"We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," Charlie cheerfully sang.
"I hate fucking Christmas carols," Joey muttered from beneath the pillow she'd just planted over her face and ears.
"Really, because I swear you were singing them loudly and enthusiastically last night," Charlie pointed out.
"That was the combination of alcohol and being Christmas Eve that was doing the singing last night," Joey mumbled.
"And is it a hangover that is making my happy Joey a grumpy Joey."
Joey peered at her from around the pillow. "I am not hung over."
"You are grumpy."
"Because it's 5 fucking am," she said.
"Oh," Charlie said with a sheepish grin. "I guess I got so excited about spending my first Christmas with my amazing girlfriend, that I didn't take any notice of the time."
"You earn back some points for calling me amazing," Joey conceded. "Now, if you let me catch a couple more hours of sleep, I might be able to lose the grump."
"Sleep away," Charlie magnanimously said.
Joey's closing of her eyes was quickly followed by a weary sigh. "Are you going to lie there and watch me sleep?"
"Nope," Charlie said, while lying there and watching her.
"Are you like this every Christmas?"
"Mm," murmured Charlie as she pondered the question. "Quite possibly."
"Oh god," moaned Joey and she rolled over to the sounds of Charlie's soft chuckles.
"Mm, go away," Charlie muttered through a yawn.
"It's 8.30, Charlie," Joey told her.
"So?"
"So, it's 8.30 am on Christmas morning and you're still lazing in bed," Joey said in amusement. Those extra hours of sleep had done wonders to her mood, yet it appeared that it was now her girlfriend who was struggling to get into the Christmas cheer.
Charlie yawned again. "I can't believe I went back to sleep," she muttered.
"Go have a shower to wake up properly and I'll start getting brekkie ready," Joey told her. "How does bacon and eggs with a glass of Champaign sound?"
"Wonderful," Charlie said through another yawn. "But let Ruby at the bacon."
"Hey, my cooking is improving all the time," Joey reminded her in mock outrage.
"Yes it is, but I was hoping you'd join me in the shower," Charlie said as she smirked at her. "I want to make up for rudely awaking you so early."
Joey's expression became stern as she crossed her arms and stared down at her. "You might have your work cut out for you there," she told her.
"I'm up for it," Charlie confidently said.
"Yes, yes," Joey groaned over and over as her girlfriend's fingers plunged inside her. She hooked her leg over Charlie's hip and pressed back against the shower wall to keep her balance as the water coated their naked bodies.
She moaned in pleasure when Charlie nibbled at her neck.
"Have I cut it yet?" Charlie murmured against her neck.
"Nearly," gasped Joey.
30 seconds later. "What about now?"
Joey's reply was one of obvious agreement as she cried out and shuddered in Charlie's arms as she climaxed hard.
"Merry Christmas baby," Charlie said when Joey came down from her high.
"Merry Christmas," panted Joey.
Ruby gave them her obligatory eye roll when her sister and Joey finally joined her in the kitchen. "Merry Christmas, guys," she said.
"Merry Christmas little sister." Charlie gave her sister a big hug.
"You're suffocating me," Ruby managed to muffle against Charlie's shoulder.
"You say that every year."
"Because you do this every year," said Ruby.
"This year is different," Charlie said.
"Believe me, I heard the difference loud and clear."
While Charlie blushed at the reminder that their passion tended to carry through walls, Joey was grinning. She was feeling great this morning. "Merry Christmas, Ruby," Joey said, giving Ruby her second bear hug of the morning.
"You're as bad as Charlie," Ruby mumbled.
"I try to be."
"Well, I say we get brekkie out of the way and then tackle the presents," Charlie suggested.
"I always knew you were one smart cookie," Joey teased.
"Whoa," Ruby said, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head at the gift she was now holding in her hand. "Two hundred bucks!"
"It's for your car fund," Charlie told her. "Since mum and dad contributed half to my first car, Joey and I have decided to do the same for you, and so for each dollar you save, we'll match it."
"This is so great," beamed Ruby. "John has offered me some work at the Surf Club over the holidays and Leah said I could pick up some hours at the Diner as well, so I'll be half way to a car by the time uni starts."
"Don't forget to stop and have some fun during your holidays," Joey said.
"That's what Uni is for," Ruby said with a grin. "Parties and fun."
"Very funny," Charlie drolly said.
