Chapter Eight – Holiday Season

"Oh no, I forgot the sweet potato. Hold that thought." Abandoning the gravy boat at the end of the table, Mrs Sanders wiped her sticking fingers down her apron, skipping her way back to the kitchen. She poked her finger into the mashed sweet potato, sucking her finger into her mouth to make sure she seasoned it probably. With a satisfied smile plastered across her lips, the woman carried it back to the dining room, setting it down beside her favourite future son in law. "Alright, we've got stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed sweet potato, roasted parsnips, honey glazed carrots, turnip and stuffing."

"You said stuffing twice." Nana Olaf motioned for her daughter to sit down. "You've clearly been at the wine again, haven't you, Jean?"

"Mom, would you sit down so we can start." Greg had his fork ready and an empty rumbling stomach eager for some food. "It feels like we've been waiting for hours already."

"Wait, I forgot the ham. Daniel, thin slices of turkey." She scolded her husband, prying the carving knife and fork from his hands. "Go and get the ham. I'll finish this off before you butcher it anymore. Use the oven gloves, it's still hot."

"Yes, dear." Daniel pecked a kiss to his wife's cheek, making his way back to the kitchen.

"It's meant to be Christmas, Jean." Her own mother scolded her. "Stress free and fun for the whole family. Not a chance for you to order us about like monkeys in a play."

"This is fun." Jean grinned round the table at her family. "Go on, help yourselves. There's plenty to go around. Nicky, help yourself to anything you want. Let me know if there's anything else you would like."

Nana Olaf wobbled the table from her end. "I think the table might break if you put anything else on it."

"No kidding, there's enough here to last us until New Years." Papa Olaf threw back his second scotch of the night, still waiting to eat the delicious food waiting in front of him. "Are you sure I can't get you one, Nick?"

"No, thank you, sir." The man remembered his manners. "I'm okay with water."

"You don't need one either, Dad." Jean pried the bottle from her father's hands. "Drink champagne like the rest of us. Greg, go and fetch another bottle from your father's study. No, no, Nicky, you stay put. You're a guest here." She stopped him from getting up. "Greg, off you trot." She motioned for him to leave.

"Yes, Mom." The hungry man reluctantly dropped his cutlery, getting up from the table.

"Nicky, would you like another slice of turkey?" She dropped another two slices onto his already heaping plate.

"Leave him alone, Jean. Stop fussing over the man and give him some space." Nana Olaf tapped her fingers against the dining table to tell her off. She smiled at her returning son in law, noting the time on the clock behind him. Her drama show started in twenty minutes. She doubted they'd even be halfway through their meal by then though.

"Where's Greg gone?" Daniel set down the ham in the middle of the table.

"I sent him to fetch another bottle of champagne." Jean ushered her husband to his seat, grabbing the pot of roasted parsnips. "Nicky, you don't have any parsnips. Help yourself to the sweet potato. It's Greg's favourite."

"Here you are." Greg returned with a new bottle of champagne, dropping back into his seat. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."

"Me too." Papa Olaf complained. "And you took away my scotch." He wiggled his empty tumbler.

"Daniel, open that." Jean forced the champagne bottle in his direction, running for the dresser against the wall. "I've got Christmas crackers in here somewhere." She fished out the box, tearing them open to dish them out. "Remember no cheating and you have to wear the hat."

Watching his boyfriend dollop a huge spoonful of sweet potato onto his heaping plate, Greg couldn't help but giggle. "Why don't you just bin your knife and fork then you can get more on, Tex?"

"Hey, who you callin' moron?"

"You gorgeous." He gave the man a playful wink.

"Stop flirting and take this." His mother handed him the other end of a cracker. She placed one in her other hand, giving the other end to her husband. "Alright, everyone take one end each." She watched them all taking one end of a cracker each, until everyone's hands were full. "One… two… three… Pull!"

The crackers cracked simultaneously, along with the cheers of the happy family members.

Greg fished out his hat from inside the tube of his cracker, unfolding the crinkled red paper, before he placed it on his head. He watched his boyfriend doing the same, before the man leant forwards to seal a kiss to his lips.

"Merry Christmas, baby." Nick whispered across his lips. He wouldn't dream of kissing the younger man back at the ranch in front of his own parents, but no one here even gave them a second look.

"Merry Christmas." Greg smiled back, finally grabbing hold of his fork to fill his empty stomach.

