I'm glad that you guys like the story so far! :)

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas!

Enjoy!

"Do you want to meet Clifford?" Tyler asked Jerome, running up to the front door of his house.

"Is he a giant red dog?" Jerome replied, stepping out of Mara's way so she could unlock the front door.

"No."

"Who is he then?"

"You'll see," Tyler said mysteriously, hurrying to take off his shoes and coat.

"Oh, Mara!"

They looked up when Mara's neighbor, Ronda, ran across the yard, carrying a bowl.

"Hi, Ronda," Mara smiled, walking down the walkway to meet her halfway.

"I noticed you don't have your lights up yet. A guy came by, asking if I needed my lights hung up, but since my husband did it, of course, I told him that you'd like some help. He'll be coming by later if you're interested. You don't want to be the only dark house on Christmas Eve." She held out the bowl and Mara took it from her. "It's really good clam chowder. Really creamy."

"Oh, thank you,"

"And um, who's your friend?"

Mara looked back at the house, thinking that Jerome might have been standing on the porch, but the men had retreated into the warm house after Tyler. She shrugged, smiling at Ronda lightly. "I don't know, my uncle found him on the airport floor."

Ronda's eyebrows rose to her hairline.

"Have a nice day." She said and walked into the house, closing the door gently. The wreath that hung on the door fell off and landed on the porch with a clank. Mara sighed, hanging her head.

"Mum, it's too big." Tyler called from the second floor and Mara rolled her eyes, laughing softly.

"No, it's not, the hook is too small." She hollered back.

"This is Clifford." Tyler said, looking through the glass of the fish tank.

Jerome looked around Tyler's bedroom and raised an eyebrow. "You've got a really neat room, kid."

"Organization saves time." He replied and Jerome smirked, coming to kneel beside him.

"Can't argue with that, I guess." He stared at the small turtle in the tank.

"It's a Red-eared Slider." Tyler informed him.

"Oh, yeah, I used to work on a turtle far."

"Really?" he asked, brown eyes widening.

"Yeah, in Australia; we raised mostly starfish, but turtles were a big side show. You know, he looks really familiar. I…I think that's Harry."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, see, you can tell them apart by their markings." He said and rolled up his sleeve, reaching into the water and scooping up Clifford. "Yep, this is Harry. Isn't that funny? Travel half way across the world, just to run into someone you know. I love that."

Tyler grinned up at him and then grabbed onto his wrist to see his hand better. "Cool ring."

"Thanks, you like it? You know what the stone's made out of?" When Tyler shook his head, Jerome smiled. "Molten lava. I was at the base of a volcano when it erupted and I had to camp out in a cave for a week until the ash cleared."

"Wow!"

Jerome turned Clifford onto his back and the turtle wiggled his legs and head slowly, in an attempt to right himself. "Beautiful…"

"Sorry I had to put you on the floor, but I'm a senior citizen and you're supposed to respect your seniors." Ron said, setting a pillow and a blanket on the couch in Mara's office.

"I've slept on worse." Jerome chuckled, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets and looking out the window. His eyes fell on a man hauling things from Mara's garage into the back of a van. "Hey, Ron,"

"Yeah?"

"What do you make of that?"

Ron peered over his shoulder and out of the window. "Huh, look at that."

"Something doesn't seem right about this guy."

"You've got a good eye, son."

"Should we investigate?"

"Oh, yeah…"

They jogged down the stairs, pulled on their coats and walked out of the house, stopping behind the dodgy blue van. Jerome opened one of the doors and Ron took the other one. The man looked back at them and laughed nervously.

"Guys, this isn't what you think it is." He stuttered.

"Are you thinking that I'm thinking that this is what we think it is?" Ron asked Jerome.

"Oh, I definitely think it's what we think it is."

"Yeah, we do."

The man's eyes darted around the van quickly before he tried to run, and Ron slammed the door he was holding open, causing it to knock into the man's head. He fell onto the van's floor and groaned. Jerome closed his door and stood in front of them.

"Okay," Ron said, heading back into the house, "You watch him, I'll call the police. I am exhausted…"

"You got it." Jerome grinned lopsidedly.

"Ow, my head…" came the garage thief's muffled complaint and Jerome chuckled.

