Cassandra was woken earlier than she'd like on a day off by the bed moving. Somehow, during the night, she'd ended up in her usual place sprawled across Jake's chest and she could hear his chest moving before she finally heard him laughing. She lifted her head blinking and two excited children were practically bouncing on the bed.

As tired as she was, she couldn't help but smile. These two children were as excited by their usual two gifts from Santa as she'd ever been about her dozens. And now she realized it was about the traditions and the joy than the gifts themselves.

But it was so early. She looked over at the clock, 7am. Jake chuckled, noticing her look.

"That's a whole hour later than last year! Maybe next year, we'll get to 8."

"C'mon, we wanna see what Santa brought!" Matt said impatiently.

Maggie was just as impatient as her brother but she did remember to say Merry Christmas.

"Okay, okay, but let your M-"And Jake stopped himself blinking, wow he was really tired.

"Let the adults get some coffee into them first." Cassandra finished for him. "Why don't you two go get your slippers on, okay? And then at least have juice while we have coffee. We'll be right there."

As soon as the kids scooted off, Jake was looking at her a little sheepish.

"You almost called me their mother?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Wow, I am not awake."

Cassandra smiled softly, "well in a few years, we'll have someone calling me mama. But the twins . . . Well, they have a mama. But if they ever wanted to call me mom or something, I wouldn't object. But I'm leaving that up to them. I can be Cassie to them for the rest of their lives if they wish."

Jake grinned but knew Cassandra didn't really expect a response. Instead, he kissed her forehead and then sighed. "We better get down there before they start shouting at us. I need coffee badly."

"Good thing I set the coffee maker for 6:30 last night then," Cassandra chuckled bouncing out of bed. "I was hoping so much for later but . . . ."

"Good call."

Soon, armed with coffee, the family went into the den. Matt and Maggie shrieked with delight when they saw their bikes. And if it hadn't been a rainy morning, they probably would have dropped all other thoughts of toys and went out riding them. But Maggie was excited by her doll nonetheless and Matt his action figures. Jake was glad that he knew his mother had bought them more because while Maggie loved her doll, she really seemed to want Star Wars toys too. Luckily Matt had gotten two in his set, so he promised to let her play one and even suggested that Elsa could play too.

"That's adorable," Cassandra said to Jake on the sofa.

Eve was hosting dinner this year so the gifts from her and from their grandparents would be exchanged then. Which left the remaining gifts those from Cassandra, himself and the twins.

"How about we open the stockings first, then we'll open the gifts?" Cassandra asked.

Maggie said, "oh I got Sparky a gift too! Daddy?"

"Right," Jake said getting up and going into his desk where he pulled out a little clear plastic stocking filled with cat toys.

As if being summoned, Sparky strolled into the room, looking a little spooked by the bikes. But Maggie distracted him with one of the balls from the gift and soon he was chasing the ball into the living room ahead of them.

The twins had very similar things in their stockings: a clementine, two old fashioned candy sticks, a candy cane, lip balm in their favorite flavors and mittens. Knowing that they'd be particularly excited about Star Wars this Christmas, Cassandra also got them themed pencils, bookmarks and a coloring book each.

The twins thanked her and gave her big hugs and then were excited about what was in the adults' stockings.

Cassandra asked Jake to go first. He had a candy cane and a chocolate orange, an adult coloring book with a pack of colored pencils and he had to laugh when he pulled out a pack of mini legal pads.

"You said you needed them!" Cassandra said.

Rounding out his stocking was the soundtrack from the new Star Wars movie.

"Okay, your turn, Cassie." Matt said, having been unsuccessful in his bid to trade his own orange for his father's chocolate.

Cassandra had chocolates, some of her favorite strawberry hard candies, bubble bath, Dr. Pepper lip balm (she'd told Jake once that it had been her favorite as a kid and she giggled when she saw it), warm fuzzy socks with cats on them and a cute little cat pin. Jake looked concerned though when she seemed to be finished.

"There's something else in there." He said.

