A/N Sorry, major connection issues, but I'm back on line now! Sorry at delay, but epilogue to follow...if enough seek one, then a new story in a couple of days.

Hope you enjoy this coming to an end, MZ

Chapter Forty Two

He was everything, as Sammy tumbled back against the pillow, spent, exhausted, useless, Joel hovered over her, studying her, smiling, content.

"You are amazing," his eyes glittered in the half darkness for a moment, before he collapsed beside her, pulling him into his embrace. "And shattered," he glanced at the clock, "Ellie's going to be up in a couple of hours."

Sammy stretched as provocatively as she could, but he was right, fatigue was taking over, "are you saying you want to sleep in the attic?"

He nibbled at her shoulder, "not likely, I want to be next to you...all the time."

And as his arms wrapped around her, those words encased her brain, and for the first time in a long time, she felt loved, desired, and special.

"So little lady, it's Christmas Eve, and we have SO much to do today!" Sammy lifted Eleanor up in the air until she giggled then brought her down very quickly until her lips contacted with her daughter's cheek. "What shall we do first?"

Keeping her on her hip, she reached for her to do list and pondered for a moment, "so we have the butcher for the turkey, the grocer's for our vegetables, then make desserts...have you wrapped all your gifts?"

Eleanor's eyes looked up at her intently, as her mother spoke, then she giggled again, "it's alright for you Miss, you get a trip from Santa...I just have the dinner to make, gifts to wrap...and people to entertain."

"I can take the butcher? Or I can take your mother for her check up?"

Sammy had looked up and smiled at him when he entered the room, devouring him once again with her eyes, but his reference to her mother's appointment made her groan, "shit! I left that off my list!"

He grinned, "why don't I drive you to town, then take Eleanor with me in the car to the hospital, then when your mother is sorted, we'll come back and you've had a couple of hours to catch up."

She grinned at him, "you are an angel, do you know that? Will you be ok with Monica? I know you aren't her biggest fan."

He shrugged, "I love her daughter, I have to put up with her, so I may as well make an effort, hey?"

Stopping dead in her tracks she stared at him for a long moment, "how the hell did I find someone as wonderful as you?"

He chuckled, "I will cause chaos and irreparable damage between you and her, I'm sure, so keep remembering that. Yes?"

She didn't react to that, she just kept smiling, "you want some breakfast."

"It's Christmas Eve; I want EVERYTHING that that entails."

"Well then that's panetone, with real butter and jam, and coffee."

"Sounds fantastic." He held his arms out to Eleanor, and she all but threw herself into his embrace, leaving Sammy to get them all breakfast. A good thing, as when she wasn't busy, she was thinking about him, and the night they'd spent together. Having a plan, that was what she needed.

Two hours later she had finished her shopping. She hadn't had much opportunity to buy anything for Joel, the shops in her town were limited, and it was well before lunchtime when she picked up what she wanted, as well as all the accoutrements for their festive eating and drinking. As usual it was excessive for one day, but she loved Christmas, and this was her first as a parent, and her first since the hell that had been the previous Christmas. Sat alone, crying and in pain.

There was a danger that she was doing too much, pushing too hard, but it was really important. It was an early point in any sort of relationship with Joel, but she knew him better than anyone else, it felt right...and this was the first for the three of them, a milestone event. She only hoped it lived up to the billing.

It was cold, but despite that, her favourite cafe in the town had some tables on the kerbside, and a heater attached to the wall to take the edge off the December chill. So with a cup of tea she sat and watched the world go by for half an hour, saying her hellos, waving and wishing people - friends and neighbours, a happy Christmas. She couldn't remember feeling that relaxed before.

Mike crossed the road opposite and waved to her, "you taking five?" He called across.

She nodded, "the calm before the chaos!"

As he waved, rushing on his way, a car appeared between them blocking her view, and her mother waved from the passenger seat, "Joel's treating us all to lunch."

Before she could respond, the man in question jumped out of the driving seat and came around to grab her bags, "that's if you can spare an hour from your tight schedule."

