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Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
(From the "Rosey Malone Series")

by

Sue M

   "David Michael Starsky, get away from that tree," Rosey Starsky warned.

   "Ah, come on," David pouted, "I thought I saw a rip in one of the packages."

   "Don't give me that excuse. Just get away from that tree right now."

   It was December 23rd. David Starsky was being his usual little boy self. The tree had been up in the Starsky household for several weeks now. New packages were appearing under it daily. Every day when David came home from work, he immediately went to the tree to check it out. Even though David had been raised Jewish, when Rosey and David got married, they had decided to celebrate both Jewish and Christian holidays. In addition to the Christmas tree in the living room, there was also a menorah on the mantle.

   DAS, at this time, was 20 months old and Barbara was nine months. DAS was just beginning to discover Christmas and this was pretty well the first year that he was aware of the lights. Barbara was just too young to understand anything.

   In many ways, Rosey realized that sometimes it was like having three children. David was in many ways childlike. In the years that followed, he was not above getting on the floor with DAS and playing cars or trains.

   David had a train set that, when DAS and Barbara got older, he would put it together and they all enjoyed it together.

   Rosey had known for a long time that David had always had his eye on a certain caboose for one of his trains. Several years before Rosey had met David, he was sure Hutch was going to buy it for him. Instead, Hutch had a tree planted in the park with David's name on it.

   So when Rosey was looking for something special to buy her husband, the caboose was on the top of the list. During their first year of marriage, they unofficially started to buy each other at least one present that was of a personal nature.

   One Saturday afternoon, Rosey went shopping with several of her girl friends who lived in the town house complex. It was girls' day out. Other girls' husbands congregated at the Starskys' house with the other children. The husbands sat around and watched the football game and took care of the kids. Rosey had stocked up on the usual munchies - chips, peanuts, pretzels, and cheese and crackers. When it came time for dinner, the men just pooled their resources and ordered pizza. Uncle Hutch was invited to the Starsky house and he decided to come along.

   The girls met for lunch at the mall and an afternoon of shopping and doing something else besides diapers and cooking and housework. Just a girls' afternoon out without the kids.

   Rosey was able to get to the toy store in the mall to get David's caboose.

   It was a little past dinnertime when the girls finally made it back home. Each of them made an appearance at the Starsky house to pick up their children and husbands and head to their own respective house.

   When Rosey came in the door, David, of course, was curious as to what she had purchased for him and she informed him he had to wait until Christmas Day to see his presents. The children were already in bed and after Rosey was safely home, Hutch went to his own house to leave Rosey and David for some time alone.

********

   Meanwhile, while Rosey was buying the caboose for David, David was trying to determine what to get Rosey. He was tired of the usual clothes and electrical appliances. Then an idea came to him. One of the detective's dogs had given birth to a littler of puppies in the fall and they were ready to go to new homes just before Christmas. He knew that Rosey loved animals and he felt she would love a puppy. So he approached Vince in mid-December regarding one of the puppies. The litter was a mixture of several breeds. The mother was a collie cross and the father was a retriever mix.

   When Hutch got wind of David's idea, he said, "Well, Starsk, how are you going to keep this secret from Rosey? I know she will love a puppy, but how are you going to keep it from her until Christmas Day?"

   "Well, Hutch, buddy, pal, partner, good friend, chum..."

   "Starsk, you know I can't resist puppies and I am a sucker for punishment so I'll help you. I was there when you and Rosey got married, when we found DAS, when Barbara was born, so I guess you can count on me one more time."

   "Thanks, Hutch."

   "Well, when do you want to go over and check out the litter?"

   "How about tonight? I will just phone Rosey and tell her Ill be a little bit late."

   "So let's go."

   David phones Rosey and told her he would be a little bit late. So, after work, David and Hutch went over to Vince's to see the litter.

