The Day before Christmas Eve
Maggie woke up with a smile on her face and a skip in her feet, two days until Christmas and Glenn's on his way, well,everyone are on their way to spend Christmas on the Greene farm this year. A month ago when she had asks it took a lot of coaxing but when Daddy finally relents she's been on cloud nine since then. When Beth found out she figures if Glenn is spending Christmas with them then Jimmy should too. With their daddy Herschel's back to the wall he couldn't say no. From there Maggie though it would be a great idea to invite the Grimes family as well and Beth threw in Shane and the Dixon brothers and Maggie with Michonne, Tyrese and Sasha too. Within the hour they had manage to invite everyone to the Greene Farm for Christmas.
Maggie could her Beth sing "Pretty Paper" putting a twist on it and it put an even bigger smile on her face. She turns on the hot rollers, humming along to the tune while she brushes her teeth and taking care in her dress.
With the rollers still in her hair, Maggie makes her way down the stair towards the kitchen but stops to look at the tree. It gave her this warm and sentimental feeling.
The house phone rang and Beth was already hollering on how she would get it.
"I GOT IT, I GOT IT!"
Hello Mama, Merry Christmas." She says to the picture on the fridge door, touching it affectionately.
She grabs an orange from the fridge and let the door to the fridge close on its own.
The house phone rang again and Maggie reaches for it.
"I GOT IT, I GOT IT!" Beth shouts from upstairs.
Maggie shakes her head and let the phone go. She looks outside the kitchen window and looks out at all the white, another set of fresh snow had fell the night before and she could see Patricia and Otis nicely bundle up, Maggie watches on as Patricia direct Otis, her husband and the Greene ranch foreman, with the set of lights. They must have arrived a few hours earlier; having lived just nearby it was a very short walk. They were at the farm taking care of last minute preparation before they set off to visit Patricia family for Christmas.
"Woman can I do this or do you want to do it."
"Ottie, I am only trying to help, you can't just put the lights on the shrubs, push them inside as well."
He says something under his breath but does what he's told.
Patricia looks up and Maggie waves, she waves back.
Maggie drops the peel in the compost, grabs her coat and gloves and walks out the front door and puts them on quickly, she pops an orange in her mouth as she sits down on the porch railing. She could make out her father by the chicken coop and waves, he waves back. She hears the sliding door opens and closes behind her.
Without turning Maggie asks Beth who was on the phone.
"It was Dale; he called from his vacation home in Florida wishing us all a Merry Christmas." Beth said.
"And the second?" Maggie asks but turns around to look at Beth when she didn't get a response.
Maggie watches Beth sulks and mentally guess it may just be Jimmy.
"Jimmy?"
Beth nods, "He's not coming, he decides to stay and spend Christmas with a few friends on campus."
Maggie reach out her hand offering her sister an orange, "Want something inspirational or sisterly?"
Beth sits leans on the railing, takes a piece of orange from her and shook her head, "Neither."
Maggie is surprise and hurt but brush it off, "Really?"
"Yeah, really, all he's been thinking about is getting me to have sex with him. It was great in the beginning… It's still great but they're other things besides sex."
Wow this is a lot for Maggie to take in, she suspect Beth wasn't a virgin but she never thought her baby sis would just come out and openly says she's not.
"And you still don't want any advice."
Beth is silent for a moment, "Maybe later." She stood up with a huge grin on her face, Hey you want to see our costumes for the song and dance number we're doing tomorrow night after Christmas Eve dinner?"
"Do I? I'm surprise you didn't even want me to help."
'The Dixon Bros'
Merle had just picked Daryl up, they both had finished work that morning but Daryl the more tired of the too, taking an extra shift at Jims Auto Body Shop so he didn't have to work on Christmas Eve and Day. With Merle in the driver's seat he glances at Daryl before facing the road again. "You sure they invited me baby brother and not just you?"
Daryl took the last drag from the cigarette in his hand and snubs it out in the truck's ashtray which was nearly full.
"Tell you what Merle, when we get there just go ask Beth. Now leave me alone, wake me up when we are there."
