"Alright, open them." Sofia said. "Merry Christmas!"
A loud 'Merry Christmas' shouted back to her and immediately gift wrap paper flew through the room.
"Are you happy?" Jon whispered in Sara's ear. He had one arm around her, not willing to break the physical connection.
"Yes. Why?"
"Mom said you're not into Christmas…"
"I wasn't. How can I not like Christmas when I'm here? This is a paradise, a Christmas paradise. The look at our two boys is enough to love it."
"They love your gift." Kieran and Patrick were about to open the box with the train and the rail tracks. "I guess the next few days we'll have to watch every step, the train will run through the house."
"We can suggest they build it up in their rooms."
"You want to make the decision in which room? Good luck, you'll break one heart."
"What about the Christmas Room? We don't need it the next few days, they can play in there and nobody will fall."
"That's a good idea. Hey boys, if you want to build up the train, get it in Santa's room, nobody will fall over it there and you've a lot of space, alright?"
"Alright dad." They started to carry everything away from the living room.
"I think they'll need help for the rail tracks." Sara guessed.
"I'll have a look later. Let them carry everything first."
"What I wonder is what Santa thought when he got me fluffy pink handcuffs." Sofia eyes Sara.
"Don't look at me, I've no idea." The brunette tried to defense herself.
"Not?"
"No. I think Santa wanted you to have a leather vest in western style." That was what Sara had bought for Sofia. After she got her the sheriff star she thought Sofia needed a cool western vest, to look like one of the cowboys in the old movies.
"You know, short enough so that everybody can see the way your hips sway when you walk around. And it will make your legs look even longer than they are."
"Sounds good to. Maybe my children have an idea about the cuffs. Jon?"
"I don't have a clue."
"As a detective I'll detect who gave Santa this idea."
"Can't you just take them and be happy?" Sara asked.
"Fluffy pink handcuffs? What am I suppose to do with them?"
"Chain guys to you? Guys you don't want to leave."
"Funny."
"If you don't want them, mom, Sara and me take them, we'll find something we can use them for."
Sofia's eyes got narrow. "Don't!" She warned her son, who started laughing.
"She loves us." Sara snuggled in Jon's arm.
"Yes she does."
"She has a big heart. Dan is allowed to come to dinner today, that's so great." Cat smiled.
"Yeah, yeah, get all your lovers in the house, I don't care. I play with the kids."
"You can ask your Alaska man to come in. I'm sure he won't mind to spend some time with you."
"Cat, he isn't my Alaska man. He is a guest."
" A guest you spent an evening with."
"He had a hot chocolate and a talk."
"You had fun, he looked happy too, no reason not ask him over tonight. Nobody should be alone on Christmas."
"Or over for overnight?" Jon grinned.
"Jon Curtis, you are not popular right now."
"I'm sure my girlfriend loves me."
"I do and I like your idea."
"It's good nobody wants to know what you want or like."
"She's bitchy." Sara smirked.
"Bite me." Sofia turned away from Jon and Sara. "What do you think, Jamie?" Her son was very quiet, he unpacked most gifts, but hadn't say a word in a long time.
"Yeah…"
Immediately Sofia felt something was wrong with Jamie. She took his hand. "What's wrong, Honey?"
"Nothing."
She could see and hear that was a lie but she didn't try to push him. She simply held on to his hand.
"Want to get some food with me from the kitchen?" She offered as a chance for them to talk in private.
"What do you want from the kitchen? I can get it for you."
"Something sweet. Where did you hide all the cookies?"
"I'll get them."
"I can help you."
"No, that's alright." He got up and left. Sofia sighted soundless. That went wrong. Was she suppose to follow him and ask him straight forward what was wrong with him? Or should she wait until he came to her and talk to her? She hated to know something was wrong with her one of her children and there was nothing she could do.
Jamie came back with a huge plate full with cookies. He offered them to Sofia, who took one and put the plate on the table.
"Thanks Jamie." She laid her arm around her son, pulled him near and kissed his cheek. "I love you." Not willing to let go she hoped she was allowed to keep him in her arms.
"Love you too, mom." She could see he had to swallow hard. Before she could say anything more he jumped up. Obviously nervous and uneasy he ran his hands through his hair, tried to say something for a few times before he found his voice.
"I need to tell you guys something." He tried to avoid the eyes of them, looking more at the tree than his family. By now everybody had noticed the strange behave of him, only Kieran and Pat were busy in the other room playing.
"It's the wrong time I think, the wrong place and…I don't know…just wrong, I think. But I think I need to tell you…damn…"
Sofia was about to jump up too and take him in her arms. It broke her heart to see her son fighting with something she had no idea of and see how he suffered.
