A New Life

Damn why couldn't my father just tell me why I had to go to Ric Flair's house and why now? It was almost Christmas. The last thing I want to do was spend Christmas so far from home and with Ric Flair. Why was this so important to him? However I want my father's approval, even though no matter what I did, I wouldn't get it, but I agreed to go anyway hoping this time I'd get it why I even cared anymore was beyond me. Welcome to Charlotte the sign had said. I turned into the driveway and parked my car. I got out and went to the trunk. I pulled out the two suitcases and my overnight bag and headed for the front door. Shortly after I rang the bell the door opened. "May I help you miss?" the man standing there asked. "I'm Lela Dawson and I believe I'm expected." I stated. "Yes miss, please come in" he told me. I walked into the huge parlor and set my luggage on the floor. "Please wait here and I'll announce your arrival." He said and left before I could say anything. Ok so I knew I was to spend Christmas here in this house, but why? I looked around the parlor, my kitchen and living room would fit in this room. The man re-entered the room. "Follow me please, Leave the bags there miss" he said as I started to pickup my luggage. I left the bags and quickly followed him. As the got to the door of a huge study, I heard raised voices inside. "Why the hell did you order me here Ric?" a woman said. "Amy if you will please sit down and calm down, it will all be answered very shortly" Ric answered. "Sir, Miss Dawson" the man answered indicating to me. "Lela, please come in" Ric said approaching me with his hand extended. I shook his hand and then he placed his hand on my back and began "Lela, I'd like you to meet some very good friends of mine. This is Dave Bautista and this young man is Randy Orton. The cranky young lady sitting over there is Amy Dumas. Please have a seat" he said indicating to the spot next to Amy who was sitting on one of the two leather sofas. I sat down and looked across the coffee table that separated them from the other sofa which Dave and Randy were sitting on. Both men smiled at me and I timidly returned their smiles. Ric sat down at his big oak desk and looked at both Amy and I. "I'm sure your both wondering why you're here and now that everyone who needs to be here is present, I'll answer all of your questions" he told them. "Good" Amy spoke up obviously very irritated, "Why the hell am I here." "Well, you're both here to spend Christmas with Dave, Randy and myself and to learn the truth" Ric told her. "First of all, I don't want to spend Christmas with the big oaf or Mr. arrogant and I don't want to spend it with you" Amy started as I tried not to giggle at the overly played hurt expressions on the faces of Dave and Randy, "Secondly, I don't know what truths you could possibly enlighten me with." "I plan on enlighten you both with truths that your parents either couldn't or wouldn't tell you" Ric stated.

