My note….With the holiday season upon us, I feel the need to write a JimAsh Christmas or multi-holiday fic, as the case may be(I will be incorporating all the holidays they would probably be celebrating). It will be kinda short and maybe a little silly…no, cutesy…yeah, cutesy's a better term. And for content purposes, it will take place in December '06.
So imagine yourself sitting on a couch in front of a roaring fire, with a steaming mug of hot chocolate...snuggling next to Jimmy Brooks(oops, got off track a little. Sorry). Enjoy!
'TIS THE SEASON
CHAPTER 1: O TANNENBAUM
"Are you sure Ash?", Jimmy asked tentatively, over the phone.
"Of course I'm sure, we all want you to come", she reiterated...for the third time.
Jimmy sighed heavily, remembering what happened to their relationship when he became too clingy for Ashley. He didn't want to intrude on this. "It just seems like a family thing...".
"Jimmy, you are family", Ashley insisted, with a slight hint of mock annoyance in her voice. Jimmy could almost see the smile on her lips and the sparkle in her eyes as she said, "And I want you to be here".
Now how could he say no to that?
--------------------
It was early December in Toronto, beautiful lush white snow covering the ground, bright red and green lights strung everywhere, the smell of the Christmas season filling the air…but Jimmy Brooks was feeling more than a little melancholy.
"Penny for your thoughts?", Ashley asked, slinking behind Jimmy to wrap her arms around him.
"Is that all they're worth", he quipped, tilting his head to look at her.
Ashley smiled and kissed his cheek. "Well I can think of another form of payment, if you'd rather", she replied suggestively, meeting his lips with hers for emphasis.
Jimmy's chuckle tickled Ashley's mouth and she backed away slightly to look into his eyes, "Mmmm...much better than a couple of pennies", he whispered.
"Good", Ashley replied sincerely, running her fingers lightly across his cheek. "And there's more where that came from if you tell me what's got you so preoccupied", she added, slipping onto his lap. A small giggle escaped her lips, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "...you've been starring at this box of ornaments for like ten minutes now".
Jimmy shrugged dismissively. "I don't know. It's...this", he paused and tilted his head toward the tree. "...this is just so cool". Ashley looked at the room before her and nodded. "My family's never done anything like this...so it's all kinda new to me".
Ashley felt her heart clench for him. "What about when you were little?", she asked tetatively as her hand ran gently across his shoulders.
"We always went on vacation during the holidays, so there was never a reason to decorate", Jimmy explained. "I've spent Christmas in the Bahamas, Jamacia, Florida, Mexico...", he paused to look at Ashley's slightly saddened expression and flashed her a trade-mark grin. "...my dad likes it warm".
Ashley snuggled against his chest as he continued. "Two years ago was the first time we were actually here for Christmas...not that we had much of a choice", Jimmy's voice trailed off softly at the last part. Ashley unconsciously squeezed him a little tighter. "At least I got a tree though", he added brightly.
Ashley sat up and gave Jimmy an incredulous look. "What...that sad looking, Charlie Brown, table-top model you had in your hospital room?", she teased and rolled her eyes playfully.
"Yeah, the one that you guys brought me", he retorted as he ran his fingers, ticklishly across Ashley's waist.
The tickles dies down and Ashley's demeanor suddenly fell somber as she remembered that day at the rehab center when she, Craig, Paige, Hazel and Marco stopped by together, to bring Jimmy some cd's, cookies and that tree...she hadn't realized until now, that it may have been his first. "Nobody should have to spend Christmas in the hospital...", she stated softly, letting her head to rest against his shoulder. "We just wanted to brighten up your holiday a little".
"You did", Jimmy whispered sincerely into her ear, referring to more than just the tree. Her presence that day, and every day, is what makes his life a little brighter.
That admission made Ashley feel a little better, but there was still one question gnawing at her. "What about last year?", she asked, remembering the authentic old English Christmas she celebrated with her father and Chris in London.
"That was a big joke", he laughed casually. "Dad was in Montreal for a few days at a law conference, when Mom got the call that they needed her in Vancouver to oversee this big company merger. She dragged me along...said she didn't trust me not to burn the new house down", Jimmy dismissed his mother's concern with a joke, but behind his eyes, Ashley could see that deep down he knew his mother wasn't comfortable leaving her disabled son home alone to care for himself. "We were supposed be back on Christmas Eve morning, but snow storms made it impossible to fly...so the two of us spent Christmas in a Vancouver hotel, eating room service and watching old holiday movies", Jimmy recalled with a smile. "It was actually kinda nice".
Ashley was quiet, she didn't know what to say and even if she did, she couldn't sure her voice wouldn't betray her. "I don't know what they have planned for this year", Jimmy stated indifferently. "I heard them talking about some big holiday party at my dad's firm and how nice Aruba would be this time of year, if they could find an accessible room on such short notice...".
Jimmy trailed off when Ashley absently started playing with the hood strings of his sweatshirt. "Ash?", he asked questionably.
"Aruba, huh?", she exclaimed, trying to mask her disappointment with a forced smile.
Jimmy chuckled and pulled her chin up with his finger. "Even if they were able to find a hotel Ash, I wouldn't go", he assured, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"Really?", Ashley stared at Jimmy like he'd grown another nose. "You'd pass up a trip to Aruba, to spend Christmas here?", she asked incredulously as she motioned toward the frosty windows.
