A/N: I'm so sorry that I took sooo very long to get this up. I had it written and then my computer crashed a few months ago, and then I got all of my old files back recently and I'm still sorting through them. This is the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 8
Well loves, I'm off, flying south for the winter, or at least the break! See you all in a few weeks, but first let's check in on how things are going:
One of our bashes is completely broken hearted, and MIA. Not that you can blame him since the Skate Skank is back in skanky action, and she' s brought our Captain down with her. And here we thought that him and the Queen Bee were going to live happily ever after.
As for the other Bash? Word is that he got a Kitty for Christmas. True love conquers all, or at least marginal teenage infidelity.
The Prepsters are cozied up in the city that never sleeps. Word from those parts is they ran into a certain inescapable blonde who causes her share of trouble. No, no, Skate Skank is still in MN, this is NY's very own. Good thing Preppy Boy isn't easily distracted.
And as for the Cowboy and The Queen Bee, they're about ready to ride off into the sunset.
Adam and Annie lay in her bed on Christmas morning. He carefully played with her hair and she giggled.
"Merry Christmas," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas," he said. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said and stretched out. "We should get out there." He groaned. "What?"
"Your parents freak me out," he said. She laughed. "I'm serious, I think they consider me unsuitable."
"They do not," Annie shook her head, "they think that you're a gentleman. That's why they sent me to school in Minnesota, so that I could meet Midwestern gentlemen." He laughed. "Besides, my father has never referred to you as 'the red haired distraction.'" Adam grimaced.
"Fine, my dad is scary too," he said. "Any chance that you want to smuggle me away to freak out girls you went to middle school with again?"
"No," she shook her head. "Come on, I want you to open your present," she popped out of bed. Adam followed her outside and pulled her close and kissed her. "I thought maybe we could get everyone here for New Years."
"Annie," he said, "do you remember what happened the last time you threw a party?" She laughed.
"Everyone had a really good time?" She tried. He laughed. "I know you did."
"I did," he nodded, "but as I recall, poor Julie's apartment got trashed." She sighed.
"That wouldn't happen again," she insisted.
"Annie," he looked at her. "Promise me, OK? No party, no Duck Watch blast?" She sighed.
"Fine I promise," she mumbled and they walked out into the living room. They walked out holding hands and settled in under the tree. She handed him a round package. "I scoured eBay for it. I couldn't believe I found it." He looked at her and opened the package.
"It's a puck?" He tried.
"It's um," she said, "it's from The Miracle on Ice." Adam looked at her, his eyes wide. "You know how, you and Charlie always talk about how you guys beating Iceland was like the second coming of it, I figured." He kissed her.
"You're the most amazing girlfriend on the planet." He said. She blushed. "Mine's not that good." He handed her an envelope. She opened it and looked at him. "It's um, my math SAT scores."
"Adam," she whispered, "these are," he nodded. "You're in the 90th percentile!"
"Yeah," he nodded. She kissed him deeply. "Um, there's more though," she looked at him and he reached into his pocket, "this is, well," he held out a small pearl ring, "when my grandma died, she left me this to give to someone special and that's you, Annie, that's always been you." She smiled and slid it on. "I love you." She kissed him softly.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered. "So proud to be with you."
"Dean," his mother banged on the door, "come on, get up, we have to get to church." There was no answer. "Fine, I'm coming in." She opened the door and Dean and Julie sat up. "Oh, well, that's not what I expected."
"Hi Mrs. Portman," Julie said softly. "Is it OK if I stay for Christmas?"
"Dean," Mrs. Portman said, "outside, now." Dean nodded and kissed Julie softly and then stood up. "Dean,"
"Mom," he said softly, "look she just came last night, I didn't know."
"Are you back with her?" She asked. Dean shrugged. "You know I love Julie, I just, I think you two are a little intense about each other. You're barely seventeen."
"I know how old we are," he said. She looked at him, "I love her, Mom. That's it. I never had a choice about it."
Julie stood up and listened at the door. She closed her eyes. Of course Mrs. Portman didn't approve anymore. Why should she? If Dean had told her even a fraction of what had gone on between them in the past few months there was no way. But Dean loved her. He loved her. That was all that mattered. There had never been any choice. He walked back in.
"How much did you hear?" He asked. She kissed him.
"I never had a choice when it came to loving you either," she whispered. He smiled and kissed her.
Fulton lay shivering in the back seat of his car and woke up hearing tapping on the glass. He looked up and saw Charlie, he groaned and unlocked the door.
