Pleased to meet you... again

Forty Eight

"So I can have any bedroom?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah" Xander said from the top landing. As they stood hand in hand with Casey their engagement rings touching.

"Except that one." The blonde shouted. That's ours.

Xander looked at her.

"It's the biggest and it's got it's own bathroom, double shower, jacuzzi bath." Casey followed it up by raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah kiddo any of the others."

"That okay bug?"

"You call her, bug? I've never noticed before."

"Yeah I thought it was so sweet when your mom called you that I stole it. Made me think of you when I thought I'd lost you forever."

Dawn ran along the corridor to almost the opposite end of the house. "I want this one!"

"Brilliant. About as far away from us as she can be." Casey tried to hide her smile.

They started moving items into the house between Christmas and New Year. Got the power switched on and invited the family Marilyn and Jean, Ali and Robbie and Joyce and Lydia too to join them for dinner. It was the first time the whole family had been together. And Casey explained that Lydia alway celebrated with them.

"Lindy" Dawn embraced her Nanny "there will be a room here for you so you don't ever have to be alone. Took her hand and led her upstairs to show her the rooms.

Xander smiled and nodded at Casey to say that if that is what everyone wanted then the housekeeper was welcome to stay. "Why Lindy?"

"She couldn't say Lydia when she was younger, it has kind of stuck. Would you mind if we offered a room?"

"No. There are loads to go around. I'm guessing she doesn't have any family?"

"No never married, no kids. She has a sister out East somewhere but no no one close."

"Well she's more than welcome and eh live in babysitter."

"Don't be mean."

The guests all started to arrive Ali and Robbie were next after Lydia. They took a seat at the stools at the kitchen bar. Then Joyce, Marilyn and Jean.

"Robbie. You're the only guy  here. Are you okay surrounded by girls?" Joyce asked, not sure if that was the right way to speak to a trans man.  "Actually just for reference, what are your preferred pronouns?"

"They he, so your spot on." He smiled back politely.

Dinner went well. Marilyn and Jean were on hood form with stories from their travels. Joyce spoke about a young man at the gym she's got her eye on much to Casey's disgust at the thought of her mom with a toyboy. Xander, Casey Dawn and Robbie escaped outside to kick a ball about while Marilyn and Joyce rinsed the plates and loaded the dishwasher.

"They are made for each other." Marilyn said handing the other mother a bowl.

"Yeah they always have been. I should have let them be."

"They're here now. Maybe this was always their time. Look at them."

They watched as Xander lifted the blonde in a fireman's hold and popped them over their shoulder. Dawn was jumping up and down laughing while Ali joined Robbie and gave them a peck on the cheek.

"Our kids are happy what more could we want." Marilyn smiled. Joyce followed suit.

Everyone left around 7 pm and Dawn had gone to her room to pack away some more of her toys. Before bed.

Casey and Xander worked their way through another box that came from Casey's apartment. Xander pulled out a leather clad journal book.

"Shit I remember buying you this. The first Christmas." They flicked through the pages which were completely covered in inked words. "You wrote a story?"

"Yeah, I wrote our story well. Alex and Cassie's."

"Wow. What's it called?"

"Intuition." The blonde smiled and took the book back and kissed her partner.

The end.