Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Today I'll be double updating for you guys again so enjoy!

The Gift of a Name

December 22, 2014

I had a whirl wind of things to do, some of them with Jon. There was that Tribute to the Troops that happened and I was there through most of the things going on. The kids loved me, pictures and brownies were served for some of the festivities that I had gone to. And what was more, Jon. He had been there for me and I could never tell him how grateful I was for everything.

Could it really be nearing time for Christmas? And something was going on. The family had apparently started doing a lot of stuff in the mean time of me helping with this Tribute to the Troops stuff.

I first noticed it when I was wrapping some gifts on the twenty second of December. I had several things for Tera that I wanted to wrap before she came over. I holed up in the front room because climbing up the stairs was only getting harder. And Spencer was getting bigger. When Jon wasn't working it was like he couldn't ever leave me. But this day, he had gone missing, with Joe, Tera, even Jess. I had tried to get a hold of Sandy but she wasn't picking up the phone.

Just then the front door nearly burst open and in comes a walking Christmas tree. I turned in time to see Matt there, struggling to get the tree in. Following him was Summer, as big as ever and her boyfriend.

"Scott?"

Scott, as in Scott Adams, the kid that always hung out with Joe on the football team?

"Oh, yeah, that's right. You both used to hang out together." Summer smiled rubbing her stomach as she sat on the couch next to me.

"He's the father?" Okay, that sounded rude on my behalf.

"We connected after you left." She said as she watched Scott help Matt with the stand.

"Isn't it funny when you loose someone you find another person there?" Matt asked looking at us before manhandling the tree into the tree stand.

Ma and Sika weren't there. They said they were doing last minute Christmas shopping or something like that. It had been just me in the house that day, Jon had left before I even woke up and who knows what he was doing. So to have Matt, Summer and Scott at the house was like something to look forward to.

"So, who needs a little Christmas?" Matt asked.

"I love that song. Glee played it." Summer said.

"Scott, help me with the Christmas ornaments." My brother said.

While the men went off to the basement, I went back to my wrapping.

"So, how was it? Your time with the guys doing the Tribute to the Troops thing?"

"I was never really on camera, but the kids loved getting books from me. It was a lot of action and I was more than happy to be home. But now that Jon and Joe were given time off from work, Colby I understand he has work to do, but now…." I motioned around. "No one is here. They have been doing something and I want to know what it is."

She smiled lightly before changing the subject. "You know one of the things that I remembered as a little girl, when all of us were around six to ten years old?"

"What?"

"Popcorn garland, we'd pop it, string it and put it on the tree. Then we'd sneak bites in here and there." She tried to get off the couch but her stomach was giving her issues.

I scooted off easily, but it would be soon where I would be in Summer's shoes. "Don't worry, I got you, Sis." I said as I came to stand in front of her and offered her my hands. "Come on."

Summer was a beautiful woman. She still looked very much like the little girl I had seen back twelve years ago. But she was an adult version of herself.

"Pregnant women are not supposed to be lifting heavy things." She told me.

I laughed. "I know but I need you to help me in the kitchen."

Linking our arms together, and then pushing herself up by the arm rest.

"I'm due in January." She said. "Early January."

"Have you put your finger on a name yet for your little girl?"

Summer shrugged. "No not yet. Any suggested names would be great?"

I thought about it as I found some unpopped popcorn seeds out of the pantry. "Well, if she was born on Christmas or even Christmas Eve, I would suggest Noelle."

"I like Noella." She responded pulling out the popcorn maker. "That is such a girly girl name."

"Noella Adams," I mulled it over in my head. "Noella Adams sounds great actually."

"But I need a middle name."

While preparing the popcorn and the popper I squeezed my eyes slightly. I was a writer, I should be good at coming up with names. At least characters were easier to name and come up with than children's names. Well, Spencer Joseph was a name that wasn't that hard. Noella, what?

"Noella Oline Adams." I said.

"Oline?"

"I was talking to Josh and Jon, Trinity and Joe, and they were talking about all the Hawaiian names in the family. I found a baby name website out of pure boredom and found that Oline means Joyous. And since this is Christmas, the most Joyous holiday of the year, it would make a good name. It gives you a chance to keep your Hawaiian heritage alive."

"Scott was just telling me about that, he wanted her to know her heritage when she gets older."

