I DO NOT OWN ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN THIS STORY BESIDES THE OC'S.
Tara's Point of View-
When we got home from buying the tree, I helped Xavier out letting him go inside letting Alex and I untie the strings and figure out how to get the tree down. Alex and I finally got the tree down, Alex picked it up as I grabbed the stuff from the trunk heading into the house, I held the door open for Alex and he carried it into the living room.
"Where do you want it?" Alex asked.
"We always put it in the corner of the dining room." I said as he followed me into the kitchen/dining room area and he waited until I set the container down for us to try and set the trunk of the tree into it and tightened it to hold the tree still. "Are you sure this will hold it down?" I asked unsure about the whole thing.
"Yeah, fill it with water to keep the tree hydrated and it will add more weight to the bottom." Alex said as I still had that worry that it will fall over like it did once as a child but that tree was much huger than this one. "While you are filling it with water, where are your ornaments and stuff?" Alex asked as he rested his hand on the arch of my back.
"It's the blue and red bins in the far left corner near the front of the garage and it should say x-mas on it." I said as he nodded.
"I'll help!" Xavier said.
"Alright bud, you want a ride?" Alex asked squatting down, Xavier climbed onto Alex's back and Alex gave Xavier a piggy back ride out to the garage as I made trips from the kitchen to the tree filling the container with water and it wasn't an easy task to do, I begun to wonder why I didn't fill it before hand but next time I will learn to do it before hand. Alex came in with one then he went back out and he was pushing the next one in with Xavier sitting on it giggling.
"You want me to turn some holiday music on?" I asked.
"Do you always listen to holiday music while you are doing this?" Alex asked.
"Yep, do you mind?" I asked.
"No…" Alex said smirking.
"Rudolph mommy." Xavier said as I went and found our kids Christmas CD putting it on for us to listen to as we went through the bins pulling out ornaments to hang, I would hand Xavier an ornament and Alex would help Xavier hang it up especially towards the top of the tree by lifting him up to reach. "What about the lights mom?" Xavier asked as I pulled out the strands of lights.
"It may take a while, I got to untangle these." I said.
"I can do it." Alex said as I handed him the lights letting him do it as I looked at the time seeing it was past dinner time.
"Everyone okay with pizza?" I asked.
"Pizza!" Xavier asked excitedly.
"Yeah, that's fine…I got cash to pay for it since I promised I'll pinch in for it." Alex said smirking as he begun working at the lights and I went into the kitchen ordering a pizza over the phone as Xavier went into the other room watching his dinosaur special, I was leaning against the counter watching Alex getting frustrated with the lights trying not to laugh as I ordered the pizza. I hung up with the pizza place hanging the phone on the base walking over sitting beside Alex on the couch grabbing the other end of the lights. "I don't need help." Alex said as he went to pull the lights that I had away.
"Alex, you will be here all night if you did it yourself." I said.
"Then I'll be here all night." Alex said as I rolled my eyes going through rest of the bin pulling out other decorations hanging them up when I pulled out a scrapbook I have been making over the years of Xavier's Christmas's. "What's that?" Alex asked as he undid another knot in the lights.
"I have been making scrapbooks of every Christmas since Xavier has came into my life to kind of remember these precious times, I have some in my room of his birthdays and firsts…is that sad?" I asked kind of embarrassed and felt my face turning red.
"It's not sad, it's kind of cute…my mom did the same thing…I want to see." Alex said as I flipped through the first scrapbook as he worked away at the lights when the doorbell rung.
"Pizza!" Xavier exclaimed from the other room running into the room with us, I stood up being handed Alex's wallet following my son out to the front door paying for the pizza and carried it into the kitchen setting it on the dining room table. I went out to where Alex sat on the couch handing him his wallet back before I went back to where I put the pizza to make the plates for everyone.
"How many slices you want?" I asked looking down at my son.
"One." Xavier said as I put one onto a plate, I went and poured him a glass of milk putting it on the other side of his plate that is on the table for him to eat at.