Mara looked up from her computer when she heard police sirens blaring outside her house. Her eyebrows drew together and she shot out of her chair, grabbing a sweater as she rushed for the front door. She jumped when the wreath on the door fell again and she huffed, shaking her head. She stepped over it and closed the door behind her, hurrying onto the driveway. "What is going on out here?"

"Your garage was being robbed, dear." Ron told her.

"The man I hired to hang up the lights was robbing me?"

"Oldest trick in the book, right, Ron?" Jerome said, running his fingers through his hair.

"You know what? You should be a cop." Ron commented.

"Well, couldn't you have had him hang up the lights before they took him? Like, community service or something?"

Ron chuckled, kissing her cheek and going back into the house.

Jerome followed him and stopped to pick up the wreath. "This wreath is huge."

"The hook's just a little too small." Mara corrected him.

"This thing weighs twenty pounds!"

"Stop criticizing my wreath. I've got more important things to worry about. Like…Ronda. I don't have lights up, and my house is going to be the only dark house on Christmas Eve. She will never let me live this down. She needs every house to be all white lights—"

"Jaffray, calm down—"

"Jaffray?" She echoed.

"—I'll hang up the lights for you, alright? No need to hurry. But you should really get a smaller wreath."

"I need a bigger hook. Close the door?" she requested.

"With pleasure." He smiled, stepping in and closing the door for her, and she lifted the wreath to set it back on the hook, though it took several tries to get it to attach.

"And her first husband was a real waste of skin if you ask me." Ron said, holding the ladder steady and Jerome climbed it to the roof. "Took off a week after Tyler was born."

"He doesn't even call?"

"He didn't even leave a note when he left. Just left her to fend for herself. You know, she's done a great job of that. She's successful, and really smart, as any doctor should be, but when she was a kid, she was really weird."

"Weird how?"

"She was always making lists, or doing extra work for school when it wasn't needed, or doing school when she didn't need to. She never came out of her shell. I think she's still hiding in it."

"What kind of lists?" Jerome smiled, untangling a cord of lights once he was near the top of the ladder.

"You know, inventories, 'What I'm Going to Do Tomorrow', 'What I'm Going to Do 57 Years from Now…weird things like that."

Jerome laughed, lifting up the staple gun and holding the lights up to the window. A scream startled him and he reflexively pushed away from the roof. Mara looked at him through the window, hair clipped up behind her head, a towel wrapped across her body.

"Lean forward, Jerome." Ron grunted, struggling to keep the ladder from falling backwards.

"What are you doing?" Mara shrieked through the glass once the ladder was steady again.

"I'm hanging up the lights." He said as if it was obvious.

She hung her head and blew out a slow breath, leaving the bathroom.

"Is she naked?" Ron questioned quickly.

"No! No, no…" Jerome mumbled with a shake of his head.

"Paul, you remember my Uncle Ron." Mara said, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Oh, yes, how are you, Ron?" Paul smiled politely, holding out his hand.

"Fine, good, and by the way, I love the shoes. They're very shiny." Ron commented.

"Oh, thank you." He reached into his pocket when his cellphone rang. "Excuse me for a minute."

"He's going to be on the phone for the rest of your life." Ron stated.

"Be nice, please," Mara whispered.

"Sorry, just working some things out at the company. Christmas rush and everything, you know how it is."

Ron nodded slowly.

"So, how's retirement? Miss being a cop?"

"You know what, not really, I just really miss the bribes. You know, nothing big, like gambling, speeding tickets – they were hot – stuff like that."

Paul turned to Mara and she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Weren't you ever afraid of getting caught?"

"He's joking, Paul. Aren't you, Uncle Ron?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm—I'm a big kidder. But, just so you know, from the bottom of my heart, I am in awe of those shoes." He said with fake sincerity, placing a hand over his heart.

"Well, thanks again, Ron."

"You bet ya, Paul."

"Um, Mara, this is Tyler's Christmas present."

"Ooh, an envelope."

Mara shot a look in Ron's direction for his sarcastic enthusiasm. She opened the envelope and pulled out the gift certificate inside. "Oh, wow," she murmured, laughing lightly and looking up at Paul.

