mkrobinson | Summer Challenge Story Two

Title: Holiday

Fandom: Sweet Valley
Universe: Post Canon
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: T
Word Count: 1584
Summary: [SVC Fix Fic] It wasn't like Christmas at the Wakefields had ever been thought of as fun...

The Christmas music was playing softly on the Wakefields' living room stereo -- Ned had proclaimed that it was top of the line, but Billie found it to be obnoxiously headache inducing when he showed off its features -- and 75 Calico Drive had all of the usual holiday trappings on display: the lights that her poor husband had had to come over and spend a day assisting his father in hanging; the ridiculous blown up lawn ornaments -- including a moving Santa and the tackiest inflatable Nativity available in stores; three obnoxiously themed fake Christmas trees; the smells of a homecooked meal; and, of course, the offspring of the happy couple.

It was the perfect holiday scene.

If only any of it was truly true.

"They truly are disgusting," Billie said, surveying Jessica and Todd making out under the mistletoe, oblivious to all around them. "Seriously, Steven, make them stop."

Steven let out a heavy sigh. "Don't you think I've already tried that?"

"Well, try again. There isn't any way that I'm going to be able to handle this Christmas with the two of them over there getting at it like they're drunk love monkeys. It's sickening."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, running his hands down her sides. "Everything makes you nauseous, babe," he murmured, resting his hands on her abdomen. "That's not entirely their fault."

"Steven," she hissed. "Stop that! That wasn't what I meant when I said that Jessica and Todd making out was sickening."

"They make me nauseous," he replied, shrugging. "Thought maybe my preggy girl felt the same way."

Billie rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. "This Christmas is going to be a disaster."

"Don't be so negative."

"I'm not being negative! I'm being realistic!"

"Liz said she could handle it."

Billie stared at him, wide eyed, and she shook her head. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" He opened his mouth to respond, but she barrelled on. "Obviously, Elizabeth is putting on an act for your parents and our children. She claims that she'll be fine because that's what Alice and Ned want to hear, but do you really think that seeing Jessica pregnant will be easy for her?"

"You're pregnant, and she doesn't seem to mind."

"I'm not her identical twin who slept with her fiance!"

"She was the maid of honor in their wedding!"

"Don't get me started on that," Billie said. "Honestly, I don't know why she did that. What was she thinking?"

"That she loves Jessica and wants her to be happy," her mother-in-law chimed in, shooting the two of them a beatific smile. "I don't understand why you can't do the same, Billie."

"Because -- because -- because --"

"We should all be more like Elizabeth," Alice said. "Perhaps then maybe you wouldn't think Jessica and Todd are sickening."

***

"We should all be more like Elizabeth," Billie mocked. "Perhaps then maybe you wouldn't think Jessica and Todd are sickening."

"Mom doesn't know what she's saying," Steven replied, trying to soothe his wife.

"Your mother knows exactly what she's talking about," she replied in a furor. "She likes that Todd and Jessica got married and she likes that Elizabeth and Bruce are dating because in your mother's own twisted world it means that all is well or something completely idiotic. So forget about the fact that a guy sleeping with two identical twins is completely disgusting and forget about the fact that Bruce tried to rape Elizabeth, all is completely right in the Wonderful World of the Wakefields."

"Bruce almost raped Liz?" Steven parroted, feeling completely oblivious.

"Uh-huh," she replied. "When Liz went out with him after she was in that coma. She told me about it, how supposedly the fact that he hadn't was romantic, and she couldn't figure out why I wanted to lecture her."

"Billie," he said, softly, and she sighed. "Please. It's Christmas."

"So?" She asked, pouting.

"So maybe we could forget all about this for one day? Just one day? And let the kids enjoy the holiday?"

She sighed, and then she grudgingly nodded. She really didn't want to cause a scene.

"If you give me a footrub," she said, grinning widely. "If you give me a footrub I'll do it."

He kissed her on the cheek.

"Of course you can have a footrub," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "You can have a footrub and I'll sneak you a piece of Mom's chocolate cream pie before dinner."

She giggled. "I think the baby liked that," she said, moving one of his hands to her abdomen. "An extra big piece?" She blinked at him, giving him a hopeful look.

"The biggest piece," he promised. "Can we go back inside?"

