Caroline & Christmas
Part Two of Three
Rated 'PG-13' for sexual and intense content
BY:
*****~*****
--"Hello Reechard. Caroline." Julia greeted them bitterly as she pushed her way into their home. "I'm assuming you would want to invite me in..." she added, defending her actions.
"What are you doing here Julia?" Richard asked again, this time more angry then surprised...
"Don't you know? I got your papers..." she said as she waved them about... "What did you think? That I would just sign them and allow that marriage wrecking slut to become OUR son's Mother?"
Her words and tone cut into Caroline like a sword, and infuriated Richard...
"You will NOT call my wife a marriage-wrecking slut! Caroline had nothing to do with the end of our marriage... and you know it!" Richard barked angrily at Julia, his eyes narrow slits as he glared at her... "And she has been more of a Mother to Stefano than you have ever been!"
"I had postpartum depression! I trusted that you would care for OUR son, and that when my depression was gone, WE would raise him..."
"WE will never get back together Julia! EVER!"
"I'm not talking about getting back together Reechard... I'm talking about raising our son together... as friends..."
"Any respect I had for you vanished long ago... when you abandoned Stefano! You will NOT be raising him! You will be lucky to get to VISIT with him!"
"Richard..." Caroline whispered, thinking his words sounded a bit too harsh.
"If you think I'm just going to walk away from my son... you are wrong..." Julia hissed...
"You didn't seem to have any trouble walking away the first time..." Richard shot back icily.
Julia glared at him, but her expression quickly softened... "Can I at least see him?"
Richard looked at Caroline, his eyes showing uncertainty and concern. He didn't want Julia back in his life, to ruin his happiness or use Stefano as a pawn in whatever game she was playing. He looked to Caroline for the answer to Julia's question...
Caroline smiled weakly, trying to reassure Richard that it would be ok, even though she wasn't truly convinced that it would be. Julia was a very cunning and manipulative person, and Caroline, being a very trusting person, had fallen for Julia's games too many times. She knew to be cautious.
--"What's she doing here?" Annie asked Caroline as she entered the dining room...
"She's here to become a part of Stefano's life..." Caroline answered softly, knowing it wouldn't be that simple, but not wanting to overreact either. She took Stefano out of his highchair and walked back into the living room...
"He's getting so big!" Julia gasped, reaching out to take him. Caroline handed him to her and Julia awkwardly took him into her arms, obviously unsure of how to hold him. "He looks like you..." she admitted, looking at Richard, then back at Stefano.
"I know..." he replied shortly.
"Can I take him with me tonight?" she asked cheerfully. Richard's mouth dropped open and he immediately reached for his son...
"Absolutely not!" he snapped, taking Stefano away from her.
"Why not?" Julia's tone became angry again...
"Because I can't trust you! I can't trust that you'll care for him properly and I can't trust that you won't run off to Italy or God knows where with him! Besides, we are in the middle of a holiday here... which you are ruining by the way..."
"Fine!" Julia huffed... "We can do this the hard way! You'll be hearing from my attorney!" She marched towards the door and walked out, slamming it behind her.
--Caroline leaned into Richard and rested her face against his chest. Richard put his arm around her and held her tight while continuing to hold Stefano...
"It's going to be ok Caroline..." he assured her.
"Why is she doing this?" Caroline asked, tears splashing down her cheeks...
"She's trying to hurt us. She has no interest in her son... she's only interested in making us miserable... cause she blames us for her misery. Don't worry Caroline... everything will work out. Please don't cry..."
*****~*****
--"What are you going to do now?" Annie asked Caroline as she helped her clean up after the melancholy Thanksgiving dinner.
"I don't know. Call the attorney and find out what our options are I guess..." Caroline sounded sad...
"I'm sure everything will work out. I'm sure she won't get custody after she abandoned him and ignored him for all this time..." Annie offered, trying to be supportive... "And I'm sure that's not really the point... is it?" she added, seeing the pain in Caroline's expression.
"It's really not. It's the fact that she is TRYING to hurt us... and she is going to hurt Stefano in the process..."
"Ok, I just got off the phone with the attorney..." Richard informed as he entered the kitchen...
"What did he say?" Caroline asked anxiously.
"Well, there is good news and bad news..."
Caroline slumped a little, looking very disappointed. She didn't expect any of what was about to happen to be easy, but hearing that there was bad news... that still hurt and worried her...
"What's the bad news?" Annie asked, putting her arm around Caroline supportively.
"Well, because Stefano was born in Italy... we could have some problems with regards to international laws with visitation or custody decisions."
"What's the good news?" Caroline asked softly.
"Well, we have excellent documentation that Julia received our mail asking her to get involved with her son... with all the information she needed to contact us included... and she just flat-out didn't. That shows disinterest and neglect on her part. Which is good for us... legally. He also said that courts tend to be family oriented, and we offer a more stable family environment for Stefano than Julia does. He said chances are good we will get sole temporary custody while everything is in legal limbo, with Julia maybe getting supervised visitation... and she will NOT be allowed to leave the United States with him. Then I told him my theory, that she's only doing this to get back at me... and he said that if she really has no interest in the child, that she might scare off with the mention of child support. We can file a countersuit requesting sole permanent custody and we can sue for child support... back, present, and future... until Stefano is 18 years of age. I can't imagine Julia wanting to give up her money..." Richard walked towards Caroline and Annie stepped aside... "It's all going to work out... ok?" Richard whispered, embracing Caroline tightly... "Try not to worry..."
