Posted by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Assistant CNS/ Child Psychiatry) in Twas the night before Christmas Nathan and Chloe

Posted by Ensign Chloe Kendrick (Nurse) in Twas the night before Christmas Nathan and Chloe

Chloe stared at her personal communicator and raised an eyebrow. It was eight AM on Christmas Eve and she was already having mixed feelings about the day. Her family was in full swing downstairs making breakfast, planning last-minute trips to the store, and talking about how they slept the night before. Chloe was in bed messaging Nathan. =/\=Okay are you lying to me? Are you really going to your Aunt’s? I am not sure I believe you that you are actually taking leave. Seriously Nathan what are you doing for Christmas=/\=.

=/\= Just cause I can’t stand my family doesn’t mean it isn’t family. I think that’s on a wall poster in my father’s practice somewhere…=/\= Nathan said with a roll of his eyes at the very idea. He knew at some point he would have to see them all, he couldn’t ignore his family all Christmas but it was often so much more fun to tease Chloe.

“I am coming,” Chloe yelled down from her room. As much as she loved her family, at times she wished she was an only child with a quiet family.

=/\=I gotta go. Message me when you can and tell me what you are doing. No, take a picture. I want proof you are on a couch somewhere and not the couch at the hospital.=/\=. Chloe tossed the phone on the bed and got up to get a shower. It was going to be a long day. It was better to start it now than wait for her mom and grandmother to come up and find her.

=/\= Oh you asking for a picture now, this is getting serious. Don’t worry I will be fine, I always am.=/\=

=/\=You are never fine and yes I am worrying about you. Getting dressed =/\= she replied setting the phone down on the sink. Chloe was not finished with this conversation. Nathan was always about telling the truth and he hadn’t lied yet but he did other things. =/\=Okay back. And no sabotaging your leave. If I hear you “volunteered” to cover someone’s shift I am going to kill you. When does your shuttle depart?=/\=

=/\=You don’t need to worry about me doll, and I am leaving at 0730. Trust me, I think… I think we are all going to have a wonderful Christmas.=/\= Nate said as he sat back in his apartment, looking down at his bag that had a large gift wrapped and his clothes underneath. A small smile crossed his lips as he did before putting the communicator in his pocket as he zipped up the bag.

Ensign Chloe Kendrick

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Two hours later.....
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=/\=If I have to look at one more sweater set I am going to choke someone with the pearls around their neck. How many sweater sets can one person from Connecticut own? Apparently not enough,/\= Chloe let out a chuckle as she held the coffee cup in her teeth so that she could type with both fingers. =/\=Don’t worry. I am saving the return slips. =/\=

=/\=Hey, you always look cute in those sweaters. Plus I do have a surprise for you soon… just have fun it’ll be fine.=/\=

=/\=Okay sweater sets are not fun. Do I need to remind you=/\= She stopped texting long enough to send the image her family chose for the Christmas card and sent it to him again. =/\=Stepford family. What is my surprise?=/\=

=/\=Oh that would be telling, and you know I am okay with secrets, just not lies.=/\=

=/\=I don’t like secrets. I need to be in the know. If not how can I control the situation? Off-roading typically is never a good thing=/\=

“Chloe will you get off that communicator. It is Christmas. Now help us figure out which one,” her mom held up two identical sweater sets in purple and in navy.

“Navy,” Chloe said looking back at her phone. =/\=Gotta run. Next will be matching scarf sets. Bye=/\= she messaged Nathan and stuffed the communicator into her pocket. “What if we go leather,” she teased ready to find whatever else they needed so they could go home and relax.

Chloe Kendrick

=/\= You look so much better in Santa Red…=/\= came back to her communicator as it seemed to sit like a precognition as it waited for Chloe to just pick it up, if only for a second.

Nathan Harland

=/\=I said that and now we have matching set for caroling. But oh it gets worse. We could not go with just Santa Red but Santa Red is a Santa hat and the green is like an Elf hat but green. I made sure I snagged a red for me but I can get you a green one. Wanna be my elf=/\= Nor caring about the mundane last moments of shopping Chloe did the unexpected.

=/\=Oh did you know your Elf name is Buddy Jazzy Hands? Just saying =/\= Chloe thumbed through the rack of clothes acting like she was shopping but disguising the fact she was having more fun messaging Nathan than worrying about Aunt Edna’s sweater. Plucking one from the rack she held it up not caring about the print.

=/\= Am I now? Jazzy Hands? Do you think that matches me? What’s yours? =/\=

=/\=Bubbles Angel Pants. Kinda fitting because I am quite effervescent and I do get compliments from time to time on my south forty. Oh, keep it PG. The last thing I need is my mom picking up my phone. Test your intelligence and if you want to reply then mime it.=/\= Chloe could not help but laugh hysterically with her comment and sent several laughing faces after just to make sure Nathan knew how pleased she was with herself.

