First Christmas in Harrogate.
A/N- I know there have been a few morning after fics already, some very good ones but I couldn't resist really. This will probably stay a one shot.
I don't own anything I am just borrowing established characters for my own amusement.
Xxxx
Caroline headed to the long table that had been reserved for the wedding party's breakfast and could see her Mother and Alan already seated in the centre with William and Roxy sat beside Alan and Aunt Muriel sat beside Celia, talking animatedly in a seemingly one sided conversation.
"Good morning Mr and Mrs Buttershaw!" Caroline called as she made her approach, "Merry Christmas everyone! Darling!" She said as William rose from his seat and came around the table to embrace her.
"Merry Christmas mum!" William whispered as he held her tightly. "Kate." He said over Caroline's shoulder as she appeared behind the blonde having had to make a quick dash to the bathroom on coming downstairs. "Merry Christmas!"
William released his mum to capture Kate in a similar embrace and Caroline caught the looks from the table, particularly the roll of the eyes from her mother and the small smirk from Muriel.
At that moment a waitress arrived with some drinks, setting a pot of tea down for the newly weds and some juice for the boys. Caroline noticed that Laurence, who was seated with Angus at one end of the table, looked a little green around the gills and she realised that he had probably taken advantage of her slightly distracted state at the end of the evening to indulge in some underage drinking. He was obviously paying for it now and she would content herself with that, rather than giving him a lecture on Christmas day. She slipped a small kiss to her youngest son's cheek as she stood behind him, before moving back around the table and sending his friend a small wave as she pulled out a seat for Kate.
Kate beamed at Caroline as she took her seat at the table and asked the young waitress for another pot of tea, she looked to Caroline who nodded before adding to the waitress.
"Tea for two, please."
Caroline let her hand linger on Kate's shoulder for a moment, a small act of reassurance before she took the seat beside Kate and set about facing the assembled family members.
Celia suddenly seemed to genuinely turn her attention to Muriel and Caroline took Kate's hand in her own upon the table, receiving a small smile from the woman beside her.
It was Alan that spoke next. "It's good to see the two of you...together." He smiled brightly and nodded meaningful at the couple.
"Thank you Alan." Kate said. "It was such a lovely wedding, very inspiring." She almost winked at the older man and he nudged his bride.
"I say, Celia, It's good to see Caroline and Kate together again isn't it?" Alan repeated.
Celia forced a smile and quickly checked the expression on her sisters face, which was one of quiet delight, her mouth pursed as if she could taste the drama.
"Yes, well. I'm sure they have a lot to sort out...folk often get carried away at weddings." Celia said dismissively.
Alan gave Celia a slight look of warning and Caroline wondered if they had already had a discussion about this very scene.
"Well, we have you to thank Celia, if you hadn't asked me to play at the wedding, Who knows what might have happened..." Kate enjoyed the look on Celia's face, almost like she was sucking a lemon.
Just then, Raff and Ellie ambled up to the table and took two of the remaining seats.
"Alright Grandad!" Raff grinned. "Hope you had a two had a good night! Merry Christmas!"
As food began to arrive at the table Caroline just caught sight of a teary eyed blonde dragging an overnight bag past the door to the restaurant and recognised her as the girlfriend of Robbie, who was next to hurry past before finally Gillian appeared in the doorway, looking after Robbie before heading inside.
"Sorry, I'll be back in a second." Caroline whispered to Kate as she got up from the table and crossed to speak to Gillian. The rest of the table barely noticing as they talked amongst themselves, re-living the highlights from the night before.
"What's going on?" Caroline demanded, in a hushed but heated tone as she reached Gillian.
Gillian shrugged and attempted looking innocent verging on bewildered. "What's? whats going on?"
"With Robbie? I saw his girlfriend storming out of here just now and don't think it wasn't obvious to everyone just what was going on with the two of you last night..." Caroline shot, hands on her hips now. "Did you spend the night with him?"
"I'm surprised you noticed anything else after Kate came back." Gillian said with a weak smile and she peered over Caroline's shoulder toward the table. "She's still here? So I take it everything went well...ahhhh I'm made up for you." Gillian dodged the issue at hand.
Despite herself Caroline did feel some of the bluster leave her, finding it virtually impossible to be angry at anyone today, and she snuck a look over her shoulder at Kate who watched Caroline curiously as she buttered a slice of toast. Caroline felt that familiar tug to return to her.
"Fine, but this isn't over. We can discuss it at a more opportune time." Caroline said as sternly as she could.
"Yes Miss, Sorry Miss." Gillian dared to quip.
Caroline glared, but a smile played unmistakably around her mouth. "Go and get some breakfast, you look dreadful."
