The little girl

by Linneagb

Post series. The Cohen's, including Sophie Rose now six years old take in a foster child during the holidays. She's only staying until after new year's so nothing could happen... Could it? Well it could. So what happens when it's all about to happen in the worst possible way?

3. The merry Christmukkah

Thanks to Tif S and GleeJunkie007 for reviewing.

This chapter is told from Kirsten's point of view

December the 25th 2013, the merry Christmukkah

"AAAAH"

I woke up with a start when I heard someone shouting.

Someone in the other bedroom on the bottom floor.

At first I glanced to the clock on my bedside table. Just as I turned to it, it changed from five fifty nine to six o'clock.

I then looked to Sandy. He looked drowsily back at me and it seemed it took a second before any of us had realized what had happened and who must have been shouting. Then suddenly we both realized it must have been Annie and more or less jumped out of breath and quietly hurried down the hallway to check on her.

"Annie?" I almost whispered when I knocked on the door. "Annie?"

No reply.

"Annie?" I tried again and opened the door slightly. Whatever it had been- it must have been her shouting. "Are you alright?"

I took a step into the room. It was dark but I could see she laid on her back, that she had kicked the covers off and down onto the floor. But with her eyes closed and slow breaths, if I hadn't known better I would have thought she was asleep and that I had just dreamed about someone shouting. But then Sandy wouldn't have woken up either.

"If there's anything you want or need..." I only said barely loud enough for her to hear I tip-toed over the floor and lifted the quilt before I spread it carefully over the young girl. "…Then don't be afraid to come and get one of us. Okay? That's what we're here for. Now go back to sleep." I backed out of the room and back to Sandy who seemed to hesitate. "If there's anything she wants to talk to us about she'll come to us herself." We started making our way back to our bedroom. "We might as well go back to…"

I stopped in the middle of a sentence when I could hear a door slamming open and running footsteps, then the bathroom door opening and more footsteps and the toilet lid being opened before this someone started heaving and fell to her knees by the bowl.

"Summer." I told Sandy. "Morning sickness. I'll go. You go back to bed." I turned and hurried up the stairs. Just as I came Seth came drowsily stumbling out of his room towards the bathroom. "I'll go stay with Summer. Remember, I'm the only one of us that has been through this before." Seth didn't protest but turned and stumbled back to bed, and I continued towards Summer who was still heaving over the toilet bowl expelling what was left in her body of dinner yesterday.

"I hate this." She only barely got time to croak a few words to me before she started heaving again.

"I know." I grabbed a hairband from the shelf over the sink and kneeled by her, pulling her hair back from her face and putting it into a ponytail with tender and careful moves. "I hated it too." I started rubbing her back. "It's okay. It's okay."

"Oh God." At last- after what must have felt like hours to her, Summer reached up to flush the toilet, then turned, sat down on the floor and leaned back against the bathtub. "Then I feel bad for hating it because…" She rubbed her stomach and looked down with a smile that looked more like a half-hearted grimace. "…I have just never been so happy."

"I know." I couldn't help but smile. "You don't love the morning sickness, you won't love your legs swelling or going to the bathroom every fifth minute when the baby is getting bigger and pressing towards your bladder. And you're not exactly in love with the thought of never getting to sleep through the night or changing diapers but…"

"…But I'm looking forward to every single second of it."

"Yep… You should go back to bed. I'll clean this up."

"No." Summer moaned. "I don't want to go back to bed. Then I'll fall asleep and when I wake up I'll feel sick again. What time is it?"

"Just past six. I won't be able to sleep anymore either. But if you want to you can help me prepare for breakfast. You know what our Christmas day breakfasts are like. And Sophie Rose should be up in two hours or so and then I want to have it all finished. This sickness isn't contagious so if you want to."

"Yeah, I'd love to help out." Summer smiled tiredly, seeming to feel better. "Rather that than just sit and wait for the others. What do you want me to do?"

"Guys, guys." I could hear Sophie Rose shouting and running down the hallway and stairs just as I put the last bowl of cut up fruit in the middle of the ginormous breakfast buffet á la Cohen just after eight a. m. "It's Christmas day. It's Christmukkah, it's Christmukkah and we've finally reached the day with LOADS of presents. It's Christmas day, it's Christmas day. IT'S CHRISTMUKKAH."

