Miss Mercury

Family Christmas

Just in case anyone gets confused the Jessica in this chapter is Allen Leech's real-life girlfriend, though she's his wife now. Not Amelia's friend, Jessica Daley.

"Mum! Dad! It's Christmas!" Freddie races into their room. Bouncing on the bed, Prince in his hold and scaring Queenie half to death, all at half-past six Christmas morning, "Come on, we have to see if Santa's been."

He flops down on top of Gwilym making him groan into his pillow and Amelia giggles, "Careful Freddie. Put Prince down please then why don't you go and see if Tom and Win are awake? We'll meet you downstairs."

Freddie ran out of the room and down the hall. Tom and Ceinwen arrived yesterday to stay the night save them having to drive from Sutton Coldfield on Christmas day. Gwilym chuckles, "You know when I used to go home for Christmas my siblings usually do that with their kid but they'd send them to me."

Smiling, Amelia rolls over, lying on top of Gwilym, pressed against his back, kissing the bare skin of his neck and back. He shivers beneath her, smirking into his pillow, "And now that you're a dad you should know it's practically the law to send your kids to the Grandparents on Christmas morning."

Rolling over Gwilym wraps her in his arms caressing her soft skin, "Merry Christmas babe."

Cupping his cheek she leans down lips locked with his in a long blissful kiss. "Come on mum!" Freddie ruins the pleasant moment.

She laughs, nuzzling his face, "Merry Christmas to you too babe."

Throwing the covers back Amelia climbs over her fiancé, bending down to grabbing his shirt from last night. Pairing to with her Christmas pyjama bottoms she then turns back to Gwilym, "He will come and jump on you again his you don't get up." Groaning he gets up, gets dressed then follows her downstairs.

Anita and Brian turned up just after breakfast and they make a start on the presents. Gwilym put himself in charge of cooking Christmas dinner with Anita's assistance.

Waiting for lunch Amelia sets the table with Ceinwen's help while Freddie plays with some of his new toys under Brian and Tom's watch.

Ceinwen watches Amelia work for a moment, taking in the woman that will soon be her daughter in law, "I know we didn't get to speak much the last time I was here, but I'm glad you're marrying my son. He's always been a generally happy person but I remember back in 2002 when he called me telling me everything about you and when he came home over Christmas, you were all he talked about."

Amelia blushes, she wonders what life would be like now if they had stayed together, "I'm sorry I hurt him by breaking it off," she passed Ceinwen the cutlery while she finds the placemats.

She's glad that Amelia pushed her son to finished his education, it's just a shame that it was at the expense of them being pulled apart for 15 years, "It's was a joint decision and I understand why you did it. Things were at a crossroads for both of you in life and you needed to go your separate ways. He had a couple of relationships after you, but we all knew they wouldn't last long, he just wasn't as happy as when he was with you. When I got a call from him back in July saying he'd seen you again, I knew it wouldn't be long before I meet you."

"It's doesn't bother you that I have Freddie?" She can't imagine Ceinwen would be thrilled to find her future daughter in law already has a child.

"Nonsense," Ceinwen dismisses Amelia's train of thought. Putting the cutlery down she walks around the table and pulls the young woman into a hug then steps back to look at her, "Freddie is a wonderful little boy and I hope over time, he'll come to see us as his grandparents too. Please don't believe that we think any less of you because you have a child, quite the opposite you are a wonderful mum and life is complicated nowadays. You make my son happy beyond words, he loves you and adores Freddie, I cannot tell you the happiness it brings me to see him like this and I can't wait for you to be my daughter in law."