**Chapter Three - Where My Christmas Lives**
**Christmas Eve 2013 - 1330 Hours**
Glancing up at the sound of a ringing bell, Britty offered her sister-in-law a slight glare.
"You just had to give him a bell, didn't you?"
"He was sick! How was I supposed to know he was going to irritate the crap out of me?"
"Your first indication should have been that it was Tony." The redhead teased before she turned to her niece. "Ready to check on the cookies, Em?"
"I have cookie?" The little girl asked, offering her mother and aunt a sweet smile.
"Gotta let 'em cool off first, baby, then you can have one." Abby promised. "Just don't tell the boys, huh?" She teased.
"Daddy?"
"Especially not daddy. He'd be down here eatin' the whole batch." Abby smirked, pressing a kiss to the top of her little girl's head. "I'm gonna go check on him. You gonna stay with Auntie B and roll the next batch of cookies?"
"I stay." Emma decided with a nod.
Offering her little girl a smile, Abby exited the kitchen and headed for the stairs, rolling her eyes when she heard her fiancé ring the bell again, calling for her.
"Abby!" He whined, his voice hoarse.
"I'm comin'." She called back, poking her head into the bedroom. "What?"
"I need some more water."
"Your legs broken, DiNozzo?" She asked, her voice sharp despite the slight smile on her face.
"Ah, ah. If I recall correctly, you're the one who told me I had to stay in bed today." He reminded her with a smirk.
"A momentary lapse of judgment." She teased, making her way over to the bed. "How're ya feelin'?" She asked, dropping her hand to his forehead.
"A little better. Pretty sure its just a 24 hour thing. It can't possibly last much longer." He sighed, dropping his head to the pillows.
"I hope not." She responded, grabbing the empty glass from beside the table. "I'll be right back with your water. Anything else you need?"
She rolled her eyes when he growled playfully, reaching to pull her down beside him.
"Just you." He said, nuzzling his nose against her neck.
"Maybe later if you're feeling better."
"Promises, promises."
Laughing quietly, she pressed a kiss to his forehead before she pulled away, ruffling his hair gently. "I'll be right back with your water, baby."
Nodding, he burrowed back down under the blankets, releasing a quiet sigh.
Pausing to glance back at her lover, Abby couldn't help but grin at the sight of him before she headed back downstairs.
"Did you shove that bell up his..." Britty trailed off, eying her niece.
"No." Abby laughed, making her way over to the sink. "I'm saving that for when he feels well enough to try to stop me. Wouldn't be any fun if I did it today." She said.
"I go see daddy?" Emma asked from her place at the kitchen table as she plucked another cooling cookie off of the pan, dropping it into the front pocket of her tiny apron.
"Yep. You wanna go up with me to take him his water?"
"I go." She nodded, climbing out of the chair carefully and holding her arms out for her mother.
Lifting the little girl in her arms, Abby glanced over at her sister-in-law with a smile. "Be right back, B."
Glass of water in hand, Abby carried Emma up the stairs, laughing at the little girl's excited squeal when she caught sight of her father.
"Dow', Mommy! I go dow'." She whined, wiggling until her mother lowered her to the floor. Running over to the bed, she climbed onto the mattress beside her father, snuggling against his side with a content sigh. "Hi, Daddy."
"Hey, baby. What are you doing up here?"
"I see you." She said by way of explanation, settling herself beside him as her mother offered him the glass of water. "I stay with Daddy?"
Glancing over at her fiancé, Abby considered it briefly before she nodded. "Just for awhile, okay? Daddy needs his rest."
"Daddy take nap?"
"Something like that." Abby grinned before she dropped a kiss to her little girl's forehead. "Call me when you're ready to come down."
"'Kay." Emma watched as her mother retreated out of the room before she reached into the apron pocket and pulled the squished cookies out, offering them to her father. "For you, Daddy."
Tony chuckled, making himself cough gently. "Does your Mommy know you brought these up here?"
The toddler shook her head, reaching up and pulling on one of her curls. "You tummy feel good?"
He shook his head, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of his daughter's head. "Still feelin' a little sick, sweetness. Thank you for the cookies though."
Emma pulled the blankets down slightly, revealing her father's stomach before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his belly button through his t-shirt. "I kiss better. Now you eat cookie."
"Maybe later, baby girl. Daddy doesn't wanna get sick again. I'll save 'em, okay?"
"'Kay..." She pouted, dropping her head.
