AN: So last chapter was a bit of a milestone, huh? They FINALLY talked… and then it ended with a big pile of Branning's in one bed… Let's hope that the problems are now solved… or at least don't take a backwards step…
Chapter Nine: Ding Dong Merrily On High
Friday 22nd December 2023
Joey opened his eyes, trying to work out why he was roasting as he lay in bed. He turned his head to the left and saw Lauren was sleeping with Lucas lying across her body. Both were sound asleep. Lying between him and Lauren was Evie, her face was pressed against his bicep and he could see her thumb was in her mouth, Mister Pink caught in the corner of her elbow. She was asleep too. That left just one other person and Joey turned his head to the right slightly, smiling when he saw Holly staring at him. "Morning, baby girl…" he said softly. "How are you feeling this morning?" he whispered to her.
"I's good, daddy… I like sleeping with you and mummy…" she told him.
"You do?" Joey asked and Holly nodded her head. "Why is that?" he asked her.
"Cos it makes me feel safe…" she whispered.
Joey frowned, surprised by her answer, "Well, I'm glad about that, sweetie… but I'm a little worried by the fact you don't feel safe when you're not here…"
Holly looked away from his face and Joey saw her glance at Mister White. "I'll tell him Mister White…" she breathed. "Some of the boys at school… they tell Henry and me ghost stories at lunch time…" she admitted. "I know I shouldn't listen to them, daddy… but I don't wanna look like a baby… They'll call me a girl…"
"You are a girl, Holly…" Joey reasoned with a smile.
"Yes, but I want to be friends with them… and they don't like the girls…" she said. It was true, Holly was a little tomboy in comparison to her sister. She didn't like pink… at all… unless it was Mister Pink, of course. It wasn't often she would wear a dress… and would only wear a skirt if she could wear leggings underneath it. She was her daddy's little tomboy, to her mummy's sometimes dismay.
"So you listen to the stories and then they give you nightmares?" Joey asked her softly. Holly nodded her head. "Why didn't you tell me or mummy before?" he asked her.
"I din't want you to be cross with me…" she said.
"I'm not cross with you, sweetheart… and mummy wouldn't have been either…" he told her. "I do think in future though you should tell them you don't want to hear the stories… they won't think any less of you, I promise…" he said.
"Do you think so?" she said.
"I'm sure of it… what does Henry say about the stories they tell?" Joey asked her.
"He doesn't like them either… he says they scare him too…" she whispered.
"Well, there you go then… Henry's not a girl, is he?" Joey said and Holly shook her head. "Then what the two of you need to do in future is you both walk away from them…" Joey told her, "Now, how about you give daddy a big hug…"
Holly pressed her body against his and Joey hugged her tightly against him, "I love you, daddy…" she whispered.
"I love you too," Joey said softly. "Shall we go and make breakfast for everyone else?" he asked her. "As a surprise…"
"I'd really like that!" Holly said a little too loudly.
Joey smiled, pressing a finger against her mouth, "You need to be quiet, darling… we don't want to wake them, do we?" He said and she shook her head. "Can you slip out of bed then?" he said. Holly pulled away from him and then disappeared under the duvet, climbing carefully out of the bed. Joey followed after her and then turned back to the bed and tucked the duvet back around Evie. He took Holly's hand and the two of them slipped quietly out of the bedroom, Joey grabbing his dressing down as they went. They paused briefly in the girls' bedroom and Joey helped Holly put her own dressing gown on, not wanting her to get a chill as the flat was a little cold still.
Once they were both dressed a bit warmer they left Holly's bedroom, still hand in hand and headed towards the kitchen, pausing briefly at the Christmas tree to turn on the lights. Joey took a few seconds, watching Holly's face as she stared at the Christmas tree in wonder once it was lit. "It's so pretty, daddy…" she whispered, glancing at him.
"Almost as pretty as you are," Joey said. He lifted her in his arms and carried her through to the kitchen, sitting her on the worktop. "What do you think we should make everyone for breakfast?" he asked her.
"Can we make pancakes?" she asked him.
"Pancakes sounds like a really good idea… We could make my special Rudolph pancakes… What do you think?"
Holly nodded her head, loving her daddy's famous Rudolph pancakes. "Pease daddy…" she said.
Joey started pulling out the ingredients they needed, passing them to Holly so she could put them on the side. "So are you looking forward to your birthday?" he asked her.
"Kind of…" Holly said.
"Why only kind of?" he asked with a frown.
"I wanted to have a birthday party… with balloons… and cake… and party games… but it's Christmas day so we can't…" She said sadly.
"We said you can have a party once you're back at school… but you said you didn't want one…" Joey said, watching her carefully.
"I know…" She said, "but it's not my birthday then… it don't feel right… and there are other people at school who's birthday it is… I'm already going to two parties… no one would come to mine anyway…"
"If you really wanted a party, Holly… mummy and I would throw one for you… you know that… We will do anything for you or your brother and sister…" he said, stopping what he was doing and focussing on her.
