Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 101 - 3/11/10
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:15 pm
Earth2Mama: Hopefully for Michael’s sanity they’ll find it soon!
We’ve got a feeling you’re right. Yeah, keep those vibes far away, lol!
We will be learning more about Adam. Maureen is still in New York, other than that, she hasn’t said a word to us. We’ll let ya know if we hear from her though.
LOL, he is a dork, but we love him too. We’ve got a feeling Uncle Michael might just be stuck with ‘Ki-Ki’.
Glad ya loved that Dreamer scene!
Natalie36: Thanks for reading!
mary mary: The things Michael has to put up with sometimes…
80s_UnLove_Child: Oh, yeah!
Anything’s possible this trip.
kismet: Thanks! We’re glad you enjoyed that – we know it’s been quite a wait for ya!
Wow, so, almost three days to come back from that Dreamer high, lol!
Michael will be working to make up for missing out on morning sex.
Liz is progressing right along now that she’s found Mr. Right.
Well, we can’t do anything to help ya out there, lol, but Liz seemed to enjoy the moment quite a lot.
zaneri1: Your Dreamer heart may just get more.
Now that they’re settling into their relationship and getting more comfortable with things we’ll be seeing more of that mature behavior.
More fun in the snow coming up.
April: Nope, we had no clue! Thanks!
He’s doing well with Caela. Being able to sit down and talk about things with his brother and their significant others is good for both of them.
“Ki-Ki”… we couldn’t resist.
sunrise102: Yup, a very big step for our Dreamer couple!
Michael has many hidden talents, lol.
Time for some R&R for our group.
Alien_Friend: Thanks! We kinda had a feeling which way your vote would swing, lol!
Hopefully that will continue over the Christmas holiday for our group.
Max and Liz do well at supporting each other and they’ll only get stronger as they get closer. It’s safe to say the same is very true of Michael and Maria.
He was very huggable in that last part, huh? And even though he has no good Christmas memories to speak of he wants things to be great for Caela.
sarammlover: LOL, some things just can’t be rushed.
Our Candy couple continues to grow. Hopefully this Christmas will leave a good impression on Michael.
keepsmiling7: LOL, we’ll see…
Part 101 – Babies and Bedtime Stories
Liz walked around the tree in the living room for the third time and then nodded. “Yeah, it looks good. Perfect place for the tree, perfect shape and it’s not leaning to any one side,” she clapped her hands happily.
It had taken them almost until dusk before they had suddenly found the right tree standing right in front of them. She was sure that Michael had been ready to explode by that time and even Max had seemed a little pissy.
She glanced at Maria and Karen as they entered the living room with cartons full of decorations for the tree. “I soooo love doin’ this,” Liz shrieked.
“Yeah, me too,” Maria smiled and placed the cartons on the floor next to the tree. “And we’ve got plenty of stuff, we can even decorate the windows and tables with it.”
Karen walked into the kitchen to make sure the boys had all they needed to make dinner. “You guys are okay?” She smiled when all three of them answered with positive grumbling in some form or other. “And you, my little girl?” Karen walked over to the highchair and kissed Caela’s forehead.
The baby replied with a happy scream and then concentrated on her sippy cup again, cheerfully banging it against the tray in front of her.
“Alright.” Karen walked back to the other girls then, stopping at the stereo to turn on some Christmas music from a CD she had brought with her. “How’s Michael doing with all of this Christmas stuff?” she asked.
Maria grimaced. “Not so good.”
“Brendan spent several Christmases with me and my mom, so at least he’s past that stage of discomfort.”
“I can only hope that Michael will start to feel better about the holidays soon. He... I don’t know... he feels uncomfortable because he feels nothing ya know?” Maria glanced in the direction of the kitchen, making sure he wouldn’t hear anything because she was sure he didn’t want her to talk about it with anyone. But Karen had known the family for so long and it was good to have someone like her to talk to.
“Coming here, someplace that has no connection to their past with Hank, and spending the holidays with people who care about them, who love them, was a very smart move. It’ll give them a chance to really make some good memories and they all need that.”
“Well, at least I have a Christmas present that will hopefully be memorable.”
“I guess you know him well enough by now to know that he might not be comfortable with bein’ on the receiving end of a gift.”
“True, but it’s Christmas and he will get a present from me,” Maria said.
“That’s good.” Karen smiled approvingly. “What about you, Liz? Got a little something special for Max?”
“Of course,” she said proudly.
Maria’s eyebrows lifted at Liz’s confident tone. “Gonna share?”
“Nope.”
Maria’s right eyebrow lifted even higher at the quiet, but adamant, denial. “No?”
“You gonna share yours for Michael?”
“No, but that really isn’t the point.”
Liz snorted. “I’m not sharing if you’re not sharing, deal with it.”
Maria laughed and shook her head. “Girl, you have totally come outta your shell since you and Max got together.”
Liz smiled inwardly. Yeah, she was very proud of finally speaking up for herself.
“Have you and Max been together long?” Karen asked.
“Um, no, since Thanksgiving.”
A loud crash from the kitchen had Maria looking at the others. “Maybe we should go check on them.”
“Well, at least nobody screamed,” Karen said, turning in the direction of the kitchen. “Everything okay in there?”
“Everything’s fine,” Brendan assured them as he leaned over the bar that divided the two rooms. “We’ve got it all under control.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Right, guys?”
“Under control,” Max yelled in agreement.
Maria frowned when Michael was suspiciously silent and she moved closer to the bar, motioning for silence when Brendan started to say something to pass on a warning to his brother.
Another crash could be heard, followed by muttered cursing and her eyes widened when she saw her boyfriend sitting in the sink in the center island, while Max tried to pull a large pot off of Michael’s foot. A glance at the ceiling had her shaking her head and she decided not to ask how they had managed to get ketchup up there.
Michael gave up his struggle to get his ass out of the sink when he felt Maria staring at him. He knew it was her; the tingling feeling running along his spine gave it away. He had been attempting to climb up on the bar to clean the ketchup off of the ceiling when he had managed to slip on some water and from there it had been a matter of falling on his ass... right in the sink.
He shoved Max away when his foot finally came free and he wondered how he managed to get himself in these situations. Brendan’s clumsiness had to be rubbing off on him, he decided. Why else would he have suddenly turned into such a klutz?
“At least there was no water in the sink,” Max said helpfully.
“Yeah, I feel so much better about this now, Evans.”
Max just grinned at him and held his hand out to help Michael out of the sink.
“I don’t need anymore help from you,” Michael snapped, pushing Max’s hand away. “I think you’ve done enough.”
“Me?”
“You’re the one who said that experiment wouldn’t work... there’s no way Brendan wasn’t gonna try to prove you wrong.”
Maria couldn’t hold back any longer and started to laugh. “Oh, my god, you guys...” she panted, unable to get another word out.
“I think I bruised my ass,” Michael complained.
“Uh-huh,” Maria choked out, still laughing, “need a doctor?”
“No, I’ll live... my ass may be black and blue for the next week, but I’ll live.”
Maria shook her head. “We can’t leave you guys alone, huh? Maybe it’s better if Caela stays with us.”
Caela protested by banging her sippy cup against the tray. “Ki Ki!” she shouted happily.
“You wanna stay with Ki Ki?” Maria asked, amused.
Michael glared at his girlfriend and shook his head. “You don’t need to encourage her use of that name,” he growled.
“As if you wouldn’t do the same thing,” she said and then turned to go back to the girls.
He turned back to his niece. “Okay, kid, we’ve gotta come up with a name for Aunt Maria. And we wanna do somethin’ about this Ki Ki thing.”
“I don’t know, Michael, I think you’re stuck with it,” Brendan said.
“Yeah, it could be worse,” Max tried to help.
“Really? And how is that possible?”
Max just rolled his eyes and ignored him. “Let’s get back to cookin’ dinner.”