Amy rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything waiting for Ric to continue. "You see Amy I was contacted but both your mother and Lela's mother. I will admit that I was slightly shocked by what they both told me, however after thinking about it, it finally made since. However I had to make sure that what they said was true so I found out when you both were having physicals and had them run a certain test for me. It turns out both of your mother's were telling the truth" Ric said. Amy looked at me then back at Ric waiting for him to go on. "You look shocked by something Lela" Dave stated. "Yes I am, my mother actually telling the truth about anything" I replied quietly receiving a smile from both Dave and Randy. "Yes Lela, your mother can be very deceiving" Ric said. "That's not exactly what I would call her, but that's a lot nicer so we'll stick with deceiving" I responded. "Ok now that we know you don't like your mother," Amy said, "What special test did you have them do Ric?" "I had DNA tests run to prove paternal status. It appears that the two of you are sisters and I'm your real father" Ric told them. "No way in hell are you my father Flair" Amy said as I sat there stunned. "I'm sorry Amy but yes I am. Lela are you ok?" Ric asked? "Yeah I think so" I replied. "Ok so why did you have to choose Christmas of all times to tell us this? I mean really I use to love Christmas, this is a huge downer" Amy asked him. "Because, Amy I believe Christmas is for family and now that I know your both my daughters I thought it was the perfect time for us to all spend together and get to know each other. With our schedules being as hectic as they are this vacation time just worked best" Ric replied. "Ok for family, so how do you explain the presence of dumb and dumber?" she asked sending a glance at the men across from us. "That's not very nice" I said. "Oh please Lela, you don't know them. Dave doesn't have an ounce of brains in his entire body and Randy is as self centered and arrogant as they come, trust me I was being nice, you apparently don't watch wrestling." she informed me. "Actually to be honest yes I do and if I were to believe everything I saw on the show then I would have to believe you're a bigger whore than my mother, however I try not to judge people before actually getting to know them" I fired back which earned me a look of death from Amy and laughter and smiles from both Dave and Randy. Our "father" secretly smiled at my comment. "Ok ladies that will be enough of the bickering. We'll give you a tour of the house the show you to your rooms. However to answer your earlier question Amy, Dave and Randy are here because I asked them to join us for Christmas, I figured it might make it easier having them here than having the two of you be uncomfortable with just me. Now let's have that tour shall we" Ric stated getting up from behind the desk. We all followed him through the house listening and watching. He led us to our rooms which were next to each other's. Randy's room was across the hall from mine and Dave's was across the hall from Amy's. "Now this house is both of yours as well now so please feel at home here and help your selves to anything here. I know it's getting late and it's been a long day so I will see you all in the morning. Good night girls, Randy, Dave" Ric said then headed down the hall to his own room. Amy looked at the three of us, rolled her eyes and went into her room slamming the door behind her. "Well that went real good don't you think Randy?" Dave commented. "Oh yeah very well" Randy answered with a laugh. "Well good night guys, it was nice to meet you both" I said as I started to turn into my room. I was stopped however by a hand lightly placed on my shoulder. I looked to see Randy had touched my shoulder and I looked questioningly at him. "I just wanted to thank you for what you said down there after she insulted us. People don't normally come to our aide. So thank you" Randy said. "Yes really Lela Thank you" Dave replied as well. "Well your both welcome, not that either of you need me rushing to your aide" I said with a timid smile. As I entered my room I heard them both say good night to me and head down the hall and back downstairs. I closed the door and changed into a pair of sleeping shorts and a Randy Orton oversized T-shirt. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and climbed in bed. After an hour I heard whispering in the hall then doors opening and closing. The guys must have gone to bed. Once again I tried to fall asleep. I laid there for two more hours before realizing that I probably couldn't sleep because I was hungry. After all I hadn't eaten since noon and it was now 2 am. I slipped out of bed and quietly made my way downstairs and to the kitchen. As I opened the fridge the lights came on. I jumped about a mile. "I guess we're not the only ones who like a midnight snack" Dave said. "God you scared the hell out of me" I told them. "Hey we're not the ones sneaking around looking for food without turning on the lights" Randy said laughing. "Maybe not but I'm not the one sitting in the kitchen eating in the dark" I told Randy. "Why don't you just grab a spoon and join us in this ice cream over here" Randy said. I looked at both of them and grabbed a spoon and went over to the table to join them. "So you sleep in my shirt huh?" Randy said more as a statement then a question. "I have a Batista one I sleep in too depending on my mood" I told him. "So why do you use our shirts to sleep in" Dave asked. "It started out as a joke between me and a few girls I use to work with. We all watched wrestling together and we each decided to get a couple shirts of our favorite wrestlers. Since we all had two favorites we got one for each guy. One night we all stayed at Rose's place, pretty much spur of the moment kind of thing. None of us had anything to sleep in so we slept in the shirts we were wearing. I had on my Batista shirt that night and the rest of the girls were wearing one of theirs as well. It was smack down that we were watching that night, hence the Batista shirt. Anyway we were all lying around her living room and her brother came over. He asked why we all sleeping in wrestling shirts. Rose being the smartass of the group simply stated that this way we could honestly say we sleep with that wrestler. From that night on our t-shirts became sleep shirts. I now either sleep with you Dave or Randy depending on my mood" I said taking another scoop of the ice cream. "So you're in the mood to sleep with Randy tonight?" Dave asked sending me a hurt look. "Oh I slept with you last night" I said smiling at his goofy expression. They both laughed as I got up and put my spoon in the sink. "So people got the munchies and didn't invite the old man huh? I see how loved I am" Ric said feigning sadness. He then noticed my shirt. "Randy huh" He said. "Yeah she feels like sleeping with me tonight" Randy said. Ric looked puzzled. "Come on and join us Ric and we'll fill you in since the lovely Lela is headed back to bed" Dave told him. I smiled at Ric and he kissed my cheek. "You have pleasant dreams" Ric said. "Oh she will" Randy said, "She's sleeping with me tonight." That got him another confused look from Ric and laughter between Lela and Dave. "Good night guys" I said blowing them all a kiss and leaving the room. I headed back upstairs and climbed in bed. I thought about how nice and laid back they all seemed. Maybe Amy didn't know them as well as she thought. With that thought I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning around 9:30 am. Grabbed a quick shower, put on a dark purple baby girl t-shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans, and white running shoes. Left my long wavy brown hair down and headed down the stairs. As I entered the kitchen Ric welcomed me. "Good morning Lela, I hope you slept well?" "Good morning and yes I did, very well thanks" I replied. "Well then have a seat, breakfast is almost ready" Ric told me. I sat down at the table and Ric poured me a glass of orange juice, placed it in front of me just as Amy walked in the room. "Good morning Amy" Ric and I replied together. "What's so damn good about it? I'm stuck here for Christmas, with people I can't stand and one I don't care to get to know, because after this wonderful holiday, we'll never see each other again. So once again I ask, what is so damn good about it?" Amy replied. "Well," I started, "You have your health, your breathing and you're not alone for the holidays. It's a good start." "Bite me" Amy replied. "Well why the hell would she want to do that and risk getting rabies"? Randy said as he placed a kiss on my cheek. Dave kissed the other cheek and the guys sat one on either side of me. "Good morning guys, I trust you slept well" I asked them. "Well of course I did, how could I not while sleeping with you" Randy said to me smiling, earning a frown from Dave and a giggle from Ric. I smiled at Randy then looked toward Dave, "Don't worry Dave baby, tonight I'll sleep with you" I said smiling at Dave, receiving a smile from him. "You What?" Amy screamed, "You seriously did not sleep with Mr. Arrogant last night and plan on sleeping with the big oaf tonight? My God girl did you not listen to me at all last night?" "Yes sis I did listen to you last night, however I told you last night I don't judge people without getting to know then first" I replied calmly. "So you sleep with them to get to know them, and you had the nerve to call me a whore?" Amy yelled. Dave, Randy and Ric all tensed up at this. "There you go jumping to conclusions without knowing the whole story and just to clear things up, no I didn't call you a whore last night sister dear, I said if I believed everything on TV then I would have to believe that you're a bigger whore than my mother." I replied staying very calm. Ric quickly placed breakfast in front of each of us. Taking a seat, Ric asked, "So what would you girls like to do today?" "I would like to forget this ever happened and go home" Amy said. "Well that's not an option Amy" Ric replied, "Lela what about you?" "Well we're here to spend Christmas together right?" I asked. "Yes we are" Ric replied. "Well this place doesn't seem all that Christmassy" I replied getting a nod from each of the guys and a roll of the eyes from Amy. "You're right Lela it doesn't. However just buying this place a few months ago I don't have anything to decorate with so after breakfast why don't we go in town and buy a tree and decorations, then tonight we can decorate and make it more Christmassy" Ric suggested. Dave, Randy and I all smiled like little children as Amy rolled her eyes once again. Amy pushed her plate away half eaten and watched me eat in disgust. Like the guys I finished my plated and had another muffin. "How can you eat like that? You're going to get fat" Amy asked. "I'm not going to get fat, I have a very high metabolism. Anyway, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I don't believe in wasting food, there are starving people all over the world who would die to have a meal like the one you're wasting." I told her. "Well they can have it" Amy grumbled. "Didn't sleep well?" I asked her. "Oh please like you're really concerned with how well I slept" Amy replied. "Sorry for caring" I said and went back to my meal. Amy gave me a confused look, but said nothing returning to her breakfast. Everyone ate in an uncomfortable silence. When everyone finished I got up cleared the table and started doing dishes. Ric and the guys went in to the office to talk and Amy came over to dry and put away dishes. After a while Amy asked, "Did you really care how I slept?" "Yes Amy I care how you slept. Listen I know you are not happy about having me as a sister or Ric as a father and I'm sorry for that, but we're here until after Christmas, we could at least try to get a long or not bother to talk at all." I said. "It's not you that I have the problem with Lela, I always wanted a sister, it's just with my story line and what happened between me and Matt and then Adam, I'm always being judged. I guess I expected it from you too. As far as Ric is concerned, Ric has never liked me so I don't want his you're my daughter and I love you crap." Amy said. "Ok, I can understand all that, but have you ever tried to get to know Ric?" I asked. "No, I can't say that I have." She replied. "Then how do you really know that he doesn't like you?" I asked. Amy was silent for a moment and then stated, "I guess I really don't know if he actually hates me or not." "Well maybe now is the time to find out. Get to know him, I mean the real him. You don't have to listen to me, I mean it's all up to you, but if it were me, I think I'd want to know the truth. Maybe it's not as bad as you think." I said. "Can I ask you something personal?" Amy asked. "You can ask me anything." I told her. "Did you really sleep with Randy last night?" She asked. I laughed. "No, I slept in a Randy Orton T-shirt last night." I replied explaining the inside joke about the shirts. She laughed and looked relieved. "Amy, do you like Randy or something?" I asked. "Yeah I do, but please don't say anything. I mean, I act like I hate him so he won't think I'm like all the other divas willing to drop at his feet. I'm not like that." She told me. "Don't worry," I told her, "Your secret is safe with me." We shared a smile, finished the dishes and went to meet the guys.

"There they are" Ric said as we entered the office. "Are you ladies ready to go Christmas shopping?" Amy and I looked at each other smiled and nodded. Randy, Dave and Ric shared a confused glance at each other then followed us out of the office. As we went out to the van Amy yelled shotgun and climbed into the front passenger side. Ric drove us down to the local mall. Dave asked Ric if we were just getting decorations or if we were doing Christmas gifts as well. We were told we could do both if we'd like. Amy and I looked at each other. "Maybe we should just do the decorations for now, I mean Lela doesn't really know any of us, so it might be hard for her to pick out stuff at this point" Amy said trying to make it easier on me. I smiled my thanks at her. "Amy has a very good point and we don't really know much about what you like either Amy" Ric stated. Amy smiled timidly and we all agreed to just get decorations for now. Ric stood there with his hands on his hips looking at us. Amy whispered in my ear and I smiled and nodded. She looped one arm through his as I looped my arm through his other one. I took Dave's hand and Amy took Randy's and we entered the mall to do our decoration shopping, laughing and joking the whole time.

