• Pre Christmas 2005
• Randy takes a chance
• The babies are making their presence felt.
• Carrie is introduced to John’s mom
• I purposely used a wrong name for John’s mom.  I just made one up since it’s my fiction.
• And yes, I know John is not the oldest son in real life.  Since when do my fictions have anything resemblance to real life?
• The working title for this one was pre holiday surprises

Feedback: always appreciated!

Randy paced, waiting for the boarding call.  He’d thought his plan through and knew he needed to see her.  That one evening at RAW just tormented the shit out of him.  Then trying to talk on the phone, knowing he was going home to an empty house added to his frustration and loneliness.  Yes, his house was beautiful and he loved it.  But it was missing laughter and love.  Something Randy didn’t have too much of growing up.  But he knew what it felt like having experienced it in small doses when he visited friends.  That feeling of being home, being safe.  Knowing that regardless of the shit going on outside the walls, he was safe and loved.  God, he missed that feeling.  The most recent experiences he had of something even remotely close to it was his tenure with Evolution.  Yeah, he was a prick at times and knew it.  But in spite of that, his fellow members accepted him with open arms.  It was only after the office started to throw a wrench in their unit that things went to hell.  It was a given that both he and DB were going to eventually challenge Hunter.  It was what they were working hard and training for.  Hunter had repeatedly schooled them on the business, knowing they’d be on their own some day.  It’s just that the some day was supposed to be of their own choosing, not Corporate’s. 

And now?  Now he was alone and adrift without anyone to help him stay anchored.  He was at fault for that admittedly, but the demands of his job certainly hadn’t helped.  He knew DB was right when he’d scolded him recently, telling him he needed to get his head out of his ass and look around at all the people that were affected by his tantrums.  He knew his Evolution mate was right, but somehow he couldn’t seem to stop himself from being such an asshole.  The only time he felt like he could let his guard down was when he was with her.  Rebecca.  God, just thinking her name calmed him.  He turned back to the seating area, shifting is gum.  There had only ever been one other person in his life that affected him like that, the instant feeling of calm.

His mother used to reach up and grab his ear, hauling his ass down to her level to she could scold him for some minor slight.  He’d always loved the fact that she was never intimated by him or his hot temper.  And now, he missed her and her scoldings, not just her patience.  Randy rubbed his ear unconsciously, remembering how many times when he was growing up he’d been subjected to them, sometimes many times a day.  But she was also the one person that seemed to understand him.  Knew that his temper was because he didn’t want to appear weak.  Being the oldest, there was no place for showing weakness, to say nothing of being Cowboy Bob’s son.  Randy’s head turned at the metallic voice, listening to the boarding call.  Finally.  He grabbed his overnight bag, unsure of his reception once he landed but knew it was something he had to do.

*** 

“He is so not my boyfriend,” Bec said to her friend through the phone as she straightened the boxes of herbal tea on the shelves. 

“Yeah, whatever.  What do you call someone who flies you first class and books you a room almost as big as your mom’s store,” Jade said. 

“Bigger,” Bec correctly quietly, knowing Jade was going to latch on to her comment to further her argument.  It was one they’d been having almost daily since she got back a couple of weeks ago.  

“Bigger?  Geeze, you are so clueless, Bec.  I swear, if you weren’t my best friend, I’d come over there and kick your ass.  When are you going to see what I’m saying?”   

Bec shrugged into the phone, mindful that it couldn’t be seen.  Yeah, she’d had a good time at the show and meeting all the wrestlers.  Once she’d recovered from seeing that Randy was okay, she’d been able to relax again.  But then the crowds and the fans had surrounded her, making it difficult to breathe and she’d freaked out.  She closed her eyes, remembering how mortified she was that she’d done that in front of Randy. He’d seen her have a panic attack, something that she rarely ever did, but he’d had an up-close and personal view of it.  Certain that he wouldn’t want to see her after that, even though he’d been so sweet to her the next morning, going so far as to ride in the limo with her to the airport, she’d been avoiding his calls.  She just didn’t want to hear his sorry assed excuses why he couldn’t see her anymore, why he didn’t want to talk to her anymore.  She knew.  She wasn’t stupid.  A panic attack wasn’t pretty and he’d seen her at her absolute worst.  The only other person to see her like that other than family was Jade.  But that had been years since she’d done it. 