"I can't wait to tell," Ruby started to say Xavier, but stopped herself and said her cousin's name instead. "Georgie about this."
"What about telling your boyfriend?" Charlie said with a straight face.
"My what?" she innocently replied.
"Your boyfriend," said Charlie. "You know, the blonde you've been lip locked to since we got back."
"Otherwise known as Xavier," added Joey.
Ruby's face scrunched up. "How did you know?"
"Everyone knows," Charlie humorously informed her.
"Everyone?" Ruby said incredulously.
"Everyone," echoed Joey.
"Well no one bloody said anything to us," she muttered.
"We were waiting for you or Xavier to say something," Charlie said.
"We just wanted to get used to being together at first, before we started to tell people about us," Ruby explained. "I still don't get how everyone knows when we tried so hard to keep it a secret."
"Oh please, with the way you've both been walking around with your heads in the clouds, it was easy enough to put two and two together and figure out you were dating," Charlie said.
"Either that, or it was when Jay told his mum about how his aunty and uncle were kissing on the couch," said Joey.
"Eww," Ruby grimaced. "That sounds so gross when he says it like that," she said. "We're not even related."
"Jay's still a little too young to understand all the finer details of how we're all connected," Charlie said with a chuckle at Ruby's discomfit. "He now knows Xavier is his uncle, and that we're all related to his mama, so to him, we're all one big happy family of aunts and uncles with some grandparents mixed in."
Ruby sighed. "I knew it was a mistake to offer to babysit Jay the other night," she said.
"No, the mistake was inviting your boyfriend over and then forgetting that there were little eyes watching."
"Lesson learned," said Ruby.
"Are you and Xavier serious about each other?" asked Charlie.
Ruby nodded. "I really like him Charlie," she said. "And I mean, I really, really like him."
"Then why don't you ask Xavier to come over after we get back from Irene's," Charlie suggested.
"Really?"
"Assuming he doesn't have other commitments with his family, then he's more than welcome to come over later."
"Thank you Charlie," Ruby said and gave her sister a hug. "You really are the best sister."
"Just remember that when it's time to do the dishes."
Charlie walked out the back to find Joey sitting on the patio, rocking on the swing chair. She sat beside her on the swing.
"You missing your dad?"
"It's my first Christmas without seeing him," Joey murmured. "I do understand why he needed to get away from everything though," she said. "If having his marriage breakdown and the reason for it being splashed over the social pages for the sniggering amusement of his so-called friends wasn't bad enough, then seeing his soon-to-be ex wife shacking up with the parents of his dead son-in-law was just the acid icing to the cake of a crappy year for dad," she said.
As expected, neither had been surprised when May had revealed to the world that she was carrying the Rosetta heir. Still mourning the loss of her son, Carla had immediately embraced May as one of the family. Joey wondered if May had any idea what Carla Rosetta was like. Her whole life would be mapped out for her and controlled by Carla, to the point where May would probably have little say in the raising of her own child, not that she really expected May to object to that. As long as May was living in the lap of luxury she always felt she was entitled to, she'd sell her soul, even her child, to achieve it. Joey even suspected that May had deliberately gotten pregnant to Angelo just to shore up her future, because if her dad ever found out the baby wasn't his, then May still had a plan B. The Rosetta's. That lot deserved each other, she decided.
"Why don't you call your dad and thank him for the gifts," Charlie suggested. She'd been shocked to find out that he'd sent both her and Ruby a gift. Joey had mentioned he was trying to adjust to the changes in his daughter's life and she figured including them in his Christmas shopping was his way of doing that. The look of delight and surprise on her girlfriend's face when she realised what her father had done, was enough for Charlie to be willing to forget his earlier blackmail attempt. The guy had already lost so much through his past manipulations and if he was genuinely trying to change for Joey's sake, then she wasn't going to kick him while he was down. Besides, she knew Joey wanted her father in her life and she'd do anything to make Joey happy.
Joey glanced at her watch. "I'm not sure what time it is where he is on the other side of the world," she said.
"He won't care what time you call him," Charlie gently said. "He'll just be happy to hear your voice."
"You're right," she said. "I'll go call him now."
"Merry Christmas," the trio shouted the moment Martha opened her front door to them.
"Ok, who's been into the alcoholic egg nog," joked Martha as she let them in.
"We're high on Christmas cheer," Joey said, kissing Martha on the cheek as she walked past.
