#captain-krazy

‘I didn’t even hear her’ Tom said as he opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice ‘Wait, did you say “two”?’

‘Yeah, I came downstairs with Emmy shortly after you left, and Jess came down right after me. She’s in the lounge with her right now. She got Emmy to stop crying almost immediately. I don’t know how she did it, she must be a baby whisperer’

Tom took a drink from the juice bottle before putting it back before excusing himself to go check on Jess, patting Owen on the shoulder as he walked past him. When he got to the lounge he stood in the doorway for a moment as he watched Jess, she was sitting on the sofa and humming softly as she held Emily’s little hand in hers, running her thumb over her tiny knuckles. She then lifted Emmy’s hand to her lips and gave it a kiss. Tom Smiled and walked toward the sofa and when Jess saw him she smiled

‘Hey, have a good run?’ she asked

‘Yeah, it was good’ Tom replied as he walked over, he leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of her head before sitting next to her on the sofa

‘I'm always amazed at how small they are’ she whispered as she smiled at the sleeping baby in her arms

‘I know, it’s so weird to think we were all this small once’ he replied

The two sat on the sofa for a while before Tom went into the kitchen to get them both coffee, laughing to himself when he saw that Owen had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. As he headed back toward the lounge he saw Fiona coming down the stairs with Maisie,

‘Have you seen my husband and baby anywhere?’ she asked

‘Yeah, husband is asleep in the kitchen, and baby is asleep in the lounge, with Jess’

Fiona thanked him and asked if he and Jess would mind watching Emmy for just a few more minutes while she woke her husband and gave Maisie something to eat. He happily agreed and headed back into the lounge.

‘Here you go, 2 sugars and more cream then is humanly necessary’ Tom said as he set Jess’ coffee on the table in front of them and sat down next to her, she smiled and thanked him.

A few minutes later Fiona came in to check on Emmy, just as she stated fussing and squeaking so she relieved Jess of her sitting duties and took Emmy so she could feed her, again. Later that afternoon Tom and Jess went over to Miles and Lilli’s for lunch and were overjoyed when they announced that they were expecting another baby.

When they got back to Tom’s parents’ house Jess helped Maggie and Fiona wrap a couple more gifts from Santa for tonight upstairs while Tom, Roger, and Owen kept the kids occupied downstairs. After dinner and everyone was sure the kids were asleep they gathered them up and took them all down to put them under the tree.

When everything was in place everyone headed back up to get some sleep, knowing that the kids would be waking up bright and early to tear into everything. Tom and Jess stayed downstairs a little while longer, Jess held the cocoa Tom had brought her and curled up beside him, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder and stared at the tree.

Tom smiled as he sat there with her, his arm around her shoulder and felt happier then he had in a long time.

‘I love you Jess’ he whispered after a few moments of silence, she then looked up at him and smiled

‘I love you too’

He gave her a kiss before setting his cocoa on the end table beside the couch before standing and walking over to the mantel and grabbing his stocking, carrying it with him as he walked back over to her

‘I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this, with the whole family, but I think now is better’ he said softly as he sat down on the coffee table, carefully taking Jess’ mug from her and taking a deep breath

‘Last Christmas I realized I was in love with my best friend and this last year been the best year of my life and it’s all because of you’ he said as he reached into the stocking and pulled out a little silver box ‘And if you let me. I’d love to spend every Christmas, and every day, for the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me’  

Tom then dropped to one knee in front of Jess as tears streamed down her face, opening the box to reveal a beautiful ring

‘Will you marry me?’

‘Yes!’ Jess said softly as she cried and Tom slipped the ring on her finger, tears streaming down his face

‘I love you Jess’ he whispered as leaned his forehead against hers

‘Do I just eat it like this?’ she asked

‘No, you have to peel off the shell first, it’s softened from the roasting, and then you eat the meat inside’ Tom explained as he peeled the shell off his and popped it into his mouth

Jess peeled hers and then gave it a sniff before popping it into her mouth. Tom watched her face as she chewed, unable to really determine what she was thinking about them

‘Well?’

‘They’re…. good. They're a little salty, and a little sweet’ she replied ‘They kind of taste a little like a sweet potato’

Tom smiled and reached into the bag, pulling out a few more and holding his hand out to her, Jess took a couple and smiled as she began to peel another. The two friends sat and ate their chestnuts and sipped on their cider. After they finished they walked around the festival, taking in the sights and buying some things, Tom picked up a set of cookie cutters and piping tips for his mom and Jess bought a box of homemade Christmas decorations at home next year. There was a snow globe that she fell in love with but in the end decided against it, citing that it cost too much. As the day went on and they continued walking around the festival they came across an ice skating rink and stopped to watch people glide around the ice.

