If lovin' you is wrong: Christmas with my new Daddy
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. The original lyrics to the songs referenced in this story and the music are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time).
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
/+ and +\ indicates that the text between the signs is spoken in language other than English (story text identifies the spoken language).
Enjoy! Please read and review.
A/N Forward:
What happens when you turn an 11-year-old loose in 2029 at Christmas when her parents are Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load and Barrister Tara Bluem Load?
This is for two very special young ladies in my life…and you can probably guess who, but I won't tell you until the end of the story.
Thanks in advance for reading, and please review.
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Chapter 4: Stories
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Kathrine wasn't sure how she'd managed to keep her parents in the dark this long about tonight's party, but she credited Ivy and Scarlette for helping: they had both kept Wade and Tara busy, all day Friday and most of Saturday, with work.
Uncharacteristically, the university had kept Wade busy over the holiday season, even after finals, with discussions on regarding the gifts from the Spagnopolis family: both the restricted gifts for the new buildings, and the unrestricted gifts for funding the staffing and outfitting of the buildings.
Kathrine had never seen her dad cry, but she saw it when he came in the house Friday afternoon. As he stepped in the door, President Lupe McBride gave Wade the news, over his PosComm, that that one of the buildings, per both Midas and Mauri, was required to be named after Ryan and Rachel Load. He thanked her, cut the circuit, and fell to his knees in the hall, crying, and looking up into the ceiling. Kathrine stood in the kitchen, watching him as he thanked God and his parents, telling Ryan and Rachel how much he missed them, but that he was so very happy with his new family. He laughed as he thanked God for sending him to a lawyer, grinning as he shed his tears, and for sending Tara into his life. Kathrine knew how much Dad loved Mom, but it was amazing to her how eloquent that he was in his description of that love.
But, what ripped Kathrine's heart were his comments about her:
"God: thank you so very much for Kathrine Elizabeth Load, my daughter that I always wanted but never knew that I did. She's been a wonderful addition to my life, and she means so very, very much to me. Her love for me is unconditional, even when I took time from her monopolization of her mother's life. She accepted me from the moment she met me, and I never told her that I loved her from the first time I saw her in the picture in her mother's office, that first day. Mom, Dad, I wish you'd had the chance to get to know your granddaughter: I known you would both love her, her wit, her sarcasm, her joy, her love, her beauty. Thank you, God, for the gift of my daughter, and continue to bless her and allow me to guide her, please and thank you."
Kathrine went out the back door, sat down on the porch, ignoring the cold, and broke down in tears. "I never knew, God," she said, looking up into the snow-filled sky. "Thank you, God, for giving Mom the good sense to marry Wade," she grinned though her tears. "I love him so very much."
She sat on the unheated concrete porch steps as the snow fell, smiling as she allowed her tears to mix with the snow as she imagined that the flakes were Grandma Rachel's and Granddad Ryan's tears from Heaven.
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"Kathrine, what are you doing?" Wade and Tara had come into the kitchen coming downstairs after Wade had gone upstairs to change into his BlazeIT! shirt. Wade was busy playing with Tara, and Tara was busy trying to fend him off, but with little effort, judging from the grins on both their faces and the giggling that had come down the stairs ahead of them and still hung in the air.
"What any sane person does when she has 150 pounds of grapes, fruit only: making lots of grape jam and jelly, and I'm almost finished, too," Kathrine said as she removed her apron and revealed her own BlazeIT! shirt, and Wade grinned.
"Someone's been playing in the HFac, lately," he quipped, and Kathrine blushed.
"DAD!"
"Do you want me to help you go shopping for those 'extras' you need, now?" Wade smiled even bigger. "We could go bra shopping tomorrow afternoon: interested?"
"DAD!
"MOM, make him STOP!"
"Father's prerogative, daughter, to provide embarrassment whenever possible: it's our way of showing our love, and our only chances to get our shots in before you become teenagers and we lose total control," was Wade's reply.
Tara laughed: "too late, my husband. She just lets us think we're in control when, in fact, she really is running the house."
"I'm glad you've finally recognize the truth, Mom," Kathrine grinned. "Now, let's go: dinner awaits us."
"Where are we going?" Tara asked as Wade helped her into her coat before slipping his own coat on.
"It's a surprise," Kathrine replied as she opened the door, motion-arguing with her dad but finally losing and going out the door, followed by Wade: he locked the door, and they headed to the uni-tube launch point, stepping into the room that lit when it detected human body heat upon the door opening. They 'tubed, Kathrine leading the way, and all came out in front of a building.
"BonNed's!" Tara grinned as she hugged Wade. "Kathrine, how did you know?"
"D'oi, Mom! You've only told me about it, oh, about 3 gazillion times," Kathrine replied as they approached the door.
"They're closed on a Saturday night?" Tara looked at the sign in the door.
