A Christmas To Remember
PART I
Shae looked out the small window of the plane as it began it's descent, it was December twentieth and she was going to visit her cousins.
Once again she wasn't going to be spending Christmas with her parents, they both were gone traveling. Her dad was a college professor and he was always giving speeches at other schools. Her mom was a sales representative who also traveled.
Most of the time she stayed with her friends but this time her mom insisted that she stayed with family since it was the holiday season.
Shae brushed back her shoulder length blond hair as she thought back on the week before when her mother told her about her decision.
She was going to be going to her dad's brothers house in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Her mom said it was no big deal, yeah right, how could it be no big deal when her cousin were the famous pop trio Hanson.
The last time she had seen them was over three years ago, their youngest brother hadn't even been born back then....it was also before they became famous.
Shae finally got fed up with her hair and pulled out a comb and her compact.
When she looked in the mirror she saw an similar image of her cousin Taylor, only a more feminine face.
Shae almost laughed when she reached back and carefully rebraided her rat-tail, she had decided last year when she got her hair cut to keep it. It wasn't quite as long as Taylor's and she hadn't known about his when she decided to do that, but it only added to the similarities between them.
Only her closest friend knew that she was related to Hanson, the rest of them were always saying how much she looked like them to go along with them sharing the same last name.
As she carefully put on her make-up she noticed the bags that were under her sky blue eyes, sighing she began to put everything up. The plane had just landed.
As she walked off the plane she felt somewhat scared, she hadn't seen them in so long, what if they had changed? What if they had turned into brats? Shae could barely even remember what their two younger sisters looked like...they had only been six and three.
Stepping off the plane she began to look for her Aunt and Uncle, finally she spotted them on the far side of the waiting room.
Diana and Walker both spotted their niece at the same time, she had been born on almost the same day as Taylor, her birthday was March 15, and she looked as if she could be his twin sister.
They called Shae over and after a few hello's and hugs from both of them they helped her find her luggage.
Diana was glad that they had decided to leave their own kids at home, the airport was crowded and the last thing they wanted was for a mob to come after their three older sons.
Shae was rather quite the whole car ride to their house, she was lost in thought.
"Sorry if the house is a mess," Diana said as they arrived at the house, "I told Isaac to make sure it was clean. I don't know what kind of job they did though."
Shae let out a small laugh as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. Snow was lightly falling as she stepped out and shivered in the cold December air.
When Walker opened the door of the house Shae was greeted by the opening guitar of the song "Run Rudolph Run".
When the three of them went back to family room they found Isaac, Taylor, and Zac playing for their three younger siblings.
Jessie, Avie, and Mackie sat spellbound as they watched their brothers perform.
"Ahem..." Walker started, "Shae's here."
Suddenly the music stopped.
"Hey! What's Up?" Isaac asked as he unhooked the shoulder strap of his guitar.
Shae laughed at the lopsided grin that Zac was giving her.
Mackie got up and walked over to her, "You're pretty." he said in a whisper.
Shae was touched by Mackie's announcement, "Thank you."
It was Taylor's turn to laugh now, "I hope that doesn't mean I'm pretty!"
Zac spoke up, "Your not pretty Taylor. You're a boy."
"I know Zac....I was just joking."
Diana had been busy looking around the house, "I thought I asked you guys to clean up?"
The three of them were stuck, finally they put up their instruments and went to help Shae move her luggage into the guest room.
Zac picked up a bag of presents and started reading the tags as he carried it in.
"Mackie.....Walker.....Taylor....Jessie....Avie......ah! Zac! Just the one I was looking for."
A few minutes later Shae had moved all of her stuff to the side of the room.
"Do you guys think you could leave?"
"Oh...sorry."
Shae soon fell asleep...Jessie tried to get her up for dinner but Shae just brushed it off and went back to sleep.
Finally the house quieted down....everyone had finished eating and they had just began to get ready for bed.
Diana tucked in the three younger children before stopping at the guest room to check on Shae. She appeared to be resting peacefully so Diana carefully shut the door and continued on her way.
