A Start of Something New

It was early Christmas morning when everybody was sleeping (even Ronnie this time for sure) and Olivia had just finished wrapping everybody’s gift. Struggling to get the big present down stairs, not because it was heavy but to because it was the width larger than her arms length. She carefully sat it with the other presents making sure it wasn’t too close to the Christmas tree or if can even call it a Christmas tree from what Jacky, Derek Ronnie, Nason, and Brian built. Olivia really had no idea how they manage to construct a 5 foot beer bottle structure the resembled a Christmas tree. Or that the fact it had been up for about a week and it hadn’t been knocked over. The structure had no ointments on it but it had a skull on top of it with a red bow ducked taped on to it. Olivia checked the clock

6:52 am it read, which also meant she had about 2 hours before Jacky and Derek would wake up (because they seemed to be the only morning birds besides Olivia) which was just the right amount of time she needed. She tipped toed in to the kitchen even though she knew no one would hear even if she was wearing the noises high heels in the world because everyone slept harder than a rock in the Falling In Reverse household.
When she got in the kitchen she pulled out a few grocery bags she had hidden in one of cabinets and pulled out all the necessary ingredients for ginger bread men cookies while they were in the oven baking, she tip toed back up stairs to change into something more….Christmas-y

It turned out to be a pair of red denim shorts, a black t-shirt that said Merry Christmas in green letters and a pair of knee high socks decorated in holiday themes. She also wore her Santa hat and red lipstick she never wore before. Olivia quickly made her way down stairs to check on the ginger bread men, but it seemed like Jacky was doing it for her because in his grey sweat pants and no shirt on, he was peeping in to the oven.

“Jacky?”
“Oh merry Christmas, love” he said in 
his English accent

“You are not supposed to be up yet!”

“Sorry, I was went to take a leak but I smelled the unmistakable scent of baking” he explained closing the oven door.

“I hope you guys like ginger bread cookies because I accidentally made a lot more dough than I expected.”

“I love them; did you make that dough from scratch?”

“Yes I did, it’s a recipe my great-grand mother taught me”

“Cool, well I’m guessing I’m not supposed to know about the cookies or the really big present under the tree”

“First off no not really, and secondly that thing is not a tree” Olivia said giggling the oven beeped she got the cookies out of the oven and let them sit on the stove as she started making another batch of ginger bread dough cut outs and putting them on to another cookie sheet.

“Sorry”

“Eh, it’s ok” Olivia shrugged  putting the cookie sheet in the oven then setting a timer.

“Wanna help me set up some stuff?”

“Sure, it’s not like I’m gonna go back to sleep or anything”

Olivia started taking a few things out of the bags. Red cinnamon candles, mistletoes, a Christmas wreath, a Poinsettia, push pins, stockings already filled with candy and decorated with everybody’s name on it, dots candy and gum drops, icing, multi-flavored candy canes, and an enormous bag of Reese pieces.

“Whoa, why did you get all this stuff?” Jacky inquired

“To make it feel more Christmas like”

“You seem awfully excited.” Jacky pointed out, he also notice she was acting quite giddy.

“Why not, it Christmas. Duhh. ”

“But you been so happy lately, not like 
you were before always hiding and keeping to yourself.” Jacky stated

“Yeah, well people change. There’s nothing wrong with that is there?” Olivia said getting the biggest bowl she could find and pouring all the Reese pieces in it.

“It’s kinda like you’re glowing”

“Uh, thanks I guess” Olivia said giggling throwing the empty candy bag in the trash, and taking the plastic of the candles.

“It’s because you’re in love, dear.” He said. Olivia froze. Then quickly resumed trying to play it off.

“What are you talking about? Who could I possibly be in love with?” She asked even though she knew the answer and she was pretty sure what Jacky was going say. But instead he just stared at her, his facial expression giving away he was trying hard to suppress a laugh.

“I’m not in love, Jacky.”

“C’mon Oli, be honest with yourself! We all know you and Ronnie have a thing for each other. And if it wasn’t for Nasty keeping you guys in check, I bet you two would be making out and groping each other like two hormone enraged highschoolers.”
 
Olivia felt her checks tingle and burn as a signal they were probably so red right then.

