The world has gone crazy so here is some Turner Christmas Love to help us all escape just for a moment.

Chapter 35

"She doesn't look any older than us!" One of the teenage girls hissed as she reapplied her lip gloss in the bathroom.

"Surely she didn't go to our school!" Another one commented.

"Have you heard her accent, she's Scottish." Another added to the conversation.

"She hasn't left his side all night."

"Such a shame, if Mr Bancroft is into younger women I'm sure any one of us is much prettier than her."

"I know!"

"Did you see Geoffrey Banks? His pants are too short and you can see his sock don't match." One of the girls giggled nastily.

"And when the heck did Timothy Turner suddenly get cute?"

"Yes! And if that redhead would leave his side for more than two seconds I might have a chance with him!"

Bernadette, who had waited in the toilet stall for the girls to leave, had heard enough. She opened the door and walked out. "Even I have to go to the bathroom but as you were in here being nasty cat's you missed your opportunity." Bernadette said calmly as she washed her hands. "Of course Timothy has great taste in girls so I doubt you stood much of a chance anyway." She breezed out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and went to find Timothy.

….

"Timothy took the opportunity to have a dance with his mother." Patrick said as Bernadette took her seat at the table. She looked out to the dance floor to see Tim twirling his mother around. "Dare I ask what has got you smiling like that?"

Bernadette's grin widened, if that was possible. "Let's just say the ladies at Bow Girls have noticed your son has become quite the good looking young man."

"Who's a good looking young man?" Timothy asked with a slight edge to his voice as he escorted his mother back to the table.

"According to the catty young ladies I overheard in bathroom, you are. So stop being jealous and dance with me." Bernadette jumped up and took Timothy by the hand and lead him onto the dance floor.

"I was jealous." Timothy confessed once he had Bernadette in his arms. "You are the most beautiful girl in the room and you aren't the only one who has overheard bathroom talk."

"Ooooooh do tell!" Bernadette asked excitedly.

"I don't know if your ego needs that kid of boost." Timothy teased as he pulled her closer.

Bernadette laughed. "Probably not but I put on a formal dress, went to the hairdresser and wore makeup for you Timothy Turner so I think the least you can do is fill me in on the bathroom gossip."

"Well, the words beautiful and exotic were used and I believe I am considered rather lucky." Timothy whispered in her ear, giving her an abridged version of the conversation that had been slightly more crass than he was letting on.

"I think I'm the lucky one. I've had a wonderful night Tim. Thanks for asking me." Bernadette moved her head so it rested on Timothy's shoulder.

"I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else 'dette. You know I love you right?" Timothy stroked her silky hair that Alex Donald insisted she have straightened for the evening.

Bernadette moved her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes and saw the truth of what he said. "I love you too Tim."

….

"So how was the dinner dance?" Alex Donald asked as the six party goers returned to the Turners house.

"Absolutely wonderful!" Bernadette twirled into the room, her dress spinning widely enough that Timothy got a rather lovely look at his girlfriend's stockinged legs.

"I'll pop the kettle on." Shelagh said as she moved into the kitchen. "How were Angela and Katherine?"

"Oh Shelagh they are both marvellous. I took me back to when our girls were little and now we are planning a wedding for one of them." Alex reached for her husband's hand. "Treasure this time when they are small, because they grow up far too quickly."

Bernadette sensed her mother was about to start crying and hugged her. "Don't worry mum, you still have me and I'm not planning on getting married for ages!"

"No you are just planning to come and live in London and go to university." Alex smiled. "Deserting your father and I to come and live with your other family." She teased.

Shelagh smiled at Alex's words. She could not love Bernadette and Elizabeth more if they were her own daughters. Patrick often teased her that she had motherhood flowing through her veins and he wondered how she had lasted so long as a nun. Shelagh's response was that it was all God's plan and everything happened exactly when it was meant to.

"And what about you Elizabeth, how did you enjoy the evening?' Alex asked her elder daughter.

