A Little Snow Chapter 12

A couple hours after seeing Andy and Liv off in a taxi, Sharon and Emily returned to the apartment. "That really was a lovely service," Sharon smiled following Emily through the door. "The cathedral alone is breathtaking. I mean we have seen it on a number of occasions, but then the service and the choir?" She paused thoughtfully, "It was all just -."

"Lovely? Perfect?" Emily supplied setting her things on the counter. She turned to her mother, "It really was a perfect evening all around, wouldn't you say?" She lifted one eyebrow expectantly, allowing the question to hang in the air between them.

Sharon nodded and removed her coat, "It was." She turned to the hooks beside the door and hung her coat before walking further into the room. "A surprising evening, too." Sharon wandered to her luggage and busied herself with finding her bathroom bag and pajamas.

Still standing at the kitchen counter Emily grinned as she watched her mother. Sharon had been talkative on the ride home; offering commentary on everything from the service to the lights of the city. However, now she seemed to be lost in her thoughts or avoiding something; her silence now possibly related to the evening as a whole. Emily stepped closer to her mother to break the silence. "So, mom," Emily offered, "Are you ready to wake Ricky up?" Sharon hummed, still lost in her own thoughts and not fully hearing her daughter. "Mom?" Emily called a little louder and stepping even closer. Sharon turned at the question, and her daughter tried again. "Are you ready to call Ricky?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Sharon chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you." She glanced down to the items in her hands, "Just let me change out of these boots real quick. They are not helping my knee injury."

Emily nodded as Sharon turned to the bathroom. "Okay, sounds like a plan. I will get the laptop and set it up here in the living room. Take your time. Maybe get an ice pack for the knee if you need? We can wait a little longer if you want. I am not tired at all."

"I think the knee will be fine once I get changed. It is not that big of a deal," Sharon replied from the bathroom. "Even though I should be on California time, I am a little tired. It has been a very long day. Let's go ahead and call him now, just to be safe. I do not want to fall asleep before we get the chance to see him for Christmas morning."

While Sharon was getting ready Emily returned to the living room and set the computer up on the coffee table. She opened the Skype app on the dashboard. "Okay,. I will get everything ready. I'm going to go ahead and call him while you're finishing up."

Her mother nodded from the doorway, "Okay, I will be out there in just a second." The green light at the top of the screen came on and the app buzzed with the muffled ringtone as it connected to her brother's account.

The call linked and a sleepy Ricky, complete with ruffled head of unruly hair, popped up on the screen. He rubbed his eyes and croaked, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, little Ricky," Emily giggled at the image. "Did we wake you?"

Ricky opened his eyes and glared, "Nope. I always look like this."

"Well, that is true…" Emily teased. Ricky closed his eyes again. Emily leaned forward and rotated the computer to track her mother as she entered the living room.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Sharon beamed, as she emerged from the bathroom in more comfortable attire.

Ricky reopened his eyes, "Merry Christmas to you too, Mom. You two do realize you could have called me at any point after you wake up today as well. I would not have complained about the extra sleep at all." He leaned forward in this chair and squinted as his mothers moved across the room. "Wait, Mom are you limping?"

Sharon waved off the comment, "Oh it is nothing. Just a small bruise, nothing to worry about."

"Just a small bruise?" Ricky asked as Emily turned the computer back around to face the futon couch. Their mother took the seat beside her on the couch and smiled at the screen. He stared back at his mother skeptically, "It looks painful."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "It is fine, Ricky, really. It is still new, so it is just a little stiff. I am sure it will be fine in the morning. This is not the first time I have fallen, and I am sure it will not be the last."

"You fell?" Ricky looked to his sister, "Em, you are supposed to be taking care of her. She travels all the way-."

"Wait, what? Supposed to be taking care of her?" Sharon cut in, "It was just a fall, Ricky. I am not that old, I am perfectly capable-."

Sitting forward Emily interrupted, "Yeah, Ricky she is not that old. What kind of son are you? Insulting her age." She laughed, "Besides, it was not her fault. Andy pulled her down on the ice. I left them alone for maybe five minutes and…" her voice trailed as she eyed her mother playfully.

"Stop, Emily," Sharon sighed brushing off her daughter's comment. "Accidents happen."

Ricky stared between the two waiting for more information. "Wait," he exhaled breaking the silence. "Who is this Andy and where did you leave them?"

Sharon returned her attention to her son and casually replied, "No one. Well, I mean someone from work - a Lieutenant from Major Crimes. He is in the city visiting his sister for Christmas."

"And by some chance you ran into them tonight and he tripped you?" Ricky asked trying to understand the sequence of events.

