A/N: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 7

"McKenzie; come back here," Kate said as she watched her daughter crawl off the rug in the living room. She was of course ignored, her baby slowly inching herself away in search of adventure. "McKenzie Grace," she said once more.

McKenzie's head turned toward her, a mischievous grin on her lips as she plopped down on her bottom. "MaMaMa."

She smiled at her. "Mama says stay on the rug with your toys."

Her baby laughed and retook the crawling position, moving faster this time as she headed toward the table. "McKenzie," Kate said as she laid aside the sleeper she was folding. "Come back here."

"Ma-Ma!" her daughter squealed as she sat down once again. "Mama!"

Her eyes widened as she rose from the sofa and made her way toward her daughter. "Did you say Mama?" she asked as she reached for her, cuddling her squirming baby close. "Did you finally get it out there? Say it; say Mama."

McKenzie opted for giving her kisses instead of saying the word. "Come on, say it for me," Kate said. "Say Mama."

"Dada."

She frowned. "Daddy will be back; say Mama…come on, you can do it."

"Dada."

"You're doing that just to be mean," Kate said lightly. "Come on, it's almost Christmas and Mommy wants to hear that word again. Can you do it? Say Mama."

"MaMaMa."

Kate sighed. "Kenzi girl, you're toying with me…you're taking after your father."

The baby giggled at her, her small hands exploring her mother's face. "Mama!"

A bright smile crossed her lips as she cuddled her close. "That's my girl; I knew you could say it! We have to tell Grandma," she said as she carried McKenzie back to the sofa and grabbed her phone, opening their thread of texts and tapping out a message as she tried to keep McKenzie from sending it prematurely. "McKenzie just said Mama!"

"There," she said as she hit send. "Let's see what Grandma thinks of that; she'll say you're getting to be a big girl," Kate said as she kissed her baby's cheeks. "Don't get big too fast though…I want to you to stay cuddly for awhile longer."

She ignored the basket of laundry and played with her daughter for awhile, waiting for a reply to her text. Her parents hadn't bothered to let her know that they had gotten to the cabin safely…and she hadn't bothered to check in the night before; figuring things would still be raw from her mother's quick visit. No response came to her text so she sent her mother another message; one that demanded a response. "Alright, I haven't heard from you since you left here and you haven't responded to my last text; I'm going to require proof of life and I better get it in the next five minutes or I'll ring your phone until you do answer."

"We'll see how Grandma likes that," Kate told McKenzie as she rolled a small, soft ball to her.

Her daughter picked up the ball, laughing as it jingled and then as usual, had to have a small taste of it. 'Don't eat it," Kate laughed, reaching out to tug it away from her baby's mouth. "Roll it to Mommy."

"Mama," McKenzie said, dropping the ball with a giggle and then pushing it a little with her hand.

"Good girl," Kate praised, her hand reaching out and pulling the ball closer so she could push it back to her. Her phone buzzed just as she rolled the ball. "Bet that's Grandma," she said as she grabbed her phone and opened the message; finding a picture of her mother, who looked to still be in bed, her cat sitting near her shoulder, paw outstretched as if she was about to nudge her. "So much for sleeping in when Scarlett's whacking me with her paw and you're demanding proof of life texts."

Kate smirked at the phone and turned it to show McKenzie. "Look, McKenzie; who is that?"

"MaMaMa!" she exclaimed, crawling closer.

"Don't tell me you really have been saying Grandma all this time, you little traitor," she said lightly as she her daughter crawled onto her lap as she began tapping out a new message. "It's nine-thirty; get up…feed the cat…amuse your husband. Speaking of Dad; hasn't he hit you with anything in a demand for breakfast?"

"No; he's not here. He woke me up sometime this morning and said he had to go help Carl with something."

"He went without breakfast?"

"I don't know…I wasn't totally awake when he left; I don't even know what time it was."

"Maybe you should call him," Kate suggested.

"I'm sure he's fine; if I don't hear from him in a little while, then I'll call."

"McKenzie said Mama," she told her mother once more.

"Congratulations."

"I expected more enthusiasm," Kate admitted.

"It's hard to show enthusiasm in a text," Johanna replied. "I'm very happy for both of you, regardless of what you think."

Kate pondered her next response as McKenzie began tapping the screen, the text box filling with a stream of jumbled letters. She hit send for her daughter and then typed another message. "That was McKenzie saying good morning, Grandma!"

"Good morning, McKenzie; I love you," Johanna wrote back.

Kate pressed a kiss to her daughter's head. "That's from Grandma, she loves you."

McKenzie babbled back to her as she quickly turned the camera on and took a picture of them together to send to her mother in her next text as she was reluctant to end contact with her.

"She looks just like you," her mother wrote back a moment later.

"I don't know…with the dark hair, I think she looks more like you."

"We'll just say there's a family resemblance," Johanna replied.

"That's true," Kate responded; letting the sentence hang for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry about yesterday."

