Hello :P It is not Wednesday but I am back with this new chapter. In fact, it's almost Friday now! I thought that I would upload even on Christmas Day but then it came around and I've had a good few days break from all of my creating and it's been pretty nice. I planned that I wanted one of my winter themed chapters to be about Jordan very early on and then this was one of the last ones that I wrote. This one does indeed focus on Misty's father, Jordan, as well as his son and her brother, JJ, and Ash and Misty's eldest son, Ben. It's light-hearted. But it touches on some things I definitely want to focus more on in the future. I hope you enjoy :3

Ages:

Jordan: 32

JJ: 13

Ben: 14

Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned. And of course I don't own the song that Jordan sings!

"Simply having a wonderful Christmas timeeeeeee!" the yellow haired male that was Misty's father sang in a jolly way to himself as he continued kneeling in front of the Christmas tree, multiple decorations hung on each finger as he decided which one to put on each branch.

His orange haired teenage son, JJ, glanced over at his father at the noise that came out of his mouth and though he didn't join in the joyous sing-song, he didn't roll his eyes at him either. Jordan continued singing happily. And because that was exactly what he was – happy – no one could be too embarrassed or irritated by him singing to himself.

I laughed to myself as I sat on the sofa and found it quite hard not to join in myself! I wondered if JJ felt the same way, underneath his easy-going yet teenager-y exterior. I was certain that someone else did not feel the same way as they lied beneath me and their fingers made their way to scratch along my back. That person was Ben Ketchum sprawled out on the sofa and he was raising his eyebrows!

But he didn't say anything either. We all listened as Jordan continued singing all the more heartily but to yet another song. And most of us felt warmth growing in the pits of our bellies.

Christmas time was known for its jovial delights and family ties and all things light-hearted. However, it was not rare for it to be a tricky time too. Lots of people gathering together could lead to differences of opinions and uneasiness as well, that was true. But I just felt glad that someone who could be affected by a busier time of year such as Jordan was taking it in his stride. In fact, that year round, he seemed to be glowing as much as the lights on the newly decorated tree.

This was proven to me all the more when he paused his singing for a couple of moments to hook one of the decorations off from his fingers and hold it instead, giving JJ a light poke with the end of it. Then, he grinned at him cheekily.

"You're really taking your time with it, aren't you?" Jordan asked his teenage son, observing the way that he hadn't even put one ornament on the tree as of yet, too busy in organising each shapes into groups and taking the time to look at them all and one by one. Before JJ's floppy hair could fall over his face or he could sheepishly grin back, the yellow haired male continued, his voice booming as he joked. "The day will be over and done with before you get it decorated!"

Of course this was an exaggeration but as I continued enjoying Ben's fingers running up and down my spine as we lounged together and observed the two decorating the tree in the living room of the annexe off the main Morgan Mansion, I saw JJ nod his head as if he almost agreed. He knew that he needed to actually get started too.

So, he finally picked up one of the sea ship shaped ornaments and he hung it on the middle of the branch, not waiting for approval from his father because he knew he didn't care where it was placed – he just wanted it on the tree. Then following that, in the process of reaching for another one – a seashell shape that time – JJ asked in return, a smirk finally taking over his young features.

"Does it really have to be all nautical and seaside stuff like every year? Are you certain that you don't want to change it up this year?" the orange haired teenage boy teased his father and he was entirely joking but there was still a glint in his eyes from behind his glasses that had a bit of hope that he would surprise him. But Jordan was Jordan! He could be as interchanging as the waves but he could be as together as a well-built boat also.

The yellow haired male waved a clumsy hand at JJ in response while he grinned, acknowledging the fact he was being teased but he then took the time to lean closer to his son, gesturing before reaching into one of the other boxes that they had taken out of storage. From my position with Ben, I knew what he was getting at before he even said anything.