*****~*****
--"That was Caroline..." Annie said, hanging up the phone and crawling into bed next to Del...
"Yeah? What happened at court today?" Del asked as he turned off the TV and gave Annie his full attention.
"Well, the lawyer was right... the judge gave them sole temporary custody while everything gets sorted out. They were able to prove that Julia showed no interest in Stefano until she was given the papers about Caroline adopting him, so Julia only gets supervised visitations twice a week. Then the attorney brought up that Richie and Caroline want sole permanent custody AND child support... past, present, and future, and Julia got mad! She started yelling and making this big 'ol scene! Almost got herself thrown in the pokey for contempt!" Annie laughed as she imagined Julia in jail...
"Sounds like it's all going to work out for them..."
"Yeah..." the smile dropped from Annie's face... "Let's just hope it's by Christmas..." she added seriously...
"Yeah... we'll cross our fingers AND toes..." Del suggested...
"Yeah..." she agreed, then smiled mischievously... "And other body parts as well..." she added, running her hands over Del's chest.
Del smiled in return and started to lean in to kiss her, but stopped abruptly... "Wait a minute... wouldn't it be considered insensitive if we're here... 'enjoying' ourselves, when Caroline and Richard are going through this whole custody battle thing?"
Annie looked at him for a moment, contemplating his words... "No... cause it's going well! If it weren't going well... THEN it would be considered insensitive!" she reasoned... her smile returning.
Del grinned and leaned in, kissing Annie passionately. He broke the kiss long enough to whip his shirt off, and Annie took advantage of the moment to take hers off as well.
"You are SO gorgeous!" Del growled softly, kissing her hungrily, his hands roaming over every inch of her.
"What role do you wanna play tonight?" Annie asked as she stripped Del of his pants... "Cowboy? Policeman? Doctor!"
"Let's just be Annie and Del tonight..." Del suggested, watching her expression closely for any sign that she might be upset.
"Really? Why?" she seemed more shocked than upset...
"Cause... I don't want to be with the 'naughty cowgirl', or the 'naughty criminal', or the 'naughty nurse'... although they can be fun. I want to be with you... Annie Spadaro."
Annie responded by grabbing him and pulling him towards her, kissing him passionately... "I want you..." she whispered in his ear, biting it gently.
"I want you... I need you..." he said breathlessly as he made love to her. This wasn't sex... this was love. "I love you Annie..." Del whispered, unaware that his subconscious was speaking the words his conscious told him he shouldn't...
*****~*****
--Annie wasn't sure if she should say something to Del about what he said. She stood looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror...
"He said 'I love you'... but did he mean it?" she said to her mirror image. "Maybe I heard him wrong." She shook her head no... "No, I didn't hear him wrong. Maybe I should just ask him." After a moment of thought... "No! If he didn't mean it... I'll look stupid! Ugh! This is getting... complicated..."
"Annie? Are you alright?" Del asked to the closed and locked bathroom door...
"Yeah... be out in a minute..." she called out to him, then turned back to her reflection... "Ok, you just gotta pretend he didn't say it. Just act as if nothing is different..." She splashed water on her face, then headed back to bed.
"You ok?" Del asked again, sensing something was wrong.
"Yeah. I'm great... you?"
"Great." he said, smiling. He kissed her gently, cupping her face in his hand... "That was incredible..."
"Yeah it was."
He kissed her again, quick but tender, then snuggled into her, preparing to go to sleep... "Night..."
"Night."
She felt warm and safe in his arms. She was in love with him, she was sure of that, but she had never truly been in love before. Hearing him say 'I love you' frightened her and delighted her, all at the same time. She wasn't sure if he meant it... or if she should say something... but she knew who could help her sort it out. Caroline. She was going to have to talk to Caroline... and soon...
*First thing in the morning...* she thought to herself as she started feeling sleepy... *Caroline will know what to make of it. She's smart... and she dated him before...* That thought stayed in her head a moment, sounding weird to her. *I wonder if Caroline is uncomfortable with me talking about my relationship with Del. I'll ask her tomorrow...*
*****~*****
--"Hey Caroline..." Annie said into the phone when Caroline answered.
"Hey Annie! What's up?" Caroline asked cheerfully.
"Well, I kinda wanted to talk to you..."
"Ok. What about?" Caroline noticed Annie's tone sounded a bit serious...
"Well, first... does it weird you out when I talk about me and Del? You know... our relationship. Cause of your history and all..."
"Not at all! It doesn't bother me at all!" Caroline assured her.
Annie was relieved to hear that... "Oh, good... I wondered about that..." she took a deep breath and continued on... "I wanted to talk to you about Del..."
"Ok..."
"Ok... well, last night... we were... you know... doing the 'ol slap and tickle... and first he tells me he doesn't want to do any roles..."
"Roles?"
"Yeah... you know... like the 'Policeman' and the 'Naughty criminal'? That kind of thing..."
