A/N: I initially started this chapter in October, but in between me starting this and actually posting it I started at a full-time job, had to start at square one of my thesis, and had other obligations to attend to. As a result, I completely forgot what this chapter was supposed to be about, and it sort of became a filler chapter while I attempt to get my act together (so I'm afraid it's rather lame!). When I first began this, I was very excited and had a clear path for where I wanted this to go. However, as you can tell from this chapter alone, I have obviously been riding the hot mess express. I've had a rough game plan for each chapter (I was estimating this being around twenty in all), but I may be doing some restructuring, which is why I currently have this being at a hiatus. Despite the fact that my winter break has basically started, the progression for the rest of this story will probably be slow (which makes me sad because I have some more ideas for multi-chapter fics, but I don't want to start them until this is complete). Also—in Sailing Ships I briefly alluded to the situation introduced in this chapter, but had it happening years before this. Because I really wanted to write this, I decided to let that discrepancy exist between the two stories.

-o-o-o-

"I'm not a gamblin' man, but I think I'm actually willin' to put money down on Jack and Louise causing havoc at Christmas this year." Atticus said jokingly over breakfast one morning in December. There was only two weeks left until Christmas, and both the Finch and the Graham families decided that it would be best to celebrate together. Usually Jean and Atticus would spend Christmas Eve at home, go to Alexandra's on Christmas Day, and then spend a week in Montgomery. However, due to the fact that Atticus was going to have to go back to work the day after Christmas, Jean's family decided that they would come to Maycomb in order to get the same amount of time with them. Which meant that the Finch's and Graham's would all be under one roof for the most stressful holiday of the year.

"You're only sayin' that because the odds are stacked perfectly in your favor." Jean replied matter-of-factly as she attempted to get Jeremy to sit still in his chair. At two years old, Jeremy now refused to eat unless he was allowed to sit in a regular chair like his parents. Jean secretly couldn't wait to see the grief Alexandra would go through over this come Christmas.

"I wonder what they'll do this time," Atticus said, sounding highly amused as he glanced at the morning paper.

"I'm not sure anything can top Louise punchin' him at our wedding reception, sweet." Jean responded as she smiled to herself. It had been a highly amusing occasion.

"Although the time the two of them attempted to spike your mother's punch bowl the last time we all tried to have Christmas together comes in a very close second." Atticus pointed out, and Jean could detect him smirking from behind his paper.

"I can only imagine what they'll do this year," Jean responded as she gave up and hoisted Jeremy on her knee. He was slightly over two years old, but to Jean he was so big. "If my mother and your sister are successful, the two of them won't even see each other that night."

"Well, here's to hoping that doesn't happen." Atticus responded seriously. "I think that might be one of the most enjoyable things of the holiday."

Jean merely smiled at him as she smoothed down Jeremy's light curls. Part of her couldn't help but to feel badly for Atticus. It had been nearly two months since his ulcers began bleeding, and although he only spent two (quick) weeks home resting, it set him back terribly at the office. It didn't help him any that Doctor Reynolds prohibited Atticus from working late nights, saying that he would overexert himself and make his ulcers worse if he continued to work himself too hard. So, Atticus still remained behind on his tasks come December.

Jean helped him as much as she could through accompanying him to the office and assisting him with some of the more mundane daily tasks that always needed to be done. She filed paperwork from previous cases, answered his phone, and even assisted his clients if it meant that Atticus could get more work done in the privacy of his office. As far as Jean could tell it alleviated some of his stress, but she knew that he still felt as though there was more he could be doing. Jean gave him as much encouragement as she could, letting him know that he was doing extraordinarily well given the pressures he was facing, but Atticus Finch set extremely high standards for himself and always had it in the back of his mind that he could do more.

"It'll be nice for you to have some time off," Jean said as she observed Jeremy playing with a napkin. It took her a few moments to realize that he was actually mimicking the way Atticus was reading the paper. "You surely deserve it, sweet."

"I suppose so," he responded, not looking away from his paper. "I'm quite sorry you won't be able to go to Montgomery this year."

