Eli: I saw Beloved's story and I knew I had to write. Sorry for such a long
wait! Blame my Physics teacher. Here we go! Enjoy!
"Shopping for Christmas is not fun" thought Jamie. It wasn't fair that he had to go with mommy shopping while Beth got to go to training. He was thankful that they weren't alone. Gracie and Aunt Vicky had come as well.
"So Pez," Vicky started. "When you gonna tell the captain that you're pregnant?"
"I'm gonna delay it as far as I can. As soon as he finds out I'll be at my desk for months."
"It's for the best, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't wanna get shot." They stopped at a cart and picked up some ice cream before continuing on in the mall. Jamie was growing very impatient and cranky and soon took it out on Gracie.
"Ah!" Gracie screamed. "Mommy! Auntie Sara! Jamie dripped ice cream down my back!"
Sara grabbed Jamie's wrist and looked down at him. "James Connor Nottingham, you apologize this minute or I'm going...." That was as far as she got. She let go of his wrist and turned to a trash can, where she proceeded to empty out the contents of her stomach.
Vicky turned away for a minute. Gracie and Jamie stared on in gross fascination. Throwing up was interesting.
Sara had to sit down on a bench afterwards.
"Better?" Vicky asked. Sara shook her head.
"I... hate.... Morning.... Sickness!" She growled out. Jamie and Gracie took a step back from Sara.
Jamie remembered what his dad had said about this type of thing and laughed at the memory. Sara looked down at him. "What's so funny?"
"What daddy said about the sickness stuff." Sara rolled her eyes.
"Oh God."
"What did Ian say about morning sickness?"
"A woman scorned hath no fury like a woman facing morning sickness." Vicky chuckled. Gracie stood there confused.
"I don't get it. Mommy, what does that mean?"
"I'll tell you later." Sara got back up and they went on through the mall.
They were around the front when a man from behind grabbed Vicky's bag and ran.
"Hey!" Vicky screamed and took off after him. She had let go of Gracie's hand, which made Gracie start to cry. Sara, who couldn't really run at the moment, tried to calm Gracie down. She also tried to keep one eye on where Vicky was.
The man was going out the front door. He quickly glanced at Vicky and smirked. When he turned back around, he connected with someone's fist. The man fell to the floor dazed. Vicky grabbed her purse back and kicked the guy where the sun don't shine.
"Bastard." She murmured. She looked up at the man who had knocked the guy out. The dude was decked out in a Santa Clause outfit, but was missing the beard. He was her age and cute.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He said. He put his hand behind his back to hide the red mark on his fist. By this time, Sara and the kids had caught up with them. The kids were both out of breath. Sara didn't notice the Santa Clause man.
"Did you get it?"
"Yeah. Thanks to this dude." Sara turned to the man and nodded a hello.
Gracie stared at him for a minute. Then she went in front of him pulled on his shirt to get his attention.
"You're not Santa Clause." She declared. He laughed.
"Sorry young lady. Santa Clause I'm not."
"Who are you then?" She asked curiously. He smiled and put his hand out.
"Joey Tribianni." She shook his hand.
"I'm Gracie. Are you the one that got my mommy's purse back?"
"Yeah. But you're mom's the one who made him pay for it. That guy's gonna be talking like a girl for a month." Gracie laughed.
She turned to Vicky. "Mommy, I like him." Joey laughed. Vicky smiled.
"Then why don't you invite him to eat lunch with us?"
"Okay. Will you eat lunch with us?" She asked him. He smiled.
"Of course. Who could refuse someone as cute as you?" Gracie blushed. Vicky motioned for him to follow them. Sara, who was busy making sure the security would handle the man correctly, was pulled mid sentence toward a restaurant.
They all sat down in some Chinese fast food place and ordered.
"That was a good hit." Sara said to Joey through gulps of chow mien. He shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks."
Gracie studied him with curiosity. She noticed he kept looking at her mommy. There was a silence at the table for a moment. Sara broke it.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name. Do you mind repeating it for the rest of the class?"
"Joey Tribianni." Sara nodded. "Sara Nottingham. This is my son Jamie." Jamie and Joey shook hands. Joey made Jamie laugh by crossing his eyes.
Vicky finally introduced herself. "Vicky McCartney. Thanks again for getting that man."
"No problem. It was you who did the damage." Vicky blushed under his gaze.
After they were done, they walked with him for a bit. He kept making Gracie and Jamie laugh. He seemed very good with kids. Then he announced he had to get back to his spot. He was standing next to Vicky saying good bye to everyone.
"Joey, can you come to my house to play?" Gracie asked.
"Maybe on my day off." He mused. She was about to say something else when she heard Jamie go "Uh oh." She turned to him.
"What?"
"Look up." Everyone looked up and there was a piece of mistletoe over Joey and Vicky. Joey smirked a second and then kissed Vicky's cheek. Then he said 'see ya' and took off.
-Later-
Surprising to most, Jake was actually home. He helped Vicky take things out of the car. When they were settled, he had Gracie sit on his lap. Gracie only obliged because she never got to see him.
"So what happened when you and mommy went shopping?" He asked.
"We got presents. I saw Auntie Sara throw up! It was gross."
"I bet."
"Oh! I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause!" Jake was only half listening, but that comment made him turn.
"What?" Vicky interrupted. "It's a song Jake. She didn't remember the tune so she said the lyrics." He still looked confused.
"You know 'I saw mommy kissing Santa clause. Underneath the mistletoe last night.'?"
"Oh." He said meekly. "I'm gonna go get dinner started. Gracie got off his lap and he went into the kitchen. Vicky called Gracie to her.
"Gracie, do you want me and daddy to argue?"
"No."
"Then don't mention Joey to daddy."
"Okay." Vicky then joined Jake in the kitchen.
