Hello, it is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter! Following last week's slightly heavier chapter, this one is much lighter. Though, of course, there can't be no drama at all, but for most of the part, it's just a really festive one :D I knew I wanted to write this, this Christmas. To tell you the truth, it's a self indulgent piece and a bit of a soothing thing for me to write how sometimes people don't get along - sometimes there are really big dramas and differences that can happen in your life - but you can still gather together and forgive. This story tells of a year where Sammy and Lucy together host a Christmas Eve gathering. I hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
The world was beginning to get covered by a thick blanket outside of the windows. The clock ticked pleasantly on. The kitchen was warm. And Sammy darted all about in preparation for the Christmas Eve gathering that he and Lucy was hosting. He made sure mince pies were all lined up on the tray. Glasses were out and ready for their non-alcoholic drinks. The oven was warming through Christmas pastry nibbles.
Oh, it was just the best time of year!
These were his thoughts, I could tell they were on his mind as he freed his tattoo etched hands from being enclosed with oven gloves, shaking them onto the floor now that he had checked the progress of what was being cooked, a smile stretching closer to his earring adorned lobe.
But they were my thoughts as well. It really was such a lovely time of year. These were the moments that he really lived for. And now that he had somehow been aligned with the greatest blessing of all, Christmas time was that extra bit sweeter.
When he and Justin had finished their nearly decade long relationship, Sammy didn't think that he would ever find love again. And he didn't for a length of time that felt like a decade to him. But then like a breeze that ran soft and warm, catching you off guard and enveloping you in its glory, love had knocked for him all over again.
At first, it was under the guise of friendship. And then something easy. Something non-committal. Now it was deep. It was true. Lucy had found him on his bleakest of days and now they were able to share all their dazzling ones together.
It's true what they say. Sometimes what you are looking for is right under your nose.
On this occasion, however, the other half of a heart was creeping up behind the other party rather than sneaking under one's nose ring adorned nostrils. Lucy was suddenly in the kitchen as well, pulling Sammy close into her arms from behind before he could think about dashing around again.
From sitting on the dining table with the empty drinks glasses that needed to be moved into the living room, I watched Sammy melt like butter in her embrace immediately.
"Oh, you're doing such an amazing job in here." she complimented, her delicate arms wrapping further around Sammy from behind and in between speaking, she peppered the back of his neck with affectionate kisses. "Do you need me to do anything?"
A quick glance around the room would've told Lucy that Sammy had everything under control. But she had to ask. She liked to be useful. She certainly had been as she busied herself with getting the living room ready for all their guests, her natural creative flair turning the room into quite the festive nest.
Although Sammy had been dashing around all over the kitchen to get everything done, his heart and his spirit was relaxed. I knew of this because of the way that he didn't twitch out of Lucy's touch to move onto the next thing that was calling him and instead allowed himself to be held.
However, the next motion that he did was because he wanted to hold her. He wanted to look at her. He couldn't see enough of her from looking out of the kitchen window at the snowy world and spying her reflection!
Sammy took her hands in his and grinned wider from the moment that he saw her, kissing the top of her knuckles before resting them against his jaw as he spoke to her in return.
"Everything is done in here pretty much." he answered against the hand of Lucy's that had once reached his and dissipated all his sorrows. He altered her hand with his own one, so it was open, enjoying resting his chin down into her palm. "All there is to do now is wait for all the important guests to arrive."
Sammy's almond shaped eyes darted to the clock on the wall. It was a minute or two past seven o'clock. Yes, they wouldn't be alone much longer. Seeing as he would much rather look at Lucy rather than the mundane face on the wall, he soon fixed his eyes back on her shape.
And in the process, he missed the expression that I set free after hearing his words! Somehow, Lucy could gauge it without even looking at me. And with a gasp and pulling away from Sammy which caused his eyebrows to momentarily knot together, the considerate lady didn't refrain from scooping me up under the armpits and pulling me close.
A kiss to the center of my fuzzy forehead appeased me nicely.
"Oh, what a nasty thing to say when the guest of honour is already here!" Lucy gasped a second time, pressing her powdered cheek against mine that was quickly reddening even more than usual. I knew that this was an exaggeration, but I appreciated her care all the same. She kissed my hot cheek while the front doorbell rang. "That will probably be Ash and Misty. They can hardly bare being away from their dear friend and I don't blame them."
Again, this was dreadful flattery! But I lapped it up at the best of times and certainly from Lucy. I hesitantly allowed myself to be put down on the floor after a final squeeze to follow Sammy to the front door now that he had stopped widening his eyes at me in apology, for half a heartbeat being worried that Lucy's telling off had been real. And that I was offended.
I was not. Not really.
It was hard to be at the making up that Lucy had done because of her partner's careless words. And it was hard to be at Christmas. It was about to get a whole lot more festive. And I for one had a skip in my ageing step as I frolicked with Sammy towards the front door.
Like the picture that Lucy had painted, it was Ash and Misty. After the initial greeting from Sammy and I, and I was lifted onto the shoulder of my best friend after they had rid themselves of their coats, scarves and gloves, we all trotted back into kitchen.
Ash made a beeline to greet Lucy since he had shaken Sammy's tattoo splattered hand in the hallway and once again, my cheeks throbbed when my skin momentarily brushed against Lucy's as they embraced.
"Thank you so much for having us, you guys." Ash showed off his own grin that was as youthful as it had been from the moment that I first knew him. He pulled away from Lucy and moved towards his wife to take the rectangle dish that she was carrying so she could give both Lucy and Sammy a cuddle. "Mom sends her love and sent me with this dessert too. It'll be like she's here and still taking care of us."
I smiled from Ash's shoulder and pressed my cheek against his while clutching onto his shoulder. It must've still been warmer than usual because he gave me a bit of a glance in between lifting the dish closer to him, his nose lifting the foil slightly to give it an inhale.
Delia was spending Christmas making friends on a beach in Alola. It was something that she had always wanted to do and after a lifetime of thinking about everybody else, this was the smallest thing that we could grant her! But we would miss her.
Misty pulled away from Lucy and after complimenting her on yet another beautiful dress like always, she broke the distance with her husband, but it was to greet me as well. I was relieved when her fingers made a beeline for the top of my head instead.
