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jordan202 · 6 years

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My Boys: Beyond the Horizon - Chapter 19 (Finale)

Hey guys! After long months, we finally made it here! :)

Thank you all SO much for your continue support and feedback with this story. It was probably the most challenging one I’ve written so far, not only because it had the most ongoing plots happening at once, but I think also for the level of depth in the different storylines.

Before we go further, I just have to add some details that are important for this chapter:

I AM adding a ‘read more’ tag and in advance, I am sorry if it can’t be seen from your mobile app, browser or whichever device you might be using

For those who might wonder, 30 degrees Fahrenheit is about -1 Celsius

I added a picture of the sweater Robbie is wearing and the Plush Doll Megan gives as a present below the chapter in case anyone wants to see what the description was about

In the scene where Thomas and Kate are peeking out the window, the quote they are referring to is the EE Cummings quote I carry your heart with me. I carry it in my heart. It’s from the poem with the same name and it’s been a recurrent saying in the history of this couple

When I chose to do a Secret Santa, I challenged myself with NOT choosing who would be whose Santa. Instead, I used a list randomizer and made the order of that list the Secret Santa configuration. That challenged me to come up with the storylines for this chapter and actually think of the gifts they exchanged.

Alright, I think that’s pretty much it!

As usually, previous chapters can be found HERE. Happy reading and thank you so much for sticking with me until the very end :)

My Boys: Beyond the Horizon – Chapter Nineteen (Finale)

“So, who is your Secret Santa?”

“I am not telling you.”

Megan looked up to meet JD’s insistent eyes, seeing the shadow of amusement on his face.

“It’s not like I am participating in it, so it won’t ruin the surprise if you tell me,” he reasoned.

The girl stopped wiping the counter and sighed at the same time she playfully rolled her eyes. It was late afternoon and yet the two of them were held back in school after hours.

Earlier that week while quietly studying for a test in school, Megan had been given the scare of a lifetime when JD had on purpose lit up a couple of fireworks outside her window just to scare her. Enraged by his childish behavior and even more by his annoying unaffectedness when the girl had confronted him about it, Megan had then retaliated by tearing his math homework to pieces, hoping he would get mad. Instead, JD had laughed and teased her more and by the time a teacher had gotten a hold of them, Megan had already thrown a couple of whiteboard markers at him.

It was complicated for the girl to once again stand side by side with JD in front of the school Principal and explain why they had, not for the first time, gotten into a fight. This time around, none of them escaped punishment and therefore there they were tidying the school art studio after the classes were over.

“If you so much as think about throwing that paint in my direction you’re doomed,” Megan threatened him with fire in her eyes.

JD smiled wickedly and put the container back on the shelf after cleaning up. Over the past month, he and Megan had been spending a lot of time together, a big portion of which he devoted to annoying her. The breakup with Aaron hadn’t been easy on the girl and JD was happy to offer a distraction, not only because he cared about her but also because it bothered him to think she was possibly hurting over that guy.

School was about to go on winter break and over the past week, JD had closely followed as Megan organized her week to use that afternoon to buy her family’s Secret Santa present. Unfortunately for her, she now had to spend it in school instead.

“I won’t tell you because knowing you, you’re just going to end up spilling the beans just to get on my nerves,” Megan raised an eyebrow. “Besides, what are your plans for Christmas?” she asked looking at him. “I have asked you already but you still haven’t told me. Are you spending it with your grandma or are you flying back home to see your father?”

As usual, JD hesitated and avoided talking about his own life. But when Megan pushed him a little harder, he finally shared something about how he felt.

“I don’t know what I am doing yet,” the boy said after a deep breath. “I am not the biggest fan of Christmas.”

In times like that, Megan wondered what could have possibly happened in his past that made JD so closed off to the world. When they were together and he was relaxed and acting spontaneously, Megan would get a glimpse of his truest nature. JD was amusing, optimistic and naturally positive when he wasn’t paying attention to his manners. But whenever something threatened his balance, the boy immediately closed off and became skeptical and distant. She supposed only a lot of hurt could explain the way he functioned.

“Well, like I said, you’re welcome to spend it with my family if you want,” Megan told him. Lately, JD had been to her house a few times every week, first to work on their end of term music project but then it’d become a habit. He claimed it was easier for him to remember to do his homework if she was doing hers and since Megan actually had grown to enjoy his company, she actually invited him over sometimes.

“Aren’t all of your brothers going to be there?” JD asked with a frown. “All week, you haven’t shut up about the twins coming back to town. You should spend time with them. I’ll be fine.”

At the same time Megan tried not to push him, she wanted to make sure he was okay too. The thought of anyone spending Christmas alone devastated her. But knowing the little she did about JD’s history and imagining him all by himself at that huge house he shared with his grandma only made her feel extremely sad.

“You can see the Secret Santa gift exchange,” Megan tried to bargain, hoping he would be attracted by it. “I will tell you who mine is if you promise you’ll come.”

“If I come, I will figure out by myself and I won’t need you to tell me,” JD smirked at her while he resumed his work at the paint shelves.

“You’re absolutely annoying,” Megan informed him.

“I know,” he retorted with a smile. “That’s why you keep me around.”

Owen managed to balance two cups of hot latte in one hand as he collected the change back from the cashier with the other.

Making his way through the crowded halls in the airport lounge, he quickly spotted Amelia standing out next to a senior woman who seemed to be chatting with his wife.

“Thank you,” Amelia smiled at him when Owen handed her the hot beverage cup. After she delighted herself with its smell and took the first sip, she added while looking from her new friend to her husband, “Anne here was just telling me that she’s waiting for her son too.”

“Yes, he’s in the Dallas flight,” the older woman explained with a kind smile. “I haven’t seen him in over a year so it’ll be nice to have him for Christmas.”

“Oh, I understand completely... My twin boys go to school in the east coast and I see so little of them now that I feel like I am missing out on them growing up,” Amelia said with longing at the same time she felt Owen’s hand on her lower back. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw the way he was smiling at her with judging eyes. “What?” she asked with a furrowed brow.

Owen was about to explain that by the way Amelia was talking, it sounded like their sons were twelve years old but at that exact moment, two tall identical blonde guys walked out of the arrival zone, catching their attention.

When the senior lady next to Amelia spotted the twins walking in their direction, she was struck by the exact same thoughts as Owen. But once the petite woman whom she’d just met hugged both sons at the same time, even though they were virtually strangers, she supposed Amelia probably did think of those twins as her little boys.

“How was your flight?” Amelia asked Danny once she pulled apart enough to allow him to breathe.

“It was great, I slept the entire time,” he replied with a satisfied smile as he wrapped one arm around his mother’s shoulders and walked beside her.

“Robbie, what are you wearing?” Owen asked with widened eyes.

As they made it to the parking lot, everyone turned their eyes to see what Owen was talking about and Amelia couldn’t help laughing when she noticed the sweater her son had on. It was a knitted, navy blue with white polka dots piece that had a giant Yoda wearing a Santa hat on the front, right under the script the season to be jolly it is.

“You don’t like it?” Robbie asked with a contagious smile as he touched the fabric of his own clothes. “I think it’s awesome!”

“It would be more appropriate if it was your size,” Owen tactfully replied, noticing the tight fit around Robbie’s strong shoulders and arms. Even the sleeves didn’t make it all the way to his wrists. “It’s at least a couple of inches too short.”

“That’s what I told him at least half a dozen times,” Danny bickered as they got in the car.

“Why the hell are you wearing that?” Amelia asked once she got a closer look, not bothering to be as delicate as Owen with her words.

“It was a gift,” Robbie explained, apparently too happy to care about the way everyone was giving him a hard time about his choice of clothes. “Marianne knitted it for me.”

