I do not own any of the TWD characters.
Holiday Happenings
Maggie and Shawn Michael showed up at the farm around supper time, making a stop at Rick's house first. It was hard to drive past there without wanting to stop because the yard and driveway were full of service and delivery trucks. Maggie was just nosy enough to want to know exactly what was going on. Not to mention that Glen's car was there and she had certainly missed her husband – he'd been away from them since the day before.
"Shawn Michael" Maggie spoke up and looked at her little boy in the rearview mirror. "Wanta stop and see Daddy?"
The little boy's face lit up instantly. "Daddy daddy daddy" he began chanting. Maggie pulled her SUV into the side of the yard and along the main driveway as there really wasn't anywhere else to park. Maggie pulled her son from his car seat and he wrapped his little arms around her neck.
"Oh, Shawn Michael. I see PopPop walking down from his house" Maggie told the boy.
"PopPop PopPop PopPop" became the new chant.
Maggie and Shawn Michael waited in Rick's driveway for Hershel to get there. "Well, there's my big boy" Hershel took a knee and allowed his grandson to climb up into his arms. Hershel nuzzled the boy and tickled him with his beard.
"I'm gonna run in and look at the house" Maggie told her dad. "Have they got much done this week?"
Hershel smiled. "I'd say" He told her. "Laying carpeting in the bedrooms right now. They'll start on the hardwood flooring next – should be move in ready right after Christmas."
Maggie looked surprised. "Well, Daddy" she said "they're not gonna work through the weekend are they? It's a holiday weekend to boot."
"Beth told them the holiday is not until Sunday and Monday" Hershel laughed. "Told em she'd pay em double if they got it done by tomorrow night."
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "She'd pay em double?"
"More like Rick would pay em double" Hershel snorted. "Not sure if he's aware of that yet or not, but" Hershel trailed off. "Shawn Michael? Wanta go in and see what's goin on?" Hershel asked his grandson.
The little boy nodded his head up and down. "Alright, we ain't stayin long though. Beth said for everybody to stay out of the way and let them people do what they're gettin paid to do."
Maggie chuckled at that. She knew her little sister though. Maggie knew that if Beth wanted all of the flooring finished by tomorrow night, then by damn, it would get done.
"Sides" Hershel started talking again. "I believe there's something up at the house you're gonna wanta see." Hershel carried his grandson into the house where Glen stopped what he was doing to love on his boy a little bit. Rick took a few minutes to make a fuss over his cars and trucks buddy too.
"Shawn Michael" Rick called out to him from down the hallway. "I've got something for you." Shawn Michael jumped down out of Glen's arms and took off for Rick.
"What is it? What is it?" the little boy asked.
Rick reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a brand new matchbox car. "It's a 2009 Dodge Challenger. You'll have to hide it from your Daddy. He's been beggin to play with it" Rick laughed.
Shawn Michael looked at the red car still in the package.
"Shawn Michael, what do ya tell Rick?" Hershel prompted.
"Thank you Rick" the little boy politely said. He was trying to figure out how he could get that package open and start playing with the car. Hershel then told the little boy to tell everyone goodbye and he took him back up to the house for some supper and to meet Levi, the newest member of the family. Before walking out the back door, Hershel told Rick that Annette and Beth would bring down supper for everybody in about thirty minutes or so.
"Hey you" Maggie told Glen as they snuggled in the corner of one of the bedrooms.
"Hey" he said and kissed her.
"You're awfully sweaty" she told him. "And smelly" Maggie wrinkled her nose.
"We been working like crazy to try and get this done. Carpet's all down – they've already started on the hardwood in the living room."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Maggie asked.
"I don't know" Glen told her. "We'll check with Rick in a minute. Think after we eat we're going to unload the moving van."
Annette and Beth showed up with supper just as promised – homemade sloppy joes, baked beans, potato chips, and warm brownies from the oven. The guys ate like they were starving and they very well could have been – they'd been there all day long, stopping only for restroom and water breaks and only if Beth wasn't around to see them "slacking off' as she called it.
Annette went on back up to the house to play with her grandson and to keep an eye on the puppy. Hershel promised that he would help but she was fairly certain that he was more than likely already passed out in the recliner. Luckily, Shawn Michael always went down early and he was plenty tired from all the excitement. Beth had also told her nephew that he could sleep with Levi. Maggie and Beth put on their work clothes and made their way back down to Rick's house. Rick and Glen began unloading the UHaul while the sisters unpacked boxes, put things away, and told the guys where to set up furniture. The other men in the house just kept right on installing the flooring.
Way into the wee hours of the morning, the four of them finally decided to sleep for a while. The workers had left around midnight – their job being almost complete. Rick and Beth collapsed in the master bedroom while Glen and Maggie crashed in the smallest bedroom. Rick was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. He had not been sleeping well for weeks - really ever since Beth had left campus. That combined with the fact that he been going nonstop for the past forty eight hours or so made for an exhausted Rick.
The four of them drug up to the house in the morning. Annette had called Beth to see if they were all okay and to let them know that breakfast was ready and waiting for them. Also, Shawn Michael was anxious to see his Momma and Daddy and Beth was anxious to see Levi. Once they all got settled around the kitchen table Hershel asked the blessing and then the questions got underway.
"Well, what's the status of the house?" Hershel wanted to know.
"Everything's ready" Rick reported. "They're coming back at ten this mornin to put on the first coat of sealant on the wood. So, after breakfast, I'll run down and get my clothes – gonna have to stay here for probably at least five days. They'll put the first coat on, it'll dry for forty-eight hours. They'll come back after Christmas and do the second coat."
"We got all the furniture moved into the bedrooms – everything else is in the garage" Glen told everyone. "Maggie and I are gonna return the UHaul after breakfast."
