"You failed to inform me that your church had a midnight service, Erin. I was expecting a Christmas Eve event," Derek said as he guided his tired wife to his truck for the second time that morning. She shrugged a little before lifting her face. Chuckling a little, he brushed his lips against her before helping her into the passenger seat.

"I rather like the tradition of greeting Christmas in this manner," she said as she snuggled back into the seat after fastening her belt. "Don't forget the cookies and pies."

"I was about to head back inside for the rest," he replied before rubbing her stomach a few times. Erin purred at the touch, and he chuckled before handing over the first container of treats. "The keys are on top of that bag, so you can start the truck while you're waiting for me."

"And then I can get warm!"

"Exactly," he said before closing the door and heading back into the apartment to get the rest of the desserts and Clooney. They were going to be gone too long for him to feel comfortable with leaving him home, and he hoped that everyone else would be all right with the dog being there. By the time he had returned to the truck, Erin was fast asleep, which didn't surprise him, and he smiled at her as he placed the other food containers at her feet before loading Clooney in the back set of seats. Once underway, Derek kept checking on his wife, seeing the way that she cradled her tiny baby bump as she leaned towards him.

After pulling into her driveway, Derek turned off the truck before pulling out his phone and texting Tabitha. Would you and your brother please come out and help me? You know how much your mother baked these last few days, and I have Clooney with me, too.

It took a moment for her to answer, and even then, it was a short okay. Surprisingly, the door to the garage opened mere seconds after he received that text, and then all her kids were coming out into the garage. Chuckling quietly, he slipped out of the truck and let Clooney out, handing the leash to Bruce before going to the passenger side and opening that door. Somehow, Erin managed to sleep through the commotion, and he gave the food containers to Karen and Tabitha before shooing them inside. Once the garage door was closed once more, he leaned in and pressed his lips to the side of Erin's head, hoping to give her a gentle awakening.

"Did you let me fall asleep, Der?" she asked through a yawn, and he nodded. "I'm not going to sleep tonight, you know."

"I can think of a way to make you tired," he said saucily, and she laughed as she tapped his chest with her fingertips. "Now, let's get inside. I'm certain that lunch is almost ready."

"I should have been here to help with that," she groused as he helped her out of the truck, and he shook his head. "Yes, I should have! I'm a bad host."

"Erin Morgan, you are the furthest thing from a bad host. Everyone is comfortable here, you've made far too many treats for today, and you've made certain everyone gets a gift from us. It is okay to let other people help you out, especially as you are currently pregnant. Okay?"

"Okay," she sighed out as they entered the house. He breathed in the delicious smells of Christmas as they came into the kitchen. His mother and Marlene were hard at work at the stove and counters, and he grinned as he slipped past them, snagging a deviled egg on the way.

"I saw that, Derek! You don't want to ruin your appetite!"

"Yes, Mama," he answered a bit petulantly, knowing that it would make Erin giggle. Giving her a broad wink, he snagged two more of the eggs, handing her one, swallowing it down before helping Erin out of her coat and hanging it on the hook near the door, covering hers with his. "What do you need us to do?"

"Go into the living room and relax. We have things handled in here," Marlene answered, giving them both a warm smile. Erin nodded before hugging her mother tightly, whispering something in her ear. Marlene nodded before kissing Erin's cheek, and then his wife returned to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist as they joined the others in the living room. Bruce and Christina got up from the sofa, and he nodded to the younger man before he and Erin took those seats. She immediately curled up into him, and he settled his arm around her shoulders, running his hand up and down her arm as they stared at the Christmas tree.

"There are so many gifts beneath the tree," Erin murmured.

"There are quite a few people here, Pretty Lady. Twelve of us, plus presents for the baby equal that amount of gifts."

She nodded and curled her hand into the fabric of his shirt, starting to hum beneath her breath as they listened to the chatter of the others. Derek found something so happy about scene, and he relaxed a little as they joined in on the conversation. "Mama, did you tell Derek about the one Christmas Aunt Lizzie came, and Bruce thought she was an angel?"

"No, I don't think I've heard this story before. Care to share, Erin?"