“Marianne?” Owen frowned. “Megan’s friend?” he looked at his son from the rearview mirror, the surprise stamped all over his face. “Why would Marianne send you a present?”

“Because I am awesome,” Robbie winked.

“Because the poor girl was somehow fooled into thinking he was awesome,” Danny pestered his brother with a teasing grin.

“You’re just jealous because your girlfriend doesn’t knit you a Yoda sweater,” Robbie bragged, flashing the horrendous piece of clothing that he seemed to be so proud of. Madison, Danny’s girlfriend, had also gone home from West Point to spend the holidays with her family, reason why she wasn’t with them this time.

“Oh, so Marianne is your girlfriend?” Amelia asked with curiosity, turning her head from the front seat to look at the twins.

“I don’t know,” Robbie shrugged, confused. “I mean, we’ve been talking for weeks now and I saw her the last time I was here.”

“Do you two talk every day?” Amelia couldn’t hide a smile. She wondered how much Megan knew about that situation she’d just found out about.

“Yeah, we do,” Robbie said with pretend cockiness. “I am going to a Christmas party with her tomorrow, which she invited me to, by the way,” he bragged. “That’s how awesome she thinks I am.”

“I miss Christmas parties,” Amelia said with a joyful sigh, thinking it had been a while since she didn’t attend one. Looking at her husband, she added, “do you remember that year when we were at Karev’s and Riggs made those eggnogs with the cheap rum that got everyone drunk and massively hungover?” Amelia laughed, thinking about it. Since she didn’t drink, she hadn’t fallen victim to it, but her husband had needed a full day to recover from the symptoms after merely a glass. “I don’t know what he put in that drink because everyone was acting like they were high or something.”

“What happened that night?” Danny asked with curiosity, supposing his mother’s confession came with an exciting tale.

“Thomas did,” Amelia smiled wickedly, laughing when she saw the look of censorship on her sons’ faces after her disappointing response. “Lucas was just a few months old, I was breastfeeding and I didn’t think that I’d get…”

“We don’t need the details, mom,” Robbie interrupted her with a scowl as Owen laughed in the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, let’s change the subject,” Danny proposed with lighthearted disposition. “I can’t wait to find out what I am getting from my Secret Santa,” he added, noticing his parents shared his excitement.

If Danny had looked to the side, he would have noticed the slightly panicked look on Robbie’s face as, at the mention of Secret Santa, the boy realized he’d forgotten at West Point the present he’d bought for his.

But as Owen drove through the streets both boys were so familiar with, Robbie tried to be objective and think of a plan. He could probably ask Marianne for her help in picking out a new gift. But judging by his family’s reaction to his new sweater, it preferably had to be something that did not involve Yoda or any other Star Wars character, he thought with an amused smile.

“How is he doing?”

Danny opened the takeout bag with burgers and fries as he sat down with Thomas and Kate to watch a movie. His eyes were pointed at Lucas, who was lying on the opposite side of the room completely distanced from everyone else. Danny noticed the headphones in his ear as his oldest brother distractedly typed on a laptop computer, apparently too bored to care to exchange two words with anyone.

When he turned back to face the couple, the answer was obvious Kate and Thomas’ sullen expressions.

“Yesterday, Megan told him he’s worse than the seventeen year olds in her class,” Thomas repeated, supposing that their sister had really meant it. “She’s lost her patience with him.”

“He hasn’t been sleeping at home much,” Kate confided. “I mean, I don’t officially live at the penthouse apartment but I feel like I spend more nights there than he does lately. And Tommy has at least a couple of night shifts a week, so if you consider I am not there when he isn’t…”

“Yeah, that’s probably not a good sign. Does he say where he’s been?”

“Does he need to?” Kate frowned, as if Danny was asking an absurd question. “Whoring around, of course.”

“You know what concerns me the most?” the twin raised an eyebrow, legitimately worried. When he felt like he had the couple’s full attention, Danny added, “there is a bag full of burgers and fries here and he hasn’t moved a muscle to come get it. That’s how I know he’s really, really not okay,” the boy frowned, looking at Lucas with inspective eyes as if to see whether or not he really was alive on the sofa in the other side of the living room. After flashing a large portion of fries, Danny tried one more time. “Luke, I have fries here,” he said in a higher voice, hoping to engage his brother in an interaction.

Lucas couldn’t hear him, but with the corner of his eyes, he sensed some movement around and turned his head to meet them. After staring for a few seconds, the athlete went back to ignoring the party of three and focused again on his computer.

“I told you he is not doing well,” Kate said with a conformed voice, but the worry was visible on her face. “He’s been insufferable for the past month.”

“Has anyone talked to him?” Danny inquired.

“We tried,” Thomas updated him. “Everyone did. He refuses to talk about it but we all know it has everything to do with Emily leaving.”

“So it’s worse than last time?” Danny asked right before taking a bite of his burger.

“It’s a lot worse,” Thomas confirmed with a headshake of disapproval right before doing the same.

Emily watched as a cold snowflake touched her nose and smiled for what felt like the first time in weeks.

Abandoning her resolve to take a cab home, the journalist opted for walking instead. It was wintertime in New York, which could only mean a chilly cold wind, but Emily didn’t mind. She was dressed up for the nasty weather and after a full day of being locked up in her office reviewing figures and checking data, she could use seeing some human interaction and being outdoors for a change.

They were only a couple of days from Christmas and the holiday spirit could be seen anywhere now. As Emily left the Wall Street Journal building on 6th Avenue, she found herself unwilling to go back to her apartment. There wasn’t anything slightly invitational about returning to the solitude of her place.

If on one hand, Emily was feeling great about taking charge of her life and reaffirming to herself that she was more than able to be on her own, she was also very aware that things that in the past were an infinite source of happiness such as her job and her career now weren’t able to make her feel as fulfilled and joyful anymore.

Emily still adored what she did but every day she went to bed feeling like something was missing. In the past, Peter’s presence had been able to distract her thoughts from it, or maybe she had indeed fooled herself to think he was going to fill that vacancy in her life and in her heart. But now that they weren’t together anymore, Emily couldn’t help but dread the idea that maybe the city she had come to love over the years somehow didn’t feel like home anymore.

Supposing that having dinner at one of her favorite restaurants would cheer her up, Emily made her way through the busy 45thstreet, watching as people hurried back and forth to make it to Grand Central Station. They were probably trying to get home for the holidays, Emily thought with a bittersweet smile. A lot of co-workers in her office had taken time off to return to their hometowns so they could be with their families. As the journalist entered the lobby of the cozy small restaurant, the maître who often welcomed her whenever Emily had dinner at the place looked up from the stand to meet her familiar hazel eyes.

“Welcome back, Miss Spencer. It’s good to see you. Do you have a reservation?”

“Hi. No, tonight I don’t. Would you have a table available?”

“Yes, for you I always do. Is anyone joining you tonight?”

“No,” Emily nodded, biting her lower lip to hide her reaction to the question. “Table for one, please.”

Once again, the stabbing sensation of loneliness hit Emily really hard but she refused to let it ruin the spark of hope that the Christmas atmosphere around was instilling in her. For the past few weeks, it had become really hard to come to terms with the fact she pretty much had no family left now, and no roots either.

Growing up, Emily had always felt like Seattle was never really her home and for the majority of the time she’d spent there, it hadn’t been. The journalist had projected in New York all her hopes and dreams of finding her place in the world someday and it was hard coming to terms with the realization that even after pursuing everything she’d established for herself and making it there, maybe she still didn’t feel quite at home.

So if Seattle wasn’t her home and New York wasn’t either, where did that leave her?

With those haunting thoughts consuming her, Emily went home after barely touching her food, despite the Bolognese sauce being her favorite. It was simply too depressing eating alone in a restaurant in Manhattan surrounded by thousands of people knowing that the only person she wanted to be near was miles and miles away.