"Ummm... ok..." Caroline did NOT want to know THAT much about their relationship...
"You and Richie don't do that?"
"No..."
"You never pretend to be other people??" Annie was amazed...
"No. We are always just Richard and Caroline..."
"Ok... sounds boring... but whatever works for you. Anyway... first he didn't want to play a role... he said 'I don't want to be with anyone else but Annie Spadaro'!"
"Wow!"
"Yeah 'wow'! Then... in the middle of... you know... 'it'... he says 'I love you Annie'!"
"You're kidding?!"
"No I'm not! I gotta tell you, it's got me freaked out!"
"Why? I thought you wanted it to get more serious..."
"I do! But, what if he just... you know... said it... cause of the moment or whatever... know what I mean?"
"Yeah, but, from what you said it doesn't sound like that's the case..." Caroline knew he meant it, but tried not to let on. Richard had told her about his conversations with Del in confidence, and she didn't want to break that trust.
"Well, when you were... with him... did he ever do that? Say 'I love you' just cause of the moment or whatever?"
"No. He barely ever said it even when there wasn't 'a moment'..." Caroline joked.
"Ok... so, should I say something to him? About the fact that he said it..."
"Well, I'm not sure. Depends..."
"Depends on what?"
"If he meant for you to hear him."
"What??"
"Well, it's not like Del to say stuff he doesn't mean... while in the throws of passion... but he might say something he didn't MEAN to say out loud..."
"Afterwards, he did kinda act like he had never said it..." Annie recalled.
"Well, there ya go! My advice to you would be: wait till he says 'I love you' when all the blood isn't rushing away from his head... then say something..." Caroline chuckled...
"Yeah... ok..."
"So, when are you coming back out to Peshtigo?" Caroline asked, changing the subject...
"Closer to Christmas. Is Richie going nuts yet?"
"He has good days and bad days. I'll tell 'ya... bringing his art supplies has helped tremendously! When he starts to get stir-crazy, he paints..."
*****~*****
--"That was Annie..." Caroline said to Richard as she entered the living room...
"Uh-huh..." Richard mumbled, continuing to concentrate on his painting...
"Her and Del are coming out closer to Christmas..."
"Uh-huh..."
"Are you listening to me?"
"Not really..." Richard quipped, looking away from his painting and giving Caroline his attention.
"I figured. Del said 'I love you' to Annie last night..."
"Really?"
"Yep. But... they were kinda in the middle of... something... at the time. So, of course, Annie now questions WHY he said it..."
"Of course..."
"So, then she asked me what I thought..."
"Caroline... you didn't tell her--?"
"I didn't tell her about your conversations with Del... don't worry..." Caroline interrupted.
"Ok..." Richard smiled, then put his paint brush down... "You know, I'm about ready for a break. You want to... do... something?"
"Something?" Caroline smiled...
Richard approached her and wrapped his arms around her... "Yeah..." he whispered, kissing her neck...
"What is with you lately?" Caroline chuckled...
"What do you mean?"
You've been so... affectionate..."
"It's the country air. It puts Stefano asleep, and makes me..."
"Not want to sleep?" Caroline cut him off, smiling...
"Exactly..." Richard continued kissing her neck... "Speaking of Stefano... is he asleep?"
"Last I checked..."
"We'll check again... on our way to the bedroom..."
"Hmmm..." Caroline hummed, taking Richard's hand and following behind him.
They only made it a few steps when there was a knock at the door. Caroline tried to pull away but Richard held tight...
"Just ignore the door..." Richard implored, gently pulling her towards the bedroom. Caroline considered his request for a second, then shook her head...
"No, Richard, that's rude. I have to answer it..." Caroline broke away from his grasp and walked towards the door, opening it quickly upon reaching it. "Charlie?!"
"Hey Caroline..." Charlie said as he skated through the door... "These things suck on snow!" he exclaimed, pointing to his roller blades...
"Charlie... what are you doing here?" Caroline asked, amazed to see him.
"You know, I skated all over Scandinavia and Italy... and I still don't know..."
"No, Charlie, what are you doing here in Peshtigo?"
"Well, I went to your apartment in New York, but you weren't there. Then, the trippy lady in the elevator said you left for Wisconsin before Thanksgiving. So, I came here to find you."
"Why? Are you ok?" Caroline asked, concerned...
"I'm guessing no..." Richard cracked as he resigned himself to the idea that he was not going to be getting 'alone' time with Caroline.
"Yeah... I'm ok..." Charlie replied, oblivious to Richard's sarcasm... "Except for this weird rash on my--..."
"That's ok Charlie!" Caroline quickly interrupted... "I don't need to know about... that. I just meant... are you upset about something?"
"Well, dad disappeared again. And then I couldn't find Del..."
"Did you check at Annie's?" Richard asked...
"Annie's? They're still together? Wow! That's gotta be some kind of record for him..." Charlie sounded amazed...
"For her too..." Richard added...
"Why are you looking for Del?" Caroline was trying desperately to understand why Charlie had come all the way to Wisconsin to find them, but with Charlie being Charlie, he wasn't making it easy on her... "Do you need something?"
"Psychiatric evaluation?" Richard replied quietly to Caroline.