"You're an idiot," Charlie said and blew into his hands looking around the alley and getting in. "You're gonna freeze to death."
"What are you doing here?" Fulton asked. "I don't wanna see you."
"Yeah," Charlie said, "but when you didn't go home on Christmas Eve, guess who were the first two people your parents called?" Fulton groaned. "Tammy thinks you're passed out in a gutter somewhere. I know better." Fulton nodded.
"So you can tell her that I'm fine," Fulton mumbled, "and you two can do whatever it is you need to do." Charlie looked at him.
"I know it's crazy," Charlie said. "We hated that it hurt you," Fulton snorted. "It's the only reason I didn't make a move way earlier."
"She's not going to stay with you," Fulton said. "You can't hold her."
"I know," Charlie said. "I don't want to. I don't want her to change. I like that she's crazy and that you can't pin her down. " Fulton nodded.
"I can't be around either of you," he said simply. "Do whatever you need to do, but I'm not a part of it." Charlie nodded. "I'm gonna go away, if my mom calls you again."
"Got it," Charlie nodded. "Don't know where you are, or why you left. I owe you that much." Fulton nodded.
Tammy sat on her bed chewing her nails raw. All she wanted, well, she didn't actually know what she wanted. She wanted Charlie here, although he said that he knew where Fulton probably went. She wanted Fulton to be safe, and selfishly enough she wanted them both. Her phone rang and she picked it up.
"Charlie?" She said.
"Non, chere," she sighed, Monique was giggling. "Are you still seeing him? I'd have thought you would be bored by now."
"It's complicated," Tammy said softly. "What do you want?"
"Sebastian wishes to speak to you," Monique said. Tammy closed her eyes. "I told him you did not want to ."
"Give him the phone Monique," Tammy said softly.
"Hello darling," Sebastian said, his voice velvety smooth. "Happy Christmas."
"Hi," she said softly.
"Monique and I were just arguing," he said with a laugh. "She says you wouldn't dream of joining us in Les Alpes for your vacation. You still owe me a trip down the slopes you know."
"Mm," Tammy closed her eyes.
"So what do you say?" He said. "Hop on a plane? See you in about twelve hours?" She glanced at the door.
"Count me in," she said. She hung up and then grabbed a note.
Charlie,
Going to Switzerland. I'm sorry.
Tammy
She closed her eyes and grabbed a bag she'd packed weeks ago when she'd been feeling restless. She pinned the note to the front door. She got into her car and drove to the airport.
"That was amazing," Carlyle whispered. Dwayne grinned happily. She was still catching her breath. That was nice. "Can we do it again?"
"Whoa," he laughed as she climbed on top of him. "Come on, give me a minute," she smiled and kissed him.
"A short minute," she mumbled. He smiled. "Dwayne," she whispered.
"Yes," he said softly.
"This won't change," she said, "I mean, now that we've done this, it won't change anything?"
"No," he said and took her hand and put it to his chest. "You're here, you'll always be." She looked at him and smiled. They kissed again. "Merry Christmas."
Tammy sat anxiously waiting for her plane, tapping her foot against the floor. She was anxious to get away.
"What's wrong with you exactly?" Charlie slid into the seat next to her. She looked at him.
"You tell me," she whispered.
"The way I see it," he said, "you somehow think that something is your fault, so you're running away." She nodded. "This isn't your fault."
"Did you find him?" She asked. He nodded. "And?"
"And, what do you think?" He asked. "We hugged and we're best friends again? You know that can't happen." She nodded. "So you're going to Switzerland?"
"Uh huh," she mumbled.
"What's there?" He asked.
"Old friends," she said simply. He nodded.
"So, I can't talk you into staying?" He asked. She shook her head. "Then I guess I have to come with you."
"Charlie don't be ridic-" he cut her off and kissed her.
"Wherever you go," he said pushing her hair off of her face, "I go. That's how this works. I didn't tell you how I felt, and ruin any possible future with one of my best and oldest friends to screw around for a few weeks, Tammy." She swallowed.
"Then you picked the wrong girl," she said. He shook his head.
"Nope," he whispered, "not this time." They kissed again.
Well everyone, have yourself a merry! And who knows what will come when the ice thaws.
Will the ever mounting academic pressure break up a tutor and her top student?
Can a Queen get back to her roots enough to satisfy a Cowboy, and herself?
And finally can things be better the second time around? Won't we find out?