Stopping of at Isaac, Taylor, and Zac's room she checked to see if Isaac was still planning on going Christmas shopping with his friends Scott Reid and Lily Sharten.
Later that night Shae sat up startled, "Must of been having another nightmare." she thought to herself.
Settling herself into a more comfortable position Shae suddenly wished she was back home.
Ever since the week before she came Shae had been having these nightmares.
Shae looked up as the door to her room slowly opened.
Diana stuck her head inside the door, "Are you Ok Shae?"
Shae suddenly found herself unable to say anything, she was so scared. Nodding her head she gave Diana an almost pleading look.
Diana came in and turned on the light by the side of the bed and then sat down.
"What's the matter honey? You look scared half to death. Tell me what's wrong."
Diana put a comforting arm around Shae's shoulder as she talked. Shae looked absolutely terrible and she didn't want to do anything to upset her further.
Shae just sat speechless for a moment before she began to explain her nightmares to her aunt.
"I don't know what's wrong Aunt Diana, I just keep having the same nightmare over and over. I'll dream that I'm with my parents and then they'll just get up and leave. I try to follow them but something is holding me back, I can't get to them. Then they just disappear, and I'm all alone."
Diana had an idea as to why Shae had that dream but she didn't want to assume anything, "Shae, what do you think of these dreams?"
"I...I'm not sure, I think it's kind of a reflection on how I really feel." Shae answered as leaned her head against Diana's shoulder.
"How do you feel about all of this Shae?"
"What do you mean?"
"About your parents always being gone."
"I miss them, I guess I'm just afraid that one day they'll decide to leave me with someone else so they won't have to worry about me. Sometimes I just wish that my Dad would get a job at one school so he wouldn't have to travel so much."
Before Diana could answer, the door was slowly pushed open.
Avery came walking in with a sleepy expression on her face, "Mom?"
Diana couldn't bring herself to scold her daughter for being up so late, it was almost one in the morning, she realized that Avery's and Jessie's room was right next door.
"I'm right here Avie. Come on up."
Shae sat up straight and moved over so Avie would have someplace to sit.
At first Avery was hesitant to come over, she wasn't used to Shae being there.
Finally she came over and settled herself in-between Diana and Shae.
Shae was still slightly pale from the dream and Avery noticed that.
Even though she didn't really know Shae she got up and climbed into Shae's lap.
Looking up at Shae she asked, "Are you Ok? You don't look to good."
Shae smiled and then answered, "I'm Ok, I just had a bad dream."
"Do you know what happens when I have a bad dream?"
"What Avie?"
Avie hopped off her lap and shooed her mom off the bed.
"Lay down." She told Shae.
Not seeing any other choice Shae obediently slid back under the covers.
"Are you thirsty?"
Shae laughed to herself and thought, "Avie seems more like the mom right now." and then she looked up at Avie who was standing at the side of the bed and said, "Not really."
"Ok. Close your eyes."
Shae did as she was told.
For a moment she didn't here anything but then she felt Avie climb back onto the bed and sit next to her.
Shae was about to open her eyes when suddenly she heard Avery singing.
Avery began to sing 'Away In A Manger'.
One of the last things Shae remembered thinking was that one day it would be Avie in all the spotlights, she had such a sweet voice.
Diana had been sitting in a chair the whole time but when Avery began to sing she leaned forward in order to hear her better.
Diana knew that all of her kids had nice voices but she had never heard Avery sing like that before.
In all the time Diana had spent traveling with her sons she had heard alot of talent but at that moment none of it even came close to the soft voice of Avery.
It was so innocent, so childlike. It was perfect for the song she was singing.
When Avie finished it was all Diana could do to keep from clapping.
Standing up she noticed that Shae had fallen asleep with a peaceful smile on her face.
Picking up her daughter she whispered, "Good job Avie."
Avery just leaned against her mother and whispered back, "I knew it would work."
"How?"
Snuggling closer she whispered one last thing before she fell asleep, "Because it always works when any of you guys sing to me."
