~*Christmas Eve, December 24, 2004*~
It was Christmas Eve, Kyouki got up early, much earlier than normal. She had been busy cooking the night before, and up after getting the most of Christmas Eve dinner made. Like the sides, she could reheat them. She figured she'd make a nice breakfast as she was up. With everyone asleep from their fun the night before. She wanted to workout too, but a gentle tug summoned her. Kyouki looked over at the tree that sat almost blocking the bay window, going over to let the cloudy morning light in.
Ky saw it, it finally snowed. Her hands gripped the thick curtains tightly. Then, sighing with a smile, she grabbed her coat and shoes. In the cold wintery air, she could hear nothing but the falling of the snow and distant cars. It was peaceful. It was then she danced. A dance her Obachan taught her. They danced together years ago, welcoming the snow. It was freezing out, but this needed it was important.
Gat and Aisha got up a short while later, the whistle of the kettle alerting the house. The smell of coffee, the sound of the kettle burbling. "Ky is up early." Aisha said, grabbing her robe, heading down to sit with Ky, but Kyouki wasn't in the kitchen. "Johnny!" Aisha called quietly up the stairs after checking Ky's room.
"Yeah?" Gat came down, pulling a hoodie over his head.
"Ky isn't here."
Gat looked around. A few of the crew were waking up from the whistle disturbing their slumber, then movement from out of the window behind the wide evergreen caught Aisha's attention. "Is that her out there? It's freezing." She turned the heat in the house up. "Morning hun." she greeted Ren as she came from one of the spare rooms.
"What's going on?" Ren rubbed her eyes, Carlos behind her yawning.
Gat was at the window, sitting on the cushion, watching. Kyouki dancing in the first falling snow of the year. It has been a while since the last snow in Stilwater, and he recognized the dance. He could see Little Kyo-chan and her Obachan dressed in their winter kimonos.
"Boss, out welcoming the snow." Johnny said with a hint of sadness.
They all looked at each other, then came to the window. Aisha sat with a sad sort of smile. It looked so beautiful, but so lonely. Kyouki wasn't smiling, Ish remembers the time they, Kyouki and her Obachan, tried to teach her. She wished that minute she knew how to at least give her girl someone to dance with.
Gat broke the silence again. "I, for one, miss that Apple Cinnamon tea. Right Ish?"
Chuckling, Aisha sniffed. "Yeah. Cold days and especially on Christmas Eve, her Obachan served us this really delicious tea."
"It was like a potion. Warmed you right up." Ramon added.
The others who are new to the group listened on as they watched. Aisha slid off the day seat heading to the kitchen. She warmed more water, pulled a cup set from the cupboard, working a small bit of magic.
Gat excused himself, heading back up to the bedroom. The house soon smelled of apples and cinnamon.
Kyouki entered, seeing the others eyeing her as she came in. "Morning." greeting them as she rubbed her hands together to warm them.
The other murmured their good mornings. "That was so pretty Auntie, can you teach me?"
Kyouki nodded. "Geezeus, it's cold as falala. Sure. Who's baking pies?" Removing her thawing outer layers.
"Me. Next time you decide to go out in the cold, put more on." Aisha fussed at Kyouki for her thin top she had under her jacket. Pressing a cup in her chilly hands.
"Yes Mom." Kyouki teased. "Ish?" Kyouki's brows furrowed, Aisha looked over her shoulder. "This is good." They both gave a knowing smile to each other.
"Drink up and go shower. I'm making breakfast."
The others grabbed a cup and admitted the tea hit the spot. Gat joined the rest. For once, keeping quiet, he was in thought. They all enjoyed the breakfast that was a small feast.
The guys piled their plates, chatting about how this holiday is going, and what they used to do with their families when they were younger. Then the important topic of the snow that needed to be shoveling.
"I'll shovel when I'm done with this. Carlos, Ren, you come help me." Kyouki was up, gathering her dirty dishes on her way to the sink.
Brian got up, taking his dishes to the kitchen too. "I'll help too." He scooted Ky over. "Least I can do."
"Sweet. Thanks for the hand I'll get dressed. Diva you coming?" Kyouki called in the doorway.
Johnny's phone rang. "Yeah, let me go get dressed." He answered his phone as he headed up the stairs.
"He's in a weird mood."
Aisha took his dishes to the kitchen. "Since earlier."
"What do you mean?" Kyouki cleaned up the dishes brought to her.