Ron whistled lowly.

"It's for Toy World. That's his favorite right?"

"Yeah, um, but you know you could have just given him any kind of toy."

"I know, but I couldn't pick anything out. So I thought that he could just get whatever he wanted."

"Well, it's very generous, and very thoughtful, but really, I think you should just get him a toy."

"I can get my assistant to find something—"

"Um, no, that's not—"

Paul looked over her shoulder when the backdoor opened and closed, Jerome stepping in.

"Sorry, just grabbing a cup of coffee." He said apologetically.

"Who's that?"

"Um, he's the light guy." Mara replied.

"The light guy…"

"Let me help you with that, Jerome." Ron said, hurrying into the kitchen.

"And he just comes in and makes himself coffee in your house?"

"He's a friend of the family—"

"Jaffray, you're out of milk." Jerome told her as he lifted his mug in a silent goodbye, leaving the house again.

"He needed a place to stay…" she drifted off a little awkwardly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Paul's eyebrows furrowed. "He's not going to be here on Christmas, right? My parents might think that's a little weird. Some random guy staying at your house—"

"He's leaving tomorrow, don't worry." She promised.

"Mars, you better come see this." Ron called from her office.

"Coming, Uncle Ron." Mara responded, tossing a pile of mail into the trashcan and then meeting him in her office. "What is it?"

He pointed to the television as he took a sip of coffee and Mara watched the lady on the screen explain that the Wales airport was closed, and all flights were cancelled.

"It's going to be one cold night. Brr… I'm freezing just thinking about it."

"Looks like Jerome can't leave just yet." Ron stated.

"It'll clear up soon, Uncle Ron. We said one night."

"You would kick him out on Christmas Eve?" he asked with wide eyes

"Don't start with that." she said.

"You are evil."

"Okay, I'm going to the grocery store, why don't you guys get the tree out and decorate it while I'm gone?" Mara suggested, buttoning her jacket up.

"We can wait until you get back." Jerome offered.

"Oh, no, it's fine. Tyler knows where everything is." She kissed Tyler's forehead and Ron's cheek, picking her purse up off the kitchen counter.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Jerome asked seriously.

Mara shook her head, turning away from him before he could see the blush pooling on her tan cheeks. She left the house and the boys heard her car pull out of the driveway.

"Well, let's go get this tree." Ron grunted as he stood up.

Tyler led them into the basement and helped Jerome and Ron carry the box the tree was stored in up the steps and into the living room.

Jerome flicked the cardboard flap open and they stared down at the tree. "This is what she wants us to set up? A fake tree. A silver, fake tree."

"But look, it's got ugly little gold things on it." Ron pointed out.

"You guys never have a real tree?" Jerome questioned Tyler.

"Mum says they drop needles."

"They're supposed to drop needles. A real tree is part of the Christmas experience. The perfect Christmas needs a real tree. My grandfather and I would spend hours finding the perfect tree when I was a kid."

"That sounds like so much fun." Tyler exclaimed.

"Why don't we surprise your mum with a real tree?"

"She's not going to like it."

"It'll grow on her." Jerome shrugged.

"They sell them down the street." Tyler told him, looking up at his uncle hopefully.

"Let's go buy a Christmas tree." Ron grinned.

"Jerome, I found it! It's perfect!" Tyler called.

Jerome and Ron weaved around the pine trees until they found Tyler.

"Oh, that's beautiful." Ron said.

"Now, that is the perfect Christmas tree." Jerome agreed.

"Let's pay for this thing—"

"Oh, no, I've got it, Ron." Jerome assured him, dragging a hand through his hair.

"You're our guest. Come on, this is my family. I couldn't let you do that."

"No, it was my idea. Just because I sleep on an airport floor now and then, doesn't mean I'm destitute. Don't' worry about it."

"Alright, can't change your mind, can I?" Ron surrendered.

Jerome laughed.

"Thank you, Jerome." Tyler grinned, rushing to hug him.

He smiled, rubbing his back. "My pleasure, kiddo."

"I thought you were going shopping." Ron said when Mara walked into the house empty handed.

"Oh, well, I kind of…um…" she sighed.

"Jerome made lunch. See you've got your salmon and your veggie-tables… Magnificent. I believe he has a plate for you on the counter."

