Title: Merry Christmas O'Connell's

Summary: Christmas time at O'Connell Manor. Alex is four years old, and he's beginning to understand what Christmas is really about. Family.

Disclaimer: Nope...you're wrong. They're not mine, and no you can't borrow them!

Rating: PG

Author: Jean: [email protected]

 

 

It was a crisp morning in December, and as usual, Alex was up before his parents.

"Since I'm a big boy now, it's my job to light up the Christmas tree Bear." He explained as he walked into his mum and dad's room. He spied them all cuddled up together and frowned. They were always snuggling or kissing. "It's all gross Bear."

He walked over to his dad's side, and tugged on his foot that stuck out from under the blankets.

"C'mon dad, it's time to light the tree." He pulled again and Rick sat up gently.

"Alex, it's too early, come on son." He smiled as his sons tousled head peeked over the edge of the bed, his small footsie pajamas zipped up tight.

Rick lifted him onto the bed, and he lifted the covers around him. The family was asleep within a few minutes.

 

 

Rick heard giggling from the kitchen, and followed the tempting noise. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Evie and Alex bake cookies.

"Add some flour..." She instructed, and he grabbed a handful, dusting it onto the board like his mum had showed him.

"Good. Now we knead the dough. It's like pressing your hands into it until it's smooth and ready to cut with the cookie cutters." She explained, and he grinned up at her. Flour covered his baby face, making Evie laugh as she rubbed her hand over his cheek.

"It's too tough mummy, you do it." He grumbled after a few minutes of pressing with his tiny hands.

Evie took over and grabbed the roller, pushing it this way and that to make it extra smooth, but not too thin. She hefted up a bag of small cutters and opened it lightly, spreading them out for the little boys eyes.

"I want a dinosaur one mummy." He smiled and picked up a palm sized cutter shaped like a long neck. He stamped it into the dough, making sure it went all the way through, and pulled it out. The perfect shap plopped out of the cutter, and Evie placed it onto the pan.

When he was done, there were a total of twelve dinosaurs, and two angels. Per Evelyn's request that they all couldn't be dinosaurs, he agreed to let her have two of her own. She slid them into the oven, and dusted her hands off as Alex did the same. She wiped his face and hands off, dismissing him to go and play.

"Oh, hi dad! Mummy and I made cookies!" he grinned and jumped into Rick's arms.

"Well, I'm sure they're going to taste delicious." He laughed and set his son down to help Evie clean up the kitchen.

Turning to look at her, a huge smile split his face in two at the sight of his prim and proper housewife.

"What's so funny?" she questioned coming into his embrace as he chuckled, wiping her nose with a finger.

"Nothing." He laughed, showing her the white flour he'd removed from her face.

She pushed him away, and began wiping off the counters.

"Mummy, dad come here!" Alex called from outside as a soft snowfall was adding onto the two feet they already had gotten that week.

"What is it Alex?" Evie called out the kitchen window, but she couldn't see him. She lifted her apron over her head and hung it on the peg on the far wall, stepping out in the cool English air.

A snowball barely missed her as it flew past her shoulder and into Rick's chest. Alex giggled as he ducked behind his snow fort that he and Rick had built the other day.

"Is this a challenge Alex O'Connell?" His father yelled as he walked up next to his wife.

"Yep!" he called and lobbed another as it landed at their feet.

Rick smiled and made a soft one, tossing it high into the air, trying to get it to land on the other side of the fort. It hit the wall with a spray of snow, making his son giggle.

"You missed me!" he taunted and Evie did the same. It landed a little too far.

Alex fired another hitting Evie smack on the shoulder as she vowed to get him. Rick saw Alex peek his nose over the wall and dart over to an open area, firing balls of snow as he ran. Rick pegged him in the leg, making him laugh as he got one in the face. Evie chased after her son when he ran out of snowballs, and tackled him into the snow, tickling him mercielessly.

"To you surrender?" Rick asked as he dropped a large, wet one onto Alex's stomach.

"I give! I give!" he called and Evie let up, helping him onto his feet.

The family stayed out for another hour, building a little snow family in the front lawn. Jonathan spied it when he got home, and noticed they had built a small one for him and smiled. He walked into the house and saw Alex, with the help of Rick, lighting up the last candle on the Christmas tree.

