CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.

So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is Sunday!

Part Six – Gods Bless Ye Merry Gentlebears

Beary's ears flattened when he heard his father's voice from the bottom of the tree. What did he want now? To yell at him some more? Berate and hate him? Possibly hit him and tell him to leave again? Was he going to kick him out? He didn't want to be left alone!

"Beary, please come down. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You must be joking. You can't just say 'sorry' after what you said and expect it to be better!" Beary spat, glaring down at his father. "You made it quite clear that you didn't want me, Henry! That you didn't want to accept me back into the family! So cut the crap and leave me alone."

"Beary, please! Let me explain... Let me try to fix things!"

"You can't take back what you said. It's too late," Beary snarled. "I'm done with you. You've shown you don't care at all. Go to Infernos!"

"Beary..." Henry's heart fell. He wanted to cry. His own stupidity had caused him to lose his child. "If... If that's what you want, then I'll leave." He bent over, setting the eggnog thermos and the two cups on the ground at the base of the tree, and turned to walk away. He paused for just a moment, hoping Beary would forgive him, but when no sound came but the howling wind, Henry limped away.

Beary watched him, anger in his eyes. How could he think that a simple apology was going to change things? Had he forgotten all he'd said? Apparently so. No, if Henry wanted back in his life, he'd have to work for it.

Still, Beary felt regret. While his father had exploded, perhaps it was due to stress and his age? Trista and Jacob had both said that Henry, at times, suffered from nightmares, brought on from not having enough to do. That their father had never sought treatment for his nightmares.

'Will I end up that way? The only one I talk of my nightmares to is Jewel... What if I end up like Papa?' Beary's thoughts clouded and he flattened his ears at the image of him hurting Jewel in a fit of rage. Maybe he should talk to his father? Try to patch things up? Start with telling him about his nightmares, perhaps?

With a sigh, Beary climbed down, still able to see his father as he arrived on the ground. "Papa, wait!" he called, picking up the thermos and two cups. He then ran after his father, thankful for how slow he walked at times. "I'm sorry about being an ass. Well, no, actually, I'm not. You were being a jackass, Papa. And after what you said, I... It really hurt. You said you didn't want me anymore."

Henry could see the hurt he had caused, and he grimaced. "I wasn't thinking, Beary. I was angry and scared. I... I let a bad part of myself out. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please, son, forgive this old foolish fart."

Beary tilted his head. "Did you just call yourself a foolish fart?"

Henry blinked. "What? This isn't how this is supposed to go, Beary."

"No, it's not... but you kinda lost me when you said 'foolish fart'. I mean, come on. That's ridiculous." Beary started laughing.

The pepper furred bear chuckled a little. "I suppose you're right. That was silly. But, Beary, I really am sorry about what I did. I never should have let things get so far. It's just that sometimes... sometimes the darkness in my soul comes out to play."

"I know what you mean," Beary murmured softly.

Henry glanced at him. "How could you know?"

"Because... Because it happens to me sometimes, too," he finally responded. "I get... There's been a few times where my nightmares meet me in the daytime, and I think... I actually... I get..." He shook his head.

Henry stared at him. "You have nightmares, too? What about?"

"The... The fire and... and the banker. I... Sometimes I wake up and cry... I see Jewel being killed a lot, and I always go see if she really is alive or not, even when she's not with us. I'll sneak out or call her, and we'll talk." He laughed a little. "You probably think I'm silly."

"Silly? No, not at all. Beary, why didn't you ever tell me you were having nightmares about that?"

Beary stopped walking and kicked at the snow. "Because it's stupid, Papa. They're stupid nightmares, and... and I don't want others knowing about them. Especially Mama and Lyra. They wouldn't understand, and Mama has enough to worry about." He sighed. "I try to smile and be happy around them, to give them some relief. Mama especially. She has enough to worry about with her forgetfulness."