"It's not all sea stuff. There are some stars in there as well." Jordan replied in a nonchalant and gentle voice and though the raven haired other teenage boy wasn't properly joining in, he gave the look to JJ back when he looked up at him. They both wondered if the stars that the yellow haired male was referring to was the star fish in one of the more sparse Christmas boxes. But lo and behold, when JJ stopped glancing at Ben and looked at the box that his father was pointing at, he saw that there was indeed regular stars to put on the tree also. While the orange haired teenage boy couldn't help but be distracted by them and reached to pull a couple of those out, Jordan continued while going back to decorating his own side of the tree. He smiled to himself. "I can't help being a creature of habit. I'm making up for lost time."

My interest certainly piqued upon hearing this though at that time, I had known Jordan a good many years to get an idea of what he was referring to. And being his son, I knew that it was most likely the same for JJ as well. But despite the fact that Ben slunk further down against the sofa in a disinterested way and continued focusing on massaging me, he couldn't hide the twitch of curiosity that I felt in his own stomach.

JJ let a couple of moments pass while both he and the yellow haired male decorated the tree but when the dual orbed male felt it the right time, he stopped being creative with his hands and used one of them to push his floppy locks out of his eyes, smiling carefully over at his father.

"Christmas wasn't like this for you when you were younger, then?" JJ questioned in a careful voice but it wasn't as though he was treading on eggshells. He merely just understood that Jordan's past wasn't exactly something that he often liked to talk about so he wanted to convey that through his tones. Luckily for both the orange haired young male and the yellow haired older one, it was easier for Jordan to talk about things while his hands were occupied.

So as the older water Pokémon enthusiast occupied those digits of his with retying a string on one of the occupations that had come undone and sat on the floor with his legs crossed instead, he shook his head. Like his son, he let a few moments pass before he spoke and like him also, he used the back of his own hand to push his curtain-like locks from his eyes.

"No. No, it wasn't at all." Jordan responded simply and in a level tone and once more, he let a couple of moments pass before he continued. Ben shut his eyes as he lounged on the sofa but from the way that his hands stopped tickling my sides, I could tell that he was listening as eagerly yet softly as JJ. We all listened as Jordan continued as he finished retrying the string and he hooked it on one of the spikes of the tree. "It was stressful. Where I lived, the shops would be closed for the longest time around Christmas so there was never much stuff to by. Not that we ever had a lot of money to buy their stock at the best of times. But around Christmas and before it, I had to catch loads and loads of fish to feed everyone and it was far from easy. But I still can remember enjoying being out there in the cold far more than being with my family."

I wondered if we all noticed the way that Jordan said the word "family" as if it was the most alien thing in the world to him and far different than when he described his new family and people such as Misty, Lynne, Morgan and of course JJ. I was certain that we all noticed the way that Jordan shivered after telling this little tale. It was apparent that he really did remember those cold hardships as if they were just yesterday, even if they felt far off as well.

Despite this, after shivering absentmindedly, he soon had another bit of a grin and he seemed to perk up, going back to kneeling on his knees as he slid more decorations onto some of the higher branches of the Christmas tree. He continued.

"Christmas in Cerulean was definitely a lot better." Jordan put forth and JJ couldn't help but glance over in me and Ben's direction upon hearing this, a smile on his face. But I was the only one to smile back. Ben still had his eyes closed. But that didn't matter. I knew that he was listening too. And I had a smile for JJ. Our eyes smiled further at what came out of the yellow haired male's mouth next. He scrunched his nose up. "I used to have to get all these expensive and girly things for the other three. But Misty was different. Your sister was different. She loved getting all of the homemade things that I made for her at Christmas. At least, I think she did! I hope she did."

I melted when I heard this and I felt as though I would start melting against the raven haired teenage boy's stomach! Ever since I had known the orange haired female that was Misty and she felt able to confide in me, I had understood her as a massive daddy's girl. And I knew that she appreciated every memory and gift and smile that she received from her father over the years. It humbled me greatly that a part of him was uncertain and bashful over whether she was truly appreciated.