"Well." I started talking to Summer. "If there was anyone who was still asleep before then there certainly isn't now." I heard Sophie Rose's running steps down the stairs. "TAKE IT EASY. OR YOU'LL FALL."

"I don't fall mum." Sophie Rose came walking inside with a bright smile. "Whoa. What a breakfast table."

"Really?" Adam and Sarah was just coming in behind Sophie Rose and Adam's eyes widened in an impressed move. "I have never seen so much breakfast food at once in my whole life. There's eggs and ham and cheese and toast and oatmeal and jam and… French toast. My favorite!"

"And oatmeal with banana and cinnamon. My favorite." Sophie Rose put as much as oatmeal as she could possibly eat in her bowl. Breakfast or buffet or not- she only wanted oatmeal. "Where by the table do you think we can sit mum? Can we sit in the living room and eat now when there are things all around the kitchen table?"

"No. Don't even try it young Lady. Good morning Annie."

Annie was dressed in tights that were so brightly red and white striped they almost made me dizzy, and a big black hoodie that reached almost down to her knees. The first thought that hit me was that at least she'd changed clothes since last night. There wouldn't be a chance she smelled as bad she had earlier.

Well, obviously she kind of could.

I could only see in the corner of my eye that Annie passed Summer to get her own plate. But then looked up when I saw Summer's expression change. And just as I looked up I saw her turn almost green before she got onto her feet and ran over to the sink barely in time before she started throwing up.

Oh the joys with being pregnant!

"It's okay." I started rubbing her back for the second time today and pulled away her hair from her face. "It's okay."

"Come on kids... And Sarah" While I was rubbing Summer's back and Summer was still throwing up into the sink Sandy stood up. "Summer doesn't need an audience now. We'll go into the living room and then we can start opening presents right after breakfast."

"YAY." Sophie Rose shouted over the presents. Then was interrupted by Summer heaving again. "Oh… Sorry Summer. Feel better…. Dad?" She turned to Sandy and they finally walked out of the room. "Is this contagious?"

"No, it's not. Don't you worry."

I mimed a "Thank you" at Sandy for making the others leave. Well, that was all of the others except for Annie. Who didn't seem to be bothered by neither what Sandy said nor Summer throwing up and had taken an empty plate and seemed to decide what she wanted the most.

"Go into the living room with the others. I'll bring you something for your breakfast in a minute." Annie froze in her moves. "Please Annie." At last she left her still empty plate on the table and left the room. "I'll be right there."

"I'm sorry." Summer croaked when the heaving finally stopped but still leaning over the sink. "I wouldn't have made it all the way to the bathroom. I'm sorry." She looked down and rubbed her stomach over where the baby would be. "I want you out."

"Don't say you're sorry. It's not your fault. And no. Not yet." I led Summer over to a chair. "The nausea should get better very soon. It usually gives in by the second trimester." Summer only moaned and I started cleaning the sink. "Was there some smell from the table that caused it? The salmon? Eggs? Pancakes?"

"No." Summer moaned. "Annie." I suppressed a sigh- that was what I had been afraid of. "God that girl smells." I handed Summer a clean glass of water and started picking out a bit of everything to put on a plate for Annie. "I was thinking though. None of us had the time to get her any Christmas presents since we only heard about her yesterday. But I was thinking I'd go to the mall tomorrow because they have this great big sale for Boxing day so I was going to get some maternity clothes. Maybe I can bring Annie and get some new clothes… and maybe some soap and lotion. Maybe if she gets to pick it out herself she'll be more willing to have a shower. I mean, if she has been in foster care. Maybe she's afraid of water from someone… Or she just has never been learned to care to shower."

"That actually sounds about right." I grabbed another smaller plate, and put some pieces of toast on it. "Bring these with you. I know you don't feel like eating but you're only going to feel worse if you don't. Remember, I've been through this before and believe me. I've tried it all. Oh, and if you're going shopping I'm coming with you. Did you notice that Annie only had a load of things in that backpack she was wearing when she came here. Not much could fit into that… She probably needs a day of shopping. Now eat. You'll feel better."