Charlie didn't hear Richard's comment... "Yeah... I really need a pair of long-johns. It's cold out here!"
"Oh, for God's sake... Charlie... why were you trying to find us? And your dad and Del?" Richard was now beyond exasperated by the conversation...
"I just didn't want to spend the holidays alone..." Charlie answered, looking somewhat dejected...
"Oh, Charlie... I'm sorry. You can spend the holidays with us!" Caroline offered cheerfully...
"Ummm... Caroline? Can I talk to you a minute?" Richard asked urgently, signaling for her to follow him into the kitchen.
--"Caroline... we barely have any privacy as it is! With Stefano and your folks and friends... can't Charlie stay at the hotel?" Richard pleaded once they got into the kitchen...
"I don't know if he has the money..."
"Well, if he doesn't have the money... we'll pay for him to stay at the hotel..." Richard suggested...
"I happen to like Charlie..." Caroline told him, her tone sounding a bit sad at Richard's attitude towards him...
"I like him too. I just don't want him staying with us."
"Ok, ok... but we invite him here for Christmas Eve..."
"Absolutely. That's fine..."
--They walked back out into the living room and saw that Charlie had fallen fast asleep on the couch.
"Charlie..." Richard started to wake him...
"Richard!" Caroline whispered... "Don't wake him! He can sleep there for now..."
Richard grumbled and headed for the phone...
"Who are you calling?" Caroline asked, still speaking softly so as not to wake Charlie...
"The hotel... to make him a reservation. Then I'm going to call Del... let him know Charlie is here..."
"That's nice of you Richard..."
"Then I'm gonna call the insane asylum..."
"Charlie is NOT insane! He's just... odd..."
"I'm not calling for Charlie... I'm calling for me. If I have to spend the holidays with your folks, and Annie and Del, AND Charlie... while freezing to death in the middle of this frozen wasteland... I'm gonna need to rest in a rubber room for a while..."
Caroline laughed and slapped him playfully before heading for the kitchen...
"I'm just gonna go make lunch..."
*****~*****
--"Talked to Del..." Richard said to Caroline as she mulled about the kitchen while making lunch...
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Told him Charlie is here for the holidays, so they're coming out a bit early... to spend some time with him..."
"Awww... that's nice of them..." Caroline seemed touched...
"Yeah... either that or insane... you choose..."
"You know, you can be so witty at times... then there's now..."
Richard just cracked an amused grin and kissed Caroline's cheek. "You want me to go get Stefano for lunch?"
"Yeah... and tell Charlie we have lunch for him too... if he's interested..."
Richard mumbled something Caroline couldn't make out as he dragged himself into the living room...
"Charlie." he shook him lightly, trying to wake him. After getting no response he shook him again... "Charlie!"
"The monkey can't fly without the umbrella!" Charlie announced, bolting upright... still asleep for the most part.
"No, Charlie... you're in Peshtigo... remember?"
"Oh... right. So... ummm... you didn't hear any of that... ok?"
Richard just sighed and shook his head... "Caroline made lunch... go eat..." he instructed, then headed for Stefano's room.
*****~*****
--Richard, Caroline, and Charlie all sat around the small dining table in the kitchen eating lunch, talking about Charlie's adventures in Scandinavia and Italy. Stefano sat in his highchair, happily tossing Cheerios to the floor and giggling about it.
"Well, the whole point of going was to find myself... but as hard as I looked, I couldn't find me..." Charlie mumbled as he talked with his mouth full...
"Big surprise..." Richard quipped...
"So, I decided to leave... and come back here. To New York I mean, not Peshtigo..."
"Well, what are your plans now?" Caroline asked sympathetically.
"Not sure. I guess I should probably get a job... maybe another messenger job..."
"You could always get a job at a roller rink..." Richard interjected sarcastically.
"Hey! That's not a bad idea!" Charlie seemed excited about that idea...
"What about money?" Caroline asked as she scooped up the Cheerios off the floor.
"Right... I'm definitely gonna want a job that pays me money. Had a job that paid me in chickens once... NEVER want to do that again! Feathers and eggs all over the place! Waking me up at dawn... and the neighbors HATED them!"
"Chickens?? What kind of job--..."
"Caroline!" Richard interrupted her question... "Don't ask... I already have a headache..."
Caroline nudged him and chuckled... "No, Charlie, I meant... what will you do for money... you know... to live on till you get a job?"
"I have some money left over. Enough to last a little while anyway..."
"Hotel." Richard whispered to Caroline as he picked Stefano up out of his highchair... "I'm just gonna go clean him up..." he added, walking towards the sink.
"Look, Charlie... ummm... we are really happy to have you spend the holidays with us and all... but, we kinda need you to get a hotel room..." Caroline said sheepishly.
"Oh. Sure. Ok. No problem..." Charlie's voice had its typical unwitting tone to it, and Richard glanced over at Caroline and rolled his eyes...
"Do you have the money for a hotel room?"
"Yeah. No problem."
"And Del and Annie are coming out in a few days. They're staying at the hotel too." Caroline tried to sound chipper, but she felt bad for sending Charlie away. Especially after his dad went and disappeared again.
"Ok..." Now Charlie's voice sounded a bit sad...