“Do we wanna know what they’re getting up to in there?” Karen asked when Maria joined her and Liz again.
“No, you’re better off not knowin’,” Maria said, knowing that Michael wouldn’t appreciate her sharing the details right now.
“That bad, huh?” She nodded. “Brendan was trying to prove something, right?”
“Uh, yeah... tryin’. Not sure he succeeded.”
“Uh-huh. Well, as long as no one’s hurt, it’s probably best if we leave them to their... man things.”
“Yeah, hopefully we won’t find anything strange in the food.”
“God, I hope not,” Liz muttered. She knew Max could cook, but sticking him in a kitchen with Michael and Brendan? Who knew what could happen?
“Let’s get to some decorating,” Maria said, gesturing at the tree.
*****
Christmas Eve in the Whitman household was a pleasantly chaotic affair and Alex had thoroughly enjoyed watching his girlfriend interacting with her parents. Joe and Katherine had happily spoiled Brooke and he was grateful for the attention they had lavished on her. She hadn’t had enough of that in her life and he was glad to see her having so much fun. He’d had to force himself to be strong when she had started a campaign to bring Socrates home with them and it had been even more difficult when Joe had started to back her up.
He watched from his seat at the dining room table as she ran back and forth, helping Isabel and her mother put the finishing touches on dinner. He and Joe had been kicked out of the kitchen more than an hour earlier and told to stay out of the way so they had gone to watch the last few minutes of the football game playing on the television.
Once it was over they had sat down at the table and talked about the game, books they had read, and raising teenage girls. Isabel had stuck her head in the room several times to warn her father to stop telling certain stories, but he had only dropped them until she had disappeared again. Joe was a good conversationalist and he was knowledgeable in a various number of subjects, but Alex couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the man was still weighing his worthiness where Isabel was concerned.
When dinner was ready and the food was placed on the table, they all took their places and waited while Joe carved the meat. Conversation flowed throughout dinner, going along smoothly until Katherine made an unexpected observation.
“Isabel, you’re not eating very much.”
Joe frowned when he realized that his wife was right. “You feelin’ alright, sweetie?” It was unusual for Isabel to eat so little over the holidays. The girl always put the food away; she loved her mother’s homemade food.
Isabel shifted in her seat as she glanced at her boyfriend and she smiled when he reached over to take her hand.
She took a deep breath and glanced at her mother again. “Um, yeah... yeah, I’m alright. There’s just something I... we have to tell you both and I’m a little bit nervous about it.”
Joe glanced between his daughter and her boyfriend, knowing that what she had to tell them could only be one of two things.
Katherine gave her husband an unsubtle kick beneath the table and she gently placed her fork down on her plate as she gave her daughter her full attention. “What is it, sweetie?”
Alex looked at Isabel, seeing the nervous tension in her eyes. “You want me to tell them?” he asked quietly.
“Well, someone had better tell us what the hell’s going on,” Joe said loudly.
“Joseph Aaron Whitman, do not use that language at the dinner table,” Katherine warned him.
Brooke giggled nervously, still not completely comfortable being in the middle of arguments.
Isabel shook her head at Alex, telling him without a word that she had to do this. “Well, uh... okay,” she sighed. “There’s no way to tell you in an easy way, so I’m just gonna say it.” She glanced at Alex, who nodded softly before her gaze met that of her parents. “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.” She bit her lip as she waited for their reactions.
Joe’s mouth dropped open in shock even though he had known that it was one of the options. He shook his head and reached up to rub his right ear. “I’m sorry... you’re what?”
Katherine rolled her eyes at her husband’s response. She knew just as soon as they were alone she was going to be hearing all about the cradle-robbing old man stealing their daughter.
“Alex and I are gonna be parents, Dad,” Isabel repeated, even though she knew her dad had understood her perfectly well.
“Parents... you’re 18 years old!” He pointed a finger at Alex. “You did this!”
“Well,” Alex said a little surprised, “I don’t suppose there’s any point denying that.”
“I knew it!” Joe huffed.
“They’re totally in love,” Brooke defended them.
“Uh-huh, and being in love means you have to rush things?” Joe shook his head.
Alex cleared his throat. “We weren’t rushin’ things, Joe; we didn’t intend to have a child just yet, but it’s happening and we’ve accepted it. Actually, while it wasn’t somethin’ we planned, we’re both pretty happy about it.”
“You do know what it means to have a child, right? A child is expensive and it cries at night and it’ll you keep awake most of the time. You can’t go to wild college parties while your friends will be out doing just do that.”
“We understand that this’s gonna be an adjustment, but we think we’re ready for it.” Alex laughed quietly. “Well, as ready as you can ever be for a baby. And neither of us are really party animals anyway.”
“How far along are you?” Katherine asked, her eyes wet from the thought that her little girl would soon have a child of her own.
Isabel squeezed Alex’ hand and smiled at her mother. “About eight weeks, give or take a few days.”
Katherine got to her feet to rush to her daughter. She pulled her into a hug when Isabel got up as well. “That’s why you’ve been so pale in the mornings. I remember pretty well how I felt when I was pregnant with you.”
Isabel closed her eyes, relieved that her mother was taking the news so well. “Please tell me that the morning sickness will pass soon.”
“Probably in a few weeks, sweetie.”
“I’ll be so happy to see the last of that.”
“I’ve got a few books about pregnancy, you can have them,” Katherine said, motioning for her husband to get rid of his shock. Now.
Joe stood up and walked around the table, intentionally ignoring Alex as he reached for his daughter. “This’s what you want?” he asked, meeting her gaze seriously.
Isabel nodded. “We didn’t plan this, Dad. But it happened and I could never live with any other decision.”
His stern expression gentled and he smiled softly at her. “You weren’t supposed to make me a grandpa for another ten years or so, baby girl.”
She smiled back at him. “Sorry.”
“Uh-huh,” he grumbled and pulled her into a hug. “I still love you even if you are gonna make me a grandpa well before my time.”
Isabel glanced at her parents, relieved. “I’m so glad you know now.”
Joe glanced at Alex. “Me an’ you, we’re gonna have a talk later.”
“Joe,” his wife urged him.
“It’s my right as her father to have a talk with him and find out exactly what his intentions are.”
*****
As evening neared on Christmas Eve the stories about past Christmases began to take the place of random conversations and Michael eventually fell silent because he didn’t have anything to add. It was moments like these when he felt like an outsider, like he didn’t belong, and despite their efforts to draw him into the conversations he slowly withdrew into himself.
He looked up when Karen came back from getting Caela ready for bed and he watched the little girl move around the room, drawing out the process of saying goodnight. She walked across the couch to where Max and Liz were sitting and she smiled bashfully when he reached out to tickle her.
“C’mon, you little flirt,” Brendan said as he scooped her up in his arms. “It’s past time for you to be in bed.” He raised an eyebrow when she howled in protest and squirmed around in an effort to get down.
“We’ll be back shortly,” Karen said as they started to leave the room.
“Hey, why don’t you guys let me take ‘er,” Michael offered as he stood up.
“Are you sure, Michael?” she asked.
“Yeah. Yeah, you guys are involved in the conversation and I don’t really…” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’ll take ‘er.”
Caela stopped fighting her father’s hold when her uncle spoke and she pointed at him. “Ki Ki,” she whimpered pathetically and held her arms out to him.
“She’s gonna be difficult to get to bed with all the activity out here,” Brendan warned. He was still trying to get the hang of how to do things where his daughter was concerned, but if his brother really wanted to handle the bedtime thing and give him a break he wasn’t about to argue.
“Nah, we can handle it,” Michael said, taking Caela in his arms. “Right, kid?” He rolled his eyes when she ignored his words in favor of reaching up to pet his hair. At least her hand wasn’t covered in baby spit this time, he thought.
“You need some help?” Maria asked quietly when he turned and started to walk past her.
“No, I need a break from all the… Christmas spirit,” he muttered, barely glancing at her as he continued on his way.