Emily smiled, "No, but he is in the city. Mom got stuck in a snowstorm with him on the way out here. So, we ended up spending Christmas Eve with him and his sister. Mom says he is one of the troublemakers." She shifted forward in her seat and shrugged, "but he is a very nice man. Even if he is a bit dangerous on ice skates."

Ricky sat back, "On what? You guys went ice skating on Christmas Eve? Without me? No fair."

"That is the part of this story you are focusing on?" Emily chuckled. She nudged her mother, "See, what did I say? I knew he would be jealous. I didn't even mention the hot chocolates yet."

"Hot chocolates and ice skating? That's not part of the normal routine. We don't do that for Christmas." Ricky whined, "I love ice skating. Of course you two do all of the fun stuff without me."

Sharon grinned, "My poor sweet child, more upset about missing hot chocolates than his mother and sister." She paused to make sure he knew she was kidding, "We can go next year. Even though I am sure you can find a place over there to go ice skating."

"I could," Ricky reasoned, "but it wouldn't be the same." He looked wistfully into the space between them. After a moment he sighed, "Plus, it sounds like I missed the real fun. A family outing and a strange man off ice skating with my mother."

Emily laughed at her brother's skill in bringing the conversation back around, "There he is." She sat forward, "Don't worry little brother, the man isn't that strange." She sat up straighter in an attempt to imitate her mother's earlier nonchalant reasoning, "Besides, they work together."

"I see." Ricky grinned and matched his sister's no nonsense tone. He turned to his mother, "And Mother what all does this work relationship entail? Do you frequently spend the holidays with your coworkers? Is there something we should be made aware of? A policy change perhaps?"

"Stop," Sharon interrupted struggling to hold back a laugh at her son's teasing. "We were on the same flight out of LAX. Nothing crazy there, the time fit best with my work schedule. I am sure his schedule was not significantly different. The plane got diverted because of a snowstorm. We decided it would be easier to travel into the City together. The roads were worse than we thought so we had to stop off at a hotel. We woke up and drove the rest of the way today." She paused, "Emily and I met them for dinner this evening, and that's that."

"That's that," Ricky repeated looking to his sister. "Sounds to me like there could be something more to that, wouldn't you say Emily? A whole day of travel?"

His sister laughed, "Careful Ricky, I don't think she's quite ready to discuss this yet. Plus, I would not put it past her to return all of your gifts."

"She already sent them," Ricky smiled, "So I am safe."

Sharon raised her eyebrow at her son and warned, "You think that is all you have to worry about Richard William?"

Emily pressed her lips together and murmured, "Oh the full name has been invoked. Best of luck with that, Ricky."

Sharon slowly rotated in her spot to face her daughter. "You probably should be careful too, Emily dear. I have not given you your presents yet… Maybe not the best idea to test your mother tonight."

"Ohhhh," Ricky called from the computer, "Now who's the one in trouble?"

Emily shot her brother a death glare that had him snapping his mouth shut. She turned back to her mother. "Mom," she exhaled sweetly, "you know we are just teasing you. There is no need to do anything extreme. It's not everyday we get to meet a friend from work…"

"Just go for it, Mom. Be extreme," Ricky chimed in. "I support your decisions on this matter. Let me know if you need my help with showing Emily that she has taken this joke too far."

Sharon pressed her lips into a dangerous smile. "Thank you, Richard, but I do think I have this all under control."

"Right," Ricky answered with a quick salute. "You can handle anything and everything all on your own."

Emily rolled her eyes at the screen. "Suck up," she muttered under her breath.

Sharon smiled again, but decided to end the torture. She turned to her son, "Let's discuss something more important, shall we? How are you, Ricky? How was your Christmas Eve?"

"Well, we did not go ice skating," Ricky drawled. "But we had a fun time. We went to a candlelight church service, sang a few Christmas carols, and then took a carriage ride around the city. It did have a little bit of a Christmas Village feel, so that was kind of perfect."

She held her hands together and hummed, "That all sounds so Christmassy, Ricky. What about today? Do you have any big plans?"

"Maybe. A couple of the other guys and I are going to see about skiing." Ricky rubbed his face, "We have a couple days off still and it has snowed quite a bit."

"Skiing?" Emily quipped, "and you were jealous of ice skating? That is a lot more fun. You had better be careful though, remember what happened last time you went skiing."

Ricky rolled his eyes, "That kid came out of nowhere. It was not my fault."

"Yes," Emily mused, "pesky little things."

Sharon smiled thoughtfully at the comment, "Indeed they are." She turned back to Ricky, "but I thought you skied into a tree?"

"After the kids took me out, Mom," Ricky sighed. "They were flying down the mountain, I had to dodge out of the way to not squash them. Really, it was me risking my own safety to protect the life of a child."

"So noble," Sharon chuckled. "I am surrounded by people who are constantly sacrificing themselves for the greater good."