"Jamie…"
"Mom, I'm so sorry." He looked at her, tears in his eyes.
"Why? What for?"
"I…I'm gay." Tears burst out of his eyes.
"Oh Jamie." Sofia got up and took her son in her arms. "Why are you sorry for that? It's nothing you have to be sorry for."
"I'm sure you didn't want a gay son when you adopted me."
"What exactly is wrong or bad of being gay, Honey?"
"I…you…you won't get grandchildren, people will talk and…they'll blame you for that."
"What people talk is absolutely not important, they'll always talk about anything because they are poor gossip junkies without an own life. And grandchildren, I've one already, nobody will stop you from adopting a child later and the only thing that's important is that you're happy. If you want to bring a man home, I've no problems with that. I want you happy, no matter who makes you happy as long as you are happy."
"Who cares if you like boys or girls?" Cat was next to her brother and got him out of Sofia's arms in her arms. "I mean if you start to hit on Dan I'll kick you ass…"
"He's not my type."
"Perfect. If he ever pisses me off we can go out and look for some guys together. I prefer to do that with you than with the girls. I mean, if I don't get the boy because he wants you, it's not my fault, I prefer to lose a hottie to you than to the girls." She poked him softly. They had been friends in the children's home, they were still close.
Jamie had to smile against his will.
"Baby bro, if you want to shock us you need to do better." Jon blinked at his little brother. He was gay, who cared about that anymore? "This won't shock us."
"If you would tell me you bought all the cookies and didn't bake them yourself I'd be shocked. Being gay doesn't shock me." Sara smiled.
"I baked them all myself. I promise."
"Good to know. And now that you're out we can hit some great clubs in Vegas…in three years when you're twenty-one of course." Sara added after a short look at Sofia.
"Don't waste energy on pretending anything, Sara. I know you took him to a club in October."
"You do?" Sara and Jamie asked surprised. They were so sure this little stop was their secret. How did Sofia find out? Who saw them and told her?
"Yes."
"How?"
"I won't tell you."
"I bet the door man is an old admire." Sara chuckled.
"Might be…how can we make sure she doesn't know the other ones too?"
"We don't."
"You might start with a decent faked I.D. for the boy." Sofia suggested. "An not this cheap one he has."
"How do you…?"
"You left it in your jeans. I didn't sniff around your room, Jamie, I don't do that. Your room is your private place, I don't look around to find things."
"I didn't think so."
"Good. It was in your jeans in the laundry, I put it in a pocket of a jacket you wore in Vegas. Take better care of your illegal things."
"Things? This is the only illegal thing I have."
"And you, Miss Investigator, you should have told him his I.D. is crap."
"I didn't check it."
"Like I said, get a decent one for the next club."
"Any suggestions where I should go to?" Jamie grinned. If his mother was complaining about his faked I.D. she could tell him where to get a better one.
"I'm your mother and I was a cop, do you really expect me to give you an answer to this question?"
"Yes."
"We can ask the Captain where Sofia got her faked I.D. from. I bet she had one and her mother knew about it."
"My mom knew about it, she tried to find it to tear it apart, she never found it. She threatened to get the guy who made me my I.D. and send him to jail, she was a nightmare."
"I'll ask Greg where he got his from, he'll help us."
"I might not let Jamie go to Vegas anymore."
"Mom, I've to go there for my college."
"Right. I'll make sure my mom takes care of you."
"You want me to stay with the Captain? What will she do when she figures out I'm gay?"
"Tell you that she'll kick every man in jail who'll break your heart."
"I'm not sure about that."
"How comes that everybody is scared of my mother?"
"Because she's the captain and she is…scary." Sara tried to explain.
"Firm." Jon added.
"Strict." Cat offered.
"She can look right through you." Jamie closed the itemization.
"She's my mother, your grandmother."
"She's the captain. And then the rest." Jamie said.
"I hope you are not that scared of me."
"No."
"How could anybody be scared of you?" Sara laughed.
"Careful, Sidle."
"Sorry, MOM."
"One day…" Sofia warned Sara without finishing the sentence.
"One day you'll be her mom…mom-in-law and I'll be her brother-in-law. I look forward to that day." Jamie smiled.
"That you are on Sara's side is nothing new. The two of you are always against me."
"Jamie knows who is good for him." Sara blinked at Jamie. It was more the similar past they had that brought them closer. First. There were still things Sara told Jamie she didn't tell Jon. Some things were hard to explain and most times she didn't feel like explaining things when something of her past haunted her. With Jamie she could talk, he understood without many or no questions, he told her things he hadn't told his siblings or mother. One day they would open themselves to the others, but at the moment they wanted to keep some stories between them.