Maria sighed and followed him with her eyes. She didn’t want him to feel as if he didn’t belong, but she didn’t know how to change that either. It was going to take time and she had to remind herself to be patient, but sometimes it was hard not to go after him and demand an explanation when they were all together and he went off by himself.
*****
Michael walked into Caela’s room and glanced around, looking for something to amuse the little girl and take her mind off of the fact that she was missing out on all the fun in the other room. His gaze finally settled on a short stack of books sitting on the table by the chair and he shifted her around as he sat down and reached for the one on top. He frowned at the cartoon characters drawn on the cover and put it down and reached for the next one.
“Who picked these out?” he grumbled. “They suck. You wanna read a real book we should sit down with Ulysses one night and get that started. Good stuff.”
“You are not readin’ Ulysses to my daughter!” Brendan hissed from the doorway. “It isn’t fit for someone her age.”
Michael snorted at his brother and waved him away. “I think I’ve got this under control, Bren.” He raised an eyebrow expectantly. “That means, go away.” He rolled his eyes when his brother disappeared and then he reached for the next book on the stack. “I will introduce you to Ulysses one day,” he promised. “Not now, but one day. Okay, let’s see what else we’ve got… yeah, not readin’ that one.” He put it back, wondering how Brendan had even known he was talking about the book. “Oh, hey, this one’s not bad,” he said after discarding almost all of them. “Your aunt Brooke loved this one when she was little; it’s got a dragon and a knight, some fairies,” he wrinkled his nose. “Not my favorite part,” he growled, earning a sleepy giggle. “And, of course, there’s the beautiful princess.” He pressed a kiss to her head and slouched down so he could prop his feet up on the ottoman. “Okay, you ready? Once upon a time…”
Silence had fallen over the living room as everyone listened to the one-sided conversation coming through the small speaker of the baby monitor.
“He’s just full of surprises, isn’t he?” Liz asked quietly.
Maria smiled softly as she listened to him reading the story to his niece, altering his voice for the different characters and pausing every once in a while to turn a page. She leaned forward and grabbed the baby monitor, turning the volume down and motioning for everyone to go back to talking. She knew he’d have a fit if he found out they were all listening in on his moment with Caela.
Michael had just reached the end of the book where everyone lived happily ever after and he looked down at his niece when she sighed quietly. He leaned over to place the book on the table and shifted her as he stood up slowly and carried her over to the crib and eased her down. He covered her with the light blanket inside and propped his arm on the rail, chin resting in his hand as he watched her.
It was so easy to love kids and be open with them, he thought. They had no expectations beyond having someone to take care of them and love them unconditionally. He turned his head when a hand settled on his shoulder and he looked at Maria, knowing before she spoke that she was going to ask if he wanted to talk.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, just… needed some air. Kinda felt like I couldn’t breathe in there.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“It might help if you talk about it,” she pressed, trying not to push.
“Maria, please don’t,” he pleaded. He winced, knowing his next words might hurt her. “I need some time alone, just for a little while, okay? I’ll come back soon, but I need a little time away from everyone.”
Maria nodded. “Alright.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Just come back when you’re ready.”
He sighed, relieved when she gave in to his wishes and left him alone with Caela.
*****
Maria walked back into the living room, feeling like she was carrying a heavy load on her back. She wasn’t mad a him. It was just... well, it was Christmas and she wanted to be with him, but he couldn’t right now. She glanced around the room and decided to take a seat on the big bear rug in front of the fireplace.
Liz looked up when Maria came back but didn’t join them, choosing instead to sit near the fireplace alone. “I’ll be back, Max,” she whispered.
Max glanced up to see where she was going and he nodded when she motioned to Maria. “Alright, darlin’.” He leaned in to give her a kiss before letting his arm fall from her shoulders.
She sat down close to Maria, careful to leave enough space between them so that the other girl didn’t feel pressured to talk. “You okay?” she asked quietly.
Maria tried to bring up a smile, but she had the feeling it didn’t look very convincing. “Yeah.”
Liz bit her bottom lip, debating whether or not she should question her further. “Um... is Michael okay?”
Maria sighed. “I don’t know. He’s having a hard time dealin’ with all the Christmas stuff.”
“He seems to really enjoy having Caela around,” she said, trying to find something positive.
“Yeah,” Maria smirked. “The girl’s too little to ask too many questions like his girlfriend does.”
“Have you noticed how all of the guys turn into mush around her? Okay, I mean, I kinda expected it with Max because I’ve seen him with his nephew, but I wasn’t expecting it with Michael.”
“Yeah, he has a way with kids. Ya remember when we were at that motocross event for Max?”
Liz nodded. “That seems like a lifetime ago.”
The other girl laughed. “I know. Michael and I were on our way to our next make out, when this little boy who had lost his parents somewhere bumped into us. And ya know he was great with the kid. He just needed like two seconds and the boy totally loved him.”
“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have expected that. But, it’s a good thing,” Liz hurried to add. “It’s important to know how guys are gonna be with their own children someday.”
“True. Any I totally see him as a good father, but he doesn’t believe it.”
“I’m not surprised after everything I’ve heard about his parents.”
“Yeah, they did a really great job makin’ him believe that he doesn’t deserve anything.” Maria shook her head.
“He’s changed so much since you guys started... dating,” Liz said.
“Yeah, I know...” She didn’t want to talk about Michael any longer; it would only make her feel worse so she changed the subject and pinched her best friend’s side. “Someone else has changed a lot since she’s had a new boyfriend.”
Liz blushed a little as she smiled. “I didn’t know what I was missin’, Maria. God, I honestly didn’t understand what the big deal was about kissing a guy or touching him... having him touch me... I always just assumed I just wasn’t wired that way.” She turned her head and watched Max for several seconds before looking back at Maria. “I was sooo wrong.”
Maria grinned. “I would have bet every penny I’ve got at the beginning of college that I would never hear such a thing come out of your mouth, Liz Parker.”
“At the beginning of the school year I never would’ve imagined even thinking such a thing!”
“Have you... ya know... have you already had sex with him?”
Liz chewed on her thumbnail for a minute before she realized that she was falling back on the childish habit. “No, but...” She took a deep breath. “I want to,” she admitted, her voice lowered to a whisper. “Is that wrong? We haven’t even been together for a whole month yet.”
Maria shook her head. “It’s not wrong if you feel ready, girl.”
She nodded, relieved at Maria’s reassurance. “So... what’s it feel like? Y’know, the first time?” She glanced back at Max again. “I’ve been readin’ everything I can get my hands on about the first time and some people say it hurts really bad and others say it doesn’t... so, how’s it really feel?”
Maria laughed. “Well, I can only speak from my own experience, girl, but don’t believe all those horror stories. It might hurt a little bit for a few seconds but it’s not that bad.”
“Really?” God, what a relief! Liz thought. “How long does it take to have sex?” She rolled her eyes. “Does that sound totally stupid? Oh, God, it does! I’m sorry, Maria, I shouldn’t be askin’ questions like this at almost 19.”
“No, it’s okay Liz. How long... well, that mostly depends on Max, I guess,” she said, grinning.
Her eyes widened. “Um... why?” Great, another brilliant question.
“Because once men come, they need a little time before they can do it again. But I’m sure Max will make sure you’ve had all your fun before he has his own.”
“So, they can do it more than one time? Is there like a limit? Like, after so many times it just doesn’t work anymore?”
Maria bit her lip to keep from laughing. “There’s no rule for it, Liz; it’s different for all men.”
“Well...” She picked at the seam on her jeans as she rested her chin on her raised knees. “How many times do you and Michael do it?”
“In a day? In a night?”
“Yeah. Wait, is there a difference?”
“I mean in 24 hours? Or just in a night?”
“Just in a night, I guess.”
“Hmm...” Maria thought about it then shrugged. “It totally depends, Liz. Sometimes only once, sometimes more.”