"Beary, I know how hard this has been on you, kiddo. With me gone all the time... On the tours, at work... Leaving you with both Helen and Lyra to watch on your own... But I can't do this without you. My job is to travel and see that the band and everything is set up properly. My job is to seek out new talent and show it to the world, to give new singers a fighting chance against the industry. Someday, when you take over, you'll understand."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? Take over?"

Henry nodded. "Did I not mention that the company will be yours when I retire? That when I die, Country Bear Hall will belong to you?"

The teenager stared at his aging father in shock, before turning and looking around. "All of this... will be mine?"

"Someday, yes, little cub. When you've grown up."

"Hey, I'm 6' now, Papa," Beary teased. "Only an inch shorter than you, and I'm only sixteen."

Henry smiled. "You've grown up so much... and I've missed out on a lot of it because of my work... and because of losing my temper. If I hadn't that night... If I had just..."

"Hey, nothing's going to change what happened. The guy's gone, and I'm still here. He should've known that throwing me into a river wasn't going to kill me." Beary gave his father a smile. "And what happened to Mama wasn't your fault, either, but look, she's still here, too."

"But I still hurt you. Lost you... thrice now, but all three times you've come back. Why?"

"Because you're my Papa, and despite you being an ass sometimes, and neglectful, I know you love me. I really do. I just... forget sometimes."

Henry tilted his head and rubbed the back of it. "This talk is going a lot easier than I thought it would."

The teenager snorted and laughed. "I guess it is. Crazy, huh?"

Henry smiled and opened an arm. "Can I hug you?"

"Hug? Well, if you really want to." Noticing his father's hurt expression, he laughed. "Papa, I'm kidding! Calm down." He wrapped his arms around him. "Now stop freaking out."

Henry sniffed and held him close. "I'm going to try my hardest to be a good father. The best I can be. I might screw up a few times... but if you can keep me in check, then I think things will work out. And I'll try to control my outbursts, and I give you full permission to deck me if need be."

"Now why would I do that?" Beary questioned, pulling away. "That would just make things worse, especially on a bad day."

The pepper-furred bear blinked and thought about it for a moment. "I guess you're right..."

Beary shrugged. "I'm sorry for how I acted, Papa. Saying things I shouldn't have, even around Lyra. I never should have said you were neglectful when she was in ear-shot."

"You're a teenager, and you get cranky. I put a lot on your plate... which is why when we leave again, I'm taking Helen and Lyra with me."

Beary froze and stared at him. "You... You're taking them?" He shivered and looked out at the Hall. He'd be all alone!

"Yeah. To give you a break. It's about time I became a proper father to that little girl, and your mother has been wanting to go on a tour for a while. She misses doing that. She wants to see the country again, and I think it would do her good. And I can't leave Lyra behind; she needs her mother, and I want to prove that I can be a father."

"I-I... yeah... The-They'll like that." Beary rubbed his arm, trying not to show how upset he was. Maybe Henry would change his mind down the way? He hoped so. What would he do, alone in that big house? Some teenagers would throw a party. Not him. He didn't want to be left alone.

If Henry took note of his nervousness, he didn't say anything about it. "Do you want some of that eggnog?"

Beary glanced down at the thermos and two cups. "Yeah, actually." He was grateful for the change in subject. "But maybe we should go inside of standing in the snow?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I am a little cold."

They ventured back into the Hall, and Jade moved over, separating Beary from his father, and looking him over.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Beary questioned, annoyed. "Stop that."

"Just making sure." Satisfied that she didn't find any injuries, Jade released him. "Go on. Your girlfriend is doing arts and crafts."

Beary frowned. What was that all about? Shaking his head, he went over and plopped himself down by Jewel.

"About time you returned," she spoke up, passing him a string, needle, and some popcorn.

Beary blinked, then looked back up to where his father was watching him with his ears lowered, and Beary glanced down at the cup and thermos he still held. "Uh, hold on, Jewel." He got back up and took the cups and thermos over to his father. "Almost forgot!"

Henry started to smile, and took the offered cup as Beary poured him some eggnog. "Thank you."