Thinking about Lucas made Emily’s heart sink inside her chest and she wondered how he was doing. For the past weeks, he hadn’t picked up any of her calls and even though it saddened her, in a way she understood. After all, it had been hers the decision to go back to New York.

And no matter how Emily loved the city and what she had there, after the distraction of the day was gone once she was done with her job, the way she would feel her heart break every night before bed made her constantly wonder if that decision had really been the right one.

Lucas’ smile and comforting hug were everything she could wish for after a full day of work, but unfortunately, she would go back to an empty apartment.

The memories of the week she’d spent at his penthouse right after surgery assaulted Emily and she felt her throat clogging with the realization that those had probably been the happiest days she’d had in the past years. There was just something magical about being in an apartment knowing that at the end of the day, Lucas was coming home. Because somehow, with his presence, his charm and his humor, he was able to light up her surroundings and simply add meaning to everything. In a way that nothing else in her life seemed capable of right now.

The snow was falling in heavier flakes by the time Emily finally made it to her place. After dropping her purse and keys on the nearest counter, Emily proceeded to check the mail, unconsciously hoping for a card or envelope that might improve her mood.

Seeing there were only bills and a few folders mixed together, the journalist let out a heavy sigh and tried to control her thoughts from drifting back to her hometown.

She wondered what the Hunts would be doing at that time of the year and the thought warmed her heart. Now that both Lucas and Thomas were living in Seattle again, it was very likely they were spending Christmas together. Danny and Robbie were most likely flying in from West Point to spend the holidays at home, if they weren’t already there. The journalist smiled to think how happy Megan probably was to have all four of her brothers there with her.

Emily also thought about their parents and decided that the following day, she would mail them a card. In the present time it was considered an old fashioned thing to do, but there was something special about handwritten cards that Emily just couldn’t let go of. Owen and Amelia were both very special people to her and she cared about them very much. The girl could easily imagine how happy they must have been at the moment to have all five children spending Christmas with them and she knew that all the happiness in the world wasn’t enough to match what that family deserved. She wished them the best and would make sure to mail them her Christmas wishes.

After easily finding an elegant Hallmark card from a folder where she kept a few new ones, Emily wrote down a nice message to all seven of them and placed it on a beautiful green envelope. Belatedly realizing she didn’t have their address memorized, the journalist forced herself to stop thinking about Lucas as she made her way to her bedroom and dug into her closet looking for a box where she kept some of the things from her childhood and adolescence days.

Emily was originally looking for one of her old notebooks that she knew had phone numbers and addresses written down. She was pretty sure she had Lucas’ house address marked down there somewhere.

But it was a faded envelope with pen ink stained by what Emily remembered had been a tear shed inside an airplane that caught her eyes the moment she opened the box of memories to her past.

And it didn’t take Emily long to shed new tears.

There, in her hands, was the best link to her past she could ever hope for and the answer to the questions that had been haunting her for the past weeks.

The unmistakable scribbles of the seventeen-year-old Lucas had remained intact, well kept inside that rough envelope. Just like his message had remained the same, well kept inside Emily’s soft heart despite her rough shell.

It was as if the teenage version of Lucas had somehow seen years ahead, because the words he’d written in the past were able to comfort Emily in a way that nothing else had over the past weeks. And to provide her with an answer, a sense and hope, all together in the perfect combo only him was capable of delivering.

After paragraphs that had served to tell Emily how she’d transformed his life and the way he felt after what they’d experienced together, Lucas had gone on to add what, six years later, was everything that Emily needed to hear.

“...

So you go and be great in Yale. I’ll go my own way and who knows, maybe in a few years we’ll find ourselves across each other in an interview room table. Or maybe, I’ll come back from signing with a pro team and you’re going to be there to celebrate it with me. Truth is, I have no idea what the future holds for us and that’s scary. All I know is that you’re going to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. And if you ever, ever feel like you’re running out of strength, no matter where in the world you are, just look back to Seattle and know that you’ll always have a home to come back to.

Because I’ll be your home. For as long as you want me to be.

Faithfully, devotedly and undeniably yours,

Lucas Hunt.”

Emily heard the sound of her own nervous laughter mixing with her tears and without the hesitation that had long accompanied her during the past half year, she got up and picked the first bag she found in her closet.

There were no more doubts about where her place in the world was anymore. And she was finally ready to go home.

“Alright, alright, let’s start…!” Amelia cheerfully said, raising her voice above the others so her kids and husband could be silent and pay attention to her.

They were gathered on the living room of their home, anxiously waiting for dinner on that Christmas Eve. But before they sat down to eat the delicious meal Owen and Megan had prepared together, it was traditional they exchanged their Secret Santa gifts, which usually came with a full round of teasing and bantering to make it extra special.

“Okay, so who wants to go first?” Amelia asked with a smile, gazing from the pile of presents that had been gathered under the tree to the cheerful eyes of her husband and children.

“Let’s just grab the first present and see the name on the tag,” Megan said with excitement, hurrying to pick up the wrapped box on the top of the pile when her mom accepted her suggestion. “This one is for you, Tommy.”

Thomas grinned as he received a solid black box with a couple of red and green ribbons and a Santa sticker attaching them together.

“What is this?” he asked with curiosity and enthusiasm before shaking the box and hearing a metallic sound coming from the inside. More intrigued, Thomas proceeded to unwrap the gift, surprised to find a small instrument that came with a flashing light attached to a few lenses. “An ophthalmoscope?” he asked with a mirthful smile, looking from his mother to his father as he wondered which one of the two was responsible for the present. “This is actually pretty cool,” Thomas cheered, thinking he probably hadn’t seen one of those since his med school rotations.

“Merry Christmas,” Amelia blew him a kiss from a distance, giving away that she was his Secret Santa. “You’re the third Shepherd to own that scope, so you better take good care of it,” the neurosurgeon smiled with a mix of pride and contentment. “Well, not technically a Shepherd, but you know… the blood runs in your veins.”

“What?” Thomas frowned in confusion, still fascinated by the object in his hand.

“That used to belong to your uncle Derek,” Amelia shared. It had been too long since her brother had died but even though she’d learned how to manage his absence, that time of year always brought back memories. “When I started my residency, he knew I wanted to become a neurosurgeon too so he passed it on to me,” Amelia explained the value of the object with a smile. “Now I am passing it onto you,” she looked into her son’s eyes, seeing how touched he was by her gesture. “My brother always talked about the demise of direct ophthalmoscopy and how properly examining a patient’s eyes seems to be a dying art for young surgeons. He showed me the importance of it and that instrument helped me learn and gain experience. So even though it’s old, it’s still functional and I think you’ll benefit a lot from it like I did,” Amelia got up and gave her son a kiss on the top of the head at the same time he put the object back on the box very carefully, as if it was as fragile as crystal.

“Thank you, mom. I loved it,” Thomas said with sincerity before giving her a hug.

“Awww,” Danny said with exaggerated emotion, clearly making fun of the scene. “Nice try, mom. You went for the recycled gift hoping it would be a sentimental moment,” he joked, making everyone laugh. “But it’s obvious it was just a cheap move. Tom, I bet she got that in a garage sale for two dollars,” the boy teased with good humor.

“It was a dollar and fifty, actually,” Owen added to the provocation, soon after receiving a scowl from his wife and giving her a hug in retaliation.

“Who’s next?” Amelia asked when all laughter had already subsided.

“This one is for you, smartass,” Megan said, giving a larger package to Danny.

Danny eagerly unwrapped the box like a little boy would, tearing the paper apart completely until he found the newest model of a musical instrument he wanted.