"Charming." Gillian said as she moved past Caroline toward the table and called back to the headmistress. "Oh and by the way, Robbie's going to feed the sheep, so it looks like it's back to Harrogate for Christmas dinner!"
Xxxx
Caroline drove home with Laurence and Angus, feeling oddly bereft and jealous that William had decided that he and Roxy would keep Kate company on the journey. The young couple were headed over to Liverpool to spend the rest of the day with Roxy's family and Kate had offered to drive them all the way once she had popped home to change, however Caroline had insisted that John would be taking them over, after he had made a brief appearance to see his son's at the family home. It would certainly be brief as Laurence was yet to forgive his Dad for his recent abandonment. Caroline hoped they would make it up for Christmas although she had been enjoying her sudden increase in popularity where her youngest son was concerned.
Kate had said she would go home and change, then pop over to her mums for dinner, but she had agreed that she would come back and see Caroline afterwards, on her way home.
Caroline had to be content with that, but as she drove home she was gripped with fear on more than one occasion that perhaps it had all been a mistake, perhaps she had imagined the whole night, finally having Kate back in her arms again, or maybe Kate's reservations about them would resurface, she would wonder if she was making a mistake in giving Caroline another chance.
Caroline fought the desire to ring Kate, to hear her voice, to beg for reassurance, she knew that Kate was driving and should not be distracted. So she rang William.
"Everything alright?" She asked her son.
"Yeah mum, we are not far behind you I think, should be home in a few minutes."
"Good, good. Your Dad left a message saying he'll be at the house by midday, so that should give you enough time to get over to Liverpool." Caroline told him.
"Yeah, that's great." William agreed.
"And Roxy's alright? ...and Kate?" Caroline said in an attempt at sounding casual.
A soft chuckle. "Yes Mum, Kate's fine. We were just taking about the baby, I always wanted a little sister, Kate's trying to convince me that I'd be good with the nappy changes." He said. "But so far she's not very convincing."
Caroline's breath caught in her throat and her eyes began to fill, the thought of her son sitting and joking with Kate about his involvement with her future child was much more than she had ever dared hope for and she felt a little over whelmed.
"Ha! Kate says you can use your PHD in Chemistry to handle any dangerous and potentially toxic changes in matter!" William laughed and Caroline caught the sound of Kate's giggle in the background.
For the moment she was too astounded to think of a witty come back and she remained quiet.
"We'll see you in a minute." William assured as he hung up.
Xxxxx
Almost the moment she had arrived home Caroline had gotten to work in the kitchen, she had everything she needed and had written a detailed plan of each step of the meal preparation, so whilst the others settled in to the sitting room and the sounds of their conversations and merriment drifted into the kitchen, Caroline threw herself into the cooking.
Around half an hour in, her Mother appeared at the doorway, a glass of sherry in one hand.
"I take it you've got everything in hand?" She asked.
"Yes thank you." Caroline said, hardly looking up as she referred back to her note's, pushing her glasses back up on her nose.
Celia lingered, Caroline sensed, somewhat awkwardly and she sighed as she gave her mother her full attention and removed her glasses.
"What is it?" She asked, using a hand to steady herself against the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"I was just wondering about you and Kate..." Celia started.
Caroline's brows raised in question.
"Well, you can't really be meaning to get back together can you?" Celia said doubtfully. "I mean, you have noticed that she's about to have a baby? And I doubt very much that it's yours!"
"Yes I had noticed Mother, but thanks for pointing it out." Caroline said defensively.
"And you are okay with that are you? Someone else's baby, what are you going to be, it's number 2 mum?"
"I'll be whatever Kate allows me to be mum, I am absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of being anything at all to her and her daughter, and whatever we work out together, the rest of you can just deal with." Caroline asserted.
Celia frowned with concern. "It's not just that you're a bit old to be up all night with a baby again Caroline, I am worried about you...what if it all goes tit's up again with you and Kate? You haven't exactly got the best track record have you? And what if by then you've bonded with the little one? What happens then?"
Caroline's face softened. "Mum, I don't have any answers to your questions right now, Maybe I'll adopt the baby? Maybe Kate and I will get married? We haven't discussed it yet. But I will do anything I can to keep Kate in my life now, I can't be without her again, really...It's been like a living hell. You will have to get used to her being part of our lives again and I know that it might be difficult for you, but right now...just go and enjoy Christmas with your new husband and stay out of my kitchen."
Caroline smiled as she took a step toward her mother and placed her hands upon her shoulders, turning her around and gently steering her out of the kitchen before she had a chance to say anything else.
Xxxx
Everything was in the oven, cooking nicely and to plan and Caroline stood in the doorway of the sitting room watching as Raff tried to act out the title of a film in an elaborate manner by shooting himself in the head with a gun made up of two fingers and flinging himself onto the coffee table.