"Not for us," Kathrine replied with a grin as she rhythm-knocked the Team Possible Kimmunicator ring.
Bonnie opened the door a crack.
"'What'sa da password?'" Bonnie did a poor 'Marx' impression, but Kathrine giggled and responded.
"'Swordfish,'" Kathrine grinned, and Tara and Wade groaned as the door opened to Bonnie Rorem, wearing a BlazeIT! shirt and khaki slacks and, surprisingly, with khaki 2-inch heels.
Tara laughed. "GF, where did you get those shoes?"
"Tell you later; come on in, your guests are waiting," Bonnie herded them through the lobby and the empty bar to the decorated and well-lit main dining room, and Tara and Wade were shocked:
The room was packed with people, all standing, applauding, and laughing.
What made the pair break up with their own laughs was the massive sign hanging in the middle of the room:
Merry Christmas, and Happy QuarterVersary, Mom and Dad!
The mob moved to surround the happy threesome, and Tara and Wade laughed and cried with friends they hadn't seen in a long time: some, in years, it seemed
Kathrine was grabbed by two redheads and a blond and hugged mercilessly by all three at the same time.
"Kat, you're an angel," Kim Possible-Stoppable said as she kissed Kathrine's right cheek.
"You got both of them, good," Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Lopez grinned as she kissed Kathrine's left cheek.
"How did you – never mind, I don't think I wanna know," Ron Stoppable smiled as he kissed Kathrine's forehead.
"Thank you, Aunt Kim, Aunt Joss, Uncle Ron. And, thank you, Uncle Ron, for the grape jam and jelly recipes, and for helping coordinate the menu with Uncle Ned."
"My pleasure, my niece," Ron swooped a bow, and Kathrine giggled. "You know I wasn't going to give you a wine recipe: besides the fact that you didn't have the time to make a good vino, I don't even want to imagine the headlines: Kathrine Elizabeth Load, arrested for underage wine-making," Ron laughed as Kathrine blushed and grinned evilly at the same time, then stretched up and kissed Ron on the cheek.
"Told you, Cousin Kim: your husband's a chick magnet," Joss laughed. "Even at 11, Kathrine knows that. Why did it take you so long to figger it out?"
"Oh, I don't know," Kim replied with a laugh. "Maybe, because I was too busy fighting Drakken and Shego to see the obvious, right in front of my face."
"Don't blame us," Drew and Shirley Lipsky walked over, laughing. "At least, we facilitated the events; we brought the cactus," Drew laughed as he hugged Shirley with his left arm, his right occupied by another, smaller hand.
"Kathrine, this is our daughter, Ann Hannah Lipsky," Drew introduced the young girl to Kathrine, and Kathrine extended her hand and shook the hand of the pale young girl.
"Nice to meet you, Ann: that's a pretty name," and Ann smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Kathrine," Ann replied shyly, her voice strong and quiet at the same time.
"Kat, to my friends," Kathrine smiled, and Ann smiled back at her.
"Hello," a male voice came from behind her, and Kathrine turned around and grinned broadly.
"I'm Jason Michael Lopez," he smiled as he saw Kathrine's face, then looked down and smiled even more, "but, my friends all call me Mikey."
/+"Mom, you said that she was pretty,"+\ Jason smiled, speaking in Spanish as he extended his hand, "/+but you didn't tell me that she was beautiful,"+\ and Kathrine blushed as she offered her hand shyly. Jason took it and nodded his head over it.
/+"Thank you, kind sir,"+\ Kathrine replied in Spanish, and Jason's head snapped up with a big grin and a bit of a blush on his face.
"Kathrine!" a new, older voice sounded, and Kathrine was hugged by a woman her mom's age wearing an outfit that was familiar: the BlazeIT! shirt and khakis, but she also wore a navy blue beret on her head filled with short, styled blond hair.
"Aunt Justine!" Kathrine hugged Dr. Justine Flanner-LeBlanc and looked around her to see Justine's husband, Jeremy, standing and smiling behind her.
/+"How are you, Aunt Justine?"+\ Kathrine asked her in French, and Justine released her and smiled.
/+"Very good, Kathrine: you've kept your French lessons going, I see,"+\ Justine replied with a smile.
/+"Of course, Aunt Justine: how else would I be able to read your monographs on your medical research and your manuscripts for your latest novel?\" Kathrine replied with a grin, and she hugged her once again. /+"Your next fiction book, btw, will be a smash hit here in the States when you get ready to publish it."+\
Kathrine saw Aunt Monique and Uncle Josh talking to Wade and Tara, and she heard Aunt Stephanie's squeal as she saw Wade. Kathrine saw Uncle Chip and Aunt Sarah smiling at her, and they toasted her with their water glasses.
