A/N: I'm skipping to CHRISTMAS!!! Yayayayayayayay! I love Christmas.... Not that'd you'd be able to tell 😜
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(Evianna's POV)
"Marcus!" I yelled, after a few minutes of frantically clambering about to try and put the star on the tree. "Can you help me?"
"Here." Marcus walked into the room and stood by me. "Hold on tight." Marcus picked me up and I could now reach the top of the tree. Careful not to overbalance, I placed the star on the very top branch and Marcus set me down on the ground again.
"It's so pretty." I smiled. I had blue baubles draped carefully around the tree. White lights, still off, hid towards the middle of the tree, so the wiring wouldn't be seen, accompanied by the golden lights I had already turned on. And don't forget the crystal star at the top.
"Here!" Marcus laughed, turning the lights off. I stared in awe as the tree seemed to light up brighter than ever before in the dark room.
"I can't wait until Christmas." I sighed. "Your birthday, first! It's going to be sooo much fun!" I danced around the room happily, Marcus watching, laughing. "Pizza, pizza, pizza! Pizza, pizza, pizza!" I started chanting as I danced around giddily. "Last birthday before you're a dad."
Teasingly, I stuck my tongue at him before sliding behind the Christmas tree so Marcus wouldn't catch me. Downsides to being pregnant - you can't run away.
"Cheeky." Marcus smirked, advancing on me. Giggling nervously, I shuffled further behind the tree. I couldn't go any further round. Normally, I'd be able to, but this unborn...
"Don't. Don't!" I started giggling furiously as Marcus reached me. Just as he was about to tickle me, I shrieked, "I won't bake your cake!" Marcus paused and I shrieked again as his hands brushed against my ribs.
A flying, fluffy, white ball of fur hit Marcus firmly in the face, a mad yowling sounding throughout the room. Marcus's hands flew up from my ribs to his face.
"Ooh, Leo, you saved me!" I cooed, stroking his head. He leaned into the touch affectionately. "Yes, he's a big, mean bully, isn't he?" Leo meowed in agreement and I grinned before looking at Marcus. "Holy!"
"It's fine." Marcus laughed as I cradled his face in my hands. An angry, red mark viciously cut over his face, with faint claw marks over his cheek. "Leo's always been protective."
"Well, don't try tickling me. Besides, it's your child I'm having to have to suffer kicking me, keeping me awake, demanding food, tiring me out..." I trailed off, trying to prove my point.
"I'm the one who suffers the mood swings, complaining, food making and retching at, not to mention all the dirty work." Marcus teased back.
"Hey, I do have it harder." I argued. "Now, shoo. Jade and Alfie are here. Go do whatever you want while we bake."
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"Two teaspoons of vanilla essence... The zest of one orange..." I carefully measured out the ingredients. To put our baking skills to the test after someone, cough, cough, Marcus, cough, Alfie, cough, cough, insulted them a few weeks ago, we offered to bake a three tiered, different flavour, all decorated birthday cake for him. We had decided upon chocolate and orange for the first tier, coffee and walnut for the second, and raspberry for the third.
Despite being three tiers, it wasn't all that extravagant. There was no pillars involved, and the top tier was hardly bigger than a square cupcake.
"Stop daydreaming!" Jade scolded me. I realised I had finished grating the orange, and put it to the side for later.
"Here we goooo!" I said excitedly, closing the oven door behind the first tier, slamming the timer on as fast as possible so it couldn't over-bake by even a second. "Okay, third tier."
I was doing the first and third tiers of cake, whereas Jade was doing the second and the icing. I rapidly sliced raspberries into perfect quarters, throwing them into the cake mix I had made. I gave it a stir, seeing trails of pinkish colouring following where the raspberries had been stirred. Spooning it into the shaped tin, I put some cling film over it to wait. The first tier cake was about to come out the oven, then it could go in.
"Ooh, perfect!" I squealed delightedly, placing the hot tin onto the counter to cool for a few minutes. Jade's baked cake sat next to it, also cooling from using the top oven. I put the third and final tier in and set the timer. It was so small that it wouldn't take very long to bake.
