Here comes santa claus!

[callmeemily]

The holiday this year is so incredibly different than the last.

Last year? Raleigh was holed up in the boarding house, no one in 300 miles but her shitty boss knew her name, and she was so poor that she was eating rice, beans, and leftovers from the Seaside bakery.

This year, everything's changed. Orchard House is chugging along astoundingly well; Raleigh puts in long hours, but it's paying off. She's been able to hire somebody else to work the register, she's getting custom orders - the whole thing. She has friends. Honest to god friends, and she's got enough money that she's actually got presents for people. For a lot of people - it's a mix of cookies and things, but there's a little something for everybody piled on the table in the back corner, and one mass-text later she's humming through the bakery, music playing from the speakers, warm cider in a carafe, and everything's warm and cozy.

She looks at it, at this business that she's made with the help of this whole town, and she can't help but smile. Tonight? Spending tonight with friends and found-family? That's what this whole thing's about.

Gathering post! Raleigh will tag everyone who tags in, but feel free to tag one another, too. :) It's up to you if they have gotten a text, or just heard the music and seen the crowd. Everyone'll get something!

Comments

[davin]

Davin has just gotten out of the shower, skin still pink from scrubbing engine grease from his skin, and is in the process of dropping down onto his couch with a sigh when his phone chimes. He closes his eyes in exhaustion and looks over at it for a long minute before finally reaching over to grab it. The text is from Raleigh, and it's a mass text, but she's still inviting him over.

He takes just a moment to rest, bones heavy with exhaustion, and then heaves himself off of the sofa. It doesn't take him long to get ready and he grabs the little gift he got for her, wrapped up in a neat little box, and heads out.

He'd done the bulk of his Christmas shopping online while stuck in bed, and he'd just finished all the wrapping the night before. He was so tired that at one point he woke up on the floor with his cheek stuck to a piece of wrapping paper, but he got it done.

The bakery looks amazing and a bill jingles as Davin pushes the door open, and he doesn't even think twice before slipping behind the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee. He doesn't think she'll mind, considering how familiar he is with being behind the counter at a bakery, and he doesn't want to make her do more work.

"Hey, lamb," Davin says as he dumps a little sugar in his coffee and comes over to her, setting the small gift box down in front of her. "Merry Christmas."

[callmeemily]

"Davin!" She beams up at him, and she's pushing herself out of her chair, and she hugs him - carefully, just so that she doesn't mess up his ribs or anything - but she's smiling widely - and that's when she realised there's a box on the table, and her eyes widen. "You didn't-" She pauses, because she can't exactly say that and not have something for him, but she does have something for him, and it's pretty quick to snag it off the pile so she can press the box into Davin's hand. "Merry Christmas, yourself - I didn't know if you'd make it, I totally would have played Santa if you weren't feeling up to it!"

[starsfallen]

"Davin?" Raleigh has gone off to mingle about the room, and Corry sips a mug of warm cider, looking for a friendly face. The one she finds may not yet be a friend, but she has not seen him since the cave and its great to see him looking far less - well, how they all looked. Desperate and desolate and barely clinging to hope.

"It's Davin, right?" She shines a smile his way, tipping her mug to him. "Merry Christmas."

[coopdetat]

Coop gets the text while he's wrapping up some paperwork at the clinic and smiles when he sees that it's an invite from Raleigh. He writes back a teasing message about how he's hurt that he isn't worth a personal invitation, stuck instead with being included as one of the masses, but adds that he'll be there as soon as he's finished up with work and is true to his word. He has gifts for her back home, but he doesn't want to stop there to get them and besides, it's not even actual Christmas yet so he figures he can just shoot give Joel or Spencer a call later to see if stopping by on the holiday will be okay. He doesn't imagine they'll say no. Plus, he wants to see the tree he'd helped them set up last week because he's only got a janky one at home since the dogs are way too fucking mischievous for their own good.