"She sent me photographs earlier. She's already having the best time in the sun." Misty in those few words painted quite a picture. We all knew what Delia was like with a bit of warmth on her skin and a drink or two in her system! Smiles in the kitchen stretched wide. "Delia has loved Alola since Ash first took her."
Sammy gratefully took the dish from Ash now that he had stopped inhaling most of the scent with his quivering nostrils and smiled, genuinely glad to be hearing the conversation that Misty had been offering. He felt a touch on his arm from Misty as he put the glass dish down on the countertop. He knew that it wasn't because of the invite.
He had spent many years in Alola, and it had always been a wonderful place to call home.
"Well, I'm glad that she's enjoying her Christmas and how thoughtful of her to think of us like this." Sammy's dark but amiable eyes darted between Ash and Misty as he spoke. After he told them both to thank Delia for him and Lucy, he turned to Ash particularly, his hand moving to the middle of the older man's back. "There's a tray on the dining table of snacks that people can eat while they're waiting for the main bulk. Do you want to take some into the living room with you?"
Silly question! But it was a thoughtful gesture, and certainly kind of Sammy to make sure that Ash was aware of it. I moved away from my best friend's shoulder and back onto the table where there was indeed a tray of treats ready to be eaten.
Ash's eyes lit up as if they had absorbed the quality of the fairy lights that Lucy had draped over the mirror in the living room for the occasion. Patting Sammy gratefully on the back in return, he didn't hesitate to make a beeline for the tray in question, already practically foaming at the mouth.
Out of habit, Misty raised a finger in the air before her husband could engulf the lot and forget that other guests were scheduled to arrive.
"Perhaps just take one or two, honey." she advised, looking over at Ash before rolling her eyes fondly in between Sammy and Lucy.
Unlike Ash reaction to Misty's words, the two of them didn't seem to mind! And they privately shared a smile with each other and me and it wasn't long before I understood what this glance meant.
I was thinking about it and with a smile elevating my mouth closer to my cheeks as Ash and Misty disappeared into the living room to make themselves comfortable before everybody else arrived.
From Misty's warning, it was as if Delia really was there with us, perhaps even more so than the sweet gesture of the dessert! The three of us, however, didn't have time to amusedly comment on this once Ash and Misty were out of earshot. The doorbell rang through the house all over again.
This time as I decided to stay behind in the kitchen and let Sammy do the initial greeting, I think that he must've decided that he would leave the door open on the latch so people could just come and go as they pleased.
My heart elevated in my chest from the second that I heard new voices in the hall along with the higher pitched sounds and smaller feet scuffing on the wood of the floor. It was the first of the small children.
Sammy's own children, Darcy, Zack and Layla, who were chilling out in one of the other rooms, would be so pleased to have some playmates. But I was too. Children always lit up my world. And the little ones of people that I have very vivid memories of being little themselves are no different.
Sammy breezed back into the kitchen, this time followed by Jayden and Katie and their two little darlings, Alice and Honey. Katie had been holding the younger of the two, Honey, close to her hip but when she saw me seated on top of the dining room table, she decided to place her daughter there too.
The toddler giggled with delight and clapped her hands before hugging me so closely that I nearly couldn't breathe. It was unfortunate that everyone was so occupied with greeting each other that I had to try and squeeze my way out of the child's hold all by myself.
"Look at you two!" Sammy clamored now that Lucy and Katie were in the same room together, both dear friends reaching out for each other to hold each other close as a greeting. Their arms were still wrapped around each other, and their cheeks pressed against one and other as Sammy pointed to their vintage dresses that complemented beautifully. "If I had realized that there was a dress code, I would've busted my own floor length one out."
Jayden openly laughed upon hearing this, one hand clutching a bottle of sparkling grape juice in a long and thin bag with one hand and his other resting down on the top of Alice's head who was quietly taking everything in.
The joy of her mother and her friend. The warmth of the room. The festivities to come.
Instead of looking down at his daughter even though his hand was there, Jayden couldn't help but look at Sammy up and down, thinking that he had played it rather casual in his black jumper and his black skinny jeans.
But Lucy broke away from Katie at last before he could say anything, giving him a hug of a greeting too before focusing her attention on Alice. She complimented her beautiful, ruffled blue frock as well and then let her know a bit more about the evening.
"Darcy, Zack and Layla are chilling together in Darcy's room. Sammy's guitar room is there if anybody wants some alone time to just take a breather." Lucy said and Alice listened, her big blue eyes focusing on her mother's friend's eyebrows moving. Then she nodded and decided to trot off to find the other children. Katie was breathing out gratefully before Lucy moved to give her another squeeze, this time a caring one. "You can use Sammy's room too if you like."
Though Katie's cheeks warmed upon hearing this as she doubted that she would allow herself the same grace and accommodations that she readily offered her eldest daughter, she squeezed her good friend back gratefully. But then she turned to where I was sitting with Honey on the table. It was too little too late!
Both Katie and Jayden held hands to their chests lovingly and moved to wrap their arms around each other in unison. Yes, it was rather cute that Honey had given me such an excitable squeeze that she had suddenly come over all tired and was lounging her lulling, sleepy head against mine.
Sammy took a turn to speak after taking the bottle bag off Jayden so he could properly show Katie affection while gazing adoringly over at Honey. He too couldn't help but smile at the sweetness of the display that matched the sugary name she had.
"Me and Lucy's room is available to put any sleeping little ones for a snooze when the time comes." Sammy offered, showing more than just me that they clearly had put a lot of thought into the evening that they were hosting. Like it was a bit late for me to be rescued from the clutches of Honey, it seemed too late to scoop the child up and away from sleepiness. "You might find your dad heading there too. No doubt will he feel drowsy after tucking into all the food that he's been eyeing up!"
Sammy spoke these next words to Katie. That was how she found out that her parents had arrived before them. Leaving Jayden to carefully scoop Honey up and take her to the other room as festivities became too much for her already, Katie bid a brief farewell to Lucy and Sammy and moved to see Ash and Misty.
She had only just been with the two of them, but she still wanted to catch up! And she wanted to make sure that they were okay. It was the first time that they announced to all their children that they would be having a social Christmas Eve instead of family time. It had perturbed them when nobody seemed to care!