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'Uncle Ron and Uncle Ned certainly stuffed everybody,' Kathrine smiled, still wincing as she thought of the appetizer that Uncle Ned had served with a grin. She was certainly glad that he hadn't told anyone 'exactly' what it was until after the meal: RMOs was probably not on everyone's got-to-have dish, judging from the responses to Uncle Ned. Served with the Oysters Rorem, the RMOs made for an excellent contrast of hot and cold. The Exploding Onions disappeared in a flash on every table as fast as they were served, as well.
The surf-and-turf was a Wild-West-meets-West-Coast combo: a 4-oz dry-roasted sirloin fillet, a 4-oz grilled red snapper fillet, and a mini-sized 4-oz buffalo chicken-fried steak with Uncle Ned's signature jalapeño-infused cream gravy.
Uncle Ron's vegetables were a hit, as well: his grilled baby vegetable A-B-Cs (asparagus, beets, and cauliflower) had raved reviews, even from the kids.
In the midst of it all, Kathrine caught Jason sneaking glances at her, and he blushed as she winked at him. 'He's just as cute in person as he is in his on-line picture,' she thought, and she blushed, herself.
She was certain that she's struck the mother lode, however, when Uncle Ron rolled out his dessert double-double-whammy:
"'Tade,' a'la mode," he lifted the cover in front of Wade and Tara, revealing a white-and-dark chocolate pie with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, the opposite flavors on top of each other.
"Been there," Wade commented dryly, and there were a few chuckles and laughs from the guests.
"Done that, and married him, too," Tara added with a grin as she kissed her husband to laughs and cheers from their friends and guests.
Pies were rolled out, and laughs and cheers for the chef were handed out until the eating began; the cheers were replaced by moans of approval.
'If sex isn't this good, I'm staying a virgin for the rest of my life,' Kathrine groaned in her head after she finished her second slice and pushed the plate back out of self-defense, leaning back in her chair and looking around: she wasn't alone.
She managed to stand and click her empty wine glass with her knife to get everyone's attention, and the room quieted as all faces were on her.
"First, is there anyone who hated the pie?" she asked, and the room was filled with laughter.
"I didn't think so, based on the moans I kept hearing as everything but the plates were being devoured.
"Aunt Kim and Aunt Monique gave me this idea: thank you, both of you," and Kathrine blew them each a kiss.
"What do you get the man and woman, who have everything, for Christmas, including the perfect daughter?" Kathrine grinned, and the laughter returned along with some groans.
"Seriously," she added, and Uncle Ed led the laughs, this time.
"I started this year, once again, with a mother who loved me," and Kathrine turned and smiled at her mother who was, by now, trying to hold back her emotions. "OldDad was long out of our lives, since he and Mom got 'cross-ways' with each other," and several people who knew Dick laughed at Kathrine's remark. "I loved my mother dearly, and I knew she loved me, but knew she wasn't happy with how things worked out for her. She wasn't like me: she hadn't grown up in a world where 'trading parents' was a pre-teen norm.
"Then, one morning," Kathrine grinned and looked at Wade, "Mom told me about a date she'd had by asking me 'Kathrine, what would you say, if I brought home a date who didn't look like us?'" The room was quiet.
"I asked her if she was dating a redhead," and the laughs were mixed by boos from Kim and Joss, "and she told me that she was dating Wade Load," she glanced at her parents, and they were grinning and holding each other.
"Now, like any kid, I loved the idea of having the 'perfect tutor,'" Kathrine laughed, and the kids in the room laughed with her, "but, I dropped that idea when I met him for the first time.
"I knew that oldDad loved me," Kathrine fought to hold back her tears, "but I had never seen this look from him before. It took Wade less than five minutes, not counting the roses," she laughed as she shot him a quick glance and a wink, and Wade chuckled, "before he captured my heart, and I knew that, if Mom was a total idiot and dumped him for some reason, I'd have to hurt her and move in with him, myself," she grinned, still successfully holding back her tears while her parents fought to win their tear battle themselves, and others chuckled in the background.
"I thought that he liked me, but the adoption idea of his was a surprise, even to me, and I jumped at the idea. How Aunt Monique got it through that fast," she looked out at Monique and smiled, then winked, and Monique air-kissed her, "I'll never know, but my parents' wedding became a celebration for all three of us when Dad told me that it was final, and he'd announce it after their wedding ceremony.
"I knew that we were a family, then, and I knew that both Dad and Mom loved me. But Dad," she said with a now-more serious tone to her voice, "you didn't know that I heard you the other day when you got the news about the new MIST building for Grandma Rachel and Grandpa Ryan," and Wade looked confused.
"He thanked God," and at that point, Kathrine lost her poise and had to stop and get a tissue out, wiping her tears and blowing her nose with a delicate, yet forceful, honk. "Excuse me," she said, then continued.