"Charlie? Are you ok?"
"Yeah... it's just that... you and Richard are together... and Del and Annie are together... and Charlie is just in the way..." he replied as he started to skate towards the door...
"Charlie, you'll always be our friend... you know that... right?"
Charlie just shrugged his shoulders.
"Richard... why don't you take Charlie to the hotel..." Caroline suggested, receiving an anguished expression from Richard. "Please?" she begged softly, looking at him with pleading eyes. Richard rolled his eyes and handed Stefano off to Caroline... "And talk to him..." she whispered as he kissed her cheek good-bye...
"And say what?" he asked in a slightly irritated whisper.
"Just let him know we're still his friends..."
Richard sighed with exasperation and nodded, heading for the door...
"C'mon Charlie. I'll take you to the hotel so you can get settled in..." Richard said unenthusiastically.
*****~*****
--"I'm so excited! This is one of my favorite parts about the Christmas season!" Caroline chirped as she dressed Stefano. He just giggled in response. She played with him as she finished getting him dressed, then walked out into the living room. Richard was immersed in his art... unaware that Caroline had entered the living room and was watching him... until Stefano giggled...
Richard jumped and spun around to see Caroline and his son ready to go...
"You're ready already?" Richard asked, quickly picking up his art supplies.
"Yep. Did you call Annie?"
"Yeah. Del and Charlie are coming too. They're gonna meet us there..."
"Oh, good! This is going to be so much fun! Isn't this going to be fun?" Caroline asked excitedly, bouncing up and down like a kid in a candy store.
"Oh, yeah..." Richard lied, and very unconvincingly... "Fun."
"Oh, cut it out! Do you want Stefano to grow up with bad memories of the holidays like his daddy?" she asked seriously.
"No. Of course not. I'm trying Caroline..."
"I know. I know..." She kissed him softly, then mussed up his hair... "Get your coat. Let's go!"
Richard just grumbled as he followed Caroline out the door.
*****~*****
--Richard, Caroline, and Stefano arrived at the Christmas tree farm about 10 minutes later than Annie, Del, and Charlie...
"Were you waiting long?" Caroline asked as she approached them...
"About 10/15 minutes... no biggie..." Annie said as she looked at her watch.
"Let's go pick out a tree..." Richard mumbled halfheartedly, walking past Caroline and the others as he headed for the entrance to the farm.
"He's excited... can you tell?" Caroline teased as she started to follow Richard...
"If this is excited, I would hate to see him UNexcited. He would need resuscitation!" Annie joked...
"You'll find any excuse to put your lips on someone..." Richard shot back sarcastically...
"If I put my lips on YOU, I would have to wash my mouth with disinfectant!"
"Be nice people! This is a 'happy' day!" Caroline scolded lightheartedly...
Just then Charlie started to sing... "Happy, happy, joy, joy. Happy, happy, joy, joy..." Everyone turned to look at Charlie, and all but Caroline shot him a look that made him stop singing... "What? Haven't you ever seen 'Ren & Stimpy'?"
Everyone except Caroline scoffed, rolled their eyes, and/or shook their heads as they continued towards the entrance.
"Well, at least Charlie is in a 'happy' mood!" Caroline defended Charlie...
"Yeah... having a lobotomy will do that to one's mood..." Richard cracked, followed by laughing and snickering from Annie and Del...
"Ok! Stop right there!" Caroline snapped, causing Richard, Annie, and Del to turn around... "We are NOT going to have a repeat of last Christmas! Remember? The trip to 'Christmasville'? The blackout? All because you guys were acting like Mr. Bah, Ms. Hum, and Mr. Bug! Now, you guys be nice... or I'll... I'll..."
"You'll what?" Richard asked with an impish grin...
"Oh, you don't want to know what I'll do... or should I say... NOT do..." Caroline muttered... the implication clear...
"I'll be good..." Richard said, quickly complying.
Del and Annie both laughed at Richard, and Caroline shot them both a look...
"You know... when I'm in a good mood... I'm less likely to spill 'secrets' that have been entrusted to me..."
Annie and Del immediately wiped the smiles off their faces...
"I'll be good..." Annie announced seriously.
"Yeah... me too..." Del added.
Caroline smiled at her triumph, then entered the tree farm with Charlie at her side and the rest trailing behind, grumbling.
--"Ok... if the tree has a whole tag, the tree is for sale. If the tree only has half of a tag, the tree has already been sold. Get it?" Caroline asked as she walked towards the trees...
"I get it!" Charlie announced proudly... the rest just groaned.
--"What about this tree?" Caroline asked, spotting a great tree and walking towards it...
"Only half a tag... it's sold..." Richard replied, moving on...
"Oh, poo!" Caroline exclaimed disappointedly...
"I wouldn't..." Charlie advised... "That's what got me kicked out of that tree lot last year..."
"Ummm... what?"
"Oh, I didn't do it! The stray dog that was following me did. But boy, by the way they acted... you woulda thought I had!"
"Caroline..." Richard called to her, pointing at a tree... "What about this one?"
Caroline eagerly walked away from Charlie's conversation... "Oh, that one is perfect!" she exclaimed, almost skipping towards him.