Katie would be joining them at Lucy and Sammy's gathering anyway. Ben had been invited to spend the time with Eddie and the family and the same with James going to the Oak Household to see Dylan. Jessika had stayed behind at culinary school and was going to have a slap-up feast with her friends before driving home the following morning. Sweet Rey was volunteering at the community center and helping at the Christmas Eve sleepover for the evening.
Yes, Ash and Misty's children had certainly grown up. They had grown up fast. The same, however, couldn't be said for some other guests even though they were much older than the Ketchum children. They had even had more than the one time on earth!
You see, with Honey being nestled onto the bed by Jayden, and Katie catching up with her parents and Alice joining Darcy, Zack and Layla with what they were up to, Lucy and Sammy had a moment or two to themselves before the oven went off and the next batch of treats were ready.
They had some time before the next guests arrived. Or so they thought!
They were still in the kitchen and engaged in the kind of kiss that made me look away and wish that they were serving the alcoholic kind of drinks that evening when two guests let themselves into the door that Sammy had left ajar.
Rupert and David were soon in the kitchen. And David was trying to get Rupert to behave as he jokingly (I almost hoped that he wasn't) held the bottle of sparkling juice that he had bought like a telescope. He was suddenly a sea captain spying less than ideal situations on the horizon.
"Put the girl down. Your money or your life." Rupert threatened in that deadpan voice that would make even the steeliest of souls to twitch in fright! Immediately and thank goodness for me who could stop staring down at my bony feet, Sammy indeed put Lucy down immediately.
His cheeks flushed a similar color to mine, and I just had to pray for my sake that Lucy didn't plant a kiss there like she had done to my own throbbing skin. Although deep down I knew that I was okay with witnessing those kinds of kisses between the two of them.
In the moment that Sammy put Lucy down, bashfully moving away from her, David stepped in in his calm and placid manner, touching Rupert on the crook of the arm so he lowered the glass bottle down.
A truce was needed. It was necessary on Christmas Eve. Not that any true drama existed. Rupert was just a jokester.
"You need to stop doing things like that." David warned softly in between blinking his owllike eyes behind his glasses before being infected by his own partner's good humor and jovial nature. His usually timid lips quirked upwards as he said something amusing. "You know what it's like to make people uncomfortable with your passionate displays. Usually, it's the person on the receiving end."
Sammy couldn't help but openly cackle upon hearing this. It was always delightful when someone reserved and shy like David spoke up and came out with something truly admirable and worth listening to.
Unfortunately for everybody else, Rupert was easily won over and he too was impressed by his partner's quick wit. It was the kind of behavior from him that would lead him to say that he had taught him well before making a grab with him and peppering him with that passionate affection of his.
But fortunately, for everybody else, Lucy broke between the two men, and she couldn't help but clasp her feminine hands together underneath her chin after Rupert handed Sammy the bottle that had previously been a spy tool and had shaken his hand, his left hand cupping his elbow as a sign of good cheer.
Lucy gazed warmly in between Rupert and David. They had been like fathers to her when she felt like she had nobody.
"Oh, I'm just so happy to get to see you on Christmas Eve." she found herself gushing, her cheeks flushing a much more flattering shade than mine did and matching her suede lipstick. Sammy could tell that his partner's words were true without even needing to hear them. Lucy moved to link an arm each with the two older men. "Alto Mare's loss is certainly our gain."
Like Delia, Rupert and David had planned on catching a flight for Christmas. They were going to spend the festive period in Rupert's old home city now that their own children had stretched taller and taller and had plans of their own.
But their flights had been cancelled. And like Lucy spelled out, their loss was her own gain. There was nothing that she wanted more than to spend the magical evening with all those that she adored the most.
It wasn't enough for the two men to link arms with the woman who was indeed like a daughter to them. Lucy was soon enough in Rupert's affectionate embrace, and she could feel David's hand on her shoulder and kissing the back of her soft, spring-shaded hair.
Then, for a rare occasion, David made a bold move and pulled Lucy out of his partner's arms, taking her hand in his soft one and encouraging her to spin around. His eyes glittered from behind his brown frames. He might have been the silent type, but he spoke up when he saw something lovely.
"You make any Christmas delight pale to insignificance tonight, my dear." David complimented, leading Rupert behind them both to feel his beard twitching apart as if he had been the one flattered. He might as well have been. Lucy was a part of his heart. "This looks good on you. And so does happiness."
David asked for permission from Lucy and when it was granted, he began appreciating stroking the belt of her white and blue vintage dress before tracing the pleats of the skirt downwards. He nodded his head, almost approvingly while Sammy felt his own cheeks warming before he told himself to wise up and take the treats out of the oven.
He agreed that happiness did make Lucy shimmer like the most beautiful mirror ball for all to see. He knew that she was the reason for his glee, and he hoped that he was partially the reason for her natural pep. But he also was not so egotistical that he couldn't see that it was also because of herself.
Her bravery. Her courage to try again. To love again. To pick herself up after the greatest heartache of all.
Sammy never wanted to see her in pain. But he wondered if she – like him – would go through it all in a heartbeat to end up where they then were. Together.
Lucy's cheeks still tingling at David being more vocal than usual and like Rupert usually was, she told him that Katie was dressed up too. And after offering her arm to him and he clutched onto it, she led him off to the living room to say hi to everybody else but, most importantly, to get a glance of Katie's fluttering skirts as well.
I couldn't help but feel a little offended that Lucy didn't offer me an arm too! And I was equally as snubbed when I watched Rupert and Sammy spy each other silently, their mouths pressing together to acknowledge to each other that they had been left alone together.
But they hadn't been. I was still there! So much for guest of honor!
Through narrowed eyes and biting down on my bitter tongue, I watched Rupert reach into the pocket of his white shirt beneath his tank top, flicking away the scarf that he was wearing because he hadn't bothered to yet discard it.
He pulled out a packet and offered Sammy to share the contents of it with him.
"You want?" Rupert murmured simply, allowing the younger male to spy the cigarette packet. Sammy tilted his head, trying to glance around at the living room even though he didn't need to.
It wasn't Lucy who disapproved of his habits, it was his parents! And thankfully, they had not yet arrived.