So he shows up at the bakery after a quick run to the store for a bottle of Grey Groose--he'd gone in for wine but he and Raleigh have had fun with Grey Goose before so it'd caught his eye instead--and walks into the already upbeat atmosphere in Orchard House with a wide grin. He's been burying himself in work again, just like he always does when he's avoiding reality, but this is good. This is a better kind of escape, one that he thinks he'd like to stick around for as long as he can, and he sets the Grey Goose on the countertop while he scans the room, looking for the host or another familiar face.

[callmeemily]

Raleigh's had sort of weird feelings about Coop lately - obviously, they're friends, but she's touched that he stayed with her after everything that happened, and the possibility of him being gone when he'd vanished, but then there's his ex in town - there's a lot, but the one thing that she knows for absolute certainty is that he's her friend.

Right up there, though, is how much stress he's got to be under - and it's one of the reasons that she's so happy that he was able to make it. "Hey!" She can't stop the bright smile, and Raleigh pauses to set down her cocoa before she makes her way to him, and doesn't even hesitate before she hugs him tight, pulling back just a little to look up at him. "I was hoping you'd make it! Merry Christmas, you." She's a little more unsteady on her feet then usual- the Christmas orders had been through the roof, and she's a burning the candle on both ends just a tad - plus her mom's... well. She's less than thrilled that Raleigh's staying home for Christmas, instead of coming down to Tennessee, but that just adds to why she's determined to have a good time and throw herself head first into holiday cheer.

[remotecontrol]

Shea Cooper exists, to Charlotte, almost peripherally. She hears about him now and then, either from Raleigh or Joel or Spencer, but he isn't someone that she would claim to know very well at all. She knows, however, that he helped last month, that he is part of the reason that Joel is still alive, and she is grateful to him for that. When she notices him in the bakery, she wonders if she should thank him personally. It's the reason why she walks over, but then she spots the bottle in his hands and her eyebrows shoot straight up.

"Wow, I didn't realize it was gonna be that kind of Christmas party."

[keirasullivan]

"If it isn't my wayward neighbour," Keira muttered, poking Coop in the ribs and cutting in front of a few people to talk to him. Well, cutting in front of a few people and Coop. "You owe me big Shea."

Keira never called Coop his actual name because that would be like giving in to him. Far too easy and far too uncomplicated and Keira lived for making her life a tangled knot of not sleeping or falling for anyone.

"You still have not been on a date with my friend, you know Gen's practically heartbroken. You can't tell but on the inside she is," Keira replied poking him in his well formed pecs.

[asharpertongue]

"Aren't you cold?" Lara asked, looking up at Coops short hair. "I'm getting you a hat for christmas."

[starsfallen]

"Coop." Corry holds out her mug of cider in toast, selectively blocking out the bottle of Grey Goose from her mind. "Coop, with a shirt. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

"You know, Will thinks we should coordinate Christmas lights with the neighbors. If he says anything... don't say I didn't warn you.."

[sylviedevereux]

She'd gotten the text from Raleigh after their brief meeting at the animal adoption day, and she's pretty sure it must have been a blanket text to anyone she happened to have the number of, because it seems odd to be invited. It's been weeks and by now, she's sure people have started to catch on about who she is and what she's doing here, and Shea and Raleigh had seemed close. She'd be incredibly surprised if she hadn't been told the whole sordid backstory by now, and yet, here she is, about to encroach on their Christmas.

To hell with it, she decides, because she can't hide from his friends forever, and it's either this or drink wine at home alone, so. She takes a breath and walks in, the little wrapped parcel clutched tightly in her hands. He's gonna kill her for getting him a present, but she'd brought it all the way from Paris on a whim, and she can't not give it to him now.

[starsfallen]

When Corry gets Raleigh's text, she practically jumps for the bakery. The past few days Corry has practically thrown herself into work with the Waterhouse, helping oversee the contracters to make sure they can get a break for the holidays, and doing absolutely anything she can to avoid thinking about... things. Particularly Leslie Parker and Will Cabot shaped things.

Everything in the bakery smells amazing, sweet pastry and sugar mixed with the cinnamon of cider. Corry is quite certain she wants one of everything, at least. She clearly has cause for some chocolate therapy.

