Christmas with the Gerard's

14

10 days till Christmas. 

The weekend went by pretty quick; all I did was wrap presents, eat, sleep and avoid Colton. That’s right, I avoided him like the plague. I know him and Theo ended up meeting at some point and having a chat, Phoebe came to inform me that they had come to some sort of agreement about me. To say I was furious is an understatement, f*****g agreement about me like I’m some business acquisition, they can both f**k off. Me avoiding him and ignoring him did nothing to deter Colton from blowing up my phone, call after call, text after text... I didn't bother to read them or listen to the voice mails he left.  

As if my thinking about it jinxed it my phone vibrates on the nightstand. I looked at the clock next to it and see it’s just after six, f**k's sake. I grab my phone and look at the caller id before I answer, Colton. I think for a few seconds, and decide to ignore it. I put the phone down and it stops for two seconds only to start vibrating again. I pick it up and answer angry about all the stalking.  

“What Colton?” I shout down the phone, but I'm met with silence, I pull the phone away from my ear and see the Unknown number caller. f**k. I hear a bit of crackling and soon a robotic voice comes on, making my skin crawl 

“Hello w***e. Expecting lover boy?” 

“Who are you? “ 

“Now that would be telling little girl.” The voice says and I shudder again. “Go home b***h, back to where you belong.” Before I can reply the call dies and I'm left stunned, looking at my phone in a haze, I'm so stupefied that when the phone vibrates with Colton’s call, I actually answer. 

“Hello? D? You there?” His voice was all I needed to burst my bubble and I immediately started crying. “f**k, D. Right, I’m on my way. Stay there.” He said and hung up. I sat in my bed, unmoving until I realized someone was tapping my window. I stood up and opened the curtain, Colton’s beautiful blue eyes shining through. I let him in and he hugs me tight. I silently sob in his chest while he rubs my back slowly. I finally stop and look up at him.  

“D?” He asks and I sigh, turning around and getting inside my bed, I lift the cover and Colton kicks his shoes off, he slowly pulls his jacket off, I watch him intently, he lifts his eyes to mine as he slowly takes his jeans off and I blush. He slips in beside me and pulls me to his chest. His warm hands rubbing my back over my sleeping t shirt.  

“I got a phone call before you rang, whoever it is, they don’t want me here.” I said in a small voice.  

“f**k, you sure it's not that ex of yours.?”  

“Only one way to find out.” I grab my phone and pull up Marcus’ name and press call, the phone rings a couple of times and he finally answers. 

“Hey baby girl, I knew you couldn’t stay away.” He said in a sleepy voice 

“Cut the crap Marcus’. Have you been sending me threatening texts and calls off an unknown number?” I say harshly 

“Of course not Cordelia, what kind of sick f**k do you take me for?” 

“How can I trust you when you say it’s not you?”  I ask while Colton’s hands slip a bit lower to my hips, I gasped a little at the skin contact and he smirks. 

“Because, why would I threaten you when I want to win you back?” He deadpans. I look at Colton and he shakes his head. He’s thinking the same as me, Marcus sounds truthful. “Cordelia when are you coming back home to me?” He asks and before I can answer, Col snatches the phone out of my hands and menacingly growls into it. 

“Never! She is never coming back to you, you piece of s**t!” He hangs up the phone and before I can say anything his lips crash on mine. We melt into the bed, our lips and tongues fighting for dominance, until Col pulls back and I can breathe. He strokes my hair out of my face and once again he pulls my head into his chest. We cuddle for a while until he takes a deep breath. 

“So, I spoke to T.” He finally said and I sat up, my hands resting by my sides. 

“I heard you guys had made an agreement on me, like I’m some business deal!” I whisper and he laughs, a deep throaty laugh and I glare at him “It’s not funny Col, I’m not some ‘thing’ you two can agree on.” I rant on and he stops me by placing a finger on my lips. 