"Hey, hey. Now, no pouting." The Italian said, pulling his little girl closer to his side. "Santa doesn't like pouting on Christmas Eve."
Her hazel eyes immediately welled up with tears as she sobbed audibly. "I...I be good girl!"
"Woah, Em...what's the matter?" He questioned, pulling back to look at her face. "Talk to Daddy."
"I wan' Santa to come!" She cried. Her sobs immediately became louder as she buried her face into Tony's side. "P...pease...tell Santa to come!"
"Emma..." The brunette sighed quietly, rubbing his daughter's back. "Santa's still coming, Princess."
"P'omise?"
"I promise." Pressing another kiss to the top of her head, he picked up the bell from the nightstand and handed it to his daughter. "Let's call Mommy up here. You gotta make the cookies to leave out for Santa, remember?"
She took the little bell from her father's hand and rang it as hard as she could. "Mommy!"
Abby was up the stairs in seconds, wiping her hands on her apron. "What happened? Is everything okay?"
Tony took the bell back and blushed. "Sorry, sunshine. We're fine. Let our girl know that Santa's still coming, huh? She doesn't believe me."
The Goth smiled and picked her daughter up, kissing her cheek. "Santa's still coming, baby. We..." She stopped, seeing the squished cookies Emma had brought upstairs. "Hey sneaky! You brought your Daddy cookies?"
The blonde little girl blushed, smiling brightly. "Daddy say feel good."
The raven-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Sure he did. You are your father's daughter, you know?" She grinned, tickling the toddler.
"What's wrong with that?" The Italian asked, pulling his girls down to give them each a kiss.
"Hmm...lemme get back to you on that." She grinned, pulling away. "Let's go finish the cookies, Em."
**0200 Hours - Christmas Morning**
Tony's eyes opened when he heard the front door close, knowing that Abby and her family had gotten back from midnight mass. Rolling over onto his side, he grabbed her present from his nightstand drawer and put it under his pillow, waiting patiently for her to come into the room.
She came in quietly a few minutes later and sat on the end of their bed to pull off her heels. She jumped when he knelt behind her and kissed the back of her neck, his lips forming a grin against her skin. "Thought you were sleepin'."
"And miss unwrapping my Christmas present? I think not." He teased, pulling her zipper down and kissing her skin as it was revealed to him. "How was Mass?"
"Good. Em and Jeremy fell asleep about halfway through."
"Mmmhmm." He responded, moving his lips back to her neck slowly.
"I see you're feelin' better." She remarked dryly, leaning into his gentle touches.
"Uh huh." He grinned, wrapping his arms around her slim waist as he pulled her against him.
"Tony..." She warned teasingly. "You do realize that we'll be lucky if she sleeps until six, right?"
"Uh huh." He said again, nipping at her spiderweb tattoo gently. "Not concerned."
Abby couldn't help but giggle as she turned in his arms. "At least let me up so I can hang my dress." She said, pecking his lips before she pulled away.
He laid back against the pillows, watching as she stripped down to her bra and panties quickly before she slipped her dress onto the hanger, sticking it in the closet. Turning back to him, she offered him a smile as she made her way over to the bed. Holding his arms out for her, he pulled her into his embrace, grinning when she settled herself against his chest.
"Got somethin' I wanna give you." He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Oh yeah?" She purred, rubbing her hand over his thigh.
"Not that." He laughed. "Well, I mean, I'll be happy to give that to you too but I have something else in mind first."
"Ooh, I get an early present?"
"Mmhmm." Kissing her head again, he pulled away for a moment, sliding his hand under the pillow before he removed the wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, baby."
She took the thin box from his hands and cocked an eyebrow at him. "This had better be a pen, DiNozzo."
"Or what?" He smirked, pinching her hip gently. "Open it."
The Goth eyed him again, pulling the paper off of her gift. She felt her eyes beginning to water when she opened the box, seeing a black diamond necklace that matched her engagement ring.
"Tony..."
"You like it?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"Its beautiful. Thank you." She took it out of the box and looked at it, smiling. "Help me put it on?"
"Of course." Tony took the ends of the delicate necklace and draped it around her neck, securing it. "Mmm...looks beautiful on you. Just like I thought it would."
She turned in his arms, pressing her body flush with his as she kissed him. "I know something that would look beautiful on you." She smirked, pushing him onto his back.
"Does it involve you, that necklace, and nothing else?"