“Bec, are you listening to me,” Rebecca heard her friend say in her ear. 

“Yeah, or course,” Bec fibbed, having no idea what he friend had just said. 

“Yeah, right.  If you did, you’d be yelling at me.”  Jade sighed over the phone.  “Listen if you want to talk about it, about him, I’m here for you.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about.  It was a fantasy from start to finish.  And now it’s finished, so can we please move on?”  Jade held her tongue, knowing her friend was hurting more than she’d ever admit to.  She’d seen Bec get shit on one too many times to not recognize the symptoms. 

“Okay.  It’s your call, but know if you wanna get together in the next few days, I’m free.  After that, my family descends for the holiday,” Jade warned. 

“Okay, thanks.  I’m good, really,” Bec lied, fooling no one. 

“I’m free after work, you want me to stop by so we can go out for drinks tonight,” Jade asked.   

Bec looked up from the shelves as the door chime jingled.  She almost dropped the phone at seeing who walked through the door.  She held her tongue for a few seconds as she watched him look around the store for her.  God, he was beautiful.  She wanted desperately to let her hands roam over the body that she saw on TV every week.  To say nothing of the pictures she was dying to take of him, all those planes and angles.  She’d been stagnated for a little while in her ideas for pictures before she’d met him.  Since then, she been so busy taking pictures and setting up ways to frame her subjects that she’d had to go out and buy more memory for her camera.  She was constantly filling the card and draining the batteries dry.  She swallowed slowly, not wanting to make a compete fool out of herself and act like some anonymous fan.  Randy spotted her in the row of teas with a phone glued to her ear, looking as surprised as he’d hoped. 

“Jade, I have to go,” Bec whispered urgently. 

“Why?  It’s not quitting time yet, is it,” Jade asked. 

“I have to go, he’s here,” Bec whispered, eying Randy slowly making his way back to her. 

“Who’s there,” Jade asked 

“Randy, he’s here.  Right now.  I gotta go,” Bec said. 

“I knew it!  I told you…” Bec didn’t hear anything else because she hung up on her dearest friend. 

“Rebecca,” Randy said, grinning at the stunned beauty in front of him.  “Surprised to see me,” he teased, knowing her answer already.  She nodded mutely, pleased that her mouth was not hanging open in shock. 

“Randy, what are you doing here,” she finally managed to ask, as he looked his fill of the woman standing front of him. 

“I figured your cell must be a piece of shit since you don’t seem to be getting any of my messages.  So the only way to make sure you got my message was to deliver it in person,” Randy said, hoping she wasn’t going to toss his ass out.  That had been the one flaw in his brilliant plan.  What if she didn’t want to see him anymore?  What then? 

Rebecca’s eyes looked at the guilty device in her hand, knowing there wasn’t really anyway to deny she’d just been using said piece of shit cell. 

“It’s temperamental, what can I say,” Rebecca said, hoping he’d buy that.  Randy grinned at her.  She looked so good.  God, he missed her.  He missed talking to her and her insights.  Her funny jokes.  Her laughter. 

“I missed you,” Randy said, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her.  Bec had a fleeting thought about putting up token resistance, but quickly discarded it.  This was Randy.  And he was here, right now.  Randy felt the woman in his arms relax, causing him to let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.  So she was happy to see him. Thank god.  But why the phone thing then?  Screw it, he’d just enjoy the fact that she was in his arms, now.  He tipped his head down, inhaling the scent of her hair.  He loved her scent.  Since she’d slept in his arms that night, he’d been haunted by her scent.  It drove him crazy when he thought he’d caught of whiff of it, only to realize it was someone else. 

Rebecca relaxed into his embrace, relishing the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her, protecting and shielding her from everything.  She laid her cheek against his chest, emitting a little groan unconsciously… 

***

“Carrie, I’d um, I’d like you to meet my mom, Claire,” John said with a shy smile as he introduced her to his mom and stepped back.  Carrie saw an older woman with light blond shoulder length hair that had just a touch of curl to it.  She thought she looked great and smiled at her.  Claire returned her smile, seeing for the first time the woman who had her son’s heart in her small hands. 

“Pleased to finally meet you, Claire.  John has told me so much about you.  I’m surprised you’re not seven feet tall,” Carrie said with a small smile for the older woman.  She sensed her unease and wanted to try to get her to chuckle at her son, knowing some of the stories he must have shared. 