Daryl does his best to get as comfortable and closes his eyes.
Merle chuckles, "Okay baby brother."
Daryl open his eyes again, "Hey did you pick up the Christmas holly from Jacqui flower shop?"
Merle nods his head, "Yeah and she nearly bit my head off too, telling me I'm carrying the wreath all wrong."
Daryl chuckles not saying a word soon he drifts off to sleep.
'The Grimes'
Lori in the final trimester of her pregnancy is sitting comfortable in the car. Rick is by the front door, waiting for Carl, "Ten seconds before we leave Carl."
Carl leans over the landing, "Dad I can't find my comics."
"That's because it's in the car already."
"Oh right" he says taking the stair two at a time and stands in next to his dad.
"I wonder if Shane and Michonne will be there."
"I don't know but Hershel did say that they were both invited." Rick said and he motions his son outside, he locks the door and they walks toward the car, Carl stops and grabs a handful of snows and throws it at his dad, a direct hit to his chest and begins to laughs.
"Oh yeah!" Rick scopes up some himself and throws it at Carl, hitting him directly in the face.
From the warmness of the SUV Lori watches them both from for a moment before pushing on the button of her window, "Hey, come on we got to go if we don't want to get stuck in traffic."
They both drop the snow from their hands; Carl picks up the Christmas holly wreath his mom made the night before and walks in stride with his dad towards the SUV.
"Next time Dad." Lori hears her son laughs as he get in the holly next to him. Rick just smiles as goes around to the driver's side.
Lori cell phone chimes and she pulls it out from the pocket of her purse. It's another text from Shane asking her if she told Rick yet. She frowns at the text and quickly types back a no then delete the message. They then made the short trip over to Carol new place to pick up Carol and Sophia up and then for gas and by sheer coincidence Shane had pulled in himself to get gas too. Shane had Andrea in the passenger side and her sister Amy in the backseat. Small talk were exchange before they got back in there vehicles and heads towards the interstate.
'Michonne gives Glenn a ride'
Glenn walks the stretch of road heading towards to the Greene property line, what a perfect day for his car to break down and frowns. He scowls and gives the finger to the silver Mercedes Benz that drove on by sending snow all over.
"This is just GREAT!" He shouts at the car, brushes the snow off his winter coat. He looks up to see the car stop then reverses.
With the window down Michonne stuck her head out and waves.
"Hey Glenn, I'm really sorry about that." Michonne shouts, "Hurry up and get in, it's flipping cold."
"No shit Sherlock." Glenn said as he takes off his backpack and run around to the passenger side and gets in. He glances over his shoulder and smile at Andre in his booster seat, "Hey there little man."
"Hey."Andre said and focuses his attention back to his toys in his lap.
Glenn turns to face Michonne, "Mike's not coming?"
Michonne looks to the road and says nothing.
Oh no, I really hope I didn't say anything Glenn thought as he looks out the window then to the music that were playing softly from the speakers to the car.
"Hey, is that country you're playing?"
Michonne laughs, "Yes but only a few on the iPod. Rick dropped a box of cd to the firm a while back and Andrea took it upon herself to play them."
"Any idea who's singing now?" he asks.
She shrugs her shoulder, "Rascal Flatts, they have a really nice voice don't they."
Glenn wasn't sure if she was asking him or not but he said yes.
Michonne is such a mystery anyway, moving in with her law team a good two years ago and begins to disrupt the lives of everyone around her; he doesn't mind it at all. It was her who brought it to his attention how the older Greene daughter has her eyes on him and then pushing Shane in asking Andrea out on a date. Disruptive, maybe but he was not complaining. He watches the road ahead in silence making out the familiar peak of the Greene home ahead, Michonne pulls up next to the Dixon brothers' truck and they both got out.
"Hey Glenn, would you get the holly wreath out the trunk of the car for me so I can get Andre?"
"Sure." He said.
Michonne throws the key over to him and he caught it.
Opening the truck, "Please tell me you didn't make this?"