A family of Samoans, yeah that would be great. I mean they accept me, a white girl who had no family. Then there was Jon, who was also accepted by them. This, this was the family that I wanted so bad.

"Baby, where'd you go?" I heard Scott call out as he came from the front room.

"In the kitchen, Scott. Come here, I want to ask you something." She called back.

Scott and Matt came into the kitchen. There was dust on Matt's shoulders and a sparkling of it in his longish hair. He looked like he had greying hair.

"What did you want to ask me?" Scott asked kissing her slightly. "What are you doing?"

"We're making popcorn for the popcorn garland. And I wanted to get your opinion on a name Annie and I came up with for the baby. How does Noella Oline Adams sound?"

"Noella Oline? What does Oline mean?"

"Joyous, it means joyous." Matt said. "And that sounds like a beautiful name to me. I mean, the kid will be your first."

"You thought of it?"

"Well, it's almost Christmas and we were joking about what if she has the baby on Christmas or Christmas Eve. I suggested Noelle at first but she likes Noella better."

"It's a beautiful name, regardless that she's due a week after Christmas. Noella, Ella, that is a perfect name for a little girl. For our little girl." He took her hand in his and then his other went to her large round stomach.

"Well, looks like you inspired this family again, Annie." Matt said coming up to hug my shoulders. "Congrats on naming my niece finally, Summer. Now we can share it with mom and dad when they get back. Where are they anyway?" That question was directed towards me.

I shrugged as I opened the lid to the popcorn cooker. "I don't know. Christmas stuff. I mean, Jon was given this week off so he could spend it with me and I have no idea where he's at. Him, Sandy, Kevin, even Joe, Jess and Tera are no shows saying they have stuff to do. It's been going on ever since coming back from the Tribute to the Troops stuff."

"Maybe it has something to do with…" Matt nudged Scott. "Oh yeah, sorry. Maybe it's just a Christmas thing.

I felt the bed shift. Bed, no that couldn't be right. I felt myself being pulled up into a sitting position and then feeling someone kiss the top of my head.

While in the process of waking up I heard Ma speaking. "I can't believe she did all of this."

Matt laughed. "It was her idea to put up the popcorn garland."

"Not that, Noella's name." Sika responded.

"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep." I mumbled feeling myself loose to the feeling of sleep.

When I heard Jon laugh I jerk my head up. Apparently he liked scaring the crap out of me every chance he got.

"What time is it?" I asked trying to sit up.

"Just about midnight, Princess. I dropped Joe and his girls off at their place before coming here."

I turned to look at him. "And where have you been, dufus?" I punctuated that question with a slight slap to his arm.

"I've been doing Christmas stuff, Babe." He responded, kissing my head. "Come on, let's go to bed."

I was too tired to say anything snidely. Jon was known to laugh at my failed attempts at trying to make jabs at him. If I had said something, anything, I would laugh when he would poke me in the ribs.

"How's the kid doing?" Jon asked rubbing my belly.

"Less active today, surprisingly with how much popcorn Summer and I consumed while making the popcorn garland." I responded.

Of course Jon laughed at something in that sentence.

I just wanted to sleep so I just ended up falling on my bed with my sweat pants and one of Jon's tees on. I was enjoying the feeling of the soft blankets, the quilts and the hum of the air conditioner. I was surprised at how relaxed I could be, I could have fallen asleep just like that without a care in the world.

"Uh huh, Princess, you're not sleeping like that." Jon leaned over me and grabbed my hands.

"Go away, Jon. I want to sleep like this." I said.

I opened my eyes when I felt him lean down over my face and a puff of his hot breath tickled my nose.

"Wake up, Annie." He mumbled before kissing me.

I groaned into that kiss, but not for the reason some would think. I wanted him to leave me alone and let me sleep.

"Nope, come on, get under the covers." He tugged on my hands to indicate to get me up.

I groaned again, feeling myself get to my feet. I watched Jon pull back the covers and then deposited me in there. As I was snuggling into my covers, I looked at Jon as he stripped himself to his boxers. Even with his fuzzy beard, the one that he hadn't tended to in a couple of days, he smiled all the while. Thinking of what, I didn't want to know actually.

"Jon," I said as he was preparing to get into the other bed in the room.

"Yeah, Princess?" He looked over his bare shoulder at me.

"Wanna sleep over here." I asked patting the bed with slight emphasis on the matter.

