Merry Christmas

Though curious as to where his niece had gone, JT doesn't ask. He never pried into Bree's business and she never pried into his - it was just the way they worked.

Trying to relax wasn't too hard. The family seemed to recover from the little episode a few minutes ago - at least they were trying to enough that it seemed to work. The music picked back up again, the rest of the gifts were handed out, and the absence of the other three was filled in by laughter and chatting once again.


Ryder gives Thirteen an encouraging nod and takes her hand, heading for the door. Bundled up, he takes her to her bunk but doesn't leave right away. Instead, he sits with her and finds a chick flick on television to watch with her. He doesn't make her talk about what had happened, but just holds her, trying to help her relax.

It wasn't until after Thirteen had fallen asleep and Ryder had made sure she had a blanket pulled up over her on the bed that he quietly left. Once in his own bunk, it took quite a while for sleep to overtake his mind. He felt bad for Thirteen, and he felt a might guilty too, for not having told her about Trent sooner. He knew he'd made a promise that he couldn't break, but still, he probably hadn't been fair to her either, and he just hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him for it.


Eric grins and nods. He knew he'd been wrong to hit Trent, but knowing Rosetta forgave him was enough to make him stay up with her.

"Yeah... I guess I've been on the road a lot lately, huh?" He takes another sip of coffee. "Maybe God's gonna use this to tell me to slow down a little."


As the evening wore on, people began filtering to their own homes or accommodations. Cindy left with Wes and a sleeping Kaylee. Clint wanted to stay up but he knew he needed to go with Wendy and get Chase to bed for the night too. JT made sure Bree was able to get to bed and to sleep before he did as well, wishing Amanda a merry Christmas before he did. Jim and Becky didn't stay too long, and Rosalyn ended up almost falling asleep in her chair, so she'd opted to call it a night as well. Luke stuck around a while to help clean up a few things, but as the late hours came, so did the pain, so he and Angel finally left too. Eventually, Jason and Katie were gone, leaving Sparky and Faith in a quiet corner talking, and Rosetta, Eric and Jeff chatting at their table still.

Though some would wish the evening to go on forever, body's eventually needed to rest and the dining hall was left dark and quiet. There was such a mix of emotions, so extreme. There was a happiness for the season and for the family being together and having such a good time. There was a sadness and a bit of anger connected to what was going on with Trent. And there was a longing for some who weren't there with them.

But time is a funny thing in that when the sun rises again, so often the world looks different than the day before. There's a freshness in the air and an opportunity to start again. The bad wasn't the end after all, and there's one more chance for the good to continue... for the warmth to wash over the ready souls again.


Breakfast was over and morning chores were almost done. The first few hours of daylight had been good. There was still a bit of tension in the air, but between Jeff's teasing, Clint's crazy antics at the breakfast table and Jason teaming up with Eric, laughter drove away the storm clouds.

Trent had not been seen yet today, but everyone else had made it in eventually, including the three fugitives and four visitors. It was a new day after all, and it was Christmas. Peace was available to all as each one found their own ways to grasp it.


So I was thinking about a nice ride this afternoon, just you and me. I know it's cold but... A Christmas horseback ride with you is pretty enticing.

Jason looks across the table to Katie, his emotions those of love and just a want to spend some extra special time with her on this special day. They'd have the rest of the morning then all evening with everyone else... gifts had almost all been exchanged already, so they only needed to make sure they were back in time for supper. So that left a little free time - at least that's what Jason was hoping for.


Eric eases slowly down into a chair in Angel's office, having just come over a while after breakfast. He's spoken with her earlier, so she knew he was here for some pain killers.

"I told the doctor at the hospital I didn't need nothin' but..." He grimaces a little. "This leg of mine seems pretty intent on making me miserable."


Trent emerges from his bunkhouse for the first time that morning. He hadn't gone to breakfast, and he hadn't socialized afterward. It was the tack room he was headed for now... the small confines of leather and oil that was his only haven. People would come and go, but for the most part, it was as private as it got, besides cooping himself up in his own bunk.

Stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets, he wanders to the barn, his head bent low. Thankfully, he made it inside without meeting anybody else. Slipping into the tack room, he shuts the door and finds a saddle to work on, setting it up in a warm corner to clean and oil. He could imagine the rest of his family thinking it was about time for him to leave and get out of their hair... and really, he deserved to get kicked out. Maybe it was time. What Bree had said the night before made sense but... in the long run, maybe it would be best if he just tried to start over somewhere else instead of trying to make up for a past that never could be forgiven.