"Dad thanked God for me, and he told God that he had loved me from the first time he saw my picture in Mom's office," and, by now, tears had started in most of the room.
Kathrine paused for a moment to gather her composure. "That made tonight even more special for me, because I had planned this, with Aunt Kim and Uncle Ron's help, and you, too, Aunt BonBon," she giggled as Bonnie laughed, "and Uncle Ned," as she continued, "because I wanted my parents, Tara and Wade Load, to feel the same love from all of you, tonight, as a fraction of the love that I feel from them every day since long before they got married, and I wanted to tell them what else I'd done and have been doing, besides arranging for this party," she grinned as Wade and Tara stared at her.
"I arranged for my newest family members, Uncle Mongo and Aunt Mauri," and Mongo and Mauri Spagnopolis both grinned from their table in the rear of the room, "to get my parents a 'little down time:' With Uncle Mongo's help, and that of Aunt Ivy and Scarlette, we 'sorta' juggled their schedules and got them both to Mongo's Spa on the same day for a all-day spa session," she smiled as she looked at her shocked parents.
"I thought you-" came from both Wade's and Tara's lips as they looked at each other, then looked up at their daughter, who by now was grinning with a 'Gotcha!' look on her face.
"Hey: 'I'm full of surprises,'" Kathrine repeated her Aunt Kim's line, and Kim and Ron both laughed loud.
"I had that and this dinner planned and one more thing," Kathrine continued, "and, then, one more thing happened:
"My friend, Jessica, bet me that I couldn't pull all of it off, and she lost, and she delivered on her end of the bet." Ron and Kim led the start of laughs.
"Unfortunately, my mouth was bigger than my brain, and I bet her 150 pounds of grapes that I could," more laughs filled the room. "She's been delivering grapes to our house for the past few days," the guests were, by this time, laughing uproariously. "Hey, maybe I didn't think things through," Kathrine whined, "but I can improvise," she continued, "which is why, before you leave tonight or leave town tomorrow, you'll get special, autographed jars of KEL's Homemade Grape Jelly and Jam.
"Can somebody else tell me what else I could have done with that many grapes," she whimpered, "besides stain my feet?" she giggled, and the applause cut her off.
"Anyway," she concluded as the applause died down, "I wanted to get all of you here, tonight, so you could tell my parents what they have meant to you, so they could get a taste of the love I get from them every day, as my Christmas and 'QuarterVersary' present to them; sorry, Uncle Ron, I couldn't find a good belt," and Ron and Kim both blushed and laughed as the applause started again.
"So, based on the responses I got," she pulled up her list on her PosComm from her purse, "Aunt Kim, Uncle Ron: you're up, first," and Kim and Ron came to the front of the room and hugged Kathrine before they began to speak.
Kathrine sat back down, and she was grabbed by Wade, first, and then her mom.
"Thank you, Kathrine: I didn't know you heard me yesterday," Wade whispered to her as he hugged her.
"'No big,' Dad," she grinned as she wet his shirt with her tears, her shoulder already wet with his.
"I love you, Kat," Wade released her and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, too, Dad," Kathrine replied; "now, hush, and listen to your friends!" she ordered, and Wade snapped a salute and grinned at her, kissing her cheek again.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Tara asked as she hugged Kathrine and kissed her cheek.
"Oh, I don't know: maybe carried me for nine months, for starters?" Kathrine replied, and she hugged her mother. "Now, you hush, too! I want to hear about you and Aunt Kim and Gil and Uncle Ron," Kathrine laughed as her mother blushed and sat down.
Kim and Ron began to speak. "I needed an upgrade to my babysitting website," Kim began, and she went on to tell stories about Wade's adventures.
"The one thing I never figured out until much, much later was how Wade got that first battlesuit to fit so well," Kim grinned as she concluded as a scattering of laughs bounced around the room. Wade's smile was broad, and Tara laughed as she slapped at him.
"I only have one thing to say about that," and she turned and looked at Wade with a scowl the quality of Shego, then converted it to a smirk as she pointed at him and said:
"BAD WADE!" The entire room exploded in laughter, and Wade stood and bowed, and then he got his hug from Kim, resisting the urge to slide his hand down to his favorite bubbles only when Kim whispered to him "remember, Ron has the Lotus Blade at all times, guy."
"Some of you know I wasn't very good at Algebra," Ron started, his comment followed by lots of laughter as he related the tales of the multiple tutoring sessions he had with Wade and Wade's head-banging sessions.
"And, believe it or not, I was not always a 'babe magnet,'" Ron continued, and the guests all roared with laughter.
"Well, it wasn't for the lack of trying. I tried the 'never be normal' approach, but that didn't work too well; in one case, it got a book shoved in my face," Ron grinned and stared at Sarah Best-Design, and she laughed and blew him a kiss.
"I had noticed every girl at MHS, but none of then had noticed me…or, so I thought," Ron smiled.