“Chloe is that a 3XL,” her mom said grimacing. “Edna’s thyroid issue is getting worse.”

“Or maybe its the fact she can’t put down a donut,” Chloe muttered getting a shove and harsh whisper to be nice by her mother.

=/\= Psstt two guesses where I am at =/\= snickered at the screen waiting for a reply.

=/\= Stripper place? I mean Buddy Jazzy Hands sounds like a stripper. =/\=

=/\=Hiding in a dressing room. I need to get out of her.=/\=

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Noon on Christmas Eve
====================

=/\=Where are you? Are you at Aunt Martha’s yet? Show me her front door and for the record no I don’t trust you=/\= Chloe flopped back in the armchair in her study.

=/\=I’m at the door right now… see? =/\= Nathan said with a large grin as he stood in front of the door, only the door was not some unfamiliar door Chloe had never seen, but the dark brown with the wreath she had just seen moments ago as she entered was staring back at her, with Nathan right in front of it.

=/\=Hey my mom has a wreath just=/\= the text stopped as Chloe blew up the image and stared at it. A wreath was on every door but not every door has a red banner over it that said Welcome To the Kendrick’s. Sitting up in her seat she returned to the floating dots holding her message in the virtual world. =/\=Nathan where are you=/\= she texted as she headed to the door.

=/\= If you want the surprise, now might be the time… =/\=

Nathan Harland

Chloe opened the door and her eyes got wide at the sight she saw.

Ensign Chloe Kendrick

As the doors opened Chloe would be greeted by a sight unlike anything she had seen before, there was over a dozen carolers that stood out dressed in old timey England clothes reminiscent of Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol as Nathan stood next to them with his hands behind his back. On his right and left stood two giant costumed figures, one of a giant white elephant with pink polka dots and another that was of Frosty the Snowman. The elephant held in hand a bouquet of flowers, while Frosty seemed to have his hands full of a bounty of sweets.

“Nathan,” Chloe looked visibly stunned. The expression would have been appropriate for just seeing him at the door. It was amplified however by finding him and what would come to be remembered as his ‘Christmas Friends’. “Um, whats going on?”

“Go,” Jen, Chloe’s mom pushed her shoulder some to edge her out the door. As Chloe looked over her shoulder she found she and Nathan were surrounded. He by his ‘Christmas Friends’ and her by all her family from inside the house. The door jamb was filled with her mom and sisters. The large bay window had the rest of her Aunts and Uncles along with a spattering of cousins, nieces, and nephews. All in all, if a battle were to occur Chloe was sure it would be a one on one matchup between her peeps and Nathan’s.

As she exited to the front yard, the carolers began to sing “All I Want For Christmas.” As Nathan stood as he moved his hands forward, showing he held a gift in hand-wrapped perfectly as Frosty and the Elephant moved forward to give Chloe the sweets and the flowers, making her look like some bizarre beauty pageant winner of a chocolate factory as she stood dumbfounded at the sight before her.

“I think he is gonna propose,” her uncle Frank announced from his position behind the glass window. “No guy does this without a purpose. It is that or he is apologizing.”

“Probably apologizing,” Cara, Chloe’s disgruntled thirteen-year-old niece added. “Guys are always doing something bonehead to make up for,” she replied making duck lips and posting an image of herself on Immediagram.

“Shhhhh,” Frank’s wife waved a hand at him. “I can’t hear what he is about to say to her through the glass with all of you yammering away.”

Chloe stood there with her expression fading from objective surprise to red-cheeked embarrassed. “Nathan I..I don’t know what to say,” she worked hard not to look over her shoulder. Leaning forward some Chloe said in a low tone. “This is probably the most romantic thing they have ever seen but they don’t know you as I do. You always make our firsts memorable. I am going to say this is a draw though when compared to the baseball field. I do love this though. A lot actually,” she smiled at him with the type of smile that said right now he could do no wrong.

As the song died down, Nathan moved forward and offered her the gift he held in his hands, “Here, let me swap you as you open my gift to you…” he said softly as he grabbed the sweets and flowers in exchange, saying very little as he let Chloe just take in all that he had done for her in this moment of unbridled displays of affection.

“Oh I just have your gift....in the house,” she said exchanging the items so that she was holding a simple box with red and white striped paper that resembled a candy cane. On the top was a gorgeous red organza bow on top. “It’s so pretty I don’t want to open it,” she fluffed the loop of the box as she talked. Chloe struggled with wanting to tear open the packaging and savoring the present Nathan had given her. “But you know I am,” she winked at Nathan.