The teenager perked up and poured his own glass, grinning at the taste. "Delicious."

"You'd best be getting back to Jewel. And, son? It's about damn time you two got together." Henry smiled and limped away to find his wife, who was helping Lyra out with some other garland.

Beary blushed and grinned happily before making his way back over to Jewel... and tripping over a box of garland in the process. "Gah!"

Loud laughter filled the air, and he flushed in embarrassment. To make it worse, a bow fell on his bottom – which was sticking up in the air – and someone [Zeb] shouted, "Jewel! We found your Christmas present!" This was met with more laughter.

Getting up, he looked at the damage. Thankfully the eggnog hadn't landed on anyone, but instead made a mess on the ground. He went into the kitchen and got out the mop and bucket to clean up the mess. He kept his ears down and tuned out the laughter, which only got louder when he realized the bow was still stuck to his pants. Grumbling, he plucked it off and instead put it on top of his head with a grin. "There, now I'm a present, as all the good things are up here."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Jewel teased.

He blushed horribly. "Jewel!"

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You have a cute butt."

"That... but..."

"Yes, your butt is very handsome," she went on, grinning.

He scowled and continued mopping, purposely turning his back to her, but regretted that when she let out a "meow". "Jewel!"

She laughed. "All right, I'm done. Yeesh."

"You better be, young lady!" Tennessee growled from another table.

"Tennessee, let her be young and make him squirm. They are dating now," Trixie laughed, patting his arm. "Pay attention to your arts and crafts, as Zak and Riley are both currently painting on your hair."

"What?" He put a paw on his head and pulled it away, shocked to find blue and white paint on it. "BOYS!"

Zak and Riley quickly took off, paint brushes in paws.

Zeb wasn't getting off much easier, though he was embracing his twins painting his stripes various colors. Méngméng watched with loving eyes, smiling as her babies played with their father. She rested a paw on her belly, feeling her litter kicking every so often. Zeb turned to her and placed his own paw on it as well, grinning ear to ear.

Ted, however, was sitting back, not wanting to get in the Falcos way. He wanted to be with his son, but Ray was still glaring at him. He knew why, but there wasn't anything he could do. It sucked. What could he do to fix this? "Hey, uhm... Aiden, how about you come over here?"

Aiden looked up at his father curious. "Why, Daddy?"

"Show me what you've made, perhaps? Whatcha been up to?"

Aiden frowned and held up his drawing, pointing out who was who. "There's Mommy, Pops, Nana, Uncle Jesse."

Ted frowned. "Where am I?"

"On the bus!" he answered simply, and Ted's ears flattened.

Ray snickered, and Cassandra smacked him over the ear.

Jesse looked over at his father and shook his head. As un-fond of the other bear as he was he could see the heartbreak in his face.

Ted frowned. "Oh... You did a good job, kiddo."

Aiden grinned and got back to coloring his picture.

Ted got up and walked away. His son thought he was an absent father, his maybe-father-in-law laughed at him and disliked him, and even his maybe-brother-in-law didn't like him. What was he to do?

He bumped into Jade, who apologized, and kept walking. It was only when he felt her paw on his shoulder that he stopped.

"Ted? What's the matter?" Jade questioned, looking at him with concern. What had upset him enough to warrant that expression on his face?

"I... It's nothin'. Just realizing things."

"Must not be any good, given your expression." She led him away from the group. "Talk to me, Ted."

"It... It's Aiden. He drew this family picture, but I... I wasn't in it. He said I was off on the bus."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's not horrible. It's not great, but it's not horrible, either." Jade frowned. "I'll talk to him, honey. Don't take him to heart. While you are here, be with him. Help him. Learn more about him, honey. Teach him about you. Do that and prove to me that you're serious about us being a couple. Promise me you'll do this, Ted."

"I want to fix things between us, Jade. I really do." He looked back at their son. "Do you think it will help?"