Abby chuckled, straddling his hips and pulling her hair out of the buns she was wearing, letting it flow down her back. "Well, I didn't know what to get you, so I hope this will do."
Reaching behind her back, she unhooked her bra and let it slip off her arms before tossing it to the floor.
"I...I'm pretty sure I can handle it." He managed, tucking his thumbs into her panties and tracing circles over her hips.
"I've never had doubts about your ability to handle me." She teased, leaning down to kiss him deeply as she buried her fingers in his hair. "But its my turn to take care of you, Mr. DiNozzo."
**Christmas Day - 1400 Hours**
"Mommy?" Emma whined, her nose pushed up against the window as she watched the boys playing football in the backyard.
Abby wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to the door, kneeling next to her daughter. "What is it, baby?"
"I wanna play wit' Daddy, but he say no."
"Oh, Em..." She sighed, nearly laughing when she saw her little girl wearing her mittens on the wrong hands. "The boys are playin' kinda rough. Why don't you come help Mommy and Auntie B with dinner?"
The toddler's eyes watered, the tears starting to fall down her cheeks only seconds before she sobbed loudly. "I don' wanna!"
"Hey, hey." Gibbs said, standing up from the kitchen table and meeting the Goth and her daughter at the door. "Wanna come help me put your dollhouse together?" He asked, lifting her into his arms. "Its too cold out there anyway."
"I not cold." She asserted, holding her mitten-covered hands up. "I have g'oves. You tell Daddy lemme play, Papa?"
Ziva looked up from her place on the couch, smirking deviously. "I could *make* him let her play."
McGee, Abby, and Gibbs all turned to look at the Israeli. "Ziva..."
"What?" She asked, eyes wide. "The girl wants to play with her father! You are all going to deny her that?"
Britty stepped out of the kitchen and smiled up at her niece. "You know what Auntie would like, Emma?"
"No." The little girl sniffled, wiping at her tears. "Wha' you like?"
"I would like to have a tea party. I haven't had one since your Mommy and I were little girls. Maybe if you ask nicely, Auntie Ziva will join us."
Emma smiled brightly. "Uncle Goo and Papa too?"
The redhead chuckled. "You'll have to ask them, baby girl."
"Papa?" She said, her little voice hopeful as she placed her hand on the older man's cheek. "Pease?"
"Of course, Princess." Leaning down, he set her on the floor and kissed her forehead. "Go ask your Uncle Tim."
"Uncle Goo, Papa." She corrected, running into the living room and climbing onto the couch next to him. "Have tea party wit' me?"
"Uh...well, see..." McGee hesitated, looking between the women that were staring at him. Ziva threw him a sharp glare, silently daring him to deny the toddler's request. "I'd love to, Emma."
"Yay!" She cried, hugging him quickly before grabbing the new tea set she had received for Christmas from its place in the corner of the room.
The group had just taken their seats in the living room, getting ready to partake in Emma's tea party when they heard the boys making their way inside.
"Ooh, a tea party?" Tony asked, peeling off his jacket and leaning down to kiss Abby on the lips. "Where's my cup?"
"You have to ask Em to invite you, T. It's her party."
"Uncle Bra'ley? JJ?" She asked, offering each of them a small pink plastic cup. "Play tea party!"
They looked between each other and then shot a quick glance to Tony, shrugging before sitting on the couch next to Abby.
"Emma, what about Daddy?" The Goth asked, glancing up at her lover.
"No."
"Hey. I'd like to play too." He said, dropping to a knee next to his daughter. "Please?"
"No, you stinky, D'ozzo. You don' play."
"Uh oh. You're in trouble..." The raven-haired woman warned, patting her fiancé on the back.
He opened his mouth to respond, when Jeremy's cries interrupted him from upstairs. The little boy had unfortunately caught whatever it was that Emma and Tony had been sick with, leaving him sleeping in his parents' bedroom for most of the day, missing out on his Christmas.
"I'll be right back, gotta go check on Jeremy." Britty said, starting to stand up when the Italian shook his head.
"I'll go. You guys enjoy your tea party." He said, pressing a kiss to his little girl's head. "Love you, Em."
Pushing himself up from the floor, he headed upstairs and into the spare room. "Hey, Jer. Feeling better?" He asked, sitting on the bed next to the toddler.
The brunette little boy shook his head, frowning as he leaned against his uncle's side. "U'cle T?"