   The puppies were all awake when David and Hutch arrived. They were the cutest puppies David had ever seen and it was hard for him to pick one. However, a blonde female seemed to catch David's attention. He watched her interact with the other puppies. Mom and Dad were also on the premises so he was able to assess their temperament. Vince assured him that both parents had excellent temperaments and they had been raised with children. Vince's children were older than DAS and Barbara and the puppies got a lot of interaction with them.

   Vince also had a cat, which had had kittens a day or two after the dog had her pups. When he saw how well the kittens got along with the puppies, he was even thinking of getting her both a puppy and a kitten.

   Hutch looked at David strangely, but knew he knew best the situation at home. A black and white male kitten caught David's eye. He watched it interact with the blonde female puppy. They were getting along really well.

   Vince gave David suggestions. "If you need a good vet, I can give you the name of our vet. If you need any help in raising this little one, or have any problems whatsoever, let me know."

   "Sounds good, Vince."

   After David interacted with the puppy and kitten, he decided to take both of them and not wait until Christmas to give them to Rosey. At first, he had thought of giving them to Hutch to baby-sit over Christmas Eve and then have Hutch bring them to the Starsky house when he came to Christmas dinner. However, he changed his mind because he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he gave them to her.

   So David and Hutch took the two babies and left. David made one stop on the way home. He picked up two feeding dishes and the brands of food that the two were eating. He also picked up a litter box and some cat litter because the kitten was learning how to use the box. David also went to a card store and picked up two ribbons to tie around their necks - blue for the kitten and pink for the puppy. He also picked up a large box to put them in and he punched holes in it.

   Hutch decided to come home with David. He was most anxious to see Rosey's reaction when she opened the box.

   When they got to the door, Hutch made sure that David was in front of him when they entered the house. David had the package in his hand and Hutch was carrying the packages from the stores.

   "Rosey, are you home, Sweetheart."

   "Yes, David." She came into the living room from the kitchen.

   "I have a present for you. Come see it."

   "David, what did you buy for me."

   "Well open the box and find out." He gave the great big box to her and she opened it up. Up popped the puppy and the kitten.

   "Hey, what is this?"

   "Early Merry Christmas. How would you like a puppy and a kitten?"

   "David, they are adorable. Where did you get them?"

   "Vince, one of the detectives from work. His dog and cat had litters earlier on in the fall."

   "David, you are so sweet. You know how much I love animals." She took them out of the box and put them up to her cheeks. The puppy started to lick Rosey's face and the kitten began to purr.

   "And, Honey, they get along well. The kitten is almost litter trained. "

   "David, you've convinced me. How could I turn down such faces. I think you got them more for yourself than me. So why not two more babies? "

   "What's for dinner, Lovely Lady?"

   "How about spaghetti? Hutch, if you want to stay for supper, there is plenty."

   "Thanks, Rosey. I would love to stay." Hutch said.

   "And after dinner, we can maybe think of names for these two new members of the Starsky household."

   Rosey suggested. Meanwhile, David and Hutch set up temporary quarters for the new babies. Until the puppy was properly paper trained, they did not want her leaving presents all over the house. Vince had had the hindsight to give them two old towels with the mothers' scents on them so the puppy and the kitten could have something to sleep on with the scents on them.

   After the dinner dishes were done and put away, they sat down in the living room with a bottle of wine and started to brainstorm. Many names for the puppy were thought of - Blondie, Buffey, Tammy, Lady, Beauty,

   Goldie, but none seemed good enough for her. Then David thought of Sarah, Rosey liked that name. More names were bounced around for the kitten - then Rosey suggested Tara because she always loved Gone with the Wind.

********

   David and Hutch had booked off from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day. They arrived at the Starsky townhouse right after work on Christmas Eve. Rosey had planned a special dinner of roast beef with all the trimmings. When David and Hutch arrived at the house, they were almost bowled over by DAS, Sarah and Tara. Rosey laughed when she came to the front door to see about the commotion. David was holding DAS and swinging him around and Hutch was trying to fight off Sarah and Tara. Barbara was trying to make it to the door also, crawling as fast as she could while saying, "Da da da da."

   "Hi, Lovely Lady." David said when he saw her come into the living room.