About two hours later we had finally found everything we wanted. We paid for the stuff and headed home. Once we got back to the house we brought everything inside and Dave and Randy headed for the kitchen leaving Ric, Amy and myself to pull everything out of bags and get it set up to start decorating. After waiting for the guys for about an hour Ric went into the kitchen. Amy and I went running when we heard Ric yell. We entered the kitchen to see a huge mess. Dave pointed at Randy "It was his fault he started it." "I did not," Randy yelled, "It was Dave's fault." "Just how old are you two anyway, my god you're suppose to be adults, do adults act this way?" Ric yelled. Amy and I giggled and nodded to each other. Grabbing a handful of flour Amy and I threw flour at Ric and we both exclaimed "Yes dad, we do." That of course started a huge flour fight including Ric. After a while all of us in tears from laughing so hard and having so much fun, set about cleaning the kitchen. After the kitchen was clean we got busy decorating the house. By the end of the night we were all worn out. We all said good night and headed to our rooms. I took a shower, slipped into my Batista shirt and climbed in bed thinking that maybe Christmas wouldn't be so bad.

I woke the next morning to find Dave sitting on the edge of my bed. "Morning sleepy" Dave said when he noticed I was awake. "Good morning Dave, What are you doing in here?" I asked. "I wanted to ask you something without everyone else around" he told me. "Ok what do you want to know?" I asked looking in those beautiful Brown eyes. "Do you think I would stand a chance with Amy?" he asked. AMY? OMG He liked Amy. Damn just my luck. Trying to hide the disappointment I said, "I don't know Dave. Amy and I aren't all that close, it's not like she's going to confide in me if she likes you or not." "Well do you think you could try and find out for me?" Dave asked. "I'll see what I can do" I told him. He gave me a quick hug and headed down stairs. Great I thought, the guy I'm crushing on likes my sister, and my sister likes Randy. Gee Merry Christmas to me. I got dressed and opened my door to head down stairs only to find Randy there ready to knock on my door. "Whoa, hi there" he said. "Hi Randy, what can I do for you?' I asked. "Do you think Amy likes me at all? I mean I really like her, but she acts like she hates me. I'd really like a chance with her." Randy told me. "I don't know Randy you'd have to ask her. It's not like we're close or anything." I said as I walked around him and headed to the kitchen. I entered the kitchen to find Amy, Dave and Ric sitting at the table talking. "Morning Hun, there's breakfast on the counter" Ric said. I thanked him then went to the fridge to get some orange juice. I sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island. Randy entered the kitchen glancing at me confused, grabbed a plate of food and went over to the table. "Not eating this morning sis?" Amy asked. "Not really hungry" I told her. Ric got up and came over to me. "Are you ok?" he asked checking for a fever. "Yeah I'm fine, just not hungry" I told him flashing him a small smile. He gave me a hug and put some food away telling me that way it will be there when I get hungry. He went back and joined the others at the table. I watched as Dave and Randy showered attention on Amy. I watched as she ate it up. She was enjoying it you could tell. She should they were both very good looking men. Now I was really starting to miss home. At least there I wouldn't have to watch her flirt with the guy I was crushing on. Not realizing it, but at the same time I was watching them, Ric was watching me. I put the glass in the sink and went back up to my room. I grabbed my purse and headed back down stairs. At the bottom of the stairs I saw Ric waiting for me. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. "Yeah I'm fine" I said and gave him a smile. "You just seem distant today did something happen?" he asked. "No nothing happened just had a few things come to my mind and figured I'd take care of it now" I said walking over to the phone. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked showing true concern. "Yes I am, I'm going shopping" I said with a smile. "I'll take you" he said. "No that's ok I'll get a cab. I can't shop for you with you right there now can I?" I said. I called for a cab and hung up the phone. "Well here" he said pulling out his wallet. "No Ric, I have my own money" I said and walked out the door. As I waited for the cab I really started hating myself. Why had I snapped at him, he was only being nice? It wasn't his fault I was in a bad mood. Last night I had called him dad and today I was right back to calling him Ric. God I'm such a bitch. The cab arrived and I got in.

At the mall I found a new Rolex for Ric, an outfit for Amy that she had really liked yesterday, more cologne for Randy since he said he was almost out and new cufflinks Dave was admiring. I bought some wrapping paper, bows, and tape and name tags. I called a cab. Soon I was standing at the front door of the house. I brought the stuff up to my room then went to look for Ric. I found Amy, Dave and Randy in the sitting room listening to music. They were all sitting on the sofa with Amy leaning against Randy, him playing with her hair and Amy's legs across Dave's lap. "Hey sis, why don't you join us" Amy said. "Thanks but I'm looking for Ric actually" I told her. She shot me a strange look then told me he was in the office. I thanked her and went to the office. I knocked on the office door and waited. "Come on in" I heard Ric say. I slowly entered the room and Ric looked up at me. I walked over to him, leaned down and hugged him. "I'm sorry dad, I was in a bad mood and I took it out on you, I shouldn't have and I'm really sorry please forgive me" I said crying. He pulled me down sitting me on his lap. He put his arms around me and hugged me tightly. "It's ok baby girl. I knew something was wrong, but figured you would tell me if and when you were ready" he told me. He held me and let me cry. I couldn't believe how different he was from Frank. Frank would have been pissed at me for weeks had I been that way with him. Here was Ric, my real father, and he was forgiving me for being a bitch. I wondered if he would have been proud of me growing up unlike Frank. "I wish I had known you when you were little" I heard Ric say quietly. "I wish I would have known you too." I told him quietly. "Do you want to talk about what was bothering you this morning?" Ric asked. "It doesn't really matter I guess" I told him. I didn't really want to move I felt so wanted and loved there in my dad's arms. A strange feeling but very nice. "I really should go wrap the gifts I got for everyone" I told him and flashed him a real smile. He hugged me and told me dinner would be in an hour. I smiled again and left the room.