“Oh, Carrie,” she blushed.  “I’m sure Junior has filled you full of something, we’re never really sure if it’s the truth,” she smiled back.   

Carrie grinned at her, already liking her and her sense of humor and ease.  She could see some of her in her oldest son.  Wait, did she just say Junior?  A quick look at John confirmed it. 

He was shaking his head slowly as he quietly said, “Mom.”  She quirked a brow at him and smiled.  Oh this was going to be fun, finding out all kinds of stuff that he never shared. 

“Did you find us a nice place to eat, Junior?  I mean John,” she teased him. 

“Baby, no fair,” he said quietly as he claimed her hand.  He held out his arm for his mom and escorted both downstairs into the lobby.  He had asked Carrie to arrange for a car to drive them for the evening so his mom could travel in style and get pampered for a change. 

Their car was waiting for them outside and John walked to the door, helping his mom in first, knowing she didn’t normally get to travel by limo and would enjoy it.   

He turned to Carrie next, kissing her forehead whispering, “Baby, you look great,” before he helped her in.   

She waited until he was in before she said, “Thank you, I think.  You don’t look too shabby yourself, Junior,” she said with another smirk.  Claire laughed with her at her son’s discomfort.  He was normally very self assured but she could see how this young woman affected him, how deep his feelings were. 

“You sure you’re okay, Baby.  Seriously,” he asked, noticing her color fade.  Claire glanced to the other woman and thought she knew what was going on by the young woman’s hands on her mid section. 

Carrie nodded and grabbed John’s hand and put it to her still small but now rounded tummy.  His eyes widened in wonder.   

“Got a strong punch there, eh,” he said, grinning at both of them. 

“Wait, give me your other hand,” she said quietly.  She grabbed his other hand and put it higher and on the other side so he could feel how active the little tykes were.  His eyes got even wider as he felt possibly his babies for the first time.  It wasn’t much, but the flutters were enough that he could feel them. 

“How long have you been able to feel them,” Claire asked the young woman. 

“A couple of weeks or so?  At first I didn’t know what it was, but it happened at a doctor visit and they laughed at me as they told me it was the boys,” Carrie shared.  John hadn’t moved his hands.  He had a slight frown. 

“Hey, where did this one go,” he asked of the one that was higher.  Carrie positioned his hand several inches lower so he could feel again, causing him to smile in wonder.  He looked at Carrie, smiling into her eyes, never moving his hands from her.  His eyes teared up, but he never notice felling life under his hands for the first time 

Claire watched the joy on his face and knew he’d love those babies regardless of what the tests indicated.  She watched as he fell in love with them in the car, feeling them kick their mother for the first time. 

“Where are we going, John?  For dinner?  These boys get very restless if I don’t eat occasionally,” Carrie said after many minutes of quiet and the babies settled. 

John blinked as he brought his mind back to the car and away from the joy of feeling new life stir under his hands.  Finally lifting his hands away from Carrie’s now quiet tummy, he met his mom’s eyes, smiling.  He knew she knew how he felt.  If anyone else had been witness to it he might have been embarrassed, but with his mom he never was.   

“I want to spoil my two favorite ladies tonight.  We’re going to that new place on top of the Bank One building.  I hear the food is great and the view is amazing.  Don’t worry, Baby.  They have stuff you can eat, I checked,” he said quickly. 

“Thanks, John,” she said quietly.   

Claire knew of the young woman’s food issues from her son.  She didn’t completely understand them, but knew they were very real having heard how sick she could get.  This was also the time to find out exactly what the young woman did for a living.  She never could get the straight of it from Junior. 

“Carrie?  Do you mind if I ask a few questions?  Junior hasn’t been very informative, and I’m dying to get to know the mother of my grandchildren better.”  She saw the other woman start to speak so she stepped in with, “I know, no guarantees, but I’m still curious.”  Carrie nodded, knowing that John’s mom would want some answers.  She would if the roles were reversed. 

“Are we stealing you away from anything tonight,” Claire asked the gentle questions first.  Carrie grinned inside, thanking that she knew how to deal with million dollar business deals.  They had prepared her for this kind of thing, she hoped. 

“No, today is a quiet day.  I don’t fly out again until Thursday, and that’s just for the day” she shared, not expounding about another one of her business meetings she seemed to get roped into..   