"Don't forget to read your joke." Jean piped in, holding up her reading glasses so she could read hers. "Alright, what does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney?"

"Too easy. Claus-trophobia!" Greg blurted out the answer. He fished out his tiny slip of paper, sniggering before he had even read it out. "Why did Santa's helper see the doctor?"

"No idea." His mother positioned her green hat in her honey blonde hair.

"Because he had a low elf esteem!" The man cracked up.

"That's awful." Nana Olaf cringed. "Your Papa could think of better jokes."

"Is everything alright, Nicky?" Jean noted how quiet he was.

"Yes, ma'am. Thanks again for invitin' me."

"Oh nonsense," She giggled softly. "You're family now, love. You're always welcome, any time you want. Right, Daniel?"

"Of course." Daniel topped off his wife's glass of champagne. "I'm sure you're used to wider spreads than this growing up with six siblings."

"Yeah, they're pretty chaotic compared to this though. My Mama has all the women in the kitchen, while my Dad entertains the kids outside with beer and cigars for the men."

Jean immediately shot her son a look. "You didn't." She mimicked the motion of a cigar in her mouth.

"No, no." Greg quickly shook his head. "I was… in the kitchen with his mother and sisters." He lied a little, knowing she would probably be upset over the football game too.

Nana Olaf gave her grandson a knowing smile. "Is it normal for southerners to have such large families, Nick?"

"Mother." Jean hissed at the woman.

"It's a reasonable enough question, Jean. You already put a limit on my questions the last time he was here." She scolded her daughter, putting her hand beside her mouth as she whispered to Nick. "We had a little family meeting before your arrival. She sat us all down and gave us a list of topics that were completely off limits. Apparently you were overly sensitive to the 'g' word and we weren't allowed to ask you about stalkers, coffins, ants or your truck being vandalised. Oh and the Lord. She was worried you might be super religious living on the bible belt."

"Mother." Her daughter hissed, turning bright red.

"Really, its okay, Mrs S." Nick tried to suppress his smile, grateful she even thought of him. His own family didn't even consider his feelings before they blurted things out.

"You really did that?" Greg gave his mother a curious look.

"I just wanted him to feel comfortable here. I'm sorry, Nicky." She placed her hand over her heart to apologise. "I really just wanted you to feel at home here. You're the first serious boyfriend that Greg has ever had. We can see how much you care for each other and we wanted you to feel as much a part of this family as Greg is."

"No need to apologise, Mrs S." He reached for Greg's hand, weaving their fingers together. "I really do feel at home here. Greg mean's the world to me and all of you mean the world to Greg, so that makes you important to me too."

"Uh oh, here come the water works." Papa Olaf smirked, watching his daughter trying to find herself a tissue for her tears. "You're making everyone uncomfortable now, Jean."

"It's not Christmas without a good cry." Jean sniffled back her tears, excusing herself from the table. "I'll go and grab more gravy. Everyone alright for drinks?"

The table raised their full glasses, watching the woman hurrying away to the kitchen to touch up her makeup, before she grabbed the spare gravy boat off the side.

"Ow," Nick rolled onto the middle of their bed later that night, loosening his belt to try and get comfortable. "I am completely stuffed. If I eat one more thing, I might explode."

"You didn't have to have seconds or thirds, you know." The younger man giggled, waving to his Nana as he pushed the door to their room closed. He shed his shirt at the foot of the bed, kicking off his shoes so he could step out of his jeans. He clambered on top of his boyfriend, hearing him groan as he perched himself on his hips. "You're a hit with the whole family. You really didn't have to eat three slices of pumpkin pie just to get on my mother's good side though. She already adores you."

"I love pumpkin pie." He uncomfortably shifted himself against the bed. "Your Mom kept pilin' the turkey on my plate at dinner though. It was a little dry… even with the gravy she kept pourin' on the plate."

"You are allowed to refuse. In the Sanders clan you don't have to eat everything on the table. We usually have enough left overs to last us the whole of the Christmas holidays." Greg popped open the man's fly for him, tugging his shirt out from his jeans to make him more comfortable. "Did you have a good Christmas, Tex?"

"The best." Nick placed his hands on the younger man's thighs, giving him a wide smile. "I love your wacky family. Your grandparents are a hoot. They're always bickerin' and windin' each other up. In my family they argue and resent each other, and they actually mean it, but your lot love each other through it all. My Mama thinks I'm punishin' her in some way by livin' like this with you, but your Mom loves and supports everythin' you do. I'm a little envious of that, but I know I don't have to be, because this is my family too."

