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Johnathan Miller had a big day ahead of him and he needed to get home!

His usual spastic self easily wove in and out of the crowd coming out of Azure Valley Academy. Finals were finished and at that moment, Johnny didn't care how well he did. His tutoring from Zircon definitely paid off in spades - he actually knew some of the answers! That was a first! Maybe for his New Years Resolution would be to focus more attention on school but that was so far away! He, Alex and Lily had a plane to catch!

Hopping on the bus as soon as he could, Johnny couldn't sit still and the ride felt like it took forever with all the other school traffic. Everyone on the bus was chatting excitedly about what they would do and where they would go to spend the holiday break. Nobody believed Johnny when he said he was going overseas. Thankful that his mother gave him her blessing, Johnny didn't feel at all guilty. He'd packed everything he thought he'd need the night before into two suitcases - tons of clothes (especially warm ones!), things to keep him busy and he was bringing a completely empty suitcase for souvenirs!

As soon as the bus pulled up, Johnny smashed himself against the door and took to the street in a full-out run. When he finally made it home and burst through the door, he skidded through the kitchen, tossed his backpack at some point, tripped over the couch and nearly curb-stomped himself on the staircase. But dammit, he was ready. Zooming up the stairs to grab his suitcases, the boy pulled them back down and nearly landed in a heap at the bottom. He was practically vibrating.

"ALEX I AM SO READY WHEN DO WE LEAVE???"

Would it be terrible of him to laugh? He thought it would be but he couldn't hold back, not fully anyway. The laughter that came from him was soft, he didn't want to let himself laugh as loud as he felt he could otherwise. It was just so amusing to see how Johnathan came into the house, he was so excited, and he seemed to only just avoid hurting himself, which was a good thing all things considered.

From the kitchen he found his voice, after several moments of silence. "Soon. We need to wait for Lily and make sure everything is in order. Cadha needs one last let out back before he goes into his kennel for travel as well. But we'll be at the airport before dinner, so no worries." So within the next three hours they'd be at the airport and hopefully boarding the plane.

Cadha, set on the ground by now, followed at the blonds heels as he managed to make it to the living room as he'd once again been over taken by laughter. "Lily! You really did out do yourself." No surprise there really. Alexandre had done a fair amount of shopping as well, fair amount taken to mean a lot, for family and those close enough to earn a gift from him. Those things were either already under someone elses tree, as there wasn't one here, already opened by the receiver, or in the mail, in the case of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Reaching up to help grab some of the gifts from her arms he started unloading them slowly onto the couch.

"My luggage is already down byt he door. Cadha's food is down, and mostly eaten, he's been out but will need another let out before he's put into his kennel. the taxi service should be here soon." Rather than put a car into long term parking at the airport he'd decided on a taxi service, and not a yellow cab either. So they'd been called and the time and all set.

"Xander has something...for all of us? I can only imagine." Really it wasn't a surprise really, Xander and he were quite a bit closer than before at this point. Xander actually had a gift, or several, under the tree at the Jacob's family home.

"I still need to pack food and water for the flight - for Cadha. The rest of the dog food bag will be coming with us." Something that had it's own little piece of luggage to go into, along with a few little things for Cadha - yes the dog had his own travel luggage.

"Can you think of anything I've forgotten?" He asked, looking up from where he was piling packages on the couch.

He really did want to slow Johnathan down, the boys energy at the moment was more contagious than normal. Alexandre figured it was because he was already filled with nervous energy and on edge himself, so Johnathan's added energy only made it worse for the normally calm blond. He actually felt like moving, a need to move, and do things. He wasn't sure what but he was somehow sure that there was things which still needed to be done - more than what he'd already told Lily.

"Of course, they offer meals on planes. With the amount of time we'll be in the air I'm figuring two, plus drinks between." He had no idea what to expect meal wise, he hadn't been on a lane in years, but he knew whatever it was he'd deal with it - even if he didn't like it. "I'd say grab a pillow and blanket. From what I remember the one time I was on a plane you'll need it. The pillow offered was too small and thin and the blanket even thinner." That was another thing he'd need to get up in his room, and he'd almost forgotten! His normally organized mind had been thrown in disarray today, completely in disarray. His hair was still mused from his escape from school and it became even more mused as his fingers combed through it roughly.

"And socks, you didn't mention socks Johnathan." He added when he finally went over, for the third time, mentally what the other had packed. Do you have film or is it a digital camera?" If he had to he'd make sure the other had a proper camera for this trip, he wanted Johnathan to have good memories and pictures that were equally as good.

Moving toward the kitchen, to get dog food packed and water bottles packed up to travel with Cadha, he finished speaking over his shoulder. "Window seat...I don't think we've decided though I don't mind if you take it. What do you think Lil?" He asked shortening her name in his hurry to get everything needed.

"I've never been on a plane before!" he piped in, smiling as he leaned on the smaller blonde boy. "Mom always said I'd never pass security. But with you guys there n'... oh I got my ID an' all that, n' my passport too, just like Alex said to! It's in my... my luggage, yep. My lil' messenger bag thing... n'... boy I'm hungry. Should we eat before we go?"

Johnny blushed when he'd been called their pseudo-family's little brother. "I uh... well I'm the only kid in my family so... I guess I never really got siblings, you know?" He wasn't sure what to make of all these feelings and sort of wandered about the room, sighing happily. Perhaps this family was better than his biological? He did desire to see them when they got back, perhaps have a second Christmas with them.

But for now, he had this family.