“That is not true!” Olivia protested

“Sure, its not” Jacky said sarcastically grabbing the Poinsettia and the candles and left the kitchen. Olivia got the stockings the push pins and the bowl of Reese pieces.

“Jacky!” she called out walking behind him

“What it’s true, am I not right?” He said sitting the poinsettia on the coffee table and two candles on either side lighting them

“No your not.” Olivia said continuing to deny the truth pining the stockings on the wall next to the tree because they didn’t have a fireplace.

“I can understand pretty much everything you got but one thing?”

“What’s that?”

“The Reese’s.”

“Oh I just got them ’cause they're Nasty and I favorite candy.”
The oven beeped again which meant the cookies were done. Jacky trailed behind Olivia back in the kitchen.

“Have you ever decorated ginger bread men before?” she asked Jacky

“A few times.” he answered 

And for about an hour Jacky and Olivia decorated the ginger bread men with icing, gum drops, and dots.

“I’d say we did a pretty good job” Jacky said admiring their handy work.

“I think mine look better.”

“Yeah right.” Jacky scoffed

“What its true, am I not right?” Olivia mocked Jacky’s words

“No your not.”

“Ready to nail the wreath on the door?”

“That’s gonna wake everyone up”

“No it won’t”

“Banging a nail through the wall with a hammer, I think so”

“Trust me, no one will wake up”

“Alright, you do it then.”

“Ok, I will.”

“This isn’t a good idea” Jacky said from behind Olivia who was positioning the wreath  to the door

“Stop being such a baby and quit whining!” Olivia said banging the nail in to the door. And with every single hit it made Jacky more and more nervous as he winced. It took less than a minute or so for Olivia to put the reef up

“Was that so bad?”

“It was really loud; you might have woken the entire neighborhood up!”

“Maybe the neighbors but not the people in this house. Trust me; I’ve learned this from experience.” she explained rolling her eyes

“Olivia?”

“What is Jacky?”

“Can I have a cookie?”

“Sure” Olivia agreed Jacky was about to head for the kitchen

“After right we wash the dishes.” Olivia finished her sentence Jacky’s shoulder slumped.

“Ok.” He agreed gloomily in his soft voice They finished washing the dishes and Jacky got about 3 ginger bread cookies in a napkin starting eating one

“Wow, these are really good!”

“Thanks” she said walking out of the kitchen

“Where you going?” Jacky asked following her back in the living room

“No where, I’m just gonna watch some TV.” She said sitting down and flipping through the guide

“What’s on?”

Olivia was about to say nothing but she saw something on the guide that she wanted to watch

“Holy shit, fucking Rudolph’s on!”

“Potty mouth much?”

“Sorry, its just I used to watch this every Christmas when I was younger but I haven’t in forever. Do you wanna watch it?”

“Only if it’s the old claymation one.”

“I think it is”

And it was, it had just begun and together both Jacky and Olivia watched the classical movie. It was about towards the end were Rudolph was in the island of misfit toys with the elf that wanted to be a dentist 
when Derek woke up

“What’s with all these new decorations? And is that a wreath on the door?” he asked confused looking at Jacky and Olivia who had the bowl of Reese pieces in the middle of them eating it as if were popcorn staring at the TV.

“ HELLO ?” he asked a bit louder

“Yeah, what’s up?” Jacky asked not even looking at Derek with his eye glued to the flat screen TV.

“What the fuck? Are you guys seriously watching fucking Rudolph? it like 8 in the morning!”

“Yeah so, sit down its getting good they’re in the island of misfits” Jacky said stuffing more candy in his mouth. Reluctantly Derek followed instructions

“Pass those candy canes” Derek said Olivia handed him a box of candy canes and they all finished watching Rudolf together but then frosty the snowman Claymation came on so they decided to watch that too. About in the middle of the movie Nason and Brian woke up and came down stairs

“Holy shit, fucking frosty the snowman! I love this movie. And…no way ginger bread!” Nason exclaimed sitting down next to Derek.

“Hey Derek hand me a few of those ginger bread cookies, will ya”
Brian simply shrugged and sat down as well to enjoy the holiday special