A/N: it really helps if you have seen Nativity 2: Danger In A Manger, but not vital.

Part 8

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Simon Warner seemed quite flustered by being greeted by the Roderick Peterson from off the telly. He had never met such a well-known celebrity before, even if he was a minor one. "Yes, I am he," he confirmed. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you," Roderick dismissed the request. "Let's get down to business."

"Oh! Of course," Simon replied in surprise. Roderick was proving to be all that he had expected. The man seemed like a hard task master. "We have a great deal to get through today."

Roderick did his best to smile whimsically at him. In reality he wanted to shake the stupid little man into doing something sensible, but he knew staying calm was much more important. "Good," he merely answered. "I don't want to inconvenience my aunt, uncle and cousin too much."

Verity merely glared at her nephew. He had always been a jumped up little pipsqueak, even as a small child and he had continued to be one throughout his adult life. And now, to think that he would be buying their farm and probably turfing them out was beyond endurance. "You surprise me, pet," she snidely commented.

Roderick turned his gaze onto her, steeling himself to say the words. "Aunt Verity, I want to invest in your hill farm. It needs some decent management, and I know that Uncle Sydney and John have tried hard all these years to keep it going, but grandfather would not have liked the way it has fallen into decay."

"Now look here…!" Sydney loudly protested, but Simon held up a quietening hand in a patronising manner that irked Sydney. "Just because you've had a fancy education down in London don't mean you know what you are doing," he continued.

This did not have the desired effect. "John had a similar education to me, Uncle Sydney," Roderick pointed out, "and he has not managed to turn things successfully around. Perhaps it is time for me to try?"

"You think a music degree will be enough to qualify you?" John bitterly spat out.

"No," Roderick suavely replied, "but as you know, further education prepares you for so much more, and I have run other profitable businesses."

"Then good luck with it, because I don't know anyone who has run a hill farm without having to subsidise it elsewhere," John retorted, and glumly sat back in his chair.

"Fortunately I have the means, the time and the funds to keep Hollow Farm alive and run it according to our grandfather's plans," Roderick haughtily stated. "Now if we could talk business rather than fuss over emotive subjects we might be able to get somewhere." He signalled to Simon bring out the necessary paperwork to start the process of him gaining the farm.

Verity felt her hackles rise as the moment of doom arrived. "It's all well and good you taking over, Ricky; but what about us? Is there any room for us in this plan of yours?" she queried. "Or is family just an 'emotive subject' to you?"

"I don't plan to live there, Aunt Verity, so I see no reason why you can't stay in some capacity." Roderick thoughtfully considered his aunt.

"If your mother could see you now," Verity remarked. "She and Dad would be shocked by your attitude."

"Mum, don't," John tried to halt her hurt words.

"This is business, Aunt Verity," Roderick calmly stated as he pushed the paperwork towards her to sign. "At least I am keeping it within the family."

"Yes, but at what cost," she retorted through gritted teeth. "What will happen when John marries? He'll have nothing to offer."

John groaned loudly in exasperation as Roderick considered him.

"Fortunately we may never have to worry about such a thing. John is as confirmed a bachelor as I am."

"That's where you're wrong," Verity triumphantly crowed as John tried to quieten her again. "John has got himself a lady friend now."

"Do you, John?" Roderick imperiously asked.

Unexpectedly finding himself on the spot, John coyly spluttered, "Well…" As usual, words failed him when a voice was needed. Why was he allowing himself to be intimidated by this situation? This was only their Ricky after all.

"This is news to me," Sydney suddenly added in, clearly puzzled as though he had just woken up. "When did this happen?"

"When you were asleep in the chair, as usual," Verity grumbled.

Both John and Roderick smirked in clear amusement and shared a knowing glance.

Once again Verity was struck how similar the pair of them were at times, but in temperament they were two sides of the same coin. Perhaps being in more contact with John would do Roderick good? Lord knew he needed someone to lighten him up since his father had taken sole control of him after her sister's death. The boys had never spent enough time together despite having overlapping interests.

All the papers dutifully signed, they looked at each other expectantly.

"You should come home with us for dinner," Verity announced in Roderick's direction.

He looked genuinely surprised with being given the invite. In truth he was, since he had expected to be practically disowned by these last members of his extended family. It made sense to do this civilly. "I would love to, but if you mean this evening I'm afraid I have business appointments that cannot be cancelled. Would tomorrow do? I don't have to travel back to London until tomorrow night."

"Of course I meant tonight, but tomorrow will be fine," Verity confirmed. She noted her son squirming to the side of her. "John, what is the problem?!"

"I erm... I have a date," he reluctantly supplied. All he could think was he'd better not have to cancel it due to Ricky hanging around to spread his special blend of know-it-all-ism.

His mother smugly commented, "Ricky coming to dinner won't get in the way of that."

"It's Roderick," he interjected. "I don't use the name Ricky anymore."

"Why? What's wrong with it?!" Verity glared at him again. "It's what your mother wanted it to be."