"Yeah, as long as I get to spend it with you", Jimmy replied softly as he leaned in to capture Ashley's lips.
And somewhere in the midst of that mind-blowing kiss, Ashley decided she was going to make this the best Christmas Jimmy ever had.
---------------
"Ash?", Jimmy called out anxiously as he sat next to the staircase that descended from the attic, where Ashley was fishing around looking for the sparce box of Christmas decorations owned by the Brooks family.
"Still looking", she yelled back. Jimmy sighed anxiously, inwardly cursing that he wasn't able to help Ashley search through these boxes like he did on the other floors, the floors that were accessible to him. "No wonder your house is always so clean and uncluttered...", she chuckled. "...your parents have everything in boxes".
"No kidding", he called back. "That storage closet in the basement had toys I don't even remember playing with".
"I wonder where they had all of this stuff stored, when you lived in the condo", Ashley stated curiously, peeking inside another unmarked box.
Another minute or so of silence passed, Jimmy turned slightly and craned his neck up, trying to see what was taking Ashley so long. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak, Ashley emerged from the attic. "Careful", Jimmy cautioned, offering his hand to her as she tried to manage the narrow steps while balancing the large box.
"Found it", she beamed proudly as she stepped back onto flat ground. Ashley placed the box on Jimmy's lap and procceded to close up the attic door.
"Meet you in the living room", he announced as he pushed himself, and the box, over to the lift.
Ashley got downstairs at just about the same time Jimmy was pushing out of the lift. She took the awkward box from his lap and placed it on the coffee table. "See, you had more decorations then you thought", she exclaimed as she pulled out a large, ornately decorated wreath and passed it to Jimmy.
"Well, it's pretty obvious where this goes", he grinned, and placed the circle of plastic branches and velvet bows onto his lap as he headed over to the front door. Jimmy looked up at the smooth flat surface and frowned, but before he could get himself too down about not being able to put a simple nail into a door, Ashley walked over and hung a plastic wreath holder over the top, one that Jimmy could reach and hang the wreath on.
"I see you've always had a creative side", Ashley teased as she pulled out construction paper characters...a Santa face with cotton ball beard, a glitter covered snowman, and a brown reindeer head, with cutouts of a young Jimmy's tiny handprints as the antlers.
"I didn't think my mom saved any of this", Jimmy whispered as he pressed his now huge hand against the form of his pre-school one.
A wave of emotion swept over Ashley as she leant down to embrace Jimmy from behind. "Where do you want to hang these?", she asked softly.
He shrugged bashfully and tossed the paper creations onto the couch cushion. "Wherever you want...it doesn't matter", he replied indifferently as he moved closer to the box, and rifled through it. "Hey, this can go on the ramp railing out front", Jimmy declared, pulling out a long strand of the lighted garland he vaguely remembered hanging on the outside balcony of their condo.
"And the tree'll look cute right in front of the window", Ashley suggested, pulling the small shrub from the box and placing it on the display table at the other end of the room.
"No way", Jimmy disagreed. "That's going up in my room".
Ashley looked at Jimmy and couldn't help but smile at the twinkle in his eyes. "Okay...but what are we going to do about a tree?", she asked playfully.
"We go and buy one", Jimmy answered simply, flashing Ashley one of his knee weakening grins as he pushed over to her. "One like the tree in your house", he added, eagerly. "And lights around the windows and maybe some on the bushes...", he trailed off softly, knowing he wouldn't be able to hang lights from the gutters of his house, like Toby and Jeff had done to their's. He pulled up in front of Ashley and gently grabbed hold of her hand, raising his brow suggestively, "And definitely some mistletoe".
Ashley blushed slightly as she settled onto Jimmy's lap. "That's going to take some serious time...and money", she stated teasingly.
Jimmy looked over at the clock on the dvd player and grinned. "It's a little after ten...the bank of Brooks in now officially open", he announced, pulling the debit card out from the front pocket of his jeans. "You up for a little shopping?".
"Do you even have to ask?", Ashley laughed in reply as she slid off of his lap to retrieve their coats.
------------------
A few hours and an order of Chinese take-out later, Jimmy and Ashley were finally satisfied with the days work.
"This looks amazing", Ashley exclaimed as she walked into the warmly decorated room. "...traditional, yet old-fashioned and simple"
Jimmy looked up from the fire he was starting in the fireplace and smirked at Ashley, "That's me, traditional...simple...".
"No, that just the artist in you coming out", she praised, handing Jimmy a mug of hot chocolate before taking a seat at his feet and leaning back against his knees. "It kinda reminds me of Christmas at my dad's last year...ultra-modern living room filled with old-fashioned decorations".
Jimmy smiled and gently ran his hand through Ashley's hair. "So you think they be surprised?", he queried, referring to his parents.
Ashley took a long sip of her cocoa, then looked back at Jimmy and giggled, "I think they'd be even more suprised if I left before they got home, and you told them that you did all of this by yourself".
And somewhere between Ashley's wistful admission and the joking that followed, Jimmy decided he was going to make this the best Christmas she ever had.
------------------
Warm, fuzzy wishes to all of you...hope it helps(mighty nippy in these parts). I don't have a dramatic plan for this one, I don't really have a plan period. Just a bunch of sweet, fluffy stuff to enjoy at the holidays...without the calories!!!
Degrassi is not mine.