"Evie elped me write another letter to Santy…" Holly said.
"She did?" Joey said, surprised because Holly and Eve had done their letters much earlier in the month.
"Santy must fink I's a really bad girl though cos he hasn't taken it…" she said sadly, looking down at her feet.
Joey hugged her against his body, feeling awful when he saw how unhappy she was. "I'm sure that's not the case, sweetheart. Why don't you go and get your letter and I will personally make sure that Santa gets it…?" he told her.
"'Kay, daddy…" He lowered her onto the floor, watching as she ran from the room. He went back to whisking the pancake batter, wondering what would be on his little girl's list. He put the batter in the fridge, leaving to stand, closing the fridge as he heard her run back into the room. She held the letter up to him.
"Can daddy read it?" he asked her.
"I would weally like that, daddy… You can tell me if I's asking for too much… I don't want Santy to fink I's being cheeky…" she told him.
"Let's go and sit down," Joey said, taking the letter from Holly's outstretched hand and walking over to the dining table. He sat down on a chair, lifting her onto his lap. Carefully he opened the letter, making sure not to tear any of the paper. He smiled as he saw Eve's messy writing… with Holly's writing of her name at the bottom. He smiled when he spotted a few corrections from Evie on the sheet of paper.
Dear Santy,
My name is Holly Faith Branning. I's alreddy sent you a leter with a list of fings that I wanted for Crismas but I'd like to swop that letter with this one insted. My birthday is on the same day as Baby Jesus and what I'd really like is to have a birthday party… on the day. I know I's arsking for lots and if you can't make it happen I won't be koss. Evie says I's geedy but it's ok for her… she gets birthday parties… and I can't have one because it's Crismas Day. I reelly hope you can elp, Santy… I will luv you 4eva if you can.
Lots of luv
Holly xxxxxxx (+ a x for Wudy).
Joey's throat tightened as he read it through and he could feel Holly watching him. "Is it too much?" she whispered.
"No, baby girl… everyone should get a birthday party and I'm sure Santa will do everything he can to do make sure you get one…" he told her, wondering how he could get this to happen. He knew he was going to have to speak to Max, Tanya and his mum about this… and see if he could get their help. They didn't have a lot of time left to sort this out… but it was now his mission… and he'd pulled off bigger miracles than this before. He hugged Holly, folding the letter carefully and putting it in his dressing gown pocket, "I will make sure Santa gets this, Holly… I promise…"
"Thanks, daddy…" she whispered.
"Shall we get on with breakfast now?"
"Yes… everyone might wake up soon…"
"Then we'd better get a move on, hadn't we?." Joey said. They returned to the kitchen and Holly sat on the side, watching her daddy create the Rudolph pancakes, her face shining as she saw the reindeer's appear. He stacked the pancakes on a plate, keeping them warm under the grill. After fifteen minutes they were all done. Joey took out some plates for everyone to eat off and he put them on a tray. He then got out some orange juice and cups. Cutlery was placed on the tray. "What do you want to have on top of the pancakes, Holly?" he asked her.
"Maple sywup…" Holly said. "And skirty cweam…" she said.
Joey grinned, "Sounds a great idea…" he agreed, pulling the two items out and placing them on the tray as well. He lifted Holly off the worktop, lowering her to the floor. He then turned back to the tray and picked it up. "Lead the way, baby girl…"
Holly walked slowly out of the kitchen, turning her head back towards him periodically to make sure he was still following her. She pushed open the bedroom door quietly and stepped inside. She looked at her daddy again and Joey nodded her head, knowing what she wanted to do. "RAKE UP, MUMMY! EVIE! LUCAS! WE'S MADE BREAKFAST!" she said loudly. Lauren was the first one to stir and she stared at Holly and her husband.
"What have you got there?" she asked softly.
"Breakfast mummy…" Holly said proudly, "I helped daddy…"
"You did?" Lauren said, waking up Lucas and Evie. "Wake up, sweethearts… daddy and Holly have made us breakfast in bed…" she said.
"YAY!" Lucas said as he pushed himself upright. He turned his head and looked at them both, his face lighting up when he saw his daddy walking closer, placing the tray on the end of the bed. "Dat looks yummy, dada…"
"Holly helped me." Joey said, reaching for Holly and pulling her against his side, hugging her against him.
"Fanks 'Olly…" Lucas said with a grin.
"What's going on?" Evie murmured, her eyes opening blearily.
"Daddy and Holly made us breakfast…" Lauren explained.
"What is it?" Evie murmured, still half asleep.
"Daddy made Wudy pancakes…" Holly said. "And we's got maple sywup and skirty cweam."