"When I joined the cheer squad as "The" Mad Dog, I got to live most guy's dream of being around eight 'hotties' on a regular basis. That trip to Cheer Camp (at least, we thought we were going to Cheer Camp), though, was an adventurous 'sitch,' to say the least.
"Gil coming after me, I could handle; but, when he came after my friends, it was war. I finally managed to take him down, with Rufus' help, and we got him locked up.
"Why am I telling you this? Because, this was when I got my first kiss from Tara," and Ron looked over to the now-grinning Tara Load. "Hey, it was on the cheek, but I didn't wash my face for a week after that," Ron smiled as Tara blushed and Wade laughed, followed by applause from the attending cheerleaders and their guests.
"Yeah, I know," Kim stated matter-of-factly, and Ron blushed as the guests laughed and Kim leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Later on…much later, and before the cactus," Ron continued, and laughs came with the cactus comment, "someone told me that Tara had had a bit of a crush on me.
"Why no ever told me until after she was over it, I don't understand," Ron moaned, and Kim slapped at him as she laughed.
"Anyhow, Tara," Ron walked over to her and held his hand out, and Tara looked up and took it, rising to her feet, "thank you for that kiss. You made a high school misfit feel like a million Bueno Nacho bucks," he kissed Tara on the cheek, then smiled and kissed the shocked, then smiling Tara. The guests stood and applauded, and Wade looked over at Kim with a gleam in his eye.
"Oh, all right," Kim grinned, "but this is the last time," and stepped over to kiss Wade, the applause growing to include whistles and catcalls.
Kim and Ron separated at the same time, and Wade and Tara both had the same dreamy look on their faces. Kathrine's laughter was the only thing that snapped them out of their trance, and they both sat down, grinning and blushing.
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'This was perfect,' Kathrine thought as she watched all of the people telling their stories about her parents and them, but the one she especially liked Uncle Ron's story about him and Mom and Aunt Kim's story about her and Dad.
Kathrine saved the best for last. After almost everyone had finished, Kathrine stood up.
"Now, for the 'pièce de résistance,' my chance to have another redhead 'take a shot' at both me and Dad:" Kathrine grinned as the final speaker stood, "the Executive Director and co-founder of BlazeIT! Search and Rescue, and another of my favorite women role models, Dr. Jocelyn Possible-Lopez," and the room filled with applause as the smiling auburn-haired woman came to the front and hugged Kathrine, smiling at Tara and winking at Wade before she began to speak.
"I remember first hearing about Wade from Uncle James: Cousin Kim had this 'super-genius,'" Joss used air quotes, and Kathrine and others giggled, "working with her. "Well, after Kim and Ron and Uncle James and Rufus and the Tweebs all came up, we had a run-in with Dr. D," she looked at Drew, who tried to climb under his table, much to the enjoyment of his wife and daughter. "That's when I decided not to emulate Cousin Kim anymore, but I developed a severe 21-day crush on Ron," she grinned as Ron blushed. "And yes, Ron, 'emulate' is a school word," she smiled as Ron and Kim both laughed.
"Well, that got me a'thinkin' and I started to realize that I wanted to talk to the 'brains' behind the team about my idea, and Ron, dear sweet man that he was, sent me to Wade. I really think he was just glad to get rid of me, personally," Joss laughed. "Well, Wade came up that summer to the ranch, and I started to fall in love with him that summer. I even told Daddy that I wanted to marry him when I got out of college.
"Wade helped me break through my demons and find out what happened to my Momma, what had happened to me, and I will always love him for that. I just got scared of all those brains when I started back to school, and I couldn't shake the fear that something would go wrong, that I wasn't good enough for him, and that he would leave me.
"I kept coming to Middleton, and I would stay at his place with him and his parents, Ryan and Rachel: in the guest room, please and thank you to you gutter-minded folks," she grinned as laughs floated over the group, "but something didn't feel right, and I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Then, we had the attempted school takeover by drug dealers; Stephen and I were the last to be taken into the barn. I used my PosComm to get a signal contact out to Wade. I looked at Stephen, and he looked at me and smiled, and I went into action when Ron signaled me. Stephen moved like lightening in concert with me, and we took out the ones in the barn. When we finished, he kissed my cheek, and I felt the same electricity I felt when Wade kissed me. I liked it, but I was scared and confused and happy all at the same time, because Stephen was dating my BFF, Jennifer Battle.
"I was confused for several months, and I tried to fight it and figure it out, especially since Stephen was still dating Jen, but I finally had to admit to myself," Joss was smiling and shedding tears at the same time, "that I wasn't worthy of Wade if I still had doubts about him, after all this time. I still wasn't sure what I would do if he ever told me I wasn't smart enough, so I had to let him go.
