I apologise for the long wait. For one I thought that I had already posted this certain chapter so I've been concentrating on writing the next one. You should get two chapters within the next week at least. Been busy with Uni and some family stuff, but I do have two weeks off for Easter and I've spent all day procrastinating, writing fanfiction instead of my script. So I suppose updates will be frequent over the next two weeks. This goes for all my stories. Enjoy.
"It's going to take some time for everyone to get used to it, honey." Rick told her as he sat beside her parents, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
"Dad? Where home." Alexis shouted as Jo and herself entered the loft.
"Mum? You here?" Jo shouted after no reply from Rick.
"For the love of god, they can't be serious!" Alexis exclaimed as they stormed towards the kitchen.
"They wouldn't, Gramps and Grams are here." Jo told her.
"DAD!" Alexis shouted once again before setting her bag on the kitchen counter "Come on, we have to go in together."
"Do you really want to scare me so much?" Jo whined as they took a tentative step towards the living room
"Why should I be the only one?" Alexis replied before placing her hand on Jo's shoulder, pulling her towards her, "after three?"
"One." Jo started.
"Two."
"Three."
The duo rounded the corner, a hand over their eyes to shield them from the sight before them.
"Wow." Jo whispered, her mouth turning into a huge smile at the sight before her.
"Please tell me you have your camera here?" Alexis asked as she looked at the group before them.
"Give me two seconds." Jo replied before she turned on her heel and headed back into the kitchen for her camera, rushing back to Alexis' side to catch the moment before someone stirred.
"That is the cutest thing I've ever seen." Alexis stated once Jo had taken the photo of their parents snuggled together on the couch fast asleep, with Jim and Johanna snuggled up next to them, Kate's head resting on her mother's shoulder while her legs were draped across Rick's lap, their hands clasped together.
"Let's start dinner, Martha will be home soon" Jo stated before the duo turned to head into the kitchen once again.
"What we making?" Alexis quizzed once they reached the kitchen.
"Bolognaise?" Jo suggested "If you guys have the stuff in that is."
"Sounds like a plan, I'll just check."
Alexis scanned the cupboards, fridge and freezer gathering the ingredients they needed to make dinner for their family. The duo worked in silence for a while, each setting to work on their own task, before Jo broke the silence.
"Do you find this weird?"
"What do you mean?" Alexis replied, putting down the knife.
"It's just it's always been you, your dad and your Grams, like it's always been me, my mum and my Gramps, and now there's my Grams and we've all just been thrown together to make one big family. I just wanted to know whether you were actually okay with it all?"
"Yeah, I get what you mean, it's going to take some getting used to, but we've always been close" Alexis replied, moving to wrap an arm around Jo.
"I know, I just didn't know whether you felt okay with it all, we did tell them we weren't okay with it to start with" Jo replied.
"But we didn't mean it, it's going to be great, don't worry about anything. I know it's going to be strange having your Grams with you now. But we are a family – a rather dysfunctional one – but a family none the less and we are here for each other." Alexis finished.
"Thank you" Jo stated, turning to give Alexis a hug before pulling back to finish preparing dinner.
"Richard I'm home" The cheerful sound of Martha entering the loft, caused both Jo and Alexis to bolt out of the kitchen to quite the woman down before she woke the foursome currently asleep in the living room.
"Grams, shh, come here" Alexis whispered once she'd caught Martha's attention.
"Alexis dear, and Jo, how are you sweetie?" Martha asked the girl as she followed them back into the kitchen.
"I'm good thanks Martha." Jo replied as she returned her attention to the task at hand.
"Why are you girls making dinner? Where Kate and Richard?" Martha asked confused.
"If you're really quite Grams, you can go into the living room and find out for yourself" Alexis told her.
"Ooh, now I have to see what's all that whispering is about" Martha replied, before tiptoeing into the living room.
"You nearly done Lex?" Jo quizzed as she finished browning the mince in the pan.
"Almost." Alexis replied as she continued to cut the onions.
"Ooh, isn't that sweet." Martha gushed as she entered the kitchen once more, heading for the cupboard to pull out a wine glass.
"They've been like that since before we got back an hour ago. We put our things away, got changed and made a start on dinner. They looked too cute to wake them up." Jo replied quickly, lucky that she'd got a change of clothes at the loft.
"Well darlings I will set the table while you finish the meal, then I will be the one to go wake them up." Martha told the duo as she began pulling things out of the cupboards and draws.
"Thanks" replied Jo and Alexis
"Right, wish me luck" Martha whispered before she entered the living room ten minutes later.
She cautiously walked towards the foursome on the sofa, not knowing how to wake them up, she stood behind her son. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze to try and stir him.
"Richard, darling, wake up" Martha murmured to her son.
She chuckled lightly to herself as she watched him jump in his sleep, but quickly stepped back as she saw that his movement had disturbed Kate.
"What's going on?" Kate voiced as she jumped awake, her mind suddenly thinking the worst.
"I'm sorry dear, but the girls have made dinner, and I drew the short straw to wake you all up" Martha replied, her arms flying out dramatically ask she gesture to the other occupants of the couch.
"I'll take care of it, thanks" Kate told her as she watched Martha walk back into the kitchen, before placing gentle kisses on Rick's neck as she tried to wake up, muttering between the kisses "Rick, wake up, come on, the girls made dinner."
"Mm, got back to sleep babe" Rick replied as his arm shot out to pull her tightly against him.
"Rick, my parents are next to us and the girls cooked, wake up before I twist your ear" Kate replied as she pulled out of his grasp and stood from the couch, "Dad, Mum, wake up, Jo and Alexis made dinner."
She watched as the three remaining couch occupants slowly woke, Rick being the first to join her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pulled her towards the kitchen while her parents woke. She turned around to ensure they were indeed waking up, they had a tendency to go back to sleep if they only had one alarm, only to see her mother snuggle further into her father's embrace as he placed a kissed to her hair before tilting her head to capture her lips, before standing and offering his hand to her. She used to cringe at the thought of her parents doing anything remotely sexual, but all she could feel was love as she watched the smile spread across her father's as he helped her mother stand from the couch. She quickly turned and continued to the kitchen, not wanting them to know she was watching them in their private moment.
"Hey honey" Kate spoke to Jo as she entered the kitchen.
"Hi mom, have a nice sleep?" Jo smirked as she looked up at her mother who was now standing beside her.
"Careful young lady" Kate replied as she gently jabbed Jo's shoulder.
"Finally awake are we?" Alexis quipped as her dad stood beside her.
"Yes, is the food ready yet?" Rick asked.
"Yes, go take a seat, make sure Jim and Johanna are awake." Alexis told her father.
"Yes pumpkin" Rick replied as he glanced towards Kate and Jo, catching the smirk on Kate's face at been told what to do by his daughter.
"Jim? Foods ready" Rick shouted into the living room.
"We're coming" Jim replied as he entered the kitchen with Johanna.
Hope you like this chapter, any spellings, grammar or other mistakes are all my own, still need to find a better. Don't pick up on things when I check it myself. Review if you wish, they always push me to write more.
Amy.
