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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
"Ho ho ho!" Emily's voice greeted as the family heard a door slam, "Jarod, come help me get these presents in here!"
Jarod looked at his family finishing their breakfast, "I'll be right back."
"I wanta come!" Katie rushed off to go meet her aunt, "Emily!"
"Katie!" Emily wrapped her neice into a hug, lifting the little girl off her feet, "was Santa good to you?"
"Uh huh. And Daddy made Mommy cry!" she replied cheerfully. Emily glanced at Jarod as he entered, confusion smeared across her face.
"So I hear you made the Mrs cry?" she queried.
Jarod laughed and swung Katie up into the air, "Blabber-mouth. I gave her one of her mother's rings and she cried- because she was *happy*."
They then preceeded to unload Emily's car and place the gifts under the Christmas tree. Finally, the whole family arrived. By noon, everyone had divided off into small groups. Miss Parker, Emily, Margaret, and Maggie put last minute touches on all of the Christmas food. In the living room, Katie and Delaney proudly displayed everything that Santa had left for them to Debbie while Ethan commented occasionally. In the same room, Jarod spoke with his father, Sydney, and Broots about everyday subjects: what the girls had said yesterday, how Debbie was doing in college, anything but The Centre and the past they had left behind years ago. Now, it was as if that life had never existed. An occasional nightmare meant a nightmare, only that. A childhood memory of torture and pain was just one, while childhood friendships retained every second. Now, they were friends, better yet family, not colleagues.
"Daddy, open presents?" Delaney murmured softly in Jarod's ears.
"Later, Laney. Whenever your mother says so, this is her show," he replied just as softly.
Sydney smiled, "She seems happy now."
"Its because of them," he answered, "these girls filled her heart. They didn't really replace all the loss she's suffered, but they definitely filled it up to make her just as great a mother as her own."
"Kids will do that to anyone," Broots added.
"Including you, Jarod," Sydney murmured while the younger man grinned and picked up Delaney, giving her a kiss.
"I'll agree with that."
*****
Dinner had been a mad dash for the white meat and the good seats on the end of the table. Debbie and the children sat a card table in the hallway as tradition had permitted. Following dinner, the whole group sat around the Christmas tree in seats and on the floor, tearing open presents and shouting over the chatter 'thank-you's. Finally, people began to drift out the door and head home later that night, each hulling loads of gifts home with them. Five people were left sitting in the living room. Staring down, they tried to make out the floor beneath all the wrapping paper. The girls were throwing the paper wildly at eachother and soon their parents caught in on the action.
"Where's Katie?" Miss Parker asked the others while she hid the little girl under a huge sheet of snowmen Christmas paper, "where could she be?"
"I'm right here, Mommy!" she burst out from beneath the paper. Eventually they managed to put all the trash where it belonged and ushered the children up to their beds.
"Mommy," Maggie whispered in the dark, "I think this was the best Christmas ever."
"Me, too," she replied soundly.
Jarod placed a sleeping Delaney in her crib and wrapped the covers around her, gingerly kissing her forehead. Pulling away he moved to Katie and tucked her in as well.
"Did you have a Merry Christmas?" he asked quietly, so as not to rouse her sisters.
"Mm hmm. Do you think Santa will come again next year?" she replied.
"I think he will." Jarod stood up to go to his eldest daughter's bed.
"Hey, Maggie. Goodnight, Angel."
"'Night, Daddy. Merry Christmas," her groggy voice replied as she drifted off to sleep peacefully. Jarod remained staring at her face until Miss Parker took his hand and lead him down the hallway.
"I'd say this was a successful Christmas. How 'bout you?" Miss Parker said, while she swiped her finger over his knuckles methodically.
"Definitely," he murmured with a simple smile, "and I'd like to end it by kissing you."
"Then I suggest you do so."
THE END!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Jarod looked at his family finishing their breakfast, "I'll be right back."
"I wanta come!" Katie rushed off to go meet her aunt, "Emily!"
"Katie!" Emily wrapped her neice into a hug, lifting the little girl off her feet, "was Santa good to you?"
"Uh huh. And Daddy made Mommy cry!" she replied cheerfully. Emily glanced at Jarod as he entered, confusion smeared across her face.
"So I hear you made the Mrs cry?" she queried.
Jarod laughed and swung Katie up into the air, "Blabber-mouth. I gave her one of her mother's rings and she cried- because she was *happy*."
They then preceeded to unload Emily's car and place the gifts under the Christmas tree. Finally, the whole family arrived. By noon, everyone had divided off into small groups. Miss Parker, Emily, Margaret, and Maggie put last minute touches on all of the Christmas food. In the living room, Katie and Delaney proudly displayed everything that Santa had left for them to Debbie while Ethan commented occasionally. In the same room, Jarod spoke with his father, Sydney, and Broots about everyday subjects: what the girls had said yesterday, how Debbie was doing in college, anything but The Centre and the past they had left behind years ago. Now, it was as if that life had never existed. An occasional nightmare meant a nightmare, only that. A childhood memory of torture and pain was just one, while childhood friendships retained every second. Now, they were friends, better yet family, not colleagues.
"Daddy, open presents?" Delaney murmured softly in Jarod's ears.
"Later, Laney. Whenever your mother says so, this is her show," he replied just as softly.
Sydney smiled, "She seems happy now."
"Its because of them," he answered, "these girls filled her heart. They didn't really replace all the loss she's suffered, but they definitely filled it up to make her just as great a mother as her own."
"Kids will do that to anyone," Broots added.
"Including you, Jarod," Sydney murmured while the younger man grinned and picked up Delaney, giving her a kiss.
"I'll agree with that."
*****
Dinner had been a mad dash for the white meat and the good seats on the end of the table. Debbie and the children sat a card table in the hallway as tradition had permitted. Following dinner, the whole group sat around the Christmas tree in seats and on the floor, tearing open presents and shouting over the chatter 'thank-you's. Finally, people began to drift out the door and head home later that night, each hulling loads of gifts home with them. Five people were left sitting in the living room. Staring down, they tried to make out the floor beneath all the wrapping paper. The girls were throwing the paper wildly at eachother and soon their parents caught in on the action.
"Where's Katie?" Miss Parker asked the others while she hid the little girl under a huge sheet of snowmen Christmas paper, "where could she be?"
"I'm right here, Mommy!" she burst out from beneath the paper. Eventually they managed to put all the trash where it belonged and ushered the children up to their beds.
"Mommy," Maggie whispered in the dark, "I think this was the best Christmas ever."
"Me, too," she replied soundly.
Jarod placed a sleeping Delaney in her crib and wrapped the covers around her, gingerly kissing her forehead. Pulling away he moved to Katie and tucked her in as well.
"Did you have a Merry Christmas?" he asked quietly, so as not to rouse her sisters.
"Mm hmm. Do you think Santa will come again next year?" she replied.
"I think he will." Jarod stood up to go to his eldest daughter's bed.
"Hey, Maggie. Goodnight, Angel."
"'Night, Daddy. Merry Christmas," her groggy voice replied as she drifted off to sleep peacefully. Jarod remained staring at her face until Miss Parker took his hand and lead him down the hallway.
"I'd say this was a successful Christmas. How 'bout you?" Miss Parker said, while she swiped her finger over his knuckles methodically.
"Definitely," he murmured with a simple smile, "and I'd like to end it by kissing you."
"Then I suggest you do so."
THE END!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