As she opened up the present, she would find that in it was a snow globe, and inside the globe was a perfect miniaturized representation of the Oracle Park Nathan first took Chloe to, the night he in almost every way fell in love with her at as they spent an evening just getting to know each other and fall slowly to each other’s own charms.

“Nate,” she said softly lifting the glass globe out of the packaging. Swirling it gently the globe bits of glitter floated in the water capsule as the song Take me out to the Ball game began to play from the small musical box inside. Hugging it close to her, Chloe looked at Nathan. “I love it,” she took a step towards him cradling it close. Rising on her toes, she kissed him softly for a brief second before moving back a step. The kiss was respectable with her family watching but hinted at a better show of affection later.

“This.... this is where I fell in love with you… as you sang to me in a concert of one as we broke several laws just so I could make you smile… so I wanted my first gift ever I gave to you, be something that reminded you of the day you stole my heart away…” Nathan said softly as he looked deep into her eyes, his own icy blue seeming to search how well this truly was going over as he waited with knots in his stomach to see just what she would say.

Nathan Harland.

“In love with me. It sounds like a serious chemical imbalance. I should check you out,” Chloe flirted back until her eyes met his and she grew more serious. “Please say you are staying. I know you have your own family but it would mean the world if you stayed here for at least Christmas Eve…please.” Chloe wasn’t begging but hoping that in some selfish way, Nathan would throw way his plans with his family for her. “If you do maybe I could come with you to see your Dad tomorrow?” None of this was planned but the idea of not being with Nathan this holiday suddenly seemed to make her heartache. She had feelings for him since the day she met him but their actual physical contact had been brief with him being deployed and her remaining on Earth.

“I mean I don’t want to impose at all, I just… I needed to just wanted to see you open it and tell you this and…” Nathan felt his heart racing there was more he wanted to say, wanted to do, but he could feel the eyes burning into him from behind Chloe.

“Of course he is staying…along with his friends. Andrew Kendrick but you can call me Drew,” Chloe’s father exited the house and extended his hand to the young man on his lawn. “Chloe has said nothing but good things about you. Seems her tales of your exploits are not an exaggeration. Please come in the house. All your friends are welcome too,” Drew reached out to take Nathan’s bag. Chloe’s father was impressed with the young fellow but he was also seeing the coveted Caroler of the Season trophy finally displayed on his mantle. With a group like this, there was no way they could lose.

“Nathan this is my dad if you haven’t guessed and,”

“Jennifer but you can just call me Jen,” Chloe’s mom automatically inserted herself into the introductions. “Now let’s go inside. I got cookies and hot chocolate. I am not taking no for an answer,” she said wrapping an arm around her daughter as Drew made a sweeping gesture towards the house. “Just a friend,” her mom whispered in her daughter’s ear. “I told you when you told me about that date there was more.”

Chloe looked over her shoulder as her parents swept her, Nathan, and the rest of the people from the lawn into herself. Chloe could not stop smiling. It was not that she had ever kept Nathan a secret. Over the past six months, she had shared messages of the less personal nature with her mom from him. Several times they had chatted when he had called. Jen Kendrick also had heard enough details about their dates and seen the way her daughter talked about this guy to know there was more than just friendship between them.

Ensign Chloe Kendrick

Nathan left as the carolers behind them all kind looked around confused as to what to do. Their paycheck was leaving as the family swept him in as there was some murmurs behind them. “We follow him till we get our money right?” Frosty said as the group nodded and came in behind everyone.

Nathan Harland

As her parents got everyone in the house and started to snack them up, Chloe showed Nathan to his room. Up the long set of stairs, she took him down the hall past several rooms eventually stopping at the last door on the left. Opening the door, she showed him into a room that was clearly not her childhood bedroom or a room she was occupying during her stay here. “Nate,” she said gently in a neutral tone as she closed the door giving them some privacy, “oh my god what was that.” The last part of her sentence was rushed and hurried as was her approach to him. Everything about them had been virtual and innuendo until now. The display on the lawn was a game-changer however. Jumping up into his arms as she approached him Chloe kissed him deeply. It was the reaction she wanted to have showed on the front lawn yet Nathan did not know Connecticut. Already every neighbor was going through their cookie trays and assembling a plate to surreptitiously drop off to get a real look at the man that created a spectacle on the Kendrick’s lawn. Chloe didn’t care about the neighbors. She had just wanted a quiet moment to reciprocate what she felt.

“Well, you said I should spend time with family… isn’t there a saying that family is what you make it?” he said with a soft low tone as he held onto her tightly as felt like he made the right choice more than ever as he held onto her. It was a simple tender moment, a moment they had before but right now it felt like there was very little time they have had to explore simple moments such as this one. With the preying eyes away Nathan could finally let himself just be with the woman he loved, even for a few brief moments.

