Christmas In London, Part VII - December 25
By: Lori (SixteenOzs)

DISCLAIMER: "ER," the characters and situations depicted within are the property of Warner Bros. Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant c Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. The story presented here is written solely for entertainment purposes, and the author is making no profit.

Please do not post or redistribute without the disclaimer above, or without the consent of the author.

Feedback is welcome. Please send all questions, comments or criticisms to SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Follows Christmas In London, Part VI.

RATING: PG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trigg for ALL of her help with information on London. I could NOT have done this without her. Thank you so much for putting up with my endless barrage of questions! I would also like to thank Farah and everyone else who has taken a look at the early versions and offered feedback. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Part VII - Monday, December 25, 2000

Elizabeth stretched slightly as she woke up. Her first coherent thought was that her nose was cold. Then laughing to herself, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was still relatively dark outside and the room was cooler than when they fell asleep. She sniffed the air slightly, then her smile broadened.

She slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to disturb Mark, and walked to the window. Pulling back the curtain, she just smiled and shook her head in disbelief. Every place she looked was covered with snow, and the tiny flakes continued to swirl downward toward the ground.

She stood by the window and watched the snow fall until she heard Mark's voice calling from the bed.

"Lizabeth," he murmured, still half-asleep, "come back to bed. It's cold."

She chuckled softly as she opened the curtains. "We're having a white Christmas. Don't you want to see?"

He raised himself on one arm and tried to look at the clock next to the bed, but realized that it was pointless without his glasses. Dropping back down on the pillow, he mumbled, "It's too early to be up."

"Okay, you win," she relented with a laugh, then climbed back into bed next to him. As he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her near, she wondered, "Is that better?"

"Much," he replied with a contended sigh.

They were both lying on their sides, facing the window. Snuggling closer to him, she knew that this was going to be a truly wonderful Christmas. She watched the snow fall for a few more minutes, then sleep took over again.

Charles knocked gently on the bedroom door, then waited a few moments. When he didn't receive an answer, he carefully opened the door and found both Elizabeth and Mark fast asleep. Smiling he wondered, "Are you two planning to get up today?"

Elizabeth stirred first. "Daddy? What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's almost nine-thirty. I didn't think it was possible for you to sleep this late on Christmas morning," he commented with amusement.

"Sorry," she smiled. "We were up late."

"Are you ready to open presents?" Charles asked.

"She's always ready to open presents," Mark laughed as he sat up and put on his glasses.

"Keep talking like that, and you just might not get yours," she teased with a grin.

"As long as you know two can play that game," he retorted.

"If you two can stop bickering long enough," Charles joked, "I was thinking we could go downstairs and open presents over breakfast, then you can spend the rest of the day working on this feast you're supposed to be preparing."

"We've hosted not one, but two, Thanksgiving dinners. I think we can handle this," Elizabeth laughed. "We'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay," Charles nodded as he closed the door behind him.

Turning to Mark, Elizabeth asked, "So, ready to get up?"

"Sure," he replied. "But just so you know, I wouldn't mind staying right here with you all day."

She smiled softly. "I wouldn't mind that either, but since we're at my father's..."

"I know," he nodded. "And since I don't think I've said it this morning, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," she smiled, then leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

As the kiss ended, he softly reminded her, "We'd better get up now. Otherwise, your father will come back looking for us."

Climbing out of bed and reaching for her robe, she laughed, "And we probably wouldn't want that."

After going down to the kitchen and loading a tray with bagels, muffins, Danish, tea and juice, they settled into the lounge and began passing out presents.

"So, who wants to open their presents first?" Charles wondered as he picked up a bagel from the tray.

"I think Mark should go first," Elizabeth suggested as she took a bite of her cheese Danish. "Open Daddy's, then mine."

There were two small packages with Mark's name from Charles. "Does it matter which one I open first?" Mark wondered.

"No," Charles said, shaking his head, "it's up to you."

Seeing the way he quickly tore into the paper, Elizabeth laughed and said, "I bet you drove your parents crazy when you were a kid, always trying to find your presents before Christmas morning."

"Oh, you're one to talk," Charles laughed. To Mark, he said, "Practically from the time she was old enough to walk, Isabelle and I could never leave her in the house unattended before Christmas. She'd go over the place from top to bottom, and usually find what she was looking for, too."

"Daddy! I wasn't THAT bad," Elizabeth tried to argue, even as her face was turning crimson.

Charles just gave her a knowing look.

As she sipped her tea, Elizabeth noticed the box that Mark had unwrapped, then commented, "Ohh, Harrods. I've got to see what this is."

Lifting the top off the box, Mark uncovered a stylish pair of black onyx cufflinks. "Wow. These are very nice," he said quietly, the gift was definitely more than he'd expected. "Thank you."

