The Party Scene Has Got the Best of Me

ERIN'S POV

"MOMMA MOMMA WAKE UP MOMMA IT'S CHRISTMAS! SANTA CAME, CAN I OPEN MY PRESENTS?" I opened my eyes to see Alex jumping up and down on his bed, Jasey carefully balanced in on one arm. I chucked a pillow at him.

"Alex, what the hell are you doing?" I grumbled, falling back into bed.

He laughed and tickled me. "Come on! Get up! I was pretending to be Jasey...because you know, she can't get all excited about it yet. Now get dressed and hurry the...duck...up!"

"What? Duck? Huh?"

"You told me not to swear in front of her...so I'm substituting. Until she actually understands the context at least." I blinked a few times, then shook my head. Hm, guess he really was taking this whole parenting thing seriously. Then again, I knew that from the word go. "Seriously though, get dressed, go festive, like me!" Alex was wearing red skinnies, a white shirt and green hoodie...wait, green hoodie? Where the hell did he get that from?

I groaned and got out of bed. I walked naked back into my room and Alex followed me. I really didn't care about him seeing me naked, and Jasey was only a baby. I found some fresh underwear and picked out some striped green and red knee socks, that I'd had for last Christmas,some red shorts with braces, and a long sleeved black top with a reindeer on the front outlined in white and a red nose. It had been an early present of Alex. "Happy?" I asked, and twirled for inspection.

"Yup, absolutely fine. But you may need to change when we go to mom and dad's for lunch. Okay Jasey, now momma's ready, lets go open some presents!"

We decided to help Jasey open hers first. Even though she wouldn't really understand until next Christmas, we still wanted to watch her. The soft toys seemed to be a big hit, the peter rabbit books she started to eat, she was teething, so Alex had to pry them away from her. She was fine once she had another pacifier. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised, I mean she wasn't gonna read them. It was more to make up the numbers of present and so we had some bed time stories to tell her if Alex's singing didn't work, and for when he was away and she didn't have Alex to sing to her. It was pretty much soft toys all round from friends and family, and then some clothes and boots...guess they were stuck for what to buy. Everything Alex's parents said they wanted to buy, he'd already bought. He better not buy any more stuff, we had her birthday coming up in July!

"Come on then, time for our presents! I really hope mom made us some cookies, I swear they were all I ate for days last year!" Alex said as he tore into wrapping paper.

As it happened, his mom had baked us cookies. They got Alex some stuff for his guitar, don't ask me what, I don't understand anything to do with that, another beenie, some shirts, a chocolate orange, a few cd's and another set of hair straighteners, which were actually a joke present. I guess kids get harder to shop for when they're older. They got me some clothes, chocolates, a pair of high heels I'd wanted for ages, but refused to let Alex buy me, a necklace which looked really expensive and matching earrings. "Wow...they do go all out, don't they?"

Alex laughed. "It's because you're like their daughter in law now. You're the mother of their granddaughter and my girlfriend. They're trying to bribe you to stick around."

I smiled at him. "They don't need to bribe me, they should be trying to get me away from you if anything."

"Not gonna happen," Alex murmured as he kissed me. After a couple of minutes I pushed him back.

"Come on, we've still got some left to open!" I told him.

As it turned out, we'd both bought each other the same stupid knitted festive sweater with a penguin on. I'd got him an inflatable guitar, which he proceeded to rock out with around the living room, a scrapbook that I'd started to compile since the concert last January with pictures of the concert, us, the band and crew, and in the later photo's us with Jasey, and a pair of specially customized Peter Pan converse, and I'd managed to get Matt to track down the outfit, including the wig, that Alex had worn for the I Feel Like Dancin video, and given him that too. He laughed when he realised what it was, and assured me we would have some fun with it later...right. Yeah...that sounded...erm...interesting.

He was excited to see me open mine from him, and I had to laugh at pretty much everything. I now owned deluxe editions of every one of their albums, including The Party Scene and Alex's only copy of Three Words To Remember, all signed, their newest poster, signed, and The Hustler Club membership. When I opened that one I just said "Seriously?"

