Heather had just laid the baby in the crib when a knock at the door came. She smiled wondering who it could be. It was early on Christmas Eve and she was expecting almost everybody to gather at the Scott/Roe House. Heather opens the door to see a beautiful brunette at the door with a curly black headed man. Followed closely by a dark headed green eyed free spirited five year old. "Brooke! Chase! Hanna! Welcome!" Heather opens the door and steps out of the way to allow them in before hugging each. "How was the trip?"
"I got to go on a plane! And it was fun!" Hanna says excitedly.
"Really? You weren't scared at all?" Heather matches the child's excitement.
"NO!" Hanna jumps up and down in one spot warranting a laugh from all three adults.
"It was a good trip Heather, how are you?" Brooke gives Heather another hug. "Gosh you look so…. Grown." Brooke adds with a laugh.
"Well, I should, I'm 17." Heather shakes her head. "I'm good though. Talked to Luke this morning, he's sounds so sorry he can't be here this Christmas, but ya know…"
"Yeah we know." Brooke pats Heather's arm understandingly.
"Your Mom home?" Chase asks.
"Nope, it's just me and little Ty." Heather says with a smile.
"Oh speaking of which, may I see my nephew?" Brooke slips out of her jacket then helps Hanna off with hers.
"Of course, but he's sleeping." Heather takes the jackets and puts them in the chair.
"I won't wake him I promise." Brooke's eyes plead and Heather has to laugh.
"Come on Auntie Brooke." Heather leads her to her bedroom.
"OOHH" Brooke says quietly. "He's beautiful Heather. How old?"
"Four months." Heather watches proudly as Brooke coos over her son. "Now lets go before we wake him, he's hard to get to sleep if he's awaken."
"Okay lets go, I just had to have a peak." Brooke follows Heather from the room. "Chase I want another one!" She says with a slight giggle.
"You do remember the sleepless nights, the pain of child birth, the diaper, and spit up and all of that right?" Heather says pouring cups of hot coffee.
"Hmm, I don't know. I remember how it felt to hold Hanna in my arms. Staying up all night watching her sleep." Brooke smiles.
"Yeah I did that too." Heather hands each a cup of coffee. "I saw the last competition Chase, you shouldn't have been disqualified. That was just silly."
"You know that move was illegal as well as I did when I did the move Heather." Chase laughs. "Besides it was just one competition, and my team got to the next round remember?" Chase is a pro scatter.
"Okay so yeah it was a little illegal but seriously they didn't have to through you completely out, you coulda just set that round out. You're their best guy." Heather takes a sip of her coffee.
"Aren't you a little bias?" Chase raises an eye brow.
"Just cause I've known you all my life and you are almost like my brother doesn't make me bias." Heather tries to sound offended.
"Yeah right." Chase shakes his head.
"Oh and I saw the winter line Brooke, I loved it." Heather smiles at Brooke who is smiling broadly.
"Why thank you, I must say you have awesome fashion since." Brooke's smile broadens.
"Well, I learn from the best." Heather laughs. "Got any grand ideas for the pageant?"
"Pageant?" Brooke asks.
"Oh I didn't tell ya? We're auctioning off the ball players, and I'm supposed to design the uniforms for the auction." Heather sighs.
"Sounds like fun!" Brooke says excitedly.
"For you who know how to do that…. For me it's just something really stupid that I got myself into." Heather shakes her head.
"Heather!" Comes a voice from the door and Heather can hear six little feet trample through the house.
"That would Haley and the troops." Heather smiles and sets her coffee down. "Hey guys!" She says as they all make their way into the kitchen.
"Tutor Mom!" Brooke grabs her friend.
"Brooke!" Haley embraces Brooke. "I didn't think you would make it home this Christmas."
"Oh we wouldn't miss this year for nothing." Brooke assures her.
"Well we are glad to have you." Haley smiles.
"Chase, good to see ya man" Nathan holds a hand out to Chase who takes it.
"Good to see you too." Chase says.
"I saw the game Nate, the teams looking great." Heather says as she gives Nathan a small hug, before turning her attention to Haley, "Hales, how ya feeling?"
"I'm fine." Haley looks at Heather questioningly. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I donno." Heather shrugs but smiles.
"Where's my baby?" Haley asks.
"Sleeping in his crib, and you are not waking him up!" Heather points her finger at Haley in a mock upset way.
"I wouldn't dream of it, but I am going to peak in." Haley smiles and leaves the room.
"She's so going to wake him up." Heather says with a laugh.
"Auntie Heather!" Says a small voice.