Sammy didn't hesitate to nod his head and pat Rupert gratefully on the back, the two of them heading off towards the back door to indulge. I knew that it was a bonding thing. And if I stretched my mind far enough, I knew it was a touch of approval from Rupert.
Lucy was like a daughter to he and David. That meant Sammy now could be a son. And even though they didn't exactly need any more, their hearts were still open. Anybody who lifted their girl out of her sorrows would always be a friend of theirs.
I suddenly wiped my previous scowl off my face as I moved to the draining board to peer out the window to think about how lucky I was to call all these people my friends and have them bestow that lovely label on me in return.
Things weren't always easy. They were quite smooth and pleasant there and then, but they could change at a moment's notice. But that's life, isn't it? Something I've learned is that you shouldn't fear that change, however. And even if things are rocky, doesn't mean that they won't get polished like a smooth pebble all over again.
Things were always changing. But our loyalty to each other? Our eagerness to share the special moments? No. That never changed.
And while I could smell Sammy and Rupert's cigarette smoke wafting in through the window and it made me threaten to wince again, I decided to encourage my brain to see things on the lighter side.
Connection is what makes the world go round. Even ones formed because of the inhale of tobacco and the exhale of a cloud bigger than the mere haze of cold that you breathe out on a cold winter morning.
Not everybody could paint pictures in my mind though. And Sammy's father, Peter, didn't quite see things on the bright side of things when he and his wife let themselves into the kitchen after arriving and Sammy and Rupert arrived back to the kitchen.
Sammy couldn't help but gasp through a smoke tainted throat! Meanwhile, Rupert merely comically widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows closer to his hairline.
Jennifer swallowed a smirk. She distracted herself by moving to press her cool fingers against my forehead as I seated myself back on the dining table.
"It would truly be a Christmas miracle if you left behind that disgusting habit of yours, Samuel." Peter said in a voice as straight forward as the frost that wakes you up in the morning. But to contradict his peculiar greeting, he was reaching forward to his son to pull him into an embrace.
Perhaps this was his way of saying that his opinion was never going to change. But his love for his son never would.
Sammy's own eyebrows moved closer to that thick head of hair of his and his met his mother's gaze over his father's shoulder as he confusedly didn't hesitate to embrace him in return. Father and son still had arms around each other as Jennifer moved her soothing hands away from me.
Just like her husband, she was unable to not let her own feelings be known! She relished in now having the freedom to be able to do that.
"Ay, Peter, I think our dear Lord is too busy trying to answer my prayers of getting you to lighten up before he can work on our son in any way." Jennifer retorted, causing Rupert's beard to alter on his face all over again, this time as his mouth puckered, impressed with the feisty Paldean woman that he had not met before. Sammy was soon in Jennifer's arms now that he had left Peter's. "Thank you to you and your wonderful woman for having us tonight."
Sammy readily accepted his mother's kiss on the cheek and after he responded with a kiss on either cheek of hers, he answered her question of wondering where Lucy had got to. After he pointed in the direction of the hearty conversation and warmth omitting from the living room, he made sure to introduce Rupert to both Peter and Jennifer.
Peter's perfectly arched, whiting eyebrow shot up even more when he learnt that he was being introduced by Justin's - the same Justin who had deemed his son not a worthy husband – great uncle and that Lucy used to live with both Rupert and his partner, David.
Fortunately, Rupert himself stepped in before Peter's eyebrow could elevate for a different reason. He had shaken Sammy's father's hand and had just finishing pressing a kiss of a greeting to Jennifer's knuckles when he found himself introducing himself with humor.
He couldn't help but bring back up Peter's disdain at catching Sammy hurriedly slapping the packet of cigarettes back into Rupert's hand.
"I'm just letting you know that your son was only smoking for strictly educational purposes." Rupert began, Sammy already feeling his own well-groomed eyebrow shooting up on his face. Rupert summoned his best, unreadably innocent smile. "I've never done it before, and Sammy was kindly teaching me."
Rupert stopped holding onto Jennifer's hand and his used his open palm to pat Sammy gratefully between the shoulder blades. Jennifer let an exhale out of her mouth at the bold-faced lie but could see the humor that Rupert was concocting.
However, Peter couldn't see the light side of things and thought that he was being taken for a fool! He waved his hands dismissively and grumbled to himself, heading to the living room to see if he could find better company there.
With another kiss pressed to her son's cheek and trying to stifle even more laughter inside her lips swiped with red gloss, Jennifer knew that she had to head off to find her husband before he took Rupert's humor out on somebody else.
Sammy and Rupert were about to turn to look at each other. Rupert was even about to offer a sparkling eyed apology for brushing his father the wrong way, his hand reaching to the younger man's shoulder to squeeze it.
But a few more people welcomed themselves into the kitchen. A few years ago, it would've sent Sammy over the edge to experience chilliness from his father and then turn around and see Eli standing there!
"Were you getting a bollocking off your dad?" Justin asked, his arms folding over his narrow chest since he had rid himself of his jacket in the hallway and he pressed his lips together sympathetically, standing half a foot taller than his husband, Eli, who had entered with him.
Yes, there would have been a time that Sammy would've grumbled similarly to his father at coming face to face with this little family. But time had moved on. A few Christmases had passed. And now Lucy was breezing back into the kitchen all on her own, blinking in a similarly caring way to Justin as she caught hold of his words.
When Rupert pressed his mouth together in a different way and slinked off to find his own partner, it became obvious that he was the culprit! But Sammy didn't name and shame him. What was the point? And besides, it had been funny.
Lucy back by his side again, he moved his hand to lightly touch the small of her back before shaking his head at Justin even though the word that tumbled out of his lips at first was a yes. He shook his head because it didn't matter.
Their children were going to be able to spend Christmas Eve with both their dads. That is what mattered.
"You know what he's like." Sammy murmured to Justin who did know what Peter was like. He could've ended up with him as a father-in-law. This thought made Sammy's mouth stretch into a grin as he moved to hug the two men before Lucy wondered if she should first, greeting them. "Thank you so much for coming. And it's especially cool to see you!"
The way that Sammy said these words after giving Eli a brief, sideways hug caused Lucy and I to meet each other's gazes and almost fall over! But then we realized who Sammy was speaking to.