"There's nothing to be sorry for; you have every right to go away while you have time off. We didn't mean to make a fuss…it's just our first year as grandparents and I guess we try to have as many moments as we can but we're fine; don't worry about it anymore. I'm sorry if I hurt you or offended your husband…it really wasn't my intent with the gift or the story book. I had no ulterior motives."

"The story did have an unfortunate title given the circumstances," Kate replied.

"So you don't believe me when I say there was no motive in giving it other than providing McKenzie with another book for her library?"

"Mom, I don't want to fight."

"I don't want to fight either…I had just hoped that you believed me because I told you the truth. In the future; I'll make sure McKenzie's storybooks stay at my house when I buy her one. I wouldn't want to accidentally offend someone with the Cat in the Hat."

Kate sighed deeply as McKenzie looked up at her, her green eyes seemingly questioning her. "Don't look at me like that, Kenzie; you look like your Grandma when you make that face."

"Ma!"

"Yeah; Grandma…Mommy blew it again," she said as she glanced back at the screen and the empty text box that was waiting for her to type. "I believe you."

"It's fine if you don't; I'm not going to say anything else about it," her mother replied.

Even in a text message Kate could hear her mother's tone of voice in regard to that phrase. Perhaps it was best to navigate back to safe waters. "What are you and Dad going to do today?"

"We've got a few things in mind," Johanna answered. "We need to go into town and get milk and eggs and things like that; then we'll probably look around in the stores. When do you leave for Vermont?"

"I don't know yet; we haven't gotten our final confirmation yet."

"If you don't have it by tomorrow then you're probably not going. You have to plan things like this far in advance, Katie. You can't just wait until the week of Christmas and decide on a whim to head out of town to a ski lodge."

"It wasn't my idea; it was Rick's. It's not my fault he didn't think of it sooner."

"I didn't say it was…but the point stands. You'll probably be spending Christmas in the city."

Kate huffed a little bit, eliciting a giggle from her daughter. "Well if that happens, you and Dad can come home and you'll be able to see McKenzie for Christmas like you wanted."

"I don't think so. We're unpacked and settled in and we're going to finish decorating the tree this evening; we won't be back until after the New Year; exact date yet to be determined."

"You wouldn't come back to the city if our plans fell through?" Kate asked.

"No, I won't," Johanna stated. "And you can't expect us to do that. You said you were going away so we made plans; we're here, we're settled, I've started decorating and our turkey is thawing in the fridge. I'm not going anywhere outside of this county until after the New Year. We didn't come all the way up here just to turn around and come back on yours and Rick's whims, Katie. We're not yo-yos."

"I thought you would for McKenzie."

"We love McKenzie with all of our hearts; but we're here for the holiday now. I'm sorry; but if your plans fall through we're not going to pack up and run back home. You're more than welcome to drive up here though for Christmas Day if you end up staying home."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kate remarked; deeming it as the safest response she could give. It stung to know that her parents wouldn't be inclined to come back to the city if their plans fell through…but deep down, she couldn't really blame them for it. They had intended to stay…she was the one that told them she wouldn't be around so they had every right to go away and stay there for as long as they desired no matter how her holiday ended up.

"I need to get up," Johanna wrote. "If I don't Scarlett will keep smacking me with her paw. I better check her dish and see if your father put anything out for her before he left."

Kate's nose wrinkled as an odor filled the air. "Yeah; McKenzie just released enough stink to kill an elf; I better go clean up the crime scene. Now I know why she's been sitting still for the last few minutes."

"Let me know if she needs a lawyer."

She smirked at the screen. "Will do. Love you."

"I love you too."

Kate laid her phone aside and picked up her daughter, turning to face her. "This is not the Christmas gift I wanted," she told her lightly as she rose from the floor. "Your little gifts should come with a warning label."

McKenzie giggled at her, peppering her face with sloppy kisses as she headed for the stairs with her. She laughed, managing to dodge a few kisses and bestow her own on McKenzie's soft cheek. "The gifts leave a little to be desired but at least you're affectionate during the giving. Let's hope Grandma forgives me soon and gets back to being her chatty, affectionate self."

It was nearly eleven when Jim walked back through the door of the cabin that morning. He sat the box and bag he had gotten from Jeff in the chair and shrugged out of his coat. The TV was on and a mug of tea was on the stand but his wife wasn't in the room. "Jo!?" he called out.

"I'm here," she answered; her voice somewhat distant. "I'm in the den plugging in my laptop; I forgot to do it last night."

"Plug my mine in too while you're in there," he called back as he hung his coat on the hook by the door.

"I already did."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"No problem," Johanna replied, her voice sounding a little nearer. "Did you and Carl fix whatever it was that was broken?"

"I didn't go to Carl's."

"I swear that's what you told me," she said, her brow furrowed as she stepped out of the hallway and into the living room, Scarlett at her heels.

"I did but I lied."

"Oh?" she asked.

