Love Forever • •

[lexi piper ryanne]

Christmas was always a magical time of year. Even when Lexi had been in a terrible place in her life, the fairy lights, carols and cold weather had always lifted her spirits. Now that her life had never been better Lexi wanted a way to share that with everyone in her life this year. She had the money to buy everyone diamonds if she so wanted to, but she knew better than most that material things could not buy happiness. For months she had been putting work into the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone, but the most thought, love and effort was going into Denver's. It was the most difficult to organise to begin with, but she knew the hard work would pay off the minute she saw his reaction to it. Although she hated the little white lies she had been forced to tell him even if it was for a good cause.

Christmas was a difficult time of year for him to score any time off from work, but with the surprise she was planning she didn't want it ruined with long shifts or bad days. So she exaggerated the extent of the Ryanne Christmas traditions, mentioned her father’s name a few times too many, and encouraged Denver to take just a few days if he could. She even made sure to use her best puppy dog eyes. Lexi would never ask usually, but she really wanted her surprise to be perfect for him.

Flying his family in to NYC undetected was not an easy feat to begin with. First she had to get them in on the plan which was easy enough with Sarah's help, but they had been unwilling to let Lexi foot the entire bill at first until the tiny brunette had put her foot down. She pointed out that this was her gift to all of them, something she wanted to do for them, and that she wasn't going to let them pay a penny so the sooner they accepted it the sooner they could move on with the plan and just thank her with a smile, a hug, and by having a good time in her home city. It wasn't very often that Lexi was stubborn, but she had rare moments when her heart was truly set on something.

When Meg, Sarah, and Tony landed at a hectic JFK, Lexi was waiting for them with coffees and a late lunch. She had told Denver there was a day of meetings scheduled for her when in truth she was making use of her vacation time with the promise of working through a busy season early in the new year. It meant he wouldn't be expecting her for lunch at his office. Once their belongings were in her car she took them into the city, asking about their flight, telling them about the smaller plans. Obviously, the bigger plans could be left up to Denver since this surprise was for him. She had bought tickets for a few things just in case, but they were optional. Lexi just thought it was better than having Denver trying to race around the likes of Broadway when it was Christmas week.

She took everyone to her apartment to hide. It was considerably bigger than Denver's, and ideal for everyone to stay in. She always thought it too big for just herself since Chelsea moved out, but it was home. Once everyone was comfortable, Lexi grabbed her phone and put the last bit of the plan into action. I'm going to be here really late tonight. Will you be able to drive by mine and take Winston for a quick walk around the block and check he's got food? I Love you xx She sent the message to Denver and bit back her grin. He already had a key to her apartment. She had given him one almost two months back in a cute little scene after breakfast at his place. She left the key on a keychain with her initial and waited for him to call her out on leaving her keys. When he did she just smiled, shook her head and told him that one was his.

Now it was just a waiting game. He would be by sooner than later. Lexi knew her text would stop him from staying late to clear paperwork. She kept her apartment dark enough, only lit by dim lamps and twinkling Christmas lights. Denver wouldn't be suspicious until it was too late. She kept just out of the way with Winston so that the first thing he saw once he entered her living room to search out the tiny pug would be his family. She heard the key in the door, quickly stopped Sarah's tale about the last time she was in New York, and then they waited. Denver would soon turn on the lights and she hoped he would have the best surprise of his life.

• • •

TAGGED! Denver Gage Sawyer
WORDS! 831!
OUTFIT! Winter Wonder!
LYRICS! Love I’ve Found In You - - - Lady Antebellum
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Christmas without family wasn’t really Christmas but Denver had shifts through the holidays and he’d taken time over the summer so there had been no way of making a trip home work in his favour. It was fine, really. He had plans of Skyping his sister and his family before flopping down on his couch for some video games and movie marathons. He didn’t get to do much with all the hours he put in so he could complete his residency faster. Not that it made a difference, it would end when it would end and not a minute sooner, even if Denver wished it would. He wanted to be able to do a whole lot more when it came to his patient’s wellbeing, not have to talk to his superiors unless he had a rather difficult patient in his care. But while he was still in his residency, he had to clear just about everything before he went ahead with it. His boss was good though, agreed with most of what Denver said and only gave him a better option when it was obvious Denny hadn’t thought of it.