But the bakery is filled with festivity and Raleigh is practically glowing and it's hard not to fall into the holiday spirit. When Corrine walks in, she picks up on Raleigh's humming and begins to sing-along before pulling her into a hug.

"Merry Christmas Raleigh."

[callmeemily]

Tonight, there's no one at the register, and nothing's for sale. It's a celebration, and there's gifts on the table - some have tags, some don't (because Raleigh's got boxes of cookies for the people she doesn't know that well), but there's also just piles of baked goods around for the having.

It's a party, and she's surprised when Corry hugs her because she'd been checking to make sure there was still coffee, but the moment when she realises who it is, Raleigh hugs her back tightly, smiling brightly. "Merry Christmas! Do you like cider?" It just sort of pops out of her mouth, because she's got mulled cider and while she definitely means well, Raleigh's always a wee bit awkward, just kind of across the board. "And hi! I'm so glad you could make it!"

[astra_inclinant]

Mira's a little grumpy today. She had another nightmare last night. Her portion of side dishes for tomorrow are going awry and her mother, trying to be helpful, took over, which is never what she wants out of food-making. Her presents look awful. Etta's flight is overbooked. It's a mess.

So when she gets a text, even a group one, from Raleigh inviting everyone to Orchard House, she can't help but smile a little (and feel nervous about what she got her).

When she swings by, people are already laughing inside, music is playing and the whole place smells like Christmas: nutmeg and ginger and vanilla and bright apple cider, and Mira beams. "Hey," she greets the room at large, but she's scanning already for Raleigh. "Merry Christmas!"

[callmeemily]

"Merry Christmas!" Raleigh's got her hands full with a stack of cookies, and her limp's worse than usual - but she deposits them on a counter, and it's not long before she's back to hug Mira tight, her eyes bright with smiles. "I'm so glad you could make it! Are you hungry?"

It's weird - she hasn't known Mira long, but she's absolutely thrilled that they've become friends this year, and she's excited for the year to come.

Which pretty much means Raleigh's default mode? Feeding her friends. And Mira's one of them now, hence the question.

[starsfallen]

Corry is circulating about the room when she spots the girl enter. Happy and beaming, as bright as Raleigh. After her last Christmas, every bit of holiday cheer is welcome. She looks vaguely familiar and Corrine cannot put her finger on it until she thinks of Mara. Of course.

When the girl comes nearer, Corry approaches with a smile. "Merry Christmas. You're a friend of Mara's, aren't you?"

[meowhistory]

Lena follows her nose to a new place. Or maybe not so very new, whenever she remembers that she has been gone for years and that means that a lot of things have changed or disappeared or appeared, her hairs stand on end. How much has she missed?

Well, clearly this place. And it smells really good and Jacob is close so she can't disappear and no-one can do anything to her. Ever since turning back, she really only felt like things made out of dough and grains. No meat or fish for a long time coming, please.

But maybe this is a private party, so Lena just leans in, to the bright window, to the amazing smells.

[callmeemily]

Raleigh notices someone peering into the window, and she moves to the door, pushing it open. "Come on in! There's definitely enough for everyone." She wouldn't leave anyone standing out in the literal cold - not today, not on Christmas Eve!

She's not the steadiest on her feet, but she's used to the way she's walking, and once Lena comes in - because she doesn't want to leave the door open - she nods to the chairs and food. "Help yourself! Everything's on the house, tonight."

[doublethepain]

Raleigh had mentioned the get-together at the bakery before she'd left the house this morning and though Spencer isn't always keen on being anywhere that's crowded with people, he's certainly more than happy to be here. He's more careful than usual tonight, making sure that he avoids bodily contact as he snakes through the crowd that's gathered inside because his hip still stings from the tattoo he'd gotten as part of his gift to Joel. It says the word 'Real,' a partial quote from The Velveteen Rabbit that speaks volumes about his relationship with his husband and underneath that, the date they'd gotten married. He'd gone to Siren Cove Ink to seek out Adrian Smith's services, and the process had made him a bit queasy but it's all been worth it. He doesn't plan on unveiling it until tomorrow, of course, and it's been painstakingly difficult to hide it from Joel the past few days, but Spencer's more than a little pleased with himself.

