Like Mother, Like Daughter (Season 3)

Chapter Eight: Shaking Things Up

Christmas morning dawned with a good few inches of snow on the ground, and I pulled back my covers, turning over slightly to kiss Axel on the temple. "Christmas morning," I said quietly to him, and Axel smirked as he opened his eyes. "Morning, you," I said, grinning down at him and letting out a squeal when he flipped me over so as I was on my back.

"Good morning to you, too," Axel said, a smile sweeping his face effortlessly as he leaned down and brushed his lips with mine.

I feel the soft giggle escaping my throat as my hands cup his face, and my tongue immediately moves upwards to meet his. I feel my heart pounding immediately as his mouth opens automatically above mine, and just as I begin to feel his muscular back through his sleep shirt, Hailey stirs from her crib and Axel groans sarcastically, flopping down rather dramatically on top of me. "Come on," I said, slapping his back for a moment until he rolled off me, playfully grumbling all the way. "Motherhood calls," I said, pulling down my tank top, as his hands had managed to snake beneath it, and dragged down the legs of my sleep pants as I got out of bed and crossed over to Hailey's crib. "Hi, sweetie," I said, picking her up.

"Mama!" Hailey said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi, baby," I said, kissing her forehead. "Oh, boy. Looks like someone just dropped me a Christmas bonus, right in her very own stocking!" I said, singing to myself a Christmas carol or two as I brought her over to the changing table. "Remember the schedule today?" I asked, looking briefly over my shoulder at Axel, who was sitting up in bed and was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah," Axel said, clearing his throat and stretching his muscular arms high above his head. "I have breakfast with your family downstairs, then we head over to Ian and Mickey's place before lunch for presents. Everyone will be there who lives in town, and normally Fiona tries to head down from New York but can't make it until after New Year's because of that kid that her and your uncle Jimmy are fostering."

"Good man, remembering all that," I said, flashing him a smile before I turned back to Hailey, who was swinging her legs happily and attempting to grab onto my hair. "No, no," I said, doing my best to keep smiling down at her. "We do not grab Mama's hair, Hailey, no." I did my best to clean her up and quickly, before I painstakingly re-buttoned up her Christmas sleep onesie, did a quick job at sanitizing my hands, and took her back into my arms. "Ready to head down for the world famous Christmas breakfast?" I asked, stepping towards the bed. "Chocolate chip pancakes, heaps of bacon and sausage, and fried eggs coming out your ears?" I went on, grinning at him with excitement.

Axel pouted slightly. "Maybe you could casually hand off Hailey to Fionn for five minutes while we spend a little holiday time alone."

I scoffed. "Really?" I said, stepping back so that I was out of his reach. "It's fucking Christmas right now, Axel. You'd need to work a little more than five minutes, if you know what I mean," I said, giving a cursory glance between my own legs, and Axel licked his lips at the challenge. "I would rather us put on our robes and slippers and head downstairs. I'm hungry."

"Me too," Axel replied, crawling towards me and taking ahold of my hips. "And as good as your mom's chocolate chip pancakes are, I'm hungry for something a little different."

"And that's my cue," said a voice on the other side of my bedroom door, which came open rather quickly then, and Axel jumped back from me as if I'd electrocuted him. "I'm not gonna hit you, Axel," Dad said, looking like he was about ready to kill him nonetheless. "I'm not gonna even hurt you, because it's a holiday..."

"Dad," I said, my voice firm.

"That, and I promised your mother I wouldn't when I came to get you for breakfast," Dad went on then, taking Hailey into his arms after she reached for him. "Speaking of, your mother would like the three of you downstairs for breakfast," he went on, putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me towards the door. "And you," he said, turning back to Axel, who was now out of bed and standing at attention, "I let you spend the night now and again, share a bed with my daughter, and eat my food, but don't let me ever hear you saying something like that to her ever again. Do you understand me?"