Elizabeth smiled as she watched him. "They'll go very nice with your tuxedo for the ballet," she grinned.

"I guess so," he laughed. "Charles, thank you very much."

"You're welcome," the older man smiled. "Now, open the next one."

"There's more?" Mark questioned.

"Yes," Charles replied with a chuckle.

Mark opened the second box and found a multi-function Swiss Army knife. "This is great," he grinned. "I've always wanted one of these. Thank you."

"No good doctor should be without one," Charles laughed as he sipped his tea.

"So, does that mean I'm getting one, too?" Elizabeth challenged with a smile.

"Next year," Charles promised. "But I don't think you'll be disappointed with what you're getting."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Elizabeth grinned.

"One of my friends once did a tracheotomy with a pocket knife," Mark said as he examined all of the tools on the knife.

"Really?" Elizabeth questioned. "Who?"

"Doug," Mark replied as he looked up at her. "It was a couple years before you moved to Chicago. He had a flat tire and this kid came up to him because his brother was trapped in a storm drain and the water was rising. Doug got the kid out of the water, but had to give him a trach on scene."

"Wow," Elizabeth commented.

"See?" Charles questioned. "You never know when that might come in handy."

"Right," Mark agreed.

"Now it's time for you to open mine," Elizabeth said somewhat hesitantly. "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will," he smiled as he started to unwrap the box. His jaw dropped slightly as he opened it and found an antique gold Cartier minute repeating pocket watch. He looked up at her and just asked, "How did you know?"

She smiled. "I was talking to Doug at Thanksgiving about everything that happened this year. We started talking about you and your father, and he told me about your trip to California when his father passed away. He said you two went into this pawn shop, and you commented on how you always wished you family had something like that to pass down from generation to generation. Daddy has always dealt with Somlo's here in London, so I asked him to check into it. He even picked it up for me so you wouldn't know," she explained.

"This is incredible," he said with a shocked smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said softly. "Did you see the inscription?"

He looked at her curiously, then back to the watch in his hand. There was an engraved message inside the cover. 'Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you. Love, Elizabeth'

He looked back to her and softly whispered, "You are truly amazing."

"You're not too bad yourself," she smiled.

He laughed slightly. "Thank you. It's perfect."

"You're welcome," she repeated. Grinning, she turned to Charles and said, "Well, since it's fairly obvious that I'm not getting a pocket knife, can I see what I am getting?"

"Sure," Charles laughed, "but why don't you open Mark's first? That is if Mark doesn't mind?"

"That's fine with me," Mark said as he took a bite of his apple Danish.

"This one?" Elizabeth questioned as she picked up a small, square package.

"Yes," Mark nodded.

"Debenhams?" she commented in surprise as she saw the London store's logo on the box after she tore off the wrapping paper.

Mark just smiled.

She carefully lifted the lid of the box, and gasped softly in surprise at the diamond solitaire bangle inside. "Mark, it's gorgeous," she whispered as she looked at him. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied with a smile.

"Like it? I love it," she said, chuckling softly, as she took the bracelet out of the box and carefully slipped it on her wrist. "But how did you manage this? I can't believe you waited until we got here to do your Christmas shopping."

"I didn't," he grinned before sipping his juice.

"Last time I checked, Debenhams didn't have a store in Chicago, so how'd you do it?" she asked curiously.

"Well, after I found out that we would be coming here, I called your father and asked him for the name of a few stores that might have something you'd like for Christmas. I checked out the web sites, and found this. So, then I called the store, asked if they had the bracelet in stock, gave them my credit card and told them I'd pick it up this week," he explained.

"I'm impressed," she teased with a grin.

"You should be," he grinned back.

"So, do I get to open yours now?" she asked her father.

"Sure," he nodded. "Open the smaller one first."

She laughed as she saw the box. "Debenhams again?"

"What can I say?" Charles asked with a laugh. "Great minds think alike."

Inside the box she found a pair of earrings. They looked like gold knots with single diamonds in the center of each. "Daddy, they're beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled while drinking his tea.

"And they'll go perfectly with my bracelet," she grinned as she took the earrings out of the box and put them on.

"Not to mention your pajamas," Mark laughed as he reached for a blueberry muffin.

"Very funny," she said sarcastically. Picking up the next package from her father, she commented, "Hmm... this is sort of heavy. I wonder what it is?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?" Charles teased.

"I think I will," she retorted as she ripped off the paper and found a plain brown box. Through all of the packing material, she uncovered a burlwood jewelry box. Opening the jewelry box, the first notes of "As Time Goes By" began to fill the room. Looking at her father, she smiled, "You know 'Casablanca' is one of my favorite movies."

"Yes, I do," he confirmed with a smile.

"Thank you, Daddy. I love it," she said softly.

"And it will be a great place for all of the jewelry you've collected today," Charles laughed.

She looked at them both suspiciously. "Are you sure you two didn't get together and plan this?"

