Their college aged kids made it!

“What do you mean ‘surprise guests’ it’s Christmas fucking Eve” Vyki said in harsh whisper as his voice cracked before dropping pitch back into Paul’s natural range. “Fucking great!”

Molly glanced back at the living room to make sure everything was still set, “don’t worry; that’s probably fine.”

What she didn’t see was Vyki putting the present and phone down on the entryway table and pull a pink tube out of her purse.

Molly turned back around as she heard the mist inhaler. “Shit!” she exclaimed quietly putting her hand to her head in frustrated stress. “You didn’t have to do that, Paul.”

Breathing out she said with quiet exasperation sounding silently better, “I can’t exactly let someone see me sounding like the ‘man of the house’ dressed as some sort Santa MILF.” To which she brought the inhaler up and took another hit to retrieve Vyki’s now signature tone.

“Ya, but they probably would have understood,” Molly explained with a nervous apprehension.

“Do they know about Paul & Vyki?” Vyki asked sounding more like her usual range.

“Kinda,” Molly said with an abundance of apprehension.

“Auntie Vyki!” says a very familiar and excited voice from the end of the hall. Looking up elation and joy went through Paul’s body as he saw his daughter actually home for Christmas. Followed immediately by ice in her veins as Vyki realized how she was dressed. She looked at Molly in pure terror, who looked back with an extremely nervous “surprise”.

She looked back at Jessica and then back to Molly as she tried to stay with a hushed tone by very aggregated, “I thought they were snowed in.”

“We were,” came a just as familiar voice with a much deeper tone coming done the hall, “but an old friend drove up there in that beast parked outside and rescued us. Merry Christmas, Aunt Vyki,” Mathew says as he gives Vyki a big hug while a tear forms in her eyes as she feels Paul’s son envelope her. He finally releases her as he notices her teary eyes and sheepishly says, “sorry, if I’m a bit fragrant. We’ve been going all day and Colin drives that thing like menace.”

“My turn,” says the very chipper Jessica as she hip checks her taller, younger brother to get by him nearly jumping into Vyki as she wraps Vyki in a big hug; her cheek landing on the exposed faux flesh of her chest. “Mmmmm, Merry Christmas, Auntie Vyki,” Jessica happily moans as she enjoys the warm embrace.

Vyki’s eyes continue to well in tears as she experiences the long wanted and anticipated embrace of her grown children yet seemingly treated as her own fictitious long lost sister that she appears to be. She has no idea what yarn or story Molly has told their kids to convince them of this fallacy and has no idea of how to play along. As she holds their daughter tightly under her, Vyki looks to Molly for some sort of clue or support as to what to do or say as she struggles to not just totally break down.

“She’s probably had a long day on her feet, so why don’t we let her get into the living room where I told you to wait, so she can sit down and relax a little,” Molly says reaching her arms out to heard the trio down the hall towards the living.

“Good point, Mom,” their son says as he leads the way back to the room, “I just couldn’t let Jessie have all the fun.”

Jessican didn’t seem to want to let go as she kept one arm around Vyki’s waist as she walked beside the taller woman saying, “I was just more excited to see her than you were.”

“I just have more self-control than your impulsive nature,” quips back the younger brother.

A frustrated Jessica got a scowl on her face and was about to say something when Molly chastised from the back, “kids, behave. It’s Christmas.”

“yes, Mom,” the adult children say in near unison as they enter the living room where a third guest that was seated stands up to greet them.

Vyki recognizes him instantly as his son’s childhood friend Colin. Standing about an average man’s height, the designer labelled coat, skinny jeans, ostrich boots, button up shirt, and sunglasses resting on his head seemed to exude the typical ostentatious attire Paul was familiar with as the boy seemed to be trying too hard to advertise something. However, the gleam in his eye and grin seemed to come off extra creepy tonight as he seemed to star at Vyki more than she ever remembered him locking eyes on Paul. “And of course, our savior of the day, Colin,” Matthew said gesturing to the young man.

“Hey, what’s the use of having a lifted Denali and big knobby tires if I can’t rescue my favorite siblings for Christmas?” the young man boasts before turning to Vyki and gently grasping her free hand. “Such a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Vyki,” he says graciously as he bows down a little and lifts her hand to his lips lightly kissing her knuckles.