John sat quietly and watched as the two most important ladies in his life got to know each other a little.  He knew his mom and how determined she could be but he had seen his baby, too.  They were probably pretty evenly matched. 

“You’re still able to help your brother in law, David,” Claire asked gently.  Carrie nodded, knowing that some tough questions would come, but they would probably wait until John left the table or something.  That was her best guess since that’s how she’d do it. 

The car slowed to a stop outside a huge building with a large well lit lobby.  The door was opened by their driver and John hopped out into the cool autumn air.  He offered him mom help out first, then Carrie.  She wasn’t as graceful as she would have liked, but at least she didn’t fall on her face.  Carrie looked up to the top of the large building and reminded herself that heights were okay, nothing to worry about. 

Claire took her son’s arm as she looked up, trying to see their destination.  Carrie had a brief second to consider to two people she was with.  Claire was dressed in a beautiful pale blue dress that was very flattering but not too showy, if that was the right term, she wasn’t sure. She had on a dark blue or balck, it was always hard to tell t night, jacket over the top.  Her son was dressed in some nice dark slacks, dress shirt and a jacket finished off with a pair of dress shoes.  He brought his tie, in case it was required, but had it stashed in his pocket.  They both looked fantastic.  She had never seen John dressed up before, except in his traveling clothes and they were just that, traveling clothes.  She was wearing one of the many new dresses Kris had to buy for her ever expanding ass and waistline.  Tonight’s was a pale green dress, gathered above her waist to conceal the lack of one and fell straight to just above her knees.  She felt like a beached whale playing dress up, but knew nobody would believe her if she told them.  She had whined to Kris about it, causing her best friend to laugh at her.  Kris reminded her that she was being silly and self conscious and she wasn’t anywhere near as big as a house yet.  God help her if she did get that big.  She wouldn’t be able to move.  It was hard enough sometimes to bend over and touch her toes.  Yogo was keeping her limber since she wasn’t allowed to do heavy weight training, but she wasn’t about to sit on her ass and help it expand.  Both John and Mike said she looked great.  She thought they must be blind or worse, just being kind to her so she didn’t go hormonal on them.  She giggled, remembering some of her earlier tantrums, when she did go hormonally whacko on them.  Neither one seemed fazed by them, they just let her have her bitch fit. 

She was roused out of her reverie by John’s, “Baby, you coming?”   

She reached for his hand and followed them into the lobby.  The concierge greeted them, obviously expecting them.  He escorted them to a private elevator with a minimum of fuss.  The elevator only had 2 buttons it, Carrie noticed.  L for lobby and R for restaurant.  The ride should’ve lasted more than a few moments, but it took less than a minute for it to whisk them up to the forty-sixth floor in style.   

Don’t think about it, Carrie kept telling herself.  Don’t you dare sit me next to the window, she worried as the doors opened up in to a large dark dining area.  Claire gripped John’s arm because of the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust.  Carrie followed behind as she watched them being escorted right to the outside edge.  A large floor to ceiling window was the only thing that kept them in.  Oh god.  Claire smiled as her chair was held out for her, next to the window.  John smiled at Carrie as her chair was held out for her, opposite Claire, right up against the window also.  She shook her head slightly and the other chair was pulled out for her, letting her sit a few feet away from the edge.  John sat next to his mom, opposite her.  He frowned at her, unsure why she didn’t want the prime seat.   

She explained it away with a quiet, “left handed.”  Although it was true, she could eat without her elbows flying, she grasped at the first thing that popped into her head. 

John nodded, he’d forgotten.  She would have been bashing her elbow into the glass.  As soon as they were seated, drinks were brought for them.  Carrie realized that John had ordered for all of them earlier.  This was going to be interesting.  She had a large glass of water with a lemon twist.  That was nice of him to remember.  Claire had a glass of white wine, she wasn’t sure of anything other than the color.  John had one of her favorite kinds of beer and a large water. 

“Baby, I wasn’t sure so I ordered a salad for you then sides,” he explained.  She nodded and drank her water.  She noticed Claire watch her son, watch his actions.  She remembered she had her cell with her in her small bag, hearing it buzz.  It was very quiet since it was set to vibrate, but she heard and felt it on her lap.  She ignored it, they could leave a message. 

“Are you almost ready for the holiday,” she asked Claire. 