"Really? Wudy pancakes?" Evie said, suddenly a little more awake. She sat up and looked at the tray, "Can I have two please?" she asked eagerly, "with lots of syrup and cream…" Joey sat on the edge of the bed and put two pancakes on a plate, pouring some syrup around and over them and then adding some cream. He passed the plate to Eve and then handed her some cutlery. He put one pancake on another plate, a smaller amount of syrup and cream added to it. He passed that to Lauren, along with Lucas' cutlery and she began to cut it up for him to eat. He put two pancakes on a third plate and then held the syrup out towards Holly, "Do you want to put this on?" he asked her. She grinned at him, taking the bottle and squeezing it above the plate. She tried to do the cream as well but Joey could tell she wasn't quite able to squirt it herself. He helped her, pressing the button and seeing her face light up as the cream sprayed onto her breakfast. "Here you go, sweetheart…" he told her softly, kissing her forehead tenderly. He split the remaining pancakes between himself and Lauren and he put the syrup and cream on them both. "Here are yours, babe." Joey said, staring at his wife, holding her gaze for a while longer than necessary. She smiled at him, leaning forward and kissing him gently.
"Thank you for doing this, Joe…" she whispered, "This was just what we needed…"
Joey smiled at her, "Anything for you." He said, winking at her. "I'm going to go and speak to your dad in a while… Are you okay with the kids… or do you want me to take Lucas with me?"
"We'll be fine… I thought we could have some fun today…" She said.
"Fun?" Lucas said, his mouth still full.
"No talking with your mouth full, Lucas…" Joey said.
Lucas swallowed his food, "Sowwy dada…" he said.
"It's okay… just remember for future…"
Lucas looked at his mummy, "Fun, mama?"
Lauren nodded, glancing at all three of the kids, "I've got some stuff over the last couple of weeks… knowing that the three of you would be home from school… I thought we could make some decorations for the house…" Her suggestion was met with squeals of approval from Lucas and Evie. Lauren looked at Holly, "what do you think, Holly?" She asked her softly.
Holly's face lit up and she beamed a smile at her, "I'd like that too, mummy…"
"There you go then, that's settled…" Lauren said to Joey. "We'll be perfectly fine… for a little while, anyway…"
"Great." Joey said. They all ate their breakfast and Holly was the first to finish. Clearly she'd been hungry.
"Daddy, can you tell us about how you and mummy fell in love?" she asked him softly.
Joey smiled at her, this was something they were asked to tell them on many an occasion. "Are you sure you want to hear about this again?" He asked.
"Please daddy…" Holly pleaded with him. Her plea backed up by similar responses from Evie and Lucas.
"Okay then…" Joey said, smiling at his wife, "It was eleven years ago… at the start of the summer… Daddy came to the square because Auntie Alice was living here… she was living with your Grandpa…"
"Pops?" Lucas whispered.
"No Lucas… Pops is mummy's daddy… Grandpa is my daddy…"
"Haf I met him, dada?" Lucas asked, frowning up at his daddy as he tried to remember.
"No…" Joey said, "Grandpa went to heaven… before you were all born…" he told them softly.
"Sowwy daddy…" Lucas whispered and Holly hugged her daddy tightly.
"It's okay… Your grandpa and I didn't really get along anyway… He wasn't a very nice man… He certainly wasn't anything like your Pops is…" Joey told them all. "So I came to the square… and the first people I bumped into was mummy and one of her best friends… Grandpa was being nasty to mummy's friend and I stepped in… Once he had gone I introduced myself and that was when I found out your mummy's name. I thought she was pretty amazing… from that very second… I fell in love with her the first time I laid eyes on her… and every day I love her a little bit more than I did the day before…" He was staring at Lauren as he spoke and he saw the colour rising in her cheeks. "It was a while before mummy and I started seeing each other… things weren't as easy for us as they could've been… but we got there eventually… for a while at least…"
"What happened, daddy?" Evie asked him.
"Daddy made a big mistake… A big one… and I had to leave the square… I asked mummy if she would come with me and she said no. So I had to go on my own and it was just about the hardest thing I ever had to do… and I missed your mummy so much…" Joey said and Holly climbed over the bed and sat on his lap, her body pressing against his. "Two weeks after I left your mummy arrived on Granny Sarah's door… a bag in her hand… and she said she'd changed her mind… So we got back together… and after a few months I moved back to the square… and we moved in together…" He smiled, "You don't want to hear about this… it's boring…"
"Pease dada…" Lucas said, bouncing on the bed slightly
"Mind the drinks, buster…" Lauren said, reaching out and steadying the bottle of orange juice that none of them had drunk yet.
"Sowwy, mama…" He whispered, "Pease tell us, dada…" he pleaded with him. 'Pease, pease, pease'
Joey smiled, "Okay then…"
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
A while later Joey sat on the bed next to Lauren. The kids had all gone to play in the girls' room. "Did you mean what you said?" Lauren asked, resting her head on Joey's shoulder.
He knew what she was referring to immediately, "About loving you more every time I see you…?" he asked softly.
"Yeah…" Lauren whispered.