However, JJ absolutely knew how much it meant to her as well as I did. His dual coloured eyes lit up when he heard the name of his equally orange haired sister and he smiled, nodding almost as eagerly as their father would in certain situations. He added his own input, his hair flopping over his eyes and glasses.

"Oh yeah, she's definitely a fan of everything that you make." JJ reassured his father in a subtle sort of way and then while Jordan merely just nodded his head and went back to humming, seemingly indifferent to whatever the younger male could have said, the dual male found himself adding. His words came out hurried and in a bashful sort of way. "Of course I am too. I mean, look at all of these."

And after saying these words, JJ reached for yet another of the Christmas storage boxes and tipped that one on the floor, allowing the contents to pour out. But he did it respectfully nevertheless. Jordan just had a smile when he understood what his son was getting at but I was the one to stop melting against Ben's stomach and perked up, my own eyes glinted as they reflected those decorations as well as the lights on the tree.

Both Jordan and JJ's hands shot out to pick up and touch and admire some of the decorations on the floor and I certainly admired that sight. Just like I admired the yellow haired male's work.

You see, what JJ had been referring too and had tipped out of a box for everyone to see was many of Jordan's own hand-whittled Christmas decorations for the tree. I had always known Misty's father and Ash's father in law as a creative fellow when it came to that sort of thing and he really was fantastic! He had whittled all sorts of shapes to be hung and decorated. Sailing ships. Anchors. Sea creatures. Lighthouses. And all of the wood was so soft, sand papered and even painted to perfection. He had really put his heart and soul into each and every one of them. His heart and soul that belonged to the sea.

"Do you want to put these on the tree?" JJ questioned his father and as the yellow haired male was collecting a bunch of them and they were very nearly spilling over even his large hands, he didn't even need to look in his son's decoration as he nodded. I watched as the orange haired teenage boy poked and picked up some other ones, uncertain about just a few. "…Even these ones?"

The older water Pokémon enthusiast barely looked up for a second before he nodded. And then also in response to his son, he dropped one of the ones that he was holding and took one from JJ, feeling somewhat protective towards the decorations and worried that their feelings would be hurt. He cradled them close to his broad chest without thinking.

"Of course these ones too! Are you kidding me? They all have to go on." Jordan insisted and it was when he did this that the orange haired floppy haired boy looked back over at me all over again and we shared a look. What the yellow haired male was holding so protectively in his hands and what he was calling attention to was the little wooden and painted decorations that had been made by the Ketchum children over the years and JJ and Morgan too. Seeing the both of us sharing a look, Jordan stopped holding them so close to his chest yet he concluded in a soft and certain voice. "They are the best ones."

"If you say so." JJ turned away from looking at me and spoke to his father and then after he saw his father nodding his head and furrowing his brow, the teenage boy chuckled and he pushed his floppy locks out of his eyes in an elongated way as if to keep them away for good. Following that, he couldn't help but revisit his previous point, picking some of the children's decorated ornaments and gesturing most prominently to one that he knew he had done when he was six years old or so. "I mean… It's definitely not my best work. It's definitely not the prettiest thing."

Jordan only missed one single beat. He carefully put the decorations down on the floor before he pointed a finger out to his son, almost colliding his digit with his nose. But he did it in a kind-hearted and well-intended sort of way.

"You mustn't look with your eyes so much, my boy." The yellow haired male told his son airily and when he heard this, the floppy haired teenage boy furrowed his brow just a little bit. I chuckled to myself. Someone as intelligent and book-smart as JJ didn't necessarily understand that! But he would soon enough learn. And one thing he had already learned at that point in his life was that he could trust his father so after another second of blinking to himself, he soon nodded his head. He absorbed that bit of knowledge and made an inward note of it for a later date. Jordan nodded his head in response and then finally turned to his grandson lulling on the sofa, raising his voice in a friendly sort of way so he knew that it was him that he was talking to. "Do you want to put your one on the tree as well? I have it right here."

