Mr.Pelton and His Five Children

Bonus: New Years(short chapter)

* Events in this chapter do not actually happen in the main story line. This is just a bonus chapter that you can skip if you want and it won't affect anything. Contents in this chapter will not be brought up in the main story line. This chapter is just for reader enjoyment.

"The whoooole day?" Sam asked as he peered up at his father with big eyes.

"Yes, now go get changed or we'll have less time to have fun." Richard ruffled his sons hair.

"Okay!" Sam ran up the stairs and into his and his sisters room to get changed.

"Mama can you help me?" Tam asked as she tried pulling her pants on.

"I think you can do it on your own Tam. You're a big girl now, and you don't need my help in everything." Annabel said as she assisted Margot with her socks.

"But you're helping Margot."

"Well, Margot is only three and still has a really hard time with her socks. Other than that, Margot can almost dress herself perfectly well. And Sam can dress himself too. If you're really stuck, I will help you, but it seems to me that you have everything under-no, you can't put two legs in one leg hole. This leg goes, yes like that. See, you can do it."

"Yeah! I got it!" Tam cheered.

The three children finished getting changed and headed down to the door where everybody was waiting for them. 

Today was the last day of the year and Mr.Pelton told his children that they were going to spend the entire day out in the city and then go to watch the fireworks at midnight. He even gave all his staff the day off. Most of them will also be spending their day in the city.

"Why haven't you dressed?" Richard asked Annabel when she had brought the children down. She wasn't wearing weather appropriate clothes for the snow outside.

"Oh, I wasn't planning on coming along." She politely said. She was so apart of their day to day activities and lives that he got used to the idea of her just being there with them, he didn't think that she'd also maybe just relax on the day off and not tag along, which, if he was being true to himself, upset him a little.

"Why's that?" George asked as he laced up his boot.

"We'd like you to come with us." Maggie said.

"That's very kind of you, but I thought of spending New Years here, at home where it's all nice and warm."

Richard didn't know if he was supposed to be happy because she finally called this place home, or urge her to come along. 

"Well, it is everybody's day off, so I can't ask you to come along and help with the children, but I can ask you to just come along. It's going to be a lot of fun." Richard said, hoping she does agree. But he also knew how much she hated the cold and how today was supposed to be one of the coldest days this winter.

"I'd love to, but it would be too cold for me. You all go and have fun. And when you come back, you tell me all about the fireworks." She said and walked with them all the way to the car waiting for them. She watched them get in, shivering in the cold, and the second the car started to pull away, she hurried back inside to the warmth of the house.

*

"Are you going to kiss a random lady at midnight or...?" George asked his father. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Richard stayed quit and felt his mood slightly dampen at the thought that Annabel wasn't with them. She had been on his mind all day and even more since it was nearing midnight. Only half an hour left and they were already at the heart of the city where activities were set up for kids and a viewing area was for the fireworks. His younger kids were being accompanied by Maggie in the toys section, so he didn't have to worry about them.

"You can just go back to her." George continued to say.

"I'm not leaving the kids alone." Richard came up with an excuse.

"They'll be with me and Maggie."

"That's still not bei-"

"Father," George began to say.

Richard froze and looked at his son. He only called him father if he was being very serious.

"I don't know why I have to keep telling you to go after the women you love. If you keep denying your feelings for her, she might find someone else. And by the time you act upon your feelings, it would have been too late."

"I don't love her George."

"Sure, and the grass isn't green. You keep telling yourself that, but it is clear to everybody that has ever seen the two of you interact that you two are in love. It's clear as day, you love her, she loves you. There's nearly 20 minutes until midnight, just enough time to get home. You do what you want with that information." George kept himself rooted to the ground and staring forward while he felt his father staring at him for a good half a minute before leaving. The second his father left, his shoulders slumped and he slightly smiled. That was another step forward in to getting the two of them together.

*

Richard rushed home and when he killed the engine of the car, he only had ten seconds before midnight.

He ran into the house, all the lights were turned off, so that must mean she's in her room. He took the stairs two at a time and knocked on her door.

"Annabel?" He called out.

"Richard?" She opened the door, confused. "You're home earlier than I expected. It's not even midn-"

She suddenly realised what he was doing right in front of her room, before midnight, out of breath and no children in sight.

They stared into each other's eyes as the last seconds of the year ticked away to the New Year. Sounds of firework explosions were heard in the distance and they began to close the distance between each other.

Richard held her hips while she put her arms around his neck and they deeply kissed.

"Happy New Years darling." He pulled back and gently whispered.

"Happy New Years." She murmured back and connected their lips again while he began to walk forward into the room.