Claire wrinkled her brow for a brief second before she smiled.  “I don’t think I’m ever ready, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from happening anyway.  What about you?  What does your family do?  Are you ready,” Claire asked.  John sat quietly, letting them talk to each other and learn each other. 

“I’m never ready.  My family’s a little different.  My brother and I are adopted.  My adoptive family are gentiles so they celebrate Christmas.  It's interesting when Hanukkah rolls right into Christmas and we get to enjoy both back to back.  I used to travel to the sun in the winter, but my doctors advised against it this year, for some reason,” she finished with a grin.  She hoped John had told her about her heritage.  Claire’s nod affirmed that he had. 

“My brother’s kids are being raised with exposure to both,” she threw out to Claire so she’d know that she would have the joys of celebrating traditional Christian holidays with her grandkids, if she chose. 

“What are you doing this year, instead,” Claire asked her as their appetizer was served.  Carrie didn’t know what it was but grabbing her and keeping her face in it for a long time, didn’t kill her sense of smell.  It was almost overpowering. 

“Please excuse me,” she said quickly leaving the table for the restroom, trying to keep her water down.  Claire watched her go with a small frown, much like her son’s. 

“The smell sometimes gets to her,” John explained. 

“Oh.  That must be hard for her,” she said sympathetically.   

Claire wondered what she did at family gatherings when there were tables of food.  It could also explain why she chose to take vacation during the holidays.  She and John split their appetizer.  Both enjoyed it.  John ate most of it, since he was hungry and Claire knew she needed to save room for the entrée’s.  John pointed out some of the cities landmarks to his mom.  They were easy to see from their vantage.  Carrie finally came back to their table, once the plate was cleared away. 

“I’m so sorry.  I was rude, I’m so embarrassed,” she said to Claire as she sat back down. 

“Don’t worry about it, honey.  John told me.  That must be hard for you?  Is there anything they can do,” she asked the small woman.  She was genuinely concerned for her.  She couldn’t imagine going through life not being able to eat or stand the smell of most foods. 

“The doctors tell me there’s a new drug they want me to try.” At that news, John’s eyes focused on her.  That was news to him, it was the first he heard about it.  “But, they have to wait until after the babies are born.  Definitely not a drug to take now.  But, it also means that the babies will be bottle fed from their first day.  Not sure if that’s a bad thing,” she said with a sly grin at John. 

“The doctors must be excited if they want to give it to you that quickly,” Claire asked. 

Carrie waved her hands in the air to show how little faith she had in doctors saying, “Yeah.  They think it’s the magic pill.  I’ve heard it before, so I’ll wait and see,” she said. 

“When did you hear this, Baby,” John asked her. 

“Last visit.  They’re thrilled, but I don’t know, John.  I’ve heard it all before, so I don’t think it’s a big deal, at least not yet.  If I’m chowing into a hamburger by summer barbecue season, then we can cheer,” she smiled at both of them. 

Their dinners were served, along with more beverages.  Carrie couldn’t tell what theirs were, but hers was a salad of some type.  Thank god, she could eat that.   

She looked up at John and said, “Thank you,” as she looked back at her dinner.   

He nodded in acceptance and dove into whatever was on his plate.  It looked huge and red was all she could tell.  Claire’s looked like it might be fish of some kind, but she wasn’t sure.  Her salad had a strong vinaigrette dressing that helped deaden her sense of smell for the time so she didn’t have to leave again, thankfully. 

After their plates were cleared away, they were served coffee.  Carrie was served some green tea.  Was that shit everywhere now, she wondered for the millionth time.  She still didn’t like it that much, but was able to drink it.  She guessed that Claire was waiting for the right time to ask her some more questions.  Their dinner conversation had been mostly light and harmless.  John entertained them with his stories so he kept them laughing throughout the meal.  She saw him flinch and look down.  He reached in to his pants pocket and drew out his cell.  He looked at the number and frowned. 

“Man, bad timing.  Real bad timing,” he said to his dinner guests. 

“Go on John, they wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important,” Claire said to him as she saw him fret.  He looked to Carrie to make sure she was okay if he left her and she nodded.   

He left the table with a quick, “Excuse me, I’ll be back in a bit.” 

Claire set her cup down as she gathered her thoughts.  Here it comes, Carrie thought. 

She took a breath and looked across the table into the young woman’s bright green eyes saying, “I can’t imagine how hard the waiting is for you.  It’s hard on the boys certainly, but it must be doubly hard on you.” 