“Hmm, okay, so it just kinda depends on the guy and his... um... stamina?”
“Mostly, yes, but also on you too, of course.”
Liz felt so confused. Guys were the ones who had to... she blushed. What did she have to do with it? “Me too?”
“Of course, Liz.” She grinned. “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out. You shouldn’t just sleep with him because he wants to either. You have to be in the mood as well. Sometimes they’re all ready to go and you’re just not feelin’ it.”
“Oh, okay, I understand now.” She smiled, slightly embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. “What about the first time you do it? How long do you have to wait before you can do it again? I mean, y’know, from the woman’s side?”
“Uh, you can just go for it again if you want, girl.”
“But, is it gonna hurt to do it again after the first time?” She buried her face against her knees. “I’m sorry, Maria... I don’t have anyone else to ask about this stuff.”
Maria hugged her. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you asked. And it shouldn’t hurt then anymore. You might be a little sore, but whether you wanna go for it again or not is totally up to you.”
Liz nodded. “Did you talk to your mom about this stuff?”
“Sometimes, yes. She got pregnant so young so I guess she did tell me a lot.”
She sighed sadly and stared at the flames dancing in the fireplace. “I wish I had a better relationship with my mom.”
“She’ll get over your break up with Sean eventually.”
“Yeah, I guess, but it’s not gonna make our relationship any better.”
“Hey,” a warm male voice growled, “what’s got my girl lookin’ so sad over here?”
Liz looked up when Max crouched down beside her and she shook her head. “Hey, Max.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just... thinkin’ about my parents.”
Max sighed. He didn’t know what to say. It was Christmas so of course it was even harder for her than normal.
“I wish...” She shook her head again. “No, I’m not gonna even think about it.” She smiled at her boyfriend. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
“Wanna take a little walk before bed?”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
Maria watched them as they got ready to go outside and she glanced towards Caela’s room, wondering if Michael was going to come out anytime soon.
*****
Ed had been watching the younger couple interact all evening, thankful for whatever had happened to smooth things over between them. He knew his daughter was spoiled and that she could be a little pain in the ass when she wanted to be... and even sometimes when she wasn’t trying to be. The last couple of days things had been going well and he hoped Tess would realize just how much Kyle loved her.
“Hey, it’s your turn,” Tess said, snapping her fingers to get her father’s attention.
He smiled and picked a card out, tossing it on the table. “Did you talk to Maria?” he asked, knowing she had disappeared a while ago to call her friend.
“No, it just kept going to voicemail.”
“Yeah, got the same thing when I tried to call Michael and Max,” Kyle said as he studied his cards.
“Reception can be pretty questionable if you’re in the right place in Tahoe,” Lisa said as she motioned for Ed to give her two cards. “Especially if the weather changes and the snow starts falling.”
Kyle grinned. “I’m hopin’ for fresh powder on the mountains. I’m ready to hit the slopes.”
“What time will you two be leavin’ tomorrow?” Ed asked and tossed a card on the table.
“Early in the morning,” Kyle answered. “Michael’s family hasn’t really ever had a real Christmas and we’re gonna try to make sure they see what all the hype’s about.”
Lisa nodded. “You’ll all have a lot of fun up there.”
“Yeah,” Tess grinned, “I can’t wait. Hanging out in California together is cool, but this will be even better.”
Kyle glanced up at Ed. “She’s excited about all that snow.”
“I am,” Tess nodded.
“You’ve never been to Tahoe, Tess?” Lisa asked.
“No. Never ever.” The girl took a card and grimaced when she looked at it.
“You’ll love it.” She elbowed Ed. “Why haven’t you taken her up there?”
He shrugged. “We went to other places.”
Kyle grinned at the cards in his hand and laid them over the pile on the table. “Looks like I win this round.”
Tess and Ed both groaned. “Again?”
“What can I say? You just can’t beat the Valenti luck.”
Tess glanced at her watch. It was already 11pm and they had to get up around 5:30am. “I guess we should call it a night.”
“That’s true,” Kyle joked. “Your daughter doesn’t do early morning’s well, Ed.”
“For once I can say that’s something she got from me,” the older man said with a smile.
Kyle stood and held his hand out to Tess, pulling her up from the floor to stand next to him.
“I guess you guys won’t be up in the morning, huh?” Tess glanced at Ed and Lisa.
“I think I can manage to haul my old bones outta bed to say goodbye to my only daughter,” Ed said with a smile.
“I’ll get up too,” Lisa promised.
Kyle snorted. “Don’t be surprised if Tess completely misses the fact that you’re even in the same room... she’s like a zombie before dawn.”
“Shut up, Kyle,” she gave him a little slap on the back of his head.
Kyle rubbed his head. “Hey, what was that for?”
She smiled sweetly. “That was for the zombie comment.”
“Was I lyin’?”
She rolled her eyes. “Bed. Now.”
He smirked and snapped off a quick salute before shooting a grin at her dad. “G’night, Ed, Lisa.”
Tess walked upstairs and into her room, followed by Kyle. “Do ya think I packed too much stuff for Tahoe?” she asked, glancing at the two bags.
“You always pack too much and we go home with even more than we left with, but that’s alright.”
“I can never decide what I wanna wear, so I have to take it all with me,” she said, amused.
“We could make it simple and you could wear a lotta nothin’,” he said, grabbing the tiny bag he had purchased a few days earlier and shoving it under his pillow while she wasn’t looking. He threw himself down on the bed and linked his hands behind his head as he watched her.
“Around the cabin? In front of everyone?” she teased.
“Good point... we always seem to come back to that.”
“Uh-huh... maybe we can make it a rule for our room.”
“Or,” he said slowly, “we could go with somethin’ a little less than fully clothed and a little more than totally naked.”
“And that would be?”
“Maybe a little somethin’ I picked up for you.”
She grinned. “You did?”
“Um-hmm.” He slid his right hand under the pillow and crinkled the bag.
She sat down next to him on the bed and bounced up and down, excited. “Show me.”
He couldn’t stop the smile at her enthusiastic response and instead of drawing it out like he had intended he pulled the tiny red bag out and offered it to her.
Tess ripped the bag out of his hands and opened it. “Oh my God,” she breathed when she saw the lingerie he had bought for her. Her fingers wandered over the pale pink silk fabric before she pulled the two tiny scraps of cloth out of the bag. First she held up the tiny panties with the white lace at the hem. “It’s great, Kyle,” she said and grabbed the other part of the lingerie, a corsage with the same lace on it.
“Know what would be even greater?” he asked gruffly.
She smiled. “I think I know what you’re up to.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be back in just a couple minutes,” she told him and left the room to duck into the bath next door.
Kyle jumped up and hurried to shed his clothes, tossing them in a chair in the corner. He debated for several seconds about his boxers before discarding those as well and diving under the covers. It wasn’t like they were gonna be on for long anyway, he decided. He shoved his pillows up so he could lean back against them and he smoothed his hands over the blankets. He couldn’t believe she could still make his palms sweat.
Tess glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. Amazing how he had picked out lingerie that fit her body so damn well and also looked fantastic and totally sexy. He’s gonna burst when he sees me, she thought in amusement and walked out of the bathroom again.
She found him – as expected – already undressed and in the bed. “Sooo,” she raised one arm and braced it on the doorframe, leaning to the side slightly. “What ya think?”
“I knew you’d look great, but this...” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “Tess, you’re takin’ sexy to a whole new level.”
“It really looks great, babe.”
“Yeah, it does.” He grinned at her. “I happen to have very good taste in lingerie,” he boasted.
“Uh-huh,” she crawled up onto the bed slowly. “How long ya think until you want it to be gone?”
His hands came up to trace over the material and he shook his head. “You might have to keep this one on,” he whispered huskily.
“What about you?” She reached out to slip her hand under the blanket. “Already gone, huh?”
“Hot, hard, and ready to go.”
