Christmas: Meeting the Family

[Cmdr Ridire 0]

Aidan smiles to himself as he looks around the living room of the house he and Deb were staying in while they were in Ireland for the week of Christmas. He loved traveling the stars but it was good to be home, he decides. And staying is becoming a wish that is slowly increasing for him. Aidan reaches for his winter coat and pulls it on before pocketing a small wrapped package. He walks across the room and pokes his head through the main bedroom door. Spotting the open bathroom door he calls "Deb, the car is waiting for us. And I’d like to get there before its too crowded." "I'll be there in a minute," called Deb. She closely examined her face in the large mirror in the well lit bathroom. She was accustomed to something much smaller with less lighting. The huge mirror was a bit daunting. With the additional light, she could see so much more and that wasn't necessarily a good thing. "Men," she grumbled under her breath as she fluffed her hair for the umpteenth time.. "Always in a hurry."

 

She wondered why Aidan didn't understand that she had to take extra care. Visiting the in-laws always made her a little nervous. Her husband's family had quickly accepted her as one of their own. They were very down to earth people, not the least bit pretentious. But the Ridire women were so.....beautiful. Her mother-in-law was a stunning woman and Ciara, Aidan's younger sister was simply gorgeous. Deb had little practice in making herself appear....beautiful. She was accustomed to uniforms and no makeup....or just a bit from time to time. The car would have to wait another minute or two until Deb was satisfied her appearance was acceptable.

 

He briefly considers chiding her teasingly, something about making them late. But the memory it taking other women he's known, including members of his own family, more then a little while to get ready for a night out draws him up short. Particularly the annoyance his mother had towards his father once many years ago when his father had said something about her taking forever and a day. Aidan decides to spare himself Deb's annoyance. He wanted her memories of tonight to be perfect, there was no sense in marring the night before it even started. He steps through the bedroom door and moves to sit down on the edge of the bed. He closes his eyes and resigns himself to wait patiently and quietly.

 

Finally satisfied with how she looked, Deb rushed out of the bathroom with plans to grab her coat and meet Aidan at the front door. She was certain he'd be waiting there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of him with one foot tapping the floor. She was taken aback to find him sitting on the bed, eyes closed, seemingly relaxed. Was it real? Or was he faking it?

 

He opened his eyes as she approached and picked up her coat. "I'm ready," she said with a pleasant smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting but ladies take a bit longer to get ready."

 

He looks her over and then stands before stepping into her. He kisses her below her ear and murmurs "I should be used to that by now. You are radiantly beautiful, my love." He kisses her briefly and then murmurs "But you are always that." He takes a half step back and looks her over again. Smiling mischievously he purrs "Though I hope you don't mind if I ask you to wear that dress from time to time. You're definitely going to turn heads."

 

He helps her with her coat and then slips his arm through hers, guiding her out of the house and to the waiting car. A short ten minutes later they the car pulls up in front of the main castle doors. The outside of the castle is dimly lit but there are large fully decorated Christmas trees in the courtyard and various decorations strung up on the walls. The sound of music and chatter floats dimly out the front doors. Aidan helps Deb out of the car and they walk thorough the main doors into the foyer which if anything is more lavishly decorated then the courtyard. Two towering Christmas trees, fully lit and decorated, stand at the far corners. Already several dozen people are milling about the foyer talking or sipping drinks. Aidan smiles as he watches Deb look around as they head for the coat check off to the side.

 

This wasn't her first visit to "the castle." She'd been there before. It always took her breath away. But tonight, it was a truly magnificent sight. Huge garlands with tiny twinkling lights draped the massive entryway. Antique candelabra of all sizes were clustered throughout the walkway leading to the main doors. Their gentle, flickering lights ushered the guests into the grand foyer.

 

The castle was built centuries earlier and had been meticulously and lovingly maintained. Aidan's family traditions were at least that old. Deb thought how wonderful it must be to belong to a family whose heritage could be traced back through the aeons. She couldn't repress a smile as she realized she was now a part of that family as well. As they moved into the foyer, she almost giggled at the soaring Christmas trees with their huge ornaments and thousands of brightly colored lights. The festive sounds of holiday music drifted across the foyer from somewhere beyond barely audible over the low rumbleof all the voices passing through the room.

 

Deb reached for her husband's hand and looked up at him with a grin. "Please don't tell me all of these people are your relatives."

 

He glances around at the people, spotting various cousins, some close others distant, plus a few uncles and aunts as well as some family friends. "Well, some are family friends and a few are government officials from the area. Most, however, will be relatives of ours, yes. He nods briefly in the direction of a pair of older couples across the room from them. "And those four over there are my grandparents. We should go say hello to them, I'm pretty sure they do very much want to meet you finally. And I'm a bit surprised my parents and Ciara aren't here yet."