"I... Fine, you can call me Ricky," he relented in exasperation. The whole thing was obviously futile, so why fight it? "Will we get to see this lady friend of yours, John?"

As John shook his head, Sydney piped up with, "Invite her along too. I'd like to meet her myself."

"Why would such a woman want to see you? We'll be discussing business and family matters," Verity said, partly to mock him.

John sighed. They really did need to talk through the details together which ruled out seeing Donna after all; unless he could slink out and secretly do so.

Roderick found himself in the rare situation of pitying someone; namely his cousin. John and he had been such good friends as small children, almost like brothers in their own little world, until his mother had died, of course, and he'd been sent away to school to never return properly to these people who counted as family. But part of him still liked John immensely, and felt guilty at how tired and drawn John looked. It couldn't have been easy for him soldiering on for all these years against the inevitable. What had happened to the boy who had dreamed of being an astronaut leading the first expedition to Mars?

"We could all go to a restaurant, if you like. It would be my treat, I insist. And this mysterious lady friend of John's could come too. It might work in your favour if she meets me," Roderick offered, adding what he hoped was a warm smile.

"You'd pay?" John asked in surprise, and accidentally missed the implied boast that Donna would be impressed. "Then you're on. You book it all and I'll make sure she is there." He knew this trumped any boast Ricky may have because there had always been an unspoken rivalry between them; and Ricky may have bags of money but he had never held the interest of a woman for long. There had been vague rumours from his uncle about a possible candidate, but as usual Ricky was lucky in business and unlucky in love. Well, there had to be some consolation from this train wreck of a deal!

To top it all, Roderick was already scrolling through possible restaurants on his phone and was about to call one up to book a table. This could be interesting in all sorts of ways.

Donna had got up to have a break and put the kettle on for a late afternoon cup of tea when her mobile phone rang. This time she was sensible enough to double check first before she answered it, and smiled with glee when she saw who it was. "Hello John! I wasn't expecting to hear from you yet."

"Hello pet! We finished earlier than I anticipated. There's been a slight change of plan for tonight; sorry to disappoint you," John began to tell her his news.

"Why? What's gone wrong," she anxiously wondered.

"It's er…," he paused for breath. "Jack can't make it so it's just me to entertain you."

"Never mind," she commented, annoyed she wouldn't be able to give him a piece of her mind yet. "You don't sound so great. Did it go alright today?"

"Depends how you look at it. The bank gave us the usual dismal figures," he admitted, somewhat glumly. "The solicitor has dealt with all the basic paperwork so the sale process can begin." He then anxiously rubbed his eye. "But we're all going out for dinner tomorrow night, and that includes you."

"Who exactly is 'we'?" she wondered. "And what sort of place would we be eating in?" Her mind raced through all the possible outfits she had available hanging in her wardrobe.

"It's me, you, Mum, Dad and my cousin Ricky. He seems really keen to meet you for some reason," he lightly teased. "And he is paying, so you can eat whatever you like."

That shocked her. "Why?"

"Because he is loaded and treating us for once. It is a rare sight, so I'm making the most of it," John confided. "He has booked us into the Blue Peacock Restaurant. I've heard of it but never been there, since it costs an arm and a leg, and I'm not…" There was a pause as he considered admitting how strapped for cash he was. "Anyway, I'll pick you up about a quarter past six, if that's alright?"

She quickly looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Quarter past six?! That doesn't give a lot of time!" she screeched.

"To do what?" he queried. "How long does it take to wash and change?"

"In case you haven't noticed, us non-sheep take a bit longer to get ready," she huffed. "Although I can image you poncing about in front of a mirror for half an hour."

How did she know that was exactly what he had done? "ME?! I'm coming as I am," he indignantly retorted, and unconsciously adjusted his tie. "I'm already in my best suit."

"In a suit, eh?" Now that was a mental image she was very keen to see in real life. "Go on. Off with you. And I'll see you after six."

John giggled with delight before ending the call, and Donna almost hugged her phone to her chest. That is until she realised how this suddenly sounded. "Blimey! I'm meeting his family already," she said to herself in awe. "This is beginning to sound serious."

She shook herself out of that daunting thought and made the tea.

Having called to Jocasta that tea was on the go, her phone rang again just as she was about to sip some. Snatching up her phone, she purred, "Hello again, you!"

"Hello again, Donna," said the cultured voice she didn't want to hear.

"Wh-what do you want, Roderick?" she stammered out her question.

"I am phoning to ask if you would care to join me for dinner tomorrow night," Roderick smoothly wondered.

"Oh! I…" Shock took away her answer but she was surprised to feel no regret; none whatsoever. "Sorry, but I've already made arrangements to go out tomorrow," she answered far more politely then she would have intended. Bugger! She should have rubbed that in his face.

"Perhaps another time?" he coolly suggested.

"Yeah, perhaps," she vaguely replied. 'When hell freezes over,' she mentally added.