Chapter 25 – Christmas Dinner
Paint woke early on Christmas morning and headed out to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. She'd chopped that carrots and potatoes, started cooking the turkey slowly in the oven and was wrapping strips of bacon around cocktail sausages when Chris entered.
"Mornin'" Paint greeted.
"Morning," Chris murmured, still half asleep.
"Here," Paint smiled handing him the cup of tea she'd just made for herself.
"Thanks," Chris smiled back, as Paint began brewing a new cup.
Once he woke up fully he looked her over inquisitively, "Jay," he started, "Is there any reason you've not got a top on?"
"Crap," She cursed, "I totally forgot… But as I've said to John before, if it wasn't culturally unacceptable I'd not bother wearing them, it's much more comfortable. I'll go and grab one," She finished, heading to her room.
Returning with a Harry Potter t-shirt on Paint finished making her tea and went back to her pigs in blankets.
"Can I help?" Chris offered.
"Erm, yeah. You can do the… cabbage."
So about thirty minutes later all of the dinner was prepared and in pans of water, or on trays ready to be cooked.
"So what now?" Paint asked.
"Well I'm still in the same clothes as yesterday, so I think I may go home and change," Chris decided.
"Wait a minute, I've got an idea," Paint answered leaving the room.
She returned moments later and shoved a few shirts at Chris, "Try these."
"Well they'll never fit me. You're loads smaller than me," Chris responded.
"Medium mens," Paint smiled, "I'm pretty sure you don't need large. And the purple one's Sherlock's."
"Well since the two t-shirts of yours are Star Trek and I'm not that big of a Star Trek fan, I'll take Sherlock's. Thanks."
"Fair enough, get yours off and I'll shove it in the washer."
"Okay," Chris agreed, pulling his shirt off in the middle of the living room, at just the moment that John entered.
"Well that's not a sight I ever thought I'd see again," John laughed.
Chris just pulled on the new shirt and handed the other to Paint.
"I never thought you would either. Still as good as ever?" Chris joked.
"Better," John smiled.
"Alls good then, so were just waiting for Sherlock…"
As if on cue Sherlock walked out of his room, wrapped in only a bed sheet.
"Woah, Sherlock," John exclaimed, "Guests."
Sherlock dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand and headed for a coffee.
"Just leave him," Paint sighed, "You're not fussed are you Chris?"
"Nah. I work in a tailor's shop, so not much like that phases me nowadays."
An hour or so later, Sherlock had finally got dressed and Jay had arrived.
"So we can do gifts now?" Paint asked.
"Yeah," John replied.
Paint and John handed round the presents and the decided to open them in no particular order and thank people as they went, it would be easier than trying to figure out some kind of system. They each had a wide array of gifts.
Sherlock had shirts from John and Chris, as well as the books from Paint. And some cookies from his Mother.
John had a necklace from Chris (related to their army days) and his picture from paint, but they could sense his disappointment in not hearing from Harry.
Paint had a little tea set from John, a ring from Chris (it seems great minds really do think alike), a package from Hannibal (similar to the one she sent him), and some dvds from Jay, along with the best wishes and some money from her parents.
Chris had his ring from Jay and an army shirt from John with their regiment on, and a group picture of the team he'd served with Chris in.
Jay had the photographs from Paint, and an apology from Chris, he hadn't known about him.
"Oh don't worry about it," Jay replied, giving him a hug.
"So dinner," Paint suggested.
And they all headed to the kitchen and sat down for dinner, still excited about the gifts they'd received.
"This is fab, Jay" Jay smiled.
"Well Chris helped too," Paint added.
"Well thank you both," John said, "It really is great."
"Better than Mother's," Sherlock contributed, which Paint took as a compliment since she'd never met his Mother or tried her cooking, "Mycroft will be sad he missed this," Then he grinned at that thought.
Little did he know that Mycroft was having a rather unusual Christmas.
After meeting at the Christmas gathering of John's he and Gregory had become quite good friends, so Mycroft was currently sat at a table in Gregory Lestrade's house, with a young girl to his left, and a young boy to his right, eating Christmas dinner. An unusual situation but welcome nevertheless. So when he got Sherlock's message bragging about the wonderful dinner that Paint had prepared he couldn't help but smile.
It can't possibly be better than mine ~MH
What? With Mummy? ~SH
I'm not with Mummy this Christmas, brother dear ~MH
Oh she will be disappointed ~SH
At this Mycroft laughed aloud.
"What's so funny?" Gregory asked.
"Sherlock's trying to brag about how much nicer his dinner is, Jay cooked, but he doesn't know how delicious your cooking is," Mycroft complimented.
"Well that's very nice of you to say, thank you," Gregory replied, which set the two children laughing, "What's funny to you two?"
"This meal is delicious," Jamie said in a mock Mycroft voice.
"That's nice of you to say," Jessica replied in a mock Gregory voice, then in her own, "Just kiss already."
"What?" Mycroft spluttered.
And Gregory just laughed, "That's enough you two. Now you should go an call your Mum, I'm sure she'd love to hear about your Christmas."
After they left the room, he turned to Mycroft, "Sorry 'bout that."
"Oh don't worry, I remember when Sherlock was like that."
"Oh that doesn't even bear thinking about."
"I think he managed to ruin three or maybe four of my relationships, whilst in that stage."
"My brother was never that bad," Gregory laughed.
"You've got a brother?" Mycroft asked.
"Yeah, but I don't see him much, lives abroad," Gregory replied.
They talked into most of the evening, way after the children had gone to bed. And Mycroft text his thanks to Paint for setting up the situation leading to this.