"Yeah, buddy?" The older man asked, placing a hand on his nephew's forehead and frowning when he felt the boy's fever.
"See movie?"
"You bet, little man. Whatcha wanna watch?"
"Nemo?"
Tony chuckled, laying the boy back against the pillow before standing up and heading to the DVD player. "Good choice."
He put the movie in and returned to the bed, surprised when the child curled up next to his side, resting against his chest. Wrapping his arm around Jeremy's shoulders, he rubbed his back, smiling when the little boy closed his eyes and started drifting back to sleep.
**Twenty Minutes Later - Downstairs**
"Come help Mommy get drinks, huh?" Abby suggested, pushing herself up from the couch.
Nodding, Emma pushed her blonde curls out of her face and climbed off the couch, reaching for her mother's hand.
The pair made their way into the kitchen, though Emma couldn't help but glance towards the stairs. "I take Daddy drink?" She asked, pushing her curls back again.
"I think Daddy's probably okay, but we'll ask him when he comes back down, yeah?" Abby asked, offering Emma a smile as she pulling the refrigerator door open.
Removing the drinks that she had chilling in the fridge, she carried them over to the counter while she reached for glasses out of the cabinet, glancing back at Emma.
"Em, what do you want to drink?"
"I have soda?"
"No soda today, baby. How about some milk?"
"I have milk." She said with a nod, hopping from foot to foot as she made her way over to her mouth. She waited patiently while Abby poured her a drink. "I have now?"
"Hold on with both hands." The Goth reminded her before she handed Emma the cup.
Offering her mother a sweet smile, she lifted the cup to take a drink when it slipped from her hands, spilling down the front of her shirt. For a moment, Emma was too surprised to say anything until the liquid started to seep through the shirt, getting her wet.
"Mommy!" She screeched, pulling the cold shirt away from her body. "Mommy!"
"Oh, Em..." She sighed, dropping to her knees in front of her daughter.
"Mess! A mess!" She cried, tears running down her face. "Mess!"
"Yeah, you made a mess. It's okay though. No need to cry, baby." She picked the cup up, set it on the counter and cleaned up the milk quickly before reaching for her little girl. "C'mere, baby. Arms up."
Tears were still streaming down her cheeks as Abby lifted the wet shirt from her small body, tossing it near the garage door.
"It's okay..." She reassured her, smoothing her hair back. "Jack, c'mere please!"
The teen entered the kitchen a moment later, frowning at his crying cousin. "What's up, Auntie?"
"Could you take Emma upstairs and put her new jammies on?"
"Sure." Jack smiled, lifting the three year-old into his arms and heading out of the kitchen to the staircase. "What happened, Mimi?"
"I spill on Daddy's shirt." She cried, dropping her head to his shoulder. "He be mad."
He frowned, reaching the top of the stairs and making his way to the toddler's bedroom. "I doubt that, honey. It was an accident."
She sniffled quietly as they moved down the hallway, looking up when she caught sight of her father napping on the spare bed with her younger cousin. She began bawling almost immediately, making Jack flinch.
"Hey, Emma-girl...what's the matter?" He asked, setting her down on the end of her bed once they got into her room.
"Da...daddy don' love me no more!" She cried, tears flowing freely from her hazel eyes.
The blue-eyed boy sighed, scooping the young girl into his arms and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "That's not true, Mi. You know your Daddy loves you more than anything else."
She trembled against him, her curls bobbing wildly as she shook her head. "Why...why...why he s'eep wit' Jer'my?"
"What...?" He asked, the realization of what she had seen clicking suddenly in his head. "Oh, Mimi...hey." Reaching down, he tipped her chin up and offered her a slight smile. "Let's get your jams on like your Mama asked, then we'll go talk to your Daddy, okay?"
Emma nodded, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. Jack set her down on the floor before grabbing the new pair of pajamas from the end of her bed. It didn't take long for him to get her changed, and once he did, he carried her into the bathroom, washing her face carefully.
"You okay now?" He asked, frowning at the sight of fresh tears welling up in her eyes.
"I...I go see Daddy?" She sniffled, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.
"Yep, we'll go see your Daddy." He promised, lifting her off of the sink into his arms.
Carrying her out of the bedroom, he made his way down the hallway to the spare bedroom, peeking inside. Frowning slightly, he lifted his hand and knocked quietly. "Uncle Tony?"
The Italian sat up almost immediately, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he offered his daughter and nephew a sleepy smile. "Abby send you up here to kick my butt for being lazy?"