“Shut up D. Just listen.” I swallow and nod as he carries on “All we agreed on was that your brother is going to stop being a knob and keep his snout out of our relationship. We agreed that unless something immensely terrible happens between you and me we would keep our relationship and friendship out of our actual business, and that if we have a son his middle name has to be Theo.” I raise my eyebrows at that last bit and Col laughs. “I had to bargain for that one, he wanted that to be the first name!” He laughs and soon I join him. We spend the morning in bed, sleeping on and off as well as teasing each other, making each other all hot and bothered. Things were getting too heated between us, so I’m actually glad when my nan violently pounds on my bedroom door, shouting to cover up cos she’s coming in!  

“Hiya Mrs. Maeve.” Colton says, his voice betraying him by sounding high pitch, he is terrified of my nan.  

“Hiya cutie. “ she says, eyeing him up and down. Of course she can’t see his boxer clad lower half under the covers, but his well defined chest and abs are all on show as he sits next to me in bed. “ Sod off downstairs for a minute Colton, I need to have a serious word with this child! “ she says sweetly patting his cheek. He doesn’t think twice, he jumps out of bed and pulls his jeans on and grabs his tee and runs out the door. I look at my nan, and I can only imagine this is what the grandmother from red ridding hood felt like when the wolf came to eat her. My nan chuckles and sits next to me and grabs my hand.  

“He’s a good’en that one. I’m glad you finally made a move. I was starting to think I’d have to take him as a lover soon“ she says with a smirk and I glare at her.  

“Nan! “ I playfully scold her “A woman your age. “ I laugh and she slaps my arm 

“I’m not dying! “she blurts out and I stop laughing. I look at her, hurt plain in my eyes.  

“what do you mean? “ 

“Oh child, we lied. You would have never come home if we hadn’t lied. I’m sorry child. “she pats my hand and starts to leave when I stop her.  

“But, why lie about that?” I ask as tears fill my eyes. 

“Cordelia.” My nan whispers as she once again sits in front of me, she grabs my hands in hers and her thumbs draw small circles on the back of my hands. The movements are comforting and my breathing calms a bit, I sniffle and she offers me a sad smile.  

“We tried everything, for years and years. You didn’t come back for Gabriels graduation, or his eighteenth or anyone's birthdays or christenings, or births or anything. You ignored any letter that wasn’t from Theo. Do you know how hard it was for all of us when you vanished? We thought you were dead. Thank God, Theo found you, eventually after looking for so long. I was heartbroken that you didn’t think to come to me first. What happened Cordelia? Why did you run?”  

I look at my nan and wonder if I should tell her what I saw. I quickly decide not too as Toby’s warning comes to mind. I can’t imagine how desperate they were, looking for me must have been so time consuming and worrying. I sniffle again and my nan hugs me tight. 

“We love you, no matter what happened we are all here for you.” I smile and hug her harder.  

“I don’t know if I will ever forgive you guys fully for lying to me, but I understand the reasons behind it. I wish I hadn’t gone the way I did, but I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t been through what I did.”  

** 

Most of the family gathers around the table for lunch, the only people missing are Avery, Toby and Polly. Nathan and Ada-Levi have been staying with Mal for the last couple of days. Even aunt Heidi is here today, full of laughter and actually getting on well with my mum. We are all laughing and joking around. James is actually being a good sport and letting the boys tease him about some of his bad fashion choices, nan as pulled out the old photo albums and Phoebe is having a ball looking at photos of baby Theo and me, even Colton is laughing at some photos from him and Theo, little me always lurking in the background as their shadow. We spend most of the afternoon at the table, snacks and drinks and laughter floating through the house. I look around and find my nan sitting with her cup of coffee hovering by her face, her lips stretched into the happiest smile Ive ever seen on her. She spots me looking and raises her cup, I mimic her and we do a silent cheer. I carry on watching, enjoying the peaceful evening with my family.  

We hear a phone ringing in the distance but as everyone looks at their mobiles, we realize it’s not ours. Ignoring it we carry on chatting, until Avery bursts through the back door and runs straight into the dining room, her eyes red and angry. 

“You!” She shouts in my direction, moving around the table toward me. “All this time, you’ve been comforting me and all this time it was you?!” She shouts as she leans over my sitting figure.  

