Author: pandora1017
Rating: PG
Notes: I don't know where the last Smackdown! before Christmas was taped, so I made it Toronto to fit the story. It was probably Tampa just to totally invalidate me. Bah. Merry Christmas.
Content: Language, slash
Characters:
Adam Copeland = Edge
Jason Reso = Christian
Chris and Jess Irvine = Chris Jericho and his wife
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[Jason]
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"Jay? Jay, pick up chhhh-dammit, I know you're screen-chhhhhhhh-alls. My phone's chhhhhh-ing, I don't know how much more time chhhhhh -"
Dropping the spoon I was using to stir the spaghetti sauce, I finally remembered the phone was in the living room. I made a running dive for the phone and hit the talk button as I landed on the couch. "Adam? Aren't you supposed to be on a plane now?"
"What took you so chhhhhhh?"
"You're breaking up, Adam."
"I know, there's no recep-chhhhhhh-oronto," he groaned over the static. "Lis-chhhhhhhhhh blizzarding here. I finally got chhhhhhhh-ight desk and my chhhhhhhhh-een delayed."
"You're flight's been delayed?"
"What? Yeah, delayed. Hopefully, we'll chhhhhhhhh tonight, but we have to wait for the snow to chhhhhhhh."
"It's Christmas Eve, Adam! You have to come home."
"I don't have much chhhhhhhh the matter," he answered flatly, not sounding to happy about the situation either.
I sighed. "Did you see your family?"
"Yeah," he said in a less than conversational tone. "and yours. My mo-chhhhhhh hi and merry chhhh-mas and your dad chhhhhh visit soon."
I'd figure out that message later. "How was the show?"
"Fine. I wrestled chhhhhhh, I think it chhhhhhhhhhh," the reception almost faded out totally, but it cleared for a moment of silence where I thought I'd lost him. Finally, in a quiet voice, he asked, "What are you doing now?"
"Making dinner," I matched his quiet tone sadly. He had sounded frustrated at first, but I could hear how much he wanted to be here in his last question. "'Cause I thought you'd be here by now."
"Chhhh-rry, I wish I chhhhhhhhhh."
"I can hardly hear you, Adam."
"I'm sorry, chhhhh hardly hear you," he practically growled, resuming the frustrated tone. "My phone's about to die, I forgot to charge chhhhhhh..."
"I told you to bring your charger before you left," I muttered into the dead phone before hanging up. I frowned and examined the receiver in my hand blankly until I heard the sizzling sound of spaghetti boiling over. "Shit."
I jumped back up and ran into the kitchen, turning off the burners. The spaghetti had boiled over, but that wasn't so bad. The real problem was that when I had dropped the spoon from the spaghetti sauce, it had landed too close to the burner and the sauce was now seared onto the wooden spoon. Adam will not be happy about that, I warned myself as I tossed the spoon across the kitchen into the sink. I looked over the mess on the stove that had formerly been a meal for two and realized that Adam's news had made me lose my appetite. Acting on college instincts to never waste food, I dumped the spaghetti into a colander in the sink with a thunk. Yeah, the spaghetti was one solid lump of mush. I never claimed to be a good cook. I guess that's what I get for trying to be romantic.
It made sense that the meal was ruined. I mean, it corresponded perfectly with how five minutes can ruin Adam's favorite meal and the highlight of my evening - his coming home. Coming home on Christmas Eve, no less. This whole roster split was very detrimental to our quality Adam/Jay time, and it was starting to get to me around the holidays. The Smackdown boys' last show before Christmas was Monday in Toronto. Adam, being the good son that he is decided to spend an extra day up there to see his mother on Christmas Eve. Now, not that I have a problem with Adam's mother at all - she's a dear, sweet woman - but it wasn't blizzarding after the show yesterday, and if Adam had taken a flight back here right after the show, he'd be home now.