"Damn right it is." Greg burst into an explosive grin.

"One more thing," Nick eased himself to a sitting position, smoothing his hands towards the younger man's hips. "When we get married, I want to take your name. I know it'll really piss off my family, but I want to be a part of this family more than I do my own. The Stokes family are compulsive liars. They make us hide who we really are to fit into their perfect little world and they push out anyone who doesn't fit their ideals. I love your wacky, overprotective mother. Your Dad actually hugs you in front of people and doesn't feel awkward showin' that he loves his family. And you're the pride and joy of your grandparents. I've never had anywhere near this much love and support from anyone, until you came into my life. You are all I want. All I've ever wanted."

"Wow," The man gasped for breath. "Are we writing our own vows? Because you should definitely include that in your vows."

"I've been considerin' it." He giggled softly, tickling his fingers up the younger man's spine. "I think my Dad will pitch a fit when he hears that I want to be Mr Sanders, but it's all I've been thinkin' about lately. Hey maybe he'll come around to it. He seems pretty open to the idea that I'm marryin' a guy now."

"Are you sure you don't want to hyphenate? Stokes-Sanders or Sanders-Stokes has a nice ring to it."

"No, I want to be Mr Sanders. I'll keep Stokes for work, but for everythin' else I want to be Nicholas Parker Sanders."

"Wow, I…"

"Sorry boys," Jean burst into the room, holding a stack of towels. "Not looking." She shielded her eyes with one hand, ditching the towels on the nearby dresser. "There's some towels for you. If you need anymore, check the closet at the end of the hall."

"Mom, how about some privacy?" Greg snipped at her, holding his boyfriend's naked chest close against his own. "You can't just barge in like that."

"It's alright, nothing I haven't seen before." She backed herself towards the door, still averting her eyes. "Goodnight, sweethearts. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom." He groaned softly, watching the door slowly closing. Before he could relax, the door popped open again, revealing his mother's head. "Mom, please."

"Just a minute. I just wanted to say I love you too, Nicky."

"Love you too, Mrs S." He waved the woman off, chuckling softly as he flopped back against the mattress. "See, completely wacky. My folks would have run screamin' from the room if they saw us like this." He winced from the pain in his stomach, starting to wish he had stopped at two slices of pumpkin pie. "I think I might throw up if you keep bouncin' up and down on me like that." He warned the younger man.

"I was just pulling your jeans off." Greg tossed them to the floor, pulling the covers out from under the man. He snuggled in beside him, settling the covers over the top of them. "I love that you get on so well with my family. I knew they would like you." He leaned in close, tracing the man's earlobe with his tongue. "Do you want me to rub your belly, baby?"

Nick burst into a grin, rolling his head to the side. "We sound like an old married couple already."

"Do you think we'll make it?" He gently rubbed his hand in soothing circles across the Texan's protruding stomach. "Forty two percent of marriages end in divorce. That number is probably higher in Las Vegas. At least seventy percent of the lab and police department are divorced or on their second or third marriage. Look at Ecklie, Brass, Catherine, Warrick… what if we end up hating each other."

"We'll make it." Nick placed his hand over Greg's. "I know because I love you more than anythin' in the world. I've never felt anythin' like this for anyone before, so I know it's the real thing."

"I'm sure Warrick thought the same of Tina."

Nick shook his head. "He married her after my abduction because she was pregnant with Elijah. He never had the kind of relationship with her that you and I have. He wasn't exactly thrilled about his surprise marriage gettin' out either." He reminded the younger man, touching his hand to his cheek as he pulled him in for a tender kiss. "I'm marryin' you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. When I say til death do us part at the altar, I'll mean it. You'll see, our love will stand the test of time."

"We're having an altar, are we?" Greg propped himself up on his elbow beside the man's head, giving him a curious look. "What else are we having?"

"I haven't really thought through all of the details yet, but I think we should keep it as traditional as possible. I kinda want an aisle with your family on one side, mine on the other. We each make our way down the aisle towards the altar separately, symbolisin' the fact that we're comin' from different backgrounds. We can have someone who can officiate or one of those gay friendly ministers. I want to write my own vows to you, along with a few of the traditional ones… for better or worse and all that. Exchange of rings, our first kiss as newlyweds then the recessional. We walk down the aisle together, followed by the weddin' party and go on to our after party."