She grinned when her fingers ghosted over him. “Yes, you are.” She withdrew her hand when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down against his body.
We’ve got a feeling you’re right. Yeah, keep those vibes far away, lol!
We will be learning more about Adam. Maureen is still in New York, other than that, she hasn’t said a word to us. We’ll let ya know if we hear from her though.
LOL, he is a dork, but we love him too. We’ve got a feeling Uncle Michael might just be stuck with ‘Ki-Ki’.
Glad ya loved that Dreamer scene!
Natalie36: Thanks for reading!
mary mary: The things Michael has to put up with sometimes…
80s_UnLove_Child: Oh, yeah!
Anything’s possible this trip.
kismet: Thanks! We’re glad you enjoyed that – we know it’s been quite a wait for ya!
Wow, so, almost three days to come back from that Dreamer high, lol!
Michael will be working to make up for missing out on morning sex.
Liz is progressing right along now that she’s found Mr. Right.
Well, we can’t do anything to help ya out there, lol, but Liz seemed to enjoy the moment quite a lot.
zaneri1: Your Dreamer heart may just get more.
Now that they’re settling into their relationship and getting more comfortable with things we’ll be seeing more of that mature behavior.
More fun in the snow coming up.
April: Nope, we had no clue! Thanks!
He’s doing well with Caela. Being able to sit down and talk about things with his brother and their significant others is good for both of them.
“Ki-Ki”… we couldn’t resist.
sunrise102: Yup, a very big step for our Dreamer couple!
Michael has many hidden talents, lol.
Time for some R&R for our group.
Alien_Friend: Thanks! We kinda had a feeling which way your vote would swing, lol!
Hopefully that will continue over the Christmas holiday for our group.
Max and Liz do well at supporting each other and they’ll only get stronger as they get closer. It’s safe to say the same is very true of Michael and Maria.
He was very huggable in that last part, huh? And even though he has no good Christmas memories to speak of he wants things to be great for Caela.
sarammlover: LOL, some things just can’t be rushed.
Our Candy couple continues to grow. Hopefully this Christmas will leave a good impression on Michael.
keepsmiling7: LOL, we’ll see…
Part 101 – Babies and Bedtime Stories
Liz walked around the tree in the living room for the third time and then nodded. “Yeah, it looks good. Perfect place for the tree, perfect shape and it’s not leaning to any one side,” she clapped her hands happily.
It had taken them almost until dusk before they had suddenly found the right tree standing right in front of them. She was sure that Michael had been ready to explode by that time and even Max had seemed a little pissy.
She glanced at Maria and Karen as they entered the living room with cartons full of decorations for the tree. “I soooo love doin’ this,” Liz shrieked.
“Yeah, me too,” Maria smiled and placed the cartons on the floor next to the tree. “And we’ve got plenty of stuff, we can even decorate the windows and tables with it.”
Karen walked into the kitchen to make sure the boys had all they needed to make dinner. “You guys are okay?” She smiled when all three of them answered with positive grumbling in some form or other. “And you, my little girl?” Karen walked over to the highchair and kissed Caela’s forehead.
The baby replied with a happy scream and then concentrated on her sippy cup again, cheerfully banging it against the tray in front of her.
“Alright.” Karen walked back to the other girls then, stopping at the stereo to turn on some Christmas music from a CD she had brought with her. “How’s Michael doing with all of this Christmas stuff?” she asked.
Maria grimaced. “Not so good.”
“Brendan spent several Christmases with me and my mom, so at least he’s past that stage of discomfort.”
“I can only hope that Michael will start to feel better about the holidays soon. He... I don’t know... he feels uncomfortable because he feels nothing ya know?” Maria glanced in the direction of the kitchen, making sure he wouldn’t hear anything because she was sure he didn’t want her to talk about it with anyone. But Karen had known the family for so long and it was good to have someone like her to talk to.
“Coming here, someplace that has no connection to their past with Hank, and spending the holidays with people who care about them, who love them, was a very smart move. It’ll give them a chance to really make some good memories and they all need that.”
“Well, at least I have a Christmas present that will hopefully be memorable.”
“I guess you know him well enough by now to know that he might not be comfortable with bein’ on the receiving end of a gift.”
“True, but it’s Christmas and he will get a present from me,” Maria said.
“That’s good.” Karen smiled approvingly. “What about you, Liz? Got a little something special for Max?”
“Of course,” she said proudly.
Maria’s eyebrows lifted at Liz’s confident tone. “Gonna share?”
“Nope.”
Maria’s right eyebrow lifted even higher at the quiet, but adamant, denial. “No?”
“You gonna share yours for Michael?”
“No, but that really isn’t the point.”
Liz snorted. “I’m not sharing if you’re not sharing, deal with it.”
Maria laughed and shook her head. “Girl, you have totally come outta your shell since you and Max got together.”
Liz smiled inwardly. Yeah, she was very proud of finally speaking up for herself.
“Have you and Max been together long?” Karen asked.
“Um, no, since Thanksgiving.”
A loud crash from the kitchen had Maria looking at the others. “Maybe we should go check on them.”
“Well, at least nobody screamed,” Karen said, turning in the direction of the kitchen. “Everything okay in there?”
“Everything’s fine,” Brendan assured them as he leaned over the bar that divided the two rooms. “We’ve got it all under control.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Right, guys?”
“Under control,” Max yelled in agreement.
Maria frowned when Michael was suspiciously silent and she moved closer to the bar, motioning for silence when Brendan started to say something to pass on a warning to his brother.
Another crash could be heard, followed by muttered cursing and her eyes widened when she saw her boyfriend sitting in the sink in the center island, while Max tried to pull a large pot off of Michael’s foot. A glance at the ceiling had her shaking her head and she decided not to ask how they had managed to get ketchup up there.
Michael gave up his struggle to get his ass out of the sink when he felt Maria staring at him. He knew it was her; the tingling feeling running along his spine gave it away. He had been attempting to climb up on the bar to clean the ketchup off of the ceiling when he had managed to slip on some water and from there it had been a matter of falling on his ass... right in the sink.
He shoved Max away when his foot finally came free and he wondered how he managed to get himself in these situations. Brendan’s clumsiness had to be rubbing off on him, he decided. Why else would he have suddenly turned into such a klutz?
“At least there was no water in the sink,” Max said helpfully.
“Yeah, I feel so much better about this now, Evans.”
Max just grinned at him and held his hand out to help Michael out of the sink.
“I don’t need anymore help from you,” Michael snapped, pushing Max’s hand away. “I think you’ve done enough.”
“Me?”
“You’re the one who said that experiment wouldn’t work... there’s no way Brendan wasn’t gonna try to prove you wrong.”
Maria couldn’t hold back any longer and started to laugh. “Oh, my god, you guys...” she panted, unable to get another word out.
“I think I bruised my ass,” Michael complained.
“Uh-huh,” Maria choked out, still laughing, “need a doctor?”
“No, I’ll live... my ass may be black and blue for the next week, but I’ll live.”
Maria shook her head. “We can’t leave you guys alone, huh? Maybe it’s better if Caela stays with us.”
Caela protested by banging her sippy cup against the tray. “Ki Ki!” she shouted happily.
“You wanna stay with Ki Ki?” Maria asked, amused.
Michael glared at his girlfriend and shook his head. “You don’t need to encourage her use of that name,” he growled.
“As if you wouldn’t do the same thing,” she said and then turned to go back to the girls.
He turned back to his niece. “Okay, kid, we’ve gotta come up with a name for Aunt Maria. And we wanna do somethin’ about this Ki Ki thing.”
“I don’t know, Michael, I think you’re stuck with it,” Brendan said.
“Yeah, it could be worse,” Max tried to help.
“Really? And how is that possible?”
Max just rolled his eyes and ignored him. “Let’s get back to cookin’ dinner.”
“Do we wanna know what they’re getting up to in there?” Karen asked when Maria joined her and Liz again.