"Not exactly." Jack said, offering the older man a slight grin. "You have a very upset daughter though who wanted to see you."
"Em? What's wrong, baby?" He asked, pushing himself to his feet as he crossed his room, holding his arms out for the little girl.
Almost immediately, Emma turned her face and buried it against Jack's shoulder to stifle her cries.
"Aww, sweetie...c'mon, talk to Daddy. Tell me what's wrong." Tony pleaded, his chest aching at the sound of his daughter's sobs.
"Y...you no l...love me an'more." She cried, her fingers gripping Jack's shirt.
"Oh, Princess...of course I love you! Why would you say that?"
"You m...mad 'cause I...I no let you play tea party!" She sobbed loudly, holding to her cousin for dear life as her father touched her back hesitantly.
"Emma..." Tony kept his hand on her small back and looked at his nephew as he shrugged, trying to shush her. "C'mere, baby girl."
He tugged her away from the teenager and held her close to him as he made his way toward the door. "Watch your baby brother for a sec, okay?"
Jack nodded as he watched his uncle carry the sobbing child out of the room and down the hallway. Once they were inside the bright pink bedroom, Tony sat down in the rocking chair that sat in the corner, holding his daughter tightly.
"Why do you think Daddy's mad, Em?"
She hiccuped, reaching up to wipe at her nose. "Y...you don' lemme play fo'ball wit' you!"
"Sweetness...I just didn't want you gettin' hurt." He tried to explain, brushing her unruly curls back.
"B...but you watch Nemo wit' Jer'my?"
The Italian's head dropped back against the hand carved rocking chair, suddenly realizing what his daughter was thinking. "Emma...you were busy playin', and Jeremy isn't feelin' good. I didn't mean to make you think I was mad at you."
"Tony! Jack! Dinnertime!" Abby called.
He kissed his little girl's forehead and frowned, pushing himself up from the chair with the toddler in his arms. "We'll do somethin' special after dinner, okay? Just you and me."
"P'omise?" She asked, her little voice hopeful.
"Promise."
They headed downstairs to find everyone gathered at the kitchen table, waiting for the two of them. The brunette sat the toddler in her chair and leaned down to press a kiss to Abby's lips.
"Everything okay?" She whispered, noting the tears in her daughter's eyes.
"Yeah. Yeah, everything's good." Taking his seat between his fiancee and daughter, he smiled brightly. "Let's eat, huh? I got a date with my favorite girl after this."
**A Few Hours Later - 1930 Hours**
Tony sighed heavily, running a hand over his face as he closed his daughter's door behind him. He had been upstairs since they finished eating dinner, spending time with his daughter, reassuring her that he wasn't trying to replace her with the younger boy in the next room.
He had given her a bath, then they had a private tea party in her bedroom followed by her favorite bedtime story before she finally fell asleep.
"Hey, baby." Abby greeted as the older man made his way down the stairs, patting the space next to her on the couch. "Emma alright?"
"Oh yeah. You know, no one ever accused toddlers of being rational."
"Somethin' else she got from her father." Gibbs chided, smirking at his senior agent.
Everyone chuckled, various types of alcohol coursing through their bodies from a night of celebration.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's all laugh at DiNozzo, I'm the easy target. I don't see you two makin' any moves to have kids, huh, Probie? Ziva?" He joked, teasing the secret couple when his Goth elbowed him in the side.
"Ow. I was kidding!" He assured her, pushing himself up to get himself a drink from the kitchen. "So? You two gonna answer?"
The Israeli and the Geek eyed one another for a moment before Ziva's eyes found Tony, glaring at him as he made his way into the kitchen. "I do not know what you are talking about, Tony." She said, putting a little space between her and McGee.
"Ignore him, Zee." Abby instructed, rolling her eyes at her soon-to-be husband's insensitivty. Though nearly everyone at NCIS had known about Ziva and McGee's blossoming relationship since it started, but they'd all had enough sense to respect the couple's obvious wish for privacy.
Leave it Tony to bring it up and effectively embarrass them.
Walking back into the living room, drink in hand, Tony couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the scowl on Ziva's face and the slightly fearful one on McGee's.
"C'mon, you guys. Like it's not obvious." He snorted.
"Would you shut up?" Abby hissed, elbowing him again, harder this time.
"Hey!" He growled playfully, poking her back. "Don't make me tie you up tonight."