“It’s the new Fender bass guitar?” Danny’s eyes were wide with a mix of disbelief and excitement as he ran his eyes through each member of the family, scanning who could be responsible for the gift. “Seriously, you guys didn’t!”

“I did,” Lucas replied with a solemn voice, but it was obvious in his eyes that he was very pleased with his brother’s positive reaction to the gift.

“How did you know I wanted it?” Danny asked, unable to hide his happiness.

Lucas discreetly pointed to Robbie with a wink.

“He might have let it slip that you were saving to buy one of those,” the athlete shared with amusement.

“See, mom, that’s how you don’t do cheap,” Danny teased Amelia one more time, getting a playful eye roll from his mother.

As the gift exchange moved on, Robbie nervously bit the nails of his right hand. He had accidentally forgotten the present he had bought back in his university dorm and the fact everyone was exchanging nice, thoughtful gifts wasn’t helping his case at all.

At that point, his plan was very simple: he was going to sneakily steal one of the presents he knew his parents had bought for them from the large pile under the tree and later on, he would come clean once either his mother or father noticed it. As soon as he made it back to West Point, he could send the present through the mail and replace it.

But just as Megan handed out a beautifully wrapped box, the doorbell rang interrupting their game. The girl got up and went to get it, wondering if JD had at last decided to take up on her invitation. But when she opened the door, she was surprised to see a familiar feminine face standing on the doorway.

“Hey, Kate,” Megan welcomed her warmly. “Come on in.”

“Am I late for dinner?” Kate asked while unwrapping her scarf and following the girl inside.

“No, we’re still exchanging Secret Santa gifts,” Megan replied with an excited smile.

Kate joined the rest of the family in the living room and took a seat on the couch behind Thomas, who was sitting on the floor next to the coffee table. Megan then proceeded to give her father the present box she had been holding, revealing that she was his Secret Santa.

Owen was the only one who didn’t find his daughter’s joke funny when she gave him a pillbox containing heart medication and a mild tranquilizer, saying it was to prepare him for the next time she introduced him to a boyfriend. After that, the girl opened her own present to find out that her Secret Santa that year was Thomas. Robbie got a personalized army knife from Owen, which he found so awesome that for a moment it made him forget about his incident with the present he was supposed to give.

Right when Amelia had finished unwrapping her package and gave Danny a shower of kisses for the beautiful pair of earrings she’d gotten, the doorbell rang again. Everyone in the room quit laughing and talking at the same time they looked at each other, wondering who it could be, but once again it was Megan who went to get the door.

“You’re here.”

JD turned from the street to face the door and saw his own breath out in the cold air when he exhaled.

“Yeah, you invited me, so…” he replied a little awkwardly. His eyes met Megan’s and he couldn’t help smiling in return when he saw how happy she looked.

“Come in, you’re going to freeze out there,” she commanded with her typical bossy manner, reaching out to get his coat the moment he stepped inside.

JD wiped the few droplets of water from his hair before he turned in the direction of the living room and saw how many people were gathered there around a coffee table.

“What the hell, you really do have a lot of brothers.”

“I told you I did,” Megan replied with a proud smirk. Even though she’d told JD about the boys, he hadn’t really met them before. “Come on, we are almost done with Secret Santa.”

JD wasn’t sure if he was going to fit in with that many people, to whom he was pretty much a stranger, but when Megan pulled his arm, he let her guide him. As her brothers laughed at something one of them had said, Megan’s mother waved at him and JD saw in the sincerity of her smile that she wasn’t just being polite. The realization made him feel really welcome, so the boy settled for sitting quietly in a corner watching as Megan interacted with her family during the rest of their game so she could properly introduce him to the others once it was over.

Just as the girl had once again sat down to accommodate herself, the bell rang for the third time that night.

Seeing that his sister had gone all the way across the room, Robbie got up to go get the door. He was the only one who hadn’t given his present yet and this was a good opportunity for him to buy some time.

And just as Robbie wondered if more of Megan’s friends were to arrive for dinner, he was in shock to see a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him on the other side of the door.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Emily Spencer, actually,” the girl playfully corrected him with a sheepish smile, nervously trying to control her feelings.

Emily had flown from New York without a clue of whether or not Lucas would agree to see her. It was Christmas Eve and she was aware he was spending it with his family as he always did. The journalist didn’t want to interrupt anything but she couldn’t wait any longer to see him either.

Robbie laughed at her silly joke and his easy manners made Emily relax, even if just a little.

“Oh!” Robbie’s entire face transformed, as if he had just been hit by an epiphany. “Hey, Emily, I know it’s freezing outside and it’s probably extremely rude of me to ask this, but do you mind waiting here for just a second?” he raised a finger and smiled at her with such camaraderie that it made Emily confused. “I swear, your timing is the best…” the boy added with a marveled expression as he made his way back to the living room before waiting for an answer.

Robbie found his family in the exact same configuration as he’d left them. Looking at his oldest brother, he held his head high and acted as if his plot had been orchestrated all along instead of improvised.

“Okay, I think it’s pretty obvious I am your Secret Santa,” he gave Lucas a smug smile. “The best Secret Santa, by the way. You’ll see why in just a bit.”

“Robbie, what’s going on?” Owen asked, looking from his son to the hall. “Who’s at the door?”

“My present for you, Luke, is at the door,” Robbie answered with a mix of excitement and pride. “You can thank me later. Merry Christmas.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, too intrigued, thinking he was in for another one of Robbie’s infamous pranks. Getting up, he went to the hall, expecting to find something that would most likely give him a scare or trick him.

But when he finally opened the front door, never in a million years would he have guessed the surprise he was in for.

The look of shock was so evident on Lucas’s face that it was up to Emily to say the first words.

“Hey,” she started trying her best to ignore the cold wind that insisted on blowing hard that night. The girl found that even after the first word, it was very difficult to come up with something to say, especially when all she wanted was to wrap her arms around Lucas’ neck, hold him tight and never let go. How stupid had she been to give up on him so easily. “I was just… I…” Emily noticed she wasn’t making any progress and shook her head in self-disapproval, deciding to change the approach. “How are you?”

Lucas still looked too surprised to function properly, so he took longer than usual to open his mouth and give her a proper response.

“What are you doing here?” the boy asked without really answering her question.

“Well, you weren’t answering any of my calls, so I came here to tell you a few things that I needed to tell you.”

The journalist saw the spark of interest in his eyes, despite his apparent resolve to look neutral.

During the long flight from New York to Seattle, Emily had rehearsed countless times everything she wanted and needed to say. But calmly coming up with what she wanted to tell him and actually standing in front of him and being confronted with everything that had happened – not just the day before but during those past months – were two completely different things.

“My mother died,” Emily only noticed her own voice was faltering because she heard herself speaking. Lucas’ expression softened immediately when he caught up the distress in her voice, which only served to mess with her emotions even more. “She died.”

“Yes, I know,” Lucas nodded as he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to understand what was going on. He could clearly see she was distressed but he still didn’t understand why she was at his door and what had led her there. “I am so sorry.”

Emily thanked him with a shy smile and wrapped her own arms around her body, as if she needed to contain herself not to give in to her emotions. So much had happened that she’d never properly grieved the loss of her mother. As usual, after a loss, she couldn’t afford to deal with her feelings and accept support because she’d taught herself that if she did that, things would just start crumbling around her. But now, Emily felt like either she learned how to let someone in for real or she was at risk for keeping everyone out all her life. And she didn’t want just anyone. She wanted that person to be Lucas.