“No, you’re better off not knowin’,” Maria said, knowing that Michael wouldn’t appreciate her sharing the details right now.
“That bad, huh?” She nodded. “Brendan was trying to prove something, right?”
“Uh, yeah... tryin’. Not sure he succeeded.”
“Uh-huh. Well, as long as no one’s hurt, it’s probably best if we leave them to their... man things.”
“Yeah, hopefully we won’t find anything strange in the food.”
“God, I hope not,” Liz muttered. She knew Max could cook, but sticking him in a kitchen with Michael and Brendan? Who knew what could happen?
“Let’s get to some decorating,” Maria said, gesturing at the tree.
*****
Christmas Eve in the Whitman household was a pleasantly chaotic affair and Alex had thoroughly enjoyed watching his girlfriend interacting with her parents. Joe and Katherine had happily spoiled Brooke and he was grateful for the attention they had lavished on her. She hadn’t had enough of that in her life and he was glad to see her having so much fun. He’d had to force himself to be strong when she had started a campaign to bring Socrates home with them and it had been even more difficult when Joe had started to back her up.
He watched from his seat at the dining room table as she ran back and forth, helping Isabel and her mother put the finishing touches on dinner. He and Joe had been kicked out of the kitchen more than an hour earlier and told to stay out of the way so they had gone to watch the last few minutes of the football game playing on the television.
Once it was over they had sat down at the table and talked about the game, books they had read, and raising teenage girls. Isabel had stuck her head in the room several times to warn her father to stop telling certain stories, but he had only dropped them until she had disappeared again. Joe was a good conversationalist and he was knowledgeable in a various number of subjects, but Alex couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the man was still weighing his worthiness where Isabel was concerned.
When dinner was ready and the food was placed on the table, they all took their places and waited while Joe carved the meat. Conversation flowed throughout dinner, going along smoothly until Katherine made an unexpected observation.
“Isabel, you’re not eating very much.”
Joe frowned when he realized that his wife was right. “You feelin’ alright, sweetie?” It was unusual for Isabel to eat so little over the holidays. The girl always put the food away; she loved her mother’s homemade food.
Isabel shifted in her seat as she glanced at her boyfriend and she smiled when he reached over to take her hand.
She took a deep breath and glanced at her mother again. “Um, yeah... yeah, I’m alright. There’s just something I... we have to tell you both and I’m a little bit nervous about it.”
Joe glanced between his daughter and her boyfriend, knowing that what she had to tell them could only be one of two things.
Katherine gave her husband an unsubtle kick beneath the table and she gently placed her fork down on her plate as she gave her daughter her full attention. “What is it, sweetie?”
Alex looked at Isabel, seeing the nervous tension in her eyes. “You want me to tell them?” he asked quietly.
“Well, someone had better tell us what the hell’s going on,” Joe said loudly.
“Joseph Aaron Whitman, do not use that language at the dinner table,” Katherine warned him.
Brooke giggled nervously, still not completely comfortable being in the middle of arguments.
Isabel shook her head at Alex, telling him without a word that she had to do this. “Well, uh... okay,” she sighed. “There’s no way to tell you in an easy way, so I’m just gonna say it.” She glanced at Alex, who nodded softly before her gaze met that of her parents. “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.” She bit her lip as she waited for their reactions.
Joe’s mouth dropped open in shock even though he had known that it was one of the options. He shook his head and reached up to rub his right ear. “I’m sorry... you’re what?”
Katherine rolled her eyes at her husband’s response. She knew just as soon as they were alone she was going to be hearing all about the cradle-robbing old man stealing their daughter.
“Alex and I are gonna be parents, Dad,” Isabel repeated, even though she knew her dad had understood her perfectly well.
“Parents... you’re 18 years old!” He pointed a finger at Alex. “You did this!”
“Well,” Alex said a little surprised, “I don’t suppose there’s any point denying that.”
“I knew it!” Joe huffed.
“They’re totally in love,” Brooke defended them.
“Uh-huh, and being in love means you have to rush things?” Joe shook his head.
Alex cleared his throat. “We weren’t rushin’ things, Joe; we didn’t intend to have a child just yet, but it’s happening and we’ve accepted it. Actually, while it wasn’t somethin’ we planned, we’re both pretty happy about it.”
“You do know what it means to have a child, right? A child is expensive and it cries at night and it’ll you keep awake most of the time. You can’t go to wild college parties while your friends will be out doing just do that.”
“We understand that this’s gonna be an adjustment, but we think we’re ready for it.” Alex laughed quietly. “Well, as ready as you can ever be for a baby. And neither of us are really party animals anyway.”
“How far along are you?” Katherine asked, her eyes wet from the thought that her little girl would soon have a child of her own.
Isabel squeezed Alex’ hand and smiled at her mother. “About eight weeks, give or take a few days.”
Katherine got to her feet to rush to her daughter. She pulled her into a hug when Isabel got up as well. “That’s why you’ve been so pale in the mornings. I remember pretty well how I felt when I was pregnant with you.”
Isabel closed her eyes, relieved that her mother was taking the news so well. “Please tell me that the morning sickness will pass soon.”
“Probably in a few weeks, sweetie.”
“I’ll be so happy to see the last of that.”
“I’ve got a few books about pregnancy, you can have them,” Katherine said, motioning for her husband to get rid of his shock. Now.
Joe stood up and walked around the table, intentionally ignoring Alex as he reached for his daughter. “This’s what you want?” he asked, meeting her gaze seriously.
Isabel nodded. “We didn’t plan this, Dad. But it happened and I could never live with any other decision.”
His stern expression gentled and he smiled softly at her. “You weren’t supposed to make me a grandpa for another ten years or so, baby girl.”
She smiled back at him. “Sorry.”
“Uh-huh,” he grumbled and pulled her into a hug. “I still love you even if you are gonna make me a grandpa well before my time.”
Isabel glanced at her parents, relieved. “I’m so glad you know now.”
Joe glanced at Alex. “Me an’ you, we’re gonna have a talk later.”
“Joe,” his wife urged him.
“It’s my right as her father to have a talk with him and find out exactly what his intentions are.”
*****
As evening neared on Christmas Eve the stories about past Christmases began to take the place of random conversations and Michael eventually fell silent because he didn’t have anything to add. It was moments like these when he felt like an outsider, like he didn’t belong, and despite their efforts to draw him into the conversations he slowly withdrew into himself.
He looked up when Karen came back from getting Caela ready for bed and he watched the little girl move around the room, drawing out the process of saying goodnight. She walked across the couch to where Max and Liz were sitting and she smiled bashfully when he reached out to tickle her.
“C’mon, you little flirt,” Brendan said as he scooped her up in his arms. “It’s past time for you to be in bed.” He raised an eyebrow when she howled in protest and squirmed around in an effort to get down.
“We’ll be back shortly,” Karen said as they started to leave the room.
“Hey, why don’t you guys let me take ‘er,” Michael offered as he stood up.
“Are you sure, Michael?” she asked.
“Yeah. Yeah, you guys are involved in the conversation and I don’t really…” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’ll take ‘er.”
Caela stopped fighting her father’s hold when her uncle spoke and she pointed at him. “Ki Ki,” she whimpered pathetically and held her arms out to him.
“She’s gonna be difficult to get to bed with all the activity out here,” Brendan warned. He was still trying to get the hang of how to do things where his daughter was concerned, but if his brother really wanted to handle the bedtime thing and give him a break he wasn’t about to argue.
“Nah, we can handle it,” Michael said, taking Caela in his arms. “Right, kid?” He rolled his eyes when she ignored his words in favor of reaching up to pet his hair. At least her hand wasn’t covered in baby spit this time, he thought.
“You need some help?” Maria asked quietly when he turned and started to walk past her.
“No, I need a break from all the… Christmas spirit,” he muttered, barely glancing at her as he continued on his way.