Richard couldn't help but smile at her excitement... "Whatcha think son? Is this the perfect tree?" Stefano just giggled and cooed... "I think he agrees..." Richard laughed... "I'll grab the tag..."
*****~*****
--They stayed a couple hours, enjoying the Christmas tree farm and the activities there... like the craft show and sled rides, but Caroline started to get worried about the time...
"We have to get going... we have to get back. Julia has visitation today..."
"Really? I thought Julia wasn't interested in Stefano..." Charlie asked innocently.
"Well, so did we... but now she is saying she IS interested..."
"That's not what she said last night..."
"What? What are you talking about?" Caroline asked, confused. By now, the conversation had gotten Richard's attention.
"Last night. At the hotel. She was telling some guy that she didn't care about Stefano..."
"Ok, Charlie... this is VERY important. What did she say EXACTLY?" Richard asked slowly.
"She said 'I don't care about Stefano, I care about making Richard and Caroline suffer'..."
Richard and Caroline just looked at each other in disbelief...
"Would you be willing to swear to that on a deposition?" Richard asked...
"Sure. No problem..." Charlie agreed easily... "What's a deposition?"
"I'll explain it to you on the way..." Richard now had a new purpose on his agenda... to catch Julia at her game and expose her.
They quickly gathered their items and paid for their purchases, then headed for home.
*****~*****
--Richard, Caroline, Charlie, and the attorney sat waiting for Julia and her attorney to show up. Caroline was nervous, fearing a confrontation would be imminent, and Richard held her close, hoping to soothe her nerves.
"When is she gonna get here?" Caroline asked anxiously...
"Don't worry Caroline... she'll be here..." Richard assured her.
Finally, there was a knock at the door...
--"And just why was it so important for me to bring my attorney with me on my visitation day Reechard?" Julia asked in a huff as she entered the house.
"We'll get to that in a minute..." Richard replied simply, keeping his emotions in check.
Everyone took a seat in the living room and Caroline squirmed under Julia's glaring eye. Richard saw the looks between them, Caroline's expression showing distress, Julia's showing bitter loathing. Richard gently put firmly took Caroline's hand and held it tight, smiling at her when she looked into his eyes. She smiled back as their attorney started to speak...
"Ok, the reason my clients have asked for this meeting is because new information has come to light."
"What new information?" Julia's attorney asked sternly.
"We have a witness that heard your client state that she has no interest in Stefano, and that the sole purpose of this action is to further upset my clients, Richard and Caroline Karinsky."
"Who is the witness?"
"That would be me..." Charlie announced, holding up his hand.
Julia leaned over and said something in her attorney's ear, then sat up with a smug smile on her face.
"The conversation he heard was between Julia and myself... and as her attorney, that information falls under attorney/client privilege. That testimony will not be allowed and you know it."
"Well, that's for the judge to decide. Do you really want to take the chance? Let's face it... your client wants nothing to do with the child. We can prove it. And what she will get herself is 18 years of paying child support, not the revenge she is searching for against my clients."
Julia and her attorney leaned in to whisper to one another, then they sat back up straight...
"And if my client signs her rights as parent over to your clients, there will be no seeking child support? Past, present, or future? And we will have a sworn affidavit that states such?"
"Yes." Richard and Caroline's attorney confirmed.
Julia and her attorney leaned in once more to talk...
"You will have our answer by tomorrow." Julia's attorney informed, then he and Julia stood to leave...
"Don't you want your visitation time with Stefano?" Richard asked in a slightly antagonizing tone. Julia just glared at him, then looked over at Caroline...
"You can have him. He was a lousy lover anyway..." Julia insulted, cracking an evil grin, then she walked out the door. Her attorney turned around and rolled his eyes...
"We'll be in touch tomorrow morning..." he said, then left, shutting the door behind him.
Caroline and Richard just looked at each other, then looked over at their attorney...
"It went well..." the attorney said, almost as if he could read their minds... "She'll sign the papers..."
"How can you tell?" Caroline asked, uncertainty in her tone...
"They wouldn't have asked about the sworn affidavit concerning child support, and she wouldn't have walked away from her visitation, if they were planning to continue the fight." he stated with confidence... "I'll call you as soon as I get the call..."
*****~*****
--Caroline watched as Richard got ready for bed. She could tell something was bothering him, but as usual, he was keeping it to himself... "Penny for your thoughts..."
"Is that the going rate for my thoughts?" Richard joked. Caroline smiled, then her expression grew serious...
"Talk to me Richard..."
Richard sighed deeply as he got into bed... "It's nothing..."
"It's not nothing. Is it about what Julia said right before she left?" Caroline could tell by Richard's reaction that it was...
Richard remained silent. He didn't really care what Julia thought of him, but her comment hurt. It wasn't an ego thing... it wasn't because he wanted to be back with her... and it wasn't because she had lied to him all those times she said he was 'fantastic'. It was because now he questioned his ability to make Caroline happy in bed.
"She only said it to hurt you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah..." He didn't sound convinced...
"Richard... she was just being vindictive. She knows she's about to lose her case..."
"I know..."
"So, what's wrong?"
"It's just... her comment brought up... questions..."
"What questions?"
Richard took a deep breath... "Caroline, do I... make you happy? In bed?" he asked hesitantly.
