Hello, it's been a minute (again)!

M'kay so here's the scoop on this one...I've had so much life to deal with that this story has been sitting on my phone for ages gathering dust. I just cannot get my brain right on this one! I've tried to edit it over and over but it refuses to shape up. At this point it's an untouchable beast and I'm just sick of letting it stew. So I've finally caved and decided to post it. Ugh, it's not my favorite and not to mention long for no reason but….HERE IT IS, DAMN IT.

So, as usual any and all reviews are highly appreciated! Give me allllllll the reviews peeps cause I could use it on this one! Also thanks to the lovely folks that have followed or favorited this lil thang!

Yuletide Photograph

What a handsome family.

Jock nodded his head agreeing with himself firmly. He looked around him and smiled. This was what he thought of when he envisioned a family. Husband, wife, triplet girls and young boy; they could have been strokes on a canvas, all smooth and purposeful and pleasing to look at. Jock continued to smile through his mustache, its fibers tickling his lips. He turned to Trusty and saw a thawed expression took up his wrinkled face as well. Their Lady has grown up and started her own life before their very eyes. Say what you will about their rocky beginnings and their near Shakespearean differences. They had found a way to overcome it and be the envy of many a wealthy family.

Jock stood in the parlor of his dear neighbors, Jim and Darling Jackson. The room was well carpeted and furnished with ornately patterned furniture. Shelves of books and tall lamps coordinated with rich paintings and small plants, making the home look as cozy as ever. Jock turned to Trusty, his lifelong friend, who stood alongside him in the parlor. He towered above everyone in the room on willowy legs and his once chestnut hair, now white, was pulled back neatly.

A merry gathering of old friends and delicious food was taking place and Jock was happier then he could say. They made quite a group, the pair of them, the Jacksons and the Luskes. It felt like a streak of fate that they had begun in the front yard where a strange boy had intruded and now here they were, together in happy comradery. It was wonderful. If not a bit strange.

Both men stood off to the side in the parlor, refreshments in hand, watching as Lady and her family sat together on the sofa. Proud father, Jim stood before them manning the camera, his head under the dark cloth. Tramp sat with the boy in his lap and showing off his characteristic crooked smile, his arm around his wife. She in turn had the twins arranged around her, one in her lap, one at her feet and one beside her.

Young, ten year old, Junior stood off to the side by the parlor windows looking like his father except for his blonde hair. Behind him snow lay in heaps outside and iced the roofs of every house on the street. The sun streamed unhindered in the icy, cloudless sky and gave the snow the appearance of being sugared. Everything was quiet, in a pregnant way that only happens on holidays; when everyone is shut in celebrating. No one would be seen walking about in the snow today. For today was Christmas.

Jock didn't try too hard to remember how many Christmas seasons he'd been through now, but he knew he'd remember this one. Lady and company had come to stay for the holiday this year and it was the first time he and Trusty were able to see all their children in person. They had received pictures and heard stories from their home in the next town over but seeing them here, in Lady's old home was so much better.

A loud snap came from the camera and a brilliant flash filled the room, drawing Jock back to the family. They all blinked in the face of the blinding light. Jim's head reappeared from the camera stand and he gave a thumbs up. "Beautiful everyone, I think we got it!"

As if his words had lifted a spell Lady and Tramp loosened their postures and let out sighs of relief. The four children fidgeted, trying to break free now that they didn't have to pose any longer. But it was Scamp Jock's old eyes were drawn to and for good reason. The boy was about five or so and had every bit the shock of gray of hair his father had. There had been an attempt to tame it with a comb but it was obviously far too unruly to stay in place. The poor boy couldn't stop moving, either from trying to wiggle out of his father's arms or fidget with his clothes. He seemed to whir with energy and reminded Jock of a hummingbird's wing beat.

I'm sure the sprout is a handful. Jock thought, amused. He glanced at Tramp and was pleasantly surprised to see him handling the child gracefully. He patiently held Scamp in his lap with his arm on the boy's wiggling torso. He looked down at him with tender amusement and spoke through a smile. "Alright Whirlwind, we're done. You wanna get down now?"

