CHAPTER 3: You Okay Honey?
December 24th 8:30pm Eastern Standard Time
(At The Loft)
"You cant do that…that's cheating." Luke said to his Uncle Roger.
"How can I cheat on a video game." Roger said not taking his eyes of the game.
Luke and Roger were playing NBA Live 2000 and Roger wasn't playing nice.
"I saw you go through options and set the game as a no foul game. I may be 6, but I'm not stupid.." Luke complained.
"There's nothing wrong with cheating." Roger said with a cocky smile.
Luke shook his head as they continued playing.
Mickey came in the living room holding Sami. Collins ran over to them.
"There's our future con artist." Collins said in tiny voice.
"Col, for the last time…my daughter will not be a con artist." Mark said fixing his camera.
"A con artist knows a con artist when they see one." Angel said gigging.
"I'm not a con artist, I'm just friendly to people and then get whatever I want out of them." Collins explained.
"I perfectly agree with Thomas." Roger said not looking away from the TV.
"Shut up Roger." Mimi said from the kitchen.
"Yes dear." Roger said putting on a playful pout.
"Like I said….Sami's not going to be a con artist." Mark said surely.
"She might be sneaky like me." Mickey said.
"You got that right." Mark said dryly.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Mickey asked innocently
"You stopped taking your birth control pills behind my back." Mark said.
"We got Sami didn't we?…..plus I started taking them again. Your to old to have anymore kids." Mickey said with a smile.
"That's it." Roger said standing up. " I'm protesting this shit about Mark and I getting old." Roger said in a serious voice.
"Roger, I'm 41 and I don't have a problem." Collins said shrugging.
"I'm ok with being 35." Mark said smiling.
"Fender fucker, let me do the protesting and you stick to playing music." Maureen said standing at the door.
"Why do you call him fender fucker?" Joanne asked.
"I like the sound of it." Scotty and Elsie said.
"Are you four going to stand there and talk about us like were invisible or come in?" Angel asked with a smile.
"I think.."
Joanne walked past Maureen with the kids following her. Scotty went straight to Roger.
"Where's my Pac Man?" Scotty asked giving Roger one of Maureen's looks.
"Its right here in my purse sweetie." Mimi said digging in her purse.
"Mimi, I almost got the highest score." Roger whined.
"Thank you Aunt Meems." Scotty said with a wide grin.
Elise went over to Tori with a huge smile on her face.
"Hey Tori, Happy birthday." Elise said giving her best friend a wrapped present.
"My birthday's in June." Victoria said giving Elise a weird look.
"Then what's tomorrow?" Elise asked.
"Christmas." Victoria said still giving her that look.
"Oh well…take it anyway." Elise said carelessly.
"What do you think Santa will bring you?" Victoria asked sitting on the couch.
"You know Scotty and I have been doing research." Elise started as she sat next to her friend. " Santa isn't real, he's just a guy parents make up." Elise said shrugging.
The whole room went silent. All the parents looked at each other.
"Mom, is that true?" Luke asked with a hurt look on his face.
"No honey, ahh….ah… Can somebody help me here?" Mickey asked helplessly.
"Of course he's real." Max started. " Have I ever told you about the time I sat in Santa's slay?"
"No!" They all said gathering around him.
Collins and Angel gave him a thumbs up and the rest of them said thank you quietly. The bohemians gathered at the table and glared at Maureen.
"What? She an intelligent girl." Maureen said smiling.
Joanne just shook her hand in disbelief.
"Do you know how much Tori LOVES Santa?" Roger hissed.
"This year she wrote him a song and sent it in the mail." Mimi added.
"Luke thinks the world of Santa." Mark said glaring at Maureen.
"I'm sorry... Pookie, help me out here." Maureen asked pouting.
"The hell I am. I talked to her about talking about sex at school." Joanne said dryly.
"You've already given her the talk?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah." Maureen said laughing " Haven't you given Luke the talk?"
"No, one time he heard us having sex and asked me the next morning if Mark was hurting me and we told him something else." Mickey said laughing a little.