"....aww okay it's your fault but... c'mere." Johnny lifted his arms and spread them wide, bouncing around to initiate that special holiday group hug.

Lily shook her head and gave a somewhat irritated glance before pushing it away. "No, they stayed here to long looking for me. My day used up a lot of his vacation time, plus we decided it would be best if we spend some time apart. We all needed to cool off. It weird and I wish I could see Rose, but it's for the best. Besides we will be in Paris anyway."

Lily gave a small giggle, "that's okay Alex. You don't have to do that. You know Xander's not the most social person. I think he's quite looking forward to a quiet holiday. Beside he's still not finished getting settled in at the big house. I think my parents will being giving it to him, he's still organizing things."

Lily nodded, it was true even since Alex was born he'd been the little brother, but things had changed for the better recently. She like that they were all getting closer. It was weird how the situation with her had played out for the three of them. "Yeah, we'll always be a big old happy extended family." She gave a small laugh and looked to Johnny feeling more excited because he was so excited.

"Sound's like you have everything to me Johnny. Wait till you see when you taking off and everything getting smaller and smaller. The first time I saw it I just couldn't stop laughing. Really the world looked like a doll house the smaller it got. My mom took a billion pictures. I think that was a trip to Disney World. We should all go there some time."

She looked to Alex and nodded at his words, "yeah, he's right your stuck with us." She then pouted at Alex's and Johnny's teasing. "It's not my fault, there were just so many things for everyone. I couldn't decide what to get. Beside you guys deserve everything you got."

Lily laughed and shook her head, laughter dying but the smile remaining on her face. "Yeah Tink, it looks as though it might come to that." She skipped over into the hug, wrapping her arm around the two and enjoying the hug for a moment.

"This is going to be the best holiday ever, but come now, let opens some gifts and get a snack so we won't be starved on the plane. I hungry to Johnny."

"Yeah, I understand. The whole situation was weird to say the least." The no notice to going to Britain, moving items and packing things, and then there was calling it a vacation when it clearly had not been any such thing. "I can imagine things aren't perfect between you and your parents after all was said and done. It'll take time to mend." Smiling to Lily he bobbed his head.

"If your sure? I mean...the holidays are a time to spend with people - family." And his family was as good as Lily's and vice verse. His parents, and his extended family, would make sure Xander felt at home and wasn't alone for the holidays. He knew his own parents wouldn't be, his cousins, aunts, and uncles would be over the house. It was normal for his family to go to his parents home since it was bigger, big enough to fit everyone. His grandparents would even turn up, as they always did for holidays. Really if you took the whole Evans family, the Jacob's family, and now tossed in Johnathan, it was a large family and while extended it was close-ish.

"Disney...that's not a trip my family ever took while I was growing up." Not that he minded that now at least, he had then of course. The only trip he'd really taken was the one to Europe with Lily and her family a few years back. But he could remember leaning over someone to see out the window and look down at the small world below them, not to mention all the clouds. The clouds and the sun setting had been very nice, then he'd fallen asleep in his seat.

Nuzzling Lily as she hugged them both he smiled toward her. "I'll get snac-" The words died on his lips as Johnathan went to get a platter, when had he made that? Shaking his head he looked down to the watch strapped about his right wrist. "We got like half an hour till the car service is here. We should be fine with the platter. We might have time to grab something to eat at the terminal. Or we can wait till meal time on the plane - we should be good." Though maybe not. No telling, he didn't know how long it would be between boarding and the first meal, he was sure there would be two meals.

"I don't know how you manage to do so much Johnathan, I really don't." And he honestly didn't. The boy seemed to make more time, fit more things into a day than Alexandre or anyone he knew could or did, and he still had so much energy! "Alright, so lets decide which items we want opened here and which ones we'll take with us to have opened there." As he said this he was going over to the tree to grab up a few items, looking over each one before either putting it back under the tree or setting it aside.

When he stood back up, his hair falling about his face in a mess, a smile in place. "Alright, five for you both. I'll take the rest with us." And he did have at least as many for each of them back under the tree. "Lily, these are yours." Motioning to a small pile wrapped in red, gold, silver, green, blue, and other rich colors. "Johnathan, these are yours." And those five had brighter wrapping paper or paper with scenes on it. All had bows and little cards though.




I figure we'll go from opening gifts to the car arriving, then to the airport and maybe a small meal there, we can figure that out, and then onto the plane, who falls asleep and who doesn't. How that goes. And then landing and out of the terminal and the first look at Paris.

If that's good with you both?

Johnny was a racer who didn't wait for the proverbial gunshot before he was off like a rocket. Paper and ribbon and tissue were flying every which way, like a wrapping paper aisle at Michael's had exploded all over the living room. Johnny held up his prize - a black hoodie with a little ninja decal on the front. He hugged it with glee and began to strip so he could put it on. "This is the best thing ever!" he exclaimed. He knew it was from Alex because he had spent a split second actually reading the card. "Thank you, Alex! I hope you an' Lily like what I got you guys. I know it's not much cuz I don't havva job but still."

The next presents went under in quick succession - Ninja Warrior DVDs from Lily, a Bruce Lee collection from Xander, more origami paper from Alex... Johnny was a very good boy this year! He beamed with pride and wasn't sure if all his energy would make him crash suddenly or explode in a pile of confetti and sugar.

After he finally allowed himself to breathe, the boy deflated on the floor to slow down a little. He couldn't help but vibrate like a cellphone. "omgomgomgomgomgomg we're gonna be on a plane, goin' over the water an' to Paris it'll be SO COOL."