She let out a soft, happy, sigh before nodding. "So, you know that my sister is an opera singer?" He nodded, though he could see his sisters putting their heads together to whisper about this new knowledge for them. "Well, there was one perfect year, when her schedule allowed her to fly here, since I couldn't very well travel overseas with three small children for a short period of time. My ex-husband would have been no help, and well, she came here, along with Mom and Dad. So, Christmas Day came, and we went to the midnight service, without my ex. Lizzie and Bruce became fast friends, and then the congregation began to sing the first song. He was enthralled, and it was a delight to watch his little face light up with utter disbelief. I wish that mobile phones had had decent cameras then, like they do now, so that I could have captured that look for posterity. Anyway, for the rest of the service, Bruce wouldn't take his eyes off her any time she sang. And then we sang 'Angels We Have Heard On High', and his enchantment just grew."

Her son blushed a little as he shrugged. "We didn't really listen to a lot of opera music then, though that changed after her visit." Bruce met Derek's eye. "I think that you'd like her, Derek. Even if she's almost the polar opposite of Mom. Here, you can listen to her sing!"

Bruce hurriedly got to his feet and grabbed the remote control from the side table, turning on the television. Derek watched him call up YouTube before searching out a name that Derek was vaguely familiar with, thanks to Desiree's interest in classic music. His sister met his eye, her jaw dropping and she shrugged. "You're telling me that you didn't know your wife was the sister of my favourite singer?" she hissed and he shrugged. "You need to pay more attention."

"My focus has been fixed on my wife and our baby, honestly. All the other details sort of fall by the wayside," he replied, rolling his eyes a little before snuggling Erin closer to him.

"I'll have to make certain that you meet her, then," Erin said quietly. "I think, if my doctor is right, the baby should be born sometime in August, which is when she's planned her next short break. It would be easy enough to have her come here for the birth before going to Mama and Papa in Switzerland."

"That would be amazing, Erin!" Desiree exclaimed, and he chuckled a little at the starstruck look on his sister's face. "Hush, Derek. We still have numerous stories that we could tell about you. Ones that I'm not certain you'd want us to divulge."

He swallowed thickly as he nodded, knowing that there were a few doozies that they could tell the others. "I will keep that in mind, Desiree."

"Keep what in mind, Derek?" his mother asked as she stepped into the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Oh, sweetie, it's that opera singer that you love! Did you ask Erin to play some of her music?"

"No, that's our Elizabeth," Marlene said as she joined them.

"Oh!"

Marlene shrugged, looking so much like Erin in that moment, and Derek grinned as he nodded. "I guess that it's my fault for not recognizing the fact that my wife has a famous sister," he said as he got to his feet, knowing that it was time to eat. "But let me guess, you're here to get us for lunch?"

Marlene nodded. "Yes. Dale's carving the ham and turkey, and then everything will be ready. If I could get you to pour the wine, Derek, the others can gather around the table. There isn't any assigned seating, so sit wherever you'd like." She reached out and squeezed Erin's shoulder softly before leaving the room with Derek's mother, and then the others were following her out of the room as Derek helped Erin to her feet.

By the time they reached the dining room, there were only two spots open, between Desiree and Karen, and he shook his head a little as he pushed Erin's seat closer to the table and then picked up the first wine bottle and began to fill the empty glasses. Marlene followed behind him with a carafe of water for the other glasses, filling both of Erin's glasses with water.

Once that task was taken care of, he took a seat next to his wife, and then they were taking hold of each other's hands as Dale rose to his feet. "I've been tasked with saying grace this year, since I'm the oldest one here. That's supposed to mean that I have the most wisdom, but I have doubts about that, since the older I get, the less I feel I know." He looked each of them in the eye before clearing his throat and looking down at the table. "Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us all together this holy season. As we celebrate the birth of Your son, we also celebrate the upcoming birth of our own miracle, Erin and Derek's child. This time, next year, they'll be holding the baby in their arms, if it is Your will, and we will rejoice alongside them. Thank You for allowing us to all get here safely, and to find common ground between us, despite the difference in ages and experiences. May we bond as a family and learn to do our best for each other, even as You do Your best for us. Amen."

"Amen," they all softly echoed, and he looked over at his wife, noticing that she had tears sparkling in her eyes. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek softly before picking up the platter of deviled eggs that had somehow been placed in front of them, setting two more on his platter before holding the platter out to her, seeing her take two as well.

"Now I know what to make you when you're not feeling the best," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded, a small blush staining her cheeks. He chuckled softly, kissing her cheek before passing the platter on to Bruce. Soon enough, all the food had gone around, and they were settling into their meal. A large part of his heart was glad that they were all together like this, but he was also sad in knowing that it was only because it was the holiday season that they were together. He didn't want this feeling of family and community to disappear, so he knew that he would have to wring every bit of good from the moments they were together until they had to leave for their own homes once more.