“Is it too late for me to tell you that I love you?” Emily bit her lower lip, feeling her eyes burning as she kept looking into his, watching as he struggled to keep his resolve and couldn’t hide how her words affected him too. “That every night before I fall asleep, I lie awake in my bed for hours wondering why is it that I wasn’t brave enough to do what I was supposed to do?” Emily took a step forward and felt the first stinging tear rolling down her cheek. “Because I have to tell you about my mistake,” she said, sniffing as she desperately hoped for him to accept her apology, hold her and end that agony once for all. “I have to tell you how terribly sorry I am that I thought my life in New York would make me happier than being with you because having to make that stupid choice was my mistake to begin with… It should have never been a choice,” Emily couldn’t resist any longer and reached for his hand, holding it between hers. “Please, say something.”

Lucas hesitated, too moved by her words to function properly.

During the past month, he had fought an internal battle in which he forced himself not to think about Emily or suffer because of her. But that was also a battle he lost every day. She had left to New York claiming she needed to put herself first and even though rationally he understood why she’d had to do it, internally his heart ached that she hadn’t fought harder for them.

“How do I know you’re not just saying all that?” he asked, struggling with his instant desire to believe her. For weeks, Lucas had dreamt awake that this exact scene would happen. That Emily would come back and say she had realized she was wrong and that she wanted them to have a real shot at being together now that nothing stood in their way. But he had to guard his own heart, because he wasn’t sure he would survive another excruciating month like the one he’d just been through if she suddenly changed her mind. “How do I know you’re not just sad because it’s Christmas and you’re feeling alone and you’ve returned to your puppet?” he pulled his hand from between hers. “Because I am not your toy, Emily. I am not your doll that you can play with and use and then discard when you’re feeling fed up with.”

“That’s not how I feel about you, at all,” Emily cried out, desperate to make him believe her. “You said so yourself, remember? I could bounce back and forth all I wanted but I am always going to end up right here where I belong. With you,” she said emphatically, hoping he would believe her.

Lucas looked deeply into her eyes, wondering if he felt like she was telling the truth because she indeed was or because he desperately wanted to believe her.

“And how do I know you’re not going to change your mind and go back home?” he asked, hating to feel that insecure. But after Emily had left, it was only fair that he was allowed some kind of reassurance.

He expected her to grow defensive or even a little worked up. But instead, Emily smiled among her tears and pulled something out of her pocket.

“Because this is exactly what this is. It’s me coming home,” she said biting her lower lip as she handed an old handwritten letter to him and clung to his arms. “I am home now, Luke. I am here. And I am so sorry that it took me so long…!” the girl broke down crying as Lucas unwrapped the old page and recognized his own handwriting.

Once Lucas was done reading, he was finally reminded of the letter he’d written to her years in the past and without a second thought, he wrapped his arm around Emily and pulled her against his chest.

The athlete let the full impact of the moment sink in, finding it hard to believe that whatever was beyond their control had actually orchestrated to make them find their way to each other, just like they’d said it would happen at age seventeen. At that moment, Lucas was overtaken by an indescribable feeling of gratitude aimed at the universe.

“Damn it, Spencer, you always know how to convince me,” he joked but in reality his eyes were stinging with tears too. Pulling her closer, he kissed her head while Emily buried her face in his chest, crying tears of built-up emotions and also relief. “Why took you so long?” he asked playfully, rubbing her back in a soothing caress.

“I am so sorry that I left,” Emily sincerely said the moment she raised her head and looked into his eyes.

Lucas noticed how red the tip of her nose looked from the cold and smiled, anxious to get her rid of all that pain. He was done being sad and hurting. That belonged in the past now. From now on, they were going to be the happiest they’d been.

“Don’t be,” he replied, inspired. “You know… If you hadn’t left, maybe you’d spend a lifetime thinking about what you should do, what makes you happy... Now at least you think you know.”

“Now I am sure,” Emily corrected him, knowing that she’d never again make the mistake to leave his side.

“Because I don’t want you to quit your job for me,” Lucas said with consideration. “You know, when I said we should be together, I understand if you can’t move here. We can try, I can fly in and…”

Emily interrupted him with a kiss.

“You’re not asking me to quit my job,” she assured him. “I love my job but I love other jobs too,” Emily stated with certainty. The time she’d spent in Lucas’ penthouse during her recovery had introduced her to a whole new concept of working with the subject she loved so much, except that being a financial advisor for his friends was a lot more convenient because not only she could work from home, but also make up her own schedule instead of being bound to longer office hours. But that was just an idea. Emily didn’t have to decide any of that right now.

She’d gone to New York thinking she’d find the foundation of her life there. And everything had crumbled when she hadn’t.

Her foundation was right here now in Seattle and his presence made Emily feel more secure and happier than any job or career had ever been able to.

“Did you find your happy?” Lucas joked, making a reference to something Emily had said to him in their conversation right before her departure.

“I never lost it,” Emily rubbed her nose against his as she smiled against his lips. “I just had a little trouble figuring out that it’s been here all along,” she added just as Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist to seal that newfound reality with a kiss.

Propped up on the couch, Kate watched the couple outside with a frown on her head.

“Is that Emily?” she whispered at Thomas, encouraging him to come join her and peek outside.

His parents had gone to the kitchen to finish dinner and the rest of the family was too entertained with their new gifts to be actually paying any attention to what was happening outside. But it hadn’t slipped through Kate’s sharp vision.

The young doctor tried to adjust his sight to the terrible weather outside but ultimately saw his girlfriend had a point. It really seemed like Lucas was standing outside with a girl who looked exactly like Emily.

“Wow, if it’s her than Robbie definitely won Secret Santa.”

“Since when is it a competition?” Kate asked with good mood.

“Excuse me, have you just met my mother and my siblings to actually be asking that?” Thomas asked with lighthearted irony.

Kate rolled her eyes playfully, censoring him. But when she noticed the couple outside was kissing, she smiled with enchantment, absolutely happy to think that there was a chance Lucas and Emily might be finding their way to each other again.

“Look, I think they’re making up!”

“More like making out,” Thomas mumbled with a smirk, receiving a glare in response. “Seriously, though, if it is what it looks like then I couldn’t be happier for Luke. Imagine not putting up with his bad mood anymore. I love Christmas.”

Kate couldn’t censor him on that so she just smiled along.

“It makes me happy to see that they’re happy,” she confessed, making Thomas smile. Deep down, Kate was a romantic but she hardly ever let it show.

“It makes me happy to see that you’re happy,” he leaned over and kissed her on the shoulder before getting away from the window.

“I can totally relate to what they’re feeling right now,” Kate confessed, catching Thomas’ attention once again. “You know, with Emily being away, returning, and the two of them having to deal with a bunch of stuff only to figure out they want to be together,” she cited with a smile, knowing Thomas would understand what she was talking about.

“Oh yeah,” he said with a mischievous smile. “Add a couple of therapy sessions to that and they should be fine, then,” he said, teasing himself and the counseling he was getting for his Burnout disorder.

“You’re the worst ever at keeping things romantic,” Kate sighed hopelessly. “I am talking about love.”

“So am I,” Thomas provoked, knowing he was teasing her. “Emily and Lucas will get through this for the same reason you and I did when we had a crisis in our relationship.”

“And what is that?” Kate raised an eyebrow, challenging him. Hearing Thomas analyzing a situation from an emotional point of view was definitely a new one and she was intrigued enough to actually buy it.

“Well, for starters I bet that when she was gone she wasn’t fully gone, you know? Kind of like you with me,” Thomas smiled adorably, knowing he was about to impress Kate. “Remember what you said about taking me with you all the time?” he smirked, approaching her. “That’s what happened with Luke too. He was missing a piece and that is why he was so grumpy.”

“And now he is whole?” Kate tilted her head, hesitant to buy his charming wit.

“She carried his heart with her,” Thomas quoted, on purpose not speaking any names so Kate could decide if he was talking about her, Emily or both.

