The Shell Must Break Epilogue Adam/Kris
Adam balanced the pile of gifts on the floor next to him and knocked on the door. He didn't think he'd ever been as simultaneously excited and frightened about Christmas shopping before. Not that he celebrated it personally, but he liked buying gifts for his friends and most of them did celebrate. This year was different, though. This year he wanted to make sure he had the perfect gifts. David had been easy. Well, the knowing what to buy was easy, the boy was a constant stream of "I need that!" when watching television.
Kris was harder though, Kris wouldn’t tell him what he wanted. This was why he'd ended up offering to pick David up from school one day so that he could recruit help getting the right gift. He glanced back down at the pile of gifts and hoped that David had been right about the guitar. David had said that his dad always stopped to look at this particular guitar and even went in to play it a couple times. He'd shown it to Tommy and Monte who'd assured it was a great choice as well. It didn't stop him from worrying, though. It'd been a long time since he'd been this serious about a relationship and he wanted it to be perfect.
He had also found small gifts for Kris' parents and brother, which was even harder since he'd never met them, although he'd spoken to Kim on the phone a couple times. Kris had told him not to worry about gifts but this was something he really wanted to do, so he'd found gifts for each of them, hoping he got it right with nothing but Kris' stories about his parents to go on.
"Who is it?" David whispered.
"It's Adam."
The door swung open and David hugged him tightly. "Daddy said you wouldn't make it here before breakfast was over," he said smiling. "And he said that meant we couldn't open presents until after breakfast."
"He said that, huh?" Adam said, returning the hug. "I wouldn't do that to you. Does this mean presents first then?"
"Everyone's still sleeping," David answered frowning. "I could wake them up."
"How about you help me get the gifts inside?" Adam suggested, handing a few smaller gifts to David to carry. "Then we can make some coffee, maybe that will wake them up."
The two of them carried the gifts in and put them under the already overcrowded space beneath the tree. Then they went in the kitchen and David poured himself a glass of orange juice while Adam made coffee.
"Have you been having fun with your grandparents and uncle?" Adam asked, sitting at the table across from David while they waited for the coffee. Adam hadn't seen much of Kris or David in the last few days, staying away to allow them all time to catch up and get to know David again.
"Yeah," David said, taking a drink of his juice before launching into a list of everything they'd done since Christmas break had started. "And Uncle Daniel said maybe next year we all go to Arkansas for Christmas and then I can play in the snow like I used to."
"That sounds wonderful," Adam agreed. "I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time."
"Aren't you coming too?" David asked.
"I umm-I don't-"Adam wasn't sure how to answer that. He'd love to go with them on a holiday vacation but it was still a year away and it wasn't as if Kris or his parents had actually invited him. "It might just be a family thing."
"Of course he's coming too," Kris said, walking over to them and kissing them both on the cheek, before pulling down several mugs and filling two with coffee. "Adam is part of the family now too."
"Do I smell coffee?" A voice said from the doorway.
"Adam made it," Kris said holding a mug out toward his mother. She took it from him as his father and brother came in right behind her. Kris quickly poured everyone coffee and made introductions.
"Are we going to open presents now?" David asked interrupting the conversation that had developed around him.
"Sure," Kim said following David back into the living room, "Lead the way."
An hour later, Kris and Adam were alone in the kitchen making breakfast while the others were working on assembling David's new toys.
"I can't believe you got me that guitar," Kris said, for what seemed like the hundredth time since he'd opened it. "I really can't thank you enough."
"I have plenty of ideas about how you can thank me," Adam said grinning as he dumped a bag of chocolate chips into the pancake batter.
"I'm sure you do," Kris answered giving him a quick kiss before turning his attention back to the bacon and sausage he was frying. "I'm also sure every one of those ideas will have to wait until my parents go home."
"They definitely will," Adam agreed. "So you want to tell me about this trip to Arkansas? I know you're feeling more secure about David and the custody thing, but I didn't think you'd be willing to go back."
"It's only for a visit," Kris assured him. "I'm not moving back. Not unless you want to go to Arkansas and I think you're way too L.A. for that. But I hadn't had a chance to tell you. My parents gave me a letter last night after David had gone to bed."
Kris paused, and Adam waited quietly for Kris to continue. Kris was so happy and relaxed now. He'd been relaxing more over the last few months but today he was…Adam didn't even know how to describe, but he was different. Like that last little bit of fear had dropped away.
"It was a letter from Katy's mother," Kris said slowly. "It's over. The letter was-She apologized for what had happened. After I left they finally decided to get the grief counseling the judge had told them to get. They aren't going to try to take David anymore. They also want the chance to get to know him again. She suggested maybe sending him out there for the summer."
"Are you going to do that?" Adam asked, cautiously. He knew he had no say in what Kris did, but he thought that might be asking a lot of Kris this soon.
"No," Kris answered. "I can't do that. Not now. I did say we'd all come out and visit for a week or two over the summer, and then Daniel suggested Christmas as well."
"All?" Adam asked raising an eyebrow in question.
"The suggestions included you," Kris answered. "I meant what I said, you're part of this family now. But you don't have to go if you don't want to."
"I want to," Adam said smiling and pulling Kris into a one armed hug. "I'd love to. I just wasn't sure we were planning this far in advance already."
"Does it bother you?"
"Nope," Adam answered, placing the last of the pancakes on the serving plate, and pulling Kris in for a kiss before they could be interrupted by family seeking out the smell of breakfast. "I plan on sticking around for a very long time."
The end.