Re: Ghost Of You

Fleur de Lis · Fleur de Lis on Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:33 am

(really LONG one)

In a short while they were all happily full. Food had filled the table, but now the sausage, ham, eggs and noodles and everything else Anna had made had obviously been well recieved. While there was still ALOT of food, there was ALOT less than before. Wine had been flowing and bottles and bottles of beer laid empty.

No One in Anna's small apartment felt any pain anymore. While Gerard wasn't drunk, he was ENJOYING himself immensely. Anna was in his arms and they were dancing..

Well if you could call it that. Anna was more than a little tipsy. She clung to him to keep from falling more than once.

Frank and Bridget couldn't keep away from each other. And Ray and Bobby were playing a rather loud sloppy game of chess, with the set that had belonged to Anna's father. Everyone was having a VERY Merry Christmas.

Even Mikes had stopped by. He had a feeling that it was important to see his brother this Christmas. Mikes was worried that Gerard would stay away from the Way family Christmas this year. He knew his brother would not want talk to their mom about the divorce. So he came to Anna's for part of their celebration.

Mikes looked at his big brother with Anna in his arms. Mikes HAD been worried what Jocelyn's betrayal would do to his brother. Gerard had always been the one to get his heart broken. But now as he saw how Anna looked at him and how Gerard looked back at her, Mikes wasn't worried about his big brother at all.

No Mikes was satisfied that, atleast at the moment ,Gerard was going to have a Very happy holiday.

Anna giggled. "Present time! Atleast one for each of us..The rest can wait till morning if you want to make the holiday last."

They all cheered. Gerard whispered into Anna's ear. "Madame hostess? May I play Host for just tonight?"
Anna nodded and nearly tipped over. "That would be perrrfect."

Gerard called to them all. "Around the tree here! Gather round!" he looked at some of the presents. They were small, but seemed to have been carefully wrapped with bright cloth. Anna must have been partiscipating in the paper drives. Once again Gerard had reason to admire her.

Gerard helped her to a a spot near the tree, and then tapped Mikes and Frank on the shoulders. "Come'on help me with the surprises." he lead them across the hall to the apartment that was they one he and Frank had been sharing. But Frank had married and moved in with Bridge. So now it was Gerard's room.

He had stashed a small pile of gifts under the bed. Most were for Anna. The three helped carry them gifts in to the oohs and ahs of the others.

Frank ran back to his new home and dug into his duffle for his small, but meaningful present for Bridge. Anna had asked Bob to fetch one last present she had hidden in her bedroom for Gerard. When the Sarge saw Bob returning from Anna's bedroom a small pang of jealousy hit him in his gut. HE wanted to be the only one near anything as intimate as Anna's bed.

Gerard sat down on the floor next to Anna and rather protectively put an arm behind her back. He TOLD himself it was merely to help her sit up. But he knew that wasn't the Whole truth either.

Bobby snickered out loud as he saw the look on his Sarge's face. Anna looked at Bob and Ray. Despite her being off balance her speech didn't seem to be affected by the wine. It was almost as if she was not as tipsy as Gerard KNEW she had to be.

Anna addressed Bob and Ray. "I suppose I should give you you present first..wull rather...TELL you it's your's." They looked at her puzzzled. "My Father's chess set. The blue and white one that you are playing with now. It's was made for a man to have as he traveled. It holds all the pieces inside and a has a small space to keep a pen and paper to keep track of wins and losses..I supposse you could fit a deck of cards or two in it as well..It's yours...to share..Play in health and safety gentelmen."

Rayand Bobby started to protest.
"We couldn't.."
"Yes Mam..it t belonged to your Father. We couldn't take it from you." Bob didn't want to offend her but he WAS concerned in taking some thing so meaningful away from her.

"Who gave it to Benjamin who Never touched it. I..it's painful for me to play..it reminds me too much of happier times. Seeing you two enjoy it so much recently...It has done me good. I KNOW you will appreciate it..THAT is what I want. That and for you to think of this little "Island of Peace" this holiday."