Eli's cat that he had brought along for the evening – he brought her most places really – yowled loudly as she knew that she was being spoken to and she trusted her owner enough to not protest when his arms wrapped around her middle and encouraged her onto Sammy's shoulder.
I couldn't help but spy the scene and think she must have felt so much lighter than even I did to a ten-year-old Ash as I clambered onto his shoulder. She was mostly bone! And skin, as Justin would've pointed out.
Eli's cat who Justin's children had affectionately dubbed Mrs Chicken, settled comfortably enough on Sammy's shoulder as he took the correct end of her harness in his hand so she couldn't go anywhere, Lucy leaning in too to brush her fingertips along the cat's bald head.
With a hand on his husband's shoulder to not exclude him (or to sweeten him up in case he heard what was coming next) Justin moved in closer to Sammy and it wasn't so he could nuzzle the cat as well. In fact, he wished to do the opposite!
As he mumbled near to the father of his three children, Sammy unsurely rested his spare hand on Justin's slim chest.
"If you suddenly realize that you don't have a turkey tomorrow just say the word and I'll-"
Justin did not have time to finish that joking sentence, only to click his tongue playfully and gesture his thumb towards the oven. He was not cut off because Eli yelped and told him off. He surely would've done if the kitchen hadn't grown a lot fuller!
Like Peter had done to Sammy, when Justin's father entered with his mother, he scolded him. But James with his arm around Jessie was a lot more palatable. And he couldn't often scold his children without even the smallest of glints in his eyes.
He had a big diamond in his gaze as he had heard his son's rotten words.
"You are a menace and it's a wonder that you get invited anywhere." James hummed with amusement, leaving his wife's side with a kiss on her hand before being so close to Justin and Sammy that he moved in between them both, wrapping an arm around them and kissing their cheeks in spite his son's questionable humor. "Hi, my boys."
Before Eli's eyes could drop down, feeling a little discarded and certainly without his comforting pet on his shoulder, James' shoulder that had been wrapping around Justin's slim frame suddenly extended past him and reached to lightly bash his knuckles against Eli's jaw.
Eli wasn't so into a tight hug for a greeting and especially not in a busy kitchen. But he recognized this gesture for what it was. He too was included. He perked up, reaching his touch out to Justin's father in response and even resting on Justin's shoulder afterwards, showing forgiveness for his harsh words.
It was Justin, however, who spoke next. And he wriggled away from all his loved ones even though he was really enjoying being there with them. Yes, even Mrs Chicken. He had very special ones to go and visit in the other room.
When Justin was out of the way after a lingering touch on Eli's shoulder to make sure that he was okay to leave him to go and see his children, Sammy enjoyed having one hand of James' on his shoulder as he complimented Lucy's appearance and gave her a kiss, and he turned to Eli himself.
It wasn't an act of trying to win Eli over by the way he raised his hand to Mrs Chicken while he spoke to him, allowing the very pink cat to nuzzle her whiskers against the heart that was tattooed on the inside of his palm.
"I was saying to the others that tonight my guitar room is being used as an unwind room and anybody is welcome to go and take a breather there if they want to." Sammy's eyes met Eli's ones briefly. Kindly. He didn't stare. He then turned his attention to the living room where hearty chuckles were omitting from. No doubt had Rupert done or said yet another comical thing! "I think almost everyone has arrived by now and they are mostly all in there."
Similarly, to Katie, Eli had half a heartbeat where his wonderous gaze flickered away faster than normal and seeing as he didn't have his soothing pet on his shoulder, he almost stuffed his hands into his smart trouser pockets before they could fidget.
But then he remembered who he was surrounded by, and that was before he could imagine that his new husband was still around and hadn't darted off to see his children, standing there behind him in a cool, collected way that seemed to dissipate any self-consciousness from prevailing.
Something else also caused him to relaxedly smile after breaking the distance with Sammy, giving him a stiff albeit grateful pat on the shoulder. The one that was a platform for Mrs Chicken.
"Come in with me and catch up!" Katie encouraged, forgoing her usual shyness and peeping around the doorway of the unwind room that she had been lounging in. She held a hand out to Eli that matched her tones.
Before any of us knew it, Eli was off and got settled into the atmosphere himself, for once so focused on clasping Katie's gentle, cool hand in his much bigger one instead of looking back and seeing that his dear pet really was okay with Sammy.
She was more than okay!
When he raised his tattoo etched hand to cup her cheek, she yowled loudly from his shoulder and with a smile towards Lucy – a bigger one – now that he had stopped smiling fairly towards Eli, he decided to take her to the other room to introduce her to the guests.
I suddenly felt a little apprehensive that nobody in there would pay me any attention when I eventually headed in the living room myself. I wasn't sure that I could compete with her wide, deep-set eyes and very pink, hairless skin! It was a shame that Meowth would be working late in his noodle cart so we could form a bit of an impressive Pokémon double act.
The cat begged for a reaction from people, whether it was at her beauty or hideousness. We all know what label Eli deemed it as.
I began to shake away my previously spiky thoughts and instead imagined what state the living room was then in, aided by James moving back towards his wife who was still lingering near me on the kitchen table, one arm slinking around her waist and the other massaging my very plush fur.
I was sure that by that point Ash must've devoured a few more snacks as he waited for the last of the snacks. Misty would've scolded him! But she would have been unable to stop herself smiling, thinking to herself that she had grown up to have the kind of life that she could have only dreamt about as a young girl.
I hoped that Peter had recovered from Rupert's humor and had stopped grumbling! I imagined the two gentlemen deep in a conversation. Surely, they had things in common with one being a psychologist and the other a chiropractor. Both healing practices. David would have noted this while playing with his glasses, silently listening to the conversation with a demure smile.
Jennifer would have moved away from any conversation and found herself admiring the décor of the living room. She would know that it spoke of a very feminine touch and would gather that it was Lucy's creative flair that had been put to work.
She found it very tough to keep the words to herself, but she longed to blurt out that she couldn't wait to have her for a daughter in law!
Jayden would probably be keeping to himself too since Jennifer had moved away from him. But he was chameleonic like his father was. He would've been able to slip himself into any conversation with anybody else while all the children were in the other room catching up too in their own way.
