Babyface pt 8

[Sad_Girl]

*Disclaimer: Although obviously inspired in part by people who exist in real life, this story is in no way meant to represent reality, past, present or future. The author has no personal experience or contact with the band or their friends and family. There are facts within this story which may be contrary to real life either because they were changed for artistic purposes or simply because the author had no knowledge of the truth on a particular subject; i.e.: dates and times. No offense is intended to anyone who inspired this work of fiction. It’s just a wandering thought which I found trapped in the maze of my imagination.

Babyface part 8


There was a sense of peace that came over Janet in the days after her night in the hospital. She thought perhaps it was because she had finally been able to talk to Larry about some of the things she’d been so afraid of. Maybe it was because she had a circle of friends now, people who she was comfortable with and whom she could depend on. Maybe it was simply the peace of the Christmas season approaching. Whatever it was which had brought this feeling, she was grateful.

The week before Christmas, Larry invited her to go to church with his family and to celebrate Christmas with them. Rather, he relayed the invitation from his father. Janet’s peaceful mood was slightly shaken at the thought of meeting him and spending such an important day with him. Still, she accepted the offer, looking forward to not spending the holiday alone as she had expected to. On Christmas eve, Larry picked her up in his fathers car, explaining that his father had gone ahead to the church with his older sister and her family.

She fell silent when they reached the church, holding tightly to Larry’s large hand with both of hers and letting him lead the way. The candles were lit in the windows, flickering wildly from the breezes that went every which way as people entered the sanctuary and found their seats. The soft candle light created an effect Janet had never seen against the stained glass windows with the darkness of night on the other side. It was a surreal sort of beauty which she found fitting the occasion.

“Janet, this is my father.” Larry told her, squeezing her hand slightly to draw her attention away from the windows and to the wooden pew where Larry senior sat with a pretty young woman with a baby in her arms. Next to her was a rather frazzled looking young man with a little girl of about two sitting on his lap and tugging at his tie.

“Nice to meet you.” She told the man politely, noticing that he shared a great many facial features with his son. Larry senior replied in kind, standing to greet her politely. Larry then introduced the woman as his sister, Cecilia, and the others as her husband and children. The young man greeted her politely, though he was a bit distracted, but Larry’s sister had a steely coldness in her eye which made the hair on the back of Janet’s neck stand up.

The service was much like every other Christmas service she’d attended, though by no means unpleasant. In fact, Janet found herself being swept away into the Christmas story as she had not been since she was a child. There was a spark of belief in her heart which seemed to be growing throughout the evening until by the time they had sung the final carol, she thought her eyes must be glowing from the light inside of her.

After the service they all returned to the Mullen home, where presents from Father Christmas awaited the children. Larry’s niece was especially excited, showing everyone where the presents were and pointing out that the pint of Guinness which she had left out for Father Christmas had been drained. Janet could not help but laugh out loud as she showed her baby brother how to open the gifts. Her family had never celebrated Christmas like this.

No midnight church service, and the presents waited for them on the morning, not at midnight! There was holly and mistletoe decorating the small but comfortable house, and Christmas music drifted out of the radio to fill the room.

As the others were all distracted watching the children, Janet felt a tug on the back of her blouse. She turned to have Larry grab her hand and lead her into the kitchen, beneath the mistletoe. He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly. Janet couldn’t help but blush at the feelings his kiss stirred inside of her.

“I have something for you.” Larry told her.

“Do you?” Janet joked, casting her eyes downwards, at his lap. He chuckled, running a hand over his face shyly.

“Not what I meant.” He replied, retrieving a small box off the kitchen table and presenting her with it.

“Larry, you didn’t have to…” she started to protest, but he shook his head and shoved the box into her hand.

“Open it.” He urged her. She smiled shyly and slipped the box out of it’s paper and ribbon, casting a wary glance at him when she saw that it was a jewelry box. She opened it to find a delicate gold chain, decorated with a heart shaped pendant with an emerald. She felt the moisture on her cheeks before she even realized she was crying.