"Thank the lady boys." Gerard said with a slight edge to his voice. That tone meant business. The Sarge wouldn't be happy if they upset Anna. And besides They REALLY didn't want to offend her.
"Thank you Anna..We'll think of you everytime we play." Bob said quietly, in a very respectful tone. Ray agreed, "Yeah..it Will help pass the time..especially on that long boat over." Gerard nodded almost imperceptively. But the boys saw, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Anna smiled softly, "Good. Now Michael..I thought perhaps I would give you something that would be something you Really could use." She handed him a thin package. He carefully untied the ribbon and removed the cloth.

It was a small black address book. "It has the names and addresses of a few of the young ladies down at the USO that wanted to meet you. They VOLUNTEERED to keep you company before you ship out next week. Try not to break their hearts too badly."

Mikes grinned from ear to ear laughing. "Anna I don' know what ta say..'xcept Thanks." Gerard winked at his brother. "It seems Anna knew EXACTLY what to get you Little bro. She read you perfectly."

Anna turned to Frank. "My..present to you is Bridget will be taken care of as Best I can while you are serving. I promise I will take care of her and keep her away from Adam and from getting too lonely. AND," she handed a small package to Bridget. "That she will write you. Often."

Bridget opened the package. Inside it was a set of stationary. Pretty and very feminine. "NO one will mistake those letters as from anyone but her." Bridget fingered the fine paper with tears in her eyes. The rather expensive pen that lay inside the box gleamed in the light. "Anna...it's perfect. Thank you! And Gerard I make you the same promise about Anna. I'll keep her from getting lonely." Gerard nodded "Thank you Bridge. I'll keep an eye on Frank for you. "

He wanted to ask Bridget, 'Could you make sure Anna to write to me every once in a while too?..that'd be REAL NICE.' But he was too afraid the answer would be a polite "ofcourse" and then when he waited and she didnt write he'd feel like an idiot for hoping. So he just wouldn't allow himself to get his hopes up.

Anna turned to Gerard and offered him a similarly shaped package, although it was smaller. "This is for you Gerard."

He looked at her. "You didn't have to give me anything. This Christmas, which could have been my worst, has been one of my happiest, because of you. I will never forget it Anna."

Anna blushed at his words whispering softly. "Neither will I." She pushed the package into his hands. "Please take it..open it Please?"

Gerard took it and carefully opened it. Inside was a leather bound journal. It tied shut and had a slot for a pen.
"Anna..It's..it's..I don' know what to say. This is NICE leather. It looks like it cost a fortune."

"My father used to say, 'Every MAN should have a journal.' He said it would give him a place to make sense of his thoughts. It gave him peace, and reminder the world existed away from the warfront." Anna sighed as if remebering difficult times.
"After he dissappered his journals gave my mother comfort to know we were in his thoughts. She said reading his words in his own hand, it was las if she could hear him speaking to her."

Anna looked from the journal in his hands up into his eyes, her own big and round in her face. Eyes that Gerard never wanted to dissappoint.
"I wanted to give you that sense of peace Gerard. That corner of sanity away from the war. To remember there was a place to come home to..to look beyond the end of this awful time."

As he stared into those eyes Gerard forgot there was anyone else in the room.
"I will think of you everytime I touch it, eveytime I see it..and remember this happy night..and you." he said as his fingers brushed the leather. How he e wished like hell it was her skin he was touching instead.
"I WON'T forget Anna. I promise."

Mike cleared his throat and broke the silence in the room. "Um..Anna we...we don't have anything to give to you...I mean Gerard probably does...but the rest of us.." That broke the spell and his brother spoke up.

"Stop. Mikes, I got an idea. Anna give us five minutes...I think we just might be able to surprise you. We may have a gift for you after all." and with that Gerard stood, the boys all did as well, and followed their leader out of the room.

Zombierocker · Zombierocker on Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:07 am

...singing?