‘Would you like to go skating?’ Tom asked her

‘I don’t know how to ice skate’

‘Really?’

‘Really. I can't even roller skate, I just fall down’ Jess replied

‘Never had candy canes in your cocoa, never tried chestnuts, never skated. This is just turning into a trip of firsts for you isn't it?’

Jess let out a soft laugh and nodded, ‘Yeah, I guess it is’

‘Come on, I'll show you’

‘No way! You know how klutzy I am, the last thing I need is a weapon’

‘A weapon? What are you talking about?’

‘The ice skate. The shoe with the extremely sharp blade on it. I will fall, probably on you, and with my luck I'll end up slitting your throat’

Tom laughed and shook his head, before grabbing her arm and taking her to get skates. He put their shoes and the stuff they had purchased into a locker and made his way back over to where Jess was seated

‘Ready?’ Tom asked as he held his hand out to her

‘I think I’m just gonna wait here. I've mastered sitting on this bench and it would be a shame to break my streak now’ she replied as she patted then bench she was sitting on

‘Eheheh…. Come on, let’s skate’

Jess let out a sigh and looked up at Tom, damn you and that trusting smile, she thought as she slipped her hand into his. He helped her to her feet and they slowly made their way toward the ice, Jess wobbling as they went. Tom stepped onto the ice first as Jess held onto the wall, he showed her some basic moves and then skated back to her, holding out his hands again. Jess took them and reluctantly stepped onto the ice, her feet almost sliding out from under her. Tom led her around the rink, slowly and staying close to the wall, as she figured out how to move. When he finally let her go he stood beside her so he could try to catcher her if she stated to fall.

‘You're doing great’ Tom said as they slowly skated along

‘Yeah? I just have to not think about falling on my ass!’ Jess replied with a soft laugh

A few moments later a couple kids raced by and one of them bumped into Tom, which made him lose his balance and bump into Jess, causing her feel to fly forward and her to fall back onto the ice, her head hitting pretty hard. Tom landed beside her and he crawled over to check on her,

‘Are you alright?’ he asked, she had sat up and leaned against the rink wall, her hand instinctively going to the sore spot on the back of her head

‘Ow. What happened?’

‘Someone ran into me and I ran into you. I’m sorry’ he replied as he took her hat off her head and looked at it ‘You're not bleeding, but you're going to have a nasty bump there’

‘Oh my god! I am so sorry!!!’ a woman’s voice said, coming from behind where Jess was seated on the ice ‘I told my nephews not to chase each other. Boys, tell them you're sorry!’

‘We’re sorry’ they said simultaneously as they stood on the ice beside Tom and Jess

‘Are you okay, miss?’ she asked

‘Yeah, I’m fine, just a lump on the head’ Jess replied. Tom stood and helped her to her feet and she gripped the wall tightly as they slowly made their way toward the opening

‘Tom? Is that you?’ she asked

Tom looked over at the woman and instantly recognized her

‘Mia. Wow…. How are you? How long has it been?’

‘Um…. about 10 years I think. I'm good, how are you?’ she asked ‘Well, aside from being knocked to the ice just now’

‘I'm good. Oh, Mia, this is Jess. Jess this is Mia, she’s an old friend of mine’

‘Nice to meet you, Jess. Sorry it isn't under better circumstances’

‘Nice to meet you too, and it’s alright, kids like to not listen’

Tom left Jess and Mia for a few minutes while he went to get their shoes and other belongings out of the locker they were stored in, he also got Jess an ice pack for her head from a rink attendant. When he came back he gave her the pace and helped her take off her skates. Once she had her shoes back on she asked if there was a restroom nearby and Mia pointed her in direction of the pavilion on the other side of the rink, she offered to go with her, but Jess politely declined and Mia stayed with Tom as he put his shoes back on and turned their skates back in.

‘I'm really sorry my nephews knocked you and your girlfriend down’ Mia said

‘It’s alright it happens’ Tom replied as tied his shoes and then looked around ‘Um…. where are they?’

‘Oh, they're on their way home, my sister and brother-in-law were not happy with them for that’

Tom and Mia stood and started walking toward the pavilion to look for Jess.

‘So, your nephews, are they Lilli’s or Viv’s?’ he asked as they walked

‘One of each. Brian is Viv’s, and Conner is Lilli’s’

‘Do you have any kids?’ Tom asked

‘No. You?’