"It was a lovely dinner dance and I think I made a good impression on Matthews' colleagues but I admit I felt like everyone was looking at me." Elizabeth confessed.

"That's because you were the most beautiful woman in the room." Her fiancé said and kissed her temple.

Bernadette turned to Timothy with a mischievous grin. "Timothy, you told me I was the most beautiful woman in the room."

…

Christmas morning started very early, as it was prone to do with young children in the house. Angela tried to start her day at 4am when she bounded into her parents room asking if Santa had been. Patrick groaned, looked at the time and managed to convince his daughter that it was still the middle of the night. He was about to send her back to her own bed when he realised that she would be back in their room asking the same question in fifteen minutes.

"Come on up into bed with mum and I" he said quietly so he wouldn't wake his wife, Angela grinned widely. Sleeping in mummy and daddy's bed didn't happen very often so it was a huge treat when she was allowed. Angela moved between her parents and nestled into her mother's back. As if sensing her daughters presence Shelagh rolled over and put her arm across her daughters tiny body and finding her husband's hand entwined her fingers with his and rested their joined hands on his hip.

All three had just drifted back to sleep when Shelagh heard Katherine start to cry. With a quiet groan she climbed out of her warm bed and padded down the freezing hallway to the nursery. Katherine was sitting in her cot crying until she saw her mother.

"Mamamamama." She babbled.

"Merry Christmas my wee girl." Shelagh deftly changed her daughter's nappy and looked at the rocking chair and thought about her lovely warm bed.

"I think you can have a Christmas treat too." She said as she kissed the baby's head. Shelagh walked back to her bedroom and saw that Angela was now happily sleeping on her father's chest while he dozed.

"Fed already?" Patrick whispered as he rubbed his elder daughters back gently.

"No. I missed you both." Shelagh smiled as she climbed back into the warm bed and undid the front of her nightdress and began nursing her daughter.

"You missed our warmth." Patrick teased knowingly.

"Yes, that too." Patrick reached over with his free hand and stroked Katherine's foot.

Shelagh continued feeding her daughter as Patrick drifted back to sleep. She closed her eyes and drank in the silence. It was only a few years ago she rose earlier than this every day and spent this time in contemplative prayer. She sent up a prayer of thanks for everything she had been given. As she was swapping Katherine to the other side she heard Timothy walking down the hall and poke his head into their room.

"I thought I heard Ange get up earlier." Timothy yawned.

"Your father thought there was more chance of her going back to sleep if she was in with us." Shelagh whispered.

"Seems to have worked for both of them." Tim smiled. "I'm going down to wish 'dette a merry Christmas."

Shelagh looked concerned and wondered the best way of voicing her worries without sounding like an annoying mother.

Timothy saw the look and pre-empted her. "I will probably get in bed with her, but only because it is so cold but there won't be anything happening – besides Elizabeth will be in the room. You and dad need to worry a whole lot less than you do." Tim smiled at the worry lines left his mother's forehead.

"It's our job to worry, dear."

"I know. I'll put the kettle on as I go through." Timothy started to close the door.

"Timothy?" Shelagh called him back. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas mum." Timothy was overcome with a need to show his mother how much he loved her. He walked into the room and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Tim looked at the perfect family picture in front of him and suddenly felt left out. He never doubted how much his parents loved him but he was older and the child of his father's first marriage. Shelagh sensed his need to be included and handed him the now sleeping Katherine as she wriggled across towards the middle of the bed creating a place for her son.

Tim smiled as he and Katherine climbed under the covers. "Don't ever think you are not as much a member of this family as your sisters."

"I know mum."

"I know that when your mother was a nun my bed was a lot less crowded." Patrick grumbled as he tried to sit up without waking Angela.

"Yes dear, but it's a lot less lonely now." Shelagh said as she leaned over to kiss her husband good morning and wish him a Merry Christmas.

"That is absolutely my cue to go and wish Bernadette a Merry Christmas." Timothy said as he handed Katherine back to his mother.