Holiday Fiction from Almathea!

I'm sure you remember Almathea's wonderful last year's contribution to the Advent Calendar. Well, as busy as she is, she still found time to send another sweet holiday tidbit ("sent with love from Belgium") 

The perfect heart-warmer for a brisk and chilly Tuesday Solstice morn. ;-)

 DRIVING AWAY FROM HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (Carter & John from Murder Takes the High Road)

 

I was happy.

Like drowning in absolute contentment and warm serenity as I sipped my coffee from the couch, ogling my perfect fiancé in the open kitchen of our Los Angeles home. John was making the Christmas breakfast while singing and shaking his butt to the pop version of a Holliday tune.

Well, almost perfect fiancé. As pleasant as John’s baritone was, he couldn’t stay in tune to save his life. But the way he was moving around the kitchen island was a sight to behold, something I suspected I would never grow tired of.

Never as in « till death to us part ». That kind of never.

This was the life I  had hoped to find with Trevor. And had finally found on the Scottish roads leading to Samradh Beag and murder. The end of a highly controversial existence for Vanessa mirroring a new beginning for me. All the irony and paradox of life one could say. But THIS was what I had always wanted. Love with a caring, reliable and funny man. Spending the Christmas day together with tokens of affection brightly wrapped under the glittering tree. Trust and companionship. Indulgence and complementarity. A few hassles here and there followed by mind blowing make-up sex. Being one half of a healthy couple.

I snuggled up in the couch purring like a sated fat cat and thought back about the three last years while enjoying my cozy surroundings.

*****

After living Castle Dìomhair, we had toured Scotland on our own, each passing day deepening the connection between us. We had returned to the US together and parting at the airport had been very hard. We had started to officially date, seeing each other as often as we could. Sometimes we had only a day or so together so we met halfway in a nice hotel in Santa Ana. We were staying at each other’s place when we could grab a few days.

The hardest times were when John had to put his Knight armor back on to chase his four-headed Nemesis, aka the Scherfs/Rice gang. Of course, it gave me all the time needed to take care of my garden and catch up with my pile of books waiting to be read. I even found a new favorite mystery writer who added a dash of gay romance to her stories, making it perfect to share the best titles with John via Kindle. A bond of sort to link us while apart and good conversation topic whenever he called. Because sex phone ? So frustrating. Take my word on this matter. But reading or gardening alone were poor substitutes to John. So it was a huge relief when he finally gathered the evidence he had needed to have the thieves arrested by mid December.

 

We spent our first Christmas day together at my place only months after we had met. While we were cuddling in front of « Love Actually », John had suddenly announced that he was fed up of chasing the bad guys all around the globe and tired of driving across Orange County. He had asked for a transfer to Case Analyst at the Los Angeles branch of Birch.

That decision had led to me to suggest him moving into my house. John never said yes. Not in so many word. But the battered couch never recovered from his athletic sweaty agreement and had to be

replaced by John’s.

For a time I kept in touch with the members of our Scottish tour, at least the ones of the unhomicidal kind. But as time went by, life drove us in different directions. I still kept exchanging a few mails a month with Rose and Nedda. And strangely enough, Sally Daly, who had remarried to a nice cop, had become my absolute BFF. We got together at least once a year and skyped every week. She was the one who had squealed the most acute -even worse than my mom indeed- when John and I got engaged. She was also the one who had told me that Trevor and Vance were still together but playing « I love you / Neither do I » on a regular basis. Talk about a toxic relationship ! I almost felt sorry for them now that I was in a good one. Emphasis on « almost ».

Today was our third Christmas together and I wanted still more of John. Our stay-at-home life probably seemed cushy to some of our friends but it actually was as blissful as can be. I couldn’t think of one more thing to ask Santa. Apart from the latest book from my new Gay Mystery Grande Dame obviously.

*****

A kiss on the nose brought me back to the here and now.

A chuckling John was handing me a plate heaped with delicacies with one hand and another mug of coffee spiked with liqueur de chocolat -a delicious chocolate liquor we had discovered the previous year while touring continental Europe and stopping over in Brussels- and cinnamon powder.

We ate and drank while opening our presents. It was a perfect Christmas morning. Finally their was only one present left. A small flat black box with golden accents and ribbons. John’s eyes were full of anticipation when he put it on my lap. « Come on handsome, open it » he said.

I couldn’t help from laughing, knowing a new adventure was coming. My love had had the exact same expression when he offered me the plane tickets to Europe last year. Or when he proposed to me in Paris.

Still, I was puzzled when I opened the box to find a black silk band and a slip of paper stating « Voucher for a mysterious tour starting now. »

I felt dumbfounded. Did he really want to trade our deliciously quiet Christmas day for juggling with suitcases in an airport ? « Now ? What do you mean now ? We can’t leave now ! I must ask for vacation time to the library. Plus Sally is flying from New Mexico today and I don’t want to miss meeting with my three-year-long-new-bestie ! Also we must do the dishes, put the trash out, do some laundry, get visas and passports, pack, ask the neighbors to… » I cried.

But John interrupted my sound check list with a bark of laughter and an arm thrown over my shoulders.