Summer moaned at the thought of eating. But took another few sips of the cold water and seemed like she heard and understood what I was saying. I didn't have enough hands to take three plates so I handed Summer hers and took my own and Annie's in each hand before we moved into the living room.

"Well that is a bit how it works in this house…" When I and Summer came into the living room Sandy was turned to Sarah and Adam. "…It's constant chaos in one way or another. But we usually find a way to work it out when we work together." Sandy smiled and looked to Summer. "Feeling any better honey?"

Summer nodded slightly. Then checked where Annie was (on the chair in the corner just like she had been all through last night) and went to sit down on the other side of the room next to Seth who laid his arm around her shoulders and lovingly kissed the top of her hair while she carefully took a bite of a piece of toast.

"Here." I handed Annie the plate I had brought into the room for her. "I didn't know what you like the most so I took a bit of everything. Feel free to go into the kitchen and get more if you want." Annie nodded and took the plate, then started eating with the same terrible table manners we had seen last night. And I had a bad feeling about why this must be. "You don't have to eat so fast. I promise you, you won't be left without food at any time if you wouldn't eat it up fast enough." Annie only glared at me and kept on shoving pieces of toast and pieces of a sausage roll into her mouth. "I'll go get something for you to drink."

I got myself and Annie each glass of water, then put it by the side of her chair on the floor because Annie was way too busy with shoving her bites into her mouth to be able to even look up at see me. And I looked around the room and noticed an open space big enough for me to sit behind Sandy who was talking to Sarah.

"And this is our traditional Christmukkah breakfast. And it will last us days. We will have lunch whenever we want during the days and eat whatever we want from this huge breakfast buffet. Then for dinner we will have it all put away in the fridge or the freezer or wherever it's supposed to go. Then we order food for dinner and it will be as anti-Christmas as it probably could. And then in the evening it is time for the most important part. With bagels and hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows."

"I get a feeling these food traditions are very important to you. What would happen if I would like to add a bit to it some time?"

"Oh adding probably wouldn't be a problem. Just don't take anything away. Oh and don't add anything at all that involves peanuts. I do not want to spend the night at the hospital with Sophie Rose. She's allergic."

"So is Adam. No peanuts."

"No peanuts no." Sophie Rose made a grimace. "They make me ill. Daddy. I have eaten my breakfast now can we start opening presents please? Pretty pretty please?" Sandy sighed slightly and then looked to me.

I looked around. Like Sophie Rose, most people around seemed to have finished their breakfast (Along with Summer who seemed half asleep leaning against Seth's shoulder) except Annie who was just shoving the last few of the bites of her food into her mouth.

(And if we were going to wait for her to finish everything that she'd be able to eat then we might have to stay here all day)

"Are you finished Annie?" Sophie Rose was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Everybody else are finished and when you are too we can get started with the Christmas presents."

I was on my way to scold Sophie Rose for being so impatient. Then I saw Annie nod that she was finished and put her plate away. But come on. Christmas day was for the children. Whatever I was going to say to scold her it could wait.

"YAY." Sophie Rose jumped out of her chair and watched Sandy get up and picked up the first present. "WHO'S IT FOR? WHO'S IT FOR? WHO'S IT FOR?"

"Merry Christmukkah…" Sandy read out loud on the tag on the present. Then pretended to have some trouble with reading. "…Sophie Rose. Wishes from Seth, Summer and little S."

"YAY." Sophie Rose took the present. We knew since before anyway that she was getting more presents than all of us others together. But the first one was almost the most exciting and she sat down on the floor by my feet and ripped the paper off while Sandy lifted the next present.

"Aw." Sophie Rose had unwrapped stuffed versions of Lady and the tramp and a T shirt with a print of them two and that famous plate with spaghetti and fricadelli. Lady and The Tramp were Sophie Rose's biggest favorites and she hugged it all close to her chest with a big smile. "I love them I love them I love them."

Usually, I would have thought these stuffed animals would end up in a dusty corner of her room like most of the other thousands of stuffed animals she had. But how could I say that today? And how could I say that when these were Sophie Rose's favorites?