Now, that's just selfish of me. I lifted a dishcloth to start cleaning the stove, but quickly found that I didn't care enough to do it. Who was I cleaning for? Adam? He wasn't coming home tonight. I sighed and tossed the dishcloth back into the sink on my way out of the kitchen. I walked halfway down the hall before I realized that I was wandering aimlessly, distracted. I had planned tonight to be perfect, our first Christmas with just each other. I was going to make a late dinner for two, then we'd exchange gifts, a little Christmas sex... and now - nothing. What the hell was I supposed to do with Adam in Toronto and me in Tampa? I sighed and was surprised to find myself standing before the open sliding glass doors to the backyard. It was a cool 60 degrees out when the warm breeze blew, I felt a sudden rush of memories. It was December 24th, and I wasn't sitting in front of a fireplace with my parents, exchanging presents and catching up on the events of the year. There was and would be no snow for my Christmas. Adam was the one enjoying what Christmas should be - snow, family, and -
"Eggnog?"
I looked up quickly at the short girl standing on the other side of the fence with four mugs on a tray. "What?"
"Chris saw you standing out here and suggested spreading some holiday cheer," Jess explained with a bright smile. "Do you and Adam want some eggnog?"
I frowned as I crossed the yard to the fence between my place and hers. "Adam's not here."
"Jay!" Chris called as he stepped out on his back porch, smiling and wearing a Santa hat. "Merry Christmas!"
I smiled softly as he came down to Jess and me, wrapping his arms around Jess's waist. "Have some eggnog! Jess got it. Where's Adam?"
"Adam's not here," I repeated. Chris wrinkled his brow, so I continued. "He stayed in Toronto for an extra day to see his mom and now it's blizzarding up there."
Chris and Jess frowned at the same time - a cute couple thing that I liked to think that Adam and I do from time to time. Jess spoke first. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Here, have some eggnog. Want to come over? I baked cookies, too."
I took a mug from her tray and opened the gate between our yards. "I appreciate it, but..."
"Are you expecting a call from Adam?" Chris asked.
I smirked. "No, his phone died again."
"That rat bastard," Chris laughed. Adam was widely known for not charging his phone as it got him in a few more sticky situations than he deserved. "Is he coming in tonight?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I don't think so. I guess it's snowing pretty bad. I think he's at the airport, his flight was delayed."
They fell silent again and Chris self-consciously let go of Jess, taking a glass of eggnog from the tray, too. Jess set the tray on a picnic table in the back corner of her yard and took a glass from herself, as an awkward silence fell over us. Chris finally broke the silence. "Did you get to see your parents for the holidays?"
"Adam and I were planning on going up there before Christmas, but since he's up there now, we kinda pushed it back," I shrugged. "He saw my parents, too, and they said something about visiting, but I couldn't hear anything Adam was saying on the phone."
Chris nodded and started to speak, but Jess cut him off. "We're going up to Manitoba around New Years. I'm dreading it - there must be so much snow!"
"Wow, Jessie, my family loves you, too," Chris laughed again, shoving her lightly. She rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with snow."
"Except when it delays flights..." I interjected.
"Oh, Jay," Jess sighed, setting a hand on my arm. "You never know. It could have stopped snowing already. Adam could be in the air as we speak."
"Don't let her fool you," Chris shook his head with a smile. "She gets the same way when my flights are delayed."
"Don't flatter yourself," Jess rolled her eyes, and I laughed. Chris put a hand over his heart, playing hurt and Jess dissolved into giggles, throwing her arms around Chris. "Why don't you two sit down? I'm going to get those cookies."
"Oh, Jess, no, really -" I tried to stop her, but she had already let go of Chris and was at her door. Chris gestured for me to sit across from him at the picnic table, so I did with a sigh. I didn't mean to change the conversation so abruptly, but a question suddenly popped in my head. "Do you ever miss it?"
Chris raised a brow. "Miss what?"
"The snow. The temperature dropping below thirty on a regular basis. Sitting in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate and family. Christmas things that we don't do here in Florida."