Maria sighed and followed him with her eyes. She didn’t want him to feel as if he didn’t belong, but she didn’t know how to change that either. It was going to take time and she had to remind herself to be patient, but sometimes it was hard not to go after him and demand an explanation when they were all together and he went off by himself.
*****
Michael walked into Caela’s room and glanced around, looking for something to amuse the little girl and take her mind off of the fact that she was missing out on all the fun in the other room. His gaze finally settled on a short stack of books sitting on the table by the chair and he shifted her around as he sat down and reached for the one on top. He frowned at the cartoon characters drawn on the cover and put it down and reached for the next one.
“Who picked these out?” he grumbled. “They suck. You wanna read a real book we should sit down with Ulysses one night and get that started. Good stuff.”
“You are not readin’ Ulysses to my daughter!” Brendan hissed from the doorway. “It isn’t fit for someone her age.”
Michael snorted at his brother and waved him away. “I think I’ve got this under control, Bren.” He raised an eyebrow expectantly. “That means, go away.” He rolled his eyes when his brother disappeared and then he reached for the next book on the stack. “I will introduce you to Ulysses one day,” he promised. “Not now, but one day. Okay, let’s see what else we’ve got… yeah, not readin’ that one.” He put it back, wondering how Brendan had even known he was talking about the book. “Oh, hey, this one’s not bad,” he said after discarding almost all of them. “Your aunt Brooke loved this one when she was little; it’s got a dragon and a knight, some fairies,” he wrinkled his nose. “Not my favorite part,” he growled, earning a sleepy giggle. “And, of course, there’s the beautiful princess.” He pressed a kiss to her head and slouched down so he could prop his feet up on the ottoman. “Okay, you ready? Once upon a time…”
Silence had fallen over the living room as everyone listened to the one-sided conversation coming through the small speaker of the baby monitor.
“He’s just full of surprises, isn’t he?” Liz asked quietly.
Maria smiled softly as she listened to him reading the story to his niece, altering his voice for the different characters and pausing every once in a while to turn a page. She leaned forward and grabbed the baby monitor, turning the volume down and motioning for everyone to go back to talking. She knew he’d have a fit if he found out they were all listening in on his moment with Caela.
Michael had just reached the end of the book where everyone lived happily ever after and he looked down at his niece when she sighed quietly. He leaned over to place the book on the table and shifted her as he stood up slowly and carried her over to the crib and eased her down. He covered her with the light blanket inside and propped his arm on the rail, chin resting in his hand as he watched her.
It was so easy to love kids and be open with them, he thought. They had no expectations beyond having someone to take care of them and love them unconditionally. He turned his head when a hand settled on his shoulder and he looked at Maria, knowing before she spoke that she was going to ask if he wanted to talk.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, just… needed some air. Kinda felt like I couldn’t breathe in there.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“It might help if you talk about it,” she pressed, trying not to push.
“Maria, please don’t,” he pleaded. He winced, knowing his next words might hurt her. “I need some time alone, just for a little while, okay? I’ll come back soon, but I need a little time away from everyone.”
Maria nodded. “Alright.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Just come back when you’re ready.”
He sighed, relieved when she gave in to his wishes and left him alone with Caela.
*****
Maria walked back into the living room, feeling like she was carrying a heavy load on her back. She wasn’t mad a him. It was just... well, it was Christmas and she wanted to be with him, but he couldn’t right now. She glanced around the room and decided to take a seat on the big bear rug in front of the fireplace.
Liz looked up when Maria came back but didn’t join them, choosing instead to sit near the fireplace alone. “I’ll be back, Max,” she whispered.
Max glanced up to see where she was going and he nodded when she motioned to Maria. “Alright, darlin’.” He leaned in to give her a kiss before letting his arm fall from her shoulders.
She sat down close to Maria, careful to leave enough space between them so that the other girl didn’t feel pressured to talk. “You okay?” she asked quietly.
Maria tried to bring up a smile, but she had the feeling it didn’t look very convincing. “Yeah.”
Liz bit her bottom lip, debating whether or not she should question her further. “Um... is Michael okay?”
Maria sighed. “I don’t know. He’s having a hard time dealin’ with all the Christmas stuff.”
“He seems to really enjoy having Caela around,” she said, trying to find something positive.
“Yeah,” Maria smirked. “The girl’s too little to ask too many questions like his girlfriend does.”
“Have you noticed how all of the guys turn into mush around her? Okay, I mean, I kinda expected it with Max because I’ve seen him with his nephew, but I wasn’t expecting it with Michael.”
“Yeah, he has a way with kids. Ya remember when we were at that motocross event for Max?”
Liz nodded. “That seems like a lifetime ago.”
The other girl laughed. “I know. Michael and I were on our way to our next make out, when this little boy who had lost his parents somewhere bumped into us. And ya know he was great with the kid. He just needed like two seconds and the boy totally loved him.”
“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have expected that. But, it’s a good thing,” Liz hurried to add. “It’s important to know how guys are gonna be with their own children someday.”
“True. Any I totally see him as a good father, but he doesn’t believe it.”
“I’m not surprised after everything I’ve heard about his parents.”
“Yeah, they did a really great job makin’ him believe that he doesn’t deserve anything.” Maria shook her head.
“He’s changed so much since you guys started... dating,” Liz said.
“Yeah, I know...” She didn’t want to talk about Michael any longer; it would only make her feel worse so she changed the subject and pinched her best friend’s side. “Someone else has changed a lot since she’s had a new boyfriend.”
Liz blushed a little as she smiled. “I didn’t know what I was missin’, Maria. God, I honestly didn’t understand what the big deal was about kissing a guy or touching him... having him touch me... I always just assumed I just wasn’t wired that way.” She turned her head and watched Max for several seconds before looking back at Maria. “I was sooo wrong.”
Maria grinned. “I would have bet every penny I’ve got at the beginning of college that I would never hear such a thing come out of your mouth, Liz Parker.”
“At the beginning of the school year I never would’ve imagined even thinking such a thing!”
“Have you... ya know... have you already had sex with him?”
Liz chewed on her thumbnail for a minute before she realized that she was falling back on the childish habit. “No, but...” She took a deep breath. “I want to,” she admitted, her voice lowered to a whisper. “Is that wrong? We haven’t even been together for a whole month yet.”
Maria shook her head. “It’s not wrong if you feel ready, girl.”
She nodded, relieved at Maria’s reassurance. “So... what’s it feel like? Y’know, the first time?” She glanced back at Max again. “I’ve been readin’ everything I can get my hands on about the first time and some people say it hurts really bad and others say it doesn’t... so, how’s it really feel?”
Maria laughed. “Well, I can only speak from my own experience, girl, but don’t believe all those horror stories. It might hurt a little bit for a few seconds but it’s not that bad.”
“Really?” God, what a relief! Liz thought. “How long does it take to have sex?” She rolled her eyes. “Does that sound totally stupid? Oh, God, it does! I’m sorry, Maria, I shouldn’t be askin’ questions like this at almost 19.”
“No, it’s okay Liz. How long... well, that mostly depends on Max, I guess,” she said, grinning.
Her eyes widened. “Um... why?” Great, another brilliant question.
“Because once men come, they need a little time before they can do it again. But I’m sure Max will make sure you’ve had all your fun before he has his own.”
“So, they can do it more than one time? Is there like a limit? Like, after so many times it just doesn’t work anymore?”
Maria bit her lip to keep from laughing. “There’s no rule for it, Liz; it’s different for all men.”
“Well...” She picked at the seam on her jeans as she rested her chin on her raised knees. “How many times do you and Michael do it?”
“In a day? In a night?”
“Yeah. Wait, is there a difference?”
“I mean in 24 hours? Or just in a night?”
“Just in a night, I guess.”
“Hmm...” Maria thought about it then shrugged. “It totally depends, Liz. Sometimes only once, sometimes more.”
“Hmm, okay, so it just kinda depends on the guy and his... um... stamina?”