Smiling Diana tucked Avie back in her bed and then walked back to her own room for some much needed sleep.
Slipping back into bed she thought of all her children, all of them were so wonderful, and soon they would have another sibling joining the family.
As she drifted off to sleep she placed her hand over her stomach and thought to herself and her baby, "You're moving in with a great family."
PART II
The next morning Shae woke up and realized that they must of let her sleep in.
As she got dressed she wondered if she'd ever fully wake up.
She didn't have to wait long to find the answer.
Stepping out of her bedroom she quickly flattened herself against the wall in order to keep from being run over by Zac as he ran through the hallway.
Gasping for breath Zac stopped just long enough to give her a cheerful 'Good Morning!' before he continued on his way.
Isaac laughed as he stepped out of the open bathroom with toothpaste in one hand and his toothbrush in the other.
Grinning he noticed Shae trying to catch her breath after her close encounter with Zac.
"Sorry 'bout Zac," Isaac apologized for his younger brother, "He's just excited 'cause his friend Lucy is coming over. Her parents want to shop so my mom agreed to let Lucy come over for a few hours. I'm warning you, the house is going to start getting really crowded tomorrow. Lucy and her family will be coming over alot, Our friend Amy and her family will be coming over, you're already here, and my girlfriend Kelea is coming from Hawaii tomorrow. It should be pretty quite today though."
"Oh...." was all that Shae said as she tried to grasp everything that Isaac had just told her.
"I'm going shopping with my friends Scott and Lily in a few minutes, want to come?" Isaac asked as he walked back into the bathroom so he could brush his teeth.
Shae thought about that idea for a moment before she politely declined his offer.
"That's Ok Isaac, most of my presents are already bought and I need to unpack my stuff today."
"No problem." Isaac mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste.
Laughing Shae walked into the kitchen for some breakfast.
Taylor was balancing two bowls and a box of cereal in his arms as he tried to get some breakfast for him and Mackie.
"Hey!" Taylor greeted her as he almost dropped everything.
Smiling she took the box of cereal from him and put it in front of Mackie's seat.
Mackie immediately grabbed the box to see what kind Taylor had picked out.
As Shae looked for a bowl she looked over her shoulder and asked Taylor where everyone else was.
Pointing out the cabinet with the bowls Taylor answered, "My parents took the girls shopping. It's just going to be me, Mackie, Zac, and you. Unless you're going with Isaac."
"I'm staying, I want to unpack and I still have some presents to wrap. I have a couple I still need to buy but I can get them later."
"Cool," Taylor replied as he poured Mackie's milk, "maybe you can help me wrap my present. I could bring you with me and my friend Amy when we go shopping tomorrow. But If I do then you have to wear a hat the whole time."
"Why?" Mackie asked looking up from his bowl.
"Because she looks to much like me Mackie."
"Oh."
"That sounds great Taylor, I'll help you wrap after I unpack."
After she finished eating Shae walked back to her room to begin organizing her stuff.
About an hour later someone knocked on the door.
"It's open!" Shae shouted from the closet.
Zac walked in leaving the door partly open.
"Hey Shae! Need some help?"
Coming out of the closet Shae smiled to herself, "I love this family."
Out loud she said to Zac, "Um sure....could you pass me that bag please?"
Passing the bag to Shae, Zac couldn't help but mention how much she looked like Taylor.
"I know. Everyone tells me that." Shae answered as she hung up her dress.
"Doesn't it bug you?" Zac asked as he handed Shae a pair of shoes from the bag.
"Sometimes....most of the time it doesn't. It only bugs me when they ask if I'm related to you guys."
Slightly confused Zac asked, "But you are...why would it bug you then? Don't you want people to know we're your cousins?"
Sighing Shae stopped what she was doing and sat down on the bed.
"It's not that easy Zac. If I told everyone then who knows what would happen to me. I mean, would I be stalked if word ever got out that I know you guys? Would everyone I know start asking for me to get them autographs? Deliver their personal messages? And who knows what else."