Standing she looked up at him with a smile, "it's a perfect suggestion, but only if I have a kiss first."

His eyes widened, "your mother..."

"...will find out soon enough, and I've missed those lips all morning."

That was obviously the best answer, as he lowered her shopping bags to the floor then wrapped his arms around her and took control of her lips rather dramatically. She was powerless to resist, and boneless in her reaction to him.

"A bit more than I intended," he grimaced when he pulled back and smiled at her.

She gave a shrug, "bit less than I wanted."

Then with a wink she made her way to the car and as she climbed in the back next to her daughter, and Joel wrestled with her shopping, Monica called out, "about time Edwards. Didn't think you'd ever be man enough!"

And that made them all laugh.

Sammy was peeling potatoes later, when two arms encircled her from behind, lunch had been amazing, Monica had behaved, Eleanor had been a darling, and Sammy started to see signs that this COULD work, that everyone could be happy.

Leaning back in his embrace, she loved the sensation of his hands sliding up her arms, Joel's strong body behind her, his lips as they captured the tip of her ear.

"You ok? Eleanor's looking very tired."

She turned in his arms and smiled, "she can put her cookie out for Santa soon."

Smiling he swooped his lips down to capture hers, and the kiss as like oxygen to an open flame.

"So we spend Christmas Eve alone?" He asked leaning back to look down into her eyes.

She nodded slowly, "until the chaos that tomorrow promises to be."

"I'm looking forward to it," he lowered his head to sweep his lips over hers. "The first time since I was about ten."

Her face lit up with pleasure, "I only hope it lives up to your expectations."

It was his turn to smile, "I'm spending it with a woman I really care about and THE cutest little girl in the world. Not even your mother could spoil it."

Sammy's eyebrow lifted in surprise, "really?"

"At this moment really, but I may change my mind when she actually gets here."

That made her laugh, but her giggles faded against her lips as he kissed her again. Something he didn't think he'd ever stop wanting to do.

Usually Eleanor was the first to wake in the house, but Sammy was woken by two arms snaking around her, pulling her back into a warm and familiar body.

"Morning gorgeous," Joel murmured against her ear and in sent ripples of sensitivity through her body. Chuckling at her shudders, his fingers splayed over her bare stomach, and with that small gesture all humour evaporated. Despite the lack of sleep, she lost count of the amount of times they made love, she was immediately responding to his touch. As she pushed her breasts into his hands, the action forced her buttocks back into his pelvis, and his moan at the contact matched her sigh as she appreciated the extent of his hardness against her hip.

"Got something in mind Mr Edwards?"

Rolling her over until she faced him, he nodded, "oh very definitely yes."

She was powerless to resist his kisses or the caresses from his wandering hands; in fact she met each touch and responded as fervently as he. His delight as he explored her body didn't seem to wane no matter how many opportunities he had to feast on it. But she could quite easily admit she felt the same way. It was a no chore exploring him, and when she took him in her mouth he quite literally exploded.

As they lay, collapsed against the pillows, wanting nothing more than to cuddle up and snooze for another hour, when the grunts appeared from Eleanor's room, the grunts that preceded the shouts and wails that alerted anyone in the house that she was awake.

Joel sat up and reached for his boxer shorts, "I'll get her; you can cuddle whilst I'm in the shower."

She shook her head, "don't think so Mister. It's Christmas morning. We have gifts to unwrap...and a turkey to cook. Make yourself decent, I'll be taking photos!"

Eleanor was equally as enamoured with the lights on the Christmas tree as she was with the wrapped gifts. But within half an hour they were sitting down to breakfast, Eleanor overwhelmed with her gifts, and Joel wearing the sweater that was one of the gifts from Sammy.

As he filled their glasses with Bucks Fizz, there was a knock at the door, and he insisted Sammy stay eating whilst he opened the door. To Monica.

She hadn't drunk alcohol during her treatment, and as someone who liked to imbibe she eyes the bottle of Prosecco almost greedily.