She nodded. "I do, yes. As you might have been able to tell, he's starting to realize your long absences with the tours. Even at two years of age, he's a fairly smart cub. I've been teaching him early development skills. He's already starting to count, be able to draw, and all that stuff."

"Geez, Jade, are you trying to raise a genius?"

"Of course!" She grinned. "Why would I want to raise someone not smart?"

"Yeah, but shouldn't you let him learn at his own pace? He's already speaking fairly good sentences!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Ted."

"What?"

"You're ridiculous. I let him learn at his own pace, but I'm not going to stop him from learning. He's very eager. And, like I said before... he likes listening to your singing, so I've been playing him your music before bed. He sings along to it sometimes, if he listens enough." She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "Don't think he doesn't love you, Teddy, because he does. Just because he might not include you in a picture he's drawn, doesn't mean that he doesn't." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Now come back and let's do some crafts with our son."

He smiled at her and nodded, following her back.

Over with Helen, Henry had sat down beside his wife, after finishing his eggnog, and helped her string up some cranberries, popcorn, and anything else Lyra could get her paws on to make a custom strand of edible garland. Lyra was sitting on the floor with a few bowls around her for her to pick through, and after sifting through each one, she would grab a few pieces and pass them over.

Henry watched her for a few minutes, amused, before scanning the massive room. The pillars looked beautiful with the garland wreaths wrapped around them with bows on top. The stairs, too, were magnificent. The branch-like railings on the balcony were stunning with the multi-colored sparkling garland, and, to his surprise, paper stars hung from the rafters. He let out a low whistle and smiled. The only thing not yet decorated was the tree, which would be strung up the following day, with the star placed last. Or was it a Tueri this year? He hoped so. He liked having the Tueri at the top of the tree. It was a beautiful decoration his wife had made by hand for their very first Christmas together. And this was the first time in many years that he had his whole family together again. Well, except for his parents, who would be arriving tomorrow, along with Helen's; no doubt his parents would be bringing his family expensive gifts like they usually did, spoiling his children.

Briefly, he wondered what he'd bring this year. A couple laptops? Expensive headphones? Another new car?! Henry shook his head, exasperated.

Helen glanced over at her husband questioningly. "Hendri? Is you o-okay?"

He blinked and turned his head towards her. "Of course I am, Helena. I just have things on my mind. I'll talk to you about them later, okay?"

"Bath?" she whispered.

He nodded, grinning. "Of course."

Lyra flicked an ear and loudly asked, "Mommy, why are you and Papa going to take a bath together?"

Henry grumbled at the loud laughter that befell them from the gathered group in the Hall. "Because that's when your mother and I do our best thinking."

"And conceiving!" Jacob yelled.

Henry scowled at his oldest son. "Yeah, that's what happened with you!"

Helen was laughing and shaking her head. She liked it when her family playfully squabbled. It made the day quite enjoyable. And to have them all here for Christmas? It was something she hadn't had in a long time. One or the other, but neither both her older children at once. Not until now. Watching them with their families, she found herself purring. They were so strong and healthy. Wonderful parents and accomplished adults. Would Lyra and Beary become like them? Beary was starting his own life already, having asked Jewel to be his girlfriend at long last. But what about Lyra? Her little blind child.

She knew at some point they'd have to send Lyra to a school for the blind so she could learn how to properly take care of herself. To write, perhaps? Be able to make something of herself. Learn to deal with society. Would she be able to? Of course she would. She was a Taylor!

"What are you thinking about now, Helena?" Henry questioned, curious.

She smiled. "I tell bath."

He kissed her cheek. "Keep your secrets, woman. At least until I get you under the water."

"Gross!" Beary yelled from where he was sitting with Jewel, also doing some crafts.

Henry glanced over at him and laughed, shaking his head.

Lyra shook her head and went back to passing along a few cranberries, popped popcorn, some licorice, dried orange slices, gummy bears, cinnamon sticks, marshmallows, Danish butter cookies with their little loops, and finally doughnut holes. No one could say that her garland wasn't the most unique, even if it wasn't very appealing.