"Haven't thought about it much, huh?" The younger man smirked.

Nick chuckled softly, brushing his thumb across Greg's fingers. "Okay, I admit it. I've kinda had my heart set on a traditional weddin' ever since I was a kid. When I was seven I was ring bearer for my Aunt Leanne's weddin'. I saw how happy she was walkin' down the aisle towards her future husband and I couldn't wait for it to be my turn."

"And you didn't know you were gay then?"

"Oh, I knew. I just had to hide it to survive in the Stokes household. When I was fourteen my sister, Lillian was plannin' her weddin'. She came round every day with stacks of weddin' books. My Mama was her personal weddin' planner. I could sit there for hours and flip through those things, pickin' out the centre pieces I wanted, the flowers, music, even my groom's suit." He gave the younger man a wide smile, pecking a kiss to his chin. "It doesn't even have to be anythin' big, just as long as you're there and I get to put a ring on your finger, I'll be happy."

"Your happiness is the most important thing to me." Greg inched closer, resting his head against the man's shoulder. "I just know that I can't lose you. I love you."

"You better, you're marryin' me after all."

Greg giggled softly, fanning his hand in front of his face as Nick's achy belly started to expel excess gas. "Ugh… you and your stomach."

"Comes with the package, I'm afraid." The older man chuckled. "Still love me, baby?"

"Always."

Shielding the sun from his eyes, Nick looked out at the big beautiful ocean, allowing a smile to spread across his lips. "Okay, you were right. This is better than champagne and strawberries in a fancy hotel." He agreed with his partner, looking out at the horizon. Waves of blue crystals crept along the sandy shore, before crawling back. He watched the process repeating itself over and over, amazing by every lick.

It was beyond magical.

"C'mon, it's even better up close." Lacing his fingers between Nick's, Greg raced his way down the sandy beach, running for the tide just starting to come in. He planted his sand crusted feet in the path of an incoming wave, feeling his partner trembling as the salty water sprayed his feet.

"Oh… my God, that's freezin'." He tried to back away.

"Keep your feet planted, the next wave won't be so cold." Greg pulled him further in, the waves catching their knees. It took some convincing this morning, but he finally managed to get Nick dressed in a t-shirt and shorts for their trip to the beach.

Nick felt the water running through his toes, grains of sand scratching against his icy cold skin. He clutched Greg's hand a little tighter, laughing with him as the next wave came up to their waists, soaking their shorts. "Argh… I literally can't feel anythin' anymore. Is there a reason we had to do this today of all days? I have to drive us back to Vegas in a few hours, freezin' my nuts off."

Greg giggled, releasing the man's hand to face him. "The reason I brought you here today is because we're going back tonight, so I won't be able to do this." He kept himself stable as a wave pushed through them, keeping hold of the gift in his pocket. "I know that you already kinda asked this question while we were in Texas, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. Getting down on one knee holding a ring box sort of says it all, but it doesn't say how much you mean to me."

"Here?" Nick felt goose bumps creeping their way up his legs.

"Yeah, I wanted to bring you to one of my favourite places in the world and this is it. My Dad and I spent many weekends here, jumping waves, swimming in the ocean, digging for treasure, collecting shells. I spent most of my childhood out here dreaming of what my future would be like. Now I want my future with you, it seems only right that we should start it here." He held out the box with one hand, clearing his throat as he recited his speech he had been planning in his head for weeks. "I love you with all my heart. We've been friends for years and my love for you continues to grow every time that I'm with you. You are the most beautiful, caring, amazing person I've ever met and you've always been there for me when I needed you. My family adores you."

Nick smiled in response, biting back his tears.

"I can't imagine my life without you anymore, Nicky. When my Papa Olaf got my Nana pregnant with my Mom, she thought that her life was over. Her family kicked her out, she had a baby on the way and she hadn't even finished school. My Papa Olaf bought her this ring with every penny he had saved up and got down on one knee to propose to her."

Greg popped open the box, revealing the simple band that had a little wear to it, but the infinity times infinity sign was still etched inside.

"My Nana punched him in the nose and gave him a black eye right after he did it," He cracked a smile. "But after he promised that he would always be with her, not just because of the baby in her belly, but because he loved her, she said yes. They got the infinity sign etched into it when they could finally afford to get married."

"Won't they miss it?" Nick asked through his tears.