"Of course I did, babe…" he told her, turning his head and looking at her. He lifted his hand and brushed some hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He lowered his head and kissed her softly. "I love you more than anything…" he said. He gave her an Eskimo kiss and then pulled away from her. "There is something we need to talk about though…" he added, reaching into his dressing gown pocket.
"Should I be worried?" Lauren asked.
"Possibly…" Joey admitted, "I was talking to Holly earlier… She needs to get some new friends, by the way… and she also told me that she'd done another letter to Santa… Eve wrote it for her," he said, pulling the letter from his pocket and held it out towards her. "Read it…"
Lauren unfolded the letter and quickly read it. She looked up at Joey, tears in her eyes. "What are we going to do?" she asked him.
"Give her exactly what she wants, babe… We'll throw her the best birthday party ever…and she's going to have the best Christmas day ever too with lots of presents, we're going to get her every single thing she asked for on the first letter and then some" he told her
"A birthday party on Christmas Day?" Lauren asked, disbelief in her voice. 'How? Joey parties take a lot of arranging, the food, the venue and what about the guests?'
"Leave it to me, babe… well, me and our parents… I'm going to speak to your dad about it… well, that and the other matter we discussed… and we will sort it out…" He said.
"Why does she need new friends?" Lauren asked after a couple of minute's silence.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"I won't be long…" Joey said, bending down and kissing Lauren on the mouth. They both lost themselves briefly in the kiss… until the noises from the kids tore them apart. All the kids were grinning at them when they broke apart. "Be good for mummy…" Joey said to them.
"Yes daddy…" they all chimed.
"Can you check that dad is taking care of himself?" Lauren asked, "I haven't been over there this week and I know what he's like…"
"I will... but I'm sure he's been good…"
"Check anyway…"
"Will do… Call me if you need anything…" Joey said, kissing her softly again.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"Max?" Joey said as he opened the front door to the house. Since the heart attack Joey and Lauren had had a door key to the house. Initially it was because once he was home Max got tired easily so it just made sense for them to be able to come and go without him having to get up to let them in.
"I'm in the lounge…" Max called through to the hall.
"Hi dad…" Joey said, smiling when he saw his father-in-law sitting in the armchair. It looked like he was looking at paperwork from the car lot. "I thought you'd retired…?" Joey said, sitting on the sofa.
"I'm just looking at paperwork… last I heard paperwork doesn't kill you… It's not like I can do anything else… and anything else is what I employ Matthew for…" Joey rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to clench his fist. "What's that look for?" Max asked, clearly not missing Joey's reaction.
"He's going out with Al…" Joey growled. He'd only recently discovered this, it being kept from him by his mother and sister for some time. He didn't even really know this Matthew but he already disliked him. He didn't trust him… and he couldn't understand why his mum wasn't telling him where to go. To make matters worse Lauren had invited him (to) for dinner on Christmas Day… so Joey was going to have to a) meet him properly and b) be pleasant to him… be the genial host.
"Yes, he is…" Max said.
Joey looked at him, "Did everyone know except me?" he growled.
Max smiled wryly, "Maybe…" he admitted. Joey scowled and stood up, walking over to the front window and staring out of it, across to the car lot. "To be honest, Joe… I think everyone expected you to do a Derek…"
"Do a…?" Joey started, spinning around to face Max once more. His words faded as the reality hit him. They were right. He would've 'done a Derek' as his uncle had referred to it. He would've done exactly what Derek tried to do to him and Lauren, the only difference would've been Joey that would've succeeded in breaking them up permanently.
"He's a good lad, Joey… He's doing a good job running the car lot…" Max told him, "Okay, he's no Branning when it comes to sales… but he's selling cars and he's managed to organise a couple of deals with small businesses in the area. For the first time since I got sick the car lot is making a good profit… not just getting by… And that's because of him…" Max said.
"But Al deserves someone great…" Joey said.
"I know she does… And Matthew is that boy. Watch the two of them together at Christmas, Joey… he adores her… and for the first time since the mess with Janine and Michael, Alice is back to being the person she was when she first came to Walford… but with a little more savvy. She doesn't take fools anymore, Joey… Everything that's happened has changed her… and she isn't as trusting as she was… but he makes her happy. Your mum would put a stop to it if she had any doubts… after what happened before… Give the boy a chance…" Max said, "Like I did with you…" he added softly.
Joey slumped back onto the sofa, the wind gone from his sails at his father-in-law's words. "Fuck…"
Max smirked, "When you first arrived here and I found out you were Derek's boy, I thought you were going to be just like him. Derek spoke about you a lot in those first few weeks. He'd mentioned a son a couple of times when we were up in Manchester but said you didn't get on… Then you turned up here and it was as if you were just like he'd said… all sharp edges and darkness." Max smiled, "You know it didn't really surprise me that much when I found out you and Lauren were together… you were just the kind of guy she went for… the dangerous kind…" Max shook his head, "You'd left the square by then… and I found out it was because of Derek and Tanya… I felt bad because I could see how upset Lauren was… and I'd got to you know a little by then too… and I could see that you weren't the person Derek had painted you to be… So I called you… spoke to you and then invited you over for Christmas… I gave you a chance, Joey… and you need to do the same for Matthew… Alice deserves to be happy…"
"Fuck…" Joey whispered again.