He smiled. "Yeah; I went to meet Jeff. We forgot some things at home."

"We didn't forget anything; we do need to go to the store and get those things we didn't get at home; bread and eggs most of all."

"I know and we will after we go shopping but there were some things we left behind," he said as he moved back to the items in the chair while she made her way further into the room. "First of all, here is this," Jim stated, taking one of McKenzie's Santa photos from the bag."

Johanna gave him a small smile as she accepted the photo. "You really didn't need to trouble Jeff over a picture."

"It's alright; he was there anyway on my errand. We'll get a frame for that while we're out today. Here's this," he remarked; handing her the dvd of a Charlie Brown Christmas.

"I bought this for McKenzie," she told him.

"Yeah; I know that's the story for publication but I also know it's your favorite Christmas show so we may as well watch it while we're up here."

She smiled. "How much do you owe Jeff for fetching a photo and a dvd?"

"A round of golf in the spring; but there's more," Jim replied as he lifted the item from the bag and held it out to her.

Johanna laid aside the dvd and photo and accepted her Christmas mixing bowl with reverence; a wobbly smile clinging to her lips as her fingertips rubbed against the smooth white glass that was decorated with candy canes and holly leaves. "It's been awhile since I've used it," she murmured.

"I know," Jim said with a nod; she hadn't pulled it from the shelf since that first Christmas she had been home. "I figured it was time…after all; that's been a part of our traditions for a long time…do you remember?"

She nodded, tears stinging her eyes. "Yeah; you bought me one the first Christmas we were married…and the Christmas when Katie was four, I dropped it getting it out of the cabinet and it broke. You bought me this one and brought it home from Chicago with you that Christmas...I was so happy you found the same pattern."

"Me too," he replied. "I knew how much it meant to you…I know how much it still means to you even though you haven't used it in awhile. It's ready though…I can tell. It can't wait to be full of cake mix and cookie dough."

She glanced at him, a hint of a tearful smile on her lips. "Cookies?"

"Well I figure if you're going to be making fudge and cake, you may as well make some cookies too…some peanut butter ones…maybe some chocolate chip too."

"I guess I better add some things to my list," Johanna replied.

"Probably so," he agreed. "Put your bowl down; I have one more thing for you."

Johanna carefully sat her bowl down on the stand as Jim sat the bag aside and picked up the box, holding it out to her. She didn't reach for it, recognizing her own angry scrawl of the word 'Ornaments' across the lid of the box. She glanced at him but said nothing; fearing that she would say the wrong thing; that the jumbled feelings that box inspired would cause her to lash out.

"Take it," he coaxed.

"You didn't have to go through the trouble," she said quietly. "I told you I didn't need them."

"I know what you told me…the same thing you always tell me when you're worried that you've stepped across some invisible line and committed an unpardonable sin. You tell me it's fine, that it doesn't matter, that you don't need whatever it was you were speaking of…that you were just tired or overly emotional…that you'll be better tomorrow. You always say that and I always know what it means…that you'll lay there beside me in the dark and tell yourself that whatever it was doesn't matter and you make yourself believe it so you'll be the kind of 'better' you promised. But I don't want that," Jim told her. "I want you to be the right kind of better…because it does matter…and you do need them. Now you take this box and open it…and you look at the things inside and remember the people who gave them to you and why they're special to you. The rest you leave behind…because it shouldn't be allowed to taint everything…especially things you cherish. Take the box, Johanna."

She hesitated but forced herself to reach out and take the box, knowing he wouldn't let her refuse it. Once it was in her hands, she looked at him, still silent, unsure of how to proceed.

Jim gave her a reassuring smile. "Sit down and open it…let's see what all is in there."

"Maybe we should wait until later," she said softly. "We wanted to go shopping and get things from the store…I don't want anything to spoil our outing."

"Nothing is going to spoil our day," he told her. "Open the box."

Johanna moved to the sofa with the box but she didn't open it…couldn't bring herself to pull the lid off and reveal all of those carefully wrapped ornaments that she had put away with the thought that she'd never seen them again. Jim joined her on the sofa and she knew he was waiting…but she hated to open that box. She didn't want him to put her feelings above his. He had every right not to want those ornaments around. If she hadn't mentioned them, he wouldn't have thought of them.

Jim studied her, watching the internal battle play out across her features. She missed the things contained in that box, he knew that for sure…but she was afraid to have them…afraid to open the box and push through the pain and bad memories so that she could see them the way she always had. The past was hard to shake; he knew that all too well…just like he knew that she always worried about causing him additional pain by needing something that was difficult for him to give. He could get past a box of ornaments though; he had gotten past bigger things after all. Besides, catering to his own pain only caused more hurt for his wife and she had more than enough of that. Seeing that she still hadn't made up her mind to open the box; Jim reached out and lifted the lid off, revealing the assortment of items tightly wrapped in red tissue paper. He picked one up and picked at the tape holding the paper together until it finally gave way, allowing him to start unrolling the paper.