Emily rolled her head toward her mother, "I was there and remember it differently. He was not that heroic." Ricky eyed his sister challengingly, but before he could get too worked up Sharon rubbed Emily's shoulder to call her off.

Sharon leaned toward the computer, "You just be careful, Ricky, please." She wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulders and pulled her into her side. "And remember to pizza those skis together when you get too close to the trees…" Emily turned her head into her mother's shoulder to muffle her laugh.

"Funny, Mom," Ricky sighed.

Sharon sat up taller and smirked, "I try." She pressed her lips together and dropped her voice to a more serious tone, "But please, Ricky, be careful."

Her son smiled, "I will Mom. You too though," he nodded to her legs. "Be careful out in the big city. Watch out for clumsy strangers."

Sharon shook her head to the side, "I will. Merry Christmas, Ricky."

"Merry Christmas, Mom and you too, sis."

Emily rolled her head back to face the screen. "I will send you some pictures from tonight when I get them downloaded. Have fun with your friends."

"Thanks," Ricky moved his hand toward the track pad of his laptop. "Talk to you two soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Ricky," Sharon replied as the screen went blank. She laid back on the couch and looked over to Emily. "You two are hilarious," she droned. "Just when I think you are all grown up you get together and start bickering like toddlers."

Emily tucked her feet underneath her body and turned to her mother. "It's his fault," she grinned, "he is the one who acts like he is three."

"Of course," Sharon rolled her eyes and chuckled, "So that makes you what, five?"

Her daughter tapped her chin with her finger, "Well, closer to six. Although, he is the one who takes things a little too far. He has always thought of himself as the comedian of the family."

Sharon shook her head to the side and pulled Emily closer. She pushed her lips against her daughter's head, "Be nice to your brother. He has done what he can to keep us smiling."

"I know," Emily sighed. "The big goofball that he is." The two sat in silence for a couple moments before Emily pulled away. "Do you want to put on a movie? Ricky and I already watched Die Hard together last week, but I may have stolen a couple other holiday favorites last summer when I was home."

Sharon smiled as Emily walked across to the room to the television stand. "I was wondering why I suddenly had so much extra storage space in the living room." She smiled to her daughter, "I am glad you two could keep that tradition alive. I am sure he appreciated that."

"It just isn't Christmas until the annual Nakatomi Plaza party, Mom." Emily opened up the cabinet to retrieve the DVDs. "Some traditions are sacred. We would not let something like a little ocean stop us from the more important ones."

Sharon rolled her eyes and sat forward to scoot the laptop to the other side of the table, "John McClane, the unlikely holiday hero." Emily laughed and set the movies out on the table in front of her mother. Sharon leaned forward to examine the selection. "How about Miracle on 34th Street?" She picked up the box and handed it to her daughter, "Let's see if Fred and Kris can convince the Walker's that Santa Claus really does exist."

Emily took the box with a smile, "One of my favorites. Did I tell you we went to the parade this year? It was really fun to see Santa gliding in on his sleigh. Maybe next year I will see about getting a group together to visit him at Macy's."

Sharon sat back and stretched out on the couch. She removed her phone from her pocket and unplugged the one that was sitting on the charger beside the couch. "That sounds lovely. Too bad I was not here sooner; we could have done that as well. Maybe we could take Ricky next year, I mean if we decide to spend Christmas out here again."

She placed the DVD in the player and returned to the couch. "Ricky would love that," Emily cozied up beside her mother and pulled the blanket from the other side of the couch. "I am not complaining about this year though, Mom. I was serious, this has been so much fun. Already very memorable."

Sharon tucked the blanket around them and curled up with her daughter. "It has been," she sighed. As the movie began the two settled in, Sharon already beginning to doze.

- A few blocks away -

"So, Andy," Liv called from her room. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Andy shuffled through the living room and dropped onto the couch. "I don't know," he moaned. "Right now I would like to melt into the couch and never have to move again. Maybe wrap a giant ice pack around my entire body for good measure."

Liv laughed at her brother's dramatic response. Rolling her eyes she walked into the living room, "Really?" She probed, her hands resting on her hips. "Your entire body? Haven't you had enough of the ice today?" She smirked, "Besides, I thought it was just your shoulder?"

With his head resting on the back of the couch Andy shifted his eyes up to her, "And my head." He grumbled as he tried to move to a more comfortable position, "Maybe my back too."

"You're getting old," Liv chuckled. "What were you thinking ice skating at your age?"

Andy moved to his side and picked his legs up to stretch out sideways on the couch. "It was not my idea. I never said I wanted to ice skate… but even so, that kid came out of nowhere."

"Sure," Liv sighed walking over to the chair beside the couch. "It is never your fault is it Andrew? Did you ever think the common denominator in all or your accidents could be you?"

He closed his eyes, "It is called an external locust of control. Helps me sleep at night."