Coming Attractions:
Why is the night full of holes?
"Shopping for Christmas is not fun" thought Jamie. It wasn't fair that he had to go with mommy shopping while Beth got to go to training. He was thankful that they weren't alone. Gracie and Aunt Vicky had come as well.
"So Pez," Vicky started. "When you gonna tell the captain that you're pregnant?"
"I'm gonna delay it as far as I can. As soon as he finds out I'll be at my desk for months."
"It's for the best, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't wanna get shot." They stopped at a cart and picked up some ice cream before continuing on in the mall. Jamie was growing very impatient and cranky and soon took it out on Gracie.
"Ah!" Gracie screamed. "Mommy! Auntie Sara! Jamie dripped ice cream down my back!"
Sara grabbed Jamie's wrist and looked down at him. "James Connor Nottingham, you apologize this minute or I'm going...." That was as far as she got. She let go of his wrist and turned to a trash can, where she proceeded to empty out the contents of her stomach.
Vicky turned away for a minute. Gracie and Jamie stared on in gross fascination. Throwing up was interesting.
Sara had to sit down on a bench afterwards.
"Better?" Vicky asked. Sara shook her head.
"I... hate.... Morning.... Sickness!" She growled out. Jamie and Gracie took a step back from Sara.
Jamie remembered what his dad had said about this type of thing and laughed at the memory. Sara looked down at him. "What's so funny?"
"What daddy said about the sickness stuff." Sara rolled her eyes.
"Oh God."
"What did Ian say about morning sickness?"
"A woman scorned hath no fury like a woman facing morning sickness." Vicky chuckled. Gracie stood there confused.
"I don't get it. Mommy, what does that mean?"
"I'll tell you later." Sara got back up and they went on through the mall.
They were around the front when a man from behind grabbed Vicky's bag and ran.
"Hey!" Vicky screamed and took off after him. She had let go of Gracie's hand, which made Gracie start to cry. Sara, who couldn't really run at the moment, tried to calm Gracie down. She also tried to keep one eye on where Vicky was.
The man was going out the front door. He quickly glanced at Vicky and smirked. When he turned back around, he connected with someone's fist. The man fell to the floor dazed. Vicky grabbed her purse back and kicked the guy where the sun don't shine.
"Bastard." She murmured. She looked up at the man who had knocked the guy out. The dude was decked out in a Santa Clause outfit, but was missing the beard. He was her age and cute.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He said. He put his hand behind his back to hide the red mark on his fist. By this time, Sara and the kids had caught up with them. The kids were both out of breath. Sara didn't notice the Santa Clause man.
"Did you get it?"
"Yeah. Thanks to this dude." Sara turned to the man and nodded a hello.
Gracie stared at him for a minute. Then she went in front of him pulled on his shirt to get his attention.
"You're not Santa Clause." She declared. He laughed.
"Sorry young lady. Santa Clause I'm not."
"Who are you then?" She asked curiously. He smiled and put his hand out.
"Joey Tribianni." She shook his hand.
"I'm Gracie. Are you the one that got my mommy's purse back?"
"Yeah. But you're mom's the one who made him pay for it. That guy's gonna be talking like a girl for a month." Gracie laughed.
She turned to Vicky. "Mommy, I like him." Joey laughed. Vicky smiled.
"Then why don't you invite him to eat lunch with us?"
"Okay. Will you eat lunch with us?" She asked him. He smiled.
"Of course. Who could refuse someone as cute as you?" Gracie blushed. Vicky motioned for him to follow them. Sara, who was busy making sure the security would handle the man correctly, was pulled mid sentence toward a restaurant.
They all sat down in some Chinese fast food place and ordered.
"That was a good hit." Sara said to Joey through gulps of chow mien. He shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks."
Gracie studied him with curiosity. She noticed he kept looking at her mommy. There was a silence at the table for a moment. Sara broke it.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name. Do you mind repeating it for the rest of the class?"
"Joey Tribianni." Sara nodded. "Sara Nottingham. This is my son Jamie." Jamie and Joey shook hands. Joey made Jamie laugh by crossing his eyes.
Vicky finally introduced herself. "Vicky McCartney. Thanks again for getting that man."
"No problem. It was you who did the damage." Vicky blushed under his gaze.
After they were done, they walked with him for a bit. He kept making Gracie and Jamie laugh. He seemed very good with kids. Then he announced he had to get back to his spot. He was standing next to Vicky saying good bye to everyone.
"Joey, can you come to my house to play?" Gracie asked.
"Maybe on my day off." He mused. She was about to say something else when she heard Jamie go "Uh oh." She turned to him.
"What?"
"Look up." Everyone looked up and there was a piece of mistletoe over Joey and Vicky. Joey smirked a second and then kissed Vicky's cheek. Then he said 'see ya' and took off.
-Later-
Surprising to most, Jake was actually home. He helped Vicky take things out of the car. When they were settled, he had Gracie sit on his lap. Gracie only obliged because she never got to see him.
"So what happened when you and mommy went shopping?" He asked.
"We got presents. I saw Auntie Sara throw up! It was gross."
"I bet."
"Oh! I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause!" Jake was only half listening, but that comment made him turn.
"What?" Vicky interrupted. "It's a song Jake. She didn't remember the tune so she said the lyrics." He still looked confused.
"You know 'I saw mommy kissing Santa clause. Underneath the mistletoe last night.'?"
"Oh." He said meekly. "I'm gonna go get dinner started. Gracie got off his lap and he went into the kitchen. Vicky called Gracie to her.
"Gracie, do you want me and daddy to argue?"
"No."
"Then don't mention Joey to daddy."
"Okay." Vicky then joined Jake in the kitchen.
Coming Attractions:
Why is the night full of holes?