"Afraid not," Mark said with a laugh.

"Just a coincidence," Charles added.

"Well, Daddy," Elizabeth smiled. "Now it's your turn."

Charles opened Mark's present first, and discovered a blackwatch cashmere scarf. He chuckled, then said, "Mark, you're never going to believe this, but I looked at this exact same scarf when I was in Harrod's a few weeks ago to pick up the cufflinks. I almost bought it for myself, but then decided I'd better not."

Mark laughed. "Elizabeth told me it was something that you'd never buy for yourself."

"As usual, my daughter was right," Charles smiled.

"And don't you two forget it," Elizabeth teased. "Besides, I knew this would be the perfect gift for you. As long as I've known you, somehow, you've ALWAYS needed a new scarf."

"But that's what I have you for," Charles joked.

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. "And I have something else I know you need. Why don't you open your other present?"

Charles looked at the rather large package. "What is that?" he asked curiously.

"Why don't you open it and find out?" she teasingly repeated his earlier statement.

"Always the comedian," Charles laughed as he started tearing through the wrapping paper. After a moment, he looked up at Elizabeth. "A new golf bag?" he questioned in shock.

She chuckled. "Don't act so surprised. You were only hinting at one every time I talked to you this summer."

"I was not," he tried to argue.

"Daddy!" she laughed. "You were always complaining that you spent more time trying to keep your clubs in the bag than worrying about how to keep the ball on the fairway. Since you don't have that excuse anymore, I'm thinking your score should definitely improve."

Charles had to laugh as he took the green and black bag out of the box. "Wow," he commented. "It even has a trolley. This is very nice, Elizabeth."

"You like it?" she questioned.

"Yes, I do," he nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled.

"So, is everyone happy with their gifts?" Charles wondered.

"I am," Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically.

"So am I," Mark said with a smile.

"Then I suppose I make it unanimous," Charles laughed.

"And I suppose that means we need to get started in the kitchen," Mark commented.

"Yeah," Elizabeth agreed with a sigh, "I just really don't want to move from this spot right now."

Mark stood up and reached for her hand, pulling her off the sofa. "Come on," he smiled. "Let's go upstairs and get dressed."

"Okay," she said reluctantly as she let him lead her out of the room.

Later that afternoon, Elizabeth brushed off her hands and surveyed the kitchen with a pleased smile. "We not doing too bad," she grinned.

"No, we're not," he said as he lowered the flame on the stove.

"Let's see," she said as she looked around, "The turkey is roasting in the oven with the stuffing and carrots, the sausages wrapped in bacon are also in the oven. The gravy, bread sauce, potatoes and parsnips are on the stove."

"Ready for a break?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I think so," she nodded with a laugh. "Since it stopped snowing, feel up for a run?"

"On Christmas?" he questioned.

"With everything I've been eating the past few days, I need to go for a run. Otherwise, the plane won't be able to get off the runway on Wednesday," she laughed.

"You look beautiful," he assured her, "as always."

"I'll still feel better if I go for a run. I figure I should probably go now, because if I go after our artery-clogging dinner, I'll end up with an MI for sure," she joked.

"Using your 'secret ingredient' with the turkey?" he wondered.

"Bacon?" she questioned with a grin. "Of course."

He laughed. "So, you're going?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "but you don't have to come if you don't want."

"No, you're right. I probably should," he admitted. "Think everything will be okay here while we're out?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "All that's left is to let everything cook. We've can take care of dessert when we get back. I'll let Daddy know, just so he can keep an eye on things."

"Sounds good," he smiled.

Mark reached for the shampoo, and after pouring some into his hand, he began to massage it through Elizabeth's hair. Grinning, he asked, "Why am I getting the feeling that this is the real reason you wanted to go for a run?"

She tipped her head back slightly and smiled. "Because you know me too well."

"Is that a good thing?" he wondered.

She didn't say anything, she just closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as she allowed herself to relax beneath the warm cascades of water and his gentle touch. After a few moments, she turned around so that she was facing him and let the pressure of the water rinse the shampoo from her thick tresses.

"You didn't answer my question," he commented with a smile.

"What question was that?" she wondered as she opened her eyes slowly.

"Is it a good thing that I know you so well?" he repeated.

"It's a very good thing," she confirmed with a soft laugh. "I'm so glad you're here."

"There's no where else I'd rather be," he assured her with a gentle kiss.

She ran her hands through her hair to remove the rest of the soap, a slight smile on her face, her eyes never leaving his.

"What are you thinking?" he asked softly.

"Just how happy I am right now," she replied, somewhat shyly.

"I'd do anything to make sure you stay this happy for the rest of your life," he promised as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I know," she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, "and I'll do the same for you."

"Thank you," he whispered, just before their lips met in a tender, yet passionate kiss.