"I hope you don't say that in front of the kids…" Max said dryly.
"Not normally…" Joey said and fell quiet thinking about what Max had said to him.
"So was there a reason for the visit?" Max prodded.
"Oh… er, yeah…" Joey said. "Well, two really…" he amended. "Firstly, Lauren and I were wondering if you'd be up to having all of the kids for the night… either today or tomorrow…"
"You got something special planned?" Max asked.
"Yeah… Things have been difficult over the last few weeks… we haven't been communicating with each other properly and we've been focussing on the kids… to the detriment of our relationship. We haven't had a kid-free night since Lucas was born and we thought that maybe we should try and get one in before Christmas hits…"
Max held up his hand, "No need to say anymore…" Max said, "Yes, I can have the kids overnight… Abi is over tomorrow evening, so maybe then would be a good time… give her a chance to get some practice in…"
"She had Lucas the other evening…You may want to check with her before you offer her services…" Joey said.
"She'll be fine… she loves your kids almost as much as you and Lauren do… And anyway, she's fed up of getting mollycoddled by Tan… She needs a break from their house…"
"Then tomorrow sounds a great idea…" Joey said, relaxing slightly with relief. Finally, he and Lauren would be able to sort things out. "There was something else as well… and this may be more difficult…"
Max frowned, "You know I'll do anything I can to help…"
"Holly wants to have a birthday party… on Christmas Day…" Joey said softly, his throat tightening slightly when he saw Holly's hopeful little face as he read her letter to Santa flash through his memory. "So I need to throw one… She wants balloons and a cake and party games… and everyone to be there… but Lauren and I have talked and we want there to be no reminders of Christmas… no trees, decorations, Santa hats… nothing…. Just birthday stuff… She's never had a proper birthday party before… Christ, I don't think we've ever got her a proper birthday cake… the closest we got was a cupcake with a candle last year…but we're getting her one this year and we're going to have cake after the kids have opened the presents, but we'd like another cake for the party"
"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult…" Max said, "Your mum can probably handle the cake… and I'm sure I can get Ian to sort out some party food… Tan and I can find a venue and she'll love to sort out all the decorations… I guess the only issue would be getting people there…"
"Exactly…" Joey said, "Who's going to want to give up a couple of hours of their Christmas Day for our little girl's birthday party?" Joey said despondently.
Max suddenly smiled, "Actually I think I know the perfect people to speak to…" He said. "Leave it with me, Joey… I'll let you know when we get it sorted out… You just need to find Holly something special to wear for her birthday… and to bring her over to the venue…" Max almost seemed to be shining with excitement and Joey could swear this was the most animated he'd seen him since he'd fallen ill.
"I'll see you tomorrow then… do you need us to bring anything over? Do you need any food?" Joey asked as he got to his feet.
"I'm fine… and I don't suppose a bottle of whisky will be on the approval list of your wife, so I won't even ask…"
"Sorry dad…" Joey said in agreement. "Thanks for your help…" he said.
"You're welcome… I hope you and Lauren manage to work things out…"
"So do I," Joey said.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Lauren smiled as she saw the pile of sparkly stars they had made so far. Varying sizes of them that she'd cut out from the coloured card she'd been buying over the last month. There were pink stars and blue… silver and gold… there was even a green one (because Holly said it was her favourite colour). There was glitter, of varying shades, all over the table… and the kids… and pretty much the whole flat. She wasn't sure what her husband's reaction would be when he got home but the kids were happy and that was what was important. She glanced at Holly, the one child she had thought wouldn't enjoy what she'd planned for them but she seemed happy and contented as she drew with crayons on a sheet of paper. Lauren was still feeling pretty emotional after reading her second letter for Santa… and she felt like a failure as a parent for not realising what she would want. How could they not know? Had they been so selfish and self-obsessed to not realise what she needed?
"Do you guys want a drink?" Lauren asked.
"No thank you…" Eve said and Lucas shook his head.
"Yes please, mummy…" Holly said.
"Okay, darling…" Lauren said getting up and walking through to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of squash, making it up in a plastic beaker and carrying it back over to the table. Holly picked it up and took a sip.
"Fanks…" she whispered.
Lauren smiled at her, leaning forward and looking at the picture she was drawing, "Your picture is really good, Holly…" She told her.
"Not as good as Evie's…" Holly whispered, "Or Lucas's…" she added.
"Don't put yourself down, sweetie…" Lauren said, "Not everyone is good at everything… Yes, Evie and Lucas are both good at art but there are things that you can do which they can't…" she said, "And you aren't a bad drawer, Holly… I can tell that that's a picture of Santa and Rudolph…" Lauren said.