“I carried it in my heart,” Kate made the choice, completing the quote that had once and would forever be theirs. “And I am never without it.”

“I think it’s the fourth time in less than a minute that your dad glares at me,” JD confessed, throwing Megan an intrigued glance. “Should I be worried?”

“When it comes to my dad, you should always be worried,” Megan laughed, looking in her father’s direction and catching him in the act. They were about to have dinner and even though the surgeon was in the kitchen, he wouldn’t stop looking in his daughter’s direction. “But since he’s seen you around here before and never made a fuss I would say it has something to do with the gift I gave him for my Secret Santa.”

“What was it?” JD asked with a lighthearted smile.

“I made a silly joke to torment him about introducing him to a boyfriend and then you showed up for dinner and I think he’s seeing it all wrong,” Megan quickly clarified, belatedly realizing it felt uncomfortable to talk about that with him. “Anyway, I am glad you showed, by the way,” she quickly changed topics. “Did you give up going to Philadelphia to see your father?”

JD stared at the girl pensively.

“I am never going back there, Megan.”

His tone was so impersonal and so unaffected that it made Megan wonder what the hell could have happened in his past to instill such determined resolve.

“I suppose this time of year makes you think about your mom,” she attempted at a personal conversation, supposing it probably wouldn’t lead anywhere.

JD turned his head from the Christmas tree and looked at her, surprised by the thoughtful comment.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged, caught off guard by her kindness. Maybe one day soon he would share with her that the real reason he didn’t care about the holiday was that his mother had suffered a tragic car accident exactly on Christmas Eve. But he wasn’t ready to talk about that just yet.

“Can I ask you something?” Megan said, looking like she was struggling to find the right words. “I mean, I don’t want you to get upset or anything because I believe we’re past that,” she smiled warmly. “I think you’re a reckless idiot, you think I am spoiled and bossy, but we’ve learned how to co-exist, right?” Megan asked with a grin, well aware that he knew as much as she did that it went beyond co-existing. They had both grown to deeply care about each other, but were just too stubborn to admit it out loud. “So I don’t want you to think I am doubting your character or anything like that,” she made sure to clarify it. “But I just need to ask you about a situation that I heard about once right when I first met you and when I confronted you about it, not only you didn’t deny it, you also said you did it. Now, I don’t want you to think that I believe in rumors, especially now that I know you better, but you said you did it, so I…”

“You’re the definition of beating about the bush, aren’t you?” JD responded to her earlier provocation with more teasing. “Just stop measuring your words and ask me already,” he indirectly gave her confirmation that she should ask whatever it was that she wanted to ask.

Megan took a deep breath and tried to phrase her question as better as possible.

“It’s about when you took a knife to school. That’s what you got you expelled from your previous school, wasn’t it?” Megan asked carefully. “When I asked you about this months ago you said you’d done it.”

“Oh, this is what you’re that worked up about?” JD scowled, nearly laughing at her exasperated expression. “You can relax, Megan, I didn’t try to kill or hurt anyone if that’s what you’re concerned about,” he found her outrage funny enough. “I did take a knife to school and it served to give me a bad reputation,” JD sighed. Usually, he refused to talk about the issue because not only he didn’t care what people thought, but the matter itself also enraged him. But since it was Megan, he would make an exception. For some reason, what she thought of him mattered. “Okay, so… it’s a long story and I will make it short, okay? It’s Christmas and I don’t want to ruin the mood.”

“You don’t like Christmas,” Megan raised an eyebrow.

“But you do.”

“You don’t like me,” she reminded him with an adorable smile.

“That’s debatable,” JD gave in to the provocation and smiled back charmingly, unknowingly making Megan’s heart flutter. But before he could lose sense of what he was thinking or feeling, the boy focused on the conversation. “Okay, so… Back at my other school, people weren’t exactly nice,” JD started, not really digging up on the football feuds. “I have always liked football but I wasn’t very good at it when I was a kid. It wasn’t until I was like, fourteen that I started growing up and really felt that maybe I could play, so I applied harder,” he said. JD didn’t mention that it was around the same time he dropped studying music for the reasons he didn’t feel ready yet to share. “In my junior year, right before I came here, I had made it to Varsity football in my old school and a few of the guys didn’t like it so we got into a fight,” he summed it up, not mentioning how they had thrown provocations to his family in the mix. “The guy who played as Safety, the same position I play in, felt threatened and they started to really beat the shit out of me in practice with the hopes to intimidate me and things got more heated. So one day, after a nasty discussion, three of them said they would find me in the parking lot.”

Megan’s eye grew wide with horror.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, shocked. “Did you take it to your coach? Or the school Principal? Your dad, I don’t know…”

“I did,” JD truthfully answered. His friends had also been backing him up but at the time, he felt like he couldn’t take any chances. “And for a while they backed me up but the situation carried on for a long time and these guys continued to threaten me. I feared for my safety because I knew the moment they caught me alone I was at risk for getting beaten up or something. So I hid a knife in my bag,” he confessed. “It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, I know that, but it was all I could think about to protect myself. And when the day came and I pulled it out, even though I never used it against anyone, I got expelled and the boys got away with it. No questions asked,” he shook his head in disapproval. “So yeah… I did take a knife to school. And it may not have been right. But I don’t regret it.”

Megan waited until he finished telling the story and processed it carefully. When she was done hearing it, all she could feel was relief. Reprimanding herself for ever doubting him, especially after seeing his good nature over the past few months, Megan grabbed his hand and forced JD to get up.

“Thank you for telling me the truth,” she said with honesty and affection before walking towards the Christmas tree and crouching down near it.

JD didn’t know how to respond to her comprehension, just as how he wasn’t quite sure why it touched him so much that she’d bothered enough to ask about a topic that was long forgotten without judging him. For some reason, Megan had kept that lingering doubt, which could only mean she cared enough to want to know and the realization pleased him very much.

“Wait, I know I have something for you here,” Megan confessed, digging through the presents under the tree in search of a specific one. “Ha, found it!” she got up with an excited smile as she handed him the small package.

JD seemed lost when she offered him the gift.

“You got me a present?” he asked, unable to believe it.

“Yeah,” Megan confirmed like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. “It’s Christmas, dummy. It’s what people do.”

“Yeah, but…” JD’s voice trailed off. He couldn’t carry on past that point because he wasn’t sure it would make any sense. To her or even to him.

Seeing him so surprised and at the same time so obviously moved by her simple gesture made Megan wonder when had it been the last time that JD had gotten a present from anyone he cared about.

For a boy who seemingly had anything a seventeen year old could ever want in terms of material things, it really came as a surprise to her that he would be so touched with her present.

“It’s nothing, really,” Megan shrugged, hoping she hadn’t made him uncomfortable. Thinking about him being alone at Christmas was already enough to devastate her. Now, thinking about him alone without anyone to exchange presents with or at least to give him a present was too much. “It’s not even pretty,” she said self-consciously as JD unwrapped the box.

The boy opened the gift to find a smiling object made out of plush that resembled a human organ.

“What’s this?” he asked, smiling at the pinkish colors and cute little smile on the object.

“It’s a rectum,” Megan said like it was obvious. JD frowned, obviously confused to apparently be holding a piece of intestine made out of plush. “You know… because you’re an ass,” Megan said with a half serious voice, finally making sense of it for him.

JD threw his head back, unable to hold a fit of laughter at the way she never failed to amuse him.

“I also got one for my mom but it’s a brain, not an ass,” she explained. “But when I saw this, I thought about you and I couldn’t help myself.”

When his laughter finally died down, JD found himself unable to stop staring at her.

“Thank you, Megan,” he couldn’t describe how much it meant to him that she’d actually bothered enough to get him a present. Even if it was an ass entirely made of plush. “I loved it,” he said with good mood. “You have no idea how badly I’ve been hoping for one of these,” JD playfully added.