‘No, not yet’ Tom replied ‘Someday, I hope’

When they got to the pavilion they stood near the ladies room and waited for Jess to come out

‘So…. Are you and your girlfriend planning on having any?’ Mia asked

‘My girlfr…. Oh, no, no. Jess isn't my girlfriend’ Tom replied ‘She’s just a friend’

‘Oh, I just thought…. The way you acted when she fell I just…. assumed you two were dating’

‘No, I just felt bad about her falling, she’s never skated before’

A few moments later Jess came out of the ladies room and joined them. She was still holding the ice pack to the back of her head, but said she felt fine. Tom then received a text from his Dad asking where they were and Tom looked at the time, it was after 6:30 and they were late for meeting up with Tom's family. Luckily they were only a few minutes away from where they needed to be and quickly walked over, inviting Mia to join them. She accepted and they were soon where they needed to be and waiting for the show to start.

Jess stood on one side of Tom as all the lights around them started to dim before completely going out, a few moments after the square was dark music started softly playing through the speakers around them. After a slow build the lights flashed back on and played in time with the music, Jess smiled as she looked around and tried to see everything. Tom pointed so something that was going on behind her and she turned quickly to see. Losing her footing and falling against Tom. His arms instantly wrapped around her tightly to keep her from falling to the ground,

‘Are you okay?’ he asked

‘Yeah, I'm fine’ she replied, feeling a slight pain in her ankle as she took a step back

Tom smiled at her and pointed again to what he wanted her to see. When the show was over Tom and the rest of the family walked ahead as Jess hung back a little, her ankle hurting a bit as she walked

‘Are you okay?’ Mia asked as she slowed and walked with her

‘Oh, yeah. I’m fine’ Jess replied ‘I think I just might have twisted my ankle a little’

‘I'm so sorry my nephews knocked you down’

‘It’s not your fault, or even your nephews’ fault. I never should have been on the ice, I’m way too klutzy for stuff like that’ she replied ‘and the ankle is actually from the light show, I turned to fast to look at something Tom was pointing to and tripped over my own feet’

‘Oh, no!’

‘Like I said, I'm a klutz!’ Jess said with a laugh as they continued on toward the parking lot

‘So, how long have you and Tom known each other?’ Mia asked

‘A few years’ Jess replied

‘How did you two meet?’

‘Um…. I was coming out of a coffee shop just down the street from where I worked and I had drinks for me and a coworker, and he was about to go in, I turned and ran right into him, spilling them both of them on him. So I had him come with me to the store and gave him a clean shirt to change into’ Jess answered

‘That’s some way to meet’ Mia replied with a laugh

‘Yeah, I’m just glad they were iced drinks or he could have been really hurt’

‘Oh, yeah, that would have sucked!’

‘Well, he ended up forgetting his shirt in the shops bathroom, so I took it home and washed it, and took it back to work with me the next day so if he was at the coffee shop when I went in I could give it back to him. But he ended up coming into the shop to see if he had left it. He tried to give me some money for the cost of washing it, but I wouldn’t take it, so he insisted on at least buying me a cup of coffee, which I really felt bad for accepting since it was my fault his shirt needed to be wash anyway’

‘Yeah, that sounds like Tom’ Mia said with a chuckle

‘How about you? How did you meet?’

‘Oh, we all grew up together. I've known Tom and his family practically my whole life’ Mia replied

‘That’s really nice’ Jess said with a smile

‘Yeah. It’s really great to see him again. I forgot how much I missed him. All of them’

When they got back to the cars Tom's dad offered Mia a ride home but she declined, saying her own car was parked nearby, Tom walked her to it while everyone piled everything they bought and themselves into the cars. Jess slid into the back seat of Tom's parent’s car with them while everyone else got into the minivan Roger had rented, their parents telling them to go ahead and head home. While they were waiting jess leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth of the cars heater starting to melt away the coldness running through her from being outside all day.

‘It was lovely to see Mia again’ William said to Susan as they waited

‘Yes, it was’ Susan replied

‘Why did they break up? I always thought that would have gotten married’

‘I'm not sure dear’

Jess wasn’t sure why, but hearing that Tom and Mia used to date and that his father thought they were going to get married made her a little sad. Tom was her friend and he deserved to be happy, so why should the thought of him being in a relationship make her feel that way? A few minutes later Tom opened the car door and slid into the backseat next to Jess.

‘Did Mia get on her way alright?’ Tom's Mom asked

‘Yeah, and I told her to let me know when she arrived back home’

‘Oh, that’s good dear’

‘Jess?’ Tom whispered a few moments later, but she didn’t reply.

She wasn’t sure why but she decided to pretended to be asleep, and stayed that way for the ride back to the house. Just as they pulled into the driveway Tom's phone pinged, he let his Mom know that Mia had made it home alright. Once the car was pulled into the garage Tom reached over and gently tapped Jess on the arm to ‘wake’ her

‘Jess… Jess, we’re home’ he said softly as his parents got of the car

‘Hmmm…. Oh…. Sorry about falling asleep’ she said as she undid her seatbelt and opened the door

‘It’s alright, it’s been a long day. How’s your head feeling?’