I finally got everything wrapped and headed down stairs. I placed the gifts under the tree and went into the kitchen. As I entered Ric said as he smiled at me, "Good just in time." I noticed Amy sitting in between Dave and Randy. She smiled at me as did the guys. I gave them all a small smile and took a seat next to Randy. Ric came and sat between Dave and me. I was quiet during dinner answering questions once in a while when Ric asked me one. Dave quietly watched me trying not to be obvious about it. After dinner Dave helped me with dishes as Amy and Randy took a walk and Ric went to finish things he needed to get done. "You've been real quiet today Lela you ok?" he asked. "Yeah I'm fine I just don't have anything to say" I told him. "Are you mad at me?" Dave asked. "No Dave I'm not mad at you. Why should I be?" I asked. "I don't know maybe because I asked about Amy this morning." He said watching my reaction. "So I should be mad because you like my sister?" I asked. "I asked for a reason you know" he said. "I'm sure you did. If you like my sister great. It doesn't matter to me. Good luck with that" I said and left the kitchen leaving him standing there. About a half hour latter there was a knock on my door. I answered it to find Amy standing there. "Hi dad, the guys and I are gonna watch a movie. Do you want to join us?" she asked. "Yeah I guess so" I said. "Are you ok Lela?" Amy asked. "Yeah I'm fine" I told her. I followed her downstairs. Amy sat on the sofa between Dave and Randy, Ric sat in his easy chair and I curled up on the love seat. I hadn't really noticed what movie they put on until I saw Kane. I hadn't been really paying attention so I missed the title. God I swore I wasn't going to watch See No Evil. I hated horror movies. I got up and left the room. I was standing by the big bay window in the kitchen when Dave found me. "Hey you ok?" he asked. "Yeah I'm fine" I told him keeping my back to him. "It didn't look that way from the way you got up and left the room" Dave said coming to stand right behind me. "I don't like horror movies they make me jumpy" I told him. He turned me around to face him. "If you want to come back in the room and watch I'll protect you" he said wrapping his arms around me. "I'll pass thanks" I told him trying to back away from him. "Lela I'm not going to hurt you I swear" he said and leaned down kissing my lips softly. OMG this can't be happening I thought to myself. His lips were so gentle next to mine I almost didn't want it to end. No this is wrong he likes my sister not me. I broke the kiss and pushed him away from me hard. "What the hell do you think your doing? You asked me this morning if you had a chance with my sister and you're in here kissing me. What kind of jerk are you?" I screamed at him and ran passed him up to my room locking the door behind me. I fell on the bed and cried. I heard knocking on my door, but refused to answer it. "Lela Please open the door and let me talk to you, please let me explain" I heard Dave say. I still didn't make a move for the door. I didn't say a word either. "Please baby I'm begging you let me come in and talk to you" Dave said. After about three minutes I heard Dave say, "Lela baby please talk to me, if you don't talk to me now you'll have to talk to me later. We're staying in the same house you know, you can't avoid me forever." Finally after waiting for five minutes I heard him leave and go back downstairs. I finally cried myself to sleep.

The next day Dave, Randy and Amy all tried to get me to come out of the room. I didn't talk to any of them. I wouldn't open my door for any of them either. Around six pm there was a knock at my door. "Lela honey it's me, can I come in please?" Ric asked. I walked over to the door and let him in. I walked back over and sat back on the bed where I had been all day. He walked over and put a tray of food in front of me then sat on the bed as well. "You have to eat something" he told me. I gave him a sad smile, thanked him and ate in silence. When I was done he took the tray, put it on the dresser then came and sat next to me on the bed wrapping his arms around me. He held me, stroking my hair and kissed my forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. I started to cry and he held my tighter. "I just don't get it" I told him in between tears, "He asked me if he had a chance with Amy and then last night in the kitchen he kissed me. He came to my room to talk to me, but I wouldn't let him in. He kept calling me baby. Dad I don't know what to do. I like him I really do, but I want to hate him. I don't understand what he's doing, but I don't want to be used to try and make Amy jealous. I know he likes her. I also know Randy likes her and I know she likes Randy, but I don't know how she feels about Dave. Part of me just wants to go home, but I really don't have anything to go home to and I don't want to leave you. I finally feel like I have a dad and I'm not ready to give that up, but right now it hurts to be here." "Lela sweetheart, I wish I knew what to say to make it all better, but to be honest I don't. I don't know what he's thinking, but I think maybe you should talk to him hear what he has to say and go from there. I know that's hard right now, but if your going to enjoy Christmas at all and it is only a couple days away, you might need to get all this straightened out. As far as having a dad, if you stay here or you don't, I will always be your dad and you will always have a home here. I may not have been there for you when you were little, but I love you and I will be here for you whenever you need me." He told me hugging me tightly. Just then there was a knock on the door and the door slowly opened. Amy poked her head around the door. "Dad there is a call for you" She said coming into the room. Ric hugged me again and I smiled at him as he left the room. Amy closed the door behind him and came over to the bed. She sat at the end of the bed. "Did I do something?" she asked. "No Amy you didn't do anything" I told her. "Did Randy do something?" she asked. "No Randy didn't do anything either" I replied. "Well it couldn't be dad cause you were fine with him in here so what did Dave do?" She asked. "He's an ass and I hate him" I said. "Oh boy that sounds bad what did he do?" Amy asked. "Yesterday morning he came in here and asked me if I thought he stood a chance with you. He hung out with you and Randy all day, then last night in the kitchen he put his arms around me and kissed me. I pushed him away and yelled at him. Then I came up here and he tried to talk to me. I wouldn't talk to him I didn't know what to say. He kept calling me baby and wanting to explain. Finally he left" I told her and started crying again. She moved over to sit beside me and hugged me. "I'm sorry sis. Are you sure it's me he likes though, I mean the whole time he was with me and Randy he never even acted like he liked me like that. During dinner it was you he kept watching. I don't think he knew I noticed but I did and so did Randy" she told me. "If he doesn't like you like that why would he ask me to find out if he stood a chance with you?" I asked her. "I don't know, some guys are hard to figure out" she said. Just then dad popped his head inside the room. "Hey you girls ready to go have some fun?' he asked. "I think Lela could use some fun." Amy said. I smiled at both of them. "Ok what are we going to do?" I asked. "Well I've been thinking about what we talked about earlier and I think I have a way to find out what Dave is pulling." Ric said with a sly smile. This information interested both me and Amy. "Ok so what's the plan dad?" Amy asked. Dad came in the room and explained it to us. So we all got ready to go after dad told the guys we were going out dancing.

I hadn't looked or said a word to Dave the whole way to the club. We entered the club and found a booth. Amy and Randy sat on one side of Dave dad on the other and I sat on dad's other side. Drinks arrived at the booth while Randy and Amy were flirting pretty heavy. Soon a very tall man came over to our booth. Dad started talking to him and then said "Mark you already know Dave and Randy, may I introduce you to my daughters Amy and Lela." "Well I know Amy, but I didn't know she was your daughter. It's a huge pleasure to meet you Lela" Mark said kissing my hand. A slow song started playing and Mark with a bow asked, "Lela may I have this dance?" "I would be honored to dance with you" I said blushing. Mark took my hand and led me to the dance floor. Ric noticed Dave didn't look to happy as did Amy. Amy and Randy got up and headed to the dance floor as well. I spent most of the evening dancing and talking with Mark. Finally it was time to go. Everyone said their goodbyes and Mark thanked me for such a wonderful evening. I told him I had a wonderful time and smiled up at him. Glancing at Dave noticing the irritated look on his face, Mark asked, "Lela would you go out with me tomorrow night?" "I would love to Mark" I told him with a smile. He kissed my hand and said he would pick me up about 7pm. With that we went our separate ways. It was late when we got back to the house. Dave went straight to his room and slammed the door. "Someone seems cranky tonight" Amy said with a laugh. "I'd say someone is a little jealous of a certain someone having a date tomorrow night" Ric said kissing me and Amy and heading to bed. "Well it's not my problem if I have a date and he hasn't gotten anywhere with my sis" I said hugging Amy then Randy. I said good night to both of them and went to my room. Randy gave Amy a puzzled look. Amy smiled then filled Randy in on what was going on. "Wait Mark isn't interested in Lela? They just want to find out how Dave really feels about her?" Randy asked trying to understand what was going on. "Well at first no he wasn't interested he was just helping dad find out how Dave really felt, but I think he might be now" Amy told him. "Well its obvious Dave isn't happy about it so why is she still going out with him" Randy asked. "Because silly Dave hasn't come forward about how he feels. If she doesn't go with Mark because Dave's pissy about it then she's assuming that Dave really likes her and if she's wrong then she gets hurt and could miss out on a good thing with Mark" Amy explained. "Yep I see your point, but what if Dave never says anything?" Randy asked. "Then it's his loss for being a coward" Amy told him hugging him. "Well in that case I'm not going to be a coward. I really like you Amy and I would really love to have a chance with you" Randy said bravely. "Good because I really like you too Randy" Amy said. With that Randy smiled and kissed Amy tenderly. Randy walked Amy to her room kissed her good night at the door then went to talk with Dave.