"We don't have to do this," Johanna said softly.

"We do," he remarked.

"It hurts you to see these things," she murmured. "I don't want you to hurt."

"It hurts you not to see them," he replied. "And I don't want you to hurt anymore."

"I'm used to doing without them though," she stated, her tone quiet. "I shouldn't have said anything about it. I don't know why I did."

"Because it's time," Jim told her. "It's time to let go of a sector of years that is smaller than the amount of years we've spent together. It's time to bring these out of the attic and remember them for what they were; our memories…our moments in time," he said as the thin red paper finally fell away revealing a delicate ballerina clad in pink tutu, her limbs gracefully posed in an arabesque. He smiled a little, glancing at Johanna as he carefully held the ornament. "Frank gave you this," he said, his tone warm and gentle. "Katie was just a baby then…you unwrapped this and fell in love with it on the spot. It was a surprise to you because Frank didn't often give any of his children a gift just from him; the gifts were always from him and Naomi together…but this was just from him and I remember you asked him why he had chosen her. I remember him saying that when he saw her in the store, he thought of you; first because when you were a little girl you took ballet and had a pink tutu…and second, she reminded him of you because of her gracefulness…he told you that you had inherited your gracefulness from you mother. He said he just couldn't leave her there on the hook in that store; she was meant for you. You cherished her because she was a gift from your father…that she came with warm words and affection. You always picked a special branch for her; one where no other ornaments could disturb her…where she had space and looked like she was dancing on air. Do you remember?"

"I remember," Johanna whispered, tears clogging her voice as she stretched out trembling fingers to skim against the pink painted ballet shoes of her ballerina.

"It's time for her to be back on your tree so you can see her and remember your father…and that even though he didn't always show it, he loved you," he said as he rose from the sofa and moved toward the tree. "I think I see the perfect branch," he remarked, selecting one at the upper half of the middle section of the tree. He placed the ornament's hook on the branch and carefully positioned the ballerina so she hung perfectly in the space. "What do you think?" he asked as he hurried to plug in the lights of the tree.

"She looks beautiful there," his wife answered.

"Good, I picked the right branch," he said lightly as he returned to her side and picked up another ornament and unwrapped it; revealing the crystal snowflake his mother had given her. "Mom gave you this," he stated. "Not the first Christmas we were married…I believe it was the second…when you went to that Christmas bazaar with her…no one else wanted to go with her but you wanted to go after hearing her talk about it so Dad needled her into taking you with her….and surprise, she enjoyed it…and saw you admiring this and she bought it for you for Christmas."

"The first thing she ever gave me," Johanna replied; remembering how surprised she had been when Elizabeth had handed her that small package that Christmas. Her mother-in-law hadn't given her anything the first Christmas she had been a part of her family…she hadn't minded nor did she expect anything the second year…but Liz had been starting to warm up a little at times back then…although she treaded carefully. She had loved that snowflake…she still loved it and thought of Elizabeth every time she saw it.

Jim carried it to the tree and hung it on a branch. "No, not here," Johanna said gently; it's too heavy for that one. It has to go closer to the bottom half of the tree; those branches are bigger. Her husband nodded and selected a branch to the side on the bottom section of the tree and hung the snowflake. "That looks pretty there," he said. "The lights are making it sparkle."

She nodded. "That's a good spot for it."

He gave her a smile and returned to her side, reaching into the box once more and grabbing another object. He unwrapped it and showed her the heart shaped ornament her grandmother had given them for their first Christmas. "Sophia gave us this," he said, watching as her fingertips stretched out and traced the gold script that spelled out 'Our first Christmas as Husband and Wife, 1977' and the small set of entwined golden wedding bands that was painted beneath them. "I remember she called you at work on a Friday, said she was lonely and wanted to stay with Naomi but Frank was too busy to come and get her. So after work we went to Brooklyn and got her…you talked her into spending that night with us. You made us a nice dinner and she looked over our decorations and our tree that we hadn't finished yet and she reached into that big purse of hers," he said with a laugh; "And she pulled out a box and gave it to you, told us it was an early Christmas present. We hung it on the tree together while she watched us. She was so happy to be there that night; we told her she could stay all weekend but she wouldn't hear of it because we didn't have a guest room…and she felt bad that I had to sleep on the couch so she could share the bedroom with you," he laughed. "But I didn't mind; you were both happy being together that night and it made it worth sleeping on the couch…but she made us take her to Naomi's the next day…I think mostly so she could torment Frank with a preview of the Christmas biscotti."

Johanna laughed softly. "Tormenting Dad with biscotti was always the highlight of her holiday season."

"It really was," he agreed lightly as he put the heart into her hands. "Go put it on the tree; pick a spot Sophia would approve of."

Her fingers curled around the heart but she didn't move. Jim rose from the sofa, reaching out and grasping her elbow as he did so, making her rise as well. "Come on, sweetheart," he said quietly. "It's alright…it's ours…it belongs on our tree."