‘Sore, but okay’ she replied as she rubbed the large bump on her head

As they walked up the stairs to their rooms Tom let Jess know that Mia had invited the two of them out for lunch the following day. When they got to their rooms Tom gave Jess a hug before she went into her room

‘Hey…. Are you okay?’ Tom asked as she closed the door ‘You seem…. Sad’

‘Yeah. I'm fine. I’m just really tired, and cold, it’s been a long day’

‘You sure that’s all?’

‘Yeah, I’m sure’ she said with a smile ‘I'll be fine once I get some sleep’

‘Okay, sleep well’

‘You too. Good night’

Jess closed her door and let out a sigh as she walked over to the dresser to get her pajamas. As she pulled them out she saw her towel sitting on the chair and for a moment she considered taking a nice hot shower to warm her up and wash the day away, but she decided to wait until morning since she was too tired and could barely keep her eyes open. She put on her pj’s, and a pair of thick socks on her frozen toes, and crawled into bed. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

'You could always go to a someplace warm and tropical. Lie on a beach, go swimming, meet a guy and have a holiday fling’ Tom suggested, wiggling his eyebrows on the last bit

'I’m not much of a ’tropical’ person and it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me someplace like that. It would probably cost a small fortune to book a trip anyplace right now, and like you said, I’m not working right now’ Jess said with a sigh ‘Not to mention that I can’t even find anyone to have flings with here, what makes you think I’d find someone someplace else?’

Tom gave a half smile and then went back to watching the movie. Except for the occasional laugh, the two friends sat in silence for the rest of it. When it was over neither of them really wanted to get up so Tom put the TV on the channel Jess mentioned earlier. Some random movie about a girl getting stuck in an airport during a snowstorm while heading home for the holidays was on. When it was over Jess stretched her arms over her head before standing.

'I guess I should head home, it’s getting late’

‘Yeah, I guess it is’ Tom replied as he stood and walked toward the front door behind Jess.

After she had her coat and scarf on he gave her a hug and told her to drive safe, and let him know when she arrived home.

A little over a week later as she sat on her couch reading job postings online Jess received a text from Tom

*Hey…. Is your passport up to date?*

*I think so…. Why?* Jess replied, a little confused as to why Tom would be asking her that

*Go check and let me know*

*Why do you need to know?*

*Just humor me and check…. Please* Tom sent, along with the praying hands emoji

Jess let out a groan and wondered into her room to find her passport, once she did she saw that everything was up to date, and she didn’t need to renew for another 5 years.

*Yeah, it’s up to date…. Now why did you need to know?* she replied. A few minutes went by before she received a reply

*Because…. You are coming to London with me*

Jess reread the text a couple times to make sure she was actually reading what she thought she was, when it finally registered in her brain she hit the phone icon and dialed Tom’s number.

‘What do you mean I’m coming to London with you?’ Jess said as soon as Tom answered, not even giving him a chance to say hello ‘This better be a joke Hiddleston!!’

‘Um…. Hi…. And no, it’s not a joke. I just booked you a plane ticket’

‘What….. Wh- Tom, you CAN’T be serious! I can’t just drop everything and go to London with you!!!’

‘I’m 1000% serious, and yes you can! You’re not working, and you told me last week you had no plans for Christmas’

‘I have…. Plans’ Jess replied, a little sad at the fact that she really didn’t

‘Job searching and binge watching Christmas movies does not count as plans’

‘I… I can’t go, Tom. I could never afford a hotel on such short notice, they probably cost an arm and a leg this time of year! Not to mention paying you back for the plane ticket!!’

‘Okay, first; you do not have to pay me back for the ticket, I have a shit ton of miles from work, and its part of your Christmas present, you can pay back a Christmas present. And secondly; you don’t need a hotel because you’re staying at my parent’s house with me and the rest of my family’

‘Tom!! I can’t just show up at your parents’ house unannounced!’

‘You’re not showing up announced, I spoke to my Mum a couple days ago and they would love to have you’

‘But-‘

‘NO BUTS JESS! YOU’RE COMING WITH ME!’ Tom said forcefully, a tone in his voice Jess had never heard before ‘Pack a suitcase, the flight leaves Thursday at 3:30pm, I’ll pick you up at noon!’