She sighed, torn between not wanting to see Todd and Jessica and wanting her pie, and finally she nodded. "You go in first."

***

Ned had turned the stereo up in their absence, and not even Billie's most pointed death glare was encouraging him to turn it down.

"Mommy, Daddy said the baby's kicked," her younger daughter said, sitting beside her on the couch. "I want to feel."

"I'm sorry you're not having a nice Christmas, princess," she whispered. "And he's right, she did kick. You can try."

"Daddy said that you're not in a very good mood," she added. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Not upset with you or your sissy," she replied. "I just have a bit of a headache because of Grandpa Ned's new stereo. And Grandma is annoying me."

"Anna said that the music was too loud for you," she reported, obviously proud at having been included in the previous conversation. "But Grandma and Grandpa said it was Christmas so it had to be loud."

Billie rolled her eyes. "Of course it does," she said. "Where is Anna, anyways, Jennifer?"

Jennifer leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Distracting Grandma Alice so Daddy can get you your pie."

"She's a good girl," Billie said. "You're a good girl too," she assured her.

"I know, Daddy said I was. He told me to keep you company."

"Where did Jessica and Todd go?" Billie did hesitate to ask.

"The airport to get Auntie Liz and Mr. Patman."

Billie let out a sigh.

***

"Of course I'm happy for Jess and Todd! I don't understand why you think I wouldn't be," Elizabeth said, and Billie very maturely resisted from rolling her eyes and leaving the dinner table. "They're married, after all," she continued. "I'm with Bruce now, anyways."

"Oh, yes, your Mr. Wonderful," Billie commented, smirking slightly into her cup of hot cider. "It's like you're the remixed version of the storied romance of Hank and Alice, isn't it?"

Steven kicked her under the table and shot her a pained look.

"Absolutely!" Liz replied, and Steven nearly choked on his coffee. She took pity on him and rubbed his back.

"You can't be serious," he managed to say, once he regained his breath.

"Well, it's true. And so romantic!"

Billie could hear Jenny and Anna giggling at their aunt's statement from the kids' table, and she let out a heavy sigh.

"Romantic?" Steven asked, and she busied herself by eating her ham, not wanting to start laughing hysterically. She knew she'd never live that down.

"Don't you think so?" Elizabeth asked.

She snorted. "I think I saw this storyline on Days," she said.

"Billie," Steven halfheartedly hissed. "What are you doing?"

"She asked," Billie said, smiling sweetly. "I'm five months pregnant, bitchy, and hormonal, and your sister asked."

"Billie!" Her mother-in-law said, sounding positively affronted. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? This! Todd has slept with both twins and that's just weird and no one seems to care! Elizabeth is engaged to your ex-fiance's son and you think that's totally awesome! I've asked Ned to keep his stereo down but he didn't so now I have a headache! And your stuffing tastes exactly like Pepperidge Farms'!"

"Go to the children's table!"

***

"Steven, can we leave yet?"

"Honestly, Bil, ten more minutes," he said, shooting her a pleading look, and she knew she was going to relent. She always did.

"You promise?"

"I promise, only ten more minutes," he repeated.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling genuinely guilty. "I've ruined Christmas, haven't I?"

"No, you haven't ruined Christmas," he said. "It's not your fault that Jessica's married to Todd and it's not your fault that Elizabeth is marrying Bruce, and it's not your fault that Dad's playing his music loudly on purpose, and it isn't your fault that Mom's secret about using storebought stuffing came out..."

"But I wasn't nice!"

He sighed. "They weren't nice to you, either," he said, shrugging.

"I got sent to the kids' table," she muttered, still slightly miffed.

"You act as if Anna and Jenny weren't better dining companions," he whispered to her, grinning innocently.

"They were," she admitted. "They told me that they were glad to have their mommy sitting with them. Jenny spent the rest of the meal trying to feel our little one and Anna gave me all her green beans when I told her that I thought they were delicious." She giggled.

"You feel okay?" Steven asked, pressing his hands to her abdomen. "We'll leave now if you don't."

"I'm fine," she whispered. "You don't have to worry so much. We can stay for a few more minutes. It is Christmas, after all."

"Yeah," he said ruefully. "It is Christmas."