Team Schmoop - Tree, Part 2
Title: Oh, Eppesmas Tree!
Chapter 2
Author: Jelsemium
Pairing/Characters: Charlie Eppes/Amita Eppes-Ramanujan, Don Eppes/Robin Brooks, Alan Eppes.
Rating/Category: K+/Het
Word Count: 926
Spoilers: None, really.
Summary: Amita is bewildered by Christmas trees.
Notes/Warnings: Set in a time when Charlie and Amita are married. Their first Christmas as husband and wife, in fact.
Fortunately, decorating the Christmas tree didn't involve a lot of arguing as the shouting turned out to be more instructional than confrontational.
"More to the right."
"It's tilting towards the left."
"It's thirty degrees off true..."
"I just said that, Charlie," Alan said in exasperation.
Rather than snap back, Charlie just shrugged off his father's comment.
The women were relegated to watching from the sidelines. They'd already done all the "women's" chores. They had made fruit salad and tuna sandwiches. There was coffee burbling in the pot and eggnog chilling in the refrigerator.
The Eppes were laughing in the living room when the women brought out the food and put the trays on the coffee table.
Amita looked up into the dark branches of the tree that had finally passed muster. It now had a golden garland wrapped around it in a spiral. A string of Christmas lights wound around it in the other direction, creating something resembling a double helix. Amita wondered if this was a deliberate choice on Charlie's part or if that was just The Way It Was Done.
Don grinned at them. "That looks good," he said.
"At this point, even your cooking would look good, Don," Charlie added.
"I'll have you know I'm a very good cook, Chuck," Don said.
Charlie shot him a disbelieving look, but before he could speak, Don added. "I can cook your goose in a microsecond."
"Oh..."
"Boys!" Alan barked. "Not in front of the Christmas tree!"
Both Eppes boys looked properly chastened.
Amita and Robin laughed.
"Now I know how to make them behave," Robin said. "Put up a Christmas tree!"
Alan chuckled. "They still hope that Santa Claus will bring them something nice," he said. He turned serious before Amita or Robin could comment. "Now is the moment of truth," he said. He walked over to the wall switch.
Charlie and Don pounded on the coffee table to imitate a drum roll.
Alan flipped the switch.
The Christmas tree lit up.
"Ooo..." Amita and Robin said in appreciation.
Once the lights were on, Amita could see that the golden garland also had lights in it. That gave the tree a double helix of lights that was quite impressive.
"Now it's time to put the ornaments on," Charlie said. "Amita, Robin, if you would like to lend a hand?"
"I don't know why we need anything else," Amita said. "The tree is perfect just like it is."
Robin grinned at her. "A Christmas tree is always perfect," she said. "Just ask Charlie Brown."
Amita snorted, amused at her mental image of Charlie Brown's pathetic tree. It had looked much better after it was decorated, though.
"Look at this," Alan said. He held up a clear ornament that was filled with silver tinsel and covered with what looked like purple hair. "This is Hairy," he announced. "Margaret had this when she was a little girl. She always put it, him, on the tree first."
Almost reverently, Alan placed "Hairy" on a branch.
Don walked over to the box and pulled out a motorcycle. "Here's one that Robin gave me when we first got together," he said. He grinned at her. "Remember? We watched Easy Rider and made plans to ride off into the sunset together."
Robin laughed. "I don't believe you still have that!" she said as Don hung the Harley-Davidson on the tree.
"You don't know the Eppes very well if you think that anything ever gets thrown away around here," Alan said.
"My turn!" Charlie put his sandwich down, well out of Don's reach, and picked out an ornament that was shaped like a pie. "Mom bought this when we lived in New Jersey," he said. He showed it to Amita. Sure enough, it had the PI symbol on top. "We had a table top tree back then." He grinned at his father. "One of those disgusting plastic ones, Father."
Alan rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me," he said. "We had to have that tree in our bedroom for years, because she refused to throw it out." He looked at Robin. "I expect you have a lot of ornaments with stories behind them?" he asked.
Robin nodded. "We have lots," she said. "Much more than we can put onto one tree." She eyed the Eppes tree speculatively.
"Feel free to bring some by," Charlie said. "We'll leave you a few spots."
Amita cocked her head and studied the ornaments. Then she walked around the tree and studied the carton, filled with dozens of more ornaments. "So, do all these ornaments have a story attached to them?" she asked. She knelt next to the box and pulled out a silvery plastic ornament in the shape of a man riding a camel. One of the three wise men, no doubt.
"Not all of them," Alan admitted. "Some are just pretty." He pulled out a box of silver icicles. "I bought this a few years ago, because the tree had a few bare spots that needed covering up."
Amita smiled up at him. "But most of the ornaments have stories?"
Alan beamed at her. "Yes, indeed," he said. "That's the true purpose of a Christmas tree." He paused and pulled out an ornament shaped like a bird. "At least, as far was we're concerned. We have a lot of happy memories of the holidays." He looked at the little bird fondly and then carefully attached it to a branch.
"So you could say that it's a family tree," Amita said in wonder.
"Amen, sister," Don said.
***
Happy Holidays!