And with that Tom ended the call. Jess sat down on her bed and stared at her phone for a few moments before laying back and staring up at the ceiling as she tried to process the fact that she was going to London in a few days. She let out a sigh as she rolled over and buried her face in a pillow. The next morning when she woke up it took her a moment to realize she had fallen asleep in her clothes. She reached for her phone and noticed it was almost dead, as she plugged it in she saw that Tom had sent her a text while she was asleep,

*It’s very cold in there, make sure to pack warm*

She rolled her eyes before standing and heading into the bathroom. After she was showered she went back to into her room to get dressed and figure out what to pack. She drug her suitcase out from under her bed an flung it on top, when she opened it she discovered that she still had stuff in it from her last trip,  a couple pair of shoes, some jeans, some makeup, and the dress she wore to a friend’s wedding. She took the dress from the garment bag it was in and held it up to herself, running her hands over the soft deep blue fabric, she really did love the dress, it was one of the only times she actually felt pretty.

She debated for a moment about taking it with her, but in the end decided against it. She draped it over the chair in the corner as she started going through her closet and dresser, throwing what she was taking onto her bed. After a while she went into the bathroom and pulled out her travel toiletries and put them into a plastic bag. When she went back into her room she started folding her clothes and placing them nicely into the case, leaving her big winter coat out, still unsure as to whether she wanted to wear it to the airport, or just pack it and pull it out when she got to there, for now she just tossed it over to the chair in the corner of her room.

She still couldn’t believe this was happening, she was actually going to London, a place that she had always wanted to visit, especially at Christmas. Even though she was still upset at Tom for spending what she could only guess was a small fortune on a last minute plane ticket, she was also extremely excited. As she continued to pack her phone pinged, letting her know she had a text message, she decided to ignore it at first, but it pinged again a not even a minute later. When she grabbed her phone she saw that they were both from Tom, she also noticed there were a couple that she hadn’t seen. The first two had been sent when she was in the shower and the other two were the ones he just sent

*Want to grab lunch?* *Jess??* *Are you mad at me?* *I’m sorry I yelled on the phone last night*

*I’m not…. Mad* she sent in reply. Ever thought she was a tiny bit mad at him

*Are you sure? It usually never takes you that long to reply*

*I was in the shower when you sent the first 2 and then I started packing so I didn’t see them until now*

*Soooo, you’re really not mad I did this?*

*I am a little mad, but I’ll probably be over it by the time we leave…. lol*

*Great!! So food??*

*Yeah, food sounds good*

*On my way*

A couple days later it was time to leave for London, Jess was so excited she couldn’t sleep and when she finally did, she ended up sleeping through her alarm. When she woke up she was scrambling around, showering, getting dressed, and packing the last of her things. She decided not to wear her big coat since it wasn’t too cold and she just shoved it into her suitcase just as Tom sent her a text to let her know he was outside. Jess grabbed her suitcase and her purse, making sure she had her passport and headed out the door. As they drove Tom told Jess about a Christmas festival his Mom loved, and a few other events they could attend, less than an hour later they were at the airport waiting to go through security.

‘So, this Christmas festival you were talking about, what goes on at it?’ Jess asked as they settled into their seats for the long flight ahead

‘It’s a Christmas festival, Jess, what do you think goes on?’

‘I don’t know, I’ve never been to one. That’s why I was asking’

‘Well, I haven’t been to it in years, but as I recall there is a group of Carol singers in costume that walk around the grounds singing, there are booths selling wears, there’s a stand that sells hot cider and mulled wine, another that does roasted chestnuts’ Tom explained as the flight attendants started making their way down the aisles with refreshments ‘There’s a skating rink, and a pageant that the kids church choir puts on. My Mum said that they added a nightly light show year before last.’

‘That all sounds so fun’ Jess said with a huge smile on her face ‘Hey Tom, in case I haven’t yet, I just want to say thank you. I really, really do appreciate you bringing me with you’

‘You’re more than welcome, Jess’ he replied ‘Merry Christmas’

A few hours into the flight Jess fell asleep, she didn’t wake until Tom gently tapped her shoulder to let her know they were getting ready to land. When Jess was finally able to stand after landing her body was stiff and one of her feet was asleep, causing her to limp up the jet way, by the time they reached baggage claim her body had loosened up and her foot was awake.

‘Alright, they’ve really changed this airport since I was last here’ Tom said as he tried to figure out where to go to get a cab ‘Ah, its this way’ he said, pointing to where the sign hanging from the celling told him where the taxi stands were

‘TOM!!! TOM!!’ a man’s voice yelled through the terminal

Tom and Jess both turned and saw a man running in their direction, waving a hand over his head, Tom smiled and started walking toward him.

‘Owen!! Hey man, what are you doing here?’ Tom asked as he hugged the man

‘Mum asked me to pick you up’ he replied ‘It’s so good to see you! How’ve you been?’