"Because that's healthy," his sister hummed. "And I think you mean locus, not locust. Unless you have an imaginary insect friend controlling you or something… in which case I am probably not the best person to be having this conversation with."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Funny, but you know what I meant. In all seriousness, I know I fell. I know I am not the most graceful human being. I accept all responsibility for my current ailments." He paused and shifted again to cushion his head against the couch pillow. "Doesn't mean I have to like it though. Do you think I enjoy being banged up?"

Liv smiled, "No I don't. It would be nice if you could stop getting hurt though. I am a little tired of worrying about you." She paused, "I guess that means I have to take care of the man-child then?"

"You are the best sister in the world," Andy mused in an attempt to make her laugh. "I don't know what I would do without you."

She leaned forward in her seat to remove the pillow from the back of the chair. "Me either," she chirped tossing the pillow at his head, "but that does not mean I have to cater to your every need. You are a big boy, you can take care of yourself."

"Joy," he sighed picking up the pillow and tossing it back in her direction. He sat up slowly, "but, do you have an Advil? A Tylenol? Anything to help cut the pain that will inevitably settle in overnight, and make it even more difficult to move in the morning?"

Liv rolled her eyes and stood to walk to the kitchen. "I think I have something, but I don't take medications often. I worry about what it does to my organs these days." It was Andy's turn to roll his eyes, but he wisely said nothing. His sister removed a bottle from the cabinet and shook it. "Well, it sounds like there is maybe a dose for tonight. You may need to stop and pick some more up in the morning. The Duane Reade on the corner should be open. If it's not, the Starbucks has Christmas hours. You can at least get us a couple coffees, maybe some croissants, while you are out. Hint hint." She filled a glass with water and returned to the living room.

"Noted," Andy sighed. He sat forward as his sister walked back into the room, and reached out to take the glass and tablets. "Thanks, sis. This is better than nothing."

"You're welcome," she responded retaking her seat beside him. "So, are you going to call your kids tonight?"

Andy tipped his bead back to swallow the pills. He placed the glass down on the table in front of him and shrugged, "Or in the morning." He looked back to the door where he had left his luggage. "My phone needs to be charged first. I am pretty sure that is all that is wrong with it."

Liv stared at the bag as well. When he didn't move she whispered, "Maybe you should plug it in then?"

Andy sighed. He stood and walked across the room. His sister watched as he dug through the pockets. After opening each one he let out a frustrated groan, "Great. It is not even here. I must have left it in the backseat of the rental. I could have sworn I checked back there…" he flipped the suitcase on its side and searched more thoroughly.

From across the room Liv sat forward and picked her purse up from the table. "You could use mine," she offered pulling the phone out of the bag. "We could call them now, or wait until later. Whatever you want to do."

Andy turned to her, "It may be best to use your phone anyways." He walked back across the room, "They're more likely to answer your calls these days."

She rolled her eyes, "That is not true, Andy. Things are changing. They are just out of town with their mother and their stepfather. They love you and they care. They will be happy to hear from you." Liv extended her arm to offer him the phone.

Andy mumbled something to himself, but reached out for the phone, "Let's hope so." He opened the contacts and selected Nicole's name form the list. When it connected, he pressed the speaker icon and held the phone low between the two of them. After a few rings Nicole's voicemail picked up. He sighed and sat forward, "Hey Nic." Andy smiled into the receiver, "It's Dad and your Aunt Liv. Just calling to wish you guys a Merry Christmas. Uh, I will try to call again tomorrow. I hope you all are having a good time out there. Be sure to tell your brother that I called, please. Love you both and um, Merry Christmas, again." He clicked end and leaned back on the couch.

His sister offered a small smile, "We can call again tomorrow. They are probably still at dinner or something."

"Yeah, probably." Andy nodded and forced a smile, "So, do you want to watch a movie or something? Or do you want to call it a night?"

She pressed her lips together in a grin, "We could watch something if you want. We have all day tomorrow to be lazy." She turned on the television and clicked to check out the holiday films on demand. "What sounds good? Let's see they have; A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Elf is fun, could always go with White Christmas?"

Andy pursed his lips in consideration as she continued to scroll through the list of popular holiday films, "I don't know, um, what about that one?"

She stopped her scrolling, "Miracle on 34th Street? You always did like Maureen O'Hara. Something about that red hair, hm?" She chuckled. "I haven't seen that one in a while, works for me." Liv made the selection and settled back in the chair.

A/N: I hope this one was okay... I have been sort of "watching" this story play out in my mind, so it is at times a little difficult to get it translated from the Christmas movie in my head to something readable haha. I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year! Thank you all for hanging in here with me. I hopefully will have the next update soon, I am trying to get it all finished before I go to Florida for a couple of days next week. Fingers crossed :)