“You don’t have the money for this, Larry! I can’t!” She said, shaking her head and trying to hand him the box.

“Bollocks.” He said, scowling at her. “It’s not like I stole it. I wanted to get you something nice.” He told her, refusing to take the box back. Larry was not one to spend money lightly. He wasn’t like Bono, through whose fingers money ran like water when he had it. Janet wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, her tears still sliding down her cheeks.

“No one has ever given me anything that meant more to me.” She told him softly, biting her lip as she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms sliding around his waist. He kissed the top of her head and they stood there in silence for several moments before they heard Cecilia clear her throat.

“Sorry to interrupt.” She said, although she clearly wasn’t sorry at all. She squeezed past them into the kitchen and began pouring drinks. From the living room came the sound of the other men singing along with the radio. Larry and Janet moved to join them, although Janet didn’t sing along. She was pleasantly surprised by Larry’s strong, clear voice lifted in song. His accent was thicker than ever when he sang, but it was a lovely sound to her ears.

“Oh the holly bears a berry, As red as any blood; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To do poor sinners good…” She wasn’t familiar with the songs, but they were very full of Christmas spirit. Moreso perhaps than the carols she grew up with. Larry sat down on the couch, Janet curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder.

The next thing she knew, the first rays of Christmas morning were seeping in through a frost covered window. She found herself sleeping on her side on the couch, her head using Larry’s chest as a pillow. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders possessively, his warmth spreading out from everywhere their bodies touched and breaking the chill of the early morning air.

It was the perfect way to wake up, even if it was the last thing she had expected.

She gazed up at his lovely face for a long time, admiring his long eyelashes and high cheekbones. His blonde hair fell down across his forehead, and when she, without thinking, reached up to brush it back, Larry drew in a sudden deep breath and began to stir.

“Good morning.” He mumbled when he saw her looking at him.

“Merry Christmas.” She told him, and he smiled, closing his eyes again and sighing happily.

“Happy Christmas.” He told her. Janet arched her neck back further so she could kiss his chin, then traced soft kisses up along his jawline, until she found the spot on his neck, just below his ear which she knew he loved to have kissed. She could actually feel the muscles in his face as he smiled at the sensation. His arms tightened their grip, his hands beginning to move up and down over the length of her back.

Janet gently nipped at his skin with her teeth, quickly soothing the sting with the thick of her tongue, making Larry moan out loud. He squeezed her tight and turned his head so that she could no longer reach the spot she so loved to use to torture him. She giggled as his fingers slipped under the bottom hem of her shirt and grazed the ticklish skin on her side. He smiled brightly at her, tickling her until she grabbed his hand with her own to stop him.

He leaned in and kissed her gently, his tongue dipping into her mouth tentatively. When she yielded to him completely, he sighed and sank into the kiss, setting a deep, slow rhythm that quickly threatened to get out of control. Janet slid on top of him, straddling his hips, their chests pressed together and their mouths eagerly locked in a dance as old as man and woman.

“Oh fer goodness sake, Lawrence it’s Christmas morning! Control yourself.” They heard Cecelia groan from the hallway as she passed them on her way to the kitchen. Larry jumped in shock, nearly pushing Janet off of him and onto the floor. She laughed out loud as she watched Larry’s face turn red, all the while struggling to stay on the couch.

After taking a few moments to regain their composure, Larry volunteered to walk Janet home so she could change and shower. She hadn’t planned on staying out all night, after all. They said as much to Cecelia as they passed through the kitchen, where she was checking on the turkey which she had already put in the oven some time earlier. She had looked at them with narrowed eyes and made it clear without saying a word that she didn’t approve.

While Janet showered, Larry listened to the records which she had given him as a Christmas gift. For as much as he had wanted to give her something special despite her protests of the expense, he had been awed at the stack of records she had presented him with. Even with her discount, he knew they must’ve set her back several pounds.

