasses for the kitchen.
What Van loved most about his new place was the view. He was right on the beach, his second home. Ever morning when he woke up, it was the first thing he heard and saw. Not having to drive all the way out here was another plus. He could also go surfing any time he wanted. That always put a smile on his face. Even now, as he carried the groceries into the apartment, he could hear the waves rolling onto the beach and smell the crisp scent of the ocean.
Van placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and began to take them out. A glance at the clock was a slap to the face when he realized it was nearing 5:30. He still needed to cook the food and put up decorations, which he'd dug out of storage for the first time in nearly three years. The box was already sitting on the floor in the living room, branches from a small plastic tree sticking out of its holes.
His dilemma was what to do first; the decorations or the food? Van decided that the decorations were a likely place to start so he opened the box and unpackaged the plastic tree. With that done, he stood back and looked at the many green pieces to be put together. "Okay, maybe I should start the food first," he said to himself as he scratched his head and walked towards the kitchen.
Van began taking the groceries out of the bag. The first thing he did was set the wine in the fridge to cool he took out the pots and pans that needed to cook the meal. After a moment, he was ready to begin. 'The ham first,' he thought as he picked it up. He looked at the strange object and said to himself, "Okay, so how do I do this?" Van decided to start by taking it out of the wrapping. He remembered that his grandmother had always put the oven on 300 degrees. After that, he was clueless, so he just decided to rely on his nose to tell him when it was done.
"Well, that's gonna take awhile, so maybe I should do the decorations," Van said closing the oven door. He walked back into the living room and looked at the pile of green on the floor. He'd leave the tree for last since everything else seemed less confusing. The mistletoe was his first task, hanging one sprig in the doorway so that when Billie walked in, he'd greet her with a kiss, a thought he'd been pondering for a while now. Next, he moved on to the garland. He was surprised at how well it had held up, it being nearly ten years old. Taking up the green length with its holly berries and small robin figures, he wrapped it around the banister that separated the living room from the dining room then stood back to look at it. Pleased with his work, he found another sprig of holly and attached it to the chandelier above the table with a red ribbon. Van had to hand it to his grandmother; she had taste in all things holiday.
Walking back into the kitchen, he grabbed the vegetables, meticulously washing, peeling, and chopping each carrot, pearl onion, snow pea, and winter squash. This was the most time Van had ever spent on preparing a meal, but there was a good reason. He didn't want Billie to suffer any more than she already had. He'd heard stories about her trouble past and wanted to make this Christmas somewhat special for her. He didn't realize that he was also trying to steel himself for the memories he'd be revealing as well.
With the vegetables slowly cooking in the pan on the stove, Van turned his attention to the box of mashed potato mix he'd picked up. After reading the directions on the box, he knew this would be a cinch. Besides, it was hard to screw up mashed potatoes that came from a box. Van followed everything down to the tee, and soon, the potatoes were done. He plated them into a large white dish and set them aside as the vegetables began crisp up. The smell coming from the kitchen stove was delicious. He grabbed another dish from the cabinet above his head and spooned the vegetables into it, also setting them aside.
That done, he looked at the pieces of green tree in the living room and decided to save that for last, and get dressed instead. Billie would be there in an hour anyway; freshening up seemed logical. He went in the bedroom and rummaged through his closet, looking for the perfect outfit to wear that night. 'I don't know how women do it. I have all the clothes here I'll ever need,' he thought to himself as he pulled out a pair of stone washed blue jeans and a red corduroy shirt with subtle forest green plaid stripes. He hopped in the shower and washed off the grocery store smell. Within 15 minutes, he was showered, shaven, dressed and ready.
Van walked back into the living room, the tree still in pieces on the floor in front of the window where he'd left it. Just the thought of trying to put that thing together scared him. He didn't even know what most of the pieces were, let alone where they went. After having stood there for nearly 15 minutes trying to figure it out, Van finally lost patience and walked back into the kitchen, the smell tickling his nose with anticipation.
The aroma of the food was incredible. Soon, dinner would be done, and with Billie slated to arrive in less than half an hour, he had plenty of time to check off the last of his food to do list; the rolls. Taking them out of the fridge, he also grabbed a pan. He took them out of the package and began to place them on it. Beginning to read the instructions on the package, it said 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes, unless at elevations over 5,000 feet. 'Okay, well, what the hell elevation am I at?' he thought to himself. Van had no clue how to tell, short of calling Billie and asking her. The woman was a walking atlas after all, or so it seemed. He wanted to impress her, of that he was sure, and calling her would only spoil it. Deciding that he must be over the 5,000 foot elevation, he put the rolls in at 350 degrees for an extra ten minutes.