His gifts for Raleigh have remained at home, too--a gift certificate to one of the local boutiques so she can get herself more clothes that she actually likes and aren't from his dead mother's boxes in the attic, a brand new set of baking tools from Williams-Sonoma for her to use at home, and a Kindle Paperwhite pre-loaded with titles that he and Joel had thought she might like--but he's arrived with a bottle of wine, though he's not even sure they're allowed to open it for consumption here, a genuine smile, and a horrifyingly ugly Christmas sweater--at Joel's insistence--as he makes his way through the bakery, keeping his eyes open for a familiar face.

[remotecontrol]

It doesn't take long for Charlotte to spot Spencer — he stands out, if not in height then certainly in fashion choice. When she does, she breathes a sigh of relief. She was beginning to worry that she would have to play the awkward wallflower. Not that she has any qualms about walking up to a stranger and introducing herself. It just seems more dramatic if her only option is to wilt away in some quiet corner.

She interrupts conversation after conversation, squeezing past and in between random people until she finally finds herself standing next to her brother-in-law. "I can't believe you're wearing that in public," she says in lieu of greeting.

[callmeemily]

"That sweater...." She doesn't even know what to say about it, but it's got so much character it supersedes a hello. She shakes her head just a little. "Sometimes, I feel like you can get away with almost anything, just because you're you." She means it in the best way possible, and it's obvious because of how much she's smiling.

Her eyes flick to the bottle, and she bites her lip for a second because she's thinking. "I don't have wine glasses, but I do have a corkscrew - do you think wine in mugs would work?"

They'd figure out something - weather it's mugs or water glasses, she's got both.

Spencer's present is at home, too - Spencer and Joel's and Huxley's, even though it's a little weird to get a present for a dog. There's one for both of them - she has a really good picture she'd actually taken of them one day when they were just hanging out in the store, and it's clear from the way they're looking at at each other that they care deeply for one another; it'd been a sort of accidental find, that photo, but she'd had it printed and framed it.

Besides that, she got Spencer books of logic puzzles, and a big Lego set that was comic-book themed - she didn't know if he liked Batman, so she kept the receipt, but she really hoped that he did. There were a couple of other stocking things but she's getting used to doing the whole Christmas-for-friends thing, and she really likes being able to buy people gifts.

[asharpertongue]

"That," Lara said giving Spencer a long look up and down as she walked through the crowd to stand in front of him. "Is the most distressing sweater I've ever seen, Spencer. What the hell possessed you?"

[goesdownsmooth]

It's the music that stops him.

He's on his way to meet Jemma and Joely for a coffee--Jackie's got a date with a guy who has nothing better to do on Christmas Eve, apparently, and she'd promised Jameson a dropkick to the head for that comment--but he's drawn in by the crowd at the bakery on the other side of the street. He hasn't been in there yet, there hasn't been much time because he's been busy trying to get more patients into his practice, but he has to appreciate a place that's openly catering to everyone on a night like tonight. For the people who feel like they don't have anywhere to go, Jameson's sure that a bright environment like this is very much appreciated.

He tells himself he'll peek inside for just a few minutes because if he takes any loner getting to the cafe, his sisters are sure to give him hell. Then again, maybe he'll just shoot them a text to get them to him here instead. So he steps inside, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck so it's draped only over his shoulders and looks around with a warm smile. Everyone seems happy here, it's a contagious mood, and as Jameson makes his way to the cider he spots across the room, he can't help but be grateful that he doesn't have to be at his parents' tonight. It makes a world of difference.

[remotecontrol]

Charlotte has just finished pouring herself a glass — or plastic cup, whatever — of wine and is taking a sip as she backs away, meaning she can't exactly look where she's going. Which is, of course, a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, when she inevitably crashes into someone, it doesn't compromise her grasp on the cup, and she doesn't end up with an impossible red stain on her sweater. Small mercies.

