One more chapter before I leave for Finland, enjoy :))
Chapter 2.
Sandra parked her car next to Olé's as they reached a huge wooden cottage with three floors. Everyone got out of the car and looked around, breathing in the scenery. The high white mountains was rising about the cottage, and in the other direction, the open water was looking endless. The snow had been shoved away from where Sandra and Olé parked their cars, and then a 3 feet wide trail up to the cottage. Kelly stared at the cottage, wishing her house looked anything like it – even though it would probably not fit well at all in Washington. The entire house was built out of thick, light timber, big patios in front of the house, and the thing that amazed Kelly the most was the windows, the three floor windows covered almost every inch of the front of the house. The wooden columns that were holding up the roof covering the porch were decorated in white lights, adding the winter spirit to the snowy roof. White Christmas lights were also covering two huge Norway spruces that were standing on each side of the house, and outdoor torches had been put up along the trail to the house.
"It's breathtaking Sandra." Kelly smiled, still eying the house.
"This is my parents' place, where Olé and I grew up. My house, we're well be staying, is just a few miles along the road, it looks like this too though. So you can leave your things in the car, but the presents want to come in." Sandra smiled.
Tommy, Morgan, Olé, Sandra, Kelly and Janet began unloading the bags with presents as Kris, Jill and Kamili held onto their kids, watching them.
"This is why I need to get a husband." Janet laughed as she pulled out a heavy suitcase, moving away from the car.
Laughter was heard all around, and when all the bags were out of the cars, the train began making their way up to the house. Sandra led the trail carrying to bags, and Olé walked last. They walked up the steps to the house, and Sandra pulled up the door, walking inside. She quickly pulled off her shoes and moved them aside with her foot before walking in, letting the others come inside. She put the bags down, in the same time as a woman in her 50's came hurrying out into the hall.
"Sandy!"
Sandra turned around as she was embraced into a huge hug.
"Mamma!" Sandra smiled as she hugged her mother, they held each other for a long time before letting go. Sandra pulled off her coat and handed it to Janet who hung it on the wall as she pulled her shoes off, walking into the house, being hugged by Cecile Olsen.
Janet then grabbed Sarah who was on her way to run into the house, and knelt next to the child, pulling off her shoes and helping her out of the pink overall, before letting her walk inside. Ella quickly dropped her things to the floor before hurrying after her sister, grabbing her and pulling her back to the hallway. Kelly followed them, pulling off her shoes just like the other had did, and put up her and Ella's outdoor clothes on the wall, before walking in to her daughters. She shook hands with the woman who was standing between Sandra and Janet.
"This is Kelly Garrett, our boss and mentor. Kell, this is my mother, Cecile."
"Hi, it's wonderful to meet you, Sandra has spoken highly of you."
"Right back at you." Cecile smiled.
"The girls are Sarah and Ella, my daughters." Kelly introduced the girls that were standing by her sides.
"They are beautiful."
"Thank you."
"Jane honey, why don't you bring Kelly and the girls into the livingroom so everyone can get inside? Our hall is not that big." Cecile suggested, and Janet nodded, showing Kelly and the girls inside.
Kris put down Jess on the floor after pulling off her shoes and overall before pulling off her own, and Jill did the same. Jacob immediately crawled away, following Kelly, but Jess sat up, looked and pulled her hands up towards her mother and began crying. Kris hung up her jacket and pulled Jessica back up into her arms, and Jessica immediately went from crying loudly to a smile on her face. Jacob didn't mind being dropped off here and there, but Jessica really is her mother's daughter. Kris walked up and shook hands with Cecile, followed by Jill, in the same time as she held one eye at the baby boy that disappeared the same way Kelly had left.
"Hi, I'm Kris, this is my daughter Jess, and this is my sister Jill. The boy that disappeared is my son Jacob."
"Hi, welcome." Cecile smiled as she shook Kris' and then Jill's hands, before leaning towards Jessica. "Hey little girl."
Jess stared at her with big eyes, before breaking up into a smile for a second, dropping her head down towards Kris' shoulder. The grown-ups laughed for a second, before Tommy came up next to them.
"Oh, this is my fiancé and dad to the twins, Tommy."
"This is my mother Cecile." Sandra introduced her mother as the two of them shook hands.
"Welcome. Please follow the others and make yourself at home."
Kris, Jill and Tommy smiled as they went into the house, looking for the others, in the same time as Sandra introduced Kamili and her family to Cecile.