Please rate the story here on readability, schmoopiness and adherence to the theme. Also if you liked it or not. :-D
Chapter 2
Author: Jelsemium
Pairing/Characters: Charlie Eppes/Amita Eppes-Ramanujan, Don Eppes/Robin Brooks, Alan Eppes.
Rating/Category: K+/Het
Word Count: 926
Spoilers: None, really.
Summary: Amita is bewildered by Christmas trees.
Notes/Warnings: Set in a time when Charlie and Amita are married. Their first Christmas as husband and wife, in fact.
Fortunately, decorating the Christmas tree didn't involve a lot of arguing as the shouting turned out to be more instructional than confrontational.
"More to the right."
"It's tilting towards the left."
"It's thirty degrees off true..."
"I just said that, Charlie," Alan said in exasperation.
Rather than snap back, Charlie just shrugged off his father's comment.
The women were relegated to watching from the sidelines. They'd already done all the "women's" chores. They had made fruit salad and tuna sandwiches. There was coffee burbling in the pot and eggnog chilling in the refrigerator.
The Eppes were laughing in the living room when the women brought out the food and put the trays on the coffee table.
Amita looked up into the dark branches of the tree that had finally passed muster. It now had a golden garland wrapped around it in a spiral. A string of Christmas lights wound around it in the other direction, creating something resembling a double helix. Amita wondered if this was a deliberate choice on Charlie's part or if that was just The Way It Was Done.
Don grinned at them. "That looks good," he said.
"At this point, even your cooking would look good, Don," Charlie added.
"I'll have you know I'm a very good cook, Chuck," Don said.
Charlie shot him a disbelieving look, but before he could speak, Don added. "I can cook your goose in a microsecond."
"Oh..."
"Boys!" Alan barked. "Not in front of the Christmas tree!"
Both Eppes boys looked properly chastened.
Amita and Robin laughed.
"Now I know how to make them behave," Robin said. "Put up a Christmas tree!"
Alan chuckled. "They still hope that Santa Claus will bring them something nice," he said. He turned serious before Amita or Robin could comment. "Now is the moment of truth," he said. He walked over to the wall switch.
Charlie and Don pounded on the coffee table to imitate a drum roll.
Alan flipped the switch.
The Christmas tree lit up.
"Ooo..." Amita and Robin said in appreciation.
Once the lights were on, Amita could see that the golden garland also had lights in it. That gave the tree a double helix of lights that was quite impressive.
"Now it's time to put the ornaments on," Charlie said. "Amita, Robin, if you would like to lend a hand?"
"I don't know why we need anything else," Amita said. "The tree is perfect just like it is."
Robin grinned at her. "A Christmas tree is always perfect," she said. "Just ask Charlie Brown."
Amita snorted, amused at her mental image of Charlie Brown's pathetic tree. It had looked much better after it was decorated, though.
"Look at this," Alan said. He held up a clear ornament that was filled with silver tinsel and covered with what looked like purple hair. "This is Hairy," he announced. "Margaret had this when she was a little girl. She always put it, him, on the tree first."
Almost reverently, Alan placed "Hairy" on a branch.
Don walked over to the box and pulled out a motorcycle. "Here's one that Robin gave me when we first got together," he said. He grinned at her. "Remember? We watched Easy Rider and made plans to ride off into the sunset together."
Robin laughed. "I don't believe you still have that!" she said as Don hung the Harley-Davidson on the tree.
"You don't know the Eppes very well if you think that anything ever gets thrown away around here," Alan said.
"My turn!" Charlie put his sandwich down, well out of Don's reach, and picked out an ornament that was shaped like a pie. "Mom bought this when we lived in New Jersey," he said. He showed it to Amita. Sure enough, it had the PI symbol on top. "We had a table top tree back then." He grinned at his father. "One of those disgusting plastic ones, Father."
Alan rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me," he said. "We had to have that tree in our bedroom for years, because she refused to throw it out." He looked at Robin. "I expect you have a lot of ornaments with stories behind them?" he asked.
Robin nodded. "We have lots," she said. "Much more than we can put onto one tree." She eyed the Eppes tree speculatively.
"Feel free to bring some by," Charlie said. "We'll leave you a few spots."
Amita cocked her head and studied the ornaments. Then she walked around the tree and studied the carton, filled with dozens of more ornaments. "So, do all these ornaments have a story attached to them?" she asked. She knelt next to the box and pulled out a silvery plastic ornament in the shape of a man riding a camel. One of the three wise men, no doubt.
"Not all of them," Alan admitted. "Some are just pretty." He pulled out a box of silver icicles. "I bought this a few years ago, because the tree had a few bare spots that needed covering up."
Amita smiled up at him. "But most of the ornaments have stories?"
Alan beamed at her. "Yes, indeed," he said. "That's the true purpose of a Christmas tree." He paused and pulled out an ornament shaped like a bird. "At least, as far was we're concerned. We have a lot of happy memories of the holidays." He looked at the little bird fondly and then carefully attached it to a branch.
"So you could say that it's a family tree," Amita said in wonder.
"Amen, sister," Don said.
***
Happy Holidays!
Please rate the story here on readability, schmoopiness and adherence to the theme. Also if you liked it or not. :-D