Summary- Three couples. Seven Children. Three dysfunctional families. One Christmas.
"We have to invite both Brooke and Lucas." Haley told Nathan.
"Why do we have to invite anyone?" he asked putting down the phone.
"Because it's Christmas, Nathan. They're our family. Lucas and Brooke are Jamie's godparents, Peyton and Jake are Andrea's. Considering that your father is still in jail, your mom is back in rehab, and both my parents are still trekking the world, it might be nice if the kids have some family members to celebrate the holidays with. Now please call Lucas. I'll call Brooke from my cell phone."
Nathan rolled his eyes, "Fine."
"Hey mom, hi daddy." Andrea said walking into the kitchen.
"Hi baby." Haley said forcing a smile.
"Hey Andy." Nathan said.
"Daddy, can we play basketball?"
"Your daddy has to call your uncle Lucas right now." Haley said.
"I can play for a little while." Nathan said.
"Nathan I'd really appreciate it if you'd call Lucas before you go play basketball." Haley said taking a deep breath.
"Haley, I'd really appreciate if you'd get off my ass about this."
"Nathan!" she exclaimed, "Andy, go find your brother." As Andy left the room she heard her mother say, "God Nathan, our daughter is eight years old and you're swearing in front of her. What is wrong with you!?"
"They at it again?" Jaime asked when his little sister entered his room. She nodded and he handed her a game controller.
"No, it's my weekend." Lucas said.
"It's the night before Christmas, Luke, you know I plan a big thing for them. We have the tradition were they open one present at midnight." Brooke said, "Christmas is my favorite holiday. I let you have them on Thanksgiving."
"Only because you can't cook." He said.
"Nice." She said shaking her head, "I cannot believe the man I married can be this… god this-"
"This what?" he asked.
Brooke's cell phone rang just as Lucas's house phone rang. They both checked the caller id.
"Haley." Brooke said.
"Nathan." Lucas said.
"Hello." They both answered.
"But I want to stay here with mom." Jenny told her father, "Why are we leaving? Why is Liz staying?"
"Elizabeth is staying cause…" Jake started.
"Cause she's your real daughter." Jenny accused turning to Peyton.
"No, Jen, baby, I love you. It's just that your dad and I need to take a break for a bit." Peyton said, "But I can't keep you, cause you're not mine, baby. I can't legally keep you."
"Yeah right!" Jenny exclaimed, "Maybe you both should have just left me with my real mom."
"Jennifer Lynn Jagelski! Just because Peyton and I are going through some things doesn't give you the right to act like this." Jake said.
"Whatever." Jenny said, "You are both ruining my life." She said running up the stairs, and a few seconds later they heard the door slam.
"I knew we never should have let her turn thirteen." Peyton said trying to make a joke as Jake stood to grab his suitcase, "Jake." She said softly.
"I'll be twenty minutes away." He said.
She nodded, "Ellie, come say goodbye to your dad." She added, "I'm gonna go see Jenny."
Before Peyton could leave the room the phone rang, "Hello? Oh hey Haley."
Jake looked up from hugging his daughter, "Elizabeth go play. I love you."
"Yeah, no, me and Jake are great, the girls are great. Christmas?" Peyton looked at Jake as if to say, "What should I do?" He shrugged. "I don't know if Jake can get off work. Yeah, your right it is Christmas, and he hasn't used any of his vacation days. Yeah they will just go to waste if he doesn't. All right Hales we'll be there."
Jake sighed and put down his suitcase.
"Kids, your dad and have something we need to talk to you about." Brooke said.
"Uh mom we had this conversation two years ago when you guys got a divorce." Her son said sarcastically.
"Keith." Lucas scolded.
"You were seven years old at the time Keith, chances are you barely remember that conversation." Brooke said massaging her temples.
"Are you kidding me?" he asked, "When my parents decided they don't love each other anymore, I don't care what age I am, I'm gonna remember it."
Brooke and Lucas looked at one another then looked away, "Okay, I'm sorry baby. But please let us just tell you what's going on."
"Your both gonna fight over us for Christmas?" Penelope asked.
"No." Lucas said, "This Christmas we're all going to go to Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley's."
"In fact it won't just be us, Aunt Peyton and Uncle Jake will be there too." Brooke added.
Penelope and Keith exchanged glances, "Wait," Keith said, "All five of us are going to spend Christmas together?"
"Yes." Lucas said.
"What's the catch?" Keith asked.
"Honestly Keith." Brooke sighed, "There is no catch, but," she started.
"Insert catch here." Penelope sighed.
"God are we sure this is my daughter and not Haley's?" Brooke turned to ask Lucas, in reference to the young girls intelligence. Lucas grinned at her and she flashed him a smile, before they both remembered they hated each other and turned back to the kids, "Right, there are rules."
"Lay 'em on us." Keith said leaning back.
"You have to be on your best behavior." Brooke said holding up one finger.
"Done." Keith said.
"That means no fighting, no name calling, no confusing your mother with big words from the dictionary we gave you for your birthday, Pen." Lucas said, Brooke shoved him.