And speaking of Jayden's father, I couldn't help but shut my eyes as my irises threatened to revolve into the back of my head at the wonderful affection that I was receiving from him – and extra texture thanks to all the rings that he was wearing!
His words seemed far away and of another land when he pressed a kiss to Jessie's cheek while still holding her, unable to hold his own words back, commenting on the state of things.
"Justin and Eli's wedding has seemed to do wonders for nearly everyone." he observed, thinking of the consideration that Sammy had shown his ex-partners new husband as well as the way that everybody was simply gathered there all together on that Christmas Eve.
Whether or not Jessie agreed, her hand lifted closer to her husband's Adam's apple and her palm nestled under his chin while her manicured fingers brushed over his mouth. Upon future reflection, I wasn't certain if she was trying to shut him up or not.
All I know is that I could feel her gaze travelling to Lucy. Watching his wife's every move, James soon copied her. However, before he could apologize in case his words were insensitive in front of an audience – or even Lucy could break into the smile that she wanted to put forth, her hands smoothing down the elaborate lace collar of her dress – more guests let themselves into the kitchen at the same time that Sammy returned from the living room minus Mrs Chicken.
It was quite the hubbub that my eyes sprung open, forgetting that I was part of everybody else's world and not a fluffy cloud made of pure bliss!
"Ahh, there's the stunning couple that unites us all!" Jorginho erupted as he burst into Sammy's household with his own wife and two children in tow, catching his little brother behaving like a moth to a flame and making a bee line for Lucy the moment that he returned. "¡Dios mío! I always knew that you were the one for him."
Like his baby brother, Jorginho had made a beeline for Lucy as well, choosing to embrace her first although he couldn't do it quite as heartily as usual because he had his little girl, Valentina, clinging onto him and making sure he knew that she was still his number one.
While Sammy's dark features screwed up upon hearing this, waving an embarrassed haphazard hand despite how deeply in love with Lucy he had been for several years, Lucy girlishly giggled at the embrace and the words.
She said hello to Valentina as well as Jorginho and Daisy's other twin daughter, Florencia, who was clinging onto her mother's hip. The corner of Lucy's small nose crinkled as she took the time to hug Daisy first, complimenting her on her own dress before standing back with Sammy.
"Oh really?" She took hold of that hand that had been flapping shyly, and then ruffled his hair as she made a joke out of it all. "Well, you knew before I did then!"
Jorginho naturally chuckled heartily at a lot of things, but he certainly did upon hearing this as well, moving back over to his wife and wrapping his own arm around her waist, his glasses growing lopsided on his face as he pressed his cheek against Florencia's.
Both little girls' eyes fluttered adoringly at being near to their father who was so devoted to them. It was such a wonderful sight to behold. But James couldn't stop himself from piping up jokingly in the same way that Lucy had, for once not teasing Jorginho that he had breezed right past him and his wife.
He hadn't even spotted that they were in the kitchen too, let alone me!
"Oh, Jorginho Valentino, are you trying to play Cupid all over again?" James' smirk tugged closer to his earlobe that was decorated with multiple earrings, his hand squeezing against Jessie's hip although no doubt it would soon be around Jorginho's as they embraced.
Jorginho gasped in the back of his throat and then spun around, accidentally taking Valentina on a bit of a teacup ride that made her giggle!
Immediately, his hand shot out towards James, and he held it in return, the two men squeezing each other's fingers before Jorginho took Jessie's in his hand and he placed a gentlemanly kiss on the top of it as a greeting.
Daisy was privately surprised that her husband didn't do the same to James and then she verbalized this but, in her eyes, as they searched for Lucy's own green ones and they giggled about this, standing together.
Jorginho then addressed all the love tucked inside of the household and I watched from the kitchen table as his hand did reach for James after he dropped Jessie's fingers from his touch, instead lightly tapping the side of his jaw.
It was like it was daylight inside the wintery house when Jorginho smiled.
"I do not need to because Cupid struck his arrow into many hearts a long time ago." his mouth pressed together, a dimple like a ripe segment of fruit appearing before he kissed his daughter's cheek, offering her out towards the other man. "Do you want to say Merry Christmas to James, my little love?"
I watched as little Valentina who was so small in size but big in love may have been clinging onto her father for dear life moments before but kicked her short legs at the idea of saying hello to a man who had been around since the day her and her twin sister had been born.
And like it was with siblings no matter how young, Florencia wanted to get stuck into the action was well! Her own, longer legs kicked, and she held her arms out and she ended up being passed over to Jessie by Daisy.
I couldn't help but chuckle a little to myself – and a bit louder than I planned – when I saw Florencia relax nicely into the arms of the other woman and enjoy hearing about what she had to say.
Jessie had never really wanted children, so it was funny when she ended up with so many. And it was even more amusing in a touching sort of way when she doted upon the little ones who were not her own with ease.
I wondered if it was the power of James! Or it was the power of love. I began to be convinced that it was the former because I suddenly felt very chilly when everybody except Sammy and Lucy headed off to the living room to socialize with everybody else.
However, I wouldn't have long to ponder on how warm the ex-Rocketeer's affection had kept me. Another gaggle of guests arrived and some more children in tow. Lynne apologized for being late but didn't express why – and Lucy and Sammy didn't ask, and they didn't make a fuss that she was late.
Their group was second to last to arrive.
Sammy held Lynne in a tight hug of a greeting after Lucy had done the same and complimented her frock as well, and after he had let go of the woman, keeping a hand on her shoulder as her slightly quickened breath told him that she was embarrassed about her time keeping, he spied the two children standing there.
Jorgie and Johnny were dressed in their best clothes too and stood in front of Morgan. Sammy couldn't help but notice Johnny's restless expression and after telling Jorgie how sweet she looked in her dress to compliment her mother's, he ran a hand over the boy's untamable curls.
"Why don't you go to Darcy's room and hang out there, Jinn?" Sammy suggested, his ex-partner's nickname for the boy falling out of him like a tile from a word game. "All of the other kids are in there and us boring adults can call you when it starts to get a bit more exciting."