"Wade took it much better than I thought he would, and way much better than I did; he told me that he had noticed that my 'Joss-shine,' as he called it," and Joss blushed a bit as she wiped a tear, "hadn't been at the same level of lovin' for several months, and he had figured out that something was wrong. He had decided that I'd tell him when I was ready, and that he could accept whatever decision that I made, if I would allow him to still be my friend and help me reach my dream of 'blazing your own trail, Sweet Tea,' he told me." Joss looked at Wade, and both their faces were wet. Kathrine realized that she was crying, too. When she was finally able to focus and look up, she realized that everyone that she could see was crying, as well, and she wondered 'what might have been.' "He kissed me and told me goodbye, but that it really wasn't goodbye, but 'see you later, as a friend,' and that I was always welcome here, no matter what."
By now, Joss' face was wetter as her tears had begun to flow even stronger. "I holed up at the ranch for a week that summer, until Stephen came by and pulled me out of my loft, asking me what was wrong. I dumped the whole 'load' on him," and Wade winced as Tara, Kim, and Ron all laughed, "but he listened to my entire story, including the comment I made about thinking I had feelings for him.
"He leaned over and told me that he had broken up with Jennifer because he was afraid he had feelings for me, too, and then he kissed me," and Joss' face broke into a huge, soggy grin.
"Boy howdy, could that buckaroo kiss!" she yelled, and Stephen blushed as the guests all applauded. Joss took that time to retrieve a tissue and dab at her face, drying it somewhat.
"Well, you know the rest: Stephen and I got married after we graduated from undergraduate. I got my MD and PhD, and he got his JD, and we have three 'little' Lopez's at home, now, but none of this would have ever happened if it hadn't been for 'mah hero,'" Joss walked over to Wade and guided him to his feet.
"My friends: Wade was nothing but professional, a true friend as a partner I once loved and still love, even to this day. He continues to work with me on BlazeIT! Search and Rescue, and he continued to generate the tech, work on the Bunker, and make my Dad proud of him and have Dad continue to ask me if I'd made the right decision," she laughed along with many of the guests.
"Dr. Load, Tara is the luckiest woman on the planet: she has you," and Joss kissed him, causing a roar of applause to spontaneously combust from the crowd as they all jumped to their feet, including Kathrine.
'Well, Joss, she may be the luckiest woman on the planet,' Kathrine thought as the applause continued, 'but I'm the luckiest girl on the planet: just look at who I ended up with for a Daddy!'
"And, now, I see a new possible Possible-Load connection," Joss concluded, and Kathrine and Jason both attempted to burrow under their tables as the guests laughed once again. "Wade, we may have that Possible-Load wedding yet, just not with the players you and I planned back then," Joss laughed as she kissed Wade's cheek, pulled Kathrine from under the table and kissed her, whispering to her when they hugged "Thank you, li'l darlin', for lettin' me do this."
"Twern't nuthin', ma'am," Kathrine responded in Montanan, and Joss laughed in her ear and went back to hug Wade, once again.
When Wade and Joss separated, Tara stood and hugged Joss. Wade motioned for Kim and Ron, Ned and Bonnie, Drew and Shirley, and Chip and Sarah to come back up to the front.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tara began, motioning to the group around and beside her, "this is what friends are for: caring, more than anything else, but helping you through the tough times," she smiled. "I didn't date that much in high school, mainly because I was so shy and scared."
"That, and you were so DDG, every guy was either worshiping you or scared of you," Wade interjected, and Tara blushed at the laughs.
"I spent my time studying and playing Internet Chess with several people; one of the people, I found out later, was a guy I was going to school with, but I was too scared to approach him and let him know who I was, so I hid behind the 'net. I beat Kevin on a regular basis, but he never learned my name. I finally broke out of my shell when I went to college, dating a few people before I found who I thought was the 'man of my dreams.'"
"Dick was 'all that' in college and in law school, and we graduated 1-2 from The University of Texas Law School, then he came with me back to Middleton for my dream starter job as a lawyer for the Middleton Space Center."
Tara grinned. "I was being the good wife, had the ideal family: a loving husband and a beautiful little girl," Tara looked at Kathrine and smiled, "and, I had a new job as County District Attorney, but I had no idea that my other best friend and our daughter's nanny, Holly Jane Beaudreaux, was 'having fun' with my husband, and had been 'having fun' with Dick for two years.
"Like I told several people, Dick and I got 'cross-ways,'" Tara's smile was forced, "and I filed for divorce. He voluntarily gave up his parental rights so the two of them, Dick and Jane," laughs came from tables "could start fresh on the East Coast, and he took care of Kathrine and me before he left, so we were not wanting for anything," Tara smiled, but there was a tear in her eye. "We were together, but we were alone for five years.
"Five years, until this wonderful man," Tara wrapped her arm around Wade's waist and pulled him to her, hugging him tight, "walked into my law office."