"Okay, I thought . . ." But Cassandra fished around in the stocking and her fingers hit something cold in the toe of the stocking. Her eyes went wide for a moment, she hadn't been expecting a proposal now, not at all, could it be? But then as she grasped the object she realized while it was a ring, it didn't have a stone on it.

It was a pretty little ring, silver with a knot on it. She almost laughed realizing that she'd had a similar idea with the gift for her boyfriend. She smiled over at him. "It's so pretty , Jake."

The twins had gotten distracted looking over at their own gifts, having decided that Jake and Cassandra's were a little boring. So Jake crossed over to her and took the ring out of her hand. "It's a lover's knot. It's a promise to you from me and them. You have our hearts and they're bound with yours."

Cassandra bit back her tears as he slipped it on her left ring finger and then threw her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Merry Christmas darlin'."

Matt sighed behind them before they'd gotten very far in the kiss that followed. "Can we open the other gifts?"

The kids liked their gifts from Cassandra and were excited by the books from their father. The twins had bought Cassie a cactus that Matt informed her they'd named Fred. And Jake had already put on the bracelets the kids had bought him.

Then Cassandra handed him a small box from under the tree. She was a little nervous at the confused look on his face, but he opened it without saying anything.

Then he grinned when he saw the silver ring with the Celtic design. "Similar thoughts, sweetheart?"

She nodded. "It's not a lover's knot precisely, that's a different design. But I thought you'd like this one better. It's a trinity knot. These days it symbolizes the Holy Trinity, but it had an even older meaning. Anyway, I kinda think it fits us too, you, me, the children, a never ending knot. And I'm Irish, so I thought it was the perfect fit."

"I love it." Jake said, pausing to kiss her before putting it on his right hand. He had a feeling she'd sized it based on the ring he'd left on his nightstand and he wore a different size on the other hand.

"Alright, that just leaves your gift and then we can have some breakfast."

"Breakfast!" Matt cried from the sofa. "I'm starvin'!"

"Just a minute, geesh, you barely let us have coffee." His father rolled his eyes then handed Cassandra a long flat box.

The charm bracelet had four starter charms: a book, a cat, a castle and small disc that was stamped with 'I believe in you.' There was also a gift card inside the box.

"It was the gift with purchase, it should cover the price of one charm if you'd like to pick one out of your own."

Cassandra beamed. "Oh it's beautiful. I've seen them before and thought they were so lovely."

Jake smiled and brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. "I thought it would be a good start on our life together. We can add to it as the years pass by. A birthstone maybe in a couple of years, for example."

Cassandra blushed but just thanked him and then got up saying, "Alright, time to eat!"

"It's the happy elf!" Flynn had exclaimed when he opened his door later that day. Cassandra had gone all out for the holidays in a red dress over a red petticoat and green and white elf striped leggings, a gold bow necklace and a matching one in her hair. She had added Jake's charm bracelet on her wrist and his ring on her finger. Even Matt who tended not to notice clothes had been delighted by Cassandra's outfit and asked if they could all dress up next year, like Halloween.

"Maybe not quite that much," had been his father's answer.

Everyone was in good cheer and Jake had been glad he had that long talk with his dad at Thanksgiving. That lingering tension that had always been there on the family occasions (despite Bill's love for his grandchildren and both of their attempts to push it aside for the holiday) was completely absent. Which made everyone else seem even happier. Cassandra also had managed to only endure a five minute phone call with her mother this morning as her mother was visiting relatives in Florida and the line wasn't free. She knew that soon she was going to have to face her mother, but for now, what she wanted to concentrate on was her new family.

Dinner had been delicious and presents had been exchanged. Now it was time for their traditional movie marathon. Cassandra had found out that the Stones tended to watch well loved classics because the kids would play and the adults would talk and it was easier. They were going to start with The Wizard of Oz and then White Christmas and maybe Singin' in the Rain if anyone was still interested after that.