She nodded as he gently tugged her along with him to the tree. She found a spot near the top and nestled the heart there among the branches, making sure its hook was securely fastened to the branch above it before she allowed her fingers to slip away from the smooth glass. She glanced at Jim as he remained at her side, his hand rubbing against the small of her back. "How does it look?" she asked.

"Perfect," he said with a smile before capturing her lips in a kiss; remembering that he always kissed her when they hung that ornament on their tree. He knew that she remembered too when she sank into his arms; her arms wrapping around him tightly. "That's my girl," he murmured to her.

Emotion clawed at her as she hung on to him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered; wanting to say more but unable to find all the words.

"Anything for you, sweetheart," he said, pulling back a pace so he could see her face and the tears shining in her eyes.

"I love you," Johanna told him as she caressed his cheek.

"I love you too," he replied; catching her lips in another kiss. "I just wanted to get you started; if you want to wait until later to finish so we can go get started on our shopping; we can; we'll put the box in the closet until we get back," he told her; thinking that maybe if they just took it slowly; a few ornaments at a time, it would help her feel at ease using the things she had missed so much.

"I want to find Katie's bear first," she said softly as she met his gaze; "If that's okay?"

He gave her a smile. "That's fine; we'll find Katie's bear and hang it on the tree before we take a break."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive," Jim told her as they made their way back to the box on the sofa.

He saw the slightest tremble of her hands as she reached into the box and began to unwrap ornaments. He said nothing about it; knowing that she'd calm after she got through unwrapping the first one herself. He too unwrapped another ornament, moving slowly in hopes that she would come across the ornament she sought; and finally on the third try, she unwound the red tissue paper and found the white porcelain teddy bear that wore a pink Santa hat and pink bib, the words upon it spelling out 'Baby's First Christmas 1979'.

"I found it," she murmured; her thumb rubbing against the glass.

"Good," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "Just figures it would take three tries to find Katie."

She laughed softly. "Yeah; it does figure; doesn't it?"

"It does; remember how tiny she was when we put up the tree that year?" he asked.

Johanna nodded. "She was only about two weeks old when we put up the tree that year. She was napping in the bassinet when you brought the tree down from the attic. We didn't have to worry about moving furniture that year…we had only been in the house since August and our stuff from the apartment didn't really fill it up. We had an empty corner and the tree went into it perfectly. I was so tired," she remembered; "And so excited for her to have Christmas even though she had no idea what was going on around her."

"I remember," he replied. "We were trying to be quiet while we decorated so we wouldn't wake her. You had asked your mother to keep an eye out for a first Christmas ornament for the baby and she found that bear and had brought it over the night before. She wouldn't let us pay her back for it either."

"Of course not," she said, a small smile touching her lips. "She picked a nice ornament for Katie though."

"Yeah; she did."

"We put Katie in her carrier on Christmas morning and set her by the tree and we opened her presents for her," Johanna remembered. "We held up the toys and clothes and stuffed animals for her to see."

"And in true Katie fashion, she looked utterly unimpressed," Jim said with a laugh.

Johanna laughed with him. "Well she was only a month old…but she did seem to like looking at the tree better than looking at her gifts."

"She did love those lights, didn't she?"

"She did; they fascinated her."

Jim leaned over the box and kissed her softly. "You better hang that bear on the tree and then get ready so we can go out. I'll put the rest in the closet until we get back."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay. I have a branch picked out…I'm going to put it near Liz's snowman."

"Sounds good, sweetheart," he told her, pride spreading across his chest as she went to the tree on her own and hung the bear in the spot she had chosen for it. Scarlett rubbed against his leg and he gave her an affectionate pat. "You be a good girl while we're out, Scarlett."

"She'll be good," Johanna said as she moved back toward him and picked up the lid for the box. "We should try to find a little cat ornament to put on the tree to represent her; she is part of our family."

Another sign of progress, Jim thought to himself as he gave her a nod. "We'll see what we can find, sweetheart."

"Daddy will be back, McKenzie," Kate said as she chased her daughter across the room as she crawled for the closed door of the office.

"Dadada," McKenzie said, her hands smacking against the bottom of the door.

"Daddy's writing," she said as she scooped up her daughter and carried her back to the sofa with her. "He needs to get this chapter done before Christmas, sweet girl. He'll play with you some more in a little while."

McKenzie grabbed hold of a lock of her hair and tugged it. "Ow," Kate exclaimed, untangling McKenzie's hand from her hair. "That's not nice, sweetie; don't do that."

Her daughter squirmed in her arms, wanting to be free to explore but she pulled the walker toward them and placed her in it so she could play with the toys on her tray and hopefully stay put for a few minutes. "You give me more of a work out than chasing suspects, McKenzie," she told her as she spun the musical toy attached to the tray of the walker. Her baby laughed at her, waving around the rattle she had picked up to punctuate her feelings on the topic.