"Hey there Partner!" he called out as he hung up his coat on the rack, walking into the room.

"Hi Uncle John! Look at our tree, and all of the presents under it!" he laughed as he ran into Jonathan's arms.

"It's beautiful Alex, really lovely." He sighed and set his nephew onto his lap as he sat into his chair in the living room.

Evie walking into the room with four cookies, all dinosaur ones except for hers. "Look what I found." She smiled and handed Alex, Rick and Jonathan each a sugary delight.

"Thanks mummy." He grinned and bit the dinosaurs head off.

 

 

Later that night Evie and Jonathan were playing a game of chess as Alex and Rick sat on the floor building with his bricks.

"Darn it. You beat me again old mum." He laughed and she looked over at Rick.

"Care to try your luck Mr. O'Connell?" she asked, holding up the queen as she made it dance before his eyes.

"Of course my lady." He smiled and Jonathan resumed his spot with Alex and the toys on the floor.

"No!" Rick growled a few minutes later making Alex and Jonathan look up at him with concern.

"Checkmate." She called proudly and Rick payed up with a kiss.

"Me too." Alex grumbled and ran over to Evie with his little lips puckered. She kissed him lightly and Rick set the pieces back up.

"You know, one day he's not going to let you do that, and whenever we kiss he'll say gross and please stop that." Rick smiled as she made her first move.

"you're just sore because you haven't gotten any kisses in our entire history of chess." She accused, and he grunted in response when the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Rick stood, but Evie pushed him back down.

"No, I'll get it." She said quickly, making Rick look up at her quickly. "I mean, you need to practice your moves, so since I'll beat you no matter what I'll let you study." She said quickly and nearly ran into the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. O'Connell?" a male voice asked over the phone, and she responded with a yes. "Well, we've found them! They're living in Chicago Illinois, and I've delivered your letter."

"Oh thank you so much inspector, this will be a wonderful surprise. Merry Christmas." She laughed with joy and hung the phone up, walking back into the room with a smile on her face.

 

 

Two days later, Evie got a letter in the mail, and she grabbed it before Rick could read who it was from.

"Your Christmas present, and we can't let you see it can we?" she told him, and he grumbled to himself as he looked through the rest of the mail.

In her office on the other side of the house, she all but ripped the envelope open.

'Dear Evelyn,

I'm so glad to hear that you have found him. We'll of course be on the first plane over to London, and we'll meet you at the airport tomorrow at noon. I thank you again for thinking of us.

Pat and Eileen'

"Yes!" she called and Alex peered around the corner.

"Hi mummy." He smiled and walked into the room. "Watcha' doin'?" he asked as he climbed up onto her lap.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and her plan would be perfect. "Mummy's just thinking of what a wonderful Christmas we're going to have. As a family." She smiled at him, kissing his head lightly.

"We going to the museum today?" he wondered, and looked up at her expectantly.

"Well, I'm not sure baby, I don't think we will." She commented, writing down a note for herself.

"Okay." He sighed, hopping off her lap in search of more fun things to play with.

"You'd better spill it woman. I know you're up to something, I can tell." Rick growled as he walked into her office.

"I don't know what you're talking about Rick, I'm not up to anything." She looked up at him, sliding the letter into the front drawer of her desk.

Rick glared at her, "You know how curious I am, I hate it when you play games like this on me. Is it about Christmas?" he asked and she merely nodded.

"You're no help. Fine. Fine. Two can play this game." He grumbled as he stalked out of the room and into his den, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Evelyn shook her head and laughed as she finished sorting out a few things on her desk and went to play with Alex.

 

 

The day arrived and Evelyn slid into her jacket and began putting her scarf around her neck when Rick walked into the room.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she helped Alex into his Jacket as well.

"Just out to grab something I forgot for dinner, I won't be gone long. But I want you to stay here unless Jonathan gets home early. Tell him to stay put, it's Christmas Eve for heavens sake." He kissed him quickly and left as he shrugged his shoulders, turning back to his book and the warmth of a fire.

 

 

"Are you Evelyn?" A small blonde haired woman asked Evie as she stood waiting at the airport.

"Eileen?" She nodded and they hugged as if they knew eachother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Evie smiled and held on to Alex's hand as he hid behind her leg. "This is my son Alex, Alex, this is your grandmother." She lifted him up and she looked over at her.