Van felt like he was on top of the world when it came to the food, it was the tree that continued to be the thorn in his side. Before heading back to the living room and dealing with it, he grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and popped the cork. He didn't care that he was getting the party started early. The tree was giving him a serious headache. Pouring himself a large glass of the Chable he'd picked up, Van returned to staring at all the green on the living room floor. He stayed there for a while, almost loosing track of time as he drank the wine.
It was the sound of the doorbell ringing that brought Van back to his senses. He nearly jumped when a knock followed, but quickly recovered as he walked towards the door, his guest of honor having finally arrived. Van opened it slowly, bracing himself for what was to come. "Right on time," he said with a smile, seeing Billie standing there holding a small tin in her hands.
"Did you expect anything different from me?" she joked.
His eyes scanned her body as he replied, "Um, you look nice," suddenly feeling nervous. She had on a white Kate Spade suite with a three button jacket and white leather boots that zipped up the side. To accentuate her outfit, Billie wore a simple silver chain necklace with an angel pendant and matching silver angel earrings.
"Thanks. You certainly look festive," she said with a small laugh. Her eyes ran the length of his body, admiring how well his clothes fit. After having stood there for several long moments, she finally asked, "Are you gonna invite me in or did you just have me come over to hang out in the hallway?"
"Oh, sorry, I forgot my manner. Please, come in," Van said as he stepped aside for her to enter.
Walking into the apartment, Billie noticed the sparse decorations. "Aw, you decorated, how sweet," she said with a smiled.
Van gazed around the apartment at what he'd done so far. "Yeah, sorry about the tree, though. I haven't done one of those in a long time," he answered, gesturing to the pile of green by the window.
"That's okay. I have one. I'll help you with it, it you like," she offered.
"Yeah, that would be great," Van replied. He suddenly remembered the mistletoe, realizing she was right under it, and added, "Uh, Billie?" looking up.
"What?" she asked, following his gaze. When she saw what he was looking at, she giggled. "You really went all out, didn't you?"
"Yep, and you know what mistletoe means," Van answered as he placed a quick peck on her cheek.
Billie blushed slightly as Van took her hand and led her into the living room. "Nice place," she commented, glancing around the small apartment. It was half the size of hers, but she figured that guys really didn't need all that much space anyway. They didn't have as many clothes, or shoes for that matter.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" Van asked as he started to make his way back into the kitchen. His nose had picked up a funny scent coming from that end of the apartment, and he knew he needed to check on the food before it turned into a disaster.
"Yeah, I'd love one," Billie called as she around in the direction he'd just gone. Her nose had also picked up the strange scent, and she knew almost immediately that something was burning in the kitchen. Billie shook her head before smiling. 'Men,' she thought.
Making her way to the kitchen, she stood at the entrance as Van pulled the oven door open with a bang, puffs of smoke coming from the inside. There was a look of frustration on his face as he swore under his breath. Billie resisted the urge to laugh. This was definitely turning into a better Christmas Eve than she expected. Van might have been frustrated, but he just looked so damn cute trying to rectify the situation as he grabbed an oven mitt and quickly took out the pan of burnt rolls. More swearing ensued as he threw them on the counter beside the sink. "Great, just fucking great," he mumbled.
"Don't worry about it," Billie said with a smiled as she walked up to him, placing the tin on the counter beside her. Van nearly jumped when he heard her voice behind his back and realized that she'd seen pretty much the whole thing. The most pathetic look of defeat came across his face as he turned away from her. "Hey, I said don't worry," Billie repeated, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You tried, and that's all that really matters."
Van turned around, plastering a fake smile on his face for her sake. He wasn't about to tell her how stupid he felt. The fake smile quickly turned into a genuine one as he gazed into her sapphire blue eyes. They were full of warmth and understanding, something he hadn't really seen before. "Well, I guess we can just scrape the burnt parts off," he suggested.
Billie giggled, the sound of her laughter filling the apartment. Unable to help himself, Van joined in, not feeling as dumb as he had before. Their laughter echoed off the walls as they stood there at the counter, slowly quieting down as they stared at each other for a few moments, their eyes meeting in an intense gaze. They both looked away, feeling the awkwardness. "How about some wine?" Billie asked, remembering why Van had come into the kitchen in the first place.