Carrie smiled.  She knew this was what Claire had been wanting to ask all night.  There was more to come, guaranteed. 

“It is hard, not knowing.  But I get the joy of knowing whomever is the daddy will make a great one,” she said quietly, knowing more was on its way. 

“Do you hope John is the one,” Claire asked her quickly. 

“I know John hopes that.  I know you do too,” she said as she looked at the other woman’s smile.  She took a deep breath and finally said, “I don’t think it’s going to be fair or easy for him if he is the one.  I mean, he will always have that tie to me and won’t be able to move on with his life, in some way.  I have tried to get him to find someone who loves him, sees him as a beautiful person, inside and out.  But he won’t.  He’s stuck waiting, hoping.  It’s not fair to him or to you.  I know family is very important to you.  John has told me many times about how he was raised.  I envy him that.  I think John deserves better, deserves someone who has more to give than me.  Someone who will be able to give him dozens of kids, someone to share his life and grow old with.  He knows I am not that person, but he still stays, he still hopes.  It breaks my heart, but he still hopes he’s the one,” she finished with a quiet sob.  She dabbed at her eyes with her large linen napkin, thanking her forethought in wearing waterproof today.   

Claire also had her napkin at her eyes as she looked across to the mother of her grandchildren.  She finally understood what her son saw in her.  She thought she did months ago, but her comments cemented it for her.  Oh dear, she had been worried that Carrie was a young silly girl who happened to have her son fall in love with her, like he had done dozens of times before as a teenager.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  She saw a woman who knew who she was and what she was and still wanted the best for those around her, even if it didn’t include her.  Claire admitted to herself she was even prepared to like her if she proved to be selfish and juvenile, like most of her boys recent girlfriends, but she wasn’t.  Something about Carrie told her she was wise beyond her years in some things. 

“Tell me about the other one.  Mike,” Claire asked her since John hadn’t returned yet.  Carrie dabbed at her eyes one last time and took a drink of water before she nodded. 

She sighed, ”John knows that he will be helping me raise the babies, regardless of what the tests say.”  Claire nodded at the news, John had explained it to her.   

“Tell me about the man.  What’s he like,” Claire asked. 

“He’s a little older, thirty five?  Maybe thirty six now, I don’t know.  He’s a financial whiz, but is able to do that from home most of the time.  He cooks for me and all my weirdness and has accepted John into our home with open arms.”  She paused as the thought struck her.  “Mike and John are a lot alike in some ways.  He can be a bit obsessive about things, spends too much time at the gym some days, likes to take care of people and is looking forward, I think, to being a dad.” 

Claire sat quietly as she absorbed her description.  It fit with what she had in her mind.  Now for the tough question. 

“Do you love him,” Claire asked her. 

She knew that one was coming sooner or later.  “John?  Mike?” she asked because she wasn’t sure.   

“You choose,” Claire said artfully. 

“Yes, to both.  But different,” she said with a frown this time.  “It’s hard to describe really.  I think they both deserve better than me, but I can’t seem to get either one of them to agree to that,” she said with a slight smile across the table. 

“Sorry I took so long,” John said as he pulled his chair out and sat back down.  He looked at his mom and Carrie and noted that both looked like they had been crying.  “Everything okay,” he asked his mom. 

“Yes, Junior.  Everything’s fine,” she said into his concerned gaze.  John frowned but refrained from commenting.  He’d ask his baby later. 

“They’re just making sure I got the changes to my schedule about the India trip,” John said by way of explanation for the call.  Carrie nodded, she understood. 

“Tell me exactly when you’ll be home, Junior?  Will you be home by the twentieth still,” Claire asked, clearly worried about him being able to enjoy his holiday. 

“Yeah, mom.  I’ll still be home then.  I just have to leave right after RAW, instead of Tuesday.  They threw some more stuff on my plate,” he said quietly.  Privately he was irritated as hell at Anderson for fucking him over, again. 

“ Anderson ,” Carrie asked with a sad smile.  She knew him well enough to know how pissed he was, even though he was doing his best to hide it.  

“Yeah, he’s an asshole,” John said without thinking. 

“Junior,” Claire snapped and flipped her napkin at the back of his head.  Carrie grinned at the chagrin in John’s eyes.  

“Carrie, you tell her.  He is, Mom.  No other way to describe him,” John protested. 

