Our First Christmas
Chapter 4: Time to Ourselves
Disclaimer: I do not own GI JOE.
Shauna woke to the sound of rain beating on the roof; pelting the windows. She turned over and peeped out the curtains. It was past dawn but the skies were so gray and heavy it was still dark. She sighed, hoping the rain would stay heavy all day. It was December 23, two days before Christmas, and by golly she wanted some alone time with her husband! This whole trip was supposed to be guaranteed to give them privacy, their own house, a nearby village they could venture to when their supplies ran low, a local pub in which to listen to music, eat, and enjoy others company if so desired. And relatives that knew they were on their honeymoon and did not want to be disturbed.
That had been her mistake. Christmas was a busy time in Ireland. It was a major religious holiday and there was a lot of tradition and ceremony that went into the season. Her relatives had cleaned the house before they arrived, a sort of gift. But they had seen no reason not to include her and her new husband in the tradition of visiting friends around the holiday. She'd counted on them following tradition and visiting after Christmas, but that hadn't held true. In fact, they'd barely had a day to themselves the entire time they'd been here. She was seriously considering driving down the coast somewhere and finding a nice Bed & Breakfast to check into. The only problem with that was privacy. There wouldn't be much more privacy in a B & B than they currently had. They could drive up the coast and rent a cottage. They'd have to do their own cooking but they were doing that now anyways and privacy was guaranteed. The thought had some appeal.
"You're thinking too loud." Her husband's sleepy voice called quietly
"I wasn't thinking out loud was I?" she asked, slightly embarrassed
"I'm your husband. I can read your mind."
She started laughing hysterically. "Just because you're my husband does not mean you can read my mind."
He turned over on his back and opened his eyes, "I'll prove it. You were thinking about how your well-meaning, and by well-meaning I really mean nosy, relatives will not leave us alone-and that my idea of escaping to a tropical island was the better of the two ideas."
She dropped her eyes to the bed sheets, "Not bad. Maybe you should join the physic network."
He gently grabbed her chin and tilted her face up, "You're wrong."
She tilted her head and wrinkled her nose, "What do you mean? We haven't had a moment's peace since we got here."
"I've officially met and made peace with your grandmother. You've visited with all your relatives and reestablished that precious link that all too often gets lost in the everyday business of living.
"Tomorrow we're going to Midnight Mass at the church your mother grew up in, surrounded by your extended family, who love us both, and Christmas day we'll have dinner with your family. After that, Mica swears they'll leave us alone. They've missed you Shauna and you've enjoyed visiting with every single relative that's stopped by for tea."
"But this is supposed to be our honeymoon."
"Babe, we started our honeymoon close to my dad's family in Texas because I see them about once every ten years and for once we actually had time to visit for more than a day. It was important to me to let them get to know you, it was important for your family here to get to know me. Family is important to both of us. And this has been a once in a lifetime opportunity. Can you promise your grandmother you'd be with her for Christmas some year in the future?"
"No." she said softly, "Thank you for understanding. But I wish…"
He smiled, "That we'd had more time alone? Me too. It looks like we'll have all day today and tomorrow if that rain keeps up. It's a rare opportunity we have the opportunity to spend Christmas with family. We should enjoy it like the gift it was indeed to be. After Christmas I'll put a new lock on the door, we'll close the curtains, and pretend we're not home."
She rested her forehead against his and laced her palms with his, "Sounds good to me."
"Do you know what my favorite rainy day activity is?"
"No, what?"
"Making love to my wife."
"Oh, well let me see if I can find her." He cut off her laughter with a kiss. She relaxed into her husband's arms and let go of all her worries.
The rain kept up all day. They decorated the house with holly and mistletoe, taking plenty of time to enjoy each other as the day went on. They found an old manger scene in the attic and put it out in the parlor. They cooked a light lunch together and then finished decorating the tree. She tuned in traditional music on the radio and taught Conrad a few basic steps for the jig and the reel. They danced until they were breathless before collapsing on the rug by the fire. They held each other for a while, listening to the rain beat on the roof, enjoying a stillness and calm never found on base.
They cooked again for dinner and ate a simple fare of corned beef, potatoes, and, vegetables in the parlor before the fire. After dinner they washed dishes, humming to radio. Shauna rummaged and found a bottle of wine. She carried it back into the parlor to find her husband tuning his guitar.
"Oh, you're going to play!"
He looked up and smiled, "I figured it was a good night for it. You taught me some dance steps this afternoon, maybe I can teach you another tune this evening."
She sat down beside him in front of the fire. She let the warmth seep through her as she sipped her wine. "As I recall, the last time you tried to teach me a tune I spent a lot of time in your arms but not a lot of time learning to play the guitar."
He grinned wickedly, "Who says this time will be any different?"
She rolled her eyes, "Play some thing for me."
They had turned off all the lights so the fire cast flickering shadows across the room. The heat from the fire warmed their backs. He sang to her as he played, and soon she put down her wine and closed her eyes, getting lost in the moment. She couldn't think of a single more romantic gesture he could make than serenading her in front of a warm fire. He sang contemporary love songs, old country western songs, and ended with a few Irish tunes Mica had taught him earlier in the week. He sang until his voice gave out, sipped some wine, and sang some more. Music was a simple thing he could give her, but it came from his heart and he knew it meant more to her than any object he could buy.
When his voice gave out all together he pulled her in front of him and placed her fingers on the strings. He guided her through a slow, beautiful Irish tune he had learned the last time they were here. Eventually they spent more time looking at each other than trying to play so the guitar was set aside and she pulled him gently to the rug. They made love slowly, taking their time, a luxury they didn't always have. They banked the fire and left their clothes on the floor. He carried her upstairs and they made love again, falling asleep in each other's arms.
