A Second Chance [COMPLETED]

Chapter 37 - "Let's see it on already, hot stuff."

The next morning the basement door was thrown open and Benny let out a loud "Merry Christmas", before he plowed down the stairs sounding like a herd of buffalo. It was quiet for a moment before Kade let out a loud grunt. Lennon bolted up to see Benny on top of Kade's sleeping form.

Lennon rubbed her eyes. Kade let out another groan as Benny jumped up and down on his stomach. Lennon grabbed the pint sized body and attacked it with tickles. Benny let out a screech, that evicted the last remnants of sleep from Lennon, and wriggled out of her arms.

"Get up! It's Christmas Morning!" Benny said.

Lennon smiled and pulled her tired body off the couch. She moved to where Kade laid, unmoving. Taking his hand, she began to pull him off. He realized a second too late what she was doing. He crashed onto the floor, knocking Lennon's legs out from under her on his way. Her hip collided with something hard as her elbow dug into something soft, causing Kade to cry out.

"Oww," they said.

"Your elbow just impaled my stomach," he complained.

"You have abs, you're fine," Lennon said, sitting up. "On the other hand, your knee just bruised my hip."

"So this is my fault?" Kade asked.

He wrapped an arm around her and dragged her down. Before she could complain she heard the pattering of small feet and a small body landed hard on top of her. Kade and she both let out groans.

By the time they finally got to their feet, they were wide awake. Kade threw Benny over his shoulder like a sack of potato and charged for the stairs, the two of them chanting "presents".

The morning passed quickly in a jumble of presents and discarded wrapping paper. Julie and Lennon's dad were hosting an open house and by early afternoon people started to trickle in. Lennon stuck by Kade's side, tag teaming the annoyingly prying guests. Their joined hands seemed to build a small defense against the large population of teenage girls. As the sun finally set Lennon and Kade found a small haven in Benny's room surrounded by the kids.

By the time the last guest left, they both found themselves down in the basement. Lennon didn't give a reason for avoiding the guest room and Kade didn't ask. He simply dragged a large pile of blankets and pillows down into the basement. They had fallen asleep quickly, Lennon on the couch and Kade on the floor.

*******************

Their early morning flight to Boston zipped by and before Lennon knew it, Rue and Robbie were giving them a loud welcome at the airport. Rue's chatter didn't stop until they reached the house and she announced their arrival. Kade's mom was beaming as she rounded the corner of the dining room.

"Merry Christmas mom!" Kade said.

He stepped forward, wrapping himself around her.

"We're so happy you're here!" Margret said.

She gave Lennon a hug. The excitement was tripled when the rest of the family arrived. Cece and Sammy tackled Kade the moment they arrived, their excitement causing the other kids to join in.

"Lennon, help!" Kade cried out as he laid buried beneath a pile of kids.

"Sorry, you're on your own," she said.

She sat back and watched, cradling her mug of coffee. Robbie heard the uproar and jumped into the fray, pulling kids up by their ankles. For every child he pulled off, another jumped on. It took him more then ten minutes to pull Kade free.

"You deserted me in my time of need," Kade said once he was free.

He was out of breath and his hair stood up at various angles.