Quite a lot of noise erupted from the living room! And although Johnny heard this, his head turning momentarily in the direction of the sounds, he couldn't help but think that Sammy's suggestion was still a good one.
He smirked gratefully and then bounced off happily. It surprised us all when after a wave to everyone, Jorgie decided that she wanted to follow her brother and hang out with the children around her age rather than the adults like she usually did.
Kindly, Lucy was preparing to open her mouth to ask Morgan what she wanted to do, and she was also going to tell her about Sammy's guitar room acting as the unwinding space for the evening.
In a similar way to Jorgie, Morgan's hand rose upwards, but it was paired with a blank expression even if her mouth did press together in a line that she considered as polite. She made up her own mind and decided that she would show Lynne that she could at least be cooperative and made the best out of the evening and go and socialize with the grown-ups.
Smiling sympathetically to no one in particular, my hind legs relaxed further down onto the table. She was in that tricky age where the image of her round cheeks as a child was a long-forgotten memory and though she was in young adulthood, so much about her had not settled.
It did not help that she had once remained the same age for a very long time.
Lynne's eyes met both Sammy and Lucy's faces after they watched Morgan leave the kitchen as well as let out a breathless sort of laugh, reminding everybody that motherhood was no easy feat even as your children got older.
"I'm so sorry for being so late. It's just been one of those days." she admitted, her hand brushing against her own forehead before, to her silent delight, she realized that I was there too. Her fingertips could fall against my soft fur as she continued. "Neither Johnny or Jorgie wanted to wear their Christmas Eve clothes and Morgan so obviously would rather be anywhere than with us."
Lynne's porcelain cheeks suddenly stung as she feared how that sounded. But then like realization had dawned on Eli when he knew that he was safe even there, she too understood that she was surrounded by friends.
Practically family.
"We are so glad to have you here tonight. All of you." Lucy left Sammy's side and reached for Lynne's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze of just the right length before she pointed to the other room. "James arrived with Jessie not too long ago. Why don't you sit in the living room with them, and Sammy will get you a drink?"
As Lynne's other hand that was not occupied with Lucy's left my forehead, I heard the words oh will he?! teasingly ringing in my ears. But that must've been my own saltiness at the affection once again being over!
I, however, manage to wise myself up enough to focus on the scene and watch Lynne relax and soften too at Lucy's hospitality and then she smiled for real as Sammy didn't hesitate to nod his head and pick up a glass that would be filled with grape juice or something sparkling. He could have grabbed a mug also if she fancied mulled wine.
"Oh, it's so lovely to be here." she breathed out, the squeeze of her hand against Lucy's after she gave a thumbs up to Sammy at the grape juice he offered before pouring it speaking how much she meant these words. "Is Jordan here too?"
Sammy's shake of his head told Lynne the answer that she hoped that she wouldn't receive a couple of seconds before he answers with words. She thought to herself, why did he have to pour her drink first and hand it to her?
"No. No sign of Jordan yet. Everybody else is here." he answered truthfully, seeing no reason to hide it. Sammy didn't notice Lynne's cheeks warming like she had taken a mouthful of mulled wine though she hadn't wanted to drink that. "I'm sure he'll be here soon, though. Probably wants to make an impression. Not that he of all people needs to do that!"
Sammy's mouth had stretched wide before saying these last words, showing off quite the elfish smile which would have seemed timely but that was just him. Lucy tittered when she heard this and Lynne let out some falsified chuckles too, nodding her head between the couple.
She nodded her head to thanks at Sammy. She nodded her head to Lucy at her continual kindness. And then she headed on into the living room with everybody else, greeting all the faces that she saw but knowing that she would only feel a bit better again when she was seated next to Jessie and James.
And she knew that she would only feel truly better once Jordan arrived.
She hoped that, unlike her with getting the children ready without James, Jordan hadn't had a day that was less than ideal and was dreading showing his face in front of company. It hadn't been the easiest year for him. Things had been a little odd lately, to tell you the truth.
Her husband had pushed people away from him and won them all back in the space of a year. She still didn't know whether him moving out of the annex at the Morgan Household had done him any good. Sometimes she thought that it had. That it was a testament to how far he had come that he had wanted to live alone for a bit.
But oh, how she hoped that he wouldn't want to live alone for always. To be alone. Sometimes it was oddly tempting when you had grown up that way. Sometimes it wasn't even a choice. More like a prophecy.
The door suddenly was rapped upon with knuckles even though it was left ajar purposely. Lynne was perched right close to James at that point and feeling his fingers softly traipsing through her cascading head of hair, feeling her heartrate slowing down by the second.
But then it picked right up again. Oh, how she hoped that it was Jordan.
And it was.
Together, both Sammy and Lucy opened the door to him. And Sammy was reminded that his words of him were very true with the sight that he was greeted with. I had to bite on my cheeks to not laugh after I decided to finally jump down from the kitchen table and was in the process of heading towards the living room.
"Ho ho ho, holy crap is it cold out there!" Jordan announced and you could tell that this was true from the way that his cheeks stung as deeply red as his festive jumper that he was wearing. "Merry Christmas, you guys. I'm so sorry for being so late."
Sammy and Lucy ushered Jordan into the hall, getting an even better look at his festive jumper with a bit of a cheeky slogan once he had taken his jacket off. Once he was removed of a layer and the door was shut behind him, Jordan had another lease of life. If that was even possible!
The couple felt themselves separately squeezed by his strong arms and then it was Sammy to try and get a word in with Jordan before he boomed past anybody else like he sometimes did. He patted his engorged trapezius muscle through his layers, trying not to burst into laughter at his Christmas jumper.
I had no doubt that Jorginho would want to borrow it and he was the last person that Jordan would want to borrow his clothes.
"You are right on time. Because the fun will begin again now that you're here." Sammy commenced, watching Jordan's already jovial face ripen at the flattery, his dimples appearing as he patted him in return. Lucy pointed to accompany Sammy's words and Jordan took hold of it before it dipped, kissing the top of it as a greeting. "Let's all go into the living room, shall we? Everybody's here."
Jordan nodded and we all headed into the living room. Everybody was indeed there. And Sammy ran the risk of seeing like a massive liar because everybody was having so much fun in there. Even the kids and Morgan who had left the other rooms to come and hang out!