She slipped quietly out of bed the next morning, Christmas Eve, and made breakfast. Omelets again, but it was something she could cook successfully by herself and something he enjoyed eating. Since he was still asleep when she was finished she slipped back up the stairs and into the room. Putting the breakfast tray on the nightstand, she leaned over to kiss him awake.
"Mmm…good morning, Mrs. Hauser."
"Good morning, Mr. Hauser." She smiled; he got such a kick out calling her 'Mrs. Hauser.'
He sniffed the air, "Do I smell eggs?"
"Yes, you do." She grinned and gathered up a forkful of eggs in offering
He opened his mouth and chewed cautiously. They tasted delicious, warm and spicy from the sausage she'd added. Yep, he was proud to say she could make a nearly perfect omelet. He'd have to tell Roadblock when they returned to base. Realization dawned with the third forkful of eggs, "You made me breakfast in bed!"
She laughed at his surprised, "Well, you did say I didn't need any help making eggs."
"Yeah, but I don't think anyone's ever made me breakfast and brought it to me in bed."
She quirked an eyebrow, "Anyone?"
"Well, no one besides my mother. Even then, I'd have to be too sick to make it downstairs."
"Well, who knows, you might actually be lucky enough to find someone who loves you enough to want to pamper you on occasion."
"Yeah?" he asked hopefully, "Like a wife?"
"Like a wife. But the key word was occasionally."
He grinned like a fool, "I'll take it."
They spent the day quietly, much like the day before. They separated in the early afternoon long enough to wrap gifts and place them under the tree. Shauna commandeered a pair of Conrad's socks for stockings and hung them at the end of the bed, as was custom in Ireland. They napped late in the afternoon and when they woke up they ate a light dinner. After a lot of laughter and more than a little frustration, Shauna mastered the Irish melody Conrad had begun teaching her the night before and even moved on to learn a few simple Christmas tunes, putting them both in the spirit of the season. The day went by much faster than either wanted and before long it was time to get dressed for church.
Conrad surveyed the few dress shirts he had hanging in the wardrobe. He hadn't brought that many and hadn't done laundry either. Hmmm. "Hey, Shauna, what do I need wear? Not a suit or anything, I hope!"
He could hear her laughing from the bathroom, "You don't own a suit!"
"I do, too!"
She came to the bathroom door, "One that actually fits?"
"Hey, wow…you look great!" He took a moment to let his gaze wander. That was another perk about being married; he could look as intently as he wanted for as long as he wanted, because she was his. She had curled her hair slightly and it floated loosely around her shoulders. She had her makeup done and was wearing a green dress and heels for the occasion. It was a rare opportunity to see her dressed up and she looked so beautiful his heart skipped a beat. He wondered if she had packed a camera. He couldn't remember packing one in their rush to get off base while they had the chance.
She smiled and walked forward to kiss his cheek, "Thanks." She turned and inspected his remaining clean shirts. She'd told him to leave the red for Christmas day so that left two choices. She held out a dark blue shirt, "This one. Do you need the bathroom? I can finish my hair out here."
She grabbed her hair pins and brush from the bathroom and walked back out, stopping before an old fashioned dresser. She looked up and found her husband staring at her reflection. "Hey, get moving; we need to leave in a few minutes."
"Will you wear something special for me?" he asked her
Her mouth flew open in shock, "Conrad Hauser, we are about to go to church! Don't ask me something like that just before Mass!" She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her reflection in the mirror. She put a couple hairpins between her teeth and another in her hand as she pulled her hair back loosely from her face with a clip. She tacked down loose hair with the pins before turning from side to side to judge her handiwork.
He came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders, "You're beautiful."
She smiled softly in the mirror, "Thank you."
He reached in the drawer in front of her and pulled out handed her a brightly wrapped package, slightly larger than his hand. "Merry Christmas."
Her face lit up, "Conrad, it's not Christmas yet."
He brushed his thumb across her check, "Indulge me, open one gift before we go to church."
"Well, if you insist." She grinned
He kissed her briefly, "I insist."
She unwrapped the gift slowly, savoring the moment. She looked up questioningly as she uncovered a large jewelry box.
"Open it."
She bit her lip and she opened the box and gasped as a set of pearl earrings and a necklace glowed in the light. "Oh…" was all she could say, tears running down her face, "They're beautiful!"
He took the necklace from the box and slipped open the clasp, laying them gently on her neck before sliding the clasp closed. She brought her hand up to touch them, running her fingers gently over the smooth, luminous pearls as they grew slightly larger until she reached the center pearl.
She met his reflection in the mirror, his face shining with joy. He couldn't have imagined a better reaction. "I love you, Shauna."
She turned around and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "I know, and I'm so happy. I think if I were any happier I'd burst!"
He laughed, "If you burst, what I will tell your family?"
"That I died a happy and well loved woman."
"Sounds good, but if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep you around a little longer."
"Ditto. Oh I can't wait to show these to Aunt Mary. And Gran. And Kate. And...everyone. Oh, I have to call Ashlynn." She turned to look for her phone.
He laughed and stopped her, "Church, remember."
"You still have to finish getting dressed."
"5 minutes. Do you trust me to drive?"
"Yes. Do you remember how to get there?"
"Yep." He actually finished getting ready in three. He helped her into her coat and they were off. He realized she wasn't the only one anticipating the service ahead.