Chris smiled, shrugging, and finished his glass of eggnog. He took the glass that had been meant for Adam. "Yeah, sometimes. But we go up to my folks' place around New Years and I get my fix. If I wanted that year round, I'd move home."
I nodded. "I guess so."
"Do you miss the snow - or Adam?"
I smirked to myself. "I do miss my family, but I think I miss the nostalgia the most. I miss fireplaces."
Chris laughed. "And the truth comes out."
"I was just thinking about how Adam might not have it so bad. Being stuck up there, he has snow, family, fireplaces -"
"But not you," Jess chimed in, coming back out with a plate of about six cookies shaped like snowflakes. "I guarentee he's sitting on that plane, thankful that he's not going to see anymore snowflakes for a long time."
"Fitting," I laughed, picking up a cookie. Jess smiled and sat next to Chris, taking a cookie for herself.
"I'm serious. I'd be happy to spend every Christmas like this with just my Chris - no family craziness."
I smiled, and Chris turned to her, surprised. "You really mean that?"
"Of course," she answered, breaking her cookie and giving him half. "If my options are sitting at home with you or going to listen to Aunt Lori rant about her horrible son all day, you win any day of the week."
Chris sneered. "You do wonders for my self-esteem, you know that?"
"Yes," she answered, kissing him lightly.
I grinned again, then finished the mug of eggnog. "Well, I appreciate the hospitality, but I think I'm just going to turn in early tonight and wait for Santa."
Jess smiled. "You sure? You're more than welcome to come visit for a while."
"Nah," I shrugged, getting to my feet. "It's already eleven and I had a spaghetti sauce disaster in the kitchen I should clean up. But thanks for the eggnog and cookies."
"You're welcome," Chris answered, as the two of them got up, too. "Merry Christmas, Jay."
"Merry Christmas to you, too," I smiled, leaning over as Jess reached out for a hug. She kissed my cheek.
"Maybe if you get to sleep, young man, Santa will bring you a handsome blond for Christmas."
I laughed and Chris's jaw dropped as Jess started clearing away the cups. "You're kissing him and calling his boyfriend handsome? Is there something I should know about?"
Jess just laughed and held up an empty glass to Chris. "Did you drink the extra glass of eggnog?"
I smiled and waved to the two as I backed up into my own yard. "Night, guys."
"Merry Christmas," Jess called. I looked over my shoulder after turning to the house and saw Jess wrapped in Chris's arms in a kiss. With a sigh, I closed the door behind me and went back to clean up the kitchen. It didn't take as long as I had expected, and I ended up tossing out the spaghetti. When I was done, I meandered into the living room and sat on the couch, watching the Christmas tree. The lights all began to blur together and somewhere in the back of my mind I could almost hear a crackling fireplace and smell my mom's pumpkin pie. Before I knew what was happening, I was laying on the couch with my eyes half closed, and finally...
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[Adam]
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After my day, I could write a book on Murphy's law. My flight took off four hours late, but instead of spending the time with my mom, I'd been stuck in the airport as they "didn't know when the weather would clear." I was starting to get worried that I might not even get off the ground that night. I finally got to Tampa the next morning when my nine o'clock flight turned into a red-eye flight, not having spoken to Jay since the night before - when my cell phone died. I knew Jay was upset, he's always telling me to charge my phone, but I hoped he wasn't to worried. This was a very stressful Christmas for him, the first time we weren't staying in Toronto for the holidays. He didn't end up getting up here and we weren't sure when he'd have another chance. His dad had given me gifts to bring him, but it was obvious that both him and his family wanted to see each other. I was just getting off the plane as the sun started coming up. Sleeping had been impossible, it was too stressful for me to relax. The red-eye flight had lived up to it's name for me.