"The icings going well." Jade murmured, stirring the contents of the mixing bowl. I noticed two other bowls of different flavoured icing next to her and the marzipan shapes sitting on a baking tray. I put them in the fridge for her, so they would harden slightly. I turned out the two cakes onto a wire rack, moving them over by the window as Jade took the final tier out of the oven to cool.
"Well... Guess we wait for a bit?" I laughed, sitting down. Jade soon found some chocolate to eat, as the baking smells were making us incredibly hungry. "Ugh, back to work."
As I turned out the third tier, Jade moved the first two onto decorating plates. Putting the bowl of icing for my first tier of cake next to me, I quickly started smoothing it over. "About a centimetre?" I guessed. Jade nodded. I nodded in reply, making us both giggle before we actually started to properly ice the cakes.
"I'm done." Jade dusted her hands off, starting on the third tier. I had a much larger cake, therefore, more icing to do. I was, like, four fifths of the way done. I finished the main job, using the side of a spatula to scrape away extra icing that had collected at the base of the cake. It looked amazing, so I put it on the window-ledge to cool down before it could come to any harm. Of course, I covered it with some very loose cling film so no certain creatures (yes, you, Leo) could have a nibble.
"Here." I took the second tier off the window-ledge and tested the icing. It was dry, so I got one of the piping bags. "Coffee piping... How weird." Nevertheless, I started to spiral and pattern the icing over the area not going to be covered by the third tier. The rest of the icing would be done when the cake was assembled.
"You do the third, I'll do the first after making us a cup of tea!" Jade laughed, switching the kettle on and getting two mugs out. I grinned in agreement, adding a few dots of icing to my building design. I was nearly finished... My hand was starting to shake, so I put the icing bag down for a few seconds. Jade glanced up at me.
"What's wrong?" Jade asked worriedly. "Oh my god, there isn't anything wrong with the baby, is there?" Jade hovered by me as I rolled my eyes.
"No." I laughed. "My hand was shaking. Really... Stop fussing! It makes you seem so old."
"Look who's talking." Jade teased. "Just missed your chance to star on 'Sixteen and Pregnant'!" We both burst out laughing.
"Maybe they're starring a show 'The Rare Specimens of Britain.'" I giggled. "You could go on as an unmarried, single, not-mother. You'd get accepted immediately."
"Don't!" Jade grinned. "I'm not going to be able to date anyone! There's no one left! Well, there is abroad..."
"Don't move to the other side of the world." I groaned. "Because I won't be able to use your free babysitting service."
"Look, Alfie and I suggested it. Didn't offer." Jade said playfully, even though I knew she was joking. "I mean... All that breast feeding? No bloody way."
"Don't remind me." I rolled my eyes. "I've got another five months of peaceful ignorance."
"Well, I'll make sure I'm not in your way." Jade winked at me. I stuck my tongue out at her, before picking the icing bag up again, listening to her exclaims of how childish and rude I was, and how it oh, so upset her.
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"Ready?" Jade smiled. We had finished the cake, apart from the marzipan model of Marcus, made by Jade. It looked really realistic, thanks to her artistic skills. Together, we carefully balanced it on the very top, smoothed the oozing icing from around the base, before stepping back to admire our handiwork.
"They are never going to say we can't bake again." I said smugly. "That is perfection that the royal family would beg for."
"Too true, too true." Jade giggled, covering it with a little device we made to keep it fresh, but not touching the cake so it wouldn't ruin it. Also opaque so Marcus and Alfie wouldn't see it until his birthday party. Yes, we were having a party. So, what?
"I'm going to bed." I yawned. "I'm so tired out. Are you absolutely sure you don't mind the guest room?"
"Please, girl, that place is better than some peoples homes." Jade sighed dramatically. "And Alfie doesn't snore. Besides, separate beds is more than I could ask for." Jade and Alfie were staying the night, as we were going to bed late and getting up early, and it was a long way for them to travel.
"Alright... Anything you need?" My eyelids were fluttering.
"I'll be fine. In fact, I'll escort you to your bedroom. You look ready to pass out." Jade grabbed my arm and dragged me upstairs, pushing me into my bedroom and shutting the door behind me. I stumbled about, throwing my night clothes on, brushing my teeth, before curling up under the covers and falling asleep within seconds. If Marcus woke me up when he got back, he would pay.
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A/N: hope you liked it. I'm really behind on schoolwork. Oopsy.