Aisha shrugged a bit. "I think he said it best. He misses your Obachan. We all do, and we know you do, cause you wouldn't have been out in the cold. Your dance was beautiful, hun."
Ky smiled. "I do miss her, but she would be proud. I know she's with us. Could feel her out there. And with what's going on now. I want to do it right." Placing the plates in the dish drain, Kyouki passed off the rag and went to get dressed.
~*~
Kyouki put a handful of the fresh snow in her mouth to not give away her position when she breathed. "Do what I just did. It masks your breath, keep your heads down." She instructed quietly.
Carlos and Ren did as they were told, sitting next to their leader, leaning up against the side of the house. It feels like hours ago since they were ambushed. They were not sure when it happened, but a car came up the street and they hit Ramon on the back of the head.
Now the trio got separated from the rest, with Aisha and Pierce held up in the house. "We have to move. We have to find Gat." Just before they could move, Shaundi came from behind them, squatting next to Ren.
Ky held her hand out, stopping the two from advancing. Ky pointed for Ren to go around the back of the house, as Ky took position looking for a way to get Carlos behind the cars without being seen.
She lobbed a snowball from her spot at the wall. She heard Shaundi move to peer around the back of the house, and she hurled another. A scream came from behind them both.
"Ren's been hit!" Carlos took off behind the house, slipping in the snow. Ky grunted and glanced around the corner. And sure enough, Ramon was with Gat and Brian. "That traitor." Ky sulked. She needed the manpower, but no, it wasn't happening for her, it seems. With Carlos going to save Ren, she was on her own.
"Fine, now or never." If she can get then with a spray she can hit at least two, she formed a snowball, came from behind the wall of the house hurling the cold ball in the three large men's direction, with a satisfying pelt to the back of Brian's head, Ramon, also got hit with the spray, Gat dove out of the way, lobbing a ball in her direction.
Ky formed another and quickly fastballed at Gat, who countered with one of his own, and caught her right in the chest. The loud gasp caused Ren and Carlos to come skidding to their leader.
"Boss Noooooooooo!" She could hear them shout.
Ky went down, laughing, "Ugh… Uhhh… He got me! You… you… live on for me.. Avenge me…... blah." She laid on the frosted ground, tongue sticking out of her mouth, and could hear the trio charging after Gat. Shaundi was in stitches. She long since gave up the fight. The second person to be hit in the snowball fight was her.
Kyouki sat up, panting. "Can we get this done, please? I'M FREEZING!" She was calling a truce. She was cold, and didn't need to catch a cold.
Gat came from the back of the house, creeping up on her. "So you give up?"
Ky's eyes went wide. "Yes?"
Johnny paused, confused. "Was that an answer or a question?"
"BOTH!" She flung some snow, catching Johnny in his face. "HAHAHA, I WIN!" She finally caught him off guard. "You let me win, didn't you?"
Shaking his head. "You cheated!" Wiping his face off with his sleeve.
"I did not!"
He chuckled and pelted her with the two snowballs he had in his hands. "You know you did."
"I regret nothing!" She laughed, out of breath.
"Come on, let's get this done. I got a few things to do in an hour." Gat helped her up, going to shovel the rest of the snow, and now new snow they forgot about.
"What you gonna do?" Kyouki inquired, pushing the snow in a neat pile on the strip that separates the neighbor's lawn.
"None of your business."
"Oh, oh. I see." As Kyouki shoveled the portion of the driveway that was covered, she gingerly tossed it at Gat's back.
"Oh, you are asking for a rematch?"
"Nope, too cold!" She was finished tossing the shovel to Brian.
It was too cold. As she trotted inside the warm house, Ramon waited until Kyouki walked into the house before approaching Gat. "You ready? I got the van."
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, let's put this stuff away and we'll leave."
~*~*~*~
A few hours later, Ky went to help Ish as she had taken meat and vegetables out for dinner. "Noel, need help?"
"Don't come up here. I'll hand the boxes down." Ish called from the attic.
"Tsk. Fine, Carlos, can you help?" Kyouki went back to the kitchen. Brian was in there washing off some vegetables. He noticed Kyouki looking around.
"They left, said they will be back tonight."
"Thanks. Here, let me you go chill."
"Nah, it would be rude of me not to help."
Shaundi came into the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Set the table?" Kyouki went to the cabinets, pulling down the plates. "The Silverware is in that drawer." She pointed with her chin. Shaundi found the right drawer after two tries, grabbed the set following behind.