"Yeah!" Scamp replied, nodding his little head vigorously.

"Alright I'll let you down but first…" Tramp said. "I think your Uncle J has something for you, but I could be wrong."

"What? What is it, Daddy?"

"Hmm…" He said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Tramp turned to Junior and gave him a wink which the boy returned with an overdramatic shrug in Scamp's direction."You're just gonna have to go see for yourself."

Junior fiddled with something in his pocket, taking care not to show it, which made Scamp's eyes brighten. "What could be in my pocket?"

Tramp's arm released him and Scamp pushed off his father, tearing towards Junior with a sloppy grin. Junior laughed and playfully fled into the other room, his nephew hot on his tails. Jock chuckled together with Trusty, wondering how he had been that age and had so much energy. Now with Scamp gone Tramp sighed good naturedly and got up from the sofa, rotating his shoulders in discomfort. His navy blue suit looked smart on his lanky figure and with his shoes shiny and his hair groomed, he looked a fine gentleman. "Kid's got a motor engine, I swear." He said, turning to Lady as he loosened his tie.

"He actually did quite well sitting for as long as he did." She said, motherly adjusting the triplet girl's hair bow on the sofa next to her. Jock stared at her with pride and affection, again marvelling at how Lady had somehow gotten more beautiful as she'd aged. Her features had morphed from dainty to elegant, with her neck graceful and her hair pinned up into large, silky rolls. Simply beautiful.

Jock scrunched his eyes trying to recall the girl's name, who Lady was assisting. He knew all of their names, Colette, Anette and Danielle, but he honestly couldn't say which girl was which. It was uncanny how identical the three of them looked to their mother with auburn curls, dainty features and clear eyes.

The other two girls had gotten on the floor and sat adjacent to the Christmas tree which twinkled in the corner. It was large and stout with its branches swooping like antlers, tinsel dripping from every bough. It caught the light of the fireplace hearth like diamonds, accompanied by popcorn garlands and beautiful paper decorations. Presents lay underneath the grand tree, wrapped in rich toned paper and bows, each one waiting to be opened by small, enthusiastic hands.

Darling, who had left a few moments ago to the kitchen, returned to the parlor with a silver tray that was filled with bowls of Christmas candy and salted nuts. "Oh, my darlings I have something special for you." She said in a sing song voice. The girls each turned to their grandmother and looked curiously at the food in her arms. Tramp turned at his daughter's reactions and laughed under his breath. "You might regret doing that, Mrs. J. They'll be climbing the walls real soon."

"Oh, posh." Darling admonished. "It's Christmas after all and times being as they are, they deserve to be spoiled. Besides nothing is too much for my little angels."

"Yeah, sweets crazed angels."

Darling ignored his remark with a maternal raise of her eyebrow and crouched down to the girls' level. She outstretched the tray to them and their faces lit up, their small toddler hands grabbing at the bowls enthusiastically. Jock watched as the girl beside Lady pushed at her mother's hand impatiently. "Wanna get down, Mama!" Lady released her after another tug at her bow and the girl joined her sisters, who all commenced in pillaging the bowls before them.

Just then Junior and Scamp returned suddenly panting from their chase. Scamp had clearly caught the other boy for in his hands he cupped his prize. A perfect, fresh orange sat in him palms and Jock stared in surprise. He didn't remember the last time he'd seen one for they had become a rare commodity as of late. Jim and Darling must have pinched a lot to get that for him. He was a lucky boy.

Upon entering the room Scamp eyed his sisters and what lay in their hands. He walked over to their place by the tree and the girls sprang to their feet animatedly. They all crowded around him and talked over each other to show him the candy between their fingers and in their mouths. Scamp nodded impatiently and forced his way through until he reached Darling and claimed some for himself. Satisfied with her grandchildren's portions Darling rose with the tray and turned to Jock and Trusty with a smile."Boys, would you care to sit down?" She asked, gesturing to the chairs by the hearth.

