Best Man

"Santa baby...and fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks. Sign your 'x' on the line. Santa baby...and hurry down the chimney tonight..." Caroline sang along to the mixed Christmas CD blaring from the living room stereo.

Sitting on the couch with a box on his lap, Mike was sorting through all the new ornaments they'd bought at Hallmark and other stores around Buffalo in order to decorate their Christmas tree. And while she danced around the fake tree they bought at K-Mart, hanging the ornaments here and there, Mike simply dictated because he was still taking it easy.

Whipping around with two gingerbread people ornaments -- one in each hand, Caroline began to shimmy her hips a little seductively, yet also a little bit silly. "Come and trim my Christmas tree...with some decorations bought at Tiffany's," she continued to sing, slinking closer to him. "I really do believe in you. Let's see if you believe in me, ba-doo-bee-doo! Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing -- a ring. I don't mean on the phone. Santa baby...and hurry down the chimney tonight."

Sauntering closer, Caroline dropped the ornaments to the cushion beside Mike and lifted the box off his lap, only to set that on the ground at his feet.

"Hurry down the chimney tonight," she sang as she sank down to straddle his lap and grab a hold of his shirt collar. "Hurry down the chimney...tonight..."

Ending her serenade with a kiss on his lips, Caroline pulled back with a goofy grin as Mike smiled back at her, holding onto her hips with his manly hands; just amazed at his luck when it came to her.

"That was a beautiful show," he complimented with a laugh. "You would make a great stripper."

"I am a stripper," she replied, adamantly. "But I'm a private one. Only you get to see my peep show." Sticking her tongue out and resting it on her bottom lip, Caroline just sat there watching him watch her.

"And I do love those peep shows," he added with a smirk and a slap of his right hand to her ass.

Letting out a small yelp that was playful at best, the petite but voluptuous 28-year-old turned her head back to their Christmas tree and sighed.

"So, how's it lookin'?"

"Beautiful." When she looked back at him, he pretend to express surprise. "Oh, you mean the tree? Eh, it's okay...for a tree."

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Caroline slowly slipped off Mike's lap as she hopped over to the tree to inspect its branches for bare spots.

"Hand me the gingerbread couple."

Reaching his hand out to the right, Mike picked up the man and woman gingerbread ornaments and then held them out for Caroline as she took a step back to grab for them. He wasn't bummed that he wasn't doing any decorating, even though he'd been out of the hospital a whole week and was permitted to do such activities.

He just enjoyed watching her go to town.

Even though they'd made the house back in Oakland their home together, it was still his, because his name was on the deed. He'd bought it years earlier for him and Sarah; right before their short-lived marriage. Granted, Caroline had moved in and made it hers, too, adding her personal flare to make it look more like her place than his, but he knew it wasn't the same.

This was her home. She'd bought it with her own money. And, again, even though they shared this one as well, it wasn't his.

They would need to find a place together and buy it together. Have their names on the deed together. Decorate together.

Together.

"Ka-nock, ka-nock!" came a colorful voice as the sound of a fist rapped gently on the side door to the house.

Several footsteps followed through the kitchen, causing Mike and Caroline to turn their heads in curiosity as Estelle came scampering into living room with Ramona in tow; both carrying small totes.

"Hey dad!" Estelle exclaimed as she ran up to her father and plopped down beside him on the couch, only to be enveloped in a hug by him.

"There's my girl," he murmured, kissing the top of her head with a contented smile upon his lips.

As Ramona leaned in the archway to the living room, Tre and Giselle suddenly appeared with a bunch of totes and suitcases in their hands.

"Is it Christmas or something?" the drummer joked, dropping his shit down with a heavy thud. Then added with a groan, "Guh. That shit is fuckin' heavy."

"Tre," Giselle muttered. "Young ears."

"Where?"

Rolling her eyes, the younger Woods sister shook her head in a manner that was so similar to how Caroline had done to Mike not that long before. Turning to her older sister, she stepped forward and embraced Caroline with a smile.

"Hey, Care. Happy Holidays."

Caroline smiled. "Hey yourself."

"Glad you guys could make it," Mike announced.

Tre nodded as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Same here," he agreed. "Though it's gonna be weird. This is my first Christmas I won't be spending with Frankie. But I guess that's how Lisea must feel when Ramona is with me for the major holidays and the summer. Plus, Claudia said it was okay that I wasn't there this year as long as I was back by New Years."

"Still whipped by the ex-missus?" Mike smirked.

"I'm whipped by all my ex's," he muttered jokingly, then blushed; realizing what he'd said. "That sounded differently in my head."

Caroline threw her sister a smirk as she let the comment pass; then looking over at the girl who she'd once considered like a daughter.

"Hey, Mona," she greeted, walking up to the girl who was a mirror image of her father, and giving her a hug. "You excited to be turning fourteen next month?"

Ramona just nodded and kept an indifferent expression which Caroline noted right away.

"Eh, don't mind her," Tre excused for his daughter. "She's going through this thing called 'puberty,'" he added with air quotes.

Mike let out a laugh as he looked upon his own child with distant eyes and a smile. "Yeah, mine's headed in that direction, too, I believe."

Estelle simply made a face. "Dad..."

"What?"

"Well..." Caroline began, clapping her hands together. "Why don't we find rooms for all of you and then we can talk about how your flight was and order some pizza for dinner."

"Sweet," Tre muttered. "Those peanuts on the plane from New York really didn't fill me up."



To say that walking through the Galleria Mall, by the airport, a couple days later was insane would be an understatement.

Every store was packed with last minute shoppers and regular stragglers, and to add two-thirds of Green Day and one-third of The Sinners to the crowd, and you had a recipe for chaos.