“Avery calm down what's going on?” Colton asks as he stands from beside me and tries to come between us, but before he could even move Avery launches herself at me and we topple over the chair and fall on the floor, my back stings with pain from the impact. The chair lays broken underneath both our bodies, my back and bum having taken the brunt of the fall. Avery straddles me and slaps me hard. “How could you!? My own sister?” She shouts and slaps me again. My family stand chocked, until Phoebe shouts and moves to grab Avery off me, the whole family come to their senses, and our joyous laughter has been replaced with shouting and tears. Phoebe drags Avery off me just as Toby and Polly rush in. 

“Get off me Phoebe.” Avery seethes and Phoebe let’s go of her; she stalks towards me again but James jumps between us. “Of course, you would protect her. Piece of s**t!” She shouts at James. 

“What in the world are you doing Avery Jane Gerard!” My nan shouts at her and she flinches slightly. “Talk woman!” My nan shouts at her again and she turns her murderous gaze towards my nan 

“She!” She points at me “Is the other woman!” She looks around the room at all the dumbfounded faces and laughs sadly “Of course none of you would believe me, little Cordelia can do no wrong. Here I will prove it.” She says and pulls a phone from her pocket. She dials a number and a phone starts ringing in the background. “Nathan? Find it please?” She asks and the poor boy runs out of the room.  

“Cordelia I'm sorry.” Toby says and I’m confused. “I'm sorry, I tried my best not to tell her the truth but she just wouldn’t stop. “ He says sadly and I am even more confused. I watched stunned as everyone is looking at each other.  

“Sorry for what Toby?” I ask quietly, a bad feeling rises in my chest like a bad taste in my mouth. I look at Avery and a light bulb goes on in my head “You think I’m sleeping with him?” I ask incredulous. 

“I don’t think, I know so. I told you, I found the phone, I’ve seen the texts, they all started when you came back into town.” She says and looks around the room, Nathan returns a few minutes later with my long grey woolen cardigan. I watch as he gives it to her and she dials the phone again. It rings in the pockets and she fishes it out. “Oh, would you look at that?!” She says sarcastically and I cringe. 

“I’ve never seen that phone before in my life.” I say calmly “I am not sleeping with your husband Ave; I f*****g hate the guy.” I blurt out. 

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” She seethes. I look at Toby and he is smirking at me. Motherfucker set me up. This is his revenge. I lunge for him but Colton grabs my hand  

“Is this true D?” He asks and I immediately recoil from his touch. 

“No! Of course not. Why in the hell would you ask that?” I cry and as I survey the room, I can see the doubt clouding everyone’s faces. “I am not having an affair with him. For f**k's sake! Why don’t you believe me?” I ask. My eyes land on Heidi who is also smirking at me and I wonder what her problem with me is. I watch as James slinks into the background and looks at Toby, who is watching him intently. f*****g coward. 

“I am not the other woman Avery.” I whisper and she walks towards me, the phones in her hand.  

“Proof is in the pudding. You are a b***h Cordelia. I guess now we know why she ran. She ran because she was f*****g my husband fourteen years ago.”  

“I am not.” My words are cut short by the sting of a slap, this time no one stops her. Avery slaps me again and again and no one makes a move. Finally, she's had enough and stops. “Avery” I cry, my face is numb from her slaps and my lip is bleeding from where she cut it. “Avery, it’s not me, you have to believe me.” She laughs and I shrink back.  

“I have to believe you?! I have to?! You’ve had us all fooled for years you w***e. How could you Delia?!” I can’t stop crying. Avery throws the phones at my feet and ushers her children out, Toby follows her but she stops him “Stay with your whore.” She leaves and after her one by one everyone leaves me crying on the floor. I look up as I see Colton’s shoes come into view.  

“Col?” I cry and look up at him. He looks broken and I shake my head “You believe this?” I ask. He simply nods his head and leaves. I’m left alone with Toby. I stand up and look at him, I angrily wipe my tears and look him in the eyes.  

He has sat himself on a chair, his leg crossed over his knee and a glass of wine in his hand.  

“I told you, you should have never come back. Now you have no choice but to go back.” He sipped some wine and then got up and walked out, while I sank back on the floor and cried until I passed out.