"You think it's funny?" Kate asked her; tickling her and making her giggle all the more.

The door of the loft opened and Martha Rodger's swept inside in a flourish of blue coat and bright pink gloves that she quickly pulled off once the door was closed; dropping them and her purse onto the kitchen counter and shrugging out of her coat. "It's freezing out there!" Martha declared. "I know it's winter but still; there's just no sense in it being so cold that you can't stand to be outside."

"Do you want me to turn the heat up for you, Martha?" Kate asked.

"No, darling; I'm sure I'll warm up in a few minutes," she answered as she headed in their direction. "Where's my girl?" she cooed, pretending not to see her granddaughter.

"Look, McKenzie; Grammy's home!"

McKenzie's gaze moved toward Martha, a bright smile and squeal coming to her lips as she raised her arms in demand to be picked up. "There's my girl!" Martha said, stepping in front of the walker. "Can I take her out of there?"

"Yes, go ahead," Kate replied. "I just put her in there to keep her in one place for a few minutes."

"Were you on the lam again?" Martha asked her granddaughter as she lifted her into her arms and kissed her cheeks. "Are you going to need the legal services of your other grandmother?"

"They were offered this morning via text message," her daughter-in-law remarked.

"Oh?" the redhead asked as she sat down on the sofa with her. "What did our girl do?"

"I made the comment that I had to go because she released enough stink to kill an elf," Kate replied.

"Ah," Martha said with a nod as she eyed her grandchild. "I'm glad you got that out of your system before I got home."

"Don't jinx yourself, Martha; we haven't had lunch yet…she could still bless you with a gift."

Martha shook her head at McKenzie. "Grammy prefers diamonds, darling."

McKenzie's hands pressed against her cheeks as she gave her a kiss. "You're feeling affectionate today?" Martha asked as she returned her kiss.

"That probably means you're going to get that special gift later," Kate quipped.

"We'll hope not," she laughed.

"Mother, you've finally graced us with your presence," Castle said as he entered the room and made his way toward the women of the loft.

"I know, I said I'd be home yesterday but Ben and I got caught up with holiday preparations," Martha replied. "But I'm here now, I missed my girl," she said kissing McKenzie's cheek.

"Rick thought McKenzie might not recognize you," Kate said lightly as she watched her daughter play with Martha's jewelry as she babbled at her grandmother. "Clearly he was wrong since she held her arms out to you instantly."

"That's right," Martha cooed. "You know your Grammy."

"Another day or two and she probably wouldn't," Castle said as he settled down in the chair. "I was starting to think of turning your room into a lounge."

"Oh, Richard, don't be ridiculous," his mother chastened. "I stay with Ben because it doesn't seem appropriate to bring him here…at least for anything more than dinner," she said, tossing a wink at Kate.

Kate laughed lightly as her husband cringed.

"We know," Castle remarked once he got the unwelcome image out of his head. "We just don't want McKenzie to forget that she has two grandmothers…and not just the dark haired one."

Martha carefully untangled the baby's hand from her earring. "The dark haired one keeps me apprised of how our girl is doing. I usually get a picture or two during the week."

"You do?" Kate asked.

"Yes; Johanna's been texting me cute pictures of McKenzie since she started watching her. I try to return the favor when I'm taking a turn with the babysitting. Friday she sent me an adorable one of Miss McKenzie all dressed up and ready to go see Santa," Martha said, her gaze on her granddaughter. "You looked so pretty," she cooed at her.

"Did she tell you she got very nice Santa pictures?" Kate inquired.

"Yes, dear; she sent me a picture of it in a text and said she had a copy put aside for me."

Kate smiled and nodded; good to know that someone hadn't had to beg for one.

"Are you staying tonight, Mother?" Castle asked.

"Yes; darling; I'm home for the night."

"Good," he replied. "I want to talk to you about Christmas."

'I want to discuss that too," his mother replied as McKenzie snuggled against her, her tiny hands toying with Martha's bracelet.

Kate had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that her husband wasn't going to like what his mother had to say.

"I'm making arrangements for all of us to go to Vermont for Christmas," Castle stated. "There's a beautiful lodge with everything from skiing to a spa. It's the lap of luxury," he said lightly.

Martha wrinkled her nose. "Richard, you know I don't ski."

"I know," he replied. "But the resort has shopping; there's the spa I mentioned, there are shows I'm sure you'd enjoy. You won't have a problem finding things you like and you can spend time with McKenzie."

Her brow rose. "Ah; you want me to babysit while you're all out on the slopes."

"I think of it as you and McKenzie having quality time together," Castle replied. "You hardly see her lately."

"That's not true," Martha replied. "I know I wasn't home much last week but I've still seen her and clearly she still knows who I am."

"But you can have time with her over Christmas too."

Martha sighed a little as McKenzie cooed at the stones on her bracelet; her tiny fingers stroking over them. "Richard; I'm not going to Vermont."

