Complete ~ M/L ~ (Complete)

[Sugarplum7]

Title: Complete
Author: Sugarplum7
Email: Sugarplmfarie7@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Jason Katims and Melinda Metz, and anyone else that might have made them the characters they are. I am just borrowing them. The song used is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and I don’t own that either.
Rating: YTEEN
Pairing: Max and Liz
Category: AU
Feedback: It is much appreciated, but please keep negative feedback constructive.
Summary: This isn’t much. It is very plotless, too. Basically it is the gang coming “Home” for the holidays. This is just a short, fluffy fic that I wrote in class when I wasn’t paying attention to lecture.

Author’s Note: I did it! I wrote a short fic. I thought I would never get one of these done. Haha! I thought I would be forever plagued with ideas that only had the prospect of being long, epic things. So. Like I was saying . . . This is a one-part short fic. And as such, it is complete. It is a holiday fic (Christmas). A lot early, I know. I really don’t know where it came from. I think I have been listening to Christmas music too early this year.

Enjoy!

~Katie

PS. I am sorry if it isn’t that great. I basically wrote it, typed it and read it through once. I am just so excited that I actually *wrote* something that I had to post it. Haha! I’m like a small child.


<center>Complete
By Sugarplum7</center>


The light sound of a fire filled the room with its occasional crackles and pops. It created a subtle ambience as the quiet tones from Christmas songs past floated around the room. The fire’s heat stretched out across the room, blanketing everything near it with its comforting warmth.

Even with the fire roaring and the room warm, she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she looked out the bay window. The street was brightly lit. Every house on their block was displaying Christmas lights and decorations. The decorations were nowhere near being extravagant, but they were beautiful to see nonetheless. She smiled out the window as she noticed the first few snowflakes begin to fall to the already white ground.

It had been snowing all week. And there was a break in the snowfall earlier that day. She loved the way this looked. The loved the way things appeared to be more at peace when everything was blanketed in soft, white snow. She loved the way things glittered and glimmered in the sunlight. Everything looked prettier. Everything looked softer. It was breathtakingly beautiful when it was like this.

She watched, entranced, as snowflakes danced with the wind, letting the current of air take them where it wished, just floating along without worry, without care, as they continued their journey to the already blanketed ground. They floated along as they landed with grace on the ground.

A car pulled up into the driveway to park beside the pile of snow that was cleared out so someone could park there. A quiet laugh bubbled within her as she thought about how wonderful this day was about to be now that their family had arrived. It had been too long since the last time they all got together like this, and that saddened her. She wished that they could see each other more often, but it simply was not as easy as it once was. They all were busy. There once was a time that they would see each other everyday. That time seemed so long ago—much longer that the true four years that it had been. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

She pushed her sadness back. Now was definitely not the time to be melancholy. She should be happy! They were here! They were coming! They had kept true to their promise. One Christmas, years ago, they had all promised that no matter where they were, no matter what they were doing, they would always be together for Christmas.

And there was something special about this particular Christmas. This Christmas was not just any Christmas, for there was new member of the family joining in on the festivities. This Christmas she had a daughter to share this all with.

She pulled the blanket off her shoulders and folded it neatly before placing in beside one of the throw pillows on the window seat. The voices outside drew her attention back to reality, pulling her thoughts back to the present and out of the clouds where she had been daydreaming. She looked out the window to see that a couple other cars were now parked in front of the house and more family members were getting out of them, laughing, talking, cheering, and enjoying seeing each other after so long. How long had it been since they had all been together?

A shuffle of movement from the other side of the room pulled her attention to it, and she turned to see her husband standing by the decorated Christmas tree holding their daughter in his arms. She smiled at them and made her way over, noticing the way the lights of the tree bathed the two of them in its light. It made them, her husband and daughter, look almost ethereal—heaven sent. She knew how true that was. Both of them were gifts sent from heaven sent to her. She did not even want to know what her life would be like if she was denied this.

As she took her napping baby girl from his arms she knew that she would never fall out of love with her. She knew that now. She had known that when she had first set eyes on her those six months ago. Nothing would ever—could ever—make her fall out of love with this child. No matter what mischief this little girl would get into, she would love her.

He placed a soft kiss against her head before moving around to the fire. He prodded it lightly before placing another log on top of it. He looked up at her from where he kneeled and smiled. It was one of those smiles she got often, but they never ceased to steal her breath away.

A soft knock on the front door grabbed both of their attentions and together they made their way over to it. Even this far from the door she could catch the conversation occurring on her porch. They were all as boisterous as they ever were. Oh, how she missed them.

A soft touch on her shoulder made her stop her walk to the door. Before she could turn to look at him, his arms went around her and held her close. She leaned into the embrace, relishing the way it made her feel safe, protected, loved. A small smile teased at her lips as she sighed in contentment.

“You know I love you. Don’t you?” the soft whisper ticked her ear and sent chills up her spine.

“I know,” she said in an equally quiet tone. She opened her eyes to look at him. “I love you, too. Always have.” His embrace tightened around her and she closed her eyes as she allowed the feeling of absolute bliss wash over her.

“Always will,” he said as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

Another knock on the door grabbed their attention, pulling them out of their reverie. She laughed as she heard a very familiar voice speak through the thick wood of their front door.

“Liz, c’mon! It’s cold, and I want to see my niece!”

“Maria, calm down! They're on their way.”

“Both of you be quiet before you wake the baby you want to see so badly!”

“Isabel, stop critiquing the houses’ decorations.”

“Alex, get your wife to stop critiquing the decorations.”

“Get your own wife to stop jumping around and screaming, Michael!”

“Hey!”

“Ow!”

“Serves you two right. I would have thought that by now you would have realized never to go against those two.

“Shut up, Kyle!”

“Shh! You hear that?”

“Hear what? Are you part bat or something?”

“Ow.”

“Serves you right, Kyle.”

“Shut up, Alex.”

“I think I hear them coming.”

“Good! I’m freezing. And I want to see my niece.”

“You’re cold! I can’t feel my face.”

“Stop whining, Michael.”

“I can’t feel my body. I win!”

Liz smiled as Max opened the door. She readjusted the blanket around the sleeping baby in her arms. When the door opened Max took his place beside her and she gazed out at the group standing on her porch, a group that had become family over the years. Five smiling faces looked back at her. Her smile grew, but not because of the five people standing before her.

Her smile grew because of the feeling that filled her. Two women who were sisters to her when she needed them most were still there for her. Three men who were brothers when times were rough and she needed their confidence and support were still there for her. One man who was everything she would ever want or need in a husband, a best friend, a lover, and a soulmate. And most importantly a daughter that fulfilled all her hopes and dreams just by being born.

This was all she wanted. This was . . . complete.

“Merry Christmas!” The five family members standing outside chorused happily. Liz’s smile grew as her heart swelled with one emotion—love.


<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
Will be dear to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
~*~ ~*~ ~*~


The End</center>