"Hey man what has you so pissy tonight?" Randy asked Dave. "How can she do that? How can she spend the night laughing and dancing with Mark then agree to go out with him tomorrow night yet she won't give me the time of day to explain?" Dave growled. "Explain what? Lela hasn't done anything wrong Dave I don't see why you're so upset" Randy said innocently. "Damn it Randy I think I'm in love with Lela and she's going to go out with Mark and not let me explain why I kissed her after asking if I had a chance with Amy" Dave said. "Wait you asked her if you had a chance with Amy then kissed her? No wonder she won't talk to you. First no you don't have a chance with Amy because Amy is giving me a chance. Secondly why would Lela want to be used to make Amy jealous?" Randy said. "What? I'm not using Lela to make Amy jealous, I don't even want Amy. I want Lela. Didn't you just hear me tell you I think I'm in love with her?" Dave growled at Randy. "Yeah I heard what you said man, but think about it ok. How the hell is Lela supposed to know you're interested when you asked if you had a chance with her sister?" Randy shot at him. "I asked her that to see her reaction. I was trying to figure out if Lela liked me at all. I mean if she doesn't I don't want to waste my time or hers" Dave said. "Well all I can say Dave is you better let her know how you feel and I wouldn't wait to long it looks as though Mark may really like her" Randy said. "Ok smart ass how the hell am I supposed to do that when she won't talk to me?" Dave asked. "I don't know man, but if you really want her you better come up with something" Randy said leaving the room.

I entered the kitchen getting a big hug from my dad and one from both Randy and Amy. "Are you hungry this morning Lela?" Ric asked. "I'm starving" I said smiling. "Good I'm glad you got you're appetite back" dad said. "Morning Dave" I said sitting down. "Morning Lela" was all Dave said. Suddenly the doorbell rang. "I'll get it" I said getting up from the table. I answered the door to find a delivery man standing there. "Hi can I help you?" I asked. "Delivery for Lela Flair" The man said. "That's me" I replied. The man handed me two dozen red roses. I went to give him a tip, but he told me it had been taken care of already. I thanked him as he left and I closed the door. I walked back into the kitchen holding the roses. Randy shot Dave a questioning look and Dave replied with a shake of his head and a not so happy look. Ric handed me a vase as Amy asked "Wow sis where did those come from?" "I don't know" I giggled, "I haven't had a chance to look at the card yet." "Well by all means read the card" dad said as he took the roses from me. "Oh my God" I said blushing. "What does the card say sis?" Amy asked. "It says, "Thank you for a wonderful evening. I tried to find flowers that matched your beauty, but I'm afraid I failed miserably. I hope these will do until I can find that perfect flower. I'm looking forward to this evening. Love always, Mark" That is so sweet" I said blushing even more. "I think that man likes you a little" Randy said laughing and shooting Dave a look. I sat back down at the table and Ric dished up breakfast. We ate and chatted about my up coming date with Mark later. Dave didn't say a word. After breakfast Ric went to his office first stopping to hug both me and Amy. Amy and I did dishes while Randy chatted away to both of us. Dave got up and walked out of the kitchen. "Well for a man who was upset that you wouldn't talk to him, doesn't seem to be in a hurry to explain him self when you do finally talk to him" Randy said puzzled. "Randy he probably figures now that you and Amy are getting close he doesn't need me to make her jealous so why waste his time on some lame ass excuse that isn't even real" I told him. Randy gave me a sad look and I just smiled at him. "I'm going to go put these in my room" I said smiling picking up the vase of roses and heading to my room. "Wow she really has no idea" Randy said. "No idea about what?" Amy asked. "That Dave thinks he's in love with Lela. He asked her if he stood a chance with you to see if he got a reaction out of her. He wanted to know if she liked him even a little. If she didn't then he wasn't going to waste her time by trying for her" Randy told her. "Oh boy, Dave sure stuck his foot in this time" She replied. Randy just nodded. Dave watched Lela carefully carry the roses upstairs. Man I have to do something fast or I'll lose her for sure Dave thought to himself, but what? He knocked on the office door. Ric opened the door and looked at Dave. "Ric I did something stupid and I need your help to fix it" Dave told him. Ric allowed Dave in the office and smiled quickly as he closed the door. Later that afternoon Mark had called to finalize arrangements for the date that evening. They were going to a fancy restaurant then out dancing. Amy and Lela spent the rest of the day going through their closets trying to find the perfect clothes for that evening. At 7pm sharp the doorbell rang and Ric let Mark in. Amy came running down the stairs said hello to Mark and went over to Randy smiling glancing at Dave. Mark was talking to Ric and in the middle of a sentence just stopped as he saw Lela coming down the stairs. He was rendered speechless. She was beautiful. Dave, Randy and Ric all looked to see why Mark stopped what he was saying. Dave's mouth dropped. Randy, Ric and Amy smiled. Then Dave remembered who she looked so beautiful for. Dave quickly left the room. Lela was a little hurt because she still really liked Dave, but dismissed it from her mind knowing he liked Amy not her. She smiled as she took Marks hand. "You look like an angel" Mark told her kissing her hand. I waved to Amy and Randy and kissed my dad on the cheek as we left.

It was 1 am when Mark and I arrived at the house after a wonderful evening. He walked me up to the door. Neither of us noticing Dave standing in one of the windows upstairs, my window. "Well I had a wonderful time Lela, and if Dave never get's smart and realizes what he could have, then maybe we could do this again but not to get the fool to face his feelings" Mark said. "I'd like that" I told him. "Just so you don't forget me" Mark said then leaned down and kissed my lips tenderly. I smiled at him as he walked back to his car. I slipped into the house and quickly went to my room. I entered the room and stood in total shock at the view before me. There were candles lit around the room, white rose petals all over the floor, a blanket laid out on the floor, Next to the blanket was a tray of strawberries and a chilled bottle of champagne with 2 glasses. I stepped further into the room and saw Dave by my window. I wondered how long he had been there. Had he been there long enough to see Mark kiss me? "Dave" I said quietly. "Well I see you got home safe enough" he said quietly. "Did you do all of this?" I asked. "Yeah I did, but after seeing you and Mark at the door, I can see I wasted my time. Good night Lela" He said quickly walking passed me shutting the door behind him as he left. I looked around the room seeing how much time and thought Dave put into this and for me. A tear rolled down my check. Could he really care for me? I ran to Amy's room. I didn't even think to knock I just went in. I looked over to Amy's bed. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you weren't alone" I said embarrassed turning to leave. "Hey sis hang on don't leave. Randy and I are just laying here talking. Now had you come in a few minutes ago we may all have been embarrassed" She giggled. Randy slipped his sweats on and Amy threw on a robe. "Ok we're decent now" Amy said, "What's going on?" "When I got home tonight I didn't know Dave was in my room." I said. "Did you like his surprise for you?" Randy asked. "It's beautiful, but when I got in the room…." I trailed off as I slumped to the floor in tears. Randy looked confused and Amy came over put her arms around me and waited for me to continue. "He saw Mark kiss me. I asked him if he did all that and he told me he did, but he could see now he wasted his time and then said good night and walked out" I said crying again. "Dave saw Mark kiss you?" Randy asked. "Yes, Mark told me that if Dave didn't come to his senses we'd have to go on another date for real next time and then he kissed me. He said it was to remember him by." I answered. "Lela if you had a choice who would you want to be with" Randy asked. I looked at Randy and Amy. "I like Mark and if things could never be for me and Dave then yes I'd be willing to try with Mark, but my heart wants Dave" I answered. "Then you know what you need to do, don't waste time on this or you may not have your hearts desire" Randy said. I dried my tears, hugged Amy then hugged Randy leaving them to get back to each other.

