Christmas day, Joyful for children and stressful for parents
But when both your children are adults and would be very happy with fluffy socks and gift cards for Christmas, it's significantly less stressful
That's exactly how it was for the Sersin family, both Abigail and Jake weren't able to leave for home for Christmas
So the family decided a zoom call would be better, relying on that their parents could actually work the computer well enough for them to do it
Jake and Abigail were the first two on, Katie sat next to Jake
"Hey Jake, Hi Katie" Abigail waved at the camera
"Hiya Abigail, Merry Christmas!" Katie said happily
"Merry Christmas, Jake are you going to Admiral Kazansky's for Christmas Dinner?"
"Yeah, both me and Katie will be there" Jake nodded
"Good, do you know if ma and Dad have figured out the call yet?" She asked "No clue Abbs, we could be here till New Year waiting for them" Jake shrugged
Finally their parents joined squinting at the computer
"Hello? Can you hear us?" Their mother asked
"Yeah Ma, we can see and hear you both" Abigail assured
The zoom call showed the simple apple pie outer shell that the Seresins had
Their parents looked as normal as any middle-aged couple, greying hair and wrinkles prominent on their faces
"Oh and this must be Katie!" Their mother cheered "Oh she's so pretty, isn't she pretty Jack?"
Katie's smile widened "It's nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Seresin" she said sweetly
"Abigail-"
"No, No Ma, I don't have a boyfriend" Abigail said simply "Well what about a girlfriend? You know we'd be just as happy"
"I also don't have a girlfriend" Abigail chuckled
"Come on everyone, enough about Abigail's lack of a love life-
"Kindly Piss off Jake" Abigail said with a fake smile
"Language Abigail, that's not ladylike and you know it" Their mother chastised
"Gift time, I hope our gifts got to you guys in the mail" Jake said
"Oh yes! They did, did ours get there safe?"
The two siblings confirmed it when Abigail's doorbell rang
"Two minutes guys, doorbell is going off" she said standing from where she was wrapped up on the couch
"Hey Bob! You're, very, very early" Abigail said suprised, Bob was stood with a bag in his hand, dressed in blue jeans and a light blue Christmas sweater with white reindeer on it
"Yeah, sorry I didn't give you a heads up but I wanted to suprise you a little, Merry Christmas"
"Merry Christmas" she smiled hugging him "Please come in, I'm just on a call with my family, do you want a drink?" She asked letting him in
"Jake! She said she didn't have a boyfriend" Abigail's mother said from the computer "She doesn't Mom, he's a WSO from our squad" Jake told their overly excited mother "I thought she was dating him" Katie admitted
Abigail handed Bob a wine glass sitting back down with him next to her
"Hey Bobby" Jake waved "Jake" Bob nodded "Nice to see you again Katie, Mr and Mrs Seresin, I apologise for interrupting your family call" Bob greeted
"Oh it's no bother dear! I'm Marie, this is my husband Jack" Their mother introduced "Nice to meet you ma'am" Bob smiled
"Oh! He's southern as well, Abigail are you sure you aren't dating him?"
"No ma! He's just one of Jake's squad mates" Abigail said going red
Bob laughed slightly "She's right Mrs Seresin, Abigail is a wonderful Woman but we are not dating"
"Anyway, Ma, Da, why don't you open mine and Jake's gift" Abigail prompted
They exchanged gifts and everything
"Abby, there should be a second gift for you" Their mother prompted, Abigail looked at the presents, most what she needed to give people
"Oh yeah!" She said grabbing the bright red wrapped present "I'm very excited about this one" Their mother smiled
Abigail opened it carefully taking the present out of its wrapping
"Now I know you're an adult and all that but I couldn't resist giving you a little bit of home"
"Oh my lord, Ma, I love it" Abigail said looking at the present in her hands, a golden retriever with a soft golden coat of fur
"What is it?" Bob asked quietly "Our dog Lucky" Their mother said, their Dad whistled and an older golden retriever jumped up on the couch laying between the older couple
"We've had him since Abby was a little girl, he's retired now" Their mother said
"That's very thoughtful" Bob said
"I'm gonna cry" Abigail said her voice breaking slightly, Bob placed his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer
"It's uh. . .Not as sentimental as that but um I have something for you as well" Bob said gently
Abigail sat up wiping at her eyes just incase
"Here, I asked Pheonix for help" he said handing her a small neatly wrapped box with a small bow on one of the corners
Abigail was careful with the wrapping paper and bow pulling out a box and opening it
"Oh Bob, that's beautiful" she grinned pulling out a silver necklace, it was a cattle tag necklace with a small flower on it with a blue stone in the middle of the flower "Phoenix said it was a good rustic chic style necklace and apparently you wear alot of silver, I don't know this stuff" he shrugged "Two seconds, I got you something as well" she said standing up
Looking through the presents she handed him a silver and white wrapped present
"You didn't have to" Bob smiled "Oh you know I did" she said
"Come on, open it!" She grinned
"Oh wow" Bob said as he opened the box lid "Thank you Abigail" he smiled hugging her
The Box had a silver travel coffee mug, a large box of coffee and tea "I thought it would last you a week maybe 2 if you're stingey with it" she joked
"Ha, ha" Bob laughed sarcastically
"Well we need to go, have to see your aunts and uncles, we'll tell them you're doing well" their Dad said
They waved their goodbyes and Abigail shut off her computer
"I'm really sorry I interrupted you" Bob repeated "It's fine, honestly, you'll get hell from Jake but our parents didn't mind at all and actually expect to be on the Christmas list next year" Abigail joked
"Come on, I still need to make the food I'm bringing to Admiral Kazansky's" she said standing up
"Need help?" Bob asked "No, but you can keep me company" she answered
Bob followed her to the small kitchenette, Bob sat up on the kitchen island