He had Lexi though and Duke and now Winston so even though he didn’t have his mom and dad and sister with him, he was still surrounded by family. And that was enough for the young doctor. In a couple more years, when he was settled a bit more and really knew what he wanted from his career, he’d make plans, real plans for the holidays but for right now, he was taking what he could get and dealing with it when he couldn’t have what he wanted. As it was, he was finishing up a small pile of paperwork that was left on his desk and then he was done for the rest of the week. He would be on call through every day but the group of kids under his care at the moment weren’t the sickest bunch in the hospital and a couple were even granted permission to return home for a couple days for Christmas so all in all, he and his lot were doing pretty damn good. And he figure, he wouldn’t be called in so he was making plans to surprise Lexi with once he was finally hanging up his white coat for the next six days. He was signing his name to the last of the paperwork when a text came through from Lexi. He stopped to read, laugh and shake his head but sent her another back, teasing if he could find the time in his busy schedule to remember her pint sized pooch, he would swing by.

If Lexi would have asked him to stand on his head and sing the National Anthem, he would have asked for the words. He was hopelessly wrapped around her pinky finger; and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. And with a huge, stupid grin on his face that only ever showed itself whenever Lexi was around or he heard from her, Denver finished up the paperwork and slipped it into the cabinet before locking it back up, collecting his things and heading out the door. He stopped at the nurses station, taking a minute to chat to Nell and remind her that he was done until the following Monday and if any of them should need him, they had his number. She teased him for a minute longer, about Lexi’s obvious hold on the doctor’s heart but finally shooed him off so he could be with his love and returned to work.

Denny had been lucky when he’d gotten to work that morning, snagging a parking spot close to the door. He made it across town in decent time, parking his car outside Lexi’s building. He flipped through his keys whilst waiting for the elevator to make its climb and had it ready when the bell dinged and the doors opened. Normally, he heard Winston when he got to the door but tonight, he was met with silence. Not so odd considering the little pup was probably gnawing on a bone or curled up somewhere dreaming about bones and squeaky toys. When he opened the door and the little pug still didn’t come running, Denny seriously considered leaving Duke around. Winston was cute but he was no guard dog and Denny was admittedly a little over protective. He took a step into the living room and stopped short, stunned. “M...ma?” He asked, unable to believe his eyes. He needed a second to allow his mind to catch up with what he was seeing before he was letting out a holler and running across the room to pull his mother into a hug, automatically reaching for his father and sister as well. It wasn’t a family reunion without a group hug after all.

Tag || lexi piper ryanne
Words || 810
Clothes || Happy Man
Music || One Great Mystery --Lady Antebellum
Notes || <3!

[lexi piper ryanne]

For Lexi, Christmas had always been a hectic time of the season. The Ryanne’s hosted their own parties and attended several more, usually with all the daughters in attendance. The last couple of years, ever since the truth had come out about Lexi’s life, she hadn’t needed to show her face at every single one, but she still needed to put in her fair share of appearances throughout December. It was a family duty, and often the more she did now she less she had to do earlier the following year. So far, the few dinners and drinks had all fallen when Denver had been working so she had been there on her own, smiling for an hour or two and them slipping away to call him on his break while she was being driven back home. Inviting Denver’s family to town got them out of a few more parties, but Lexi would have to show her face at the Ryanne gala and the New Year’s party since they were her own family events. Aside from popping in to see her family at Christmas, and if Denver wanted to bring his family along her father had told her that they were more that welcome on Christmas day, Lexi was out of her commitments for a while. It was a relief that she usually didn’t feel until January the third, but then right now she was more preoccupied with Denver’s surprise and trying to control her own giddiness about it.

She had been planning this for ages, and her poor father had to listen to her gushing about ideas only because she couldn’t reveal any of them to Denny. And there had been times when she had desperately wanted to open her mouth and blurt out what she was up to, but she knew that would ruin everything she was hoping for. The petite brunette was hoping to see that look of shock and awe on her boyfriend’s face when he saw his family, the happiness flood through him when he realised that they were here in New York City. Denver meant so much to her that this seemed like the perfect way to show it. Lexi knew how much he loved his family, and bringing them to him for the holidays was the best gift she could think of for the gorgeous doctor who had her heart. She only ever wanted him to be happy, and while she knew he said he didn’t mind working, she knew there were a million things he might like even more; seeing his family for Christmas was top of that list.