And he smiled. I watched him walk over to my bed, around to the other side and I felt him slide in behind me. This would be the first night we'd share a bed together, and not for X Rated business. I wasn't planning on that until after Spencer came.

"What do you want to do tomorrow, well today actually?" Jon asked as he lay on his back.

I shrugged, facing away from him.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the first time he and I had shared a bed together. I remembered that night back in Oakland the one where he snuck his way into my bed in the middle of the night. That was a surprise I was not expecting to find. And he acted like it was a perfect thing to do.

"Can I ask you something, Jon?"

"Hmm?"

"What was the real reason for climbing in bed with me during your stay back in Oakland, the night of Halloween?" I asked turning over to look at him.

He turned his head to look at me. I saw that change in his eyes, the unspoken change.

"I wanted to be close to you and still be a prick at the same time." He confessed to me.

Some how, that was the answer I knew he was going to say, in a round about sort of way.

Jon kissed my forehead and then pressed his head to mine. "Go to sleep, Annie." He instructed.

That's just what I decided to do.

December 23rd, 2014

The one thing I remembered about that morning was that I woke up alone. This was the twenty third, two more days until Christmas.

The second thing I looked out the window into the backyard and it was like the clouds grew angry and decided to whip up a storm. I jumped when a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning spread out across the beach. But the one thing that I liked was the sound of the rain. I could never give that up, listening to the rain hitting the roof, blowing by the window at night. It was one step closer to having a white Christmas. But this was Florida, no white stuff at all. It was a sub tropical thing.

I decided to get dressed and see what I could do around the house, not that I could do much of anything. I was a fat cow at that time.

Coming down the stairs I looked towards the Christmas tree and saw the beautiful specticle that Matt, Scott, Sandy and I had managed to do.

"Why is it that we always get a late start on decorating the tree each year?" I heard from my right.

I had not talked to Jess in the longest of times. Well not since she practically said I brought death everywhere I went. It was because of the issues I had with Sarah, the troubles that were over and dead, in her case. But I hadn't seen or talked to either Jess or Tera since the day Jon walked out.

"How are you doing?" Jess asked.

"Okay. Spencer hasn't been acting himself. Less moving." I said, rubbing my stomach. "I need to make a doctor's appointment soon. Actually that's what I was going to do. Have you seen Jon?"

"Yeah, he and Joe went out. Patricia and Sika are helping out some people. I offered to stay here. Tera's somewhere." Jess said playing with her fingernails.

I nodded and then thought about something. "I'm really sorry for everything that has happened. I really am."

"I know and I am somewhat to blame. I went from jealous to pissed off at you. I really am trying to accept you, Annie, I really am. And now that I know you and Jon are together happily may I add, it doesn't seem like you're trying to take Joe from me."

"And you're okay with me naming Spencer after Joe, right?"

"Family traditions. I heard that you suggested a name for Summer's baby. It's a really nice thing you did. Noella, maybe in a way, sounds like your name. Oline was a pretty nice touch." She smiled but then it fell. "Brandon and Vanessa are coming here tomorrow. They are staking out Vanessa's old room for Christmas.

"Great," I rolled my eyes with gusto.

She laughed as we headed to the kitchen. "You know, I think she still wants him."

"She has Brandon. She screwed Jon over from what I heard."

"Yeah, she did. Jon's a great guy. Plus he's got a J name, which apparently follows a trend in this family. I think that is one of the reasons why the family like him."

Again, I took that as a joke.

Tera was sitting at the counter drawing. I smiled and snuck up behind her.

"What ya doin'?" I asked peeking over her shoulder.

"Hi Auntie Nella. Don't look, I'm making you a Christmas card."

Well I didn't want to ruin the surprise so I then turned back to Tera. "So, Jess, what is all this Christmas stuff that everyone seems to be doing around here? Everyone is gone all of a sudden."

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I mean, Joe and I are trying to do for Tera this year. And I want to do something special for Joe. What did you do for Jon's birthday?"

"Nothing, because I got him pissed off and wasn't able to give it to him."

"What was it?"

I shook my head. "I'm saving it for him for Christmas because it meant a lot to me. It was something that we both liked actually and he isn't the emotional kind of person."

"That's the truth." That's really the truth.

"Here, Auntie Nella, here's your Christmas card." I turned around at the sound of Tera's little voice.

It was good to have her there as well.

Well that's update one, update two is going to come later today. So hold your horses, more to come later.