‘I’m great! Oh, this is my friend Jess. Jess, this is my brother-in-law, Owen’

‘It’s nice to meet you Owen’ Jess said as she shook his hand

‘Come on, I’m parked this way. I promised everyone I’d have you home in time for tea’

As they made their way to the house Jess stared out the window with a smile on her face, amazed at how beautiful everything was. The trees and ground were covered in a light layer of snow, making everything sparkle. When they pulled into the neighborhood her smile got even bigger, every house had massive amounts of decorations, she couldn’t wait until it got dark and they were all lit up. The further they drove through the neighborhood the bigger the houses seemed to get, when Owen finally pulled into a driveway Jess’ jaw dropped even more, it had to be the biggest house on the block. Owen offered to help them with their luggage, but Tom and Jess both said they could handle it, so Owen headed in to let everyone know they were there

‘Tom…. this is your house? It’s HUGE!!!’ Jess said as they got out of the car ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were rich?!’

‘It’s my parents’ house, and I didn’t tell you I’m rich because I’m not’ Tom replied as he pulled their suitcases’ out of the trunk ‘My parents are’

‘That’s something that rich people say!’ Jess retorted as Tom closed the trunk, he let out a chuckle and they made their way into the house.

When they stepped inside Jess’ jaw dropped again as she looked around, there was a huge decorated fireplace the living room to her left, a staircase with lights and garland on the banister in front of her, to her right was a formal dining room with a huge table and more decorations everywhere.

‘Tom!!’ a woman said as she came out of the dining room, she had an apron around her waist, she walked over and threw her arms around him, giving him a tight hug ‘Welcome home darling!!’

‘Hi Mum, it’s so good to see you’ Tom replied as he hugged her back, after a few moments the hug broke and she took a step back and smiled up at him, she then looked over at Jess ‘And you must be Tom’s friend’

‘Yeah, Mum this is Jess. Jess, my Mum, Susan’

‘It’s really nice to meet you Mrs. Hiddleston, thank you so much for having me’ Jess replied as she held her hand out to Tom’s Mom, but Susan just wrapped her arms around Jess and hugged her tight

‘Oh, please, call me Susan’ she replied as she loosened the hug, but left her hands on Jess’ arms ‘and it’s a pleasure to have you here, dear’

‘Where is everyone?’ Tom asked

‘Your Father had to run into the city for a last minute meeting, he should be back soon, and everyone else is in the kitchen making cookies and getting tea ready’

Her smile soon faded when she thought about the fact that she no longer had an ornament like that, she didn’t have anything from her childhood, it was all gone. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she sat down on the floor as they started rolling down her cheeks.

‘Jess? Are you okay?’ Tom asked as he walked into the room a few minutes later

She took a deep breath, and wiped her face before responding to him, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Why?’ she said as she cleared her throat and stood

‘Because it sounded like you were crying’

‘No, I wasn’t crying’

‘What are you doing up’

‘Um, I came down to make some cocoa’

‘In the lounge?’

‘I was just getting a candy cane to put in it’ she said as she reached up took a couple from the tree ‘want some?’

‘Yeah. Sure’

Jess and Tom headed into the kitchen to make some coca, once it was made they headed back up to their rooms.

‘Night Tom’ Jess said as she opened her door to go in ‘See you in the morning’

‘Good night, sleep well’

The following morning Jess didn’t come down for breakfast so Tom went up to check on her, knowing she was upset the night before. He knocked on her door but she didn’t answer, he could hear her moving around inside and knocked again

‘Jess? Can I come in please?’ After a few moments she opened the door to let him in and he saw her suitcase on the bed ‘What… what’s going on?’

‘I’m….um…. I’m going home. There’s a flight tonight that I’m going to try to make’

‘What?? Why? What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing’s wrong. I-I’m fine’ She said as she continued to pack, tears starting to roll down her face

‘You're not fine. You're packing your suitcase to leave, you were crying in the lounge last night, and you're crying now. Something is wrong’ he said as Jess started walking toward the dresser to get more clothes to pack, he reached out and gently grabbed her arm ‘Hey, talk to me’

‘I’m sorry. I just have to go. I…. I don’t belong here’

‘What do you mean you don’t belong here? Jess, you can't leave, it’s almost Christmas’

‘Exactly, I’m intruding on your families Christmas’

‘You are family Jess’

‘No, Tom. I’m not. This is your family. I don’t have a family and I haven't had one in a really long time and I….. I forgot’

‘Forgot what?’ Tom asked

‘I forgot what it’s like to be part of a family. To have a Mom, and a Dad, and a Christmas like this’ she said as she let out a sigh and sat on the bed next to her suitcase ‘I forgot what it’s like to have tree like the one downstairs, with presents underneath it, and a stocking hanging on the fireplace with my name on it’

Tom came over and sat beside her, he wanted to put his arm around her but didn’t when she turned away from him a little bit

‘I've gotten so used to being alone at Christmas, and then you bring me here and everyone has just been so wonderful that I forgot what it’s like to be alone’

‘Isn't that a good thing?’