Henry smiled, looking at the garland strand. It was certainly different, no doubt about that. "Well, she certainly has her own style." He laughed a little.

Helen laughed and nodded. "Differ, like her."

"Indeed."

Over with Trista, Kavik, Jacob, and Rachel, the two families were helping their own cubs with various arts and crafts. Kaspian and Kenya were both making macaroni art, while Aspen was happily painting ornament baubles with various things, such as a snowman or a gingerbread house. Even baby Owen got into the spirit of the holiday by playing with some tinsel and throwing it around on his parents and anyone else he could get his paws on.

At least until Beary picked him up and plopped him down on the seat between him and Jewel with a laugh. "Here, buddy, you can help me out. We're making gingerbread houses!"

Owen's eyes widened as he looked at the treats on the table. "Cand?"

"Candy? Nah, buddy, those are for the house!"

Owen pouted, and Jewel passed him a little treat. "Dank!"

She grinned. "You're awfully good with cubs, Beary."

"I do have a little sister," he laughed. "But I'm not about to spoil Owen with our supplies, troublemaker."

She shook her head. "What could he do?"

"Oh, I don't know, start eating the wall of our house?"

"Eating the wall of our... Gah! Owen!"

The little cub had one of the gingerbread walls firmly tucked in his paws and his mouth, nibbling on it. He gave a little growl when she tried to take it back.

Beary was crying from laughing so hard. "I warned you!" He got up, holding his nephew by the scruff, and walked over to his brother. "I believe this little wall-stealing monstrosity belongs to you?" He plopped the cub right down on his brother's crafts and left, ignoring Jacob's "hey!".

Meanwhile, over with Dex, Roxi, and Roadie, who were gathering up supplies for the kitchen and getting the table placements out – with Fred helping – Roxi bumped hips with Dex, and he playfully kissed her cheek.

Roadie glanced at them. "You two are certainly friendly."

"Of course we are. We're living together now, Daddy, remember?"

"Right, right. So when are you going to pop the question, boy?"

"Yeah, Dexter, when are you going to ask the big question?" Roxi teased.

"Who says I'm going to?" he questioned, defiant.

Roxi stared. "You're... not?"

"I'm not going to tell you when I'm going to propose. That removes the surprise," he argued.

"Well, I suppose you're right in that," she responded with a laugh. "You're forgiven, my smexy-Dexy." She nuzzled his cheek and he turned a bright red.

"Gah! Rox!" He stared at her in horror.

She giggled and held his hand. "Oh, you know you like it."

"Yes, I do, but not here," he complained.

Roadie laughed. "Please, don't. It's hard enough that my baby girl's growing up. Don't want to see any nookie."

Roxi looked at her father. "Surprised you even know what that is, Daddy."

"And I better be the only one you call Daddy, too."

"Oh, of course. I don't know why some people call their significant other 'daddy' or something like that. It's just wrong." She shook her head.

Dex just stared, not sure why they were having this conversation in the first place. So he walked into the kitchen to visit with his family. "Smells great! What's tonight main meal?"

Allison looked over at her son and smiled. "Roast beef tonight, leftovers tomorrow, and then ham and more roast beef on Christmas. Sound good?"

"Sounds great! Man, I've missed your cooking, Mom. Do you and Dad need any more help?"

"Well, you can start putting the food out, yes. Is the table set?"

"Yep. Roxi and Roadie are putting out the last bits."

"In that case, you can start taking things out. Hop to it!" she teased with a grin.

Smiling, he picked up a pot with a hot pad and took it out to the table. "Wash up for dinner!" he called over the music.

.~*~.

After dinner compliments, thank yous, and everything else, the groups split apart to return their homes/cabins.

Once Henry and Helen were certain all their cubs and their families were settled, they finally were able to take the opportunity to have some alone time in the bathroom.

Helen, dressed in only a robe, sat on the tub edge, checking the temperature as it filled. She liked it toasty, as it meant that she and Henry could stay in the water longer, just talking like they used to.

