"Oh my god I don't think my tree is big enough for all this crap!" I huffed as I set the six bags I had in my arms down on the floor at the back of my couch.

Gerard and I had lounged around after our massive breakfast before deciding to clean my apartment so the later festivities wouldn't be hindered by my dust bunnies. Only after things had been rearranged to our collective liking had we remembered that we had to meet everyone for lunch and decoration shopping. We had left my apartment in a mad scramble, Gerard borrowing some clothes as his needed to be washed still. Lunch had been as memorable as I had thought it was going to be. Not only had Frankie paraded around the ENTIRE Chinese buffet restaurant with chopsticks up his nose or in his mouth like walrus tusks but K.C. AND Ray had joined him in the antics! I thought poor Bob was going to have an aneurysm at first! Mikey had tried playing footsies with me under the table before I had thrown a piece of sushi at him. Which he had immediately eaten so I had stolen a piece of his own to replace it. Not my fault he had eaten my ammo!

Shopping had been pure craziness, more so then the Chinese buffet. We hit like eight different stores in almost as many malls to find everything we were now trudging up my stairs like pack mules. I had no idea what I had wanted to put on my tree, not a big fan of those trees that were all one color. I wanted my tree to be, well to be me. And I was finding out that I wasn't a one or two color tree person. My mother had done that growing up, one of the things I had disliked about Christmas growing up. She literally paid someone to decorate the tree for us in whatever color or color combo was popular that year in all the big circuits. There had been no family around the tree to hang ornaments, I had never been lifted by my father to put the star on top.

And god forbid a string of cranberries and popcorn ever came near the damn thing! I wasn't allowed near the tree anyway so it wouldn't have mattered much anyways. It was why this was so weird for me. It was loud, it was messy and chaotic. There had been shouting and more then once one of us had gotten lost from the others in search of the perfect ornaments or decoration. There was cursing and laughter, name calling and badly sung Christmas carols in the cars. I had been so swept away in it all I hadn't even realized how cold it was or how the snow was piling up outside at good clip. All I had noticed was the warmth coming from the people I knew.

"I'm pretty sure we're going to have to magician it all on to it but we'll make it happen," Gerard replied from behind me as he deposited his own bags. Soon all the guys and K.C. piled into my apartment with their own bags of goodies to add to the growing pile on my floor. Though not all of them were strictly for the tree, some were for the apartment and some even were grocery bags. Those I took first and brought into the kitchen so I could put them away or put them to use.

"What are you doing?" K.C. asked as she peered over my shoulder as I went about emptying the grocery bags.

"I thought I'd put on the mulled cider so we could all warm up as we unloaded all the crap we got today," I offered as set aside the mulled cider ingredients.

"Oh yummy! I'll slice the oranges," K.C. announced happily as she took the bag of oranges and searched for a sharp knife. As much as she was exactly like Frankie I felt just fine allowing sharp objects into her hand for cutting!

With the cutting of the oranges in someone else's capable hands I went about preparing everything else. I dumped the two gallon jugs of cider into my huge pot on my stove and dumped the packets of mulled cider seasoning into them. Into the liquid I also added sticks of whole cinnamon, a handful or two of whole cloves and some star anise. Though I only added three of those. When K.C. had finished slicing the oranges I tossed them in and let the whole thing simmer on my stove. It was going to make the place smell amazing and was going to taste just as awesome.

"Santa hats!" a happy voice sang out behind me before what I could only guess was a Santa hat was shoved on top of my head and over my eyes.

"Hey Frankie do you think you and K.C. could pop all the popcorn and dump it into a giant paper bag for me?" I asked as I readjusted the Santa hat so I could see.

"Popcorn! Uh, do you have a button for it?" Frankie asked as he stole a glance at my microwave.

"Yes I do," I chuckled as I went to the fridge to put most of the beer away.

"Oh pheeuwph," I heard Frankie sigh in relief as he began to rip open the boxes of microwave popcorn with K.C. like they were some poor hapless head of lettuce. My very own crazy vegetarian he was. A mighty hunter of poor defenseless vegetables. Taking five beers I went into the living room where everyone else was sorting through the bags of Christmas things.

"Do you want the lights on the tree in any particular color order?" Ray asked as sat on the floor with every box of lights we had bought. We might have gone a little over board on the lights but I had wanted the tree glowing, and enough to put up elsewhere.

"Whichever box comes to hand first and so on really works for me. I just want a lot of lights on it. I don't care what color order they go on!" I exclaimed happily as I placed his beer, which I opened for him, on the ground within reaching distance. I gave one to everyone else before taking my own and deciding to attack the apartment decorations first since the tree needed lights first.

"Do you have something I can stand on to put up lights around the ceiling?" a voice purred into my ear.

"Aren't you tall enough to reach alone Mikey?" I asked cheekily as I tossed bags of tinsel on the couch from the bag I was going through.

"I'm glad you think so much of my stature, but no, I'm not tall enough. Witch. Now do you have something or am I going to have to ride my brother's shoulders to put them up?" Mikey asked as he hip checked me playfully, sending me off a step or two from where I was standing.