I knocked on Dave's door. "It's open" I heard him say. I opened the door "Dave, can I talk to you please" I asked him. "Lela, just go back to your room. Call Mark if you want to talk to someone." He said. "Ok so this is what payback because I wouldn't talk to you after you kissed me? Fine I will go back to my room and call Mark, I guess I should take him up on his offer and just give up on you. You said you wasted your time on doing all that for me, well I guess I just wasted my time coming in here to tell you how I feel. Sorry I wasted our time. It won't happen again. Good night Dave" I said and left the room. I entered my room, changed into a plain white t-shirt, blew out all the candles and lay down on the blanket and cried. I had just lost the one man I knew I would love forever. I cried harder until I cried myself to sleep. A half hour later Dave quietly slipped into my room saw me sleeping on the blanket on the floor. He lit a couple candles so he could see better and knelt down on the floor next to me. He saw the trail of tears knowing I had cried myself to sleep. It tore at his heart. Dave lay down next to me and pulled me in his arms kissing my head as he snuggled me close. "I love you Dave" I said in my sleep as I snuggled closer to him. He stopped breathing for a second not sure if he had heard me right. "Lela I love you too" he said as he drifted off to sleep. At some point in the early morning hours I opened my eyes. I felt the pillow raise and then fall. When did pillows start breathing I wondered? I went to move and found I couldn't. That's when I noticed the arms around my waste. I knew those arms without having to look up to see who it was holding me. I looked up to see the most beautiful brown eyes looking back at me. With a sleepy smile I heard Dave say, "Good morning baby" "Good morning Dave" I replied. "I think we need to talk" Dave said. I agreed. "Wait right here I'll be right back" he said picking up the champagne and left the room. I took this moment a lone to use the bathroom. I sat back down on the blanket just before he entered the room with 2 glasses of orange juice and breakfast. He placed the orange juice and food in front of me then sat down beside me with his own. "I really made a mess of everything. I should have just came out and asked you the truth that morning instead of asking if I had a chance with Amy." He started, "I didn't want to even try for Amy, and I was hoping to get a reaction out of you so I could find out if I would be wasting my time." "Why did you kiss me Dave?" I asked. "Because you're the one I wanted not your sister." He replied, "I tried to talk to you so I could explain, but you wouldn't talk to me. It wasn't until Randy told me that you thought I kissed you to make Amy jealous that I understood why you wouldn't talk to me. Then we went out and you were dancing and laughing with Mark, yet you wouldn't give me the time of day. I got mad. So when you did start talking to me I refused to say anything. Then you got the flowers and had already made plans to go out with Mark again. I knew if I did do something I wouldn't stand a chance with you. So I went to Ric asked him for help. He told me to sit and talk to you. Just come out and tell you the truth. Then Mark showed up and you came down looking breath taking. I remembered it was Mark you looked that good for not me and yes I got jealous. Right then and there I knew what to do. So I planned everything you saw here last night. I was going to tell you everything including that I had fallen head over heels in love with you. So I waited. Then I saw Mark Kiss you and I knew I had waited to long, I knew I had lost my chance with you and it was my own damn fault. I knew after you left last night, that I should have just left it alone, but I didn't I came back in here to find out what you meant by you were going to tell me how you felt. To tell you if you were going to tell me how you felt about Mark I didn't want to hear it. Then I saw you were sleeping, but that you had cried yourself to sleep, it tore my heart out. I knew I was the one who made you cry and I hated myself for it. I was only going to hold you for a little while, but I fell asleep." Dave stopped and looked at me. Not sure if he had heard right last night or not he didn't say anything about it. He got up. "I said what I came here to say so I'll leave you a lone now. Thanks for hearing me out" he said and started to leave. I jumped up. "Dave please don't leave" I said quickly. He turned around and looked at me. I walked up to him put my hand at the back of his head, pulled his head down to me and kissed him with all the love that I held for him. I felt his arms go around me pulling close and he was kissing me back. He broke the kiss and slowly let go of me. "Dave you had your say now it's my turn." I said leading him back into the room. He sat on the foot of my bed and nodded waiting for me to say what I had to say. "The morning you came in here and asked about Amy, you almost got a reaction. Here I was crushing on you big time and you wanted to know if you had a chance with my sister. For a second I hated you and I hated her. Then I figured hey it's not her fault or yours if you liked her, it happens. I knew Amy liked Randy because she told me the day before. Then after you left Randy came in and wanted to know if he had a chance with her. Then I got mad and yes jealous. Here's my sister who acted like she hated everyone and both the guys in this house liked her. It wasn't fair. So yeah I was cranky, and I took it out on my dad when he was trying to be nice. I felt like shit for it which made me even crankier. Then every time I turned around there was Amy with both of you. I finally talk to dad and worked things out with him, but I didn't tell him why I acted the way I did. Then when you kissed me I got all messed up. I liked you so much but felt like I was being used to make Amy jealous and I wanted no part of it. I hated you for kissing me, but I hated myself more for wanting you too. I couldn't listen to you that night Dave I hated myself to much and I didn't want to stop. If I hated myself then I wouldn't hate you. I know all of you tried to talk to me the next day, but I didn't feel up to talking to anyone. I only wanted to go home and forget I had ever come here. Dad finally came in and I broke down and told him everything. Then he got a phone call and Amy sat with me. I talked to her about it and she said the whole time you were with her and Randy you never even acted like you were interested in her. That really confused me. Then dad came back and said we were going to go have fun and while doing so maybe find out how you felt about me. When Mark got there and asked me to dance I figured he was dad's plan. I knew he was going to have someone pay attention to me to see if you said or did anything, but I didn't know it was Mark until then. I had fun with Mark that night so yeah when he asked me out again I said yes. I hadn't seen any interest from you at all so I figured it really was Amy you wanted so why sit around when I could be out having fun with a very nice guy." Dave was about to interrupt when I put my fingers to his lips. "I'm not done. When I came down those stairs last night and saw the look on your face, the way you looked at me, Dave for the first time in my life I felt beautiful. Then you walked out. I wanted to run back up those stairs pack my things and leave. I didn't though, because it wouldn't have been fair to Mark. So I went out with him. Yes Dave I did have a good time with him, but he knew I was upset. I told him how I felt about you. He brought me home and yes he kissed me. It was a if Dave doesn't get a clue we can try a for real date kiss. A something to remember him by kiss nothing more. When all this happened and you told me to go back to my room and call Mark if I wanted to talk to someone I said what I did hoping you would feel just a little bit of the pain I was feeling. When I came back in here I knew what I was going to do. I was going to leave first thing in the morning. I didn't want to be here for Christmas anymore, I just wanted to be so far from here. I love you Dave, but I can't take the games or the pain anymore. I would rather never see you again than to be that close and know I can't reach out and touch you. Now I've said what I needed to say. You can go ahead and leave I won't stop you this time." I started to step away from him, but he caught me and pulled me back into his arms. He slid both of us up onto the bed and lay me down. With one arm still around me he stroked my face with his other hand. "No more games. No more Pain. I love you Lela and I'm not letting you get away from me again. I'm holding on tight this time. I almost lost you I'm not going to lose you now. Then he kissed me. The most earth shattering kiss I have ever experienced in my entire life. I pulled back slightly "I love you Dave" I said as I pulled him back for another kiss. We lay there kissing and holding each other for what seemed like forever but not nearly long enough, until Amy and Randy came into my room. "Well if they were under the covers and naked I'd say it would be Deja vu" Randy said with a smile placing his arms around Amy.