"Of course you are," he said. "I'm not going to let you be alone on Christmas. You're coming with us; you'll find plenty of things to enjoy."

Martha met his eye. "Darling," she said gently. "Ben invited me to go with him to Phoenix for Christmas and I accepted the invitation."

With the exception of McKenzie's soft babbles, silence filled the air between them as Kate glanced between her husband and mother-in-law.

A stunned expression stole across his features. "What?" Castle finally asked.

Martha smiled softly. "Ben asked me to go to Phoenix with him; he wants me to meet his daughters and grandchildren. He's asked me before and I've put him off…but I didn't want to do that this time. I accepted his invitation."

Betrayal flashed in his eyes. "How could you do that? It's McKenzie's first Christmas! How can you just run off to Arizona with some man on your granddaughter's first Christmas?!"

"I'm aware that it's her first Christmas," Martha replied. "But she's still very small and she's not going to remember who was there and who wasn't. It isn't just some man I'm going with; it's Ben…a man I have been in a relationship with for quite some time now."

"It doesn't matter if she remembers or not," Castle stated. "You're her grandmother!"

"I'm aware of that too," she said as McKenzie tried to drag the charm of her necklace into her mouth. "No, no, darling; that's yucky," she told her as she pulled the chain away from the baby's grasp and dropped it down inside her blouse.

"Then how can you choose your boyfriend over us?"

Martha sighed. "I don't think of it as choosing one over the other. I've had many, many Christmases with you, Richard; and I've cherished them all. I'm going to have many Chrsitmases with McKenzie; ones that she'll remember. I didn't see any harm in going this time. You have a wife and two children so I know you won't be alone…and things aren't like they were with Alexis. Meredith wasn't around much for holidays with Alexis, nor did she often see Meredith's family on the holidays…so I always made sure I was here. Alexis only had you and I. McKenzie has her mommy with her every day; you're with her every day…and she has two other grandparents who love and adore her. I figure I can go and that Johanna and Jim will be here to be a part of her Christmas."

Castle's brow rose. "You're not leaving because you think you'll somehow be stepping on their toes by being apart of her Christmas, are you?"

"No!" Martha exclaimed. "I'm going with Ben because I want to. Why would you even think such a thing?"

"Because you and Johanna have a history of not getting along."

"Johanna and I are doing fine," his mother stated. "We have no issues between us. I told you she sends me pictures when she has her. A few months ago when I was doing that show, she had sent me a picture of McKenzie and I replied to her text thanking her because I hadn't gotten to see her much that week. She invited me to come over on my break from rehearsal so I could see her…and I did. It went well."

"She never told me that," Kate remarked.

"She probably figured I would," Martha replied. "But we were all on different hours and I never got around to it. We don't have any issues; we respect each other's place in McKenzie's life…and she is the main topic of most of our conversations. We agreed before McKenzie was born that we would co-grandparent peacefully. It was awkward starting out but I think we're doing well."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kate said before her husband could speak. "Mom wanted to leave McKenzie's Grinch storybook here because she didn't get a chance to read it to her and she thought you might want to…your son accused her of implying you were the Grinch."

"Richard; that's ridiculous!" the redhead exclaimed. "Johanna has no reason to do such a thing. She knows I enjoy having some quiet time with McKenzie, reading her a story. I'll be more than happy to read my girl that story tonight."

"Mom took the book with her since it was becoming an issue," Kate told her.

"That's a shame," Martha said, pressing a kiss against McKenzie's hair. "We'll have to find something else to read, darling. Kate, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to give McKenzie her bath tonight and get her into her jammies…have some cuddles as she falls asleep."

Kate smiled. "That's fine, Martha; I'm sure she'll be happy to have Grammy put her to bed tonight."

"Thank you, dear."

"Can we get back to Christmas?" Castle asked; exasperation in his tone, feeling like his family Christmas was falling apart. "And you know how you're choosing a man over your granddaughter?"

"Richard," Martha sighed; "It isn't that way at all. I love all of you dearly…but I also love Ben and he wants me to meet his family and share Christmas with them. It's important to him and it's important to me. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just feel I'm able to go this time because I know you're not going to be alone; you have a family. I'll miss all of you, I can't deny that…but I want to share Christmas with Ben this year. I have gifts for all of you; I'll leave some with you for on Christmas morning but I'm going to hold a few back so I can see you open them when we're all home together. McKenzie will be fine and I'm sure Johanna will send me pictures that will make me feel like I'm here."

"That's going to be hard for her to do when she's in upstate New York," Castle said; his voice taunt with tension.

"Upstate New York?" Martha questioned. "She and Jim aren't big on skiing either, huh?"

"I don't know," he replied. "They weren't invited…why would you think they were?"

Martha laughed. "Well, darling; they are Kate's parents and McKenzie's grandparents…and with the way you're taking on about it being the baby's first Christmas, and saying that you made arrangements for all of us to go, I naturally assumed that you have invited them as well."

