Sammie- I couldn't stop smiling when I saw I had a reader in Portugal
Pretender Fanatic- Glad you're back from vacation I so look forward to your reviews. And lucky you for not having to sit through that cliffhanger.
Mrs. Rhett Butler- Thrilled you liked the ending.
LadyJadePerendhil- I heard the violins too. I'm looking forward to that lolliepop
HEY GUYS SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT BUT I WAS CORRALLED INTO GOING OT A FAMILY REUNION.
CHAPTER 46
ADAM'S GIFTS
December 25, 2003
6:59am
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"Momma, Daddy wake up its Christmas!" Came the yelling of almost twenty children.
"Were sleeping." Said an exhausted Morgan. She and many of the other adults only obtained a little over three and a half-hours of sleep. They had stayed up so late wrapping the children's gifts. More than once during the night Jarod suggested leaving them unwrapped. The way the pretender figured it most of the children were psychics and already knew what they received for Christmas.
"Momma, Daddy wake up!" Alex said bounding into her parents' room followed by Aaron and Andros.
"Alex it's not even seven yet." Jarod moaned pulling the covers over his head.
"Correction Dad it 7:02." Aaron told him.
"Will in that case your mother and I will meet you down stairs." Jarod told the boy.
"Why do I get the distinct feeling that they won't be down for another hour." Andros said to his brother and sister.
"Andy baby were coming but fist your father and I need to tend to the twins." Morgan said her head under her pillow.
"We did it for you." Alex said.
"Yup the twins are already downstairs with Will, Alley, Pete and the others." Aaron continued. Morgan and Jarod groaned realizing that there was no chance their children were going to let them sleep any longer.
"Come on you don't wanna miss out on your children's first Christmas." Andros said.
"Fine, Fine were getting up." Jarod said sitting up. "Just let your Mother and I..." Jarod would have continued but he found himself unceremoniously being yanked out of bed by Aaron and Andros, Morgan too found her self in the same predicament when Alex pulled her Mother up form the bed.
The triplets lead their parents to the living room. The room was stunning. The Christmas tree was just shy of ten feet and was adorned in blues and greens. The children had done most of the decorating. The fireplace had not been large enough to hang all of the children's Christmas stockings so Emily had come up with the idea to hang them along the wall using 3M removable hooks. The Christmas stockings were now under the tree. Around the tree sat the rest of the children. Will and Alley were holding their baby brothers, Peter sat in Chris's lap. A look of excitement was in each on the children's eyes.
Behind the children sat the adults all of them -not fully awake- trying to rub the sleep from their eyes. One of the children -Will more than likely thought Morgan- had brewed a large pot of coffee.
"So can we?" Alley asked eyeing the pile of presents that were three feet deep.
"Go ahead." Morgan told her daughter.
The next three hours were filled with "oohs" and "ahhs", "thank yous" and "your welcomes". Half a dozen trash bags were filled with decorative paper, ribbons and bows. The parents smiled as they watched many of their children properly experience their first Christmas.
Once all of the presents from under the tree were unwrapped the children went to their rooms to play with their new gifts while the adults went to go shower and dress after being dragged out of the bed.
"Adam, could I talk to you for a moment?" Ethan said as the group began to get up. Adam stayed seated on the floor curious as to what Ethan had to say. Jake and Rachael who had been half way up the steps stopped when they heard Ethan call out to their younger brother.
"I have some thing for you. Another gift." Ethan told them.
"I don't see anything else under the tree." Adam said peering under the massive pine.
"It's not under the tree Adam." Ethan told the boy as he pulled an envelope from out of his robe pocket. Ethan then squatted down in front of the child and gave the envelope to him.
"For me?" Adam asked inquisitively fingering the envelope.
"Yes for you." Ethan replied ruffling the child's hair. Adam slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the papers that were inside. He studied them for a few moments. Jake and Rachael stood on the steeps watching and a huge smile crossed their faces when they realized what Ethan had given their brother. Adam's reaction was one of slight difference to say the least. As soon as Adam finished reading the papers his brow furrowed and he shook his head.
"No." He told Ethan.
"What do you mean 'No'?" Ethan asked the boy.
"I mean I don't want it."
"Adam the papers are all singed."
"I said NO!" Adam yelled and ran out of the room. The child then ran out of the back door, his bathrobe waving wildly in the wind as he ran. Ethan went after him.
"Dad wait!" Jake said from his spot on the steps.
"Jake it's freezing out side and there is snow on the ground. Adam could catch a cold or something worse running out there with just a pair of pajamas and a bath robe on." Ethan told Jake.
"I know." Jake replied as he and Rachael came down the steps. The twins then went through Adam's gifts pulling out a pair of pants and shoes the child received for Christmas.
"Here." Rachael said thrusting the clothes at Ethan.
Ethan then went in search of Adam following the boy's footprints he had left behind in the snow. Ethan didn't have far to go. He found Adam sitting on the pier, looking over the frozen pond. He had his knees drawn up to his chin, his tiny terry cloth bath robe wrapped around his small body which was clad in a pair of flannel X-men pajamas.
"Adam." Ethan said softly not wanting to scare to boy.
"G-g-go way." Adam said his teeth chattering.
