AN: So sorry it's been so long since I posted! Here it is now! Merry Christmas!
"Why is it that days that you want to fly by drag on, and days you want to last slip through your fingers like sand?" Elizabeth asked as she rocked her daughter gently while Jack sat on the ground watching her, watching both of them. "What time is it, do you think?"
"Probably about six." He said, reaching up his good hand to caress his daughter's plump, pink cheek.
"So everyone will be getting to the church about now for carols." Elizabeth nodded. "I can't believe it's almost her first Christmas...just six more hours." They had had every intention of going to the church, and celebrating Christmas eve with everyone else, but the baby had been fussing, and Jack's arm had ached horribly, and Elizabeth was exhausted. So they lit a candle, and had their own service in the nursery while the baby cooed and stared at them with her impossibly blue eyes.
"I've already gotten the best present of them all." Jack smiled, and got up to his knees to kiss his wife. "How can I ever thank you enough for this? For her."
"You don't have to thank me, Jack. I love her so much. I'd go through all of this again in a heart beat as long as it led to this moment, our family, together, happy." Elizabeth kissed him again, and looked down at Lilly again. "You're perfect, Lilly Alice."
"And to think, you thought that me building you a house was too big of a gift last Christmas." Jack laughed. The baby was sleeping soundly in her mothers arms now, and Jack had never seen a more perfect sight.
"So much has changed since last Christmas. For the better, of course." Elizabeth smiled. "I could just stare at her for hours."
"We have." Jack said, kissing her temple. "Come on, let's put her to bed. I know you're starving."
"Dinner does smell amazing." Elizabeth smiled. Abigail had popped in an hour or so ago to bring a roast chicken, potatoes, and an apple pie. Of course, she'd said that she had an ulterior motive, namely, getting to snuggle and kiss her goddaughter. Elizabeth gently laid her daughter in her crib, and felt Jack very gently put his arm around her waist. He pressed a very gentle kiss to her neck, and her lips curled into a smile. "I'm so blessed. You're here. She's here. We have friends who love us...Oh Jack…" Elizabeth hated that she started crying, but she'd been crying easier since the birth of her daughter, and Abigail had said that that was normal. Jack turned her around, and pulled her into an embrace.
"Hey, it's alright sweetheart." He murmured into her hair, and pressed a kiss just below her ear.
"I love you so much, Jack. Thank you. Thank you for coming home to me- to us!" She turned his face, and kissed him on the lips.
"I thought that thanking was going to be my eternal duty now. You had my baby, Elizabeth."
"I had our baby, Jack." She rolled her eyes. "And she's perfect. Gorgeous, really."
"That's all you, Elizabeth." Jack insisted.
"Mmm, have you seen her lips? They're just like yours." Elizabeth grinned. "And they're perfect." Jack rolled his eyes, and took her hand. They left the nursery door open, and walked down the steps very carefully, since Elizabeth was still very sore. "Oh, we still have to write a letter to Julie and Tom; I still can't believe that Julie is a mom. I still can't believe I'm a mom!"
"And the best one, Elizabeth." Jack kissed her forehead gently. "I know what you mean though..its been twenty two days, and I can't believe Im a father."
"They're our younger siblings, you know? It seems so strange that they're grown up enough to have a baby of their own." Elizabeth sighed as she went about dishing up servings of dinner. They'd gotten two telegrams from Tom yesterday. One announcing the birth of baby Raymond, who had apparently weighed twelve and a half pounds at birth, a factoid that made Elizabeth shudder as she tried to imagine how much more it would have hurt if her Lilly had weighed more than the even seven pounds that she did. The second one was to announce that they had selected their brother and sister respectively to be the Godparents, and they'd be bringing the baby in February for the christening, no ifs, ands, or buts. Not that they could have objected even if they wanted to, they were so curious to see what this newest addition to their family looked like, and Tom and Julie were equally curious about Lilly. Elizabeth set the plates on the table, and carefully took a seat, only wincing a little.
"Are you okay? Should we have put a cushion on the chair?" Jack asked, taking her hand.
"No, no, I'm fine, really." Elizabeth waved him off, and then started to laugh.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just...aren't we a pair? We're constantly asking each other if everything's okay, constantly trying to do more than we should so that the other can take it easy. I mean, you're down an arm right now, and I still can't sit comfortably on a wooden chair!" Jack started laughing too, and he squeezed her hand tighter.
"Lucky for us we're both gonna get better. Soon." Jack said after a few minutes when the laughter had died down a little.
"We are." Elizabeth nodded, and took a bite of her dinner. "This is amazing! I'm afraid I'm getting spoiled with all of the meals people have been dropping off for us; I should probably cook something soon, just so I dont forget how it's done!"
"I'm not worried. You know your way around a kitchen." Jack smiled.
"There was a time when I never thought someone would say that to me."