When I found my way through the terminal and got to the familar baggage claim, my bag was naturally the last one off the conveyor belt. I missed it passing around a couple of times due to blurred vision from tiredness, but I finally noticed it when the security guard tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that sleeping at the baggage claim is not allowed. Half-dragging the bag through the terminal, I found a newstand where I got a cup of coffee to make sure I made it home incident free.
After that, I finally got to the parking garage where I found my SUV had a huge dent in the driverside door. Merry Christmas. Luckily, the fresh, warm air was cooperating with the coffee and my vision was returning enough to be able to drive. After a few minutes of my engine not turning over, I realized I had left the truck here with just fumes in the tank. I groaned and dropped my head onto the steering wheel, trying it one last time - and it finally started. Thank you, which ever god was smiling on me for that blunder. I pulled out of the garage into the morning sun. A smile finally crossed my face when I saw the wide open streets, completely devoid of snow. I liked snow in reasonable amounts, but that blizzard at Mom's had been a little excessive for my tastes - especially with Jay in a whole different country. What's the point in being snowed in if Jay's not there to enjoy it with you?
The radio was playing Christmas carols and the roads were dead. These were both because it was Christmas morning. Little kids were jumping out of bed to open train sets and dolls right now, no one in their right mind was driving. And that explained me. This was one of the few things that made me question my profession of choice, but I stopped worrying about it as I pulled into my driveway. Turning of the engine, I remembered that my tank was still empty and I knew that there would be no Christmas miracles next time I tried to turn on the truck. That was all right, I'd have Jay run out and get a can of gas to get me started. But I'd tell him about it later, of course. I grabbed my suitcase out of the back and headed inside. Christmas lights from the tree were on and I assumed Jay was up already. That was surprising, because he tended to wake up at noon on his days off. I tried the front door, but it was locked. I wrinkled my brow, then pulled out my keys and unlocked the door.
The house was completely and eerily silent. I stopped and listened for any noise - but there was none. I headed straight for the bedroom, feeling a sudden urgency as I was finally going to be able to see Jay. He wasn't there. I dropped my suitcase, surprised, but didn't bother taking of my coat. Where was he? I turned and went to the living room - finally finding him.
He was curled up on the couch fully dressed and I was under the impression that he had been wearing that last night. I smiled softly to myself, filled with complete and sudden serenity at being home. Jay shifted slightly in his sleep, as if he was dreaming, and I cross the room to him slowly with a smile. He was dreaming, I could see his eyes moving under his eyelids, and I debated waking him up. Kneeling down next to him, I took in the features of his face with a smile. He would tense and flinch every couple seconds, reacting to whatever he was seeing in his head, and I couldn't resist touching him any longer. I leaned in and brushed my lips against his softly. I was definitely surprised at how quickly he reacted, his fingers quickly wrapping in my hair.
"Adam?" he questioned weakly, through a veil of sleep.
"I'm home, babe," I answered, running my fingertips down the side of his face as his eyes flickered open.
"I was just thinking about you," he informed me, suddenly smiling.
"No, you were sleeping," I reminded him, smiling back at him.
"Sleeping?" he asked as he looked to his watch. "Aw, shit, I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"Don't worry about it," I whispered. "I just got in."
He relaxed slightly and his eyes fell shut again. "How was your flight?"
"Don't ask," I shook my head.
"That bad?" he yawned.
"Worse."
A smile crossed his face nonetheless. "It doesn't matter, you made it here."
"I told you I'd be home for Christmas."
"This is the best Christmas present I got so far," he remarked, sleepily.
"The best?" I laughed. "You mean, the only?"
"Jess gave me a cookie last night," he yawned, a smile forming. I almost inquired further, but decided that might not be a good idea.
"I hope I'm a better present than a cookie."
"Let me see," Jay said, sitting up and bringing my face to his. We kissed gently for a moment, both enjoying my arrival back home. Finally Jay let my face go. "Mmm, much better."
I laughed. "Merry Christmas, Jay."
"Merry Christmas, Adam."