Kris and Jill walked into the livingroom and couldn't help but to drop their jaws as they came in. The livingroom had dimmed lights, several candles in the windows, a sparkling open fire, and a beautiful enormous table in mahogany to the left of the room. It was about 25 foot to the ceiling, making the room look enormous. A huge, beautiful tree was up in one of the corners, close to the open fire, and several couches were standing like a horseshoe around the tree and the open fire. The room had been Christmas decorated with red table cloths and drapes, and some figures in the windows, and beautiful red flowers on the tables, but not anything over the top. Just enough for everyone to feel relaxed and in the right mood for the event coming up.
Kris smiled at Kelly who was leaning towards one of the couches, leaning down towards Jacob who was trying to get to his feet by holding onto her legs, but he wasn't doing too good, still a little to young too be able to do it. He kept looking up towards Kelly with a big smile in his face. He knew who she was and he knew he liked her. Kris and Jill's attention was drawn away from Jacob and his other aunt when a man came up to them. The man was wearing a white shirt along with his brown pants, and everyone could see that this man was keeping his shape, even though he was getting up in age. Kris remembered that Sandra had told them that their father was an Olympic skier when he was younger, and still kept in good shape.
"Hello. I'm Halvard Olsen, Sandra's father." The man smiled as he shook their hands.
"Hi. I'm Jill, this is my sister Kris and her kid Jessica." Jill smiled brightly.
"Welcome."
"Thank you, thanks for having us. Please let us know if you need help with anything."
"Oh, don't worry, Cecile is a professional chef, she loves cooking."
Both Kris and Jill smiled towards him, and Halvard had a hard time pulling his eyes from the two breathtaking smiles.
"Can I offer you some gløgg?"
Kris and Jill just stared at him, and he held up a tray with small cups on it, including some dark fluid. A bowl with almonds and a bowl with raisins were standing next to the cups on the tray.
"It's really good." Kelly smiled from the couch, and the Munroe's noticed that she was holding a cup in her hand.
"What is it?"
"Mulled wine. Spiced wine. That you heat up and put almonds, nuts and raisins into it."
Kris and Jill just stared at him for a few seconds. Halvard gave them a gentle smile.
"It's tradition. Just try it. You don't have to drink it all. Gløgg is that kind of thing that you either like it, or you don't."
"Okay." Jill smiled, taking one glass, putting some raisins and almonds into it.
"Is it alcohol in it?" Kris hesitated.
"Yeah, a lot of it." Halvard smiled, then realized what Kris was thinking and looked down at Jessica who was trying to reach the tray, but her arms were too short. She let out a noise in agony and looked up at her mother for help.
"Then I'll pass." Kris smiled, brushing her daughter's hair.
"There's julebrus on the table, that's doesn't have any alcohol in it. You can serve the kids that too if you'd like." Halvard smiled gently.
Kris looked more confused at him.
"Julebrus?" Kris said, failing to pronounce it the same way as Halvard had did.
"It's a type of soda." Sandra smiled as she came into the livingroom with her mother, brother, Kamili, Morgan and Yasmin. "Very, very sweet, lots of sugar in it so I wouldn't give the kids too much of it. But it's tradition to drink it here. Sweden has a version of it too, julmust, that is a lot better. Unfair."
Kris giggled as she walked over to the couch and put sat down, putting Jessica in her lap as she poured herself a glass from the bottle containing bright red soda that was standing on the table. Kamili and Morgan hesitated too before taking cups of gløgg, and in difference from them, Sandra, Olé and Cecile tossed themselves over it.
As soon as everyone had a glass or a cup, Halvard lifted his cup with gløgg into the air.
"Well, angels, family and friends. Welcome to Norway, and to our family."
"Thanks for having us." Jill smiled, and they all toasted.
Kris began laughing when she watched everyone taste the gløgg, but all of them seemed to quite like it. Her fiancé did seem to enjoy it a lot, while Kamili thanked Halvard and put her cup back on the tray.
Kelly smiles as she looked around in the room, at all her friends and family. This was going to be a good vacation she thought, and she felt like she needed it. It had mostly been paperwork since Janet had killed Danworth, they had all taken it easy due to Kelly's gunshot wound and Kamili carcrash, but it had suited all of them, and no one was up to get shot at again. Even if they all would be lying if they said that they didn't enjoy some action on and off. Kelly just hoped that they actually get some time off too.
She knew what usually happened when they wanted a vacation.
