Tears On The Snow (A Syndicate Fanfiction)

XXI

Christmas Day

Rain's POV:

I woke up, feeling that the bed was empty next to me. Rolling out of the comfort of pillows and blankets I decided to head down the stairs to the kitchen. Nearing it, I heard the unmistakable laughter of Tom's mom and the loud of voice of his dad, Ken.

"Morning" I chirped, giving Tom a quick kiss on the cheek as I entered the kitchen.

All heads simultaneously turned to me and stared.

"This is my girlfriend, Rain" Tom broke the silence.

"Hello!" Everyone yelled.

"This is my cousin, this is Alice" Tom pointed, "This is Indea, one of my closest friends. Mum, Dad and some more family members. My aunt from my dads side and I think that's it"

Tom proceeded to point to some other people who were either friends or very distant relatives. Overall, packed into the rather spacious kitchen were about 15 people. I was right, this was definitely going to be a loud Christmas.

"Let's get cooking, shall we?" Tom's mom exclaimed, simultaneously clapping her hands.

Cheering erupted and everyone bustled around the kitchen. Pots, pans, utensils, clanking sounds ensued. Alice even dropped a glass jar, sending everybody into laughing hysterics.

Our Christmas Dinner dishes consisted of:
1. Homemade fish and chips
2. Seafood soup
3. Baked pastry filled with Brie
4. Pudding
5. Grilled beef & pork
6. Pecan Pie

I was in charge of making the pudding.

First, I heated up some milk on the stove and stirred in flour, little by little. The four thickened the milk and then I added that mixture to the beaten eggs in a different pot. After profusely mixing the two substances together, I added two teaspoons of vanilla extract, for flavor. Putting the mixture back on the stove, I let it cook for about five minutes while stirring it. The end result was a gooey custard colored substance that I poured into clear, small jars and let cool in the fridge for three hours.

Ken was in charge of the meat. I watched as he delicately flipped the meat into his secret spice recipe. Then I heard the unmistakable sizzle of the meat as it was dropped onto the hot grill. It was pretty cold outside so I watched the developments of the event safely from the inside.

Alice and Indea were in charge of the pastry with Brie. First, they cut puff pastry into squares and laid them out on a pre oiled baking sheet. After that, they cut up the Brie (type of soft cheese) into small rectangles and placed them in the middle of the squares. Alice curled the four edges together in the middle and Indea set the tray into the oven for twenty minutes.

The fish and chips was a family affair and took the longest out of the six. First, Tom's mom cut up the fish and then handed the slices to me. I, in turn, drenched them into the batter (made by Tom out of four, baking powder, milk and eggs) and then handed them to Ken who expertly fried them in boiling oil. They were blotted from excess oil by Indea and arranged on a huge plate by the aunt.

The seafood soup was made by the aunt, seeing as this was her original recipe. First, she sautéed the fennel, onion and garlic in a pan and then added tomato paste. She added fish stock and bay leaf and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes. Clams and mussels are added next and after half an hour, shrimps. Everything is cooked for 40 minutes and served hot.

A cousin (whose name I didn't catch) took care of the pecan pie. They rolled out the dough first, making sure it remained thick and then lined a circular pan with it. A filling of pecans was put in and some caramel was poured in. Bake the pie and you have a delicious dessert.

As it neared nine at night, everybody sat down at the rather large dinner table and the house filled with laughter, various conversations and the clanking of forks on plates. Tom's mom chose a plain white tablecloth but attached a red stripe through the middle. That's where all the food resided. I think we finished eating at around three in the morning. Needless to say, I was dead tired but I had an amazing time. My cheeks hurt from laughing to much. The stories that were told will have to stay at the dinner table unfortunately, they were just to saucy.

I think this Christmas was the best I ever had. I look forward to more.

A/N: First chapter of 2016! Woo! Happy New Year :D