Halfway through The Wizard of Oz, Cassandra headed to the kitchen for coffee. Eve walked in as Cassandra covered her mouth trying to hide a yawn.

Eve chuckled as she watched Cassandra pour a cup. "When did they get you up this morning?"

"7," Cassandra groaned.

"Well that's an hour later than last year."

"That's what Jake said. I don't know how I should take that. But they were so excited. Despite . . . ." Cassandra shook her head at herself. She'd made her peace with Jake's parenting style, knowing that their kids too would have the same Christmas traditions.

"Only 2 gifts?" Eve said knowingly. "We were always so excited over them ourselves. I didn't even know other kids got anything different until I was probably 10. Poor little Jakey . . .when he was 7 he came home crying from school after break. Someone had told him that Santa hadn't gotten him much because we were poor."

"Kids can be mean," Cassandra said softly.

"And Jake was a sensitive soul," Eve sighed. "Which is why he was so different as a teen. I wish I'd protected him better, you know? He had to fight his own battles and so he decided to be a jock and pretend he wasn't who he really was. If it hadn't been for Mabel . . . ."

Cassandra nodded. Jake had eventually told her the whole story of his teen years and how he'd only embraced who he was because of first his attempts to impress May and then later because of his love for her.

"Anyway, after that happened, our parents sat us down and told us about Christmas and why we celebrated it the way we did. I mean Mary had already stopped believing by then and I was on the verge myself. But both of us kept the secret for our little brother's sake. And it was so beautiful what they said . . . .Well, Mary and Jake raise their own kids that way. "

"I know. And it is beautiful, your family and your traditions and all the love. It's just my family wasn't at all like that." Cassandra bit her lip. "Though I have to admit, I'd rather have my children bouncing on my bed at 7am excited over one gift and all the love that came with it, then to have them experience even a moment of my childhood, even with all of the presents."

"I'm sorry, Cassandra." Eve said softly. "Even when Dad and Jake weren't seeing eye to eye . . .well what we Stones have a lot of is love. Jake told me once that your mother isn't exactly um . . . ."

"Mother of the year?"

Eve nodded.

"All I can do is rise above it. And your brother . . .well you and he and your family, you give me an example to follow with the little ones that will come into my life. And all I can do is my best."

"All any of us can do." Eve looked over at her and decided that a change in subject was due. "Can I see your bracelet? Jake told me he bought you one, but not what charms he got."

Cassandra nodded eagerly and held out her wrist. "Isn't it darling? I love the castle. And I have a card to pick out a charm of my choice too. And," Cassandra chuckled. "We both basically got each other promise rings."

"I knew he got you one and I saw his too. You weren't expecting a proposal?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No, not yet. It's way too early. And we had a rocky patch recently too. We have stuff to figure out still. But we will. There's no rush. When we get married, it'll be for keeps and I want us to be completely on the same page."

"I thought you'd say that." Eve started to say something else but Flynn poked his head in the kitchen.

"Are you coming back? We miss you."

Both women laughed and joined the men in the living room.

That night, Cassandra and Jake tucked two exhausted children into bed, both of them falling asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

"You know," Cassandra said, her voice apologetic. "I had an idea tonight that involved this red lingerie and mistletoe, but honey, I'm exhausted. I'm sorry."

Jake laughed and put his arms around her. "How about I take a rain check on that lingerie? Mama has the kids for New Year's Eve and I have you allll night to myself. As for the mistletoe, where is it?"

Cassandra pointed to the ceiling above the bed, so Jake steered them toward it, both of them landing on the bed in a fit of giggles. They kissed briefly and then snuggled up together.

"We're still in our regular clothes," Cassandra said.

"Yeah, but I'm too comfortable to move right now. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet for a while."

Cassandra laughed. "I do love your Christmases, but yes, peace and quiet, blessed peace and quiet."

"Merry Christmas, Cassandra."

"Merry Christmas, Jake."

And if they fell asleep fully clothed, curled up in the middle of the bed, well that's what happens when twins wake up at seven in the morning.