Chapter 14: Decorating
It was now a week until Christmas and Charley and Throttle had already picked out a massive twenty foot tall tree for the castle. It took Vinnie, Modo, Morgan, and Throttle to carry it into the castle and put it in an upright position. Harley and Charley worked with the stand portion while Franny told them which direction it needed to go. It took them about twenty minutes to get it perfectly straight but, once it was all done they stood back and admired their team handiwork.
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
at the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Ev'ry couple tries to stop
"Here you all go. Fresh made hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies" Franny smiled as she pointed to one of the maids pushing a food cart into the room, loaded with cups of hot cocoa and cookies for each of them.
"Thank you Miss Franny. This is perfect" Harley said as she grabbed a cup and immediately nabbed up one of the cookies.
"No doubt about that. This is going to be an amazing Christmas" Charley joined her new friend with her own warm mug and cookie. Their feminine laughter filled the ballroom's nearly empty space.
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
and we'll do some caroling
"Don't mind if I do" Vinnie had no qualms about grabbing, what he considered, his fair share of cookies. He loved Franny's cooking and made a habit of raiding the kitchen on a frequent basis.
"Hey, I did more heavy lifting than you bro" Modo grumbled but, it was about the fact that Vinnie had taken ten cookies off the tray and didn't think anyone else would want some.
You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly" Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's dancing merrily
In a new old fashioned way
"Don't worry. There's more" Franny clicked her tongue and chuckled at how her "boys" never truly grew up whenever there were sweets placed in front of them.
"Cool beans because, I was wondering if we were going to be left starving" Morgan joked as he gave Throttle's shoulder a playful punch before grabbing a cup of cocoa.
"I know you're right old friend" Throttle agreed snatching up the last cup before Vinnie had a chance to get it.
"You know what. This occasion deserves a toast" Harley cheerfully said as she looked at each of her old friends and her new friend, Charley.
"Agreed" Charley said.
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
and we'll do some caroling
"Here's to amazing bros and babes!" Vinnie said, deciding that he should be the one to start things off.
"To family" Modo chimed in.
"To ridding the universe of those stink fishes" Morgan said.
"To a wonderful Christmas with all of you" Throttle smiled as he gazed at Charley, who blushed in return.
"To hope and freedom" Harley said.
"To rocking and riding free" Charley said as she raised her mug up and everyone else clinked their mugs together.
You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's dancing merrily
In a new old fashioned way
"You children make me so proud" Franny said as as a few tears trickled down her cheeks.
"Oh Franny! Don't cry" Throttle said as reached out a hand to Franny and she gladly accepted it. He pulled her into the middle of them and they gave her a large group hug. She hug each of them back as though they were her own children.
"What's next on the agenda?" Harley excitedly inquired as she swiped a cookie from Vinnie's hand.
"Hey! My cookies!" Vinnie whined but, then laughed in spite of himself.
You live your life.
You go day by day
Like nothing can go wrong.
Then scars are made,
They're changing the game.
You learn to play it hard.
"We need to decorate the tree with all those ornaments" Franny stated as she pointed to the ten large boxes that were nearly overflowing with decorations.
"Also, the ballroom needs to be decorated with all of those items" Franny added as she pointed to another pile of about twenty-five boxes on the opposite side of the room.
"Any particular order that they need to be done in?" Charley asked, placing her finished cup down onto the tray.
And I know you wish for more,
And I know you try.
And I hope you realize,
You know the time is right.
"Yes. The lights go first so that you don't see wires all over the other decorations on the tree which are not a pretty sight. String the lights from top to bottom, pushing them partway into the branches to hide the cord. Also, make sure they are evenly spaced so there aren't any dark spots" Franny said.
The whole world is watching
When you rise.
The whole world is beating
For you right now.
Your whole life is flashing
For your eyes.
It's all in this moment that changes all.
"Next, you need to put up garlands and ribbons. If you put the ornaments before the garlands and ribbons there's a chance that the garland can get caught in an ornament hook and make that ornament fall. Considering we have glass and crystal ornaments, they will make quite a mess" Franny chuckled as she continued on.
What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching you
When you rise.
"After that, one of you fine your gentlemen will have to put the topper on the tree. And last but certainly not least are the ornaments themselves. Place larger ornaments deep inside the tree closer to the trunk to give dimension. Smaller ones can go on the outer parts of the branches. The shiny and glittery ones look good reflecting lights from in the tree. Clear translucent or transparent ornaments can look really pretty in front of a bulb. You can place house ornaments over the bulbs to give the illusion of a lighted house. Hide your animals and birds deep within the tree to give our guests a surprise or shock as they look inside the tree. Also, try to match the ornament color next to a matching color bulb to make it shine brighter" Franny smiled as she watched everyone's facial expression at the long list of requirements for just the tree.
You build your walls
You break them away
'Cause that is what it takes.
You saved yourself.
You found who you are,
That never goes away.
"Aw man! I wanted to hung my gun collection up there" Vinnie complained as he looked at the boxes of Christmas stuff.
"I'll sit back and tell you where everything goes. Just wait until we get to decorating the ballroom" Franny laughed as everyone rolled their eyes to the ceiling.
And I know you wish for more,
And I know you try.
And now you realize,
You know the time is right.