His eyes were sad and tired. He'd hardly slept at all. Maybe even a few tears had been shed. He couldn't help but wonder though... was Thirteen even still here?


"Bree?" JT taps on the spare room door and lets himself in. After getting her up for breakfast, he'd seen her come back here to hibernate again.

"You awake?" He offers her a gentle smile, glad to see that she hadn't fallen back to sleep again. "I got something for ya..." Both knew that this was an abnormal Christmas. Normally they would have shopped til they dropped on Christmas Eve then had their own little party with junk food, gifts and cheesy movies. Today though, they were without all of that - JT only had one gift to give, and it had taken him all morning and a lot of string pulling to make it happen.

Taking his hand from behind his back, it held the room's cordless phone he'd taken earlier. "There's somebody who wants to talk to you."

On the other end, Gunner waits, hearing JT's muffled voice, apparently talking to Bree. He leans back still in his cell, but amused with David's style of getting the job done. He had a phone and he had it for fifteen minutes.


And while the morning progressed, not many would notice a familiar truck coming up the driveway. It was Christmas after all... and sometimes extra special blessings came when no one would thing they would. Especially when secrets had been kept so well over the phone.

Parking by the garage, the two occupants get out, one more grudgingly than the other. A bag or two was retrieved and the driver waits for the younger passenger to come around and trudge up the porch steps.

A few people were still in the dining hall - it was bet upon that the person sought after would be in here and not the main house at this time of the morning. And the assumption was correct.

Mick gestures to Dylan, that he can sit down wherever he likes, though his son remains standing, staring at the floor. It was obvious the teenager wasn't happy, but wasn't a risk to running off either. Mick's own focus was singular at this point. There was just one person he was concerned with seeing. His eyes were tired... he had a weary look about him and had lost a little weight, but he was back... and he was back for good this time.

Setting his bag down, Mick's gaze finds Rosetta at the other end of the room. Her back was turned, so he motions for some of the others to keep quiet and they play along. Coming up behind her near the kitchen, the brim of his hat brushes the back of her head. "Merry Christmas," he whispers.


Snow was falling... again. Jade had enjoyed just the light amount in Texas, but back in Colorado, it was piling up. And after just two days, she was already getting tired of it. She felt like a caged animal. Back in town, she already missed the wide open spaces and being able to roam the ranch. She was back in her bedroom again with all her things... but it just wasn't the same anymore.

Pacing the bay window in the living room, her mother chides her.

"Good grief, Jade... what's your problem?"

"Sorry. Bored."

"Well if that's the case, come help me with the turkey."

It was back to a traditional Christmas. Jade's mom, stepfather, grandparents and a few cousins and aunts and uncles would be coming over. Surprisingly, she and her mom had already had a talk about Dylan and her mom had finally come to the point of admitting she really couldn't offer Dylan anything other than the same old situation again so maybe it really was better for him to be in Texas. She'd made a comment about not really liking Dylan being around Mick, but Jade had let it slide, not wanting to get into it. She wasn't exactly on good terms with her father at this point either. Ben had been okay... he'd always been nice though, so Jade was alright with being around him again. Nobody really wanted her to live in Texas, but her mom had agreed maybe a change of scenery would be good - though she fully expected Jade to eventually return to Colorado for college. The only one totally opposed to Texas was Jade's grandmother, who had nothing good to say about it at all, let alone Mick. Comments were made that Jade never should have had to put up with, but not wanting to be miserable, she'd kept her mouth shut. Seeds of doubt had been planted, but so far none had thwarted any plans too severely.

Then there was Dan. Jade's mom had seemed to find a little romance amusing, but Jade had the feeling that she had no idea how serious she really was about it. She missed Dan something awful just being gone this short amount of time. She liked Texas, she liked the ranch, and she really did want to get on better terms with her father. But it was Dan whom she'd fallen in love with, and he was a pretty major puzzle piece in her deciding to return to Texas for good. She hadn't told her mom about the conflict with her dad and Dan... but she'd already made up her mind that if her dad wouldn't let her live on the ranch as long as she was dating Dan, she'd find a place as close as she could. At least it would be closer than Colorado.

"Jade!"

"Huh?"

"I've been calling you!" Her mother sets her hands on her hips, mildly annoyed though she chuckles. "Where's your head today, hmm? Come to the kitchen and help me."