He grabbed the wine out of the fridge along with a glass from the counter and poured her some, topping off his own glass just a little. "A toast," Van started, "to the miracle of a happy Christmas."
"To Christmas," Billie replied with a very obvious fake smile as she tapped her glass to his.
"What's that all about?" Van asked after taking a sip. He put his glass down at leaned against the counter beside her. Billie gazed down at the floor as she averted eye contact and tried to avoid the question. Van waited patiently.
Realizing that he actually cared about what was going on with her, Billie decided to partially explain her reaction. "I never really believed in Santa Clause or Christmas miracles. I never got what I wanted for Christmas since I was seven," she softly said.
"You care to elaborate?" Van asked, getting the feeling that she didn't want to talk about it. Billie just looked away, refusing to answer the question. "Okay, I understand. When you're ready. No rush," he said, taking her hand and giving it a slight squeeze.
"Thanks," Billie barely whispered, looking up at him, her blue eyes soft and glassy with fresh tears she refused to shed. It made Van seriously wish he hadn't made that bet with her if this was the kind of pain she'd have to go through in order to prove herself. But he pushed those thoughts aside, thinking it be best to just avoid it for as long as possible. They needed something else to focus on now.
"Come on, I still need help with the tree," Van said as he dragged her back into the living room with him.
Billie couldn't help but smile, wiping the unshed tears from her eyes with her finger as she was being rushed back into the living room. The pile of green looked atrocious, but it wasn't as bad as Van was probably thinking. A little organization and everything would make sense, or so she hoped. "Come on, Van, you can rebuild an engine, but green plastic baffles you? Are all men afraid of pipe cleaners?" Billie asked playfully as she picked up one green branch and began looking for any indication of where it should go on the plastic tree stump.
"So you can build a tree but I have to pump the gas in your car?" Van retorted, grabbing another branch and throwing at her.
"And you will be once I win this bet!" she shot back, along with another branch, hitting Van square in the back of the head. She burst out laughing and quickly made a run for it when he lunged at her. Van chased her around the room for several minutes as Billie shrieked with laughter, trying to avoid his attempts to catch her. Somehow, Van did get the upper hand, and ended up tackling her on the couch.
"Get off me!" Billie yelled, unable to stop laughing as Van began to tickle her. "Stop! Please! Stop! Oh, my God! I can't take it anymore! STOP!" she continued screaming as his hands managed to find every ticklish spot on her body. "I… can't… breathe!" Billie heaved, tears streaming down her face.
"Say uncle!" Van wouldn't let up until she gave in.
"Uncle!" Billie quickly shouted.
Van was slightly dumbfounded that she had given up so quickly. Hmm… So that was her weakness. He filed it away for later reference, his hands resting against either side of her head as they found themselves staring at each other again in that awkward silence, their faces closer than they had been before. Van could see the tiny flecks of amber against the sapphire blue irises of her eyes. He couldn't resist running his hand through her dark, wavy hair.
At that precise moment, Van's cell phone, which was sitting on the kitchen counter, began to ring. He gave her a sheepish smile and got up to answer it. "Hello?" he asked, aggravated that someone had interrupted his reindeer games.
"Hello, sir, I am with Random House and we are having a spectacular Christmas special on…" the voice on the other end started.
"I'm illiterate. Maybe you should give it a try, jackass!" he hissed and clicked the off button, but not before slamming the phone against the counter a couple of times just to take out some anger. "Damn people think I have nothing better to do on Christmas Even than to buy a stupid magazine," Van grumbled as he walked back into the living room and saw Billie sitting on the couch, snickering.
"Illiterate, huh? I that it that wasn't Deaq," she said with a smile.
"No, worse, some jerk off selling magazines," Van griped.
"You should have bought me a subscription to Redbook," she pouted playfully.
Van rolled his eyes and smiled as he headed back to the couch to finish what they had been doing before the interruption. "You gonna help me with this thing or what?" he asked Billie as he took a seat in front of the pile of green and started to pick up pieces, looking for where they might fit.
"Yeah," Billie replied as she got off the couch and sat beside him. Within minutes, she was already in charge, sorting the many pieces into different piles according to their size. From larger to smaller she arranged them until they were in the proper order to be put on the plastic stump. "The bigger ones go on the bottom, getting progressively smaller as you go up," she instructed, handing Van the first round of plastic branches. Together, they managed to put up the tree in half an hour.
