"We just really need the beds up then the kitchen situated." Marcy stated as she and her siblings put up her and Mal's bed. They had light hardwood floors but a large patch of carpet went under the bed.
"Are you sure?" Mike asked.
"Yes. It's getting late. We still need to eat."
"She's right." Laura huffed. "Are we making the beds?"
"We should probably wait until the rooms are done that way we can take baths and really enjoy it."
Marc grinned. "Freak."
Marcy stuck out her tongue and danced.
"Super freak!"
"Super freaky!" She sang.
The others excluding Quinn laughed.
"Come on. Let's do you guys' bed then yours." Marcy inclined her head at the Trio then Laura and Marc.
They all traveled to the largest room and put up the bed in their carpeted room before going to the last room and putting their bed up.
"So kitchen?" Mike asked excitedly.
"We have very little food. Why are you so happy?" Marcy was amused.
He pouted. "I'm not happy."
"You're unhappy?"
He tossed out a petulant look.
She smiled. "I'll leave you alone."
"That's all I ask."
She debated messing with him then decided against it. "Come on. We have to order food."
"Where are we even going to order from?" Mercedes posed. "It's Christmas Eve eve."
"Shouldn't we get ready to go anyway?" Quinn groused.
"Where the hell you tryin to go?" Marcy was exasperated.
"We leave for Christmas every year." Quinn crossed her arms.
Marcy opened her mouth but Laura shook her head. "I'm tired of you."
"I didn't even do anything." Quinn stomped a foot.
"I'm talking to Laura but you're a close second."
"Ha! Ha!" Mal laughed.
Quinn hit him. "Shut up!"
"Guys, stop fighting." Laura sighed heavily. "Let's clean the kitchen."
ATU
"I've got to talk to you guys." Laura waited until they'd finished dinner to speak up.
"Oh no!" Quinn covered her ears.
"But I like my room." Maddie sulked. "I don't want to move again."
"We're not moving, sweetie." Laura patted her hand. "It's about Christmas."
"Will Santa not find us because we moved?"
"I'm sure that Santa can find you anywhere on planet Earth, Mad. Let Laura talk." Marcy waved a hand at Laura, urging her to speak.
Laura took a deep breath. "We're not going on vacation."
"What?! Why?!" The others demanded.
"I thought we were going to Norway?" Mike went on.
"Were we bad?" Mercedes continued.
Laura tried to tell her "no" but Quinn spoke over her. "Are we kicked out of the family all of a sudden?!"
Marc put a hand on her arm. "Was Christmas canceled?"
Maddie started crying. "Who canceled Christmas?!"
Mal whistled sharply. Marcy glared at all of them. "Shut up!"
"Any follow up?" Marc asked when that was all she said.
"You talk so much and so loud, I can't hear myself think! Damn!"
"Why are you always on her side? Every time she says something, you're always on her side!" Quinn griped.
"I'm about to smack the blonde off you…"
"Marc?!"
"Marce." Marc gave her a look before frowning. "Did you know about this beforehand?"
"What?" Marcy was confused. "Not going to Norway? Yes."
"For how long?"
"What day is it?"
"Laura!"
Quinn smiled smugly, happy that someone else was upset with Laura, too. "Ha!"
Laura smacked her lips. "Yes, I decided this days ago!"
Marc puffed up in anger before just letting it go. "We should go to bed."
"What?! No!" Quinn didn't want him to let go of it that quickly.
"I don't want to go to bed either!" Maddie decided.
Marcy groaned. "Take your ass to bed."
"Laura! Marcy cussed!"
"I'm close to beating you, too…"
Maddie clutched at Laura. "Laura! She's trying to hurt me!"
"It won't be a try."
Maddie started crying again.
"Marcy, be nice. Maddie, stop crying." Laura looked at the others in total exhaustion. "Marc's right. We need sleep. We'll finish tomorrow."
The others shuffled out but Laura stayed behind to clean up. Marc stayed with her. When she finished, she turned to him with crossed arms. "Are you going to yell at me?"
"No." He watched her.
"Well I'm going to bed then."
"Okay." Nobody moved. "I thought you were going to bed?"
"I am." She lifted her chin and walked out.
He turned the lights out and followed her. They made it to their room and began going through their nighttime routine.
Leaving the bathroom light on, they got on the bed. He stretched out next to her. "Are you cold?"
"No." Actually she was but they usually kept the heat down for Marcy, who usually ran hot. She would die before she told him she was cold though.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She waited but he didn't say anything. "Really?! I know you want to yell at me over this! Just get it over with!"
"Why would I yell at you?" He asked instead.
"I ruined Christmas!"
"That's what you think? I'm angry about missing Christmas vacation with my family? I'm seventeen; I barely want to see you."
She turned in his arms.
"I'm hurt that you decided something yet again and didn't tell us. Didn't tell me. We're a team. I'm right here with you."
"Are you really jealous that I confided in Marcy and not you?"
"I'm not jealous." He blushed.
She raised a brow.
"I'm not! I just think I should be let in on some of these powwows you two are having. I have to take care of them, too. And Marcy is a kid. She shouldn't be worried about anything but school and making sure she's being nice enough to Jr."
"You think I'm putting too much on her?" She worried her lip.
"She has good ideas and she's reliable but maybe don't lean on her so much? She's been through so much already."
"I don't know how to help her through that." That killed Laura.
"I know what you mean. She's my little sister and I didn't protect her from the world."
"You had no way of knowing."
"Doesn't stop the guilt. She had to be so scared."
She began crying.
He wiped her tears. "Don't cry."
"How could people hurt her? She's a baby."
"I don't know." He admitted. "I look at them and I think of how I just want to kill anyone that hurts them and I can't do anything about this. But Grandfather and Granddad will. They'll get those men and maybe she'll sleep better at night? So don't cry. We'll get better."
She kissed him.
"Are you sure? You're sad."
"I've been sad. But with you, it's not so much."
So he kissed her back.
ATU
Marcy woke up in a sweat. She popped up and brushed flyaway curls away from her face. Her heart was racing so she tried to take deep breaths.
When she was calm, she looked at Mal. He was sleep singing away. She smirked. It was so annoying, it was cute.
She laid back down and tried to ignore the cold wetness of the sweat. She was going to have to spray the mattress… But it didn't matter because she was determined to get their work done that day.
She could get started now. Have less to do later.
So she got up.
She went to push a heavy sitting chair over to a bookcase then went to her purse for a flashlight. She found the light and started looking for books, specifically the "A"'s.
She found them and went through them to see which went first then stood on the chair to start stacking the books in order. She worked quickly and silently.
By the time she was on her fourth bookcase, her nightmare was not on her mind.
"Marce?"
Marcy stilled before turning to the bed. "Go back to sleep."
"What are you doing?" Mal yawned.
"Why are you up?"
He gave her a half lidded look. "I miss you. Come back to bed."
"No. I'm busy."
"Marce." There went the look again.
"Will you stop looking at me like I'm your dog that's digging up your yard looking for a tennis ball you have in your hand?"
"That's weirdly specific."
She said nothing.
"Please just come to bed. I want to-…" He was going to say hold her but knew that wasn't the right response at the moment. "Go to sleep. I can't if you're not close."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She got up from the floor and came to the bed. "I was nearly done anyway."
He lifted his head and saw the bookcases that were empty. "Yeah."
"Hey! I got more than half of them filled!" She climbed into bed and crawled to lie next to him.
"I said yeah." He kept his tone mild.
"You get on my nerves."
He pouted. "Can I get a kiss?"
"I don't like you like that." She pressed a light kiss to his lips.
He smiled. "Night, Marce."
"Night, Mal."