"What did you tell him?" Joanne asked.
"Don't say another word." Mark begged his wife.
"I told him that Mark was….cheering me up."
Everyone except Mark laughed.
"Just be glad he hasn't walked in on you guys." Roger said drinking his eggnog.
"Tori walked in on you two?" Angel asked laughing.
"We were in the worst position." Mimi said covering her face.
"Which one?" Maureen asked quickly.
"Ok, that's enough." Mark said.
"Oh come man. This is fun." Collins said with a wide smile.
"Yeah, let me tell them how much of an animal you are." Mickey said excitingly.
"No one needs to know." Mark grumbled.
"I know." Maureen said winking at him.
"I do too." Roger said licking his lips at Mark.
"Fuck you." Mark said throwing a stuffed pig at Roger.
"Shut up Roger." Mimi said.
"Ok."
"Have you two.." Joanne began to ask.
"NO HELL NO!" Roger and Mark said.
December 24th 11pm Eastern Standard Time.
"We should go, so you can go to bed and I can drink with Santa." Roger said to his daughter.
Victoria looked at her dad like he was crazy.
"Honey, dont worry...your daddys just playing." Mimi said laughing.
Roger, Mimi, and Victoria left the loft.
"Yeah, we should too. Santa has a lot of work to do." Joanne said.
"I'm telling you guys there is no.."
"BYE ELISE." Everyone said as she left with her parents and brother.
"Hey man." Collins whispered to Mark.
"Yeah Col?"
"Can I have the rest of this?" Collins asked swinging the bottle of vodka in his hand.
"Sure Collins." Mark said laughing.
"You're a good man Mark people lets go." Collins said heading for the door.
"Bye Chica, see you tomorrow." Angel said hugging Mickey.
"Bye."
Collins, Angel, and Max left the loft laughing.
"Luke, do you want to come with me and your mom, so we can tuck your sister in?" Mark asked.
"Yeah."
"Do you want to hold her?" Mickey asked.
Luke shook his head and took his little sister. After he tucked his sister in, he gave her a kiss. Mark and Mickey smiled at each other.
"You ready to go to bed?" Mark asked.
"Yes, but I don't want you guys to tuck me in. I'm old enough to go to bed on my own." Luke said in a serious voice.
"Are you sure buddy?" Mickey asked with a concern look on her face.
"Yeah mom, goodnight." Luke said walking out of his sisters room.
"Goodnight." they both said.
Mark and Mickey walked in the living room and sat on the couch.
"Talk." Mickey demanded.
"Honey, I said I was ok." Mark said sounding annoyed.
"Last night you were screaming in pain." Mickey pointed out.
"My knee hurt." Mark said with a weak smile.
"I don't want to fight tonight Mark….just talk to me baby." Mickey said putting her head on his shoulder
"Where not fighting."
"But this conversation WILL turn into a fight."
"No it wont."
"Yes it will. Every time we touch this subject we end of fighting."
"Then don't bring it up." Mark said getting up.
Mickey rolled her eyes.
"Honey, tonight is Christmas Eve AND our Anniversary. Lets not talk about this." Mark begged.
"Ok." Mickey said defeated.
Mark went to the closet and got the presents out.
The reason he didn't want to talk about the dream is because it scares him to death, he sees Kate all bloody and wet and she screams at him telling him he will end up alone and bitter and that he deserved to die that night. Mark didnt sleep a wink the whole night.
December 25th 10am Eastern Standard Time.
(At Roger and Mimi's)
Everyone sat in the living listening to Roger play Deck the halls. The song was interrupted by a bang on the door. Mimi opened the door and saw a very pissed Allison.
"Hi Muf…Alison. What are you doing here?" Mimi asked nicely.
"IS MAUREEN HERE?" Allison asked in a deadly tone.
"I'm right here." Maureen said walking to the door.
Allison smacked Maureen across the face.
A/N: I smell a cat fight coming. REVIEW! NO FLAMERS