 

She caught herself staring at "the grandparents." Granted, the grandmothers were a lot older but still extremely attractive. "They must had led a life of leisure," thought Deb as they checked their coats. "Or the women in Aidan's family have a special beauty secret. I wonder if Ciara knows what it is."

 

The leave their coats but instead of heading in the direction of Aidan's grandparents, he leads Deb in the direction of the door leading towards the grand ballroom. As they reach two small steps leading towards the risen area of the foyer between two of the columns he stops. He smiles at Deb and murmurs "Close your eyes for a few seconds, please."

 

Deb was still stealing glances at the grandparents as they stepped away from the coat check. She was mentally preparing herself for the big introduction when Aidan suddenly changed course. Still a little perplexed, she looked up at him expectantly and then followed orders. "What's going on?" she whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut.

 

He smiles and glances around, checking to make sure they were at the one quite special location in the foyer. Retrieving the small box from his pocket he opens it and removes the contents. He places a intricately crafted diamond and ruby bracelet around her left wrist. He leans in and kisses her forehead before murmuring "I thought you might want to get one of your presents. Happy anniversary, my darling."

 

It rarely happened but this was one of those occasions. Deb was speechless. She stood in shock staring at the gorgeous bracelet now dangling from her wrist. Granted, when he told her to close her eyes, she knew there was a gift coming. But this....this was so far from what she'd expected she simply didn't know what to say. Finally regaining her composure, she threw her arms around Aidan's neck. "It's beautiful," she whispered, kissing him warmly. Pulling back a bit, she again admired the elaborate design of the bracelet. The diamonds delicately intertwined with the rubies setting them off just perfectly. "Thank you," she stammered. "This is far more than I expected. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait for your gift. I'll be giving it to you once we arrive in Hawaii."

 

He smiles and purrs "Whatever my darling wishes. Though she knows she is the only gift I ever do need or want." He tips his head down and kisses her gently on her bare shoulder. And she is..wrapped most alluringly." He tips his head back and then adds "I trust my wife recognizes this spot and why it is quite special. And she should know I'm not done with the gift giving quite yet. Her one present will wait for Hawaii but the next one she will receive at my parents tomorrow night."

 

"Aidan," whispered Debbie with a gentle smile. "You're going overboard again. It isn't that I'm not grateful, but I have almost everything I've ever dreamed of. Even if I never the get the one or two items still on the list, I'm quite content with my present situation." She paused a moment as someone jostled by. "I remember this place. But now, thanks to you, there are so many...special places." She softly stroked his cheek. "Although this one will always remain near the top of the list."

 

He smiles as he leads her towards his grandparents. "Why don't you wait to tell me that I'm going overboard until after you see what the other gifts are? Because I somehow suspect that you'll very much like them." He squeezes her hand gently and purrs "Besides, my love is someone very much worth going "overboard" on. And if she kisses me like that every time I give her a gift then there's another reason to go overboard." He says the last mischievously. "And I am a bit curious as to what present you're going to give me while we're in Hawaii? I don't get a hint or a clue?"

 

Deb chuckled softly as they walked toward the two older couples seated near the one of the entrances into what could only be called a massive ballroom. "No," she insisted. "No clues...not even a little one." Looking up at him, she smiled coyly. "And certainly you know that my kisses are free of charge. You don't have to produce a gift to receive one."

 

He smiles wryly and purrs "Oh, I know that. But that doesn't mean I can't do so for the fun of it. Perhaps when we're in Hawaii I'll just insist on staying in our room for a day so I can see to having my fill of your kisses, at least for a while." He glances sidelong at her before adding "So you're not going to give me any hints as to what my present is? Suppose then I'll just have to keep my curiosity in check. Pity though, you could have gotten me to give you a hint on what I have in store for you, love." As they work their way through the growing crowd he squeezes her hand gently. "You should know you are by far the most beautiful woman here, darling."

 

As for her being the most beautiful woman at the castle that evening, even if it wasn't true, she was grateful he thought it was. Deb was going to make a comment about Aidan's idea. She had no problem spending a day in their room doing a lot of nothing. Such occassions rarely presented themselves aboard ship. At it happened, they were quickly approaching her husbands grandparents....both sets of them. The two grandfathers stood up to greet them and she could see the older ladies studying her carefully. She smiled at the quartet and chose to reseve any further comments about Hawaii until later.

 

Aidan is a bit nervous, though for the life of him he doesn't know why, introducing Deb to his grandparents. A Borg was more likely to crack a joke then his grandparents not liking Deb after all. Still, the nervousness, however small, is there. And he can tell just by Deb's tightening her hand around his that she's a bit nervous as well. It turns out, however, that the nervousness isn't needed. Within a few minutes both sets of his grandparents have welcomed Deb to the family and are carrying on as if they've known her for years.