Sammy hugged her mother then asked, "you ok to have a glass?"

Monica shrugged, an unusual honesty, "not sure, but if I can't at Christmas with my daughter and granddaughter, then when can I?"

A fair point.

After breakfast they headed to the lounge and exchanged gifts, she hadn't bought a Christmas present for her mother since she was a much neglected child, but somewhere over the last six months she'd become the mature, caring, older person, her mother in her ways, but also her illness had become the dependent, so whilst it felt strange, the maternal part of Sammy insisted that she let bygones be just that.

She had bought her mother some scarves, which were her chosen headwear since she'd lost her hair; and a gummy photo of Eleanor from her granddaughter.

She had no expectations for anything back, and was happy to watch Eleanor receive a dozen gifts, toys, clothes, a spoilt young lady, deservedly so, and Sammy didn't care, that she'd never had that, never remembered a Christmas even a fraction as happy as this already was, all she wanted was the best, everything that she hadn't had for Eleanor...she glanced across the room at Joel, his face lit up, his eyes sparkling as Eleanor showed him a new pink doll. The three of them deserved it; this was the start of the rest of their lives, starting new traditions, making history as a threesome. That was what the three of them deserved.

Three days later, Sammy stood looking out of the kitchen window at the rough winter sea pounding the coast, the windows rattled with the wind, the trees were blowing almost horizontal, but she didn't think there was anywhere as beautiful as the storm ravaged coast in front of her, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Iguaçu Falls had nothing on it, not in her eyes.

The garden gate swung open and Joel came rushing in, wrapped in his winter coat, rain pouring off him. As the door opened and he started to unrobe, she turned to him, "told you it wasn't a good idea."

He dropped a selection of magazines onto the kitchen table, "holiday ideas...we have the next four weeks whilst Corinne is away to plan a holiday."

"You went out for holiday books?"

He shook his head, "not just that, I met with an estate agent." That piqued her interest, and he grinned at her, "I'm looking to invest my money, the profits from the business...and there's a huge amount of land around here."

"You've bought land?"

He laughed, "I've discussed it. The fields up around the point..."

Sammy gasped, "the Old Bridger Farm?" It was her favourite place in town, but it wasn't for sale, was it?

"The very same. It's expensive...but we're having a look around there tomorrow..." he saw the confusion in her eyes and added, "it's prime land, it'll not lose money. My vision is a beautiful family home, big enough for all of us."

"Really?"

He nodded, taking her hands, "I know it's early days, but I really don't see me living anywhere else, not really. This house is great, but it's not the biggest...would you..."

Suddenly he was nervous and she grinned, "I want to go wherever you are Joel, and a bigger place is a great idea..."

He sighed with relief, "that was my gamble. But then new home...it can be my project, give me something to do for a few months...and we could think about renting this place out as a holiday home? I have SO many ideas."

Sammy smiled, "I just love that you see such a future..."

Pulling her into his arms he kissed her long and hard until she was breathless and leaning against him, "future? I see NOTHING without you Sammy, you have to see that."

looking up at him she studied him for a moment, he had brought so much hope to her life, so much happiness, she couldn't imagine a future without him, "I do..."

He stooped to stare into her eyes, "I sense a but?"

"I've got the appointment tomorrow, at the hospital."

With eyes widening it was his turn to study her intently, "the blood test?"

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded.

He grinned, "I'm glad. You NEED to know Sammy; WE need to know so that we can do whatever is needed. Then we can build on the future that we know we'll get. You see that?"

"I want what you see, what you plan."

Nodding, he pulled her back into his chest, "we just need you, healthy, without a risk hanging over us. That's all."

As his lips descended on hers, devouring her, she knew that his plans were hers, whatever she had to face, she could do it with him, with his support and love. That was all she needed.

"I love you!"

She dragged her lips from his and blurted the words out before she could think, and he smiled for a moment before dropping his lips back to hers.

That was Joel, no fuss, no occasion, letting his actions speak louder than his words, and she melted against him.