Alex just flashed me a smile. "Yup, the welcome package should be here in like a month." I did love that man.

The last present I opened was small, in a box. I looked over at Alex, who just smiled sweetly. Inside the box was a ring. A ring. A freaking ring. I could tell it wasn't n engagement ring, because usually those tended to have a stone in them or something. This was a claddagh ring. "I heard you were supposed to give these to the person you love, and it's a promise that you'll spend the rest of your life with that person...kinda like a promise ring, or eternity ring or whatever...do you like it?"

I nodded my head, tears forming. "I love it." He took the ring from my hands, and slid it on my third finger on my right hand.

Before we left for Alex's parents, we both changed into the identical sweaters we'd gotten each other. I wore black skinny jeans, to contrast the red penguin sweater, and the diamond earrings Alex's parents had brought me, and thought it was better for me to wear some vans rather than heels in the snow. Alex stuck with his red skinnies, not caring that it could be a bit of an overload, and the converse I'd gotten him. We made sure Jasey was all wrapped up, and headed off for my first real family Christmas meal.

Alex's mom was a really good cook. I mean, they'd had us over there for meals before, but this turkey dinner was really something else. We joked, pulled crackers, they fussed over Jasey and reminded us how happy they were to see us together. Alex's dad tried to do the whole christmas pudding with flames on it, and set off the smoke alarm, and somehow managed to burn the pudding beyond being edible. Instead, Mrs Gaskarth said she would make some cupcakes so we could have something.

Alex and Peter settled in front of the tv, to watch whatever christmassy thing that was on, with Jasey sat between them, just laughing at whatever funny face her grandpa decided to make. We'd bought the puppies with us too, so they wouldn't be left alone in the house. I followed Isobel into the kitchen to help her make the cupcakes.

But cooking wasn't the only thing on Alex's mom's mind. "So, when are you two getting married? Only I'd quite like to make the cake if you don't miind?"

I stood there in shock for a moment. "Erm..uh...well...me and Alex aren't actually engaged..."

Her eyes widened. "What? Why not?"

"Because he hasn't asked me...why?"

"Well...I just assumed, I mean you're so close...you always were, even in the beginning...I thought for sure he'd ask you today!"

I laughed. "Well, we did only just start dating, really...I mean I'm in no hurry."

"I am. I want more grandchildren from you two, and there's a skirt suit I've just been dying to buy, but I don't have anywhere to wear it...I was hoping..." she trailed off.

"You could always buy it for Jack and Alex's wedding...oh no, they're getting married in Vegas aren't they?"

She nodded. And then sighing, she said, "Well, as long as you give me some more grandchildren and eventually get married, I'll be happy. You're good for him, and he's good for you. You seem...happy. And Jasey's just something else, isn't she?" She smiled fondly at her granddaughter, who was currently being bounced by Alex's dad. Alex himself was playing with the dogs. It was a nice family scene.

After that we turned our focus on cooking, and an hour later came out with fresh cupcakes, iced and decorated to fit the season, and returned to the happy festive vibe. It felt like too soon before we were back home.

We put Jasey to bed, and went to the living room to watch whatever late night festive movie was on and cuddled.

"So apparently your mother wants us to get married and have more children, so she can buy this new skirt suit she wants, because she hasn't got anywhere to wear it yet," I said, letting out a small chuckle.

"She knows we will anyway, she's just trying to get me to propose quicker. I already told her I was waiting." My head shot up and I sat out of his arms.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Alex looked at me, a weak smile playing on his face. "Well, I'm gonna propose to you, obviously, but I have a plan of how and when I want to do it...if you don't mind that is..."

I smiled and shook my head. "I don't mind at all."

"Does that mean you'll say yes?"

"Well you'll just have to wait, won't you? You haven't asked me yet," I teased. But he knew I'd say yes anyway.

"And you know...I really wouldn't mind having another child...I quite like being a dad. But that all depends on what you want to do, obviously."

I thought about it for a second. "How about we start trying for another one after you come off tour?"

His answering smile was huge, and it told me all I needed to know. I had a promise for the future.