I turned back to the raven haired eldest Ketchum son after not doing so for a while and almost as soon as I did, I got the impression that he was going to believe that it wasn't him being spoken to. But I was stood corrected. It was evident that Ben still hadn't gone back to stroking me because he had been listening to the entire scene off and on, even if he stopped showing it that overtly.

The messy haired male's eyes fluttered open and they needed to adjust to the bright light of the Christmas tree a little bit and then he sat up. He peered. He craned. His eyes glanced at the item in question that Jordan was picking up and waving at him - a little red and blue painted boat that Ben had whittled and painted alongside his grandfather when he was about eight years old. I didn't know whether to smirk or get misty eyed when he had the same hesitant expression that JJ could have.

"It really isn't the prettiest." Ben copied the younger appearing male's words first of all when even from his position on the sofa with me he could see the (in his opinion) shoddy and juvenile job of the decoration that he had made. Jordan raised just one eyebrow and held the boat further up, indicating that that wasn't a proper answer. Soon enough, the raven haired male shook his head in response, tangling his fingers in his unruly locks. "I'm fine here thanks. I'm on strike when it comes to Christmas this year."

As Ben shut his eyes as soon as he said this, it was then Jordan and JJ's turn to share a look. However, they didn't raise their eyebrows. On top of not wanting to irritate Ben if he opened his eyes and saw them, they weren't that sort of people. In fact, they almost kind of understood it – especially coming from an unconventional family like they did.

I understood it as well. Then as Jordan and JJ went back to decorating the Christmas tree with hand-made items, I decided to climb onto Ben's chest rather than his stomach. His eyes opened all over again. And when he had a smile for me and reached out to caringly squeeze both of my cheeks, it became obvious that he may be on strike when it came to the holidays but he was not on a strike with me. And I couldn't be gladder.

I enjoyed his pets and his squeezes and his affections as I continued laying on him and I continued listening to the orange haired teenage boy and the yellow haired male as they carried on the decorating of the Christmas tree. And they carried on conversing with each other also. It was so lovely to hear.

I was surrounded by a good few father and son bonds that really were quite something and JJ and Jordan were no different. And it caused my heart to soar and thump all in one that they weren't even technically dad and son either. Yet at the same time, they absolutely were.

The orange haired teenage boy had a bit of a spark in his eye that I caught sight of right away and I recognised it to be down to the fact that he thought about something else that he wanted to ask Jordan. He so enjoyed talking to him. He so enjoyed learning about him. When it came to his father, he felt as though there were unlimited layers to peel back. So he couldn't help but ask.

"Did you have to work throughout Christmas or did you get time off? Did you have to work on the boats every single day?" JJ asked and he referred to the fact that Jordan's father, Bo, owned a ship and boat repair shop along the rickety dockyards near where they lived and the middle son that was the yellow haired male was hired to earn money for the family also.

Jordan had a little bit of a surprised look in his eyes when JJ was a bit more specific with his questions and his heart moved into his throat momentarily at the thoughts of his family members. I watched, a protective instinct taking over and I wondered if Ben had that inclination also. JJ just wondered if he had made his voice too curious and not careful enough. However, he didn't have to worry for long because Jordan soon recovered.

Going back to occupying his fingers with retying strings of decorations that didn't really need retying, Jordan then answered his son as honestly as he answered most of his questions. He chuckled just a little bit out of habit and pushed his hair from his eyes that were on what he was doing with his fingers rather than towards JJ.

"No. No, I did get time off and I didn't have to work." Jordan answered and straight away, JJ nodded. Ben did as well as he continued using his thumb and forefinger to massage the reds of my cheeks just like his own father had taught him to do. Along with his chuckle, the yellow haired male's expression moved with a bit of a wobbly smirk. "I kinda wish I did have to work, to be honest! Perhaps The Valentine wouldn't have taken so damn long to fix up otherwise."

That time Ben was the one to show off a reaction upon hearing his grandfather's words and he smirked at the same time that his thumbs dug extra well into my cheeks. I tried not to coo with delight. Instead, I focused on JJ's response and thought that he would smirk also and have more questions. But I was stood corrected once more. JJ had the same wobbly smile as the yellow haired male and in fact he showed it off a little more somehow. Additionally, he seemed to withhold a sigh.