Before the kiss ended, he reached behind her and turned off the water in the shower. Finally pulling back slightly, she chuckled and said, "You know, now that the water's off, it's getting a little chilly in here."

"Yeah, it is," he laughed as he opened the shower door, reached for a towel and wrapped it around her. He then reached for another towel and wrapped it around his waist, before taking her hand in his as he stepped out of the shower.

"I suppose this means we should get ready and go down to put the finishing touches on dinner, huh?" she asked, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, we should," he nodded.

"I just need to dry my hair and get dressed," she said as she let her towel slip to the floor and pulled on her robe.

"I think I'm going to get dressed and call Rachel, wish her a Merry Christmas," he added.

She smiled. "Tell her I said hello, and not to break any bones on the slopes."

"I will," he nodded as he turned and started towards the bedroom. A second later he turned back and took a step closer to her as he slipped his arm around her waist. "I almost forgot this," he whispered as he kissed her gently.

She laughed and pushed him away playfully, "Go! I need to get ready."

"Okay," he laughed as he walked into the bedroom.

"I'll call you tomorrow. How's that?" Mark was saying into the telephone when Elizabeth came out of the bathroom.

She was already wearing a pair of black pants and a black lace bra. Walking over to the closet, she pulled out a gray sweater with a white snowflake pattern and slipped it over her head. She ran her hand along the back of her neck and gently pulled her hair out from beneath the sweater, before picking up a brush from the dresser. She then brushed the sides of her hair back and fastened it with a silver clip.

"Okay, Sweetheart, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you. Bye," Mark said before hanging up the phone.

"How's Rachel doing?" Elizabeth wondered.

"She's having a great time in Aspen. She loved the camera, she said she's already used up two rolls of film and is halfway through a third," he replied with a smile.

"I told you she'd love a camera for Christmas," Elizabeth grinned knowingly.

"I just hope you realize what this means," he grinned back.

"What's that?" she asked in confusion.

"The next time she comes to Chicago, we'll be stuck looking at all of the pictures she's taken," he said with a groan.

"Come on. It'll be fun," she laughed.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he said with a wary grin. "Especially after the first two hours."

She walked over to his chair and reached for his hand. "We need to get downstairs and finish dinner," she reminded him.

"Okay," he laughed. "Guess what she wanted to know."

"What?" Elizabeth asked curiously as they started down the stairs.

"If she could come to London with us next Christmas," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Hmm..." Elizabeth said after a moment. "Rachel and my mother. That could be a dangerous combination."

He laughed. "I don't know. I think Isabelle would be even more than Rachel could handle."

"Actually, I was just thinking about how they both love to point out my inadequacies," she said with a sigh.

"Hey!" he chided.

"Okay," she relented. "Rachel hasn't been that bad since last Thanksgiving, and Mother is improving slowly."

"That's better," he smiled as he slipped his arm around her.

"So, ready to learn how to make Christmas pudding?" she asked as they entered the kitchen.

"Maybe you should begin by telling me exactly what Christmas pudding is," he said skeptically.

She chuckled as she slipped an apron over her head and wrapped the strings around her waist, tying them in the front. "Don't worry, it's really just a lot of fruit and spices, served with a brandy sauce."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" he teased.

She laughed as she tossed an apron in his direction. "Come on! We've got work to do."

That night, she stood at the door leading out to the balcony for several moments, just watching him with a slight smile on her face. Finally propelling herself into motion, she walked the short distance to where he was leaning against the railing.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered softly.

"Merry Christmas," he repeated as he turned to look in her direction.

She stepped between him and the rail, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist and gently pull her back against his chest. "Today was perfect," she commented quietly.

"It was," he agreed.

She turned her head slightly so that she could see his face. "What are you thinking about?" she wondered.

Several moments passed before he replied. "A year ago, I was sitting out in the backyard in San Diego. It must have been about seventy degrees there. I remember staring up at the stars, wishing you were there with me."

She smiled faintly. "I worked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was better than just sitting around my apartment. But Christmas Night, about this time I suppose, I went up on the roof and looked out across the horizon, knowing that you were out there somewhere."

He gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "You know, I resented almost every minute I was in San Diego last Christmas," he said sadly.

"Mark," she said with a soft sigh, "don't do this to yourself."

"I can be so damn stubborn at times," he admitted quietly, "thinking I know more than I really do."

"Yeah, but it's one of your more endearing qualities," she said with a light chuckle, "also one of your more infuriating."

He just laughed softly. After a few moments, he rested his chin on her shoulder and softly, but seriously, said, "Thank you."

"For what?" she wondered.

"Just thank you," he whispered.

She turned around so that she was facing him, and slipped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Mark."

"I love you, too," he said as he tenderly caressed her cheek, then lowered his lips to meet hers.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think: SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com LLP

August 16, 2000

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