"On their fiftieth wedding anniversary they renewed their wedding vows and got new rings. Nana has had this one squared away in her dresser ever since. She said I could have it on the day I introduced you to her. I told you she has a sixth sense about these things. She knew before I did that this was in our future." He shivered as another wave crashed into their shorts, making his parts shrivel from the cold. "Ugh… that's so cold. So, what do you say, Nicky? This is your last chance to back out of the Sanders clan."

"I'm not backin' out." He promised him, his teeth starting to chatter from the cold. "I would seriously like to back out of this ocean though, but I appreciate the sentiment." Nick smiled wider then he had in years. "Of course I'll marry you, Greg."

"And wear the cheesy family heirloom?" He adjusted his feet in the sand, feeling them sinking deeper with each wave.

Shaking his head, Nick struggled to speak through his emotions and chattering teeth. "It's not cheesy to me. It means so much more than that. I actually feel bad about my proposal now. I didn't even get you a ring. This… this is thought out, sentimental… and… freezin' cold."

"Yeah, I suppose I should have waited for it to get slightly warmer."

"It doesn't matter." The older man shook his head. "It's memorable. It's a perfect Greg surprise and I'll never forget it. In fifty years our grandkids will be beggin' us to tell the story of how you proposed again."

"Wow, in fifty years we have grandkids?"

"Hey by then we might even have great grand kids." He grinned back, seeing the fear in the younger man's eyes. "Relax G, we've got years to prepare for kids, grand kids… you'll be used to it by then."

"Yeah, I was just trying to picture you in fifty years." Greg examined the other man's features a little closer. "Do you think you'll still love me as much as you do now?"

"I think I'll love you more after bein' with you for that long."

"Stop with the sentimental stuff, cowboy, you're gonna make me tear up again." Greg fanned his hand in front of his eyes. His lips broke into an adorable smile, making Nick's heart soar. "Good, now that we've got that settled. Who's up for a hot chocolate and a warm car?"

"Me." Nick wasted no time in running away from the next wave, catching his partner for a kiss while they still had the ocean in their sights. "I can't believe you're more romantic than me. I'm supposed to be the sentimental one. I can't even remember if I got on one knee to ask you to marry me. I certainly didn't think of a ring."

"Geeks rule!" The younger man declared with a giggle, planting the family heirloom on his fiancé's finger. "Don't worry, Nicky. You still win at a lot of things. I loved your proposal. When we tell our future kids or grandkids, I'll make sure I spruce it up a bit with champagne, rose petals and you down on one knee with a harp playing in the background."

"Lyin' to our children already, G?" Nick threw his head back in laughter, admiring the ring on his finger. "I won't fudge any of the details of your proposal. It's perfect." He whisked the younger man around in his arms, sealing their lips for a tender kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you so much." Greg parroted, matching his smile.

"Where's that hot chocolate you promised me? I am freezin'. I told you I shoulda kept my jeans on. Maybe I have a sixth sense too, G." He chuckled, dragging his partner back towards the parking lot. "I don't do shorts for a reason, honey. And this is one of those reasons. We didn't even bring towels."

"I did." He skipped ahead to the car, popping open the boot. "While you were busy moaning about your legs being exposed, I packed us a bag of supplies." Greg tossed a towel in the man's direction, giving him a wink. "See, I planned ahead. I didn't bring other supplies, for you know what." He playfully wiggled his eyebrows. "But I got the essentials. Who loves you, gorgeous?"

"You." He admired the ring on his finger again. He had always envied his sisters for finding love, showing off their rings and getting married in front of all their friends and family. It had always been the one thing he so desperately wanted, but thought would forever be out of his reach. The ring around his finger now proved that he could reach it and he deserved love just as much as them.

Greg gently nudged his side, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ready for hot chocolate? There's this little coffee shop right around the corner. They even have delicious pastries."

"Yeah… I'm ready, G." Nick gave the younger man a smile, feeling as though he was on cloud nine right now. "You know this is officially my best Christmas ever now."

"Your best Christmas so far." Greg corrected him, popping open the passenger side door for him. "We've still got a lot of Christmases ahead of us."

"Do you really think you can top this one?"

"I think I can." He gave him a grin. "Stick around and you'll find out."

Nick closed the gap between them, sealing a kiss to Greg's lips. "I plan to."

Thanks so much for reading!

Have a great weekend.

~ Holly