Not only did the older water Pokémon enthusiast catch on straight away to his hesitant sigh but he understood the reason for it as well. He put what he was holding down on to the floor and shuffled closer to his son, reaching out to ruffle his floppy locks. He reassured him in a clumsy and easy-going way but it was a genuine moment all the same.

"Hey." He started and upon hearing just this, JJ shook his head, as if he was trying to shake away the true feelings going on in his head but his father stopped him. Jordan stopped him. He uttered that same word once again and then his hand lightly touched his cheek before it found its way to his shoulder, resting there and squeezing there. Jordan said sincerely. "You'll get to sail on there one day. When the time is right, you, Morgan and I will all go on a little trip together. I know that it can be hectic for you and I'm sorry about that. But we want you to have a normal life so that's why school kinda has to be the priority for the time being."

I could feel Ben exhale when he heard these words and I thought it was down to hearing the scene go a little more serious or even coincidence rather than the raven haired male secretly relating to the orange haired one. But either way, I didn't have time to focus on the older appearing of the two male's even though he was the one beneath me. I was too caught up in watching JJ's reaction.

I saw the way that he tried to duck his head at his father's reassurance at first but when he heard his choice of words and understood the sincerity of them, he couldn't help but accept them and smile at them too, even if his situation grinded his gears some of the time.

After a couple of moments of Jordan just looking at the face of his son, JJ then smiled at him back and it was far straighter and less wobbly than before. He even reached out to squeeze Jordan's own muscular shoulder in response. He did duck his head but then he looked back at his dad, grinning just a little bit and adding bravely.

"It's okay. We can't control every little thing. But I guess it's just in my genes to be like you. It's in my genes to look outwards and to the sea and want a bit of that as well." JJ told his father, and I saw the way that Jordan's green orbed clouded upon hearing this. But he didn't bother to hide it though his eyes grew clearer again after just a couple of seconds.

He smiled proudly at his son's attitude and he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head to prove this. And then following this and following ruffling his ginger locks also, he told him in a louder, merry sort of voice and with a grin taking over his features.

"Well, that may be the case but you have your mother's intelligence so we're going to run with that as long as we can." He told him humorously and then when JJ rolled his eyes upon hearing this but couldn't help but chuckle either, Jordan reached one of his hands out to playfully cup his son under the chin.

He was growing up so fast. That was so strange to say because he hadn't physically grown up like other people did in a couple of years. But his eyes had grown up. His eyes had matured. And it made Jordan emotional. But he would experience that alone and to himself much later on in the day.

For the time being, as JJ and Jordan went back to decorating the tree and Ben's body twitched underneath mine as he started to ponder to himself if he wanted to take up the offer of joining them, someone else was being emotional. And that became very obvious indeed when they burst into the room. Or rather, they tore through the room.

The door of the annexe apartment adjoining the Morgan Mansion swung open and it slammed behind someone. And then they half sprinted across the whole of the building, intending to head to their bedroom. They tripped and swallowed and sniffed on their way but they made it. It made Ben sit further up when they heard them. Jordan craned around, as did I. JJ stood properly up, his eyes softening and growing rounder with concern. He was the one to speak and verbally acknowledge the sniffling yellow haired young girl.

"Was Morgan crying? Do you think she's okay?" he asked and his body was already twitching, getting ready to go and check on his younger relative himself. I nodded approvingly and intended to go with him in case he properly moved a muscle. But he did not. Jordan did. He stood up and abandoned his decorating all over and ran a hand through his hair. He did look a little concerned but he went about it in a big brother sort of way also. He sighed airily.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing too serious. She's probably upset over whatever it is that eight year old's get upset about. It was hunger for me." Jordan spoke in a level sort of way and even though Ben, JJ and I looked at each other, it was not said in a passive aggressive or a condescending sort of way. Jordan just had many layers and one of them was a layer of bluntness! The word's he said next proved his gentleness. His body turned as he intended to be the one to check on his little sister. "I'll be back in a minute. But if she's upset that James let Katie do his hair rather than her then I could be a while!"