When he came in she was ready with the camera on her phone, capturing a photo of the group hug. Winston started barking, squirming in Lexi’s hold because there was something exciting happening that he wasn’t a part of, and because Denver had just come in. The little pug recognised him as much as he recognised Lexi and was always just as excited to see him as he was the little historian. “You’ll get your turn in a minute, Winston.” Lexi giggled, scratching the pup behind his ears to calm him. Everything happening in front of her was everything that she wanted to see. She knew in that moment that it had been worth all the secret planning and the little white lies – though she was still going to apologise for them – just to see Denver’s reaction when he had walked through the door. “Merry Christmas, Denny. Sorry I couldn’t wrap them and put them under the tree.” She joked, stepping forward now, but still keeping out of the way of the happy family reunion. Lexi didn’t want to intrude on the moment, and would run out to walk Winston, pick up Duke if Denver wanted her to, and grab dinner to let them all catch up. It had been a long day and she wasn’t sure if anyone would really want to go out to dinner, and she didn’t have a lot in to cook with since she’d been eating at the parties or at Denver’s when his shifts had allowed them to spend the evenings together.

• • •

TAGGED! Denver Gage Sawyer
WORDS! 699!
OUTFIT! Winter Wonder!
LYRICS! Love I’ve Found In You - - - Lady Antebellum
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Christmas was a bittersweet time in Denver’s life; especially these last few years. He would have done anything to be able to see his family every Christmas and spend time with them. But it just wasn’t possible and since he was still technically an intern, he was the low wrung and asked to cover shifts throughout the holidays. His superiors gave him gave him the basic days of Christmas and New Year’s day, to recover but other than that, he had shifts to cover. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything serious booked through the holidays so he really only had to put in an appearance long enough to make his rounds, and keep his phone on so if anything did come up, he was a phone call and a short drive away from being there to do all he could. It wasn’t ideal but he was still young. It would take a while yet before he would be be able to take a week at Christmas off. But all he’d ever wanted to be was a doctor so he wasn’t going to bad mouth the holidays or any other part of it when it was exactly what he had wanted.

Sure, it meant he couldn’t spend as much time with Lexi as he would want but they made it work and they did get quite a bit of time. It was all Denny could ask for. And he could do little things for her while she was busy and he wasn’t because she would do the same for him if he couldn’t get away from the hospital in time to take Duke out for his nightly stroll. Lexi never really asked him to do much so when she did, he made sure to take the time to do it. He was done at the hospital early anyway and only had to stop at the nurse’s station to give his instructions like the end of every other shift. It was nothing new though the length of the conversation he got into with the nurses varied each time. He had hoped to pick Winston up and head over to get Duke.

At least that had been his plan when he took the elevator up to Lexi’s floor, opened the door with his key and stepped inside the dark apartment. It had been his intentions up until he saw his mother sitting there on Lexi’s couch. And then all the thoughts that had been swirling about in his brain just disappeared. He wasn’t at all ashamed when tears came to his eyes seeing his family there in the living room. He had been expecting a Skype call Christmas morning while they opened up the parcels they’d sent to the other. He almost thought it was just some sort of extravagant hallucination for a minute. It was obviously real, his family was there but it wasn’t until he had them all in a group hug that it really sunk in. “Come ‘ere, you.” He said, pulling away from his family just enough to pull Lexi into the group hug they’d started in her living room. “You’re absolutely amazing. I love you so much, Lex.” He whispered into her ear before pressing a quick kiss to her temple. “How did you pull this off and not tell on yourself?” He asked, pulling away again to see his family standing right there, laughing with tears in their faces.

Tag || lexi piper ryanne
Words || 613
Clothes || Happy Man
Music || One Great Mystery --Lady Antebellum
Notes || <3!

[lexi piper ryanne]

Lexi had wanted to make this Christmas special for Denver. She knew he missed his family even when it wasn’t the holidays, but with hers just a car ride away, she always felt a small pang of guilt about being able to go over to her parent’s house for dinner at the drop of a hat. She knew it was just the way it was, not something that could really be helped, but this trip was her way of not only showing Denver just how much she would do for him, and how much he meant to her, but also a way of giving him the one gift he probably never even thought he needed. She was busy at Christmas, and since each Ryanne daughter was given their own event to host from their twenty-first, Lexi’s had turned out to be the one just before Christmas Day itself; the Snowflake Ball. She had made it entirely her own in the last few years, and opened the event up to the general public with ticket sales going to an eating disorder charity, though she kept that bit on the quiet side per her mother’s request. One day she wanted to open up about her teenage struggle, but she wasn’t anywhere near ready for that yet. Telling Denny had been hard enough.