"After I told Sweet Tea goodbye," Wade began, "I was in a funk, because it was the worst time of my life. I thought I would date, but I could never find another woman like her. Sarah and Kim were already taken," Wade grinned as Chip and Ron both blew him raspberries to the delight of the guests, "and, when I started to call some of my old friends, I found out that I didn't know any of them, anymore: they were moving in entirely different circles than I. I spent time with faculty members as I walked up the ladder from instructor to assistant professor and then, after I was awarded tenure, full professor and assistant department chairman.
"Then, Mom came down with an aggressive form of tongue cancer, of all things, and it was right after Dad had been diagnosed, on top of his MS, with ALS, and I spent most of my time with them the final months of their lives. I wish that the people of this state had passed that patient option bill, because Mom and Dad had decided that, regardless of the law, they didn't want to live without the other one. Mom and Dad shared the same bed at home when they died, holding each other and smiling," Wade wiped his tears, and Tara kissed his cheek.
"Sweet Tea, Mom was sure you'd change your mind, and I know that she and Dad were glad that you came to the funeral with Stephen and Slim. She loved all of you; even you, Stephen," and Wade laughed.
"I moved forward after settling the estate, and I kept teaching, convinced that I was happy."
"I was happy with my life until I came back home after visiting a certain young blond attorney I was referred to by a friend to help me with a challenge to Mom and Dad's estate," Wade grinned. "That was an experience, but dinner was more than my poor heart could take. I walked into my house after dinner, and I realized two things:
"One, that I was lonely; and
"Two, that I was in love for only the second time in my life.
"Then, she went out of town, and I volunteered to help her out by staying over with her hyper-active daughter," and Kathrine blew him a huge raspberry, much to the joy of the guests. "Like she said earlier, I already loved her from the first time I saw her picture, but she sealed it that night when she climbed up in my lap like a huge kitten, looked up at me, and asked me, in only a voice that a daughter can use, 'are you going to be my new daddy, Wade?'"
Wade motioned for Kathrine to come up and join Tara him. He placed his other arm around her waist as he wrapped his around Tara. "I was doomed, ladies and gentlemen, but what a way to go!" the room exploded with applause.
"Dr. Load," a voice came over the crowd as a smiling woman came walking up to the front of the room, dressed in a long blue evening gown, her heels clicking in the silence of the room.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Wade announced, "my boss, the President of Middleton Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Lupe McBride," and the room's applause stopped her for only a second as she waved to everyone.
"Dr. Load, I have something for you, and Ivy told me where to find you tonight, so I thought I'd 'drop in,'" she smiled and opened her purse.
"Dr. Load, the Governing Board of Regents of MIST just concluded an emergency meeting after our Christmas party, and they authorized me to share some news with you.
"First, they have agreed to Mr. Spagnopolis' request, and the new central center complex for art, music and literature will be named the Ryan and Rachel Load Center for Performing Arts and Literature," and the restaurant echoed with applause as all stood as one, applauding, as Wade fought to hold his tears in as Tara and Kathrine held him.
When the sound dropped, Dr. McBride continued. "In a totally unrelated event, Dr. Nordstrom O'Hara Brainstrom's resignation from his positions with the university was accepted with a great deal of reluctance. Unfortunately for us, some other place wants him, immediately; I think their name is something like Oxnard, Oxtail, Oxford…that's it: Oxford," she grinned to the laughs, "so we have a small vacancy or two to fill. Based on unanimous and multiple departmental recommendations," she smiled, "the Regents have named the new Area Chairman for Math/Sciences and the Chair of the Computational Development Department: that is," she smiled and extended her hand containing the envelope, "if you accept, Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load," she grinned, and Wade's jaw dropped as the applause exploded.
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Kathrine heard a knock on her bedroom door.
"Come in," Kathrine replied, and the door opened, and her parents couldn't help but laugh at the sight:
Kathrine had labels and sealed jars spread all over her bed, several cloths on top of her bed-covers, and she wore her 'Kiss the cook…seriously' apron as she worked on signing the final labels for application to the remaining jars. All of the labeled jars had bright ribbons on them: the jams had aqua, and the jellies had bright red.
"Ribbon logic?" Tara asked, and Kathrine nodded.
"Red for jelly, aqua for jam: vowel coordination," and Tara nodded while Wade grinned.
'Just like her old man,' Wade thought, and then he thought: 'her old man: she really is in me.'
"I'll be finished and cleaned up in five minutes, then I'm crashing: party planning and execution takes too much work," Kathrine added.
"That's what we wanted to talk to you about, Kathrine," Tara pulled up Kathrine's desk chair, and Wade grabbed her stool.
"Kathrine, how did you do all of this?" Tara asked.
"I got the right jobs in the right hands, and it all got done," was her reply as she finished another jar. "10 more," she mumbled to herself as she reached for the next autographed label.