“He really is, Claire.  He’s a fundamental orifice,” Carrie giggled.  “If you see him, tell him I said hi,” she said wiping a tear from her eye caused by her giggles. 

“You’re a fan, too,” John asked.  Carrie nodded. 

“David almost killed him a couple of times in Australia,” she shared. 

“If he’s that bad, why does he have a job,” Claire asked. 

“Vince McMahon,” Carrie said quietly.  Claire lifted her delicate brows in disapproval at such nepotism.  Claire shifted gears, dismissing the likeness of someone to an orifice smoothly. 

“Carrie, John and I would love it if you would come to our home just before Christmas.”  At Carrie’s obvious surprise, Claire continued, “Junior didn’t know.  John and I would love it if you could spend a few days in our home,” Claire reiterated gently.   

Carrie opened and closed her mouth a couple of times as she fought for the right words.  She hadn’t seen this coming at all, and damn it, she should have.  John sat in surprise next to his mother.  For Mom and Dad to invite Carrie to spend some time at the homestead was a huge deal, particularly at Christmas time.  Looking over at his baby and seeing her surprise, she knew it too. 

“I don’t want to intrude on your own plans, honey.  I was thinking maybe arrive the twenty first and stay for a couple of days,” Claire explained since Carrie was still speechless.  Carrie rifled through her brain, trying to remember if there were any concrete plans for those few days.  Mike hadn’t said anything specific, but she got the feeling he had something in the works for Christmas day at least.  Juggling family and holiday plans was new to her and she didn’t know what to say or how to say it.  No wonder she usually bailed out and left the country. 

“I’m flattered, Claire.  I‘d love to see your home and meet the rest of your family,” Carrie included.  She knew that was also part of it, since her and John were having these boys, in spite of their well laid plans. 

“Wonderful.  I’ll let John know, he’ll be thrilled,” Claire said with a smile as she looked at the two. 

*** 

“I will be back in time for Christmas, Mike.  What’s the big deal,” Carrie said, raking her hair as she watched him pace.  He frowned at her words, trying to think of the right thing to say that wouldn’t tell her of his planned surprise or how damned jealous he felt. 

“I worry, that’s the big deal.  What if some big snow storm comes and you have an accident?  What if you can’t find anything to eat for those three days?  What if,” he said waving his arms about.  What if you like them better was what he stopped himself from saying out loud, knowing he sounded like a 5 year old.  Damn it, that was how he felt, too.  He screwed up his face in frustration at having to share her with John’s family.  He didn’t like it one bit. 

He waited until Carrie left to go to the gym or store or something before he picked up the phone. 

“Hey,” Mike said to his buddy. 

“Hey, yourself.  What’s up,” David asked as he continued to pack his suitcase on the hotel bed. 

“She’s staying a few days with Cena at Christmas,” Mike said, not bothering to preface it with anything.  David winced, knowing how tough the holidays were going to be.  This one in particular, all things considered. 

“She’ll be home for Christmas, right?”  At the grunt of assent, David plowed on.  “Don’t worry about it.  His parents have to be dying, dying to see who their baby boy knocked up,” David teased, hoping Mike would get the rib. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.  But damn it.  I don’t like it.  What if something happens,” Mike worried.  David sighed, zipping his case up before he continued. 

“Nothing’s gonna happen.  She chose you, remember,” David said, hoping to reassure his buddy.  Mike rubbed his hands across his face before he replied.   

“Yeah, okay,” Mike said quietly, all the fight gone out of him suddenly.  David blinked in surprise at the turn around. 

“You worry too much, that’s your problem.  Always have, probably always will,” David reminded him.  “Hey, why don’t you guys come over for dinner tomorrow night?  I get in town late tonight and we can catch up over dinner tomorrow?”  Mike again grunted his answer.  “Okay, we’ll talk later.  Don’t worry about it.  It was bound to happen and this way it’s only for a couple of days.  Might give you more time to get your shit done.  I know how your tribe is, you’ll probably be running around at the last minute with a ton of shit to do,” David teased.  He glanced around the room one last time to ensure he hadn’t left anything before he grabbed his bag.  “I gotta let you go so I can get my ass in gear, but seriously don’t sweat it.  It’s just a few days.” 

***

top
 

Web site questions or issues?  Try
All graphics, original fiction and site ©