"That was nice of him…what is that smell?" she turned around and froze when her brown eyes landed on the pine tree standing tall in the corner of her common room. "That's a real Christmas tree. With needles and sap—"

"Jerome bought it."

"I picked it out, mum, do you like it?" Tyler queried happily, running into the room with Jerome on his heels.

Mara smiled. "Yes, it's a wonderful tree. Good job, darling."

"Jerome, this is fabulous." Ron complimented him, taking a bite of the fish.

"Thank you." He said with a bow of his head.

Mara knocked gently on the bedroom door, poking her head into the room. "Jerome?"

When she didn't get an answer and noticed the shower running in the bathroom, she stepped in. She stopped next to the sofa against the wall and placed the towels she held on the arm and hesitantly reaching for Jerome's passport, pulling it out of his backpack's front pocket. She swallowed, feeling horrible for being so nosy, and opened it, studying his information before flipping through the many stamps on the pages. She stopped when a picture fell out of the small book and she picked it up, eyes flitting between his face and the strawberry-blonde haired girl he had his arm around. She jumped when the water turned off and quickly stuffed the passport back into the pocket the way it had been before. She picked up the towels and turned around when Jerome walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his slim waist and one around his shoulders.

"Hi," he said in slight surprise.

"Hi, I um, brought you some towels." She said slowly, realizing how silly that was.

"I've got some." He chuckled.

"Yes, I see that." She murmured.

"Imagine how embarrassing it'd be if I didn't have any." He smirked, using the towel that hung on his shoulders to dry his hair.

"Yes, um…"

"Hey, but now we're even. I've seen you in a towel and now you've seen me in one." He grinned.

"Right, I'm just going to take my towels and leave."

"Alright," he nodded, watching her scurry out of the room before laughing, covering his head with the towel and shaking it over his hair.

"Actually," she cleared her throat, and Jerome's head shot up when she opened the door again. He pulled the towel back onto his shoulders and swept a hand through his hair sideways. "Sorry, but I need a favor."

"So what's this friend's name?" Mara asked, pushing the shopping cart down the grocery store aisle.

"Willow," Jerome replied, grabbing a couple cans of cranberry sauce off a shelf. "I know, she sounds like a total hippy, and you're right, she is a total hippy."

"Oh, no, it's a very pretty name." she declared. "Does she have flowers in her hair, walk around barefoot, and dance around fires."

Jerome smirked. "Have I said anything about Paul?"

"What's there to be said about Paul?" she inquired. "He's right, he's charming, good looking—"

"Maybe I should date him."

"—very successful and well organized."

"That's gotta spice up the passion."

"Stop it."

"Wait, when you open up his closet, all his shirts are organized by color."

When she didn't respond, he laughed.

"I knew it."

"Come on, we gotta find a turkey." She turned away from him.

He grinned, pushing the cart after her.

"How did you know this place was here?" Mara asked as they exited a different grocery store. "I mean, I live here, and I had no idea it even existed."

"I like to read about food."

"Oh, right, you're going to open a restaurant with Miss Weeping Willow." She teased.

He chuckled, loading bags of food into the trunk of her car.

"So, tell me about your location. Is there a lot of traffic?"

"Don't have one yet." He shrugged, closing the trunk.

"What kind of cuisine?"

He stopped and looked down at her. "You're a little bit crooked here." He said, adjusting her wide-brimmed black hat. He moved her curly hair a little and then patted her shoulders.

"You're avoiding the subject." She said.

"You know, more women should wear hats. Some women don't look good in hats, but you do."

"Thank you, but can we get back to talking about your business?" she requested with a grin, sliding into the car.

"Only if we have to."

"I'm sorry; it just sounds a bit vague."

"Jaffray, my whole life is a bit vague."

"You really don't want to talk about this, alright."

"Thank you. Now, there's this really good bakery just up the street."

Review?

Anyway, I'm making bread today. xP

I'm going to start working on the next few chapters of Sink or Swim, I've been trying to find some inspiration, but I realize I'm just not letting myself write. :/ It'll be updated soon!

"You better watch out, you better not cry. Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list and checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town." -Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Rod Stewart

-Rachel