"With good reason, really. Some of the things you made were...not exactly edible, at first." Jack chuckled at the memories, and Elizabeth felt her face grow warm. "But you were determined, and you did it, and now, I've gotta say, I miss your cooking."
"I'd say I'd cook for us tomorrow, but we're supposed to go to the cafe." Elizabeth frowned a little. "But the next night…"
"It's a date." Jack winked at her, and she had to lean over and kiss him. "So, did your presents for Lilly get wrapped?"
"Oh yes, they're under the tree right now." Elizabeth grinned. The stuffed bear and various clothing articles and wooden blocks had all arrived on the stage only two days before, and that was only what she had ordered, not including the surprise bundle from her mother that was crammed full of lace gowns of all kinds of feminine colors. "It's almost funny, that we're going through all of this fuss for a twenty three day old baby; I mean, she won't have any idea what's going on, but…"
"But it's her first Christmas, and when we tell her about it, we want it to be good." Jack finished the thought for her, and she nodded gratefully. "I brought the camera home today, so we could take a picture of the occasion."
"Oh Jack, that's a wonderful idea!" Elizabeth almost clapped her hands in delight. They finished their dinner chatting about nothing specific, and then went to the sitting room to curl up on the sofa and look at the tree. Outside snow was falling, and everything was positively beautiful. "You know, this time last year, I wondered what our lives would be like next Christmas. I wondered what our house would look like, what we'd be doing, everything. I even wondered if I might be pregnant by then."
"Pregnant? Please, you've been there and done that by now." Jack teased, and she laughed. "What else did you wonder?"
"If I'd still be as happy then as I was in that moment." Jack turned his face to look at her.
"And? What's the result?"
"I'm not as happy. I'm happier than I've ever been." Elizabeth said, tilting her chin up to kiss him. "I'll never get tired of this. Of us. Of Lilly. Of our family. Of being together. Of sitting by the fire on a cold night, snuggling on the sofa."
"I won't either." Jack kissed her forehead tenderly.
"I know it's crazy to say after what I had to go through to bring Lilly into the world, but I really want another baby. Not right now of course, not even for the next few years. But I know I want another one. And another one after that. And another. And maybe even another one." Elizabeth said, her voice almost shy. "Would that be alright?"
"Why stop at five? I say we go for an even half dozen." Jack suggested, and though his voice was teasing, there was a hint of seriousness in his eye. Elizabeth kissed him again. "Mm. I'll never get tired of this."
"Ding dong merrily on high, in heaven the bells are ringing!"
"Do you hear that?" Elizabeth asked, sitting up straight.
"Ding dong verily the sky is riven with angels singing!"
"Yeah." Jack rose from the sofa, and pulled Elizabeth to her feet after him. They went to the window, and Elizabeth gasped when she saw all of students and their families gathering around the front of their house holding candles. She looked to Jack, and in a moment they had their coats on and had dashed outside.
"Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!"
"Oh my goodness!" Elizabeth cried, holding her hand to her heart.
"Merry Christmas Mr and Mrs. Thornton!" The crowd replied, and Opal ran forward to embrace her, her candle extinguishing as she did so.
"We came to be carolers for you!" Opal explained.
"I can see that!" Elizabeth laughed. "You didn't have to do this, it's so, so sweet of you!"
"We were singing carols and church, and we just felt like we were missing a few key voices." Frank explained.
"So, we thought we'd bring a little bit of Christmas cheer...and some goodies." Abigail said with a twinkle in her eye as various children brought forward plates of the best holiday treats they had to offer. Spiced nuts, cranberries, sugar cookies, cinnamon buns, and more sat neatly in a line at the Thornton's feet as Elizabeth's eyes welled up with tears.
"We knew that 'cause of baby Lilly, you probably didn't have time to make much goodies of your own." Emily explained as she set down some candied oranges.
"This is too much. We don't deserve this!" Elizabeth protested.
"Please, with everything you do for our town, both of you, we can't think of any one who deserves it more!" Rosemary cried, and there was a rumble of assent. "Ready everyone?" She snapped her gloved fingers in rhythm, and everyone began to sing.
"Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn king, peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Elizabeth watched the children with a giant smile on her face, and she was even more pleased when she heard Jack's voice join with the chorus, and she kissed him very quickly when the song was finished.
"Thank you, thank you all so much for this. It means more to us than you could ever know." Jack said, threading his fingers with Elizabeth's. "And I want to thank each and every one of you for what you did while I was away. For watching the town, and keeping it safe. For keeping an eye on my wife. For meals and prayers, and everything in between. I've said this to Elizabeth a lot of times, but I can never say it enough; we are so blessed to live in a community like Hope Valley, where everyone loves each other, and cares for each other like family. God bless each and everyone of you, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!"
AN: Short and sweet, and Christmasy and sugary, just like I like it!