“Just don’t go asking people if they want to see your rectum,” Megan smiled mischievously.

“Don’t give me ideas,” JD responded to her bantering with a charming smile.

As Megan tried to steal the plush from his hands, JD easily stopped her, which promptly initiated a quarrel. Amelia came into the living room to summon everyone to the dinner table, right around the same time Emily and Lucas finally made it inside, surprising everyone with the amazing good news that she was back in town and they were together again.

When everyone was about to take their seats at the table, Owen came striding from the kitchen and without a second glance, he walked past JD.

“Come with me.”

Since the rest of the family was already taking their seats at the table, only Megan and the boy were able to hear him. Megan was about to protest but before she could do it, she saw JD following her father in the direction of his study.

Over the past few years, Owen had grown an immense distaste for teenage boys, to the point of finding them absolutely insufferable and annoying, regardless of the fact that not long ago, he’d just raised four of them.

There was something in particular about this boy Megan had been hanging out with lately – who she’d assured him was only a friend, but Owen didn’t buy it – that made the surgeon restless. Like any other teenage guy, this one could be subdued and intimidated, but the way he resisted to let it show made Owen ponder whether he hated or admired that about the kid.

With other boys who’d been drooling over his daughter, all it’d taken was a hard look and their knees would become weak in a second. At the same time Owen liked how easily they all responded to his intimidation, he couldn’t help but feel like maybe they weren’t good enough to be around his daughter exactly because of it.

This boy, however, showed respect and didn’t seem to fool himself thinking he could measure forces with the surgeon, at the same time he was the first one who was actually capable of sustaining Owen’s ice cold glares without looking like he was urging to run in the opposite direction. He was a tough kid. And Owen just had to make sure he was the right kind of tough.

When he finally closed the door to the study on the bottom floor after them, he turned to face the teenager.

“What makes you think you’re good enough to be around my daughter?” Owen straightforwardly asked.

JD was surprised to find himself in that unexpected situation and was even more caught off guard by the question.

“I am probably not,” he replied with honesty, surprising the man in front of him.

“You’re not,” Owen affirmed with conviction. “You have a long, long road to prove that you could potentially be,” the surgeon added, speaking very seriously. “And be damned sure that I’ll be watching you every step of the way,” Owen glared at him. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Every time you so much as think you could be doing something that might hurt my daughter, you think long and hard before doing it,” Owen advised him, satisfied to be saying all he wanted to say. No one could accuse him of not warning the boy beforehand if something didn’t go right in the near future. “Because if you hurt her, you don’t want to know what I will do to you,” Owen stated calmly and very clearly.

His confidence in his speech was more intimidating than his presence and physical dominance. JD knew that, even if only subconsciously.

The teenage boy swallowed hard but nodded affirmatively, looking the man in the eye as he said the words. The teenager had no idea what the hell was going on, but he supposed Megan’s joke with her Secret Santa gift and his own presence at her house on Christmas Eve had triggered that reaction on her father.

“That being said,” Owen said. “Come on. We are going for a walk.”

Without waiting for a response, the trauma surgeon walked past the boy and reached for his coat on the hanger near the front door.

“Sir, it’s thirty degrees outside,” JD tried to reason while looking firmly into Owen’s eyes.

“It wasn’t an invitation,” Owen informed him and without waiting for a response, left the house, pretty much demanding that the boy did the same.

JD went to get his coat and without a second thought, hurried to catch up with the man. Owen walked fast on purpose, dictating the rhythm. He wasn’t about to make it any easier for the kid and the hardest part of that conversation was just about to begin.

“Where were you?” Amelia censored her husband with a frown when, twenty minutes later, he returned to the house. “We’ve been waiting for you guys to eat. Now everything is going to have to be heated again,” she complained.

“Oh, no, no, no one is waiting any longer,” Lucas protested, reaching out with his fork to finally get a bite off his plate.

“It’s good to see your appetite is back,” Danny commented with a smile.

“What’s going on?” Amelia scowled at Owen when her husband took a seat next to her at the table. “You disappeared.”

“I was taking care of something,” Owen assured her with a smile and gave her a kiss on the forehead before they finally changed a conversation to a lighter topic.

“Hey, Marianne!” Megan welcomed her friend with a wide smile. “I am so glad you could make it tonight!”

The girl returned Megan’s warm embrace and waved at JD from a distance, not really interested in having anything to do with him anymore. Truth was, she adored Megan but the real reason why she’d gone there that night was to see her brother.

“There you are,” Robbie excitedly welcomed her with a bear hug that was very typical of him. “You took too long. Are you hungry? We had dinner already but there’s plenty of food.”

“No, thank you, I am okay,” Marianne replied with a mesmerized smile, absolutely happy to be reunited with him. “Oh, by the way, I fixed your sweater,” she said with a hopeful expression, getting the object from her purse.

When Robbie had gone to her house wearing the sweater she’d knitted for him, it’d become obvious Marianne had underestimated his size and shape. Now that he was there, however, it was a lot easier to take his measures and properly add more fabric to the piece of clothing.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Robbie said with a smile of gratitude, getting the Yoda knit from her hands and holding it like it was a precious thing. “Did I tell you how much I liked this? You’re the best,” he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before proceeding to take off the light blue sweater he was wearing, obviously with the intention to put on Marianne’s present for him.

The girl couldn’t even disguise her reaction as Robbie stripped off his shirt. The once chubby young boy with a delicious load of baby fat that his mother loved to squeeze had grown into a fit, muscular West Point cadet and football player. His broad shoulders, strong arms and chest, and shaped abs invariably caught Marianne’s attention.

“Oh my God,” she took care not to look like she was drooling. “Did they Photoshop you in University?”

“I am going to take that as a compliment,” Robbie said with a smirk, well aware it was one.

“And there are like, two of you,” she frowned, looking from Robbie, who now had his Yoda sweater on to Danny, who was happily chatting with his brothers and their girlfriends in the next room. “How do people even tell you apart at West Point?” she asked with curiosity, noticing they had the exact same haircut and looked absolutely identical.

Robbie laughed. He got that question a lot.

“Well, for starters, the easiest way to tell is by watching us do things,” he explained. “I am left handed and Danny is right handed. So that’s a quick way to spot who is who,” the boy listed. “I have a scar on my stomach that he doesn’t,” Robbie lifted his shirt, showing the telltale sign of his abdominal surgery from when he was thirteen. “I also only have a portion of my spleen and he has a whole one, but that you can’t tell just by looking at us,” he added with a teasing smile.

“I imagine you two together in class and how hard it must be for colleagues and professors to tell you apart,” Marianne commented with good mood as she sat beside Robbie on the nearest couch.

“We don’t take that many classes together, to be honest,” Robbie informed her. “As you know, I am getting a major in Mechanical Engineering. Danny studies American Politics and International Relations. The only classes we have together are the mandatory ones.”

“So, after school is over you’re going separate ways?” Marianne asked with a disappointed face, sad for him that he was probably going to be apart from his twin brother for the first time in his life.

“I guess, yeah,” Robbie shrugged. He tried not to think about it that much. “We’re still going to have to do our military service but since we are in different fields we’re probably not staying together.”

“How would that work?” Marianne asked, intimidated to hear about him speak of military service.

“Well… With his degree, Dan is probably going to be working with NATO as the natural diplomat he is or something like that,” Robbie smiled lightheartedly. “And with mine, I will probably be playing with Legos.”

“Very funny,” Marianne laughed, poking him. “I want to see you build me a Lego machine that makes me get to the east coast in no time to see you. How about you work on that.”

“Consider it done,” Robbie joked, loving how easily the conversation could flow with her.