"Awesome." I was woken from my thoughts when Adam was the first one except for Soph who got a present and unwrapped a green Harry Potter- themed Christmas shirt, a baseball cap with a Slytherin logo and text, along with the fourth and fifth Harry Potter books. "Thanks Ryan. Now I can finally find out what happens." Adam put the rest to the side and opened the goblet of fire but Sarah took the book from him. "NO."

"Yes. We are guests here and it's Christmas… Christmukkah. And I know what you're like when you're reading and you're not sitting here in your own world while we're with friends." Adam grimaced. "And no such faces young man."

"What do you mean finally find out?" Ryan took over. "You only finished the prisoner of Azkaban two days ago."

"AND THOSE TWO DAYS HAVE BEEN TORTURE."

"Well it have to keep being torture then." Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you." Sandy handed her a small gift. "Well. No matter how much you hate me right now you already got me a present and it is…" She unwrapped it. "…A necklace with two hearts and one has "Mum" written on it. Oh Adam. Thank you. It's beautiful. How could you even afford this?"

"Ugh." Adam moaned. "It's not real or anything. It's of the cheap kind. I sold a couple of old toys so I could get you a nice present."

"Well it is real to me… What about Blue? You didn't sell Blue? Ad, you didn't sell Blue did you?"

"Mum." Adam moaned. "Stop it. I'm too big for stuffed animals."

"Did you?"

"No of course not. Dad got him for me…. Why do I still refer to my old teddy bear as "He." Here mum. There's another present for you." Adam took this bigger present from Sandy's hands and reached it further to his mum, and in the same move Sarah reached out and kissed his cheek. "Mum." Adam moaned again and rubbed his cheek.

"I picked it out." Sophie Rose as good as bounced in the chair with a bright smile while Sarah was fingering with the paper looking for an end to all of that tape. "And I wrapped it all by myself. And I picked it because Ryan said you make the best cookies and I love…"

"Shush." Ryan interrupted. "Let her see what it is before you tell her Soph." Sophie Rose gave another big, toothless smile and then looked towards Sarah who was taken the wrapping paper off her present.

"Do you like it?" Sophie Rose asked quickly when Sarah had gotten the paper off the cookie jar shaped and painted like Lady and the tramp and that plate with spaghetti of theirs. "You like it don't you?"

"I love it." Sarah smiled brightly towards the six-year-old. "This is great. And Lady and the Tramp is one of my favorite movies of all times."

"It is? It is mine too. We could watch it together some time. And maybe…" Sophie had to quit talking and took another present. "Thank you Ryan."

"And have got another present just down the block." Seth said when I was about to get up and collect all the paper and tape and pieces of thread that was always left after these and I couldn't help but frown in curiousity. "You'll understand when we get there but…" Seth looked up at Sarah. "…after you. And then, everybody get dressed and everything so you can go outside and come with me."

"Don't get your present yet." Sophie Rose ran up to Adam. "I want to see what it is too."

Adam smiled and nodded. Then reached for the sweater and cap he had gotten from Ryan, Seth and Summer and put them on. Then half crawled down under the covers so he'd be covered up and wouldn't have to show us all his underwear while he changed his shorts into jeans.

"Adam." Sarah moaned. "Just… why?"

"We are nine people sharing two bathrooms. And I'm not prude or anything so I might as well do it like this."

"True." Sarah playfully ruffled his hair. "You are so much like your dad."

"Did he change his pants under the covers?"

"No. But he came with ideas when they were needed instead of just waiting for something to happen. Even if there were just small things to save a few minutes of time" Sarah smiled sadly. "He would have been so proud of you Ad. I wish he'd gotten the chance to meet you."

Adam, who had gotten his jeans on got onto his feet and hugged Sarah tightly. I couldn't help but smile again- these two were just the closest mum with her teenage son I had ever seen. And it seemed they wanted nothing else than to make each other happy.

"Awesome." When all of us came outside Sarah gestured to Adam's present and he jogged over to the brand new bike that stood in the driveway. "Cool. Thanks mum." He ran his hand over the black and orange colored frame. "These mountain bikes aren't cheap mum. How much did it cost? How could you even afford it?"