"Why, what's wrong with it, what happen to it?" Michonne had just help Andre with his mittens on, and then help him get out of the car.
Glenn pulls it out, "Nothing, it's beautiful."
Michonne frowns "Are you implying I have no taste."
He laughs, "No, You're no Martha Stewart."
"I picked it up over at Jacqui's; already knew why I was there."
They both walk the steps to the Greene house and Michonne rings the bell. Beth and Maggie with reindeer ears on open the door, "Happy Holidays! Come on it!"
'The Secret that everyone knows about'
The last to arrive were not the Grime Family but Tyrese, Karen and his fashionably late sister Sasha. He called her the minute he had picked Karen up letting her know that were about ten minutes away and to be ready. Sasha promise but he could her speaking to her neighbor in the background too. On their way to Sasha's place, Tyrese stop to help a family of three fix their flat tire, a really nice man in an eye patch. Karen had call Sasha let her know what was up, said she was ready and waiting. Tyrese and Karen wave the family off.
"Nice meeting you Phillip." Karen said
The guy turns around and wave and gets back in his car.
Once pulling up to Sasha townhome, he honks its horn and low and behold there she was, out the door waving, carrying her mini Christmas tree, all decked on in holly and ribbon in one and rolling her overnight bag in the other. Tyrese asks if she need a hand but Sasha shook her head.
"Where's your tree?" Sasha asks once getting in the car. "Did you forget it?"
Tyrese and Karen both shook their heads, "No, it's in the back." She said
"It's real nice of Herschel to open his home up for Christmas." said Karen
Tyrese chuckle, "I was told by Andrea that it was all Maggie and Beth."
Karen shakes in head, "You know it's going to be crazy for the next two days."
Sasha laughs, "It's truly not a family, or friends gathering if something does not happen. You know Shane is bringing Andrea. So this should be interesting."
Tyrese looks in the interior rear view mirror and eyes Sasha while Karen asks, "No, when did all that happen?"
Sasha saw his 'don't say anything' look but she ignores it, it's just the three of them in the car; she shrugs her shoulder and continues, "Its Michonne idea, besides best friend shouldn't encroach on a married woman what is Shane thinking anyway."
Tyrese hate to gossip but he can't help but be surprise over the whole thing, how could Rick not know what was going on behind closed doors in his own home, he chose to tune them out, let them gossip among themselves.
They had arrived and park next to the Grimes SUV and they each got out. He being the last after getting both his and Karen mini tree out from the back and closes the door to the van, locking it. Daryl, all nice and clean from his shower had just stepped outside to smoke but lean back in to let everyone know that Tyrese has arrived with Sasha and Karen.
Maggie greets them at the door, taking one of the trees from his hand and replacing it with a glass of egg-nog.
"Take you tree to the kitchen Tyrese." Maggie said
Beth's hands two glasses to Sasha and Karen. Tyrese takes a sip as he walks to the kitchen, "Wow this is good." Shifting his tree from one hand to another and takes a bigger sip.
Once everyone had exchange greetings and happy holidays Maggie and Beth pulls out a poster board showing the bedroom arraignments for everyone. It seems everyone were content with the list.
Karen turns around and faces Sasha, "This should be interesting." The ladies both smile as they both took a sip from there glass and glance over at Shane and Lori but no one notice the glances between Rick and Michonne.
They all sat down at the long table for dinner, everyone in a good mood enjoying great company.
"Join hands everyone." said Herschel. "Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many ways you have brought us here together again. Let us be grateful, thankful for all who have gathered around this table, For Maggie and Bethie for planning and putting this bountiful feast before us. We ask you to bless us, the food and to bless all those we love who are unable to spend Christmas with us, Amen."
"Amen!" They all said in unison. Merle then stood up to give a toast, Daryl object but Carol quiet him. Merle raises his can of beer and they all follow with glasses in the air.
"Good Company, Good People." said Merle.
Short and sweet Daryl thought and clink his beer can to Lori's glass of water then to Sasha wine glass, "Good Company, Good People." She said and they both smiled.