"Hey, it works both ways." Penelope said suddenly.
"What?" Brooke asked.
"If we can't fight neither can you." Keith finished for his younger sister.
Brooke and Lucas looked at one another, "Deal." They both said.
"No feeding Tyler beads to see if they really do pass through him. You wanna know if you can pass beads? Eat 'em yourselves." Brooke said, Lucas glared at her and added, "Don't eat them yourselves. Just trust that we know what we're talking about."
"We haven't done that since he was one." Keith said leaning back on the couch.
"Yes, well I still remember having to sit up all night waiting for him to go, and then having to sift through his diaper with the two of you giggling in your respective corners." Brooke said, "So if it's alright with you I'd like to cover my bases."
"Fine." Both Keith and Penelope said.
"Jenny, Ellie, sit down girls. We need to talk to you." Peyton said, as she and Jake paced around the living room.
"What now?" Jenny asked, worrying that the rest of her world was about to be taken from her.
"It's nothing bad sweetie." Peyton said, glancing at Jake, she added to herself, right?
"Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan invited us to come stay for a week over Christmas vacation." Jake said.
"Yeah?" Jenny asked. She hadn't seen Nathan and Haley since Tyler Scott was born three years ago, and the whole group had gotten together for a baby shower for a baby who'd shown up a week early.
"Well, we're gonna go."
"Which we?" Jenny asked, "Ellie, mom, and me? Or Ellie, dad, and me?"
"Well we're all going." Peyton said.
"What?" she asked, "A week ago, you told me you were getting separated. You said me and dad were moving out, and now? Now we're all going on some family trip?!"
"Yeah." Jake said helplessly.
"Why? So Aunt Haley can hug us all and tell us things will get better, like she did when Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke got divorced?"
"Well no." Peyton said, "Cause honey they don't know we're separated."
"And they're not going to." Jake finished.
"Say what now?"
"Jenny, your Aunt Haley, and Aunt Brooke get excited for one holiday a year, and that holiday is Christmas. They go all out. Turkey, ham, decorations on the tree, a gazillion presents, and your dad and I, well we don't want to ruin that for them. So we're gonna go down there and for that one week, we're not gonna be separated." Peyton said.
"So you expect me to go to Haley's home and lie to her?"
"Jennifer, please." Jake said.
"Jen, honey do this for us and we'll… buy you a car for your sixteenth birthday." Peyton said grasping at straws.
"Deal." Jenny said quickly, "No take backs."
Jake rolled his eyes, "A car?"
"It worked." Peyton sighed, "And besides we have three years to come up with a way to get out of it." She added quietly so Jenny wouldn't hear.
"Yeah, what are we gonna offer Ellie? A pony?"
"I wanna pony!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Peyton folded her arms and smirked at Jake, who groaned, "When you turn sixteen."
"I want it in writing." Ellie said grabbing a crayon and a piece of construction paper.
"Oh yeah!" Jenny exclaimed, "Me too."
Jake and Peyton looked at their youngest daughter, "Who taught you that?"
"Aunt Brooke." Ellie said.
"So you two might have noticed that daddy and I have been fighting lately." Haley said.
"Lately, like every single day." Jamie supplied.
"James." Nathan warned.
"Yes sir." He said.
"As I was saying. Your Aunt's and Uncle's and cousins are coming to visit for Christmas-"
"I thought you said it's be a cold day in hell before you ever let Aunt Taylor back in this house?" Andrea questioned.
Before Haley could respond Nathan jumped in, "She means Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jake."
"Penelope's coming?" Andy asked excitedly.
"Yes." Haley said, and waited for her daughter to stop squealing in joy before she continued, "Now, as you know your dad and I have been seeing a marriage therapist for the past couple weeks, and we'd really appreciate it if you didn't mention it to your aunts or uncles."
"Why?" Jamie asked.
"Because they don't need to know." Nathan said.
"Why?" Andy asked.
"Because it's none of their business." Haley said.
"Why?" Jamie asked.
"Next one who asked why is getting grounded." Nathan said.
"Look kids, these are our best friends and sometimes when grownups have problems they don't like their close friends to know."
"Wh-" Jamie started but then glanced at his father, "Honest this time. How come?"
"Well honey, it's like that time that you got an 80 on your math test and you didn't want to tell us cause you thought we'd be disappointed in you." Haley said.
"But you weren't." He pointed out, "You put it up on the fridge." Haley nodded, "Maybe if you tell Brooke, Peyton, Lucas, and Jake, they'll put your marriage on the metaphorical fridge."
"What?" both Nathan and Andy asked.
"It's a nice thought babe, but that's not how it works. So daddy and I are asking nicely. When Peyton, Jake, Brooke, and Lucas come over please don't mention our problems."
Jamie and Andrea exchanged glances before nodding, "Okay."
Okay that was chapter one. I hope you guys liked it. If you did you know the drill, review please. And if you didn't well why the hell are you still reading this?
-Em