“Mostly, yes, but also on you too, of course.”
Liz felt so confused. Guys were the ones who had to... she blushed. What did she have to do with it? “Me too?”
“Of course, Liz.” She grinned. “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out. You shouldn’t just sleep with him because he wants to either. You have to be in the mood as well. Sometimes they’re all ready to go and you’re just not feelin’ it.”
“Oh, okay, I understand now.” She smiled, slightly embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. “What about the first time you do it? How long do you have to wait before you can do it again? I mean, y’know, from the woman’s side?”
“Uh, you can just go for it again if you want, girl.”
“But, is it gonna hurt to do it again after the first time?” She buried her face against her knees. “I’m sorry, Maria... I don’t have anyone else to ask about this stuff.”
Maria hugged her. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you asked. And it shouldn’t hurt then anymore. You might be a little sore, but whether you wanna go for it again or not is totally up to you.”
Liz nodded. “Did you talk to your mom about this stuff?”
“Sometimes, yes. She got pregnant so young so I guess she did tell me a lot.”
She sighed sadly and stared at the flames dancing in the fireplace. “I wish I had a better relationship with my mom.”
“She’ll get over your break up with Sean eventually.”
“Yeah, I guess, but it’s not gonna make our relationship any better.”
“Hey,” a warm male voice growled, “what’s got my girl lookin’ so sad over here?”
Liz looked up when Max crouched down beside her and she shook her head. “Hey, Max.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just... thinkin’ about my parents.”
Max sighed. He didn’t know what to say. It was Christmas so of course it was even harder for her than normal.
“I wish...” She shook her head again. “No, I’m not gonna even think about it.” She smiled at her boyfriend. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
“Wanna take a little walk before bed?”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
Maria watched them as they got ready to go outside and she glanced towards Caela’s room, wondering if Michael was going to come out anytime soon.
*****
Ed had been watching the younger couple interact all evening, thankful for whatever had happened to smooth things over between them. He knew his daughter was spoiled and that she could be a little pain in the ass when she wanted to be... and even sometimes when she wasn’t trying to be. The last couple of days things had been going well and he hoped Tess would realize just how much Kyle loved her.
“Hey, it’s your turn,” Tess said, snapping her fingers to get her father’s attention.
He smiled and picked a card out, tossing it on the table. “Did you talk to Maria?” he asked, knowing she had disappeared a while ago to call her friend.
“No, it just kept going to voicemail.”
“Yeah, got the same thing when I tried to call Michael and Max,” Kyle said as he studied his cards.
“Reception can be pretty questionable if you’re in the right place in Tahoe,” Lisa said as she motioned for Ed to give her two cards. “Especially if the weather changes and the snow starts falling.”
Kyle grinned. “I’m hopin’ for fresh powder on the mountains. I’m ready to hit the slopes.”
“What time will you two be leavin’ tomorrow?” Ed asked and tossed a card on the table.
“Early in the morning,” Kyle answered. “Michael’s family hasn’t really ever had a real Christmas and we’re gonna try to make sure they see what all the hype’s about.”
Lisa nodded. “You’ll all have a lot of fun up there.”
“Yeah,” Tess grinned, “I can’t wait. Hanging out in California together is cool, but this will be even better.”
Kyle glanced up at Ed. “She’s excited about all that snow.”
“I am,” Tess nodded.
“You’ve never been to Tahoe, Tess?” Lisa asked.
“No. Never ever.” The girl took a card and grimaced when she looked at it.
“You’ll love it.” She elbowed Ed. “Why haven’t you taken her up there?”
He shrugged. “We went to other places.”
Kyle grinned at the cards in his hand and laid them over the pile on the table. “Looks like I win this round.”
Tess and Ed both groaned. “Again?”
“What can I say? You just can’t beat the Valenti luck.”
Tess glanced at her watch. It was already 11pm and they had to get up around 5:30am. “I guess we should call it a night.”
“That’s true,” Kyle joked. “Your daughter doesn’t do early morning’s well, Ed.”
“For once I can say that’s something she got from me,” the older man said with a smile.
Kyle stood and held his hand out to Tess, pulling her up from the floor to stand next to him.
“I guess you guys won’t be up in the morning, huh?” Tess glanced at Ed and Lisa.
“I think I can manage to haul my old bones outta bed to say goodbye to my only daughter,” Ed said with a smile.
“I’ll get up too,” Lisa promised.
Kyle snorted. “Don’t be surprised if Tess completely misses the fact that you’re even in the same room... she’s like a zombie before dawn.”
“Shut up, Kyle,” she gave him a little slap on the back of his head.
Kyle rubbed his head. “Hey, what was that for?”
She smiled sweetly. “That was for the zombie comment.”
“Was I lyin’?”
She rolled her eyes. “Bed. Now.”
He smirked and snapped off a quick salute before shooting a grin at her dad. “G’night, Ed, Lisa.”
Tess walked upstairs and into her room, followed by Kyle. “Do ya think I packed too much stuff for Tahoe?” she asked, glancing at the two bags.
“You always pack too much and we go home with even more than we left with, but that’s alright.”
“I can never decide what I wanna wear, so I have to take it all with me,” she said, amused.
“We could make it simple and you could wear a lotta nothin’,” he said, grabbing the tiny bag he had purchased a few days earlier and shoving it under his pillow while she wasn’t looking. He threw himself down on the bed and linked his hands behind his head as he watched her.
“Around the cabin? In front of everyone?” she teased.
“Good point... we always seem to come back to that.”
“Uh-huh... maybe we can make it a rule for our room.”
“Or,” he said slowly, “we could go with somethin’ a little less than fully clothed and a little more than totally naked.”
“And that would be?”
“Maybe a little somethin’ I picked up for you.”
She grinned. “You did?”
“Um-hmm.” He slid his right hand under the pillow and crinkled the bag.
She sat down next to him on the bed and bounced up and down, excited. “Show me.”
He couldn’t stop the smile at her enthusiastic response and instead of drawing it out like he had intended he pulled the tiny red bag out and offered it to her.
Tess ripped the bag out of his hands and opened it. “Oh my God,” she breathed when she saw the lingerie he had bought for her. Her fingers wandered over the pale pink silk fabric before she pulled the two tiny scraps of cloth out of the bag. First she held up the tiny panties with the white lace at the hem. “It’s great, Kyle,” she said and grabbed the other part of the lingerie, a corsage with the same lace on it.
“Know what would be even greater?” he asked gruffly.
She smiled. “I think I know what you’re up to.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be back in just a couple minutes,” she told him and left the room to duck into the bath next door.
Kyle jumped up and hurried to shed his clothes, tossing them in a chair in the corner. He debated for several seconds about his boxers before discarding those as well and diving under the covers. It wasn’t like they were gonna be on for long anyway, he decided. He shoved his pillows up so he could lean back against them and he smoothed his hands over the blankets. He couldn’t believe she could still make his palms sweat.
Tess glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. Amazing how he had picked out lingerie that fit her body so damn well and also looked fantastic and totally sexy. He’s gonna burst when he sees me, she thought in amusement and walked out of the bathroom again.
She found him – as expected – already undressed and in the bed. “Sooo,” she raised one arm and braced it on the doorframe, leaning to the side slightly. “What ya think?”
“I knew you’d look great, but this...” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “Tess, you’re takin’ sexy to a whole new level.”
“It really looks great, babe.”
“Yeah, it does.” He grinned at her. “I happen to have very good taste in lingerie,” he boasted.
“Uh-huh,” she crawled up onto the bed slowly. “How long ya think until you want it to be gone?”
His hands came up to trace over the material and he shook his head. “You might have to keep this one on,” he whispered huskily.
“What about you?” She reached out to slip her hand under the blanket. “Already gone, huh?”
“Hot, hard, and ready to go.”
She grinned when her fingers ghosted over him. “Yes, you are.” She withdrew her hand when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down against his body.