And with that, the broad shouldered yet soft hearted Jordan headed off to lend an ear to his little sister and pick up the pieces, even if her emotions were a bit funny and over the top. He would always be there for her no matter what and like he was there for everyone else.

That just left Ben and JJ. That just left Ben and JJ and me too. It was us three boys left. And needless to say, the raven haired male was the one to break the silence. It was no secret that he had inherited the innocent sort of bluntness from his grandfather and he showed this as he finally changed positions on the sofa, rolling onto his side. He sighed loudly.

"Girls are the craziest, aren't they?" Ben deadpanned and he referred to the comment about his Uncle James and his hair rather than Morgan's tears in general. I glanced over and back at him, finally hopping down from the sofa with him and joining JJ on the carpet.

The dual orbed male very much heard these words and though he understood where he was coming from, he didn't like to out-rightly agree. He continued adding a few final decorations onto the Christmas tree for a moment or so longer and then he responded. He had different words for the older appearing male.

"Girls are crazy. But they're crazy because they're people, not because they're girls. People can be crazy." JJ replied and at first, Ben furrowed his brow but because these words came out matter-of-factly rather than in a telling off sort of way, the raven haired male soon enough shrugged and nodded, agreeing with what he had to say. The orange haired male hooked a decoration onto the spike of the tree. He paused. He looked over at Ben. He paused some more. Then he finally asked. "You sure you won't want to come over here and help? Your ornament is still here to put on."

It was then JJ's turn to be stood correct as he believed that Ben would sigh all over again and turn down his request. Ben had been indifferent towards what Jordan and JJ had been up to most of the time that he had been watching them. He hadn't exactly been moody or negative about it but he hadn't been very interested at all.

The raven haired male did let out a bit of a sigh but because I could feel his body twitching in the previous moments before as he internally questioned whether he wanted to join in or not, I wasn't surprised when he did. Ben hopped down from the sofa and shuffled on his bottom across the floor, reaching out to the ornament that he knew was his so he could put it on the tree.

He took a surprising amount of time in choosing where exactly he wanted it to go. From my own position on the carpet, I could see that he was looking to hang it close enough to his twin sister's one but not too close to it either. JJ didn't observe that hard. He was too busy admiring the work that he and his father had mostly done.

However, after taking a step back to look at their handy work and seeing all of the sentimental and homemade and mostly nautical themed decorations, he had a chance to have a good look at Ben also. And when he did this, like it had been when he was around his father, his eyes sparked as yet another question formed in his mind. And needless to say, that time, it was for the messy haired male.

JJ let a couple of moments pass as Ben muttered to himself and decided to put his ornament next to little James' one instead but then following that, he came out with it. He took his glasses off and absentmindedly breathed on them before using his t-shirt to clean them. He seemed to be inspecting the glass rims when his words came out of him.

"So what's the reason that you're on Christmas strike, then?" JJ questioned in a voice that he hoped was easy-going and airy but he worried that that was not the case when Ben's face peered from the other side of the Christmas tree and he raised an eyebrow! JJ swallowed subtly and stared nonchalantly back. And it was when this little interaction was said and done with that the raven haired male didn't feel threatened or studied so even though he shrugged his shoulders, he did answer soon enough.

"Dunno." He responded at first and he saw the way that JJ nodded his head even though that was a gap-filling sort of word. Of course, he did know. He just took a little while to piece his words together. He just took a little while to piece his feelings together. He scrunched his nose up, his unruly locks seeming to spring out in all the more directions. "I guess I was just bored by the same old. You know, same old Christmas. Same old decorations. Some old traditions… Same old being at home."