« Chill, babe. I already took care of everything. I asked your boss to give you two weeks off eight months ago when I heard about this event. No visa or passport needed as we won’t even leave California. Don’t worry about Sally, she knows already. I warned the neighbors and packed most of the stuff we will need yesterday and completed our bags this morning while you were in the shower. And you were daydreaming, your chin on your empty mug, as I took care of the rest. So let’s go brush our teeth so we can be on our way » was his unrelenting answer.

I was still trying to process this… This premediated Christmurder as John dragged me in the bathroom upstairs, took our tooth brushes to the office room where the bags were hidden, then dragged me back to the living room. I may have complained too. Just a bit.
But when he grabbed the band of fabric and blindfolded me with it, I had to took some control back.

« Huh ? Listen honey, I got it. You’re really excited with your secret treat and all the cloak and dagger prep work but a blindfold ? Really ? Don’t you feel like you’re exaggerating a little ? » I tried.
He deadpanned. « Nope. It is not. It’s a multi-layered surprise and I want you to embrace it all. »

I was still trying to argue and dragged my staggering feet while John guided me to the passenger seat of his car. Two bags in the trunk later, we were heading to where the hell knew.

*****

Reading mystery books teaches you a few useful things. Like the victim of an abduction should ever try to orientate themselves using their other senses. So I knew we were in Downtown L.A. when we reached our mysterious destination. Allright, allright. No need to call on my Spidey senses much when the drive had not been much longer than twenty minutes and I could hear honks.

« I’ll come back later to fetch our stuff » John said.

I was still hesitating between the thrill of such a planned surprise and longing for our comfy couch, as I was guided again. From a streetwalk through what was clearly a door helped open for us and inside a big hall of some sort, judging by the excited conversations echoing all around like a sea of voices. John made me stop a few feet only from the entrance. I could make out some rustling noises just in front of me.

John removed the blindfold. I blinked my eyes a few times under the bright lights of the sumptuous Millennium Biltmore Hotel lobby. And then I saw…

« SURPRISE !!! » several voices shouted.

I found myself facing five huge smiles sported by as many blast from the past persons. I didn’t even have time to fully realize before my long distance best friend Sally rushed to crush me in an overexcited hug, followed by a still very dynamic Rose Lane, a pair of amused Nedda and Wally Kramer and a quieter Alison Barnes. All the people I had kept in touch since the the Fall of the Rayburn House. Except for Alison.

« Guys, what are you doing… » I wasn’t able to finish my sentence before my friends -well except for Alison again- all started to talk together at the same time.

« Merry Christmas C.! Oooh it was so hard to keep it all secret each time we skyped ! John should reward me just for my silence ! » I think it was Sally’s voice.

« Hey Carter, long time no see. It seems you really had no clue ? Such a mystery buff you are ! » The teasing sounded like Rose.

« I was so happy when John reached out about this tour ! My poor Wally never had a chance to deny me this trip. » Okay, that was clearly Nedda.

I felt dizzy. And happy to see my friends from Scotland again -maybe not so much for Alison. I also felt at loss. So very very much at loss.

John embraced me from behind, his familiar hands clasped on my stomach as he explained :

« This is the first half of your gift. We won’t travel alone but with people you trust. »

Wait ! Since when were « Alison » and « trust » used in the same sentence ?

« I’ve always been sorry that the Vanessa Rayburn tour had ended so badly. Especially after I ruined your ultimate encounter with her. So I wanted to give you some of it back. This is the second half of the gift :  we will be part of the very first tour ever made about your new Mystery Queen ! Which happens to be organized by Alison. »

Alison’s waved her hand with a proud smile on her face.

« After what happened to Vanessa, we obviously had to shut down the Tour to Die For. It took me three long years to launch this one. But here we are ! With the same basics, like visiting some places of inspiration and ending with a few days with our literary star, but also a totally new concept. Of course I can’t tell you more. »

She winked.

« It’s really nice to have you with us Carter. And all of you. I hope we can catch up later. For now sorry but I have to get to work. I know you’ll have the time of your life on this tour ! » And on these words she purposely strode toward a large gathering of people.

I turned to my fiancé, overflowing with delight.

 

« So I’m going to meet her ? Wow that’s amazing ! »

I heartfully kissed my wonderful John, under my friends’ catcalls.

« I just happen to love you. Merry Christmas Carter » John said against my lips.

With no bed in sight, I had to break the rising heat between us. And nothing does that job as well as a snarky comment.

« Okay so another writer tour with seven of the twenty one participants of the Rayburn one. What could go wrong ? »

« Everything Babe. Everything » John answered playfully.

I blinked to my chuckling beloved while Alison clapped her hands together.

« Everybody ! Everybody ! I just got word. Can the Josh Lanyon’s Fatal Tour people please gather near me ? »

At that moment a steely female voice echoed in the hall.

« It was about time ! When you consider how much we’re paying for this trip, making us wait standing in a hall is absolutely unacceptable ! »

We all turned with a chill toward the voice but we couldn’t see the woman from where we were standing.

John and I looked at each other with eyes going huge and mouths rounding like an O as we groaned in perfect unison.

« Oh no… »

 

THE END ?