NINETEEN - SHOPPING

I feel like my chapters are quite long / do people actually read them or get a bit bored and wish they were in two chapters somehow? Please let them know x

I'm not actually sure what toys were out in the 1920s so have just gone with stuff of google so some of it might not have been around yet. Sorry if this is the case! :)

MID DECEMBER 1920

Maggie had offered to have Teddy and Eliza so Jack and Rose could go Christmas shopping. As they walked in to town Jack sighed "I forgot the list" "good job I picked it up then isn't it!" Rose smirked and rolled her eyes

"Should we go and grab a coffee and go over what we're buying people before we go and tackle the shops?" Jack nodded as they headed in to a cafe, they ordered and the waitress brought them over "thank you" they both smiled at the young girl as she walked away

"Right… we've already got a list for the kids, but what can we get Maggie and Elizabeth's parents?" Rose asked "oh god… something good, so I can butter them up before I tell them about you" he half laughed "yeah, not something we need to do over the Christmas period Jack" she shook his head, to which he laughed "Maggie… maybe some nice chocolates and a nice candle?" Rose nodded and added it to the list, "and James & Mary?" She continued "… a nice photo frame, I'll put a photo of the kids in it" Jack nodded "what's on the list for Teddy & Eliza again?" He asked

"on the list for Teddy is crayons, a new colouring pad, a new Peter Rabbit book, a toy plane and a yoyo…

Eliza's is a bouncer, a rattle - both Teddy's suggestions of course" she laughed "Raggedy Anne doll, a new picture book and a new duck for the bath" Jack nodded "brilliant" "and-" Rose continued "don't even say it Rose… it's not a good idea" she smirked "it is! The kids will love it!" "Yes for around 3 days then the i will wear off! We're not getting a kitten" "fine" Rose pouted, knowing one way or another that she would persuade Jack.

They'd finished their shopping "you know, I've never been Christmas shopping before" "really?!" Jack looked at her surprised and she shook her head "no, the help always did it" she rolled her eyes "this is fun" she smiled, he kissed her head "should we go and get some dinner before we go and pick the kids up from Maggie?" Rose nodded and they went in to a small Italian restaurant.

They ordered and chatted, an uninterrupted conversation for once. "Did you make an appointment for Teddy to see the Doctor?" She asked "no, every time I go to his house he isn't there. I'll try again tomorrow" "OK… I'm worried about him Jack. He shouldn't be having nightmares as often as he is, he can't even tell us what they're about…" "I know, hopefully the doctor can shed some light on why he's having them" Rose nodded.

"Jack?" Rose said quietly. "Yes?" He responded "can you tell me more about Elizabeth? I know I've seen pictures" she said referring to a photo in Teddy's bedroom "but I don't actually know much about her, and I want to be able to talk about her to the kids… sorry… if you don't want to talk about her, it's fine" "no, no, it's OK" he smiled softly "I just don't want to disrespect you at all" "you won't" she shook her head

"So obviously she had dark hair, dark eyes… Eliza really is a mini version of her. She had a dry sense of humour but she was kind, very kind. Teddy was the apple of her eye, and when she was pregnant with Eliza, she was convinced she was having a girl, I wasn't so sure, but she ended up being right, which she would have loved…" he smirked "she would have loved taking Eliza to dance classes and things like that, doing her hair… all the things mum and daughters do" he nodded "she was such a good mum, we spent most of her pregnancy with Teddy bickering over names… we'd given up by the time she was pregnant with Eliza" he laughed softly "how did you choose their names?" She frowned, curious "well, we had both Teddy & Eliza's middle names picked out from the start, but not their first names… she loved the name Theodore for Teddy, but I wasn't so keen, I wanted him to be called Louis, but she didn't like that… we went round in circles, but when I watched what she went through giving birth to Teddy, I couldn't say no to any name in the world!" He laughed "you were with her when she gave birth?" Rose asked surprised, but he nodded "I would never let someone I love go through that alone! Of course I got a lecture about how inappropriate it was by the doctor, but I didn't care" he nodded. Rose smiled softly. "So yeah, he ended up as Theodore, but by the time he was a week old, we'd shortened it to Teddy… I don't think he's ever been called Theodore since… I'm not even sure Teddy knows that's his name" Jack and Rose laughed "what's his middle name?" She asked "Joseph, after my Dad" he smiled sadly to which Rose placed her hand on top of his "and Eliza?" She asked, trying to change the subject "obviously she's really Elizabeth, but I think everyone will always call her Eliza… well apart from Teddy of course" he laughed "and her middle name is Grace" he smiled "do you think Teddy will ever call Eliza her actual name?" She smirked "I don't know, I kind of hope not at this point, I think it's sweet that he has his very own nickname for her" he laughed.

"What else is there to know about Elizabeth?" "Well, she lovedddddd grapes, I have no idea why, but they were her favourite. She liked to read, liked coffee almost as much as you… she preferred New York to here, but knew she would never get me back there" he laughed "she was great. She would have loved you, she'd be so grateful the kids have someone like you" he rubbed her hand "you think so?" Rose asked, touched by the compliment "I know so" he nodded, she just smiled as they finished up eating then paid the bill. "What time is it?" She asked him "god, it's nearly 7! We should get back, Maggie's probably exhausted, dealing with those 2 all afternoon" he laughed.

They arrived at Maggie's after going home and hiding the Christmas presents from the kids and knocked on the door, Maggie answered it fairly quickly and put her finger to her lips "they're asleep" she whispered. They stepped in to the house and she gestured for them to follow her to the kitchen "did you get everything you needed?" "Yes, thank goodness. I never want to step in to another shop again!" Jack laughed "how've they been?" "They've been good" Maggie nodded "we've played lots of games, Eliza had a nap, Teddy ate too much chocolate… I'm sorry" she smirked "no wonder this is his favourite place!" Jack laughed "would you like a drink?" Maggie asked "thank you but we best be heading home to get them in to bed" Jack smiled "thank you" Rose also smiled "you're more than welcome! Anytime" Maggie said as the 3 of them walked in to the living room. Eliza was in the hall way by the living room door, asleep in her pram and Teddy was asleep on her sofa. Rose peered in to the pram and frowned, confused "why does Eliza have Teddy's bear?" "She wouldn't stop crying, so Teddy gave her that, she stopped almost immediately" Rose glanced from a sleeping Eliza to a sleeping Teddy, her heart melting "the best big brother" Jack smiled proudly, Rose nodded "he certainly is" "you get Ted, I'll lift the pram out the door" he whispered to Rose who walked over to the sofa quietly and picked him up, careful not to wake him. They thanked Maggie again and headed home.