"Brussel sprouts? Isn't that what every kid hates at the dinner table?" Bob asked as she pulled out the Brussel sprouts "Are we children?" Abigail challanged "No but honestly at 27 I don't think my opinion has changed"
"Well, I was in the same boat, I never liked Brussel sprouts as a kid, neither did Jake but my ma insisted we eat em" she explained as she busy around the kitchen preparing the food
"So she started making em' like this, an we absolutely loved them, it's pretty easy, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper and paremesan cheese, completely cover them and bake for half an hour, easy as pie" she smiled placing the tray in the oven "Just in time for them to be out for the party"
"6 right?" He asked "If you're Jake it's 5:30" she nodded "So he's chronically late?" Bob questioned
"I swear if our mamma wasn't kicking him up the backside every 10 minutes I swear he'd a been late for his own Top Gun graduation, you'd think the military would have made him punctual" she chuckled turning her back to him grabbing a bottle of red out the fridge
"What's with that face?" She asked as she turned back around
"Nothing, just your accent, it's like me, second I talk to my family, you'd think I came from the deep south bearly a week ago" he said
"Shut it, my accent ain't that thick, go get me the bow off the side table" she instructed
"It's cute, the accent suits you" he said getting off the counter finding the white bow Abigail asked for
"Here" he said handing her the bow "Thank you, an' don't call me cute, I will have you know I'm very intimating, now I need to change before this party" she said sticking the bow to the wine bottle and removing the brussel sprouts from the oven, depositing them into a serving bowl she covered with tin foil
"I shall stand watch of the food" Bob nodded
Abigail left upstairs, her phone ringing "Hey Gabbie" she said setting it on her vanity
"You lying little thing"
"Oh okay, why am I a lying little thing exactly?"
"Please tell me why your mother just called me informing me of a very handsome pilot you're dating" Gabrielle asked
"I don't know, I'm not sure what my mother is talking about. . .Bob" Abigail groaned
"I'm not dating anyone, my mother saw Bob, a very lovely and sweet Weapons Systems Operator, who I am not dating! But am very close friends with" Abigail explained
"I ain't buying it"
"I ain't selling anything"
"Bob is a very nice man and I'm sure any girl who'd get with him would be very lucky however that girl isn't me now excuse me because a Vice Admiral is hosting a Christmas dinner at his house so I need to go, Merry Christmas and Goodbye"
"Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday and every other holiday you won't be back home for" Gabrielle said
Abigail chuckled rolling her eyes before hanging up
Now dressed in a light pink and white Christmas sweater with reindeers on and a cream skirt and ankle boots
"Very intimidating" Bob mocked lightly as she came downstairs "Hey, it's Christmas I'm not meant to be scary right now" she said
Bob looked up and down a few times "We're matching" he stated
Abigail looked from the pattern of his sweater to hers "In my defence! It's a very common sweater pattern" she argued and I'm in pink"
"Now let's go, go, go, or we will be late!" She ordered "Yes ma'am" Bob chuckled
After a couple arguments with Bob's phone about wrong timed directions they got to Iceman's house ringing the door bell
"Bob! Abigail! You joined us" Iceman cheered, he was dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater, a snowman with a protruding nose
"Hello, Admiral Kazansky" Bob greeted "Tom, it's the holidays it's Tom"
"Well Tom, I have wine and garlic parmesan roasted Brussel sprouts" Abigail smiled "Well thank you, I'll make sure to place these on the table, please come in" Iceman prompted
Most the squad were there in an array of festive clothing, walking around socialising
"Abigail!" She turned quickly as Katie ran up to her "Hey" Abigail smiled hugging her "You told Jake the wrong time" she said
"I-" Abigail started
"Oh don't, I do the same but if I'm at an event with him, he'll be on time" she promised "I love you and I would tell you to marry Jake but you are way too good.for him" Abigail smiled
"There you two are" Jake said finding the two "Cyclone is here" He grumbled "Well yes, he was invited, Iceman invited everyone" Abigail said
"Cyclone is the reason we're here and not back home with our family right now, he's the one that said we couldn't leave for Christmas and New Year, why do we have to be miserable and miss our families at the holidays cause he's miserable with no family" Jake complained
"Jake" Abigail chastised "Cyclone has his reasons for everything, if you want to villainize someone, have it be his higher ups instead, they tell him what to do, so don't antagonise him" she scolded
"Everyone! Gather around!" Maverick called
Everyone started getting their seats around the table "Admiral Simpson, over here" Abigail said waving him over "Thank you Ms Seresin" he nodded sitting to the left of him, Bob to her right
Everyone sat down and Iceman stood up, Maverick the other head of the table "It's been so long since my house has been filled with so much joy and happiness, I am thrilled to have all of you here, it's unfortunate we cannot be with our biological families but that is the unfortunate price we pay being in the military, Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you and may you have long and happy lives must past your time serving as Lieutenants" He said
"To Christmas and Family" Maverick said
"To Christmas and family" everyone mimicked, wine glasses clinked and conversations filled off for the duration of the meal
Afterwards people once again split off into their own conversations
"Ms Seresin" Cyclone pulled Abigail into Ice's study, closing the door muting the noise outside
"Admiral?" She questioned
"There is things happening, between People higher than me, things that will affect your team, more then anyone and-"
The door opened and Abigail backed away from it
"Whoo! Found them! They were cosying up in Ice's study!" Fanboy called
"Who gave fanboy champagne" she groaned
"We'll discuss this at an appropriate time and place" she said rushing out for damage control as drunk Fanboy happily blabbed the close quarters they were in