"Well, we all did volunteer for this. Let's get it done" Throttle sighed heavily as he grabbed one of the boxes that held lights for the tree. Looking over at Charley, he tilted his head off to the side and she nodded, knowing that he wanted her to work by his side with the lights.
"Well, what can we do?" Harley winked at Franny as she wrapped her tail around Morgan's tail and gave it a gentle squeeze. She couldn't believe her luck that she ended up with him. He was as tall as Modo and built like Vinnie. He had dark brown eyes and soft, russet colored fur, with Throttle's style bangs and a long russet braid that went down to the middle of his back.
The whole world is watching
When you rise.
The whole world is beating
For you right now.
Your whole life is flashing
For your eyes.
It's all in this moment that changes all.
"What are you trying to get me into gorgeous?" Morgan looked over at his beautiful wife as she walked towards the other pile of boxes but, not before using her tail to sensually stroke his muzzle, causing him to growl at her. She knew exactly how to twine him around her finger and he knew exactly how he was going to make her pay for the public teasing.
What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching you
When you rise.
"Come on over and I'll show you" Harley knew exactly what to do because, Franny had shown her over the past couple of years.
"You gonna show me too, hot stuff" Vinnie grinned as he followed along.
"Really Vin?" Morgan just looked at Vinnie for a moment before using his tail to smack him across the tip of his.
Your sacrifice goes through your mind,
But nothing is wasted you've made it now.
You rise again, breaking out.
Each step you've taken, you've paid the price
"Ouch!" was all Vinnie said.
"Serves you right" Modo chuckled as he slapped Vinnie on the back before following Harley and Morgan. They all knew that the tree was a two person job but, the ballroom was going to take all of them to get it done before the end of the day.
The whole world is watching
The whole world is watching
The whole world is watching
When you rise.
"I'll you all some snacks and some more cocoa" Franny stated as she left them to do what they needed to get done.
"Thank you!" They all exclaimed at the same time and then laughed at each.
While Throttle and Charley decorated the tree, Morgan, Harley, Vinnie and Modo decorated the ballroom, which was no easy feet. They had to gently twist the garlands and lights together and then hung them in front of the windows in a swag formation. They put silver and gold candles in front of the windows. Sprayed the windows with fake frost around the edges. They hung up the stockings in front of the fireplace.
What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching you
When you rise
By the time they finished, Franny brought them some more hot chocolate with marshmallows and many finger sandwiches. They all gave her a hug before making a grab for the food. They made sure that Vinnie was stuck getting his serving last especially after his stunt with the cookies. He took it in stride and joked that he wasn't too hungry after he had his share of cookies. Everyone looked at him and scowled before going back to eating.
"Is there anything else left that we need to do?" Charley questioned.
"Well, I shanghaied several of the lazy guards into doing the rest of the decorating of the dining room and the main hall out front. They'll have more to do tomorrow with cleaning the walkway and decorating the front of castle. After that, I hope they won't be that lazy ever again. I swear, sometimes they just don't understand their roles here" Franny shook her head as she looked at her brood and smiled at them.
"Franny! You never swear so don't start telling a fibber" Throttle laughed but, was quickly met with gentle swat from Franny's tail.
"Don't you start young man" Franny just looked at him and laughed once she saw the he had mayonnaise on the side of his muzzle, partially buried in his fur.
"What?" Throttle asked, not knowing why she was laughing at him.
"Looks like you're going to need a bath" Charley came up with a napkin and began to rub the side of his face.
"Well, we better get going. We have our own tree to decorate tomorrow" Harley said as she wrapped her tail around Morgan's wrist and gave him a gentle tug, causing him to follow her.
"Thank you Franny for everything. You're still the best" Morgan said as he bent down and gave Franny a big hug and a kiss on the side of her cheek.
"Pi-sh posh. I know. Be careful you two" she said as she sent the young couple on their way.
"Yeah. We better hit the hay ourselves. We have prince and princess-in-training guarding duty all day tomorrow" Modo stated as he got behind Vinnie and began to gently nudge him out of the room.
"Thanks for the help, bros" Throttle said as he watched his friends leave.
"Anytime dude" Vinnie said as he sauntered out of the room with Modo right behind him.
"Time for you two to get cleaned up and ready for some sleep. Tomorrow is another day of practice to make sure you both know what to do" Franny reminded Throttle and Charley.
"Can she help me wash up?" Throttle joked as he came up behind Charley, wrapped both his arms around her shoulders, and gave Franny a very large grin.
"No, you're a big boy" Franny knew he was joking but, a part of him was also serious.
"Not fair" Throttle whined as released Charley and gave her a long, sad look. Charley just shook her head and tried not to laugh.
"Come on both of you. Time to get ready for some sleep" Franny ushered them out of the ballroom and showed them up the stairs. She watched to make sure that Throttle didn't try to sneak into Charley's bedroom and vice versa. She knew that they were both old enough to make their own decisions in life but, she felt very protective over Charley and had no problems making it known.
"Good night, you two silly love birds" Franny murmured from the bottom of the stairs as she watched them go to their respective rooms. After that, she walked back towards the kitchen and tried to figure out breakfast for them.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm really trying to pick up the pace on getting this story completed so I can get back to work on my other ones. I keep telling myself not to start any new stories but, I never listen to myself. If anyone has any questions, comments, or ideas that you would like to see featured in the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many cyber hugs to all readers and reviewers.