He shook his head. "No. This was for our family…and they don't even like Christmas…nor do they really celebrate it."

Martha cast a quick glance at Kate but saw that her daughter-in-law's eyes were fixated on McKenzie's foot. "Richard; I'm sure Johanna intended to spend some portion of Christmas with the baby; a woman who isn't going to make an effort for her granddaughter doesn't dress her up and take her to see Santa."

"She did that because we didn't give her one of our photos in a timely manner," he replied.

"Regardless of the reason, it does show intent to be involved and I know for a fact that she's been shopping for her. I ran into her at the toy store while I was doing my own shopping."

"We're going to Vermont," Castle said. "We want McKenzie to have snow for Christmas; Kate's off work for two weeks so we can also have a little vacation there. Jim and Johanna don't do Christmas…at least not the way people are meant to do it so inviting them never crossed my mind as something we should do. We want McKenzie's Christmas to be happy…and Johanna isn't exactly an overly happy person from December to February. That's why they always go away for Christmas."

Martha eyed her son. "I talked to Johanna the other day; she didn't mention leaving town."

"We didn't have this plan of Vermont until Friday," Kate said quietly. "I told her when I picked the baby up that evening…that's why they left yesterday and went to their cabin. They did plan to stay in the city this year…but with us not being here they decided to go on the cabin."

"I see," Martha said; sensing that Kate wasn't as comfortable with the situation as she hoped to make everyone believe. "How did she take the news?"

Kate smiled a little. "Not too well…my Dad didn't think much of it either."

"I bet," the actress replied. "Well, since I won't be going; why don't you call your parents and invite them in my place?"

She shook her head. "When she stopped by yesterday to drop off one of McKenzie's gifts, I told her they could come if they wanted and she declined."

Martha gave a short laugh. "Let me guess, she was on her way out the door and you felt guilty and tossed it out there."

Kate squirmed. "I guess you could say that."

"Then I'm not surprised she said no."

"Mother," Castle said; drawing her attention back to him. "Can't you go with Ben some other time? I mean there isn't even snow in Phoenix…it's not even cold there."

"I know, darling; that's part of what appeals to me about going," Martha stated. "As much as I hate to admit it, Richard; I'm getting older…and if I can get out of the cold for a few days, I'm taking the opportunity. I thought you liked Ben."

"I do…but it's Christmas; you belong with us!"

"I promise to call on Christmas," Martha told him.

"That's not the same as being there," he remarked.

"I know…but it'll be fine, kiddo. You'll see; you'll still have a nice Christmas."

"What about our traditions?"

"There's always next year."

"Mother…."

"Richard; I'm going," she said, meeting his eye, her tone firm. "I know you don't like it…I know you'll probably be angry with me; but I want to do this for Ben. I want to meet his kids and grandchildren…after all, he has met mine. I hope you both can understand."

"I understand, Martha," Kate told her, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. "We'll miss you but I hope you have a wonderful time with Ben in Arizona."

"Thank you, dear," she remarked; returning the squeeze of Kate's fingers. "I'm going to spend as much time with McKenzie as I can before I go. It's not a decision I made lightly."

Castle scoffed. "Sure it isn't."

"It wasn't. I know you're angry right now but I hope you'll understand in a day or two."

"I don't…I don't understand," he said as he got up from his chair. "We've always had Christmas together and now, on your granddaughter's first Christmas, you just want to run off with Ben; well fine, Mother; if that's what you want; but do me a favor and don't run off to Vegas for wedding number four while you're out there."

"I have no intention of getting married, Richard. I'm not going to Phoenix for the sole purpose of hurting you."

"No, you're going to spend Christmas with someone else's family instead of your own but it's fine. Have fun in that nice warm weather that makes it seem like June instead of December," he stated as he headed for his office and shut the door.

"Oh dear, I didn't think he'd take it this way," Martha said as she adjusted her hold on McKenzie; hugging her close.

"He'll be alright, Martha," Kate replied. "I'll give him a little while and then I'll go talk to him while you entertain McKenzie."

"I really didn't think he'd take it so badly," her mother-in-law remarked.

"He's been in a mood for some reason…he just won't tell me what it's about yet. It'll be fine though. I really do hope you'll enjoy your time with Ben and his family."

Martha smiled. "Thank you, dear…and for letting me take McKenzie's bedtime routine tonight."

"You're welcome; I know you'll both enjoy it," Kate said as she kissed McKenzie's cheek. "I'm going to see what we're going to have for lunch while she's content with you."

"Go on, dear; we're fine," Martha said as Kate rose from the sofa and headed for the kitchen. She sighed deeply as she hugged her granddaughter. "Well kiddo, it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. Let's hope your daddy feels better about things tomorrow." She wasn't going to change her mind about going away with Ben…but she hoped she didn't have to go away with the feeling that her son was still angry with her for making that decision.