"I," I started to say but was cut off.

"Use the damn folding chair Mikey! I'm not going to play horsey to your knight so you can reach the ceiling. We tried that once and it ended horribly. Now use the chair!" Gerard gruffed as he held out the aforementioned folding chair to his brother. I suppressed my giggles at the glare Gerard was giving Mikey and at the mental image of Mikey riding his shoulders to put up lights.

"My brother is no fun," Mikey whispered with a wink before taking the chair and going about his decorating. Gerard just playfully glared at Mikey's back before going back to setting the faux fireplace image on one wall.

Chuckling to myself I unwrapped a trio of Snowmen that were going to go, well somewhere.


***

After an hour or so of decorating the living room I had decided to serve mulled cider to everyone before grabbing my camera. There were times that I wish I could have a photographer take the photos so I could be in them but then I realized that I would never like them if I didn't do them myself. So I absent I would be. After I had distributed the hot mulled apple cider I went back to decorating for a minute to no one would suspect that I was about to snap shots of them.

Frankie and K.C. were completely ensconced on the floor, a giant brown paper grocery bag full of popped popcorn and a bowl full of whole cranberries between them. I zoomed my camera in to get a close up of Frankie, his tongue between his teeth as he squinted at a needle he was trying to thread so to make more garlands. The popcorn and cranberry garland project had kept them both sitting and still with only the occasional popcorn tossing fight erupting. I was sure I was going to find popcorn under things in my apartment come June but didn't mind.

I had snapped a quiet shot of Bob just holding his steaming cup of mulled cider as he stared out my few windows. They were too far up to see much of the city, but he seemed to just be watching the snow fall outside them. It really turned out perfect, the room around him glowing as he took a moment to pause quietly. I had even captured the steam swirling up out of his cup only to dissipate into the room like a forgotten thought. I had caught a funny shot of Mikey standing on one leg on the folding chair, leaning out with the lights between his teeth so he could tack them up out of his current reach. What had added to the shot was the fact that Gerard had been standing next to him holding more lights, looking very put out as Mikey used his head to balance himself. It was comical and spoke to me of their sibling relationship.

I had even snapped a shot of Ray standing up on his tip toes as he tried to encircle my enormous tree in its million lights. He had all of the lights open and all plugged in to each other and some how wrapped and draped about his personage. He looked like a Christmas tree himself he was glowing so much! It had been too perfect to pass up.

I had taken one of Gerard doing the dishes after we had stopped for food. It was from behind and back lit beautifully with the white light of the outdoor winter wonderland coming in the window above my sink and surrounding him in a white aura. He still had his Santa hat on, though it looked like it had started to slide off his head by that point. His sleeves were rolled up so as not to get sudsed and it just screamed black and white to me, though most of the time that's what I shot him in.

There was one on my camera of K.C. and Frankie whispering, heads so close together it looked they were planning world domination or about to kiss. Course with those two it could have been either and I hadn't bothered to ask them so as not to ruin the shot. I got several of inanimate object all about my apartment as it started to look like a perfect cozy Christmas wonderland. I even had a faux fireplace image on one wall with a shelf nailed above it to be a mantle that I could hang my brand new stocking off of. There was pine garland above every door and across the apartment. There was red, green, gold and silver, and glowing lights everywhere and yet it didn't seem to clash with the outlandish colors my walls were painted. It was almost like my walls had known it was Christmas time and dimmed down their outlandish colors just enough to blend with the festive decorations.

I took a billion of everyone decorating the tree, one bulb at a time. If I could have captured the sound of the Christmas music playing in the background of my apartment that mingled seamlessly with everyone's laughter I would have. But that was something I couldn't do so I had hoped to capture the feel in the images I took.

"I think that's enough camera action for now. You have something very important to do now," Gerard said softly as he took my camera out of my hands and away from my face.

"Hey!" I protested, the close up shot of a Christmas bulb I was trying to take now ruined.

"Shush. There's one last thing that needs to be done and you need to be the one to do it," Gerard shushed as he placed my camera on a side table.

"What," I started to ask but stopped when I saw everyone line up in front of me, Gerard taking his place at the end of the line. I was more confused then anything else.

"No Christmas is the same without it," Frankie said, a wrapped package in his hands that he passed to K.C. standing next to him.

"So we looked and looked till we could look no more," K.C. offered as she held onto the package for a moment before handing it to Ray.

"And we found the perfect one for a perfect Christmas," Ray offered as he held the package before handing it to Bob.

"So we decided to start your tradition off right, with something we all picked out," Bob offered in the way only Bob could before he solemnly passed the package to Mikey. I was growing more and more confused.

"A little something to top your Christmas off properly," Mikey offered before handing the package off to his brother.

"So from all of us to all that is you, Merry Christmas Jay Bird," Gerard ended, a glint to his eyes as he handed the package to me. I took it, mouth open and unsure of what to do next. When Gerard nodded at the package I remembered that I had to open it. I tore off the paper and looked down at the clear box in my hands.