"You can?" Holly whispered, surprised.
"Yes, Holly…" Lauren said. "And as for the things you do that are better than Lucas and Eve, you're very good with your hands…" she added, "You were always so good at building towers with the plastic cups… and the bricks…" she said, "You're more aware of your surroundings than your brother and sister…" Lauren told her, "And you care about people… you always put others before yourself…"
"Can I leave the picture for Santy on Christmas Eve?" Holly asked.
"Of course you can, darling…I'm sure Santa and Rudolph would like that a lot. I think Santa will even put it on his fridge when he gets home from delivering all the presents" Lauren told her, Holly beamed her.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"Honey, I'm home," Joey said as he walked back into the flat.
"We're in the bathroom…" Lauren called through to him. Joey walked in, smiling as he saw all three kids sitting in the bath.
"Did you have fun with mummy today?" he asked.
"Yes daddy…" they all said.
"You were gone a while, Joe…" Lauren said.
"Yeah, I went over to see mum after I'd seen dad… sorting out a few things…" he told her. He moved to sit next to her, putting his hand behind Lucas to steady him in the bath. Lauren started to wash Eve's hair so she could come out of the bath first, as she was able to dry and dress herself. Joey looked at the four members of his family, "You're all glittery…" he said, smirking as he saw a streak of it on Lauren's cheek which he reached over to brush away… which just redistributed it to his finger.
Lauren's face coloured, "I know… it got everywhere… hence the early bath time…" she told him. "I've told them they could watch Rudolph tonight…"
Joey restrained from sighing, knowing it was a favourite of all the kids and the in the scheme of things, there were much worse things they could want to watch instead (the first time they'd watched the movie this year, which was pretty much a miracle). "We can be getting tea while they're watching it… and tidying up the mess…" Joey said and Lauren smiled, nodding her head, knowing that Joey was avoiding watching the cartoon for the umpteenth time.
"Sounds a good plan…" She said.
"Then let's get the baths done…" Joey said, turning back and starting to wash Lucas' hair. He didn't have much (in comparison to his sister's) so he was done pretty quickly. Eve was also finished by that point. Lauren lifted Eve out of the bath, wrapping a towel around her. She soon left the room to get dressed in her pyjamas. Lauren then lifted Lucas out of the bath and disappeared with him, taking him to his bedroom to get him sorted out as well. Joey looked at Holly, "Well, I guess that just leaves the two of us…" he said, "I hope that's okay with you…"
Holly grinned at him, "Course it is, daddy…" she giggled.
"Good…" Joey said. He started to wash her hair, taking his time to make sure he didn't pull on any knotted bits… the last thing he wanted was to make her cry. "So you have a special morning planned tomorrow…" Joey told her, hoping Lauren would be okay with what he was about to say.
"I do?" Holly asked.
"Yes, you do…" Joey told her. "Head back, baby girl…" He said, starting to rinse the shampoo from her head, "Tomorrow Auntie Alice and Auntie Abi are taking you out for the morning… and they're going to go and find you something pretty to wear…"
"I don't like dresses, daddy…" Holly said, lifting her head and staring at him.
"I know you don't, Holly… but will you try and find one?" he asked, "Just for me?" he asked her. "I've made Auntie Alice and Auntie Abi promise nothing pink… or girly… I was thinking maybe a green dress would look nice… and they're going to get you some shoes as well…"
"Why do I need them?" Holly asked him softly.
"Well, you asked Santa for a birthday party… but you forgot to ask him for something special to wear to the party, didn't you?" he said, "So I thought… just in case Santa gives you your party… you should have something to wear… so you're ready… What do you think?"
"Okay, daddy…" Holly said. "I think I'd quite like a dress if it was green…" she told him seriously and Joey relaxed.
"You need to behave when you're with your aunts though, okay… You must hold one of their hands at all times…"
"Won't mummy or you be there?" she asked.
"No, darling… We'll be here with your sister and brother… We've got lots to do to get ready for Christmas… and a certain little girl's birthday… You are going to have an amazing time though, Holly…"
"I's excited, daddy…" Holly whispered.
"Let's get the rest of this shampoo out of your hair then…" Joey said.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"The kids are watching the movie…" Joey said as he walked into the kitchen, seeing Lauren standing at the oven, stirring a pan. "I swear they are going to wear that disc out…"
Lauren smiled, turning her head and seeing him starting to clear up the mess on the table. "And you know that the moment it does, you'll go right out and buy them another copy of it…" She said softly, knowing she was right.
There was silence for a moment and then Joey sighed, "Of course I will…" Lauren turned back to the hob, stirring the pasta sauce in the pan. The other pan had boiling water in it and soon she would be adding the pasta twists into it.
"Can you come and sort out the mince, Joe?" she asked.
"Sure…" he replied, walking around the table and standing next to her. He cut the packaging open and then put the mince in the pan, starting to heat it gently. "So lasagne?" he said.
