On Christmas Day, John woke up with a yawn. He rolled over to cuddle with his fiancé, but the spot next to him was empty and cold. "Simon?" He sat up and looked around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The Scot stood up, put on some boxers, and shuffled out of the bedroom.
He walked into Carter's room, but the baby was gone. "Carter? Carter?!" Soap threw blankets out of the crib, looking for his son. Then he sprinted to Destiny's room. She was gone as well. "Where're my babies?!" John started panicking.
He rushed into the kitchen to see a note on the fridge. He read it aloud to himself. "Dearest Johnny, I took the kids to the cemetery. I'm sorry I freaked you out, but I didn't want to wake you. We'll be there for a while, if you want to join us. Love, Simon."
"That fuckin' bawbag. I'll murder him fer scarin' me like this." John quickly put on clothes and a heavy jacket. He grabbed the car keys and drove to the cemetery.
When he got there, he saw Simon looking down at a grave, a mask covering his, with Destiny holding his right hand, and Carter being held in the other. "Simon Riley-MacTavish!" Soap shouted, as he ran over to his family. "How dare ye do that t' me! I thought someone bloody kidnapped my kids!" "I'm sorry, luv. I wanted to show them this."
John looked down at the grave. It was Ghost's mother's. "Oh, Simon." The Scot wrapped his arm around his partner's waist. "Thought the kids should know who their grandmum is." The Brit muttered.
Dezzi let go of Ghost's hand and walked up to her grandmum's grave and got on her knees. "Papa, who is that?" She asked, as she looked up at her dads. "That, sweetie, is your grandmom, Margaret. She passed away way before you were born." "Was she nice?" "Of course she was. She had problems, but all-in-all, she was good."
Simon's eyes started to fill with tears. "Hun, I think ye should show 'em th' other grave," Soap muttered. The Brit wiped his eyes and sniffled. "Y-Yeah. You're right." "Always am." "That's debatable." "Awy 'n' bile yer heid, ya eejit."
The two lovers held Destiny's hands and walked over to a single grave with a broken headstone. "Who's this papa?" Dezzi asked. "That, luv, is my grave." Simon murmured. "You're dead?" "No, no. I-It's complicated. I'll tell you when you're older."
After a few seconds of silence, the little girl spoke up. "Okay, I'm older." The two men chuckled. "Smart aleck." Soap picked up his daughter and nuzzled their noses together. "Dada, can we come back 'n' make papa's grave look pretty?" John looked over at his partner, noticing the wide-eyed expression on his face. "That's up t' papa, luv."
Dezzi looked over at the Brit. "Papa, can we?" Silence....
"Of course you can, baby. I think it'd be a nice change." Simon quietly said, as he wiped his eyes again. "Yay!" The little girl exclaimed, as she put her hands up in the air to show her excitement. "Destiny, ya need t' use yer inside voice. Papa's hearin' aids are sensitive." Soap chuckled. "Oops... Sorry, Papa." "It's alright, luv."
The Brit scooted closer to his fiancé and little girl. He was still holding Carter, but he'd fallen asleep by this point. "Let's go home, Johnny." "Okay, Si." And so, they walked back home.
They sat in the living room and the two men passed out presents. Destiny got some dinosaur toys, which she had asked for, and the movie Howl's Moving Castle, which Simon and John thought she'd love. Carter go some clothes, baby toys and snacks.
Then John handed his partner his present, which was wrapped in newspaper. "We ran oot of wrappin' paper." The Scot said with a chuckle. "I don't need anything, Suds." "Awy 'n' bile yer heid. Just open it, ya numpty." "Fine, fine."
Ghost gulped and stared down at the present in his hands. What if it was a bomb? Or snakes? *Johnny wouldn't do that.* He took a breath and slowly unwrapped the present. Inside was a whole bunch of CDs and movies. Simon's eyes went as wide as they possibly could.
"Y'like 'em?" Soap said with a hopeful smile. "Like them? No..." Ghost said with a blank expression. John's smile faltered. "Ye dinnae like 'em? Oh..." "I love them." Pause.
"Dinnae do that again, ye fuckin' weasel, or I'll gie ye a skelpit lug!" "That's a new one." Simon chuckled, as he looked through the CDs first.
He'd gotten the Owl City album, Ocean Eyes, the Avenged Sevenfold albums, City of Evil and Hail to the King, the Hollywood Undead album, Swan Song, the Lady Gaga albums, the Fame and Born This Way, the Linkin Park albums, Hybrid Theory, A Thousand Suns, and Living Things, and the Eminem albums, Recovery and the Eminem Show.
"How did you afford all this, Suds? This is a lot." "Well, I saved up fer a special occasion." John shrugged. "Look at th' movies I got ye."
The Brit looked through the movies. He'd gotten Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Doom, Batman Vs. Dracula, Good Will Hunting, the Phantom of the Opera, This Means War, The Fifth Element, Limitless, A Monster in Paris, the Skyline trilogy, But I'm a Cheerleader, and Mission Impossible 1, 2, and 3.
"You listened to me when I was ranting about my favorite movies?" Simon quietly rhetorically asked, as he looked up at his fiancé. "Of course, luv. Why, did ye think I wouldnae listen?" "N-No, it's just... This means the world to me." Ghost sighed and looked away.
"But I didn't get you anything..." "Y'still can." "How? It's already Christmas Day. I should've gotten you something, instead of wallowing in my own sadness and trauma. I need to prove to you that I love you, because, what if you—" John kissed Simon to shut him up. He placed his hands on his lover's cheeks and gently caressed his face.
"Simon, ya dinnae have t' give me anythin'. I know ye love me, and gettin' to be with ya, alive 'n' well, is enough." Soap placed his forehead on Ghost's and the duo looked each other in the eyes. "I love you, Simon Riley-MacTavish." "And I love you, John MacTavish-Riley."
"Ya need t' stop kissin' so much. It's gross. Bleck!" Destiny said as she stuck her tongue out. She walked over to her dads and sat in between them. The two men laughed.
They looked over at Carter, who was asleep in his play pen, next to them. Then they looked at their daughter, then back at one another.
"Merry Christmas, Johnny." "Merry Christmas, Simon." And with that, they each gave a kiss to Destiny's cheeks, which made her squeal with delight.