"Hi." He smiled lightly, leaning his head onto Evie's shoulder. A rather large man walked up, his features set exactly as Rick's, as he set down the suitcases in a huff.

"You must be Pat." Evie smiled and extended her hand, and he lightly placed a kiss on her delicate fingers. "Oh, you must be Rick's father." She laughed and helped them to the car. Soon they were all on their way to O'Connell Manor.

"THIS is where you live???" they both asked at the same time, making Evie laugh.

"Our discoveries in Egypt have helped us along. I work at the British Museum, so we go on digs all over the desert, finding...various things." She paraphrased, smiling to herself.

"Welcome to O'Connell Manor. I'll cue you in, it's about time to open presents. You can wait in the kiechen if you don't mind." Evie whispered as they shook their heads, and she led them into the room adjacent to the living room.

She made them coffee, and refused to let any one in the kitchen area, especially Rick.

"Oh Rick they're beautiful." Evie exclaimed at the diamond Ring, necklace and bracelet set he'd gotten her. "I have a confession to make. I didn't get you a Christmas present." She stood up and Pat and Eileen became ancy.

"What if he doesn't want us? Imagine what he must think."

"Eileen, we looked as hard as we could, but I'm sure he'll understand when we tell him the story."

"Evie, I have all I need right here. I understand if you didn't get me anything, I don't mind." He smiled and held a sleeping Alex on his lap, warm fuzzy pajamas keeping him cozy on Rick's legs.

"I got you something even more special. For as long as you told me your history, I've been searching and trying to find your family."

"Evie, you are my family. I don't have anyone else, I've told you that." Rick looked down at his hands as he nervously played with a piece of string. "Don't bring that up Sweetness, it's Christmas, and I've got you and Alex here with me."

"Rick, hear me out. I've been looking for your parents for four years, hoping that I would be able to make you complete. You always seemed empty when family was mantioned." She stood, and walked over to the swinging kitchen door, and opened it lightly, as Pat and Eileen stepped out, standing in front of Rick for the first time in his entire life. "Merry Christmas my love." She smiled and Rick's jaw dropped.

He switched Alex to his shoulder as he stood, and looked his parents over. He'd never seen them, but he felt as if he'd known them forever. He shook his head and looked over at his wife, who merely nodded in certainty. He handed Alex over to Evie and pulled his mother to him as his tears began to flow.

After three hours of getting to know each other, Evie and Rick explained how they met, and how they fell in love, everything about Hamunaptra and Imhotep. Finally, around three in the morning, Evie fell asleep against Rick's shoulder, and he lifted her into his arms, settling her onto his lap.

"I only have one question." He looked at his sleeping wife and then up at his parents. "I have a child, a son, and I know what that kind of love is when you're the first person in the world to see him. Why did you not want me?" he asked almost breaking again as he rubbed Evie's back to make himself feel better.

"Oh Richard, we did want you. Other than you were born, we never saw you again. Someone in the hospital kidnapped you, and we tried for fifteen years to try and find you. We gave up eventually, and nothing else mattered. We lost all of our money in the crash of 29, and have been trying to get over the losses when we received your wife's note. We wrote her and told her that we had no money, and no way of getting to London. She mailed us the tickets and extra money for Christmas, and an invitation to spend the rest of our lives here in England with you and your family. And we would love to." Eileen smiled through her tears and Pat laid a strong hand on his sons shoulder.

"We'd better be off to bed now Richard, and I'm so glad to have found you again my son." He held him over Evelyn, and Rick carried her upstairs, and after pointing to the spare room, he lightly laid her onto the bed as he began to cry. Waking her from sleep, she ran her fingers through his hair as he cried into her shoulder and chest.

"Are you unhappy with what I did Rick? I know I should have told you..."

His finger cut off her words as his tearstained face looked up into her dark eyes.

"I love you so much Evelyn, that it hurts." He sobbed and climbed into the large four-post bed, as she smiled and held him as if she would Alex.

"Merry Christmas Rick."

The End

 

Authors note: I had to have Rick have a family. I've always wondered what had happened to his parents, and who knows. Maybe this could have happened. Anywho, there it is and I appreciate feedback!! You can e-mail me or just write a reply.