"Yeah, I thought we could eat together after the kids have gone to bed…" Lauren said, glancing at him. She saw the small smile that appeared on his face but he said nothing more. "It's not often we get to do that…" she said softly, "I miss it… I miss spending time alone with you…" She stopped what she was doing and looked at him, "Is that bad? Does that make me a bad mother?" she whispered fearfully.
"Of course it doesn't…" Joey said quickly. "I've missed it too… We need to do this more often…"
"What? Cook together?" Lauren said, smiling at him.
Joey rolled his eyes, "Just do things in general together… spend time together… You knew what I meant…"
"There's the Joey Branning I fell in love with… the romantic fool who wants to spend time with me…" Lauren teased him.
Normally at times like this Joey would tease her back but today was different. He bent down slightly and kissed her neck, hearing her breathe in sharply, "Always will…" he murmured against her skin.
"Later Joe." She whimpered, "The kids dinner is nearly ready… and the mince needs stirring…" Joey pulled away from her and stirred the minced beef. She thought for a second he was annoyed with her pushing him away but then he spoke one word.
"Later."
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
While Lauren was putting the girls to bed Joey had finished clearing the table. The glitter had lingered longer than Lauren liked to admit and they'd only cleared a small section of the table, big enough for the kids to sit down and eat. So once Lauren was sorting the girls Joey focussed on cleaning the rest of the mess away. Lauren was taking longer than he'd expected but it gave him time to put a few finishing touches to the table. He then walked into the kitchen and started to serve up their dinner. He carried the plates over to the table, placing them on the settings.
"Wow…" she said softly and Joey turned to look at her, leaning against the doorjamb. "Leave a guy alone for a few minutes and he continues his earlier plans and sets the table up for a romantic meal for two…"
"I only do it for the girl I love…" He told her. "Why don't you flick the light switch and then get your arse over here and sit down…"
Lauren smirked, "and just like that the romance is all gone…" she said, only half serious with her words. She turned off the main light, the room lit just by the candles Joey had set up and lit while she was gone. She walked over to the table, smiling at her husband, the love of her life.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Joey and Lauren sat at the table, opposite each other, their empty plates on the table between them. "The food was amazing…" Lauren murmured.
Joey chuckled, "That's a great compliment when it was you who cooked it, babe…" he said, sliding a hand across the table and covering hers. "The company was amazing…" he said softly.
"Why thank you, Mr Branning…" Lauren said coyly. She stared at his face intently, seeing something that had been missing for the last few months. Desire. For her. It was starting to do something to her and she shifted on her chair. She turned her hand beneath his and laced their fingers together.
"So can I convince you to leave the dishes until tomorrow…?" he said.
"We can't, Joe… We've got lots to do tomorrow…" she said.
Joey sighed, "Did I tell you that our sisters are taking Holly out on a shopping trip tomorrow… to get her a dress… so she has something to wear… in case Santa is able to give her what she wants for Christmas…" he added with a smile.
"I'm sure she'll have a great time…" she said softly. She pulled her hand from his and gathered up their plates. "Let's get on with these…" she said as she walked around the table, towards the sink. She started to fill the sink with hot water, putting some washing up liquid in the bowl. Joey stood and blew out the candles, tidying them away. It suddenly felt like the evening was over and Joey couldn't help but feel disappointed. He put the candles away in the drawer and yes, he may have slammed it shut slightly. "Joey… you'll wake the kids…" Lauren said.
He said nothing, walking over to the sink and grabbing the towel. "What do we need to do tomorrow…" he asked as he started to dry up the dishes.
"Well, if Holly is out, we can wrap her birthday presents… And we need to get the things ready for them staying over at dad's… I'm assuming he was okay about having them…?" she said.
"Of course he was… Abi is staying at his tomorrow as well… She needs a break from your mum's … attentiveness I guess…" Lauren smiled, familiar with that concept. "So he said she could help him out…"
"I'm sure they'll have a great time…" Lauren said
"I'm hoping we will too, babe." Joey said.
"Me too…" Lauren whispered, "I'm pretty sure we will…" She said, flashing a smile at him. "Now, let's get this done… because then we can go to bed…" she added, "for an early night…"
Joey stopped, turning his head and staring at her. She was still behaving as if she hadn't just said what she had. Or had he imagined it? He fucking hoped not… "I really hope you mean that in the way I took it to mean…"
Lauren's face flushed and she glanced at him, "Maybe…" she breathed, seeing his dark eyes and feeling her body respond.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"Everything is tidied away, the lights are all off and the doors are locked…" Joey said as he walked into the bedroom. He stopped when he saw Lauren lying in their bed. "Please tell me you aren't wearing your damned pyjamas…" he breathed, disappointment flooding him. Lauren smirked and lifted the duvet, revealing that she was only wearing the top… The sight of her lying there made his groin tighten. "Thank fuck for that…" he said, shutting the bedroom door behind him and leaning against it. "You look pretty good, babe…" he whispered.