"What about you Alex? How many slices do you want?" I asked as Alex looked back at me from the lights he was still playing with.
"Two slices please." Alex said as I pulled two slices onto a plate and went to the fridge looking at what I had.
"You want a beer or soda?"
"What's beer?" Xavier asked with his mouth full.
"Xavier, manners." I said.
"Sorry mommy…" Xavier said.
"Beer is a drink for adults." I said as I looked to Alex for his answer.
"I'll have a beer if you have one, if you don't I'll go for a soda." Alex said as I pulled out two beers popping them open and took them to the table, Alex set the lights down joining us at the table. "Do you drink a lot?" Alex asked as he took a swig of his beer.
"Once or twice a week I may have a beer but I think we may be up late tonight dealing with this tree." I said smirking.
"Is it almost done?" Xavier asked.
"Yeah, it'll be done by tomorrow…but after dinner you need to bathe and get to bed because you got day care tomorrow." I said.
"Do you go to day care every day?" Alex asked looking to my son.
"Yes, except weekends….there is seven days in a week." Xavier said as he went on to list all the days and what days he goes to day care. "Mommy works weekends sometimes." Xavier said, he always hated the fact I did and I hated seeing him upset.
"Why do you work weekends?" Alex asked.
"Weekends are our busy days and they need more people on shift, I'm the resort go-to for EMTs…"
"You do the EMT on weekends?" Alex asked.
"Yeah…" I said shrugging my shoulders as Xavier climbed out of his seat grabbing his paper plate carrying it to the trash can tossing it as he came back to grab his cup finishing his milk, I watched as my son took it to the sink to put in to make sure he didn't drop it this time. "Xavier, will you go grab a pair of pajamas?"
"I want to watch TNA mommy." Xavier said.
"Its not on tonight." Alex said.
"When is it on?" Xavier asked.
"It'll be on tomorrow." I said.
"Is there any wrestling on tonight?" Xavier asked.
"I might have some on the DVR." I said as Xavier went to the other room letting me finish my pizza, I stood up taking care of mine and Alex's plates as Alex grabbed his beer taking it back to his place working on the lights. "You going to be okay as I go help Xavier bathe?" I asked.
"Tara, I'm a grown man, I can handle this…" Alex said smirking as he looked back at the lights confused on where to start and they looked worse off than when he started. I rolled my eyes but let him do his thing as I went to the bathroom starting the bath water and putting the normal suspect toys into the bath for him to play with and poured a little of the bubble bath mix in, he enjoyed popping the bubbles with the toys he had in there. Xavier walked into the bathroom butt naked carrying his new pair of pajamas and fresh pair of underwear, I just had to giggle.
"Where are your clothes?" I asked grabbing the fresh pair of clothes from him.
"I put them in the clothes basket." He said proudly.
"Good boy…" I said as he started to climb into the bath tub and I turned the water off helping into the bath tub. I got up going to go get him a towel listening to him play around in the tub before I came back helping him with his hair and body washing before I let him play more. I rolled my eyes at my son as he was having a blast and laughing but I could hear small yells and growls coming from out in the dining room area of Alex getting frustrated with the lights. Xavier stayed in the bath tub for his normal duration, I helped him out drying him off as much as I could before I helped him get dress so he won't slip on the water that had slipped out of the bath tub from all the splashing he had done.
"May we watch wrestling now?" Xavier asked as I unplugged the tub and begun cleaning up the water.
"Yeah, go grab your dinosaur and meet me at the couch." I said as Xavier ran out excitedly as I finished up cleaning up the mess before heading out to the living room seeing Xavier sitting on the couch Indian style holding his dinosaur plush close in his embrace. I turned the television on going to the DVR replaying last weeks episode of TNA Impact for him, I walked into the other room seeing the lights tangled around Alex. "You sure you don't need help?" I asked.
"No…." He said as he was able to pull the lights off him and continued working at them.
"We are going to watch TNA, you want to join?" I asked, he got up grabbing his beer and brought the lights with him as we sat on the couch with my son re-watching that episode of TNA. Alex continued working at the lights finally getting it all untangled.
