B.A. Tortuga's Blog, page 66

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Nine -- Cian/Boone and Terry/Jackson

"Are they coming?" Boone paced from door to window. "They flew up, didn’t they? Aren’t they coming?"

"Boone." Cian’s voice was calm as still water. "Jackson said they were coming, they’ll be here."

"I’ve never been so long without seeing him, he’s part of my pack." And Cian was his Mate and he wanted them both for the holidays. Cian had promised.

"I know." Arms opened to him and he pounced, loving the way his vampire went 'oof'.

"Anybody home?" Jackson’s voice rang out, happy and cheerful as fuck.

"TERRY!"

He spun just in time for his best friend and pack mate to wrap around him, smelling of snow and pine and home and happiness.

They held on tight, rocking together, all the spots inside Boone made of missing Terry filling with a pop.

Oh, they’d come. They had, just like his Cian had promised.

Life was good.

 

Cian, Boone, Terry and Jackson appear in Cereus: Training.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Eight -- Les/Rosie

Les stormed into the chocolate shop at five p.m. on Christmas Eve, frowning deep. "Why is the front door unlocked?"

Rosie looked at him, her sweet face pale and tired-looking. This whole fucking retail store during the holidays thing sucked.

Big hairy rocks.

This was their time, not every frigging tourist in Steamboat. 

"I was about to…" She said.

The door opened and he turned and growled. "We’re closed. It’s Christmas. Go home."

Treeni, the lady that owned the hat shop next door blinked, then cracked up. "You know it. I brought you tamales and chili and cheese for supper tonight, so no one had to cook."

Rosie burst into tears. "Thank you. Thank you, huh?"

Treeni rolled her eyes, nodded. "Take her home, cowboy. Hell season is over."

Les wrapped Rose in his arms and held her close. Next year, he was hiring folks to help, no matter with his girl said.

Christmas eve wasn’t for crying.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Seven -- Addie/Bodie

Addie looked at the sky. "Bodie, it’s going to ice."

"Uh-huh." Her cowboy didn’t look nearly worried enough for her liking.

"We have to go to the Dads tonight."

"Uh-huh."

She was going to hit him.

Hard.

She went back to looking at the sky. Her dads had a big party planned tonight. Their late Christmas. Maddie was going to be there, Bodie’s family, everyone.

"I’m going to start packing the truck."

"Baby, it’s an eight minute drive and we’re not due there for four hours."

"Still."

Warm hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her into his heat. "I will get you there."

The words were sure, solid and Addie found herself nodding. "I know."

Still, she’d make them a thermos of coffee and charge her phone for the trip, just in case.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Six -- Calleigh/Packer/Adrian

Adrian stared at the chaos.

It was like...

How could two babies, two cowboys and the hottest woman on earth make such a mess?

Calleigh came by, baby in one hand, trash bag in the other. 

"Woman, you are not throwing my girls away!" Adrian grabbed the bag playfully. "Also, what have you done with the spare?"

"Trash bag?" she teased.

"Daughter."

Calleigh cackled. "Pack’s changing her. I think she ate too many crayons."

Adrian paled. Marlena was going to be trouble. He could tell. His Helena was an angel.

An angel that gave out the loudest wettest fart in the history of the earth.

"Pack. Stay where you are, Mom’s coming with another!"

He was going to pick up wrapping paper.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Five -- Coke/Dillon

Dillon woke up at six am, just so excited that he could barely breathe. Christmas.

It was Christmas.

He knew it was silly — he was well beyond the age of surprises and Coke was generous, but not the sneakiest man he’d ever met, to be honest. The man just asked him what he wanted, wrapped it, and put it under the tree, still...

Christmas.

"Coke! Coke, merry Christmas!" He reached out to wake his lover up and… Coke wasn’t there.

Huh.

Weird.

Really.

He slipped out of bed, the click-clack of Jerome’s claws following him immediately. "Coke? Babe? You okay?"

Dillon walked out into the front room and gasped. The tree was there, but with twice the lights on it, presents that he hadn’t even seen before stacked high. There was a table set, with dishes and cranberry bread and a carafe of coffee. Coke was in his chair wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep, holding Pansy by the collar to keep her in the Good Dog mode.  