"I can't." Ethan said sitting next to him. Adam made a motion to move away but Ethan took a hold of his shoulder before he could.
"God Adam you're freezing." Ethan said and pulled the boy into his arms. Adam struggled in the older man's arms
"Let me go! Let me go!" Adam yelled over and over as Ethan carried him to the barn.
"No I'm not letting you go Adam. Not till you at least put on some warm clothes and tell me what's wrong." Adam stopped struggling and contemplated the man's offer.
"Fine." Adam said. Ethan helped Adam put a pair of pants on over his pajama bottoms and his snow boots on. Ethan then grabbed a blanket from on the stalls and wrapped it around the small boy.
"No." Adam said shrugging the blanket off his shoulders.
"Adam granted it is slightly warmer in here but it's not that warm.
"I know but you're just wearin' jammies and da robe and slippers. You were it." Adam said offering the blanket to Ethan.
"I'll make a deal with you wear it while I make a fire and then I'll take it back."
"Kay." Adam said. He watched Ethan bring a metal barrel and place it away from the hay and horses. Ethan then grabbed some firewood that was outside and tossed it in the barrel. Next Ethan took a box of matches resting on the window ledge and lit the wood.
"Adam come closer to the fire so that you can get warmer." Ethan said quietly. Adam obeyed.
"Why didn't we go inside?" Adam asked giving Ethan the blanket.
"Because I wanted to talk to you alone. Find out how come you didn't want for me to adopt you." Ethan told him. Adam didn't answer Ethan; the boy just stared into the flames. Ethan didn't pressure him into talking he already knew what was bothering Adam he just wanted to here Adam say it.
"I don't 'member lot's 'bout my Daddy." Adam said after a while. "He died when I was really little. Mommy told me once that he was a good man. That he helped lotsa peoples. Daddy got shot. Then he got better. Mommy took me to visit 'im. He kissed me told me he loved me. We went home then. And then he died. He died helping lotsa peoples." Adam said the last sentence bitterly.
"Then it was just me and Mommy nobody else. Then you came, and Uncle Jarod came, with Jake and Rach. Said maybe Mommy would get better. She did. We went to the store after she got better. I asked for an apple. She said yes. Before we left the store she kissed me and said she loved me. We were goin' home and she died. She didn't help lotsa peoples. She just loved me. Daddy loved me too. Now they both dead. 'Cause they loved me." He finished in a voice that was barely a whisper.
"That's bull shit Adam." Ethan said harshly. Adam stared at the man shocked at what he said. Ethan picked up the little boy and placed him in his lap so that Adam was facing him. "Sorry for the harsh language but you need to realize that you're Mom and Dad didn't die because they loved you. They died because as cliché as it sounds life is rough. You're father was killed by a man who was envious of the life your father had. Your mother died from a brain aneurysm. Not one of those two events has anything to do with you. You did not cause either of your parents deaths." Ethan told the Adam, cradling the boy's face in his hands.
"I don't want you t' die too Ethan." Adam said quietly tears streaming down his tiny face. Ethan wiped them away with his thumbs and then kissed the boy on his forehead.
"I will died someday Adam. But when I do it will have nothing to do with me loving you. I want to be your Dad, but if you don't want me to then I understand. What I need for you to know though is that I love you and that you are a part of this family. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Adam said nodding his head. Adam then leaned into Ethan's chest bring his thumb to his mouth. He sat there sucking his thumb until he fell asleep. Once Ethan was sure that Adam was asleep Ethan put out the fire and carried Adam back to the house. Ethan brought Adam with him to his room. As Adam slept on Ethan's bed, Ethan showered and dressed. Ethan came out of his bathroom and went to wake Adam up.
"Hey Adam wakeup." Ethan said gently shaking the boy.
"Daddy?"
"No Adam it's me." Ethan said brushing the hair back from the child's eyes.
"I know." Adam said smiling. Ethan smiled back at the boy and pulled him into his arms. "Merry Christmas Daddy."
"Merry Christmas Adam. What do you say we go down stairs and get come thing to eat?"
"Can I change my clothes first ?" Adam asked looking down at his X-men pajamas, jeans, and bathrobe.
"Of course." Ethan chuckled.
Adam emerged from his room a few minutes later clad in a pair of black jeans and dark green turtle neck.
Hey little brother how you feelin'?" Jake asked his baby brother as he picked him up.
"Okay. I miss Mommy though." Adam admitted.
"I miss Aunt Joanna too." Jake told his brother. "Oh I almost forgot me and Rach had some thing else for you."
"What?" Adam asked.
"This," Rachael said giving the boy a small wrapped box. Adam opened it.
"What's this?" Adam asked pulling out a silver chain with the eye of Ra on it on it and a upside down lapis obelisk.
"Well all of us Black Files got one, so did Will, Alley, Chris and Deb. It ties us together as a family. The stone tells us which part of the family we belong to. Ours is lapis that means that we're Russell's, onyx is for Anthonys, amethysts is for Grays, and garnet is for Broots." Jake told him.
"Thank you.' Adam said kissing his brother and sister on the cheek.
"You're welcome, Short Stuff." They replied in union.
"Hey are you three gonna eat or what?" Will called out to them. Jake put Adam down and the tree of them hurried into the dining room.
Sappy chapter I know but please review anyway. I live for feedback