"Oh guys, she's perfect," I sighed. In the clear box was the most beautiful red haired angel I had ever seen. I had totally forgotten that we hadn't purchased an angel while we had been out.

"But how," I started to ask when Mikey grinned at me, making me stop.

"With this," Mikey offered cheekily as he held out the folding chair he had been using all day to decorate with. With a wink he handed it over to me and I unfolded it in front of the tree. On shaky legs I stepped up on to the chair before taking the angel out of her protective box. I stared down at her perfect features and her fiery red hair, stroking her smooth porcelain. I started to lean forward but the chair wobbled underneath me and I stopped.

"But what if I fall?" I asked as I looked down at my friends below me.

"We won't let you," Gerard supplied, looking in my eyes before I turned back to face the tree.
And as I stretched out, my angel in my hand, I felt six pairs of hands place themselves on me, steadying me as I reached out farther then I had thought possible. No, they wouldn't let me fall.



***


"Night Jay Bird, Merry Christmas," Ray said as he squeezed me in a hug before heading off down my stairs.

It had been a long day and an even longer night. Frankie had passed out on my couch, his head on K.C.'s shoulder as she too slept the sleep of the innocent, hours ago. Once everything had been put up or out the remainder of us had sat around drinking spiced mulled cider, rum no longer being a secret ingredient. We had simply sat in my holiday splendor, with Christmas music playing softly around us as the thousands of tiny Christmas lights twinkled out of every corner of my apartment, and talked. When the clock had struck midnight on the proverbial clock everyone had started to pack themselves up to head home, especially since I had an early work day the next morning. Bob had escorted a groggy Frankie and K.C. already down the stairs after they had mumbled their goodbyes and holiday tidings.

"Merry Christmas Jay Bird," Mikey offered as he stood on the landing outside my door, taking me into a hug that turned into a not so chaste kiss before he let me go.

"Merry Christmas to you too you beast!" I reprimanded playfully as I knocked him on the shoulder, biting my bottom lip.

"Rawr!" Mikey offered back playfully and I almost peed my pants laughing over his awfulness before he sauntered down my stairs, a swagger to hips that I couldn't help but watch. The boy may have no ass to speak of really but naked he sure was beautiful.

"Merry Christmas Jay Bird," Gerard said as he came up behind me, as he had been finishing up something in my apartment while I had said goodbyes to everyone and had been helping them collect everything.

"Merry Christmas Gerard," I smiled at him as I opened up my arms for a goodbye hug.

"Mmm. You'll ask Reta when you're next day off is before Christmas right? So we can have you over to our place for a Christmas Eve Whenever party?" Gerard asked, his chin resting on the top of my head as he spoke.

"Mhmm," I replied from his chest. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was fall asleep immediately, and right here seemed like a fantastic place to do just that. I sighed against Gerard's chest, shirt exposed as he hadn't closed his winter coat yet. He smelled like a Christmas version of him, all cigarettes, soap, winter and mulled cider. Not really thinking I nuzzled into his chest more, rubbing my cheek against his sternum as I felt my eyes close.

"Uh Jay?" I heard Gerard ask tentatively from above me.

"Mmm?" I replied back.

"Jay, go get sleep. My chest is probably not the best place for that," Gerard coughed, almost sounding uncomfortable.

"You're right I guess. Night Gerard," I yawned as I stood up and made to head back into my apartment.

"Night," Gerard answered with a grin and a wave before taking the stairs two at a time on his way down.

Sleepily I shut my apartment door behind me and made my way to my room, making sure to grab my camera before I got too far. I had managed to snag a great one of Bob, Ray, Mikey and Gerard all sitting around will mugs of mulled cider in their hands with their heads back as they laughed at something or other. It was really perfect. Like post card perfect. Where the only thing they had been missing was those horrible Christmas sweaters people wore to embarrass their kids. Or maybe not those.

Crawling into bed I took out my journal and flipped on my camera, so I could see the photos I wanted to post mark with my nights entry.

"There is nothing more spectacular then stringing cranberries and popcorn, swearing over pricked bleeding fingers and arguing over whether or not to string a pattern. Bob is a bear riding the winter storm, pausing to gaze at the beauty of December. People can forget who gets wrapped in lights, themselves or the tree. Brothers learn over the years to lean on one another, for just about everything. The grown can still sleep the sleep of the blessed innocent, no matter their hair color or the tattoos they bear. I was gifted my guardian angel, her hair set aflame with Christmas glory. And was held and protected by six of the strongest angels I've ever met. Merry Christmas Jersey. I hear your song, strong and true."

Noting which photos I wanted to be put with my entry I closed my journal and went to bed. Christmas was almost upon us and business was only going to get busier downstairs. I was going to need my strength.

Notes

Okay, so this chapter/time in the story would have made more sense if it had been posted when it was written and intended to be posted.
But what the hell EVER!

I do so hope you enjoyed this chapter as it is one of my FAVES!
The angel gift is really my favorite.
I get all goose bumpy for some reason hahaha!!

More to come so hang on tight!