Dressing incognito didn't seem to help much either as they ducked in and out of stores.

And all the while Ramona remained stoic with her arms cross under her chest and walking at least a step or two behind the others.

A few times Tre had to turn to his oldest child and place a hand on her shoulder and tell her to keep up but she just responded with nothing but an indifferent look that irked him.

When they reached Hot Topic on the upper level, they were met with a huge crowd that had apparently gotten wind that Tre, Mike and Caroline were at the mall. Blocking the entrance to the store and holding articles of clothing, pieces of paper and even baring areas of skin to be autographed, the crowd had no choice but to part when mall security was called to break them up and allow the famous three and their families to shop in peace.

Though, the good sports they were, they signed as many autographs as they could manage while committing to maintaining a low profile.

"Can't we just leave?" Ramona pleaded while the four adults milled through the extremely narrow aisles of Hot Topic, inspecting the merchandise.

"No," Tre replied. "We're shopping now."

"Shopping means buying shit, dad. Not signing autographs with Uncle Mike and Caroline."

"First, we are buying shit," the drummer spoke adamantly, raising a bag in his hands and waving it in his daughter's face. "Second, don't swear to me. I don't care if you do it at home or with your friends but you won't do it out in public when I'm around. Not if I can help it."

Caroline glanced over her shoulder at that moment, her hand resting on Estelle's shoulder, surprised to see Ramona wasn't looking at her father but staring at her instead. She tried to smile at the soon-to-be fourteen-year-old but Ramona simply let out a huff and turned her face away.



That day, when the shopping was deemed as over and they successfully made it out of the mall and to their rental cars, the six of them drove home to the house in Orchard Park and all went their separate ways in order to wrap some gifts.

They met up about an hour later in the kitchen to take part in making Christmas cookies while Tre ordered Chinese since the oven was occupied by baking chocolate chip goodness.

But when the day came to an end, it was time for the girls to head up to bed while the adults stayed up for a while longer.

Mike went up to bed first, followed by Tre about a half hour later. And it was only a few minutes before Giselle excused herself from her sister's presence and the thought of why her younger sister left so quickly irked Caroline still.

They're gonna go have sex, Caroline shuddered as she stood up to turn off all the lights, including the ones on the Christmas tree.

Walking through each room downstairs, the dark-haired singer scratched briefly at her scalp as she went to the fridge to pour herself a quick glass of milk; just standing there with the door open and the cool air from the inside of the fridge wafting against her lower half.

And when she shut the door, Caroline jumped in surprise and nearly dropped her glass to the floor when she found Ramona standing there in her pajamas.

"Oh, shit," Caroline exclaimed, placing her free hand to her chest while reaching to set her glass in the sink. "Mona, what're you doing up? You scared the shit outta me."

When the girl didn't respond, she looked closer at the teenager's eyes to find they were droopy and she wasn't completely coherent.

Aw, she's sleepwalking, Caroline deduced. "Mona, honey. Why don't you go upstairs to your room and go back to bed, okay?" she suggested softly; placing a hand on Ramona's shoulder and brushing the girl's dirty blonde hair back with her free hand.

Nodding, but not completely hearing, Ramona stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Caroline's waist and nestled her head against the older woman's bosom, as if falling back to sleep right there, still standing.

Surprised by the sleepy gesture, Caroline couldn't help but smirk as she wrapped her arms around Ramona's back and pressed her lips down on top of the girl's head.

"C'mon, Mona. How 'bout I go up with ya?"

Ramona just nodded and turned toward the stairs when Caroline moved to walk with her.

When they reached the second floor, the 28-year-old walked behind the girl who was half her age as they stepped inside one of the home's five bedrooms. As Ramona climbed up onto the bed, Caroline sank down onto the mattress and pulled the heavy blankets up to the girl's shoulders, tucking her back in.

Running a hand along Ramona's shoulder, Caroline smiled in the darkness and leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek and then her temple.

"Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite..."

"Mmmkay," Ramona replied sleepily, nestling back under the covers as if she'd never woken up in the first place.

Standing up when she was content that Ramona was all settled in, Caroline walked out of the room and shut the door behind her only to be startled once more.

There Tre stood outside in the hallway with his arms across his chest; wearing plaid pajama pants and a red, thermal top. His hair was disheveled.

And he showed no traces of having had sex with Giselle which was bit of a comforting thought to Caroline. She really didn't want to think of those two doing it. Then again, that had to be how Tre often felt about her and Mike.

"What's with you and Ramona scaring the shit outta me tonight?" When he didn't respond right away, she sighed. "You're not sleepwalking, too, are you?"

"Depends. Are you gonna tuck me back into bed as well?" he retorted, impishly.

Caroline could see his smirk in the darkness.

"Don't you have my sister to do that?"

There was a moment of silence between them after her question, and he simply bypassed answering it.

"Ramona thinks it's my fault we aren't together anymore, you know. She's told me as much." Caroline didn't know how to respond, and Tre didn't mind. He just continued to speak, taking a step closer and lowering his voice to a whisper. "I love your sister, Care. Don't doubt that; thinking I'm using her to get you back. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop wanting you every single day."

"Tre---"

"Let me finish," he spoke quietly and huskily, raising a hand to signal for her silence. Focusing his gaze on her nose and then her lips for a moment, he finally raised his eyes to hers. "We made a truce. But I...I won't stop wanting you. I'll stop fighting for you...but not wanting."

Without another word, Tre reached a hand out and brushed some of her hair behind her ear, then turned around and opened the door to the bedroom he was sharing with Giselle.

Shutting the door behind him, he left Caroline alone in the hallway, completely flabbergasted by what just happened.

Oh, this should be an interesting Christmas...