"Oh, hush. You know I'm not missin' much there, we go plenty." She responded truthfully. In all honesty, she found herself slightly relieved that they wouldn't be going this year.

"I know, but it's tradition." If there was one thing Atticus Finch thrived on, it was consistency. Jean couldn't help but to think that his world was slightly turned upside down from the events of this past year.

"Well, we've seen a lot of change so I reckon it's natural for our traditions to change." She responded. She couldn't help but to laugh when Jeremy rested his elbow on the table in the same exact fashion as his father, causing Atticus to look up. "It seems as if you've got a little clone," she added, nodding towards Jeremy. Atticus looked at the boy and chuckled to himself.

"Come here," Atticus said to Jeremy, causing him to quickly slide off of his mother's lap and come hurdling towards his father. Atticus lifted Jeremy onto his lap and continued to read the paper as Jeremy ran his finger across the words, pretending to read what was in front of him.

"You seem apprehensive, Mr. Finch." Jean stated teasingly.

"I'm perfectly normal." He responded.

"I recall you tellin' me that a few months ago and then you wound up in bed for two weeks with bleedin' ulcers." Jean retorted, crossing her arms. Slowly, Atticus looked up from his paper.

"You'll hold that against me for as long as I live, won't you?"

Jean smirked at him. "What's the matter?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Your coffee's gettin' cold."

"You're always tellin' me not to drink coffee, sweet," she winked, taking a sip of the tepid liquid. "You'd prefer it if it were spoiled. Is there somethin' botherin' you?"

"Nope," he replied, looking back at his paper.

"Nope," Jeremy mimicked, also looking at the paper. Jean noticed a hint of a smile on Atticus' face.

"I don't believe you," she responded, observing him and Jeremy.

"I think that may be a personal problem," he teased.

"Are you worried about something?" She asked, resting her elbows on the table.

"I assure you I'm not."

"Are you certain?"

"I'm quite in tune with my own feelings."

"Are you agitated by something?"

"I'm feeling quite content."

"Are you not lookin' forward to Christmas?"

"Mama, stop." Jeremy said seriously, looking up from the paper. His hazel eyes, his father's eyes, shone at her as a mischievous smile graced his face. Jean couldn't help but to laugh at him.

"I agree with him," Atticus smirked, patting Jeremy's head.

"You didn't answer my question,"

"There's nothin' you should worry about." He smiled. "I've got everything handled."

Jean crossed her arms. "Got everything handled?" She asked, scowling ever so slightly. "What's that mean?"

Atticus quickly opened his mouth, then shut it, causing Jean to grow more concerned. This wasn't like him, her husband always told her everything without being so darn cryptic about it. Was he sick? Was something going wrong with one of his cases? "Atticus," she began, watching as he turned his attention to carefully folding his newspaper, shrugging as he did so.

"I reckon I don't like change much," he chuckled to himself, finally bringing his attention back to her. Despite the fact that he was smiling at her, she couldn't bring herself to smile back. "You shouldn't mind me, I'm just an old-fashioned old man, I guess." He added, smirking at her.

"Sweet, if this is about Christmas, we have more traditions that just goin' to Montgomery—"

"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?" He interjected, finally causing her to smile at him.

"Why, you sound like a youngin'," she teased. "That's exactly what I asked Emmett before I fooled him into kissin' me for the first time when I was twelve." She added, smirking as a scowl formed on his face.

"It escapes me how funny you are, sometimes." He replied, shaking his head.

"Just tell me," she smirked, quickly downing the rest of her cold coffee despite the fact that it now tasted horrid. Atticus smirked as she grimaced, a silent "I told you so" that caused Jean to roll her eyes at him.

"My sister called me yesterday," he began as he watched Jeremy quickly destroy the newspaper in what seemed to be three swift movements. The boy erupted into a fit of giggles as some pages of the paper fell to the floor, causing both of his parents to smile.

"Alexandra?"

"No, Caroline."