"Sorry!" She exclaims, turning around to face the person she just bumped. He's, like, twice her size and the chances that she hurt him in any real way are slim to none. She tries not to sigh her relief in too obvious a manner. "I didn't see you there," she adds, as if that weren't abundantly obvious already.

[remotecontrol]

This is the first holiday that Charlotte has spent away from home, from her parents, and she feels strangely homesick. It sounds crazy, when she was so ready to move out at last, so desperate to make a life of her own and to just get away, if only for a while. But on the morning of Christmas Eve, she wakes up in the apartment and it's just quiet. Back home, she would have woken to her mother shouting for her to get out of bed, or to the general downstairs bustle of her parents preparing the house for Christmas festivities. She can't deny missing that, even if she is happy here in Siren Cove. It's just different, and it hasn't really struck her until now, on this day when there is such an emphasis on being with family.

Raleigh's text is something of a godsend. It's what drags her out of bed at last, when she might have otherwise stayed in watching Christmas movies on television and moping. She doesn't want to waste the holiday, though, even if she can't spend it the way she normally would. Her parents may not be around, but she has family in Siren Cove — blood family in Joel, and found family in others, like Spencer and Raleigh. So she gets dressed and heads over to Orchard House, the gift she picked out for Raleigh tucked under her one arm.

When she gets to the bakery, she can't help smiling. It's the exact opposite of the apartment, all bright, and warm, and loud. She feels like a little bit of a doofus, grinning from ear to ear, but she can't help it. This is everything that her day was missing.

[callmeemily]

"Charlotte!" Raleigh makes her way over- she's a little slower than usual, but it's because she's tired and she's put a lot more stress on her bad leg over the last couple of days, but everything's come together and it's pretty much great.

She hugs her friend, even as she notices the doofy sort of smile on her face, and she can't help but smile, too. "I'm so glad you made it! Sorry about the short notice, I just sort of... decided, this morning."

It's a little weird, but obviously no matter what, it was the right decision. Everyone here is so happy, they're smiling so much-- it's perfect.

[asharpertongue]

Lara had just finished delivering the last of her gifts when she passed Orchard House and heard the music coming from inside.

There's quite a hefty crowd and the atmosphere is light and fun and Lara smiles. It's just what she needs after a long week.

Walking through the door, she's hit with a scent of baking and warm cider and she sighs as she approaches the counter. She orders a pastry and some cider and heads to a little table to enjoy the atmosphere. On the way she bumps someone accidentally.

"I'm sorry!" She says, smiling at them. "It's been a long day."

[owenphillips]

Food appeals when he hears about it, so he ends up at the bakery. Even though it hadn't been in his original plans.

He’s been looking at the apple pastries when he felt someone bump into him. It wasn’t a surprise, considering how busy it was. People were going to end up on top of one another, he’s about to apologise but then he hears the voice and grins.

So many years around Lara, he recognises the lilt of her voice. With a small grin he turns to speak to her, “That’s quite alright. Fancy seeing you here though.”

[tarnishedbadge]

"Merry Christmas!" Levi called as he entered the Orchard House. He was wearing one of those ridiculous Santa hats that along with his trench coat and a present for Raleigh. One thing he loved about Christmas time was present giving. As a telepath, he happened to be really good at gift giving and loved seeing people's face when they opened their gift.

[callmeemily]

Raleigh laughed as people turned to look when Levi called out. She made her way over as everyone else went back to their conversations, smiling brightly.

She wasn't as steady on her feet as she could be - she'd been overdoing it a little lately, but the bakery was warm and inviting, with people talking and eating and drinking mulled cider, and Christmas music playing over the speakers. It pretty much was everything she'd wanted - and now there were loads of friends here, and she's just... at home. Raleigh feels like she's at home.

"Hey, you!" She doesn't even hesitate before she hugs him. "How're you? I love the hat!"