“You really are an asshole,” Megan repeated, laughing at JD. “You let me think that you didn’t know anything about music for weeks, then you pull that stunt in class, and now this?” she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. JD had just played a song on Danny’s new bass guitar, absolutely impressing her.

“That makes me an asshole?” he replied with good humor. “Everything I do makes me an asshole to you,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “You sound like your dad.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me what he said to you?” Megan asked, not for the first time that evening.

“I’ve told you, I promised him I wouldn’t speak of it with anyone,” JD repeated, honoring his words. “Stop being such a brat asking me the same questions a hundred times.”

“Are you going to tell me how you learned how to play the guitar?” Megan leaned over, on purpose pestering him just because he’d asked her to stop repeating her questions. “Or the harmonica?” the girl widened her eyes with mirth. “Oh, I know! You’re going to tell me how you know Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice!”

JD laughed at her playful insistence. Somehow, Megan was adorable in everything she did.

“That’s for another time. Perhaps another story,” he proposed, looking into her eyes with warmth and contentment.

“You know what,” Megan started with a teasing grin, obviously setting him up. “From the very beginning – from the first moment I may almost say – of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others, were such as to…”

“Oh, Jesus!” JD rolled his eyes at the way she was quoting Jane Austen to provoke him. How dumb had he been for first doing it to her. Now he was in for a lifetime or provocation.

“It’s like Jane Austen was describing you, you see?” Megan teased, her eyes sparkling with glee as she went on to tease him. She was absolutely determined to torment him and wasn’t about to stop any time soon. “I certainly have not the talent which some people possess of conversing easily with those I have not seen before. I cannot-“

Megan’s playful words were suddenly interrupted when, on an impulse, JD held her face between both his hands and shut her up with the touch of his lips to hers.

She felt the quick but soft brush of his kiss and couldn’t help closing her eyes and kissing him back.

For the first time in her life, Megan understood what people meant when they said they had butterflies in their stomach.

The kiss was quick enough that nobody saw them. The moment they pulled apart, JD appeared to be in as much in shock as she was.

“I was just…” his voice trailed off. He was obviously more affected by the kiss than he had expected to be. “That was just to shut you up, you know that, right?”

“Duh, yeah,” Megan gave him a pretend disdainful face, promptly agreeing with him.

“I just had to make you stop talking and that’s why I did it, that’s all,” he insisted, seeing in her eyes that she was as tense as he was.

“Why else would you do it, right?” Megan asked nervously. “But don’t ever do it again, idiot,” she scowled at him.

But when her face lit up with again with a mix of mischief and happiness, JD figured out he was in for a long night of teasing.

“May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment or are they result of previous study?”

“Oh, so you thought my kiss was pleasing,” JD counter attacked, putting her against the wall. “By the way, did you memorize the entire book? You’re starting to scare me.”

“Am I?” the girl smiled widely. “What a shame,” Megan quoted one final time before sticking out her tongue at him, absolutely blissful with how her Christmas had turned out to be. “For I dearly love to laugh.”

JD chuckled, unable to believe her. Deep down, he urged to repeat his impulsive gesture and kiss her again. But for the time, sitting next to her while engaged in that stupid little bantering they were always getting on with seemed like the ideal way to spend the best Christmas he’d had in a long time.

Hours later, when everyone was retiring to their beds and the visitors had already left, Owen found himself alone with his wife in the comfort of their bedroom.

“I have to say, Megan’s present to you was hilarious,” Owen commented as he put down his reading glasses and got ready for bed.

“The plush brain?” Amelia smiled with contentment, flashing the object that she’d taken to their bed. “I loved it too,” she said with honesty, studying the details of the toy with a happy expression. “But I have to say the best moment of the evening was Emily’s surprise arrival. Who would have thought?”

“I was surprised too,” Owen agreed.

“And now that it’s just us you can tell me,” Amelia sneakily slid on the bed after turning off her bedside lamp to snuggle next to her husband and her plush brain. “What were you doing with Megan’s friend outside right before dinner?”

Owen knew he was going to be asked about it at some point, but it didn’t mean he felt more or less inclined to answer the question.

“We just had a conversation, that’s all. I made it clear to him what the rules are,” the trauma surgeon tried not to make a fuss about it and kissed his wife’s head reassuringly. “I promise you I didn’t bully the kid or anything like that.”

“Yeah, but what were you talking with him about that you had to go outside in the cold?”

Owen tilted his head, pondering on the question.

“That’s a conversation that can only be had outside, in the cold,” he sneakily answered her, watching as Amelia couldn’t contain a heavy yawn. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Owen asked, amazed by her enchanting manners. After all that time, he found himself still unbelievably and hopelessly in love with his wife.

“No, how much?” Amelia asked with a large smile and eyes already closed.

“This much,” Owen teased, rubbing his lips against hers as he gently rolled over to her top. “Too much,” he said empathically, right before kissing her and making them forget everything prior to that moment.

Epilogue

After successfully starting a financial counseling company for athletes based in Seattle, Emily made enough money to pay Lucas back for the money he’d used to cover her mother’s hospital bull in less than two years.

He didn’t take her money and instead asked her to move in with him.

Emily said yes and donated the sum to help afford a scholarship in their old school, so that more kids from poor backgrounds like her could have a shot at actually getting a good quality education and a better future.

She named the grant after Lucas Hunt.

With Thomas’ and her parents’ support, Kate applied and was accepted in Grey Sloan’s Dermatology Residence Program in the following year.

Everyone took her change of heart really well.

Over time, even Kate learned how to accept that she really didn’t want to be a surgeon.

Thomas’s decreased his workload and took his counseling sessions very seriously. As a result, his second year in the surgical residency program was stellar, which helped skyrocket his reputation as a potential neurosurgery star.

Over the course of that year, Tom Koracick tried stealing him from Amelia three consecutive times, claiming even that the boy was named after him and that Amelia had a historical debt to be paid by sending him a neurosurgeon in the making.

In all three times, Koracick failed.

Danny broke up with Madison six months later after finding out she was cheating on him. It was his first heartbreak and Robbie took him out for his first night of drinking, which made Danny miss a test in school and nearly fail a subject.

After seeing how loyal his brother was, Danny realized he would do it all over again with no hesitation.

Despite that one flunked test, Danny graduated top of his class in West Point.

Upon their graduation, both boys were sent to serve in the same intelligence unit. Amelia still has nightmares about them being deployed.

Robbie flies in to see Marianne every chance he has. On weekends, they either play videogames, watch movie marathons or go out on geeky programs. She still knits him the ugliest sweaters that everyone has ever seen, but he wears each one proudly.

Robbie is absolutely sure he is the luckiest guy in the world to have such an amazing girlfriend.

Megan got into Harvard’s pre med program. She is the fourth Hunt in the family to do it and carries that with pride.

After finding out more about JD’s past and his relationship with music, the girl helped him pursue his truest passion. A year later, JD got into Juilliard. They see each other every week.

Megan and JD are still bickering when they are not celebrating each other’s victories. That makes up about fifty percent of the time.

Despite Megan’s abiding insistence, JD never broke his promise and didn’t reveal to her or anyone else the content of his conversation with her father out in the cold that Christmas Eve.

Owen and Amelia are the happiest they have ever been. Every day, they cherish how far their family has come. And not a day goes by when they take it for granted.

And it all started with the simple but meaningful and now solidified notion that they could rely on each other for absolutely everything.

Let me know if you need people. I am around.

And year after year, they were.

The end.

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Marianne’s horrendous knitted sweater was based on this:

The Plush Dolls are actually real and I want them all:

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thank you so much guys for making it all the way here. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story nearly as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

#omelia #myboys #omeliafiction #omeliafanfiction #myboysfanfiction #omeliafics #omeliafic #omeliafanfics

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