Now Caroline understood what his mood had been about... "Richard, of course you make me happy. In bed... in front of the fire..." she smiled at him as she thought about that night just before Thanksgiving... "You fulfill my needs completely."
Caroline snuggled up to him, kissing him tenderly, and Richard's response was immediate. He turned to face her and draped his leg over her legs, pulling her close. He pressed firmly against her as he kissed her passionately, running his hand up her shirt and caressing her skin...
"Is Stefano asleep?" Richard asked in a whisper as he kissed his way down her neck to her shoulder. Caroline chuckled and pulled back to look at him...
"You're such a good daddy. Yes, Stefano is asleep."
Richard smiled and resumed his affectionate assault.
"Hey, Richard..."
"Hmmm?"
"Have you ever thought about... doing... roles?"
Richard stopped abruptly and looked at Caroline with confusion... "What?"
"You know... roles. Like, role playing... while in bed..."
"No. I have never thought about that... have you?"
"Well, no... but Annie brought it up--..."
"Oh geez, Caroline... don't listen to Annie about stuff like that! She'll warp you! I don't need to role play because I have who I want to be with right here. You..."
Caroline smiled and ran her hand through his hair... "Same here. I want to be with you... and only you."
They made love, gentle and perfect, then fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
*****~*****
--Richard woke early, to nervous about the phone call they would be receiving later to sleep. He tiptoed across the bedroom floor, trying not to wake Caroline, and he headed down stairs to go paint. Painting usually relaxed him, but he was finding it difficult to be at ease and create knowing the biggest phone call of his life would be at least another few hours away.
--Caroline rolled over and quickly realized that Richard was gone. She sat up in bed and wiped the sleep from her eyes, listening for sounds of him. She heard a faint noise in the living room, so she headed for the door. She quietly watched Richard work as she stood on the stairs.
"Couldn't sleep?" Richard asked without even having to turn around to know she was there... he could sense her...
"I came to find you. Couldn't you sleep?" Caroline asked as she approached him.
"Not really. Just nervous about--..."
"About what Julia is going to do next?"
"Yeah..."
"The painting looks great..." Caroline said, knowing instinctively that Richard wanted to change the subject...
"Thanks. It's almost done... I think..."
"You think?"
"Yeah, well, I keep thinking of new things to add..."
"Ah. Are you hungry? I could make some breakfast..."
"Maybe some coffee?"
"Ok. And I'll make some oatmeal... just in case you decide you're hungry in a bit..." Caroline kissed him gently on the lips and smiled at him, lingering a little longer than necessary... "I love you..."
"I love you, too..." Richard kissed her and smiled in return.
*****~*****
--Richard and Caroline thought the phone call from their attorney would never come. They thought the call would come mid to late morning, but it came much later than that. They started to think the delay was a sign of bad news, and their stress levels were high. When the phone finally rang it startled both Caroline and Richard out of their seats, and he nearly tripped on his feet running to answer it...
"Hello?" His voice sounded anxious as he answered the phone... "Uh-huh. -- Ok... -- Right. -- Sure! -- Yeah, we'll be there shortly... -- Ok, thanks. Bye."
"Well?" Caroline felt like she was going to explode... "What did he say?"
"Julia signed her parental rights over to us..." Richard sounded almost as shocked as he was relieved...
"So, that's it? It's over?"
"Well, we have some papers to sign and there are some stipulations to go over. But, yeah... it's over..." Richard's smile grew wide and he grabbed Caroline, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around... "It's OVER!" he shouted excitedly. He put Caroline down gently and kissed her quickly, then ran for the stairs... "I'm gonna go get Stefano changed so we can go to his office!"
"The attorney's office? Right now?" Caroline called after him...
"Yeah! Julia wants to go back to Italy right away! She wants to get everything taken care of now so she can leave..."
Caroline ran up the stairs right behind Richard, and within a surprisingly short amount of time, all three of them were ready to go.
*****~*****
--Caroline buzzed about, softly humming Christmas carols and putting more tinsel on the already-decorated Christmas tree while Stefano sat banging on the still-wrapped Christmas presents. Richard watched the scene and smiled...
*This must be what a 'Norman Rockwell' Christmas is like...*
"You know, if you put any more tinsel on the tree the lights glaring off it is going to blind us..." Richard quipped as he made his presence known.
"Salty was batting at the tree... I'm just replacing what she knocked off..."
"Uh-huh..." Richard intentionally sounded like he was not convinced... "That's why you're putting the stuff up high... cause she what? Climbed the tree to bat it down?" he teased...
"Oh, hush. I'm just trying to make it look... you know... uniform. Even."
"Mmm-hmm..." He sat on the floor next to Stefano and imitated him, lightly banging on the presents and speaking baby gibberish. Caroline sat down and joined them, all three of them looking quite the sight when Margaret and Fred walked in.
"Oh, hello... are we having fun?" Margaret asked as she entered the living room. Richard quickly got up and picked Stefano up, Caroline just laughed...
"Yep... but I think you just embarrassed Richard..."
"Oh, fiddle sticks! You don't need to be embarrassed about playing with your son!" Her voice was shrill and it made Richard wince... "Let me see that grandbaby!" Margaret added, snatching Stefano from Richard's arms.