"Issy!" Heather picks up the four year old and gives her a big huge. "How's my girly girl?"
"Good, Santa comes tonight!" Isabelle informs Heather.
"Did you make sure Santa had your list?" Heather asks sounding so serious it makes Nathan laugh.
"Twice in fact." Nathan says with a smile.
"Oh well, you gotta make sure Daddy!" Heather laughs and puts Isabelle down. "Hey boys, did Santa get ya'll list?" Heather asks the twins.
"Yup!" Dillon answers promptly. "I mailed it weeks ago."
"I mailed mine months ago." Damian stands up straight.
"Well sounds like he should have it them." Heather says with a smile. "Why don't all you kids go in the living room and play, I got a bunch of toys set up for ya okay?" All four kids scamper off to the living room just as Haley comes in holding Ty in her arms. "I told you she would wake him up." Heather laughs.
"He was already awake!" Haley protests. Heather rolls her eyes. "Almost makes me want another one." Heather laughs but doesn't say anything.
"If you got him for a minute I'm going to give Lily a call." Heather watches Haley play with Ty, then picks up the phone and dials her sister's number and starts letting it wring but after 7 rings and she doesn't pick up Heather sighs and hangs up going back to the kitchen.
"She not answer?" Haley asks rocking a fussing Ty.
"No, guess she's out partying or something." Heather shrugs. "He's probably hungry, I'll get a bottle."
"You're a great Mom Heather." Haley says as she watches Heather.
Heather lets out a laugh, "So are you. Why is you always say that?"
"Because it's the truth, and I got a feeling that you aren't being told very often." Haley hands Ty to Heather.
"Well, for a teenage mother, I guess I don't do bad." Heather sets down and shots Brooke and Haley a smile.
"Auntie Heather! Auntie Heather! Can I give it to her know???" Jenny runs into the room.
Heather gives her a big smile, "No sweetie, we gotta wait okay?"
"Okay, but I hate waiting!" The three year crosses her arms.
"Hey sweetie, how are ya?" Haley pulls Jenny into a big huge.
"Ready for Santa?" Brooke asks with a smile.
"Yup, Mommy said we got to wait to put milk and cookies out though, but I'm afraid I'll forget" Jenny lowers her voice slightly, "So I hide some under my bed. I told him I would."
"That's very good thinking" Heather looks serious. "The others are in the living room playing.
"Cool!" Jenny says before running off.
"Hey" Payton stands slightly awkwardly in the door.
"Payton!" Brooke jumps up and hugs her.
"Ouch!" Payton winces.
"What?! What did I do?" Brooke pulls back worriedly.
"Her shoulder." Heather says.
"What happened?" Brooke looks from one to the other.
"You didn't tell her?" Haley asks.
"No, she would have come running home and I was fine!" Payton sets down next to Heather.
"She was in wreck, gave us the scare of the year." Heather says looking penitently at Payton.
"How many times do I have to say it wasn't my fault? He pulled out in front of me!" Payton rolls her eyes.
"Yeah well, I forgive you." Heather stops patting Ty's back to squeeze Payton's hand.
"How is it I had no clue about this?" Brooke demands.
"She forbid me to call you." Heather says.
"It's my fault I should have called you Brooke." Payton says, "But I'm all better now so…"
"So alls forgiven" Brooke says with a sigh. "I feel like I'm missing it all…."
"Believe me, you aren't. You're out there changing the world." Payton smiles at Brooke.
"Where's Jake?" Heather looks around. "Where are all the guys actually?"
"Outside playing basketball where else?" Payton says matter-of-factly.
"Right, what was I thinking?" Heather laughs. "Well there is one little guy that needs changing." Heather starts to get up.
"Oh here let me." Brooke takes Ty from Heather, "I want some alone time with my nephew lots to talk about."
"You gotta share him with Auntie Payton and Auntie Haley, oh and maybe Auntie Rachel." Heather says smiling at the sight of Brooke holding Ty.
"He's going to figure out we're not his auntie's." Payton says with a laugh, "He's going to be quiet confused if he don't."
"I know he'll figure it out, but you guys were so much a part of raising me, you were like sisters, I want to make sure you all have a part in his life." Heather suddenly feels tears in her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay. I like being Auntie Payton." Payton strokes Heather's back.
"God, I thought these damn crying spells ended when you had the kid!" Heather says with a slight laugh.
"No, it ends about six months later or so…. Besides today's a big day." Haley squeezes Heather's hand.