"Don't you dare worry about that Adam Jensen." Sarah held her son another wrapped present. "I've been putting away a bit of money to at least be able to buy you a nice Christmas present. As you can see it's not the latest phone or your own laptop or…"

"Shut up mum." Adam just smiled up at his mum and took the present. "It's great and my old bike is as good as falling into pieces. Now what is this…" He ripped the paper off the second present. "Of course." He laughed slightly at the helmet which colors matched the bike. "Thanks mum." Adam smiled while Sarah took the helmet, put it on his head and stuck it under his chin, then leaned down slightly and kissed his cheek. "Mum."

Adam rubbed his cheek. A more normal thirteen year old boy would have moaned just like him. Except not as jokingly, left and rather never looked back to his embarrassing old mum. The guy in front of me just smirked, got on his bike and rode down the driveway.

"Awesome." Adam repeated again when he'd wheeled down to the end of the road and up again. "Awesome." He turned. "Now. Seth. You said you had something else. Should I and mum go inside again."

"No, you can come too." When Seth started walking down the pavement Adam started riding his bike in big circles around us. "And here." Seth stopped about four houses down the road from where I and Sandy lived. "This house. In here I have your present. All of yours."

"At Mr. Flaherty's?" I questioned while Seth knocked the door. "This isn't exactly the happiest person on earth."

"Nobody's opening." Sandy stated obviously. "Maybe we should just..." Seth just opened the door and walked inside. "That it's open doesn't mean you can just… Seth Ezekiel Cohen, what do you think you're doing?" Sandy followed Seth and Summer into the house, I followed Sandy and the others came after me one after one. And none of us got what was happening.

"Chill out dad."

"You can't just walk in like that Seth. Not into a house of someone you barely know. And Mr. Flaherty, who actually do live here is a big old grump. Forget what I just said Sophie Rose. But he is so if he finds out us lot have just walked into his house like this. Seth, don't move anything. Let's just get out of here before Mr. Flaherty comes back home and… what are you doing?"

Seth stood right up and down, with one hand towards his side and the other rubbing his forehead as if he thought his old man was the stupidest most embarrassing person on earth.

"Mr. Flaherty moved out months ago dad."

"And who lives here now then? Son. Let's just get out before someone sends the police out of here." Seth sighed deeply. "Who lives here now anyway? I haven't seen anyone here for ages? And what if?"

"DAD." Seth held up his keys and shook them right before his eyes. "I bought this house. I made a deal with Mr. Flaherty so he wouldn't tell anyone so I could surprise you on Christmukkah that we are going to be living like four houses away from each other. I want little S to grow up with his grandma and grandpa close and… this is the result."

"Oh…"

Sandy seemed to have lost all words, and I couldn't help but smile over having this part of my family as close as they would be living here.

"We have still got most of our stuff back at our old flat. It's about a twenty minute drive. But we thought maybe with your help, dad's car, Ryan's car, mum's car and maybe yours Sarah's. And then we can let the new people move in there. So what do you say?"

To help your son and daughter in love move into a new house might not have been other people's idea of a perfect Christmas day. But in all honesty, if anyone would have asked me afterwards. I'd say that this Christmas day was in the top five of all the best Christmas days I had experienced in my life.

Sarah, Adam and Sandy drove back and forth towards Seth and Summer's old house and their new one. They'd come back with each piece of furniture or their cars filled with boxes and carry them up to the house and through the door. Where Seth was driving Summer crazy with his worries that she might hurt herself if she made a single move too much.

Somewhere (God knows where) Ryan had found a screwdriver and he spent his Christmas day screwing up shelves and frames on the walls with me, Summer and Sophie Rose pointing out where he should put them. (And then changing our minds so he'd have to do it all over again)

Some time early in the afternoon Sarah, Adam and Sandy came back and said they were only a few boxes left. And Seth held up two casseroles and told Sarah he had found what she wanted. So Sandy and Adam went off again while Sarah went to the store and got what she needed.

And soon the smell off freshly made cookies went through the house. And Sarah could fill up her new cookie jar and Sophie Rose could finally taste those chocolate chip and marshmallow cookies Ryan had told her about.