"I'm gonna play with Levi today" Beth figured while everyone was telling what they were going to do she'd share as well.
"Me too!" Shawn Michael chimed in. "Momma, can I have a puppy?"
"No" Maggie answered and kept right on eating.
"Awww, Maggie" Rick said. "Every little boy needs a"
Maggie cut him off mid-sentence with a look that would curl your toenails. Rick and Glen snickered under their breath.
"Have ya talked to Carl?" Annette wanted to know. She was hoping to prevent an altercation between Maggie and Rick.
Rick nodded as he took a big swig of coffee. "Last night right after supper – gonna pick him up Tuesday mornin."
"Oh good" Annette smile. "It'll make me so happy to have everyone home." Rick smiled at the thought of Annette already considering him and Carl to be family. "Now, will we have Carl for Christmas next year?" she asked.
"Momma" Beth said.
"What?" Annette said. "Just wonderin."
"Yes, Ms. Annette" Rick told her. "We get Carl every other Christmas. But that means he won't be with us for Thanksgiving."
"Oh" Annette said, a little bit sadly.
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Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came and went. There was much excitement with a toddler and puppy in the house, not to mention Maggie and Beth. The two of them combined were just as wild as the little boy and Levi. It took longer to clean up all the wrapping paper, boxes, and bags than it did to open everything. They ate like kings and queens all day long. They played card games, watched movies, and stayed up till all hours of the night. They slept in late and took naps whenever they wanted. Maggie and Glen sure dreaded having to go back to work and get back into the real world. They were also disappointed that they wouldn't get to see Carl this go round. As Glen, Maggie, and Shawn Michael were pulling out of the drive to head back home to Atlanta, Rick, Beth, and Levi were going to be driving in the other direction to go pick up Carl.
Beth was a bit nervous about venturing into Lori's territory, but Rick assured her that she had nothing to worry about. Lori was just relieved that she didn't have to do any driving today. Rick was more worried about whether or not Levi was going to behave for the entire ride. They were fifteen minutes down the road when the puppy started to get restless, but Beth seemed to have cast a magic spell on him as she rubbed behind his ears and sang to him. The next thing Rick knew, the dog had grown still and quiet. He glanced over to see Levi sacked out flat on his back being cradled by Beth as if he were an infant.
An hour later, Rick pulled into the black topped drive in front of the Walsh home. Beth looked nervously at Rick. Rick rubbed Beth's chin and pulled her in for a kiss. The puppy roused.
"I bet he needs to potty" Beth said. "Ya think they'll mind if I let Levi use their yard."
"I don't know, but I'd love for him to" Rick laughed out loud.
"Rick" Beth said. "That's not nice."
They all got out of the truck, Beth took Levi to a corner of the yard and Rick made his way up the sidewalk. Lori answered the door.
"Hey Rick" she smiled. "You by yourself?" Lori looked around outside. "I though Beth was coming with you."
"Oh, she did" Rick answered. "She'll be just a sec."
As if on cue, Beth rounded the corner with the puppy under her arm. Lori's eyes lit up when she saw Beth and the puppy. "Shane" she yelled behind her "Ya gotta come see what Beth's got." Lori reached out for the dog and Beth parted with her pet temporarily. "Oh my gosh, he's so cute." Lori held Levi up and looked at his undercarriage. "It is a boy, right?"
"Yeh" Beth giggled. "His name is Levi."
Shane came into the living room to see what Lori was carrying on about it. Judith was tagging along behind her daddy. Shane's eyes lit up about the time Judith let out a squeal. Shane Walsh loved a dog better than anybody. He and Lori had had a chocolate lab at one time, Ruger. Poor Ruger had gotten so old and feeble, they had to put him down a year or so ago. Neither he nor Lori had been quite ready to get a new animal since. "Can I?" Shane asked Beth as he was prying the puppy out of Lori's hands. Judith wanted to pet him too.
Carl came in with a bag and backpack. "What did ya think 'bout the puppy Beth?" Carl asked smiling.
"He's so sweet" she told Carl. "Did you know about it?"
Carl nodded and smiled. "I knew you'd love him" Carl said. "Judith, tell Shane you need a puppy." Carl scruffed the top of Judith's head, messing her hair up. The girl didn't appear to be bothered by Carl's teasing.
"Daddy said we might get a new dog soon" Judith reported. Then, Judith looked to Beth and whispered "I think he's ready to move on from Ruger now." Beth nodded like she understood completely.
"Did you have a nice Christmas Judith?" Beth asked the little girl.
"Yep" she smiled. "Daddy said I wasn't gettin nothing but a lump of coal and some switches."
Beth laughed out loud at that and Rick rolled his eyes. "But I knew he's just full of crap" Judith stated.
That caused both Rick and Beth to laugh.
"Judith Louise" Lori snapped.
"What?" Judith asked innocently. "You say it all the time. Sides, he is."
Carl stepped outside to go put his things into the truck.
"Ya doing okay Rick?" Lori asked. "Ya know, since, well, since leaving the university?"
Rick looked to the floor. "Yeh, actually, I'm real good" he said. "I've got some things in the works and Beth's already registered for classes at the community college." Shane had made no attempt to enter into the conversation. He, Beth, and Judith were busy playing with the puppy. Carl came back into the house.
"I'm ready whenever ya'll are" Carl said.
"Oh, Lori" Beth said. "I hate to ask, but might I use your restroom?"
"Well, of course you can" Lori told her. "Carl show her where it is. Does the puppy need a drink before ya'll leave?"
Shane took that as his cue to get Levi some water in the kitchen. Rick and Carl went on out to the truck. They waited only a few minutes for Beth to return with the puppy and they were on their way back to the farm.