Heather takes a deep breath and gets up. "I'm going to go check on the boys, can you handle the kids?" Heather asks.
"For sure." Haley and Payton answers.
"She's missing Lucas." Haley says when Heather is out of ear shot.
"I can't believe he's going to miss Ty's first Christmas." Payton shakes her head.
"He said he's going to try and get in, he just doesn't want to get her hopes up to high." Haley gets up for coffee.
Heather walks outside and feels the cold wind against her skin. She breaths in the cold winter air deeply and closes her eyes. She loved this whether, mostly because she new everybody would be at her house. She can hear the guys laughing and opens her eyes to look at them. "Got room for one more?" She asks with a slight smile still lingering on her face. The guys all stop and look at her as if debating. "Oh come on, you know I can take you all!"
"We also know you have a four month old" Nathan points out.
"I'm back cheerleading." Heather's voice is matter-of-fact which makes the guys laugh and shrug. Heather makes her way off the porch and steals the ball from Nathan.
"Heather Nicole Scott!" comes Karen Roe's voice thirty minutes later.
Heather stops instantly, "Yes Mother?" She turns to see her mother standing on the porch hands on her hips. Heather tries to look innocent but doesn't pull it off as well as her sister Lily.
"What in the world are you doing?" Karen watches as the guys start laughing. "You're got her out here playing against you?"
"Hey not our fault she insisted." Nathan holds his hands up as if in surrender.
"Hey! I'm a big girl!" Heather says.
"Yeah, a big girl with a baby." Karen shakes her head.
"Haley had him for a few minutes…." Heather sighs.
Karen watches her daughter and laughs in spite of herself, "Well I think you've had your fun, come on. I got hot chocolate for everybody."
"All right!" Jake puts the ball down as they head inside.
Heather slips out of her jacket and takes Ty from Brooke, "You spoiling my son?"
"Depends, as it you that got Hanna started playing basketball?" Brooke raises an eye brow.
"No! I think I suggested she be a cheerleader….pretty sure I did…." Heather smiles.
"Yeah right" Brooke rolls her eyes.
"Are we all here?" Karen asks looking around the room.
"Lily's not." Heather says.
"She said she would be late." Haley gives Heather a sympathetic smile.
"Oh well, I guess we are then…" Heather tries not to look disappointed.
"We'll do gifts last then" Nathan puts his arms around Haley.
"Story first!" Dillon and Damian say excitedly.
"What story?" Heather tries to hide a smile.
"The one about the first Christmas!" Hanna chins in.
"How about the first Christmas we were all together, the one before you guys came along? When it was just the adults and Jenny?" Heather smiles.
"Yeah that one!" Jenny jumps up and down in place.
"But that's no fair we weren't here!" Damian protest.
"But maybe you were." Heather says with a slight smile.
"Huh?" Asks Dillon.
Heather proceeds to tell the story that she tells each year, after which as always Haley grabs her guitar. She begins singing, and as her voice fills the room Heather can feel contentment fill her. She hands the baby to her mother and joins in the singing with Haley. Together they sound amazing and Brooke can't help but remember the times when Haley would call her and sing to Hanna. Jake holds tight to Payton's hand as he watches Jenny sing along with the songs. Nathan watches as the twins dance to the music and Isabelle hums along with her mother. Somewhere Lily and Jamie join the group. Lily, Heather's older sister setting next to her wrapping her arm around her in a sideways hug. Her voice joins the singing. Janie pulls Isabelle onto his lap and sets himself between his twin brothers.
"I think it's time for presents." Karen says. "We've waited as long as we can."
Heather sighs, "I know Mom. Okay let me go first!" Heather gets up and goes over to the tree, she hands presents to all the children, who open them ecstatically. She hands a package to Karen to open for Ty, and then starts handing gifts to the adults. They are almost through with gifts when Haley realizes Heather hasn't opened any.
"Heather? You aren't opening your gift, what's wrong?" Haley whispers.
"Nothing. Just I always open my first present with Luke." Heather sighs deeply and pulls a package in front of her. She hears a noise in the kitchen and excuses herself. As she walks into the kitchen she sees a tall blonde headed young man standing there, Heather runs to him and wraps her arms around him.
"Hey Pretty Girl" Lucas wraps his arms around Heather. "Marry Christmas."
"You're the best gift I've gotten in a long time." Heather pulls back to smile at him.
"You didn't really think I would miss this did you?" Lucas smiles down at his sister…….
Note sorry about the breaks, my computer was kinda on the blinks. Hopefully you like it. It's a oneshot, there won't be any more chapters, please review…