JJ took his turn to exhale his own breath and his eyes misted over with understanding. I held my breath and I didn't know why but looking back now, I do. Jordan Junior really did relate to the raven haired male's words even though he didn't express it a lot of the time. He preferred to be grateful. But he really did understand. And he sometimes showed this by making jokes about his situation and his circumstance and his life. And there and then, he showed this by tilting his head towards Ben.

However at first, the far more tanned male of the two furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Words were quick to follow.

"C'mon. You're so smart and going places with your brain and your interests and everything. Even how you came into the world is interesting." Ben reminded him and though he appeared older than the orange haired male, his age of just fourteen was made clear by how at first he didn't think anyone could relate to how he was feeling. He continued, insisting while poking his decoration on the tree. "You can't feel-"

"Stuck? Come on." JJ finished for him and then he repeated his words. For an occasion that was quite rare for the orange haired boy, he looked a little bit annoyed. Ben's eyes widened just a little bit as he noticed this. But he didn't react apart from that and he kept quiet. JJ shook his head, his floppy hair moving in front of his eyes. The orange haired male stood up as he continued but it was not in a point-proving sort of way. He was simply being truthful and he stood up when he did that, just like how his father occupied his hands. "I think me being stuck at thirteen years old makes me relate pretty strongly to feeling stuck. But I don't deny that you don't feel similarly. I know that travelling is far more your thing and school feels not as natural and even bleak at times."

And when he heard these words, though Ben was fourteen years old and he did have a bit of an attitude that felt like nobody could relate to him, he was proven otherwise when JJ said these words. And the younger appearing male's willingness to be vulnerable in order to reassure him made it easier for Ben to reflect just a little. He bit his lip. He realised that JJ had hinted words to a similar affect to Jordan that very day.

The raven haired male's hands slipped into his pockets. He didn't apologise with words but he changed them slightly. He stopped biting his lip in order to speak while JJ inspected the tree all over.

"Well… I know that the sea is probably more your thing as well. But you're doing pretty well at the education thing and there should be someone in the family who is the smart one." Ben smirked a little bit in a stubborn way as he put forth and it caused JJ's eyes to flicker ever so slightly. The raven haired male thought it was due to his expression so he changed it. His hands went into his pockets further and he felt he ought to even out his mouth. He pressed his lips together wanly. "We may feel out of place but at least we feel it together."

I watched and had a smile as I heard this and I watched and my smile evened out as I focused on what the orange haired male would do next. I watched as he recovered from his flickering eyes. I also watched as, because the raven haired male thought that he was getting the last word, he took his decoration from being next to little James' as he decided it didn't look quite right there either.

JJ let yet another couple of moments pass before he said anything and he watched Ben move around the tree to try and find the perfect spot. And then as the raven haired male briefly looked up and out of habit, the orange haired male met his eyes and words came tumbling out of him. He reminded him.

"I don't think you should strike Christmas though, you know? Or any day for that matter. I think the both of us should focus on what is happening. And what is happening is not only is my dad around for us both and is happy but he's proof that you can get unstuck and things can move completely forward for you." JJ paused. Ben's deep brown orbs flickered and the whites around his eyes appeared as he listened. "And you can take the good out of even those seemingly stuck moments too."

And though Ben didn't say anything upon hearing these words – secretly and deep down and in a similar way to his own grandfather he was moved by what he was hearing – he showed it all with expression and gesture instead. He breathed out at what JJ said. And after doing that, he showed off a bit of a breathless grin. He reached out his spare hand to pat him on the shoulder. The orange haired male knew that he was getting a silent yet hearty response from this gesture so he absolutely accepted it. And not only that but he returned it also.

And those two boys didn't say anything for a small while following that. They didn't need to. They both followed JJ's words on focusing on the yellow haired male that was Jordan and understanding how much of a wonderful figure that he was in the both of their lives.

My heart simply could not feel fuller and if it did then it was certain to explode! It was always wonderful to see young people learning from the legacies of others and even putting into practice their wisdom at even more of a younger age than the original person.