Nathan was young enough and in love enough to expect such a reaction could occur. Holding her in his arms he slowly backed up towards the bed until he felt the mattress impact the area behind his knees. In a controlled fall, Nathan soon found himself on the bed with Chloe sitting over his hips looking down at him. “Ughhhh you have no idea how I wish this was the Ritz Carlton and not 24 Wedgewood Lane.” For the first time since she had graduated, Chloe wished she was back in the academy or in a hotel visiting Nathan. Looking down at him, her hair spilled over her shoulders so that the ends gently brushed his face. “Tell me you love me again. By the time I realized what you said…the moment is over. I want it back Nathan. Tell me you love me again.” Her body trembled slightly which he would feel because of the way she was sitting on him. The trembling was in anticipation of what was to come next and had nothing to do with the kiss about to happen.

“I love you… lord do. You have made my heart skip a beat from the day I set eyes on you. Every moment has been a world wind since, our lives not perfect but… still I always find myself back to the one I love.” Nathan said softly as he brushed back her hair as he pulled her in close as he kissed her deeply, feeling a rush as he did so once more. It was that adrenaline feeling of tender love and care that always set his spine tingling.

“I have loved you since the moment you put me on the pitcher’s mound and taught me to throw a fastball. I have loved you since you chased down the ice cream truck from halfway across the park to get me a rocket popsicle. I have loved you every morning since I woke up to Good morning buttercup on my phone after our first date. I have loved you since you realized that when you look at me,” she started to laugh as he let his eyes take on a more smoldering look, “yes like that look,” she tickled him slightly to remove the playful expression he had just been wearing, “I melt inside. I just needed to hear it out loud from you before I could say I love you, Nathan Harland.”

“Well good cause this would be a terribly awkward day if I came all the way from deep space to find out you didn’t feel the same.” he said softly as he kept his arms around her waist, gently rubbing her back as he smiled at the feeling of hearing her say she loved him back caused deep inside of him. He was almost certain he knew she felt that way, but he couldn’t help but remember that god awful remake Christmas movie, the late 20th century Miracle On 34th Street. The movie was cute in all aspects till the last twenty or so minutes when the leading man proposed to the leading woman, only to have her call him as fool for ever thinking she felt that way.

Leaning forward, Chloe kissed him deeply. The kiss was everything it was supposed to be. It made her dizzy and want to ignore the fact she was in her parent’s house with every relative she knew just down the stairs. Her skin rippled into goosebumps as his hands found her hair pulling her closer to him.

Chloe and Nathan were so engrossed in each other neither of them noticed the door open behind them. The individual was so quiet that when they finally spoke it was not only the words that startled them but also the ninja-like way they had gotten that close. “Are you my Uncle Nathan now,” Molly asked while sucking on a candy cane. Molly Kendrick was the baby of the family at five. She had long dark hair and brown eyes like her Aunt Chloe but her expression was far more serious. She had been hearing the adults chatter away downstairs and the whispers about giving the couple a few minutes alone. To a five-year-old, being alone was boring. She had no idea why Aunt Chloe would want to be alone when everyone was downstairs ready to play games. That is why she came to find her. Aunt Chloe was the best at playing twister and there were candy canes on the line.

Ensign Chloe Kendrick

Feeling his head snap upward from the position he was in, as Chloe straddled on top of him Nathan tried to get a view of who had uttered those words. “Not yet, give me a little bit though and I can get you a new cousin.” Nathan said with a terrible smirk as he looked up at Chloe, knowing she both found it amusing yet ill timed as he felt her shift off of him as she sat down at the bed, letting Nathan sit back up right.

Nathan Harland

Molly Kendrick eyed him with a stare patented by mothers who knew their children were lying or children before they realized in life you needed filters when talking to people. Pulling herself onto the bed Molly popped the candy cane out of her mouth and pointed it at Nathan. “Did you call the stork? It is Christmas Eve? Mommy says if you don’t order early even Congo can’t get it here. My Dad says that Congo Prime doesn’t fail. My Mommy says its the only way she will get a present so Daddy better be right? Does Congo bring cousins? Did you give Aunt Chloe a snow globe and a baby,” Molly finished her long litany of questions and put the cany cane back in her mouth waiting for Nathan to answer.

Chloe almost rescued Nathan, almost. If he was not able to survive the onslaught of questions from five-year-old Molly then maybe he shouldn’t stay. Downstairs was going to turn into an interrogation room instead of Christmas splendor the second his butt hit the couch. This was just a dry run.

Chloe Kendrick