Sitting down next to Shae, Zac had a very serious look on his face.
"I never thought of it that way Shae, sorry for bringing it up. Can you sing?"
Caught slightly off guard by his sudden question Shae answered cautiously, "Yeah. I can sing pretty good. Why?"
"Because I thought of a good thing about you looking like Tay."
"Really? What's that?" Shae asked almost afraid of what the answer would be.
"Well," Zac started off, "if Tay ever gets sick then you can fill in for him!! You even have the rat-tail."
Shae laughed, "Zac, while that's a very intriguing idea I don't think I could sing like Taylor."
Zac returned the laughter, "I know, I'm just kiddin'. Now let's finish unpacking!"
Smiling, Shae stood up and walked back over to the closet.
Holding out her hand she decided to be a little goofy herself.
"Bag?"
Zac suddenly got a fake look of seriousness on his face.
"Bag."
As he watched her hang up another dress he asked in a semi-serious voice, "It looks pretty bad doc, thing it'll pull through?"
Glad that Zac had caught on to what she was doing Shae replied, "I think it'll make it Zac. But for now we should let it rest. Why don't we go get some cookies and then go help Taylor wrap his presents?"
"That's a good idea. Race you to the kitchen!"
Laughing Shae dropped what she was holding and ran for the door beating Zac by just a couple seconds.
After they ate their cookies they walked into they boys bedroom were Taylor and Mackie were surrounded by a mound of un-wrapped presents.
Before they could start wrapping, Lucy came over, so Zac left with Mackie to go play video games in the living room.
"So how do you like it here so far Shae? Are we better or worse than you expected us to be?" Taylor asked as he wrapped the first present.
"It's pretty cool. And you guys are alot nicer that I thought you would be. No offense, but I didn't know what to expect really."
"That's Ok, we were kinda scared ourselves. I mean, for all we knew you could of been totally rotten, like expecting maids and servants just because we're famous and stuff."
"I never thought of it that way. I'm learning alot of stuff over here."
Taylor just nodded and went back to wrapping presents.
A few minutes later Shae broke the silence, "Your sister Avery has a really nice voice you know."
Taylor put down the present he was working on and smiled, "Yeah I know, when did you hear her singing?"
"I had a nightmare last night and she wound up singing me to sleep. It was so sweet, at first she didn't even want to come into my room, she was scared of me I guess."
Picking up another present Taylor laughed, "Sounds like she's a Hanson all right. Out going and she can sing. What a combination."
"Well it got you guys to the top."
"True."
Before they knew it they had wrapped all the presents and pretty soon Isaac came back and kicked them out so he could wrap his presents.
Before Shae knew it, it was time for dinner. She was starving, she had forgotten about lunch, she had been so busy with wrapping presents and unpacking she didn't even realize how hungry she was.
After dinner Shae joined Jessie and Avery in coloring pictures before bed.
As everyone finally put up what they were doing Walker shut off the kitchen lights and commented to his wife, "Looks like Shae is fitting in quite nicely. I'm almost sorry she'll have to go back home after New Years."
Diana sighed as she remembered what Shae had told her the night before, "I think she'll be sad too."
Everyone was soon in their beds and Diana once again walked from room to room to check on her children.
This time her last stop was Shae's room, when she peeked in she noticed that Avery and Jessie had both given Shae their favorite stuffed animals to sleep with.
Diana guessed that Avie had shared with her older sister about Shae having a bad dream and she was glad to see that both of her daughters had accepted Shae as part of the family.
Shae smiled as she noticed Diana watching her, she didn't say anything though. She liked knowing that someone was there watching over her, making sure she was safe.
After Diana left Shae rolled over onto her back and turned on her diskman to the 'Silent Night Medley'.
Listening to them sing left her in a good mood and she whispered a 'thank you' as she drifted off to sleep.
"Thank you God, thank you for bringing me here."
Finally she feel into a peaceful sleep, one were her nightmares could no longer reach her.
Ah! The story was too long for angelfire...click here to read the rest.
Email: kai_yuria@hotmail.com