They both nodded in agreement and murmured their thanks before making their way over. Trusty slowly eased into a chair with his coffee and let out a sigh. Jock followed suit and sat in the chair opposite him with only a few bones groaning in protest. Once situated Jock looked to the children and couldn't help but let another large smile overtake him. They all sat together in front of strewn piles of goodies on the floor and argued over whose was bigger or prettier. Across the way Trusty leaned down towards the triplets, who were nearest to him."No doubt about it they've got their mother's eyes." He said, his cheeks wrinkling into a warm grin.

The girls turned to the sound of his deep Southern drawl and it seemed to stop them from jostling about with their treats. The girls stared at the old man, with their lashes batting their sweet eyes like dolls. Jock glanced at Lady to see her smiling appreciatively and he was about to comment as well when he suddenly felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down to see Scamp. Jock blinked with surprise at how he looked like father, his mouth quirking with impish personality. Scamp had slid across the floor over to Jock's chair apparently having lost interest with Trusty. He let go of Jock's pant leg and craned his gray head up to look at him now that he had his attention. "Hey, mister?" He asked.

Jock smiled down at him, curious. "Yes, son?"

"Do you like candy?"

Jock paused. "Well, I suppose I do."

Scamp beamed. He then plopped two fingers in his mouth, pulled out a sticky piece of candy and stuck it squarely on Jock's shoe. He stiffened with surprise. Scamp continued to smile at him proudly his cocoa eyes shining. Jock looked from the wet candy to the boy with his eyes wide and his words deserting him. "Scamp!" Lady gasped from the sofa.

Scamp erupted in an onslaught of laughter before jumping to his feet and running out the room again with his hair flying. "You're going to have to apologize when you come back, young man!" Lady called after him.

Jock cleared his throat, his indignation flaring and tried to ignore Tramp's poorly stifled chuckle. "They've got a bit of their father in them too." He grumbled. He had taken all that time to shine them this morning too. The candy, a peppermint, stuck to his oxford's leather in a sheen of saliva. Wonderful.

At his disgruntled words Tramp laughed out loud and Jock eyed him disdainfully. Lady turned and flashed him a disapproving look as well to which he shrugged apologetically. After he finished chuckling he turned back to Jock, attempting to make his face look sincere. "Sorry there, old man. Little squirt's got a naughty streak going these days. What can I say?" Jock narrowed his eyes skeptically, not missing how the man's mouth twitched with humor in the corners. He certainly looked different from their younger days but his sense of humor had stayed unchanged. Cheeky rascal.

"We are certainly trying to get him out of it." Lady added with an embarrassed smile, tucking a fly away hair behind her ear. Seeing her look abashed Jock thawed and felt a bit of guilt come over him. She still had quite the ability to tenderize his heart just like she had when she was small. So he let his irritation go with a sigh of surrender. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, bent down with it and swiped the candy from his shoe with a sticky pop! He wasn't sure what to do with it so Jim came over and took it from him with a sheepish smile before walking into the other room with it.

"Ah, it's alright lassy no harm done it's just a shoe." Jock said, regaining his composure and ignoring the impish giggles that wafted from the kitchen. Trusty turned to him, also trying not to laugh. "Little un' got his father's spunk that for sure."

Lady sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose delicately. "Well his spunk is going to make me gray early."

Tramp went over to her place on the sofa with another laugh, this one affectionate. He leaned over and kissed her forehead lightly saying: "And you'll look just a beautiful with it."

Lady shooed him away playfully. "You're no help!"

"Okay, I'll get the little devil and set him straight, how about that?" Tramp asked

"Well it's definitely a start."

Tramp reached over and squeezed her hand before walking from the parlor towards the sound of his son's laughter. "What's this? Do I hear the sound of a bad little boy?" He called.