Aisha came down calling Ky, who was slicing meat, frying, and making a sauce.
"Johnny just texted me. He and Ramon are gonna be late." Aisha watched Kyouki's reaction from the doorway as she tossed some shrimp in the pan. Ish's cell chimed. "Ooh!"
"Ooh?"
Aisha didn't answer. She went to the cabinets, taking a couple of extra plates out.
"Eh?"
"Girl, you make more than enough."
Ky snorted. "I am feeding grown children."
Aisha laughed. "The only one who doesn't eat like he's filling a void is Pierce."
Kyouki laughed heartily. "How much longer, because dinner is almost ready." Pulling her cell out of her pocket, she shot Johnny a text. "Nevermind I got it."
How much longer? Dinner is ready, and the tree needs to be done <
> Give me a few babes.
Aye I'm not Ish! <
> I know
"Ass." Rolling her eyes, she went back to work in the kitchen.
~*~*~*~
Singing in the kitchen, like an old pastime, they turned the music up loud enough to not hear anything else that went on in the house. Kyouki happily got distracted while washing the dishes. The food was being plated up in their serving dishes as she washed the larger dishes after the use of each.
So distracted she was with setting the table on the large lazy susan, did not see, or hear, the front door being open. "Make me wanna Scream…" she mouthed, bopping along to the song as she placed the last dish on the turner. "Ok, clean up and come eat!" she called over the music. Ducking back into the kitchen to turn the music off.
"Baby Girl, come say hi first." Gat called from the doorway, going back out into the cold.
Hanging her apron up on the hook, she strode into the living room, ready to give Johnny an earful for being so late. "Bout gottdamn time you show the hell up, both of you! This tree will….. Not…." Kyouki stopped dead in her tracks, all thought derailed, and it floored her she was not seeing things. Was she? Kyouki pinched her arm. No, she wasn't dreaming. They were there, looking at her with wide grins, every one of them, save for Gat and Ramon, who were busy bringing in the luggage.
"Don't just stand there. Come, give Aunty a hug." Her Aunt greeted her with a bright smile and arms open wide. Kyouki covered her mouth, bursting into tears. "No, no… Baby don't cry…" Her Aunt, and two cousins cried coming to comfort Kyouki, gathering themselves in a big hug of love and tears.
There was not one dry eye, or frown, nothing but smiles from the crew. As Kyouki tried to speak, she couldn't, ended with more hugs and sniffing. She was over the moon with her family there. The James' are back in Stilwater and just in time for Christmas.
"How? I thought you said you couldn't make it." Ky finally said.
"Surprise! Wassup." Bobby said, as he shook hands with everyone else in the room.
"We were sworn to secrecy. This is Elijah and Nimani." Tracy added, placing the newest James in Kyouki's arms.
"Hey baby girl. Oh my God, she is flipping adorable!" She gushed at her baby cousin, "And this little man!" She gushed more, "You two are going to be so spoiled, momma gonna just have to let me keep you!"
"Aye, girl, no, you can't just keep kids like that."
"See, we told you it doesn't work like that!" Shaundi said as she looked at the baby in Ky's arms.
"Oh hush, yes, it does. And you gonna have to catch us first, run E.J, come on." She trotted off slowly with her little cousins, Nimani, in her arms and a hand held Elijah by the hand. He giggled as they ran away from his mom.
"Girl, bring my babies back here." Tracy laughed, thankful for the endless amounts of helping hands she knows is coming.
"Never!" Ky called from the dinner table. "Come on, food's getting cold."
Everyone agreed it was high time they ate.
~
"So, who swore you to secrecy?" Kyouki called as she plated some food for her cousin.
As soon as the words left her lips, Johnny locked the front door. Hanging his coat up, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands.
"Gat, did. He called us up, told us to pack and here we are."
"Sure did, and baby, we sure missed you. You look good, baby!" Her Aunt Mimi came to give her face some more kisses before she took her seat. Eyeing her niece, beaming.
"Bobby, I swear you can't keep no damn secrets." Gat chastised Kyouki's cousin, taking his place between Aisha and Ky at the table.
Ky turned her head to her best friend, and smiled, "Johnathan Gat is the biggest softie ever! We will have to tell the world, call the press!"
All of them burst out laughing. Gat snorted and couldn't deny it. His soft spot was sitting right there next to him. He would have liked it better if Bobby didn't tell her, but seeing her smile… That made his Christmas.