I headed on into the action with not a lot of hesitation, but Sammy, Lucy and Jordan hung out in the doorway for a couple of moments, gathering that Justin had stolen one of Sammy's guitars from his collection by the way he was playing a Christmas tune on the strings before somebody would blurt out the name of the song.
Everybody was quite easily entertained! But then again, everybody was quite easily content with each other.
Jordan in particular watched Justin, none the wiser to the onlookers, play another tune for the spectators and saw Jorginho leap away from his position of draping his arm around Daisy and jolted forward as if the guitar player couldn't hear him, almost screaming out the answer.
Everybody laughed and when they laughed, they somehow erupted louder than Jorginho and his booming voice that hadn't swallowed even a drop of alcohol.
Whether it was this or whether this had been on his mind, Jordan couldn't help but turn to Sammy and Lucy and ask, the two of them nuzzling their cheeks against each other, their silence but their affection together showing everything without needing words.
This is the kind of Christmas that they had always dreamed of.
"I've got to ask you..." Jordan began, completely unaware that he was even breaking any affection between the two. Fortunately, their cheeks remained stuck like glue to each other's as their eyebrows rose quizzically upwards. "Why the hell are you doing this?"
And within those words, Sammy somehow understood what exactly Jordan was asking.
Yes, why, exactly? Why was Sammy with his new girlfriend that was Eli's ex-girlfriend hosting a Christmas Eve gathering and not only inviting his ex-partner and his new husband but his parents too who could scarcely be in the same room at one point. Let alone the fact that Jorginho was there too, and both Peter and Jordan felt similarly about him!
A Christmas Eve gathering of a bunch of mismatched people. A bunch of misfits.
Sammy found himself laughing. But then he answered like it was the simplest thing in the world. Because, to him, it was.
"I remember what it was like to lose everything, Jordan. To have to start entirely again." he said, his words echoing the serious weight that these words carried even if his expression remained even. Calm. Even angelical with bliss. "I just wanted everybody to come to a place where they felt welcome. And to show that the past doesn't have to dictate the future."
And with that, Sammy turned to nuzzle his nose back against Lucy's cheek before his cheek was glued back against hers. Jordan stared. If you breathed deeply enough, you would've smelt the smoke of his mind whirring and ticking as he thought about all of this. As he really thought about it.
Jordan's thin lips pressed together. But then he suddenly casually shrugged, patted both Sammy and Lucy on the shoulder and mumbled something like crazy and then headed on his way, wanting to get stuck into the game as well.
Sammy didn't think much of it at all and was too busy enjoying the company of his new love, wanting to breathe in and relish in the very wonder of her. But it was Lucy who noticed that Jordan went to greet his two daughters as well as everybody else and then chose to sit next to Daisy. And it wasn't because Jorginho had vaulted forward again and was absent.
He was sitting right there.
Sammy was so focused on Lucy that although he didn't follow her gaze to watch this, he watched her and knew that she was going to speak to him from the second that she turned, let alone when her arms wrapped around his neck.
Pressing her forehead briefly against his, she told him:
"I think you really gave him something to think about then, Sam." she told him, unable to keep her hands still and running her hands through his hair as they embraced, watching for what he had to think about that.
Similarly, to Jordan, Sammy's own lips pressed together as he pondered. But unlike him, his eyebrows came alive and rose closer to his hairline. And like the other man again, Sammy too went on to want to get stuck into the action.
But the action that he wanted to get stuck into was continually basking in the gratitude that she had changed everything for him. Even though, of course, we all knew that it was his bravery that led him to places that he was always destined to find.
"Mmm, oh really?" he murmured, his lips being used for talking before they planted against Lucy's forehead, kissing there before they had another purpose. They smiled, his arms embracing her closer to him than ever before, thinking she was beautiful every single moment of the day. "Well, you're the only thing that I'm thinking about right now."
And with that, before Lucy could scold Sammy and tell him that she was being serious – she didn't really feel like doing that anyway and certainly not on Christmas Eve – Sammy's nose ring nuzzled against her nose all over again.
Before she could even move her lips to do anything like speak or smile, Sammy's were pressed against hers and the two of them did not need mistletoe hanging above the doorway to enjoy each other.
While they were kissing, I was too busy involved in shenanigans to think of these things, but I think of them deeply in hindsight:
Lucy was wholly right, about things that she had observed allowed and the things that she kept to herself. Jordan had been given something to think about. And things had changed so much in the past year. And this was something that she couldn't be gladder about, not for a single second misty eyed or low at the highs and lows, wins and losses.
The way that Eli looked up in between the game and saw her and Sammy kissing and merely went back to the present moment showed how much things had changed. Showed how much could change. It just depended on how much you wanted it.
How much you wanted to keep everybody around and, in each other's lives, regardless of who they fell for or paired up with. How much you longed to see the good in someone even if they showed you colors that were a little distasteful. How much you wanted to live for tomorrow. Even if the present was a little murky.
I always think of lots of things at Christmas time and I continually think about that too.
Sammy created the most vibrant colors out of something that was truly so grey. And I for one think that is something to strive for at Christmas. But any time of year really. Like he said, the past doesn't always have to dictate the future. You can break the cycle at any point.
The only thing that is inevitable in life is change. And really, what a gift that is when you see it for that. You can turn anything into whatever you want. You just must believe. Not even in Christmas miracles. Just believe. In whatever thing you want. Big or small. It can come alive somehow.
The End.
There you go, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) I really had fun with this one. It's a bit different for me to focus on a huge group of people at once and only get a small amount of interaction with each. But I really liked that, especially seeing how they all bounce off each other. I can't think of just one particular joy to portray but if I had to mention just one, I would have to bring up the dynamic between Justin and Sammy. In the New Year I really intend to write about when they were a couple. I think I find it more natural to write about them post-break up because they actually get along better then. But I really do want to give it a try! I really love the way they prioritise their bond even when apart. And honestly, I think Sammy is one of the sweetest, most selfless characters Shannon and I have. He really gave up everything - and it certainly worked in his favour in the end :) Thank you again for reading and I will be back on the 28th to update Rocket Daze! In the mean time, have a wonderful Christmas if you're celebrating - and see you soon enough!
Amy signing out :P