‘Yeah, it can be’ she replied ‘Until I go back to being alone at Christmas again ’

‘You don’t have to be alone at Christmas’ Tom said as he moved closer ‘You're welcome here for as long as you want’

‘I’m sure your parents don’t want me here every year’

‘My parents love you Jess, and they’ve already told me that you're welcome here anytime. Not just at Christmas’ Tom said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close ‘You’re part of the family now, and you're not going to escape us that easily’

Jess let out a soft chuckle and wiped her face as she rested her head against his shoulder ‘You’re probably going to want to get rid of me eventually’

‘Never’ he whispered as he placed a kiss to her head and squeezed her shoulder.

The two friends sat on Jess’ bed for a few minutes before Tom offered to help her unpack her suitcase. When they were done they headed downstairs so Jess could get something to eat, while they were in the kitchen Maggie asked Jess if she would like to join her and Fiona for a little last minute shopping and she accepted. While they were gone Tom decided to finally put his gifts under the tree, when he pulled Jess’ out of his suitcase he noticed that the paper had ripped and needed to be rewrapped

‘Hey Mum, do you have any extra tape and paper I could use?’ He asked his mom as he went into the dining room and saw her wrapping gifts

‘There’s some over there’ she replied, pointing to the end of the table with her scissors

‘Thanks’

‘What are you wrapping?’

‘Jess’ Christmas gift. I wrapped it back home, but the paper ripped in my suitcase’

‘What did you get her?’

‘This’ Tom said as he handed his Mom the book he had gotten her, an old copy of Little Women ‘It was her favorite book as a child. Her Mum gave her a copy once, but she lost it after her parents passed’

‘That’s a very nice gift Tom’ she said with a smile as she handed the book back to him

‘I know that face Mum’ Tom said ‘What are you thinking?’

‘It’s nothing dear’

‘Mum?’

‘It’s just a very…. Thoughtful gift’ she said

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘It’s just, this is something that meant a lot to her and I wonder if she may think that by you giving her something with so much sentiment attached, that you…. care for her’ she said

‘I do care about Jess. She’s a great friend’

‘I know you do, dear. But I can't help but wonder if this gift says that she means more to you than just a friend. That you might…. Love her’

‘Oh come on, Mum!’ Tom said with a groan as he rolled his eyes ‘First Roger tells me he thinks I’m in love with her, and now you?’

‘We can't help what we've seen dear’

‘Yeah. And what have you seen?’

‘Just little things; glances when she’s not looking, the smile on your face whenever she comes into the room’ Susan explained ‘You talk about her whenever she’s not around, and not just while you’ve been here, when you call you always seem to bring her up’

‘Mum. She’s just my friend! I am not in love with her!’

‘Maybe’ she said as she reached over and placed her hand on his ‘Or maybe you're just not ready to admit it to yourself yet because you're afraid that once you do everything might change between you two’

Susan gave his hand a gentle squeeze before grabbing her cup and going into the kitchen to get more tea. Tom stayed at the table, drumming his fingers on the cover of the book in front of him, thinking about what his Mom had said. After a few moments he stood, grabbed some paper and tape, and headed back up to his room to wrap it.

‘They're crazy. I am not in love with Jess. She’s just my friend’ he thought to himself as he sat on his bedroom floor wrapping her gift. When he was finished he slapped a bow on it a gently tossed it to the side next to the rest of the gifts he had for the family. He then reached for another gift he had to wrap, as he cut the paper his phone pinged, it was a text from Mia asking if he wanted to get together for lunch. He thought about it for a moment and said yes, she let him know that she would pick him up in 30 minutes.

‘I mean, how can they possibly think I’m in love with her? Or that I can't admit that I am to myself? That’s just…. crazy!’ Tom said to Mia as they ate, but she didn’t say anything. She just stared at her plate and poked at her food with her fork, a little smile on her face ‘Oh come on! Not you too!?’

‘I can't help it, Tom. I thought she was your girlfriend by the way you reacted when she fell on the ice and immutably went to’

‘She fell and hit her head on the ice. Anyone would have reacted like that! You came rushing over too!’

‘I came over because it was my nephews that knocked her over and I felt bad about that’ Mia said ‘Didn’t you notice that no one else came over to check on you two?’

‘No, I didn’t notice, I was making sure Jess was okay’ Tom said. Mia just smiled at him, one eyebrow going up ‘Oh, don’t give me that face. My Mum made a similar face earlier’

‘Look Tom, I've known you for a long time, I've known a couple of your girlfriends, and I have honestly never seen you look at anyone the way I've see you look at Jess’ Mia said to him ‘Myself included’

Tom was quiet for a moment before he said anything ‘I'm sorry if I treated you badly when we were together Mia’

‘Treated me badly? Tom, you were one of the best boyfriends I've ever had’ she replied

‘What do you think would have happened with us if we hadn't broken up in Uni?’