Hugging him and his family back as best as she could with Winston squirming in her arms, she grinned at Denver and felt just a tiny bit proud that she had pulled this off and got such a wonderful reaction from him. Stepping back and putting Winston on the floor before he managed to jump free, Lexi brushed her hair from her eyes and smirked. “I have some skills.” She protested, pausing for a second before confessing the truth. “And pretty much everyone but you knew. My dad was getting sick of the phone calls, I think.” She laughed softly, stepping forward to press a quick kiss to her boyfriend’s cheek. “After everything this was the least I could do. And, being me has a few perks and I choose to use them to make sure the man I love has the Christmas he deserves; and that’s one with his family.” She told him sincerely before stepping away to give him time with his sister and parents again. Before she rushed off though she wanted to let them know of the final touch to her surprise, and her gift to them all. “One more thing. Since I didn’t know what you’d want to do while you were here I took the liberty of booking, well, everything.” She laughed and pulled a purple file from her bookcase across the room, crossing back to offer it to Meg. “There’s no way you’d have managed to get anything this week, so I took care of just about everything I could think of. Use them all, don’t use a single thing, I really don’t mind. Just don’t try to pay me back for them, or I’ll be annoyed.” She smiled, though her words were serious. She didn’t need anything in return for this; just seeing them all happy had been enough for her.

With the file containing tickets and guides in Meg’s hands, Lexi looked at the clock and moved away again. “And now I’ll let you all catch up and run to get us some dinner. Italian sound good?” Her favourite Italian place never let her down and while it would be nice to take them all there before their trip was done, Lexi wanted to show it off already. Her car keys were in her hand before anyone could protest and she grabbed Winston’s lead while she was at it. “I’ll bring Duke back to the party too.” She told Denny, grabbing her jacket from the cupboard by the front door. “I won’t be too long.” She called as she closed the door behind her and made the quick journey to pick up Duke, take him and Winston for a quick walk, and then swung by the restaurant to order the food for everyone. It would give Denver and his family some time to catch up.

• • •

TAGGED! Denver Gage Sawyer
WORDS! 710!
OUTFIT! Winter Wonder!
LYRICS! Love I’ve Found In You - - - Lady Antebellum
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Christmas had always been a big deal in the Sawyer household. Since Denver had gone off to school, it was still a big thing but it was missing a vital piece. He tried to get back when he could, it was easier when he’d been in school but now that he was at the hospital, it was more difficult. Other doctor’s with seniority and actual families of their own got the holidays first, and then his group. More often than not though, he opted out of taking the holidays in favour of letting those with kids and family in the city spend the day with them. It was only right. Denny had Lexi in the city and they spent so much time together that missing out on a holiday wasn’t that big of a deal. They could celebrate on another day. Plus, she had her family and he would have much rather she spent the day with them.

Denny didn’t know if it was like this for everyone or just him because he was head over heels for the youngest Ryanne but his shifts had been shortened over the holidays. He wasn’t going to complain if it meant getting to spend more time with Lexi but he also didn’t want anyone thinking he was somehow abusing powers he didn’t have. He was just a good ole down home boy, looking to make his way in the big city. It might have made him sound like a hick, redneck or just a good old fashioned country boy but that wasn’t the case. It didn’t matter where on the planet you ran off to; if you were outside the province, you were automatically a good ole down home boy or lass. Denny chuckled. “I guess I have to thank him.” He said, shaking his head. He knew what Lexi could be like when she got that determination of hers set in high gear.

Denver really didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky having Lexi in his life. She was just so incredible and Denny couldn’t have been any prouder of her, even more so after she’d told him about her teenage years. She was so brace, he oved her so much but asking his mother not to repay her was the silliest thing he’d heard. He smirked, knowing his mother would repay her in her own way. When people told Meg things like that, she never repaid them with money, she repaid the level of care. It was never anything obvious. It was usually their favourite meal or a knitted blanket with the excuse of having the time, the supplies, which always happened to be your favourite colours, and a new pattern she wanted to “try out”. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Meg said with a smirk Denver knew all too well.It was the smirk that said she’d be having a conversation later to dig out Lexi’s favourite meal and colours; surprises were in her future whether she wanted them or not. “Italian’s perfect.” Denny agreed, smiling. “Thanks, Lex.” He added knowing there was no way to change her mind, and since she said she would pick up Duke, he couldn’t ask her to stay and order in. Duke would be just as happy to see everyone as his owner. They kept up a lively conversation, catching up on all sorts of things they all thought were important until Denver heard the door rattle. “That’ll be Lex back. I better help her.” He said, hopping up and heading for the door.

Tag || lexi piper ryanne
Words || 642
Clothes || Happy Man
Music || One Great Mystery --Lady Antebellum
Notes || <3!