The decorations came next. Judging by the way they had been delicately laid out on the floor some ways away from the tree, Billie could tell they had some sentimental value for Van. She smiled, gazing at the small collection of antique pieces. Gently taking one teardrop shaped bud in her hand, Billie gazed at its hand painted golden finish, which was slightly cracking but still in remarkable condition. It had a beautiful cutout in the center in the shape of a Santa Clause.
"Be very careful with those," Van said as he looked over in her direction, making sure she didn't accidentally drop one.
"I am, don't worry," Billie reassured him. "These are very beautiful. How did you get them?"
Van smiled, "They belonged to my grandmother from my mother's side of the family. She brought them over on the Queen Mary when she came from England after WWII. They've survived over fifty years of family, kids, packing, and moving." He loved talking about his grandmother. She was an amazing woman.
"How'd you end up with them?" Billie asked.
"By default… The privileges of being an only child," he replied with a small smile, taking another ornament, this time more round in shape and silver in color, and looking for a spot to place it on the tree.
"Tell me more about your grandmother," she urged, actually finding herself fascinated with his family history.
Van stared at her for a second in surprise. No one had ever been that interested in his family history or his life in general. He began by saying, "Well, my grandmother was born in April 1920. She was the oldest girl of seven children. She had two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. When she was four, her mom had a boy, but he was sick when he was born, and died when he was just a baby. Grandma always said something was wrong with his legs bad back. What it was, I don't know," Van explained with a smile. "Her father was a raging alcoholic. He would spend a large chunk of his paycheck within hours of getting it on alcohol, leaving her, her siblings, and their mother to fend for themselves."
"Wow, that's rough," Billie said, her gaze still on him. She could tell there was much more he wanted to tell her and let him continue.
"In 1940, she was forced to quit school and work in a bomb factory when World War II arrived in England. Somehow, she'd kept these ornaments safe through the bombings of Manchester, where she lived," Van recounted the stories he'd been told as a child. Billie sat there in awe of his family history. Hers was so similar. "In 1943, she took a trip to London and ended up working in a hospital as a nurse. That's how she met my grandpa. He was a soldier in the war and had been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. They got married in November of 1944 and she came over on the Queen Mary in January of 1945."
Van paused for a moment to catch his breath. There was still a lot he wanted to say, a lot he wanted to tell her. "The first of their nine children was born on November 17, 1946. That was their first anniversary. My grandma and my grandpa were married for 54 years. She died last Thanksgiving of stomach cancer," he finished solemnly, averting her gaze as his eyes fell upon the floor.
Billie wanted to cry. Van spoke of his grandmother with such love and gentleness. She could feel the heartbreak when he spoke of her death. "You really loved her, didn't you?" she questioned softly.
"Yeah," Van replied, his head still hanging low. "At times she was more of a mother to me than my own mother, especially when Ray Ray was in prison one year and my mom dropped me off with Grandma so she could go to the story. I didn't see her again for nine months." He finally looked up and met Billie's gaze. She could see the fresh tears shining in his grey green eyes. Van quickly wiped them away before they began to fall. There was no way in hell he wanted to cry right now. He'd had enough of that already.
"So, what about your family?" Van gently prodded. Billie looked at the floor in front of her, not wanting to answer. "I know you've got parents, but what about siblings or grandparents?" he asked.
"I'm an only child," Billie answered, taking her time. She wasn't going to go into detail about her parents just yet, but she could say a few things about her grandparents. "My grandparents came from Austria and Germany. My grandfather was from Enns, Austria and grandma was from Munich, Germany. He was born in 1918 and she was born in 1920. In 1938, they got married and moved to Frankfurt, Germany. Hitler was in full power by then and had started the execution of the Jewish. Shortly after they moved there, one of their close friends, a Jewish woman, got arrested and sent to Bergen Belsen. She was gassed there. Grandma and Grandpa were upset and protested against Hitler. They got arrested and held for more than a year by the Gestapo. After the war ended, they moved to Cleveland, Ohio where they started a deli and Grandma had five children; four boys and a girl: my mother."
Billie was having some trouble bringing up her past, but she pushed the awful memories back and focused on the good ones, hoping they'd get her through this without having to reveal much more. "My mom grew up, became a teacher, got married to my dad and moved to Kansas City, Missouri where I was born four years into the marriage," she continued with a sad smile at the thought of her parents. Van noticed, but decided not to press her about them. "When I was fifteen, my grandfather died of a stroke. Three months later, my grandma also passed. The coroner said she died of a heart attack, but I know it was a broken heart that killed her," Billie finished with a sniffle as she wiped a tear from her eye before it slid down her cheek.
More coming soon. This is just the beginning of it.