"Die Hard!" Shouted Gillian, standing up and punching the air with her fist as Raff pointed to her with a grin.
Alan cheered and Celia called out in dismay. Caroline was witnessing a game of charades, clearly Halifax v's Harrogate as Laurence and Angus punched each other in the shoulders, looking defeated.
"Dinner will be served in 15 minutes!" Caroline called and headed back to the kitchen where she checked the settings at the table, a couple of extra chairs having been added to the ends.
"Thanks again for inviting us." A voice called, and Caroline turned to see Gillian watching her.
"Your welcome!" Caroline answered. "That's what Christmas is about isn't it? Family?"
Gillian only smiled in reply.
"If I told you..." Gillian began. "That I wanted to give it a try...with Robbie." Gillian held up her hand as she saw the hard look of disapproval on Caroline's face. "I know, I know what you said...and your not exactly wrong...and I know it isn't ideal...but I can't seem to help it...and...it's going to be 2014. You have Kate! My Dad has Celia, even Raff and Ellie..." Gillian was using her champagne flute to punctuate her point, swishing it around in the air.
"I don't want to be alone..." She said finally, looking at her shoes as she spoke.
"Shit!" Caroline said as she ran to the oven and flung open the door, taking out a tray of blackened bread pieces.
"What was that? Yorkshire pudding?" Gillian asked, coming to Caroline's side.
"No! You're the Yorkshire pudding!" Caroline said, nudging Gillian in the side with her elbow. "They were the Bruschetta starter." Caroline shrugged and threw down the oven gloves.
Gillian waited.
"I worry that you would tell him...in time. You told me after...admittedly quite a lot of alcohol...but, ... If you told him, if you got comfortable enough, if you thought it was the right thing to do...you might tell him...and...well, he might not see thing's the way I do."
The timer on the oven sounded loudly and Caroline took up the gloves again, leaving Gillian to think about what she had said.
Xxxxx
Caroline was at the door almost before Kate and she threw it open to find the woman smiling as she met her.
"Hello." Kate said simply.
Caroline took Kate's hand and pulled her gently into the house, closing the door and pressing Kate softly against it as she kissed her own greeting.
Kate's cheeks flushed, partly from coming into the heat from the cold and partly in response to Caroline's kisses.
"Someone's been at the bubbles." Kate teased as Caroline finally released her.
"One glass! It's Christmas!" Caroline defended. "I missed you."
Neither woman was certain whether Caroline meant today or during the months they had been apart.
"Me too." Kate admitted, taking off her coat and handing it to Caroline.
"How was dinner with your mum?" Caroline asked.
"Good yeah." Kate nodded. "She was emotional, but she's getting really excited about the baby." Kate rested a hand tenderly over her bump. "She got her this." Kate said, showing Caroline the gift bag that she held at her side and pulling out a soft hand full of babygro, the suit was cream coloured with a series of bright jungle creatures printed on it.
Caroline touched her fingers delicately to the material. "Wow, it's hard to imagine, she'll be here soon, and she'll fit into that." Caroline raised her hand to Kate's belly but stopped, her hand hovering just above it, seeking permission from Kate with a look.
Kate pressed Caroline's hand to her tummy and as she did so they each felt a definite kick. Caroline's face lit up like the Star of Bethlehem and her jaw hung open, speechless.
"Caroline?" Kate asked, kissing the tip of the blondes nose. "Is there a reason we are hiding in the hallway?"
Caroline put up a halting finger. "Not hiding, definitely no more hiding, I'm just not keen on sharing you..." Caroline confessed as she took Kate's hand and led them both into the sitting room where the family sat completely stuffed and quietly, half-watching a repeat of an old Victoria Wood Christmas special.
"Oh, here she is!" Called Alan, as Caroline brought Kate into the room, leading her to the only empty armchair and perching herself on the arm. "Now everyone's here I'd like to make a toast." He said, raising his glass.
Everyone turned their attention to Alan, and Celia leant forward to fill her own and all the glasses within reach.
"To Caroline and our Gillian for making the wedding such a good do, and Caroline for putting on such a good spread for us here today, so that Celia and I could both have everyone who is important to us, everyone we love, here together. We are so lucky to be able to share our families and we wish all of you, who are all a part of it..." Here he looked round at every face individually. "A Merry Christmas and a wonderful year for 2014!"
Alan tipped his glass and everyone cheered. "2014!"
"I am sure it will prove to be interesting." Celia said as she kissed his cheek and resigned herself to another year of drama, turmoil, chaos, but ultimately love.
"Ooh, New Year party at the farm!" Gillian called out.
Caroline bent to kiss Kate's head. "2014!" She toasted.
Xxxx
A/N- Thanks for reading folks. Next chapter for my other fic will be up asap. xxx