Amy playfully smacked him and I blushed as Dave looked on confused. "Last night after you left here I went to talk to Amy. I didn't knock on the door I just went in. Well I was not expected to say the least." I said. "I was glad she hadn't shown up just a few minutes earlier or we all would have been embarrassed" Amy laughed. Dave smiled knowing now just how serious Amy and Randy's relationship was. "Well maybe we should shoo them out and enjoy our own time alone" Dave said with a wink. "Sorry big guy no can do. Dad says dinner will be done soon so being as it is Christmas Eve we are to get our butts downstairs. Your alone time will have to wait." Amy said. Randy and Amy left and Dave kissed me once again. "I guess we should get down there before your dad comes looking for us" Dave said helping me up off the bed and pulling me to him for one more hot kiss before we headed down to dinner. Dave and I walked into the kitchen hand in hand and Ric smiled. Dave held the chair for me as I sat then sat down next to me. "Since this is our first Christmas together I think we should make our traditions. Christmas dinner will always be on Christmas day. That's my tradition. Amy what tradition would you like to add?" Ric asked. "I think each year we should each add a new ornament to the tree," Amy said handing each of us a new ornament, our names and the year on them, "This being the first." "I like that idea Amy. Ok Lela it's your turn." Ric said. "Back home everyone opened gifts on Christmas Eve leaving nothing for Christmas morning. To me it felt like a let down. I think we should each chose one gift to give to someone on Christmas Eve and leave the rest for Christmas Morning." I said. "That sounds like a wonderful idea Lela. Randy what would you like to add?" Ric asked. "Personally I'd like to see all of us baking Christmas cookies together on Christmas Eve, even if it means a flour war" Randy said wickedly. "Well I can see Christmas Eve will not be boring around here. Dave it's your turn, what tradition would you like to see?" Ric asked him. "I would like to borrow a Thanksgiving tradition to add to Christmas. I think it would be a cool thing to name at least one thing each year that we are thankful for. Christmas time means gifts normally right? So what's wrong with sharing something that you have been blessed with over the year?" Dave said. "I think that is a fantastic idea Dave. I'll go first if no one minds?" Ric asked. We all shook our heads and waited to see what he was grateful for. "I am blessed to have two beautiful daughters now in my life even though I missed out on them growing up." Ric said. Amy and I got up and hugged Ric. Then we took our seats again. "Ok my turn, I'm thankful to have all of you to be with for Christmas" Randy said. "I'm thankful that I didn't let my pride take over and walk out of here that very first night." Amy said smiling at Randy. Dave looked at me to go next and I shook my head no letting him go first. "Well I'm thankful that I finally let Lela know how much I love her and that she didn't chose Mark instead of me" Dave said kissing me. With that everyone looked at me. I looked at each of them. "Love, that's what I'm thankful for. For the first time in my life I know what love feels like. I've never known what it felt like until each of you and I will always be grateful for that" I said as tears silently rolled down my cheeks. Randy got up and hugged me as did Amy. Dad came over and hugged me like only a father could. Dave took me in his arms and looked down at me. "There will never be a day in your life again that you don't feel loved. I plan on making damn sure of that. I love you baby" Dave said kissing me. "I love you too sweetie" I told him. "Hey people it's time to bake cookies" Randy said wickedly. That got a laugh from everyone. We all set about making cookies. This time it wasn't Dave or Randy that started the flour fight it was Ric himself. After our flour war and getting cookies baked, we cleaned up the kitchen. Then we each went and took a shower to get rid of the flour we still had on us. We all met downstairs in the family room where we had decided was the best place for the tree. Amy and Randy sat on the sofa while Dave and I cuddled on the love seat. Ric came in with cookies and hot chocolate then sat on one of the two chairs in the room. "Ok Lela since this is your tradition you can start." Ric said. I got up from the love seat and went to the tree. I picked out a gift and walked over handing the gift to Amy. She opened the gift finding a name bracelet. She read the inscription out loud. "A sister by blood and a sister by choice, I'm glad you're mine Amy, Love Lela" Tears rolled down her face as Randy put it on her. She hugged me tightly. "I'm glad you're mine too. Thank you Lela" She said. "You're welcome Amy, now it's your turn." I said and went back and cuddled with Dave. Amy went to the tree and picked a gift walked over and handed it to Dave. He opened it and read the paper. "You got me that title shot Bischoff has been denying me for months? Thank you so much." Dave said hugging her. "Your welcome Dave you deserve that shot and it was unfair how he kept denying you so I pulled some strings. Now it's your turn." She said smiling at him and went to sit with Randy. Dave kissed me then went to the tree picking a gift and handing it to Randy. Randy opened it. "Thank you man I can't believe it how did you know I wanted this CD?" Randy asked. "You can thank your girl for that. Now it's your turn." Dave said and sat down with me. Randy kissed Amy and thanked her for letting it slip to Dave. Then he went to the tree and picked a gift handing it to Ric. Ric opened it and with tears in his eyes thanked Randy for the gift. He turned it around for all of us to see. Randy had put together a collage of pictures. In the center was a picture of Ric, Amy and Lela. In the top right hand side was a picture of Amy and Lela. The top left hand side was a picture of Amy and Randy. The bottom right side was a picture of Ric, Dave and Randy and on the bottom left side was a picture of Dave and Lela. "Your welcome man just a little something to remember this first Christmas together. Now it's your turn." Randy said sitting back down with Amy. Ric stood and went to the tree picked something up and walked over to Lela. He sat on the coffee table and looked at me. I struggled for the perfect gift, until the other day when we really had time to sit and talk just the two of us. Learning the way you grew up and the things you had been put through. Knowing all you wanted was to feel like you were really part of a family. I know Amy was raised differently than you. She was loved by both her mother and step father so the thought of doing this for Amy didn't seem as pressing as it did for you. I'm not saying I wouldn't be happy to do this for Amy as well if she wished, but it seemed more important at this time to do this for you. If it isn't what you want do not hesitate to tell me and we'll fix it. You will not hurt my feelings if you don't want this. I only want you to feel loved and be happy" Ric said as he handed the gift to me. I opened it to find a beautiful jewelry box. I looked at Ric confused then opened the box as "I will always love you" started to play tears fell down my cheeks then I saw the paper inside. I opened it to find it was a birth certificate. Reading it I noticed child's name was not Lela Marie Dawson, but it now read Lela Marie Flair. I cried as I threw my arms around my dad. He held me as we both cried. Dave took the paper and read it passing it to Randy and Amy as tears filled his eyes as well. Amy and Randy held each other as Amy cried in happiness for her dad and sister knowing she too could claim it if she wished. "Thank you dad, you have no idea how much this means to me." I told him. He went back and sat in his chair. Amy handed the paper back to me and I carefully placed it back into the jewelry box and gently closed the lid. I cuddled closer to Dave and he held me lovingly. We were finishing up our hot chocolate as we heard singing. We all got up and went to the front door. Opening the door we saw carolers standing in the yard singing. We listened as they sang. When they finished and started moving away we wished them a Merry Christmas. Ric closed the door, hugged each of us, said good night and went to bed. We all hugged each other and Randy and Amy headed upstairs. Dave and I cleaned up then Dave walked me to my room. "I love you baby" Dave said then kissed me good night. As he turned away from me I took hold of his hand. "I love you too Dave" I said and kissed him. "I want to stay with you, but I don't want to rush you" he told me. "You held me last night and I didn't even know until this morning, please stay and hold me tonight. I want to fall asleep in your arms" I told him. He smiled lovingly and nodded. We walked into the room closed the door and crawled into bed. I lay with him, my head on his chest, my arms around him and his arms around me holding me close to him. Soon we both fell into a very peaceful sleep.