“Ew, could you not just once,” Jessica says as she slaps his hands away as she guides Vyki over to the couch.

Matthew maneuvered between Colin & Vyki, “you just wanted an excuse to use those tire chains.”

“Never snows down here,” Colin almost whines in response.

Jessica sits down on one end of the couch as Matthew takes the other end, leaving the middle seat for Vyki. Colin retreats back to a recliner as Molly takes the opposite chair.

Vyki slowly sits down folding her abbreviated dress underneath her as everyone else sits down. She can’t help but feel like a prisoner trapped in a lion’s den as she looks around at everyone staring at her.

Molly pipes up first, “so how did the charity drive go? You mentioned you got the donations they needed?”

Vyki nervously responded, “umm, yes, Miss H said there was some really generous donors that pushed it way past their goals.”

“Mom said that Heather told her a lot of guests complimented her on their greeters and set the mood really well,” Jessica commented much to her mother’s chagrin. “Now I see why! This dress is gorgeous and you look totally hot in it.”

“I’ll say,” affirmed Colin earning a smack from Jessica. “You always gotta take it that step too far,” Jessica chastised.

Vyki nervously played with the hem of her skirt, “Umm….Mi.. Heather apparently bought this dress for the event and the other girl got sick so that’s why I filled in.”

“Well, I’m really impressed you made it all day. It sounds like the charity benefitted a lot by you being there; I’m proud of you for doing it,” said Matthew next to her as he put his arm protectively on the back of the couch behind her stared at Colin sternly as he crossed his leg with his ankle on top of his knee.

“Ya, yes, it seems like a good cause,” Colin said sitting back in his seat.

Suddenly it dawned on Vyki the large lifted truck that had been parked out front she took for the neighbors, “y’all drove that monstrosity through a blizzard?!? What were you two thinking? You could have been killed!!” Vyki said suddenly afraid at how here two kids risked their lives just to get down here.

“Hey!” Colin said defensively, “that is a primo GMC Denali with the best lift kit and tires on the market!! Nothing would stop that beast!”

“Beast is right,” Jessica said rolling her eyes. “I had to use a fucking ladder to get in it and it roared the whole way here!”

“Language, young lady,” Molly admonished.

“Sorry, mom,” Jessica said sheepishly. “I’m not 12.”

“That beast got you here, though,” Colin sat back smugly.

“It may not have been the best idea, Auntie,” Matthew replied, “but honestly by the time we hit New Jersey, it was clear the whole way. We’re just lucky he took that thing with him to be the most annoying person at Harvard.”

“Damn! See if I save your ass,” Colin said defensively. “Besides those snooty ivy league girls love to get some country in them.”

“Dude, there is nothing country about you,” Matthew ribbed.

Colin just joked back, “but they don’t know that. Besides cowboy boots are the in thing; even your aunt agrees.”

“Ya, but hers are sexier than yours,” taunted Jessica.

“Jessie!” Molly said exasperated.

“But those boots are so cuuuute,” Jessica practically whined.

“Ugh,” Molly groaned, “don’t remind me. I even looked for a pair when I was out today.”

“Please tell me that dress is not a rental!” Jessica says as plays with some of the fuzzy trim. “I might have to take it in a little, but I’d love to borrow it next year!”

“No,” Vyki explained nervously, “Heather said it was custom order and that I could keep it.”

“Goodie,” Jessica says practically jumping in her seat. “Oh! Bro! Maybe we could get you a Santa outfit and we could do the charity shoot next year, like a family thing.”

Matthew started to shake his head but both parents practically yelled a simultaneous and very emphatic “NO!!” causing both children to jump in fear.

“Uh, Heather said this was uh her last year,” Vyki said trying to cover relaying to her kids that it was a photo shoot at the BDSM dungeon with no real limits on pictures with Santa.

After that an uneasy silence fell over the room dampening the spirits a bit.

“Soooo,” Colin says breaking the silence, “are we going to address the elephant in the room.... or just act like nothing’s new?”

“He’s got a point for once,” Jessica says slightly surprised. “So, Auntie,” she says turning to the lady in red next to her, “you want to tell us why we never met you before today?”

Vyki’s eyes went wide with panic and immediately turned to Molly to see what she could possibly say as she was sitting between the two children they raised together.