"Ooh, that a promise?" She said dryly. "Just let them be, huh?"
Bradley chuckled at the exchange, pecking his wife on the lips as he pushed himself up from the couch. "This is why I'm glad we didn't have girls. I can only imagine Tony embarrassin' the hell outta Emma on her first date." Picking up Britty's glass as well as his own, he grinned. "Refills, anyone?"
"Actually..." Ziva said, glancing at McGee briefly before she turned back to Abby, forcing a smile. "I think we will be going."
"Aww, c'mon, Zee. I was only kiddin'." Tony said, frowning darkly as they stood, ignoring the angry glare that Abby was sending his way.
"Do not worry about it, Tony. Tim and I are used to such...behavior when it comes to you." She said, smirking at the older man before she turned to Abby. "Thank you for having us today. It was nice to see you all again." She added, turning to Britty and Jack with a smile.
Pushing herself up from the couch, Abby followed after the clearly embarrassed couple, leaving Tony slightly dumbfounded on the couch.
"Do they really think they're hiding it from anybody?" He scoffed after a moment, ignoring the 'stare' from Gibbs.
"Not the point, DiNozzo." The older man said, shaking his head as he pushed himself to his feet.
Sinking back against the cushions, Tony couldn't help but glare at his drink until Abby returned, her face set in an angry scowl.
"What on Earth were you thinking?" She asked, ignoring the fact that they currently had an audience that included her sister-in-law and nephew. "I swear to God, Tony, you are one of the most insensitive people I have ever met."
"Wha...? I was only kidding!"
The Goth rolled her eyes, scoffing loudly as she put her hands on her hips. "You're ridiculous. It wasn't enough that you had to go and upset your daughter on Christmas Day, you had to embarrass Ziva and Tim too? When the hell are you going to grow up?"
The Italian's eyes narrowed angrily as he pushed himself to his feet, gripping his drink in his hand. "That's not fair, Abby. It's not my fault if they're too uppity about somethin' that no one really cares about."
"You're ridiculous." She said again.
"And you're out of line." He bit out the words before he turned away from her, heading for the stairs.
Abby stood and watched him walk away until her brother and Gibbs returned to the room with fresh drinks just a moment later.
"What'd we miss?" Bradley asked, not missing the concerned looks his wife and son were sending toward his sister.
Gibbs made his way over to the Goth and placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Want me to talk to him?" He whispered, stealing a quick glance up the stairs.
"Huh?" She asked, pulling her eyes away from the roughly closed bedroom door at the top of the stairs. "Oh, no. No." Forcing a smile, she shrugged his hand off and turned back to the small group that remained in the living room. "We'll work it out. We always do."
She cleared her throat and turned back to the living room, where her brother had already reclaimed his seat between his wife and son. "C'mon, sit back down, Gibbs."
"Abs." He said simply, watching as she stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "You need to go take care of this with Tony. I'm gonna head home." Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her into a tight hug. "Call me if you need me to come kick his ass."
She chuckled quietly, her eyes distant as she motioned toward the living room. "Don't worry about me. I'm pretty sure I've got enough for a firing squad if the need arises."
The older man smirked as he dropped another kiss to the top of her head before he pulled away. "I think you'll be alright." He said. "I'll see ya later."
She watched as the silver-haired man stepped back into the living room, saying goodbye to her family before she released a heavy sigh and made her way into the living room as well, forcing a smile for her brother and sister-in-law.
"Things can never be uneventful around here, huh?" She joked, her smile faltering just slightly as she glanced towards the stairs. Though she'd never admit it, she was completely embarrassed at losing her cool in front of her family and she wasn't too happy at the thought of her soon-to-be husband being angry with her either.
"Abby..." Bradley began, and it was all the Goth could do to keep from groaning at his tone. She knew it well.
"Don't start Bradley. Please."
"I'm not gonna start anything." He defended, holding his hands up. "I just...you need to go talk to him. Work this shit out."
"I plan on it." She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Then what are you still hangin' around down here for?" The blue-eyed man smirked.
Frowning darkly, Abby glared at him for a brief moment before she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yeah...guess you're right. Talk to you guys in the morning?"
"You know it." Bradley said, offering his sister a reassuring smile.
Glancing over at Britty, Abby forced a slight smile before she headed for the stairs, chewing on her lower lip nervously as she approached the bedroom door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside, closing it behind her.
Chapter End Notes:
"Where My Christmas Lives" by Three Doors Down