"Alright," Jean said, nodding. Caroline was known to call every once in a while to check in on them, making Jean wonder why this call had Atticus feeling strangely.

"She needs some help," Atticus explained. "She wants to get a divorce."

Jean wasn't sure what she had expected Atticus to say, but it certainly wasn't that. When Jean first met her sister-in-law, she and Joe seemed to be happily married for what seemed to be an eternity. She certainly never thought that a day would come when the two of them wouldn't be together. Atticus had a soft spot for his youngest sister, so she could hardly be surprised that he was so apprehensive about it. Atticus had once mentioned to Jean that when his mother died, his father had fallen into a deep depression of sorts, and alienated himself from his children as they grew up. Consequentially, Atticus had taken on a sort of a fatherly role for his siblings, something that Caroline especially seemed to cherish.

"That's…a shock," Jean said, furrowing her brow. "I wasn't expectin' that."

"I think he did somethin' to her," he said quickly as he nervously bounced Jeremy on his knee. "Why else would she want this? He'd have to have done something to her."

"Did she say?" Jean asked, her mind suddenly drifting to Big Simon. She always had such a high regard for Joe and his marriage to Caroline, and couldn't help but to wonder if Atticus' suspicions were true.

"No," he replied solemnly. "She called me and said she wanted a divorce and needed my help."

"Your help with what, sweet?"

The look on Atticus' face hardened. "She wants me to file the divorce for her."

"Is that why you're apprehensive?"

"What should I do?" He asked, and though his voice was still as firm and strong as it usually was, she could detect a hint of anxiety in her husband's eyes. "The only reason Joe agreed to come to the Landing for Christmas is so that I can file the papers the very next day."

Unlike more conventional marriages, it wasn't rare for Atticus to seek his wife's help and advice. He trusted her with every aspect of his life, whether it be a case he was working on or an issue with the family. He was consistently honest with her, and seemed to truly appreciate what she had to say. Jean knew that if left to his own devices, he'd be certainly fine making his own informed decisions, but she couldn't help but to know that she was quite valuable to him. He let her know that.

"Baby, you help her." She said, trying to see if anything in his expression changed. "Pretend it's a couple from town, and do what you usually do in these situations. Mediate, and if you aren't able to salvage their marriage, you do what they've asked you to do."

"But it's Caroline," he said.

"That's why it's important you help her, sweet." She replied, giving him a small smile. "By doing this, you're alleviating any discomfort she has in her life right now."

"What if he's done something awful to her?"

Jean grasped his free hand and squeezed it. "You've heard stories of many people doing awful things, and you've always been good at being professional about everything. You listen to what they have to say and you do your job as a lawyer first and foremost." She told him.

"What if I lose my temper?" He asked seriously.

She couldn't help but to laugh, and she found that it was very difficult for him to hide the look of shock on his face, especially as Jeremy broke his silence and laughed alongside his mama. "Oh, forgive me, sweet." She said, her smile growing. "But are we talkin' about the same Atticus Finch here? You're by and far the most benevolent man I know. I'm one hundred percent sure you'll find a way to control your wild self." She added with a wink.

"I suppose you're right," he told her, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile at her (according to him, smiling as she teased him was close to admitting defeat). Triumphantly, she smiled back at him. "It is my obligation as both a brother and a lawyer to help Caroline."

"Once you get it over with I can assure you that many people will feel much better, including yourself." She promised, reaching across the table and collecting Jeremy in her arms again. "And if Joe has done something terrible, I'm sure Louise would love to assist me in throwin' eggs at that beloved car of his." At the sound of Louise's name, Jeremy began to clap his hands against the table.

Atticus smirked. "Zandra's bound to be thrilled." He said.

"Aunty!" Jeremy screeched, scowling. Jean couldn't help but to think that she was raising her son right.

Jean rolled her eyes. "You can't please everybody," she simply replied. "Especially her."

Atticus rose from the table and kissed Jean's temple. "As helpful as you are, Mrs. Finch," he said jokingly. "You're still quite the rascal."