"How's the water?" Henry asked, wandering over. Like his wife, he bore only a robe, only his was already undone and he was hanging it up after locking the door.

"Hot," she grinned, her smile bright and happy. She stood up, leg shaking slightly, and removed her robe, passing it over to him. He hung it on the door before moving over, leaning on the sink counter, and climbed into the large tub before helping her in and settled on top of him.

Helen situated herself so that she was sitting sideways, resting her head on his chest.

Henry smiled and turned on the jets that bubbled the water, relaxing their aching muscles. He leaned his head back and moaned as the jets worked on his muscles. "This is what I've missed. Spending time in here with you, relaxing. Be with you, too, honey." He rested a paw on her shoulder, gently rubbing it.

"Tense."

"Tense?"

She nodded. "You."

"Oh, I'm tense? Yeah... I suppose I am. I have a lot on my mind, honey. Things that Beary mentioned. Helena? You... You weren't going to abort Lyra because of your stress while I was gone?"

Her ears flattened. "Yes. I scared. You no believe. Thought I lie."

He sighed. "I wish I had been smarter. I should have listened and come back when you asked me to. I never meant to hurt you, Helena. If I had known... If I had just listened... then maybe Lyra wouldn't have been born blind."

Her eyes widened and she sat up, turning to look into his eyes. "Not fault! Not fault!" She lightly pounded his chest. "Not fault!"

He sat up quickly and grabbed her arms. "Helena. Helena! Calm down! Easy..." He pulled her close, trying to keep her stable. He hadn't meant to upset her! "Please, honey..."

She shook her head, whimpering. "Not fault... not fault..."

"It's no one's fault. She's beautiful just the way she is, darling. I didn't mean to instigate anything, or upset you. But my absence contributed to it, I'm sure. It made you stressed, that much Beary told me. He... He also told me you thought about abandoning her?" The shame that radiated off his wife spoke tones to him. "Oh, Helena... I'm so sorry."

"B-Beary save. B-Beary good."

Henry nodded, thinking back to how he had treated him over the past two days. "He is very good, and I'm sorry that I sometimes give him such a hard time. I just..."

"Get angry."

He flinched and nodded. It was his turn to be ashamed. "How much do you know?"

"Fish. Why? Fish did no harm."

"I wasn't thinking. I swung my cane... he was saying such things, I got worked up, and... I broke his tank. But I'm going out tomorrow and getting him a new tank. Bigger than before. 36 gallons with a stand. He can pick what fish he wants. Do you think that's an okay gift?"

"I... I think he want Papa more." She looked at him. "Beary want Hendri see him."

"He wants me to see him? But I do see him. Every day we've been home." Henry was confused.

She sighed. He didn't understand, and she wasn't sure how to explain it to him. So she let it go, hoping he'd figure it out at some point. Instead, she snuggled up against him, happy for this time they had together. She relaxed and closed her eyes, purring up a storm.

He tried to smile and relax, but his mind was reeling. What did she mean? Of course he saw Beary. How could he not? He wasn't blind like Lyra. He could see Beary as a fine young adult that had taken on more responsibility than he should have. That was why... "Helen? When we go back on tour, I'm taking you and Lyra with me. Beary needs a break, and I want you by my side again."

Her eyes opened and she blinked. "Take us?"

He nodded.

"Company?"

"It can handle itself for a few months, honey, and Big Al could look in on it from time to time, or my parents. And don't worry about Beary. He'll have Jewel, Fēnglì, and Méngméng, plus the other cubs. He and Jewel can have some time to themselves and whatnot. Focus on school and their jobs at the grocery."

Helen frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay." A thrill filled her with excitement. She'd be going with her lover on tours again! Just like old times! She could hardly wait! And Lyra's first big trip, too! Oh the adventures they would have!

And yet, as her excitement grew, her thoughts of her young, troubled son, began to dissipate within her. She forgot to worry.

Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!