"And going by the smile on Georgie's face, we're not the only ones who are high on cheer," said Charlie. "You look like you've received the Chrissy present to end all Chrissy presents," she said with her own smile to her cousin.
"Morag stopped by last night with some paperwork," Watson replied.
"Oh my god, the adoption came through," guessed Charlie and her cousin nodded enthusiastically in reply.
"Morag had to call in a few favours since the whole legal fraternity had already gone on holidays, but she somehow got it all through and authorised, so as of now, I am legally the mother of one, Jackson Holden-Watson," she said through a wide smile.
"That is fantastic news," Charlie said and hugged her cousin.
"It really was the best Christmas present ever," she said. "Growing up, I never expected to have Christmas' like this or a family," she murmured. "Sometimes I still have to pinch myself just to make sure this is all real,"
"You deserve all this happiness, Georgie," Charlie told her.
"Thanks Charlie."
"Where is the lucky boy?"
"Spending the morning with his grandfather Tony before he and Rachel head out of town," Martha replied.
"They're not spending Christmas with you this year?"
Martha shook her head. "Lucas insisted that his father spend time with them and away from the memories for a few weeks," she said. "Rachel was able to get some leave from the hospital and so she talked Tony into taking Lucas up on his offer." Martha shrugged. "The memories will still be here when he returns, but I think it will do Tony the world of good to be surrounded by his family during this period."
"It's times like this when you really do need your family the most," Charlie said.
"Yeah, it is," said Martha. "Especially that first Christmas after you've lost a loved one," she said. "That really is the hardest."
"How is Gina doing?"
"We had dinner with them at their place last night and Gina was a little more sombre than usual, but she put on a brave face," Watson told her.
"And how was last night for you?' asked Charlie.
"It was weird celebrating Christmas Eve with my father and sister for the first time," Watson admitted. "At first, I kept having to tell myself that Gina needed all the family around her, but by the end of the night, I'd forgotten to tell myself that and I still managed to enjoy myself."
"She actually had a blast," Martha interjected.
"I wouldn't go that far," she said. "Things are still a little strange between John and I, but I do have to admit, that it was nice to be a part of a family last night," Watson told them. "Don't get me wrong, I had many great family Christmas' with Irene and Belle over the years and they will always be my family, same with Martha and Jay, but this was the first time I'd spent time with a blood relative on Christmas day since mum died." She smiled wryly at Charlie. "Well, aside from you and Rubes, of course, but this is my dad and my sister and last night was something I just never imagined was possible."
"I get it, I really do," Charlie said. "Maybe one day in the future, we can have a big family Christmas all together."
"I'd love that," she said. "Now, do you want to wait for Jay to get back or open the pressies now?"
"Now," Charlie said while Joey said, "Wait for Jay."
Joey looked to her girlfriend and chuckled. "She's been like an excited little girl all morning," she told the others.
"Except in the shower," Charlie whispered to her. "I was all woman then," she whispered and Joey smirked at the enjoyable reminder.
"Charlie always did enjoy her Christmas'," Watson said.
"It's the one day of the year I get to completely sit back and relax."
"Because you always manage to get out of doing any of the cooking," Ruby pointed out. "We're having lunch at Irene's with her, Belle and Aden, so that's one meal taken care of today."
"And by some cruel twist of fate, it ended up being my turn to cook tonight," Joey muttered to their amusement.
"I'm pitching in though," Ruby said.
"I think she's afraid I might overcook the turkey."
"Are you kidding!" said Watson. "If you're lunching with Irene, then there is no way she will let you leave without giving you enough leftovers so that you won't have to cook again until the end of next week."
"And then some," added Martha. "Every year, Irene loves to cook up a huge Christmas lunch," she said. "She's even insisted on bringing some around when she comes over for tea tonight, even though I told her not too, since Georgie's cooking for us all tonight."
"Including for Roo, Morag and Alf," Watson said.
"Wow, sharing a dinner table with both John and Roo within the space of two days, has got to be some kind of record," Charlie said with an amused smile to her cousin.
"Yeah, never thought it'd happen without the need for body armour all around," she joked.
"Just as Georgie is thawing toward her father, my mother is finally seeing Georgie the same way in which I do."
"Not entirely in the same way you do, I hope," Watson cheekily said.
"Well, by the looks of it, this Christmas is going to be one to remember for us all," Charlie said.
"And may there be many more just like it," Joey said.