‘I think we probably would have gotten married, maybe had a kid or 2,’ Mia answered ‘I also think we would be divorced, or about to be’ Tom's eyebrows going up when she said she thought they’d be divorced

‘Why do you think that?’

‘Because the reasons why we broke up in Uni are still true, and if we had ignored them and stayed on the path that everyone expected us too, a simple breakup could have possibly become a complicated divorce’ Mia explained ‘Plus, if we had stayed together, you never would have moved to the states, and you never would have met the love of your life’

Tom shook his head and let out a quiet laugh. They continued to chat through lunch and then did a little shopping before Mia drove him back home. Jess, Maggie, and Fiona arrived back at the house and Jess was up in her room putting some things away and happened to glance out the window when Mia’s car pulled into driveway. She watched Tom and Mia get out of the car and go to the trunk so Tom could get his bags

‘I promise you, if you just think about it for a little bit you will realize that you are in fact in love with her’ Mia said as Tom unloaded his bags, he again just shook his head and let out a laugh ‘An just think of what a wonderful Christmas gift it would be for yourself’

‘Mia, you're crazy’ Tom replied as he set them on the ground and wrapped his arms around her to give her a hug ‘But I’m glad we’re still friends’ he added as he placed a kiss to her cheek

From where Jess was standing it looked like Tom had given her a real kiss and she smiled, but then she felt her heart sink a little and stepped away from the window to finish what she was doing. About an hour later she headed down stairs to as if she could borrow some wrapping paper and tape from Mrs. Hiddleston since she forgot to get some while she was out earlier. As she left her room she ran into Tom, causing him to drop a couple of the gifts he was taking downstairs

‘Oh! I’m sorry Tom!’ she said as she bent to pick them up

‘No harm’ he replied with a chuckle ‘where you headed in such a hurry?’

‘I was just going to ask your Mom if I could borrow some paper and tape, I picked up a couple more gifts while I was out’

‘I have some in my room you can use’

‘Great. I'll help you take these down and then I'll come back and grab it’

‘No, I can take care of these, go ahead and grab it’

‘Thanks Tom’ Jess said with a smile as she handed him what had dropped and then turned to head into his room as he headed downstairs.

When he got downstairs his dad and brother asked if he could help them with something in the garage and they all headed out there. When they were done Tom came back in he saw Jess playing dolls on the lounge floor with Abby and Katie, he stood in the doorway for a few minutes, just watching them and smiling, noticing that she had her hair down again. Jess reached up and tucked some behind her ear just as she looked over and saw Tom, smiling as she did. In that moment he felt his heart skip and it scared him for a moment, the smile dropping from his face as he quickly turned and walked into the kitchen

‘Are you okay?’ Jess asked when she came in a few moments later

‘Huh… Yeah…. Yeah, I’m fine’ he replied ‘Why do you ask?’

‘You just looked a little off a minute ago and then you just walked away’

‘I’m fine. I was helping Dad and Rog paint something in the garage for the kids and I think the fumes got to me’

‘Playing Elf were you?’

‘Yeah, I guess you could say that’ he said with a laugh, a moment later his phone pinged, it was a text from Mia

*Hey, my sister just found your wallet in her car. I'll drop it off tomorrow*

‘Everything okay?’ Jess asked

‘I guess I dropped my wallet in Mia’s car, well, her sisters car, when we went to lunch earlier’ Tom answered, he then glanced over at Jess, looking into her eyes for a moment before looking back at his phone

*Do you mind if I pop over to get it? I think I need some more advice* he sent in reply

*No, I don’t mind*

‘I'm going to pop over there and pick it up, I'll be back in a little while’ Tom said as he started to walk out of the kitchen to ask his Dad if he could borrow his car for a little while

‘Oh, okay. See you later’

Mia sent him her address and he was on his way. 30 minutes later he was sitting in her lounge drinking some tea as Mia told him that he just needed to talk to Jess and see what happens, whether it be good or bad, it needed to happen. When Mia went into the kitchen to make more tea Tom stood from the sofa and walked over to look at the pictures that were hanging on the wall. He smiled when he recognized Lilli, Mia’s sister. She was in most of them, along with a man and a little boy, her husband and son Tom assumed. As he continued to look there was one picture that he just couldn’t stop staring at, it was of a little girl and a slightly older boy with Santa and they were dressed as elves. ‘Mia, where did you get this picture?’ Tom asked when she came back into the room

‘Oh, that’s my brother-in-law’s picture’

‘Your brother-in-law?’

‘Yeah, Lilli’s husband. This is their house, I’m just staying with them while my place is being worked on’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Miles’