"FINALLY!" He said as I looked over and Xavier was already out like a light, I set my beer down picking my son up softly not to wake him.
"I'll help you put them on, let me tuck him in." I said in a whisper as I carried my son back to his room tucking him in, turned the nightlight on and walked out leaving the door slightly open for him. I walked out to where the tree was seeing Alex plugging the lights in and trying to make sure that they were all working. "Are they all working?" I asked.
"Yeah, it looks like it…" Alex said as I helped him wrap the lights around the tree making sure they didn't knock any of the ornaments off the tree or blocking any of them until it got to the top of the tree and ran out of the light rope. "Where's your star?" Alex asked as I went to the bin digging to the bottom.
"Always hide it at the bottom." I said smirking as he was able to stand on his tip toes, I held onto him to hope he didn't fall as he was able to reach over sliding the star onto the top of the tree for it to reflect the lights that were hitting it.
"How does that look?" Alex asked wrapping his arm around me staring at the tree that was now fully decorated.
"It looks quite good." I said smirking as Alex leant over pressing his lips against my head.
"Do you ever put presents under the tree?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, I put one or two under there to play the fact I had bought him something then I put the rest under there Eve night to make it seem like Santa came…"
"Is that why you always put the tree next to the useless fireplace?" Alex asked.
"I use it."
"When was the last time?"
"Last Christmas." I said.
"Where are the logs?" Alex asked.
"In the garage."
"Good, we got to take these bins out anyway." Alex said smirking.
"Don't you need to go home?"
"I can't, I have a beer in my system." He said smirking bigger as I grabbed one of the now empty bins carrying it out behind Alex as quiet as we could grabbing a log taking it inside where he put it in the fireplace lighting it. "Why don't you do many logs?"
"I am always afraid that it will catch fire to the house some how or I will fall asleep with it still lit." I said as he came back sitting on the couch that separated the dining room from this mini area I had set up for holidays.
"I won't let it…" Alex said as he wrapped his arm around me pulling me to his embrace, I leant into his embrace resting my head on his shoulder sipping at rest of my beer as we both sat there enjoying the warmth and the sight of watching the burning of the log. I stayed up to make sure it had burnt all the way, Alex got up putting it out rest of the way and he closed the vent to the chimney. "I guess I shall get going…" Alex said as he turned around shoving his hands in his pockets.
"What time is it?" I asked checking my phone seeing it was 1 AM, Xavier walked out rubbing at his eyes.
"Mommy, I wet my bed." He said.
"Can you stay for another 10 15 minutes?" I asked looking to Alex who nodded his head taking care of our empty beer bottles as I took care of Xavier's sheets and making him do another bath as I put those pajamas instantly into the wash. "Why don't you go lay down in mommy's bed?" I asked after I put Xavier into another set of pajamas, he sleepily went into my room and I helped him into my bed worried he will fall due to how tired he was. I walked out to my living room seeing Alex sitting on the couch patiently. "I'm sorry…" I said.
"Don't be…I guess I should go, someone has work in the morning…" Alex said standing up walking over to me resting his hands on my hips holding me close to his embrace.
"Why don't you just stay the night? It's 1 AM and you've had one beer, I can't let you legally drive having alcohol in your system." I said smirking.
"If you wanted me to stay the night, you don't need to come up with an excuse." He said smirking.
"Fine, will you please stay the night?" I asked.
"Since you asked nicely…" He said smiling as he leant forward pressing his lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck enjoying the kiss before we broke the kiss.
"There's a guest room that shall be set up already for you…" I said as I led him to the guest room that my mom had made up after she had finished using it. "I'm in the next room over, you know where the bathroom is and I'll wake you up in the morning." I said smiling as he looked around the room that he stood in as I leant against the door frame.
"Okay…good night sweetie."
"Good night." I said smirking as he came over giving me one more kiss before I went to my room changing into my pajamas and climbed into bed with my son.