Then suddenly we all realized we hadn't eaten more than cookies since breakfast and ordered the things that seemed the best on an open local restaurant that could drive their food out to us. Noodles with beef and mushroom, Shrimp stew with chili and chicken curry made a good anti-Christmas-food dinner.

And all day, before dinner and after Sophie Rose was unpacking whatever she found in the boxes putting it wherever she could find some place so everybody else could find it and put it where it was supposed to be.

And Annie….

Annie sat in a corner and watched us all doing what we did. And it didn't matter how many times I, Summer, Ryan, Sandy or Sophie Rose tried or asked her to come along. She still just glared, and watched, and glared, and watched. And then there was another meal and she'd shove the food into her mouth at the h*ll of a speed as if someone was going to take the food from her if she didn't eat it fast enough.

(Maybe that was the case. Someone would have taken all food she didn't have the time to eat from her and she'd be left hungry)

All until the evening when we had those hot chocolates.

There were still things that hadn't been put in the places where they were supposed to be. In fact all of those things had been put into one room and one room only. And it might or might not come falling out if someone opened the door too fast. But sitting around the living room on chairs, couches, or on the floor since there weren't enough places for everybody with each steaming cup of hot chocolate we were just happy and like one big happy, crazy, random family.

And suddenly I realized that Annie wasn't pouring the hot chocolate down her throat as she would earlier. But that might have been because it was so hot she would have burned her mouth and throat full of blisters if she did.

"Why do you call him or her little S?" Sophie Rose asked and got me back from thinking and wondering about why Annie did as she did. "The first letter of a name should always be a big one. I learnt that at school."

"And that's correct Sophie Rose. But we call him or her little S because he or she is a little person. And as my name starts with an S and so does Summer we thought it would be cool that if we had children his or her name would start with an S too. What do you think it should be named then Soph?"

"Sophie Rose."

Of course!

"We can't name your niece Sophie Rose." Seth joked. "That is your name. It will be confusing if we have two girls named Sophie Rose in the family. Although it is quite common if it's a boy and gets the dad's name and…"

"I'm not naming our baby Seth Junior." Summer interrupted before Seth had even finished his sentence. "And not Sanford either" she turned and looked to the baby's granddad. "Who else in here has a name that begins with S?"

"Sarah?"

"No. Not Sar…" Summer did suddenly seem to remember what Adam had suggested actually was the name of someone in the same room. "Oh, I'm sorry Sarah. I just never really liked that name. Now, because I was mean about your name you go next with suggestions."

"Don't worry about it honey. I don't exactly love the name myself. But… hmmm. Maybe Sebastian if it's a boy or Sabrina if it's a girl."

"I know." Adam interrupted his mum. "Sunshine. Your baby is due to be born in the summer right? But your name is Summer so you can't pick that. But Sunshine would fit perfectly?" Summer threw a pillow at him. "I'll take that as a no then."

"I know." Sophie Rose seemed to have another idea. "Maybe Sophia. Then it won't be as confusing." People started laughing. "I wasn't kidding. It would be so much fun if the baby had a name like mine."

"I know Soph." Seth smiled at his sister. "I think so too and the names are beautiful. But it would just be too confusing and the names just don't feel right. Do you have any suggestions Ryan?"

"Well, like Sarah I do like Sebastian for a boy. And then if it's a girl maybe… Stella."

"Stella… Sebastian." Summer tasted the names. "I like that. Sandy, you go next. Do you have any ideas?" Sandy shrugged.

"Maybe… Stephen or Stephanie."

"No…" Summer hit her head frustrated back towards Seth's shoulder. "I don't like that. I need the name to just feel right. Stella and Sebastian are nice though."

"Or maybe Skylar."

Summer threw another pillow at Adam. As if he was supposed to know what kind of names Summer would like or not. But he just laughed and threw it back to her so she could lie it towards Seth's shoulder and then lean back against him.

"What about you honey?" Sandy had turned to me and so did everybody else. "Do you have any ideas?"