They returned, hand in hand, to his family home where they spent most of the day. Janet tried desperately to be polite to Larry’s sister, despite the fact that no matter what she did, Cecelia did not approve. It seemed that she could do nothing right. After dinner, when Cecelia’s husband asked Janet to hold their youngest, she had barely taken the baby into her arms before Cecelia snatched the child away.

“That’s ok, I can lay him down for his nap. I don’t want you getting any ideas.” She said. Janet looked around to see if anyone else had heard, but all of the men were in the other room already. She waited for her to return to the kitchen and then confronted her.

“What have I done to make you dislike me so much?” She asked the woman directly. Cecelia didn’t look the least bit shocked at the question, though it did seem to irritate her even further.

“It’s not you, specifically, lass. I just can’t stand to see my little brother risking his future.”

“How am I ‘risking his future’?” Janet demanded.

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking. It wasn’t that long ago that I was your age. You think all you need is love. I’ll tell you right now it’s bull shit. It takes a lot more than love to get by in this world. In fact, love tends to be a burden that breaks the people who try and carry it.” She told Janet seriously. “My brother has big dreams. More than that, he has the talent to be able to do big things with his life, not just dream about it. You? You are going to do nothing but stand in the way of those dreams.”

“No! I would never! I’m so proud of Larry and the others for the music they want to make. I’d never do anything to stop them.” Janet argued.

“You wouldn’t mean to, child, but you would do it all the same. I’ve seen it happen more times than you can imagine. Love! The time will come that he’ll have to leave and he won’t want to leave you behind. Or, even more likely, with all your rolling around on the couch and such, you’ll find yourself in the family way and he’ll have to marry you. He’ll take a job that makes him miserable because he has to take responsibility for his family.” Cecelia told her, as calmly as if stating a fact.

“And the others will go on without him. The next thing he’ll know, he’s a middle aged salesman with a bunch of little ones to take care of and no dreams of his own anymore. I don’t want to see that happen to my brother.” She said, her eyes flashing with intensity. “Not Larry.” She emphasized. Janet’s heart felt as if Cecelia had reached into her chest and squeezed it with an icy cold fist. There was an ominous ring of truth to her fears.

**********************************************************

On new years eve, Larry and Janet went along with Adam, Edge, Bono and Ali to listen to the twelve bells of Christchurch cathedral ring in the new year. Although the group was as lively as ever, and New Years tended to be her favorite holiday, Janet could not shake the feeling of doom that had seized her heart at Christmas.

When he kissed her at the stroke of midnight, Larry wiped the tears from her cheeks and asked her what was wrong. She shook her head and told him it was nothing. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she had found out earlier that day that she was going to have his baby.

[an_cat]

Did not see that coming.....

Excellent as usual, just a bit shocked, that's all.

[Targon1991]

WOW! i did not see that coming.
great as usual SG.

[hay]

!!!
great great great chapter

[sraphim]

wow... that was fast

great chapter as usual, SG!

[jessi-ma-ca]

oh my goodness...
i love the story. i have only just wondered past and found your story and ive read all the chapters in the last week.

great work
i love it!!!

[roelie]

Great chapter!

[sami0201]

WHAAAT!?

great chapter, as usual SG!

[Thora]

Holy crap! Totally did not see that one coming. Great chapter as always!

[youtooellen]

geezz, im gonna have a cow

that was shocking, awesome as usual though

[cathou_u2]

GOD!!! I NEVER saw that coming!!!!!
Of course, Cecilia..wasn't wrong when she told that..but that last line....totally a shock!!!!

I just dream that in the end, it will get better....hope they won't breakup !!!!
Good work by the way...as Now and Forever...For ALWAYS!!!

[bonoishot]

WOW SG, didnt expect that, but great as usual

[greeneyedgirl]

What a surprise ending to that chapter.
Its a great story, don't leave us hanging too long......

[Leetah]

[U2MaNaIcWeIdO]

Did not expect that one coming! I don't know where to be or for her

Wow...what an amazing and wonderful chapter!