"You outsourced all the work?" Wade looked incredulous.
"Of course I did, Dad. I can't do it all myself: you can't do everything, you and Aunt Kim and Uncle Ron taught me that," Kathrine looked up and saw the smiles and tears from both her parents.
"What?" Kathrine asked, grinning.
"Kat: why?" Wade asked, and Kathrine put the jar down and jumped off the bed, walking over to Wade and sat on his knee.
"That's why," she replied as she kissed his cheek.
"Now, I'm corn-fused," Wade replied.
"DADDY!" she looked exasperated for a moment, then smiled.
"Because I can do this, this Christmas," she replied, and Wade still looked perplexed.
"Daddy, for a super-genius, sometimes you're lead in the head: I wanted a father's knee to sit on for Christmas. No offense, Mom, but yours are too bony for me: I like Daddy's knees, and I like Daddy's smell," Kathrine grinned.
"Hey!" Wade was now grinning. "Are you saying I need to lose more weight?"
"No, Daddy: Mom's legs have been cheering-shaped, and she's got a 12 percent body fat content. You're closer to 16-18 percent, and I don't want you to lose any of it," she hugged Wade and looked up at him.
"Did I tell you how proud I am to have you as my Dad, Daddy?"
"You may have mentioned it a time or two," Wade replied with a grin.
"Well, I am," Kathrine grinned and kissed the underside of his chin. "And, then, tonight: between Aunts Kim, Joss, Sarah, Shirley, BonBon, and then Dr. McBride's announcement, I didn't think we'd get your head in the house," Kathrine laughed with Tara.
"You're not innocent, yourself, Momma: if I heard one more guy tell me how DDG you were and are, I was going to get a complex. At least, Mikey didn't say it, or at least he didn't say it where I heard it."
"Oh, he did," Tara laughed, and Kathrine moaned. "But, he did do this," and Tara reached behind her and pulled out a single long-stemmed yellow rose and a note. "He left these a few minutes ago, before he headed back to Montana with his folks."
"Mikey was here?" Kathrine's eyes shone, and Wade laughed.
"Kathrine's got a boy-friend, Kathrine's got a boy-friend," he started, and Tara and Kathrine both swatted him.
"Hey! I'm just channeling your Uncles Jim and Tim. Believe me: ask your Aunt Kim."
"OK: I love you; now: everybody out," Kathrine grinned.
"We don't get to help you read the note?" Tara whined, and Kathrine laughed as her mother tried to PDP.
"Not unless you want me to send your jelly to Uncle Ed…seriously," Kathrine laughed as they were already leaving her room.
Wade turned and held his arms open, and Kathrine ran into them, getting her favorite gift of all: a Wade/Daddy hug.
"I love you, Kitty-Kat," Wade murmured into her hair.
"I love you, Daddy," Kathrine replied, and she pulled back and wiped her tears as Wade kissed the top of her head and left, leaving mother and daughter alone.
"Thank you, Kathrine, for everything, and I'm not even going to ask you how you got the money to pay Mongo for our spa time," Tara smiled as she wrapped her daughter in her arms.
"Money I earned from tutoring, and errands for Aunt BonBon and other folks; that, and my money from birthdays and such."
"Kathrine! You're supposed to spend that on something for yourself, not on other people."
"Mom, what better way to enjoy it than to watch you two sprawled on the bed, exhausted after being forced to endure a day of pampering, for a change?" Kathrine laughed, and Tara kissed the top if her head.
"Good night, angel," Tara said as she closed the door.
"Good night, both my angels," Kathrine called to the closed door.
Kathrine tore open the envelope and read the note:
'Kathrine:
'I saw this as we left the restaurant, and it reminded me of you: pretty, and strong, so I bought it for you. I hope you like it.
'Mikey'
Kathrine finished the jars, cleared her bed, changed into her "Captain Constellation III" pajamas, and plopped onto her bed, holding her rose and note, all in five minutes.
"He thinks I'm pretty," she said to the rose. The rose obviously agreed with him, and she kissed the rose petals.
She fell asleep on her back, holding the note and rose, and the motion sensors dimmed the lights after five minutes of inactivity.
Author's afterward:
Kathrine's had a busy day, and it's not even Christmas, yet!
What do the father and mother give to the perfect daughter for Christmas, and what else does Kathrine have planned?
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Mon-speak translations:
HFac – Hormone Factory
BonNed's – Restaurant owned by Ned and Bonnie (Rockwaller) Rorem
QuarterVersary – the three-month anniversary after an event.
RMO – Rocky Mountain Oysters
MIST – Middleton Institute of Science and Technology
KEL – Kathrine Elizabeth Load: the name she put on the labels
PDP – puppy-dog-pout
DDG – drop-dead gorgeous
BFF – best female friend
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