"Quit staring at the table, evil girl."

Coke eyes popped open, unfocused and bloodshot. "All I got to do is start the bacon for Santa."

Dillon bust out laughing and pushed into Coke’s arms. "Merry Christmas to you, too, babe."

***

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y’ALL! :D :D :D :D :D

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Four (MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE) -- Shane and Galen

"Len. Len, look." 

Shane was standing on the deck of Wade’s boat, staring up into the sky, eyes huge. 

He went to his lover, looking up too, eyes searching the inky black sky. "What, darlin’?"

"The stars. It’s like… It’s like God’s decorated with twinkly lights, man, just for you and me."

Galen’s heart clenched and he nodded. He’d buy that, especially with Shane in his arms, both of them in the middle of the ocean together, floating. How could the good Lord not celebrate?

"Alleluia."

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Three -- Stone/Derrick

Stone headed in from the barn, stomping the snow off his books. Christ on a crutch, look at that shit come down.

The house was lit up, though, and the chimney was doing its thing. Derrick’s truck was back, and the man was carrying groceries, so he ran to help. "You get everything?"

"Stuff for cookies, a turkey, taters, sweet feed, kibbles, bacon, coffee. All the things so we can just spend the next week in, iff’n the weather don’t break."

"Good deal." He’d had all Derrick’s presents delivered, already wrapped up and he’d pulled down the last of the tree trimming shit yesterday.

Derrick grinned at him, the snow catching in the man’s mustache. "It is. It’s a damn good deal."

Stone grabbed the turkey. "Uh-huh. There’s a box for you on the front porch, when we got the stuff in."

Every fan needed a moving, lit-up, bull rider dressed like Santa for their yard, after all, right?

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Two -- Rene/Bartholome

"What if they all hate me?" Rene’s pale eyes moved over the others, a deep sorrow radiating from them. The holiday gathering was important and all the clans were there, dozens of them, greeting and laughing and celebrating together.

"They wouldn’t dare, phantome. You’re mine and I won’t have it." He grinned down. "Besides, why wouldn’t they care for you? You’re…" Amazing. Beautiful. Charming. Lovely. Perfect. "…you."

Not only that, but Bartholome would eat anyone alive who dared upset his pup.

"Me, hmm?" Rene’s hand slid into his, fingers twining and holding on. 

He nodded. Absolutely. 

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty One -- Cotton/Emmy

"Momma, I’m worried about Em. She’s as sore as a bear with a sore paw." She’d snarled at him for the last few events and then had flown to Vegas to spend a girls’ weekend with the clown before coming home and just crashing like a lead balloon. It was Christmastime, time to be all jolly and shit, not weird.

The clown, for fuck’s sake.

"Well, son, were you mean to her?"

"No!" Why was it always his fault? "Hell, we ain’t even had words except that I told her if she didn’t stop puking I was taking her to Doc for heartburn meds. What if she’s got an ulcer, Momma? What if she’s sick?" 

His voice was getting louder and he wasn’t proud to admit he was a little shrill.

"Well, son…"

"I’m not sick, Cotton." Emmy stood in the doorway, wearing a huge t-shirt, her makeup all running from crying.

"What?"

"Not sick, you giant dork."

She set something down on the table and walked away, leaving it for him.

It was a note and all it said was, "Due in August".

"Oh, Jesus."

"Cotton?" 

"She’s not sick, Momma. I mean, Granny. I mean, I gotta go."

He needed to find them another stocking. A little bitty one.

After he loved on his girl.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty -- Wendy/Brett

Wendy looked at her pack, at her mate. Yule was here and everyone was home for the holiday — old and young, hale and infirm. The big house smelled of turkey and venison, of sweets and of potatoes. Everything was decorated to the nines and she was in the new gown Brett had made for her, the fabric flowing over her growing belly.

Dark eyes met hers and her mate smiled, jogging up the stairs to lead her down to greet her family.

"Am I late for the feast, love?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Just in time, beloved. Just in time."