The two boys' didn't say anything to each other for quite some time. They just started humming together and finishing off decorating the tree. And then at last, it was one of their turns to speak. And that time it was not Ben. It was JJ. He took note of the way that the raven haired male was still struggling to find a place for his ornament so he sought out to rectify that for him. He suggested.

"Here. Why don't you put your one next to mine? It doesn't belong with any of the others. If I do say so myself, they look really good together. Almost as good as Jordan's." JJ said and he smiled and Ben was a little taken aback. Confident in Pokémon Battle and sibling arguments, yes. But smug about his wood whittling and painting performances? Surprisingly not so much.

The raven haired male showed off a bit of a sheepish grin upon hearing these words but it was a grin nonetheless. Ben kept a hold of his ornament as he figured out where JJ had placed his and then he (begrudgingly) had to hand it over to JJ when it was the younger appearing male who was the taller of the two as Ben couldn't reach the height of the orange haired male's one.

The eldest Ketchum son had handed his handy work over to JJ to place on the Christmas tree but even so, he playfully went about making it difficult for him by poking him and tickling him and nudging him while he tried to reach up to the full height of the tree. JJ laughed but he tried to shove him off. And then Ben shoved him back. And then soon enough, both boys were play-fighting and laughing together while they raced to hang Ben's decoration at the top of the tree next to JJ.

And it was there and then that Jordan finally left Morgan's room after consoling her and making her feel a lot better and instead of making a beeline and joining in with the younger boy's laughter or joining me in laughing and enjoying their youthful antics – he spotted someone else – he spotted someone else in the doorway and he joined them instead.

Lynne was standing there after having just come in through that doorway herself and she had spotted both her grandson and her son having fun together and it simply melted every inch of her also. She beamed to herself. She beamed all the more when Jordan didn't hesitate to join her side, wrapping his strong arms around her and pulling her close.

"Simply having a wonderful Christmas time." He repeated the words that he had been singing earlier on with a smile on his face and after pressing a kiss to Lynne's cheek and watching JJ and Ben himself, though he couldn't keep his eyes off them and their mischief, he soon couldn't take his eyes off Lynne either. He shook his head. He grinned sheepishly. But he grinned full of gratitude. He pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and uttered in a soft voice. "Can you believe it? Two boys and both of them a joy to watch together and apart. Two boys and both of them ours – both of them family – no matter what."

And with that, while Lynne's eyes lit up as she heard these words as she like myself heard the soft and joy-filled way that Jordan referred to that section of his family, the yellow haired male then pressed a second kiss to her cheek before hugging her tighter, nuzzling into her neck.

And then all I could do was just nod my head myself as JJ finally settled on letting Ben clamber up onto his shoulders to place the ornament on the Christmas tree himself. But when the two of them almost toppled over together, it took all of my strength not to laugh out loud! But of course I did. For that was another lesson I had learned from Jordan.

It was good to laugh. It was good to be honest. It was okay to feel stuck. But it was even better to even appreciate those moments when life isn't going so well. And it was simply everything to come up against life with a beaming attitude and kind words to say.

It seemed to me and it was very clear to me that Jordan had a holiday spirit all year round. He went the extra mile for people. He made sure to appreciate the little moments. He made sure to appreciate family, no matter how crazy it was. And he laughed. He belly laughed! Jordan had a holiday spirit in him all year round. And he certainly made my Christmases worth it. Along with everybody else that was in my own family.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 So yeah, that concludes all of my winter themed chapters. At one point I didn't think I'd get them all done as Christmas was fast approaching! I hope you all enjoyed yourselves whether you were celebrating or not. This chapter definitely lightly touches on things I'll go more into in the future. I really enjoyed a chapter with Jordan and JJ to focus on their relationship as well as JJ and Ben because as you may well know, they are actually siblings. And I use the words "older/younger appearing" in the chapter because since JJ was the baby that Ash and Misty miscarried when they were 17, he would technically be older than Ben and Katie if he was born normally. But since he is also an angel and for other reasons, he remains stuck at 13 years old for quite some time :P Thanks again and I will be back on the 28th to update To You Both so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3