"Jack this our first Christmas together and I want to make sure it's perfect."
"Ace just bein with you, callin' you Mrs. Kelly, damn that seems pretty perfect to me."
"Well I disagree Mr. Kelly, I'm going to give you a Christmas like you've never seen. Mrs. Jacobs promised to help me with Christmas dinner, and you already cut down the biggest most gorgeous tree, and oh it's alreasy Christmas Eve and I still need to work on the gingerbread house."
"Da what?"
"The gingerbread house, every year Mrs. Marcell our cook would make one and let me decorate it, and this year I am going to make one for us to decorate together."
"What for?"
"What do you mean what for? For fun. It used to be my favorite Christmas tradition. I would cover the roof with layers of colored candies and line the path leading to the little cookie door with gum drops and candy canes. Lucille used to help when she was younger but after a while she insisted she was "too old" and the house making was "too messy". But I loved it every single year, when it was done I always thought it looked like a picture or a piece of fairyland or an oasis of sweet simplicity sitting in the midst of all the rich stuffy Christmas decorations my parents insisted on…"
She glances at their tree covered in perfectly imperfect homemade ornaments and garland and looks at him meaningfully.
"I love our decorations so much better."
He grins at he and enjoys watching her eyes sparkle and light up when she describes the pleasant memory from her childhood, "And then what?"
"Hmm?"
"After yer done what didja do wid it?"
"Well usually it stayed up as decoration and disappeared slowly over the holidays, but this year I figured we should break tradition and just let the boys 'have at it' as soon as it's done."
Jack whistles low, "Dey are really gonna love dat, what wid all dose fancy sweets and such."
"Don't I know it, and I'll make sure it's the biggest, sweetest gingerbread house I ever made. Now shoo out of the kitchen I need to start working."
Jack fakes a wounded look and starts to make his way out but stops and turns to grab Katherine around the waist and whisper softly, "I love you Ace, and no matter what happens you bein heah makes this Christmas more den perfect."
She leans back into him smirking lightly, "You know I would comment on how romantic that is if I wasn't taking offense to what sounds to me like, very little faith in my baking abilities? I mean I know cooking isn't my forte…"
"Fort what?"
She glares at him for his interruption.
"Sorry."
"My forte, but I've always been fairly good at baking, and I don't appreciate you're skepticism.
Jack groans, "Come on Ace no more big words I get the point…
"I'm not finished yet Jack Kelly, and if you let me work then there won't be "anythin' happenin" besides a beautiful gingerbread house to decorate and enjoy. So you better get yourself and your newsboy cap out of here"
She adds as she removes the offending cap from the counter.
"Before it ends up sprinkled with flour or spashed with icing and before…"
He cuts her off with a kiss, not the least bothered with her rant.
"Whoa slow down sweetheart, I'm as good as gone."
She doesn't look like she believes him as he continues to stand in the middle of the kitchen.
She starts to say something else but he cuts her off again, "I'm gonna go check an make sure da boys ain't tryin to get coal from Santa again and dat the Lodgin House is still one piece."
He turns to go but this time she stops him, "Jack, wait."
Katherine walks up to him grabbing his face gently, but kissing him hard.
"I love you" she murmurs when they pause for air
Jack grins and whispers back as he walks out the door, "I know."
All she can do is smile at the closed door like a lovesick fool and shake her head at that incorrigible… her incorrigible boy.
OH MY GOSH Merry Christmas Everyone! It's been SO LONG. Enjoy part one of this little Christmas fic and please write more Jatherine Christmas goodness! I've been loving what I've seen so far!
Write On
K. Kelly
P.S. Sorry I died and feel off the face of the earth but it's senior year...what can you do?