"Then maybe you should get that fine arse over here… and prove that to me…" she said.
Joey pushed away from the door and strode across the room. He bent down and kissed her, putting as much of the passion as he was feeling into it. "I love you…" he moaned against her mouth as he felt her hands brush into his hair, scratching at his scalp.
"Love you too, Joe…" she whimpered, "but I'd love you more if you took off those clothes you're wearing…" she said, pulling at his T-shirt. Joey pulled away from her regretfully, his weight held off her body by his arms.
"Well, since you put it so nicely…" he said. He climbed back off the bed and turned away from her, starting to remove his clothes. "For fuck's sake…" he said suddenly, sounding angry.
"What's wrong?" Lauren asked, sitting up in bed and staring at his back in concern.
He turned to face her and she giggled, "Don't laugh… it's not funny…" he said, anger still in his voice.
"It kind of is, Joe…" Lauren said, laughing again. "Come here…" she said, holding her hand out towards him. He took it and let her tug him towards the bed. "Well it seems that glitter really did get everywhere, eh?" she said, smirking at him, "Although I have to wonder how it managed to get into your pants…" She quirked an eyebrow and looked up at his face, "Just what have you been doing with those hands of yours, Joe?"
"Babe…" Joey said, turned on by the impish expression on her face.
"Don't babe me…" she whispered, "after all, I'm not the one with the sparkly dick, am I?" she added. Joey rolled his eyes, "but I have to say… it's very pretty…" She moved her position, kneeling on the edge of the bed, leaning forward and kissing the tip of his glittery cock, "so pretty…" she murmured before she took the head into her mouth. She sucked on him softly, glancing up at his face and seeing his eyes darken, his jaw tighten and the pulse at his temple twitch. She pulled him free from her mouth, "Well, what do you know… turns out, your sparkly cock is all mine, Joe…" she said with a grin, returning to her previous task.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
"Well it's been a while since we've done that…" Joey said as he lay on the bed next to his wife. Her head was resting on his chest, his arm around her waist.
"Oral sex?" she said, turning her head and kissing his chest, her hand brushing over his stomach.
"Well yes… but I meant foreplay…"
"It was pretty good…" Lauren said, "I particularly liked it when you made me moan that way…" she said.
"Well, tomorrow night… when we're alone… I'm going to make you scream my name, my beautiful wife… over and over until your voice is hoarse…"
Lauren giggled, "That could be difficult to explain to the kids…"
"We could say you were ill…" Joey said.
"I'm not sure that will work, Joe…" she smiled at him.
"Are you saying you don't want me to do that tomorrow?" he asked, looking down at her face.
"No, Joe… that's not what I'm saying… We just need to make sure we don't break each other in the process…" she said, moving so she was straddling his body. "And we need to not leave it so long in the future… I've missed you… missed being with you…"
Joey smiled, "I've missed you too… now get that sparkly mouth of yours down here and kiss me…"
"Sparkly… really?" she said, an aghast look on her face. She scrambled from the bed, ignoring her nakedness and walking over to the mirror on the wall. "Oh god… how did this happen?" she said as her fingers ran over her lips, the glitter clearly visible.
"Well it all started when you put that gorgeous mouth of yours to good use… on my sparkly cock…" Joey said, standing behind her, his arms winding around her body as he pressed his own naked body against hers.
"We don't have time for this, Joe…" Lauren murmured, "We're going to have to stick to just the foreplay tonight… as magnificent as it was… the kids could interrupt us at any moment… we're lucky they haven't already…" she said.
"But I want you… so badly…" Joey murmured against her skin, his lips kissing up her shoulder to her neck.
"And I want you too… but just think how much better it will be tomorrow night… when we've had twenty-four hours of build-up…" she said. "Now put some clothes on…"
"Fine… but you should know… that tomorrow night…" he said, stilling her as she started to move away from him, "Tomorrow night… we aren't getting any sleep, so you'd better make sure you're well rested…" He kissed her neck again and then quickly made his way to his side of the bed, pulling on a T-shirt and some boxers, adjusting himself as his half-erect cock strained the material.
"That's not fair, Joe…" Lauren whispered, her body practically tingling from what he'd just said to her.
"Tomorrow night." Joey promised once they were both lying in bed. He rolled over to face her, kissing her on the cheek, "Happy 9th day of Christmas, Mrs Branning… your husband adores you more and more every day…"
"I love you too, Mr Branning…" she said, kissing him back, smiling when she saw a little glitter on his lips when she pulled away from him.
A/N: That glitter gets everywhere apparently… pesky stuff… Bless Holly and her second letter to Santa… how sweet… I wonder if they will manage to get her birthday party all sorted out in time… and will anyone turn up? Things seem good between Lauren and Joey again, don't they? Let's hope their night alone just makes things better. Don't forget to send us a review and let us know what you thought. Eastendersfan444 is back with the next chapter tomorrow…