We woke to find Randy Jumping up and down on the bed like a child. "Randall Keith Orton if you don't knock it off I'm gonna beat you" Dave growled at him. I giggled and look to see both Amy and dad standing in the doorway. "Don't worry Dave he did it to both of us too" Amy said with dad nodding his head. "Amy, would you please control your child before I pee the bed." I said laughing at Randy's child like behavior. "Randy baby that's enough they are awake now" she said laughing as Randy jumped off the bed and joined her. "Hurry up Santa's been here" Randy said as they left the room. I climbed out of bed looking back at Dave I said, "You know you need to be careful that growl of yours is a real turn on" earning me a growl of my own and a heart stopping smile from Dave. I smiled and entered the bathroom. I did what I needed to, brushed my hair and joined Dave in the bedroom. "So my growl turns you on huh?" he asked. "Well it is rather sexy" I said kissing him. "Come on we need to get downstairs before Randy comes back up" I said taking his hand and heading downstairs. We entered the family room to see two shocked faces and one beaming face. "See I told you Santa was here." Randy said with that cocky smile of his. Amy and I both looked at Ric. "I swear I had nothing to do with this" Ric said. Amy walked over to the tree. "There is one for each of us, including dad. If dad did this why would there be one for him too. In my house dad never got a gift from Santa" Amy said. We all agreed. We all sat and opened our gifts from each other and from Santa. Everyone had gotten what they had wanted. We all headed upstairs to get dressed. Ric, Dave and Randy had already gone downstairs. Amy and I both came from our rooms at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. As we came down the stairs Amy said, "I can't believe we bought the same dress only in different colors." 'I can't believe you bought green." I laughed. "Well you bought red I'm glad I didn't or we'd be dressed identical" she said laughing. "What beautiful angels my eyes behold" Ric said watching his daughters decline the stairs. We both stopped and smiled at him. Dave and Randy came to stand beside dad. The look I saw in Dave's eyes made me feel more beautiful than I did the night of my date with Mark. Amy and I walk down the rest of the stairs stopping to kiss our dad on the cheek. As he walked into the kitchen to finish the dinner he stated that for Christmas we would dine in the formal dinning room. Randy Kissed Amy and walked her into the dinning room. Dave kissed me took my hand rested it on his arm and led me to the dinning room. We sat and enjoyed the wonderful dinner dad had prepared. "Ho, Ho, Ho" Mark stated as he walked into the dinning room. "May Please see this lovely family in the family room please" Mark asked. We got up from the table and followed Mark into the family room. As we entered the room Mark stopped me. "So have I lost you to Dave little one?" Mark asked with a teasing tone. "I'm afraid so" I said smiling at Mark. "Glad to see he came to his senses" Mark said. I smiled and walked over to Dave putting my arms around him I smiled up at him. "Not having a change of heart I hope" Dave asked. "Not jealous are you babe?" I asked Dave sweetly. "Yes I am when it comes to him" Dave said honestly. I pulled him down to me. "Nothing to be jealous of my love, I am all yours" I said and then kissed him lovingly. He smiled at me and I smiled back. "Ok Santa needs to do one more thing for this family" Mark said. "You did all that?" Amy asked. "You didn't really think your dad did that did you?" We all laughed. "Would you all stand in front of the tree please, Ric please sit in the chair, Amy please stand on one side yet behind your father Lela on the other side please. "Randy stand next to Amy Please, Dave if you would stand with Lela." Mark instructed. I think to make this first family Christmas perfect, you need a family photo." Mark said as he took our first photo. We all thanked him for making our first family Christmas one we would all remember.

Epilogue

This would be our fourth year in this home. Yes I called it a home not a house, because that's what it has become. Randy and Amy married eight months after our first Christmas here. They had just celebrated their second year of marriage in August and now have two beautiful children, Angel Marie and Keith Scott Orton. Twins, yeah that's what I said twins. The look on Randy's face was priceless the day Amy told him. They are a year old now and Randy is such a good dad to them. Amy makes a wonderful mother. Randy is still wrestling and Amy has retired to be a full time mom. Amy and Randy bought a home two blocks from here about a week before they got married. I had chosen to live here with dad. I had finally got what I had always wanted, a dad who loved me no matter what. Ric has been the best and I am so glad that I had come here that first year. Dad remarried six months ago. Lindsey is a wonderful woman and she makes dad so happy. Dad makes the coolest grandpa in the world just ask Angel and Keith they'll tell you. As for me and Dave, we got married a year ago December 1st. We chose to live here with dad and we have the west wing as our section of the house, the east wing is Dad and Lindsey's, with guest rooms in between the wings. We share the entire downstairs. Oh yeah I know longer sleep in my wrestler shirts I mean I have the real thing now. Dave and I just welcomed our first child into the world a month ago we named him Michael David Bautista. Mark is a big part of our family now. He still plays Santa every year and so not to confuse the children Amy and I play Santa for Mark. He doesn't know it's us yet. He is also god dad to all three children and makes the best Uncle. My tradition for giving thanks for something still goes in this house and each year what we are thankful for changes a little, but my being thankful for love has never changed it only gets stronger year after year and I will always be thankful for that. I have never been happier than I am right now. I have a wonderful dad, step mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, friend, husband and son. In all I have a wonderful family filled with happiness and love. The best thing in my life was the day I walked in those front doors and walked into a new life.

Merry Christmas and much love from the Flair-Orton-Bautista Family!

The End