"If it's a girl…." After hearing everybody else's suggestions I had had the time to figure some real, serious suggestions. "…Samantha. And if it's a boy then Samuel. I always liked those names. What about you then?" I turned to Annie. "Can you think of any names that begins with S? One if it's a boy and one if it's a girl?"

"Samantha or Samuel." Summer looked thoughtful while Annie tried to come up with something. "That sounds alright. Better than Stephen or Sunshine at least." Seth nodded agreeing. "Samuel… Samantha."

"I have a suggestion." Came from Annie at last. "But only one. But it's unisex so it will work either if it's a girl or a boy. I was thinking maybe… maybe Sawyer."

"Sawyer." Summer repeated and then looked towards her husband. "I like that… Sawyer. What do you think?" She looked down and rubbed her stomach. "What do you think? Would your name be an alright first Christmukkah present ever?"

"We still have months to figure." Seth said interrupting. "I like Sawyer too but we do have half a year still and loads of names that haven't been mentioned."

"No." Summer said with a smile only growing bigger if possible. "I can feel it. Sawyer… It just feels right." She continued rubbing her stomach and took Seth's hand with the other. "Can't you feel it too? It is Sawyer." Seth hesitated a bit. "Oh maybe it's only me being the mum and feeling him inside of me that can tell but it is. It is right." Tears had been rising in her eyes while she spoke. "Sawyer. Sawyer Cohen."

"I know." Seth smiled too, but only slightly. "I can feel it too… Sawyer it is. Thanks Annie, congratulations. We'll make sure he or she knows who came up with it. But Summer, you know that even if you keep on saying "He" it could still be a she."

"I know. But it's just that… when I picture him and see him in front of me it just… it's always a boy. With dark, frizzy hair and big eyes."

"Do you want a boy?" Sophie Rose asked. "I'd rather have a niece."

"I want a healthy baby with ten fingers and ten toes." Summer assured her little sister-in-law. "Then it doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy. It's just that… It feels like it's a boy. Just like it feels right when I call him Sawyer. Sawyer, Sawyer, Sawyer." She tasted the name over and over again. "Thanks Annie. Seth's right. We'll always make sure he knows who came up with his name… his perfectly perfect name."

"Ugh." Annie rolled her eyes. "Well nothing gets worse than Annie so…"

"What do you mean nothing gets worse than Annie? Don't you like your name? I like your name. And I like Hope and Faith because they mean nice things. And Dennis and Clayton and Savannah and Grace. Those are all nice names. Just like Annie."

Annie had flinched slightly at the mention of the name "Grace" and I couldn't help but frown. Then, in the matter of a split second it was gone and I shook my head- I must just have imagined something. And Annie was back to her old self while my daughter seemed to wonder about something and then stood up and walked across the room to Annie.

"Here." Sophie Rose reached the dark-haired girl her own stuffed The Tramp. "I want you to have him. I don't need anymore stuffed animals." Annie carefully took it from Sophie Rose's hand, as if she was afraid that the moment would disappear if she made a move too fast. "Merry Christmukkah Annie."

At first Annie just held the stuffed animal. And for just a moment we were able to see the little girl that she actually was. Behind her "Pushing-away-anything-and-anyone-who-tries-to-come-closer-to-me." It showed only a little, little girl hugging a stuffed animal to her chest while she smiled slightly up on her friend.

"Thanks." Annie almost whispered. "Merry Christmukkah Sophie Rose."

Christmas day. Seth and Summer are now moving in, in the same block as Sandy and Kirsten. Sophie Rose is annoyingly excited but great fun and just happy. Adam and Sarah have just got a great relationship. There are several nice presents. And at the end, Sophie Rose gives her stuffed dog that looks like The Tramp to Annie. And Annie finally says something that isn't rude.

Oh, and Annie obviously was shouting at night but doesn't want to admit it. Summer suffers from bad morning sickness. And on boxing day Summer, Kirsten and Annie will go shopping for maternity clothes and stuff for Annie.

Random fact

I get that it's weird that Summer just like that decides on the name "Sawyer" while it's still six months left of the pregnancy. But 1. It feels like something Summer would do to decide so easily. 2. I think she and Seth would like that name and 3. I know I like that name.