Any remnants of Jock's annoyance vanished. Seeing the couple happy and playful was a wonderful sight. Tramp's quirks aside no one could deny that he was thriving in this family setting. Jock had been a little anxious at first, worrying that he wouldn't have integrated well into middle class society. Not to mention that the depression had made things exceedingly challenging for them all. But luckily his worry had been unfounded, for Tramp had taken it in stride and provided as best he could for his beautiful family. A cheeky rascal but a good man.

Before long Tramp and Scamp arrived back in the parlor. Jock turned and saw the boy peeking behind his father's legs with a dubious expression. Tramp turned to look at his son behind him, who was still attempting to hide his face from everyone. "Now what do you have to say to your uncle?" Scamp peered out again, clearly not very happy to be back in front of Jock. So he tried not to look too expectant and gave a friendly smile to the boy instead.

"It's alright little man, he won't bite." Tramp winked down at the boy reassuringly. Scamp looked to his father, a little comforted, and walked languidly to stand in front of Jock. Having lost his indignation Jock now found it hard to not chuckle at his rebellious posture. The little rapscallion was quite adorable up close like this. "I- I'm sorry." He mumbled quickly, unable to look Jock in the eye.

Jock leaned forward as far as his decrepit back would let him and rubbed the boy's wild head of hair. "Apology accepted, young lad. It takes a brave man to admit when he's wrong!"

Scamp stole a glance up at him with his large eyes. A smirk worked it way onto his lips and he replied: "I like being brave."

"I bet you do."

He paused to turn and look in Trusty and the triplets' direction. His friend had pushed himself comfortably back into his chair and Jock could see that he was winding up for a story, the girls gathering at his feet. "You know, old Trusty looks like he's about to tell a story. What do you say, are you brave enough to listen to him with me?"

After a quick thought of contemplation and a look at his mother he nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I could."

Jock eased Scamp into his lap. "Don't worry I'll tell you when the boring parts are." He whispered making Scamp giggle and relax a little more against his chest. Together they turned to Trusty who was beginning to tell a story with his usual flair.

"As my old Grandpappy, Old Reliable used to say—" He said, pausing dramatically with an expectant expression. "I don't recollect if I've ever mentioned Old Reliable before!"

"No you haven't Uncle Trusty." The girls at his feet cooed in unison. Jock chuckled as Trusty's expression went from expectant to delightfully confused. This had to be the first time he'd been met with that answer, having said it on so many occasions over the years.

"I haven't?! Well, as Old Reliable used to say...He'd say uh—-he'd say?" Trusty paused and scratched his balding head for a moment, before laughing under his breath. "Doggone. You know? I done clean forgot what is was he used to say!"

Everyone in the parlor laughed merrily. The sound was so very pleasant to Jock's ears, combined with the smell of food and the warmth of the hearth that he could have sworn he heard angels saranading over them. He made himself more comfortable with Scamp and looked to the others in the room with a full heart. The married couple sat on the couch, snuggled into each other's arms. They listened, smiling, to Trusty's story and looking like they belonged on the cover of a magazine.

The triplets who had already lost interest, began to play with each other, identical cheeks rosy and hair ablaze in the hearth's glow. Jock looked to Scamp in his lap who surprisingly was listening the old man with his eyes wide and his hands idle. Jock realized now that though he decidedly resembled Tramp he had a certain look in his eyes that was all his mother's. It reminded him of her when she had come to them for the first time all those years ago. A shy little beauty from the orphanage who also had hid behind her new parents legs.

If there was one thing he was starting to understand in his old age it was that life was full of cycles. Lady and Scamp's expressions melded together for Jock and they were so similar that he felt a prick at his eyes. He must be growing soft. He looked to the scene before him again and realized it didn't matter. He simply wanted to enjoy this moment and relish in the contentment of seeing this family flourish before him. Jock let the the warm sensation of nostalgia and love grow into his old heart, and it was then that he realized he was content. He nodded his head firmly once again.

What a handsome family.

Kay, just some quick footnotes! I decided to give Jim and Darling the last name Jackson and then Luske for Tramp's family, if that wasn't clear. And I figured with my timeline that after the couple's young days it would be during the Depression in the 30's, hence why I mentioned it a couple times.

Curly