Richard smiled at Caroline, letting her know that he was fine, then he walked out of the room and into the kitchen.
"I don't think he likes me..." Margaret whispered to Caroline after Richard had left the room.
"He likes you Mom, he's just like that. He doesn't let people get close to him easily..."
"How did you ever get so close to him?"
"I don't know... he just eventually let me in. But it took a long time, let me tell you..."
*****~*****
--After a wonderful Christmas dinner, Annie, Del, Charlie, Richard, Stefano, Caroline, and her parents all sat in the living room, sipping hot cider and chatting...
"So, she came all the way out here and filed for custody of Stefano because... she was angry with you?" Margaret asked, amazed that someone would go to that much trouble just to get revenge.
"Well, that's Julia for you." Annie interjected... "She's nothing but a selfish, stuck-up bi--... ummm... snob." She censored herself for Stefano's and Margaret's sake.
"Well, if she's so horrible, then why did you marry her?" Margaret asked Richard, causing everyone to fidget a bit at the sore subject broached.
"You know, Mrs. Duffy, I really don't know how to answer that. All I can say is, I thought I loved her once... but I was just fooling myself..."
"And what about Caroline? How can you be sure you're not just 'fooling yourself' with your feelings for her?"
"Mom!" Caroline was not happy about her mother's inquiry, and her expression showed sadness, and just a little bit of anger. Richard placed his hand on Caroline's and squeezed gently, letting her know the question did not upset him...
"Because, Mrs. Duffy, Caroline is my 'sincere amore'..."
"Your what?"
"It means: 'a love you never have to question'. Now, looking back, there were questions about my love for Julia, and her love for me. There were signs... I just didn't pay them heed. But with Caroline, there is no question..."
"C'mon guys!" Fred jumped in... "It's called 'Merry Christmas'... so let's be 'merry'! Let's open some gifts and put on some music!"
"Great idea..." Caroline agreed, knowing that if the conversation were to continue, it would only upset Richard. She understood her mom's concerns, but she also knew this wasn't the time and place to discuss them.
"Here. We got this for Stefano..." Annie announced, handing Caroline the present.
"Aww... thank you Annie..." Caroline took the gift and rattled it in front of Stefano, getting his attention.
"Hey! It's from me too!" Del exclaimed...
"Thank you Del..." Caroline added...
"Open it!" Annie was excited to have Stefano open the gift, but Richard shook his head...
"I thought we agreed to have him open his gifts in the morning?"
"Well, he will open ours in the morning... they won't be here in the morning. Let's have him open their gifts to him tonight..." Caroline suggested...
Richard agreed, so Caroline set Stefano down on the floor and handed him the gift. He banged on it for a few minutes, then lost interest and started crawling away...
"He doesn't want to open gifts... he wants to escape..." Richard chuckled, picking him up and bringing him back to the gift. "I'm gonna help him... or we'll all be here till next Christmas..." he added, sitting on the floor with Stefano. He started tearing little bits of paper off the present to give Stefano the idea, but he was just too young to really understand. "We're gonna be here all night..." Richard took the gift and opened it for Stefano, then wadded up the paper and tossed it at Annie.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Annie threw the paper back and it bounced off Richard's head, which everyone but Richard thought was hilarious.
--After Stefano's gifts had been opened, it was obvious that he was starting to get tired...
"I'm gonna put him to bed, ok?" Richard suggested as he picked Stefano up in his arms.
"Ok..." Caroline agreed, kissing Stefano goodnight before Richard walked away. Everyone called goodnight to him and waved as Richard headed up the stairs.
"I'll come with you..." Del said, moving quickly to catch up.
*****~*****
--"You really got this father thing down..." Del said as Richard finished changing Stefano for bed...
"Uh-huh..."
"I mean it. Annie and I were talking about that the other day..."
Richard looked at Del with an odd expression... "I think it scares me that you two were talking about me..." he quipped, turning his attention back to his son.
"Yeah, well... can I share something with you?"
"If you must..."
"I'm proposing to Annie tonight..."
"While here?"
"Yeah..."
"Wow... so, are you nervous?"
"Why do you think I wanted to tell you? I had to tell someone..."
--After all the presents were open by everyone, Del cleared his throat, indicating that he wanted everyone's attention...
"I have one more present... for Annie..." he said, taking a small velvet box out of his pocket.
He got down on one knee in front of her and Caroline gasped as she realized what was about to happen. Richard smiled and put his arm around Caroline as Del opened the elegant box...
"Annie, I love you... will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Annie sat dumbfounded, staring at the beautiful diamond engagement ring in the small box, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Annie?" Del asked, concerned that she hadn't answered him yet.
After another few moments of silence she jumped up from the couch and ran towards the kitchen in tears. Del sprung up and was about to follow her when Caroline put her hand on his arm...
"Let me go talk to her..." she said, not bothering to wait for Del's answer as she sprinted towards the kitchen.
--"Annie?" Caroline asked as she walked into the kitchen. Annie was crying fairly hard and she turned away from Caroline when she entered the kitchen, not wanting her to see her cry...
"Annie... what's wrong sweetie?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
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