   "Hi, yourself, Copper," she said. He pulled her in for a quick kiss.

   "Hey, Hutch."

   "Hi, Rosey. How are you?"

   "I am fine now I know that you guys are safe and sound."

   "What did you mean by that, Rosey," David asked.

   "Well, I worry about you guys. I am so afraid that some time I am going to get a phone call or a visit telling me that you have been shot. That's the only part of your job I don't like. But, let's not talk about it now, you guys have two days off and we are going to have a good time."

   "Yeah. You are right." David answered. "When is dinner going to be ready? I can smell it."

   "In a few minutes. David, can you help me? Hutch, you know where the beer is. Go help yourself."

   David followed her into the kitchen and helped her bring the things to the table.

   When everything was ready, everyone congregated at the table. DAS was eating at the table in his high chair and Barbara was sitting in a baby chair near Mommy. She had graduated to baby cereal and strained carrots. Rosey was trying to feed Barbara until David volunteered to take over the task. He knew she had to deal with the children all day and she needed a break.

   "David, you are so sweet."

   Hutch just laughed to himself, "Starsk, I never thought you would be the type of guy to get married and have a couple of kids."

   David leaned over and kissed Rosey, and said, "I never thought I would either. However, when this little lady came back into my life again and I did not want to lose her again. She's taken my heart and made all my dreams come true. She has given me more than I could ever expect - two beautiful children." He gave her an affectionate squeeze.

   "David, you have done the same for me. Plus the newest members of the clan - Sarah and Tara."

   The rest of the meal was spent talking about some of the recent cases that Starsky and Hutch were working on, and what plans Rosey had for the next two days.

   Hutch had been invited to sleep over that night. There was plenty of room in the townhouse and Rosey knew that Hutch did not want to spend the holiday alone.

   Over the months that David and Rosey had been married, she had gotten to know Hutch quite well. She considered him more than just her husband's partner at work. She never had any siblings and she considered Hutch the big brother she never had. She never tried to come between David and Hutch. She knew they had been best friends before she ever came along In fact, she encouraged their relationship. She invited Hutch over many nights for dinner. He spent all of the holidays with the Starskys - Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas 0 but except for this year, they were just for dinner.

   After the dinner dishes were done and put away, David lit a fire in the fireplace. The stockings had been hung by the fireplace. Rosey had bought everyone their own stocking with their name on it. She had even bought one for Hutch. She had also bought gifts for Hutch.

   David helped Rosey get the children to bed.

   Part of the tradition that Rosey had adopted from someone else was to open one gift on Christmas Eve. She bought new PJs for everyone and everyone got to wear them to bed Christmas Eve. She even bought a pair for Hutch.

   DAS had gotten a pair of cute baby blue bunny PJs. Barbara was wearing a pair of pink angel sleepers.

   After the babies were in bed, Hutch brought out his guitar and they sang Christmas carols and songs by the glow of the fire. They drank eggnog and David popped some popcorn.

   When they finally decided to call it a night, Hutch got into the spirit and put on the handsome green PJs that Rosey had bought for him.

   David put on his dark blue PJs. His jaw dropped when he saw Rosey in her flowing and very revealing new negligee.

   All evening, he had been giving her signals that he was getting a little frisky and that he wanted to celebrate the holiday in his own special way. He kept holding her hand. He kept getting her eggnog when her cup was empty. He kissed her on the lips many times. He touched her in places he knew turned her on. He just kept on snuggling up to her when he knew Hutch was not looking.

   He came over to her when the bedroom door was closed. "Well, you know what I want."

   "Yeah, I think so. You have been dropping hints all evening long."

   He started to nibble on her ear, and whispered in her ear, "Well, Hutch is in his room. The kids have been asleep for hours... It's just you and me, Rosey."

   "Yeah, I wonder what we can do," she answered innocently.

   "Let me show you." He led her to the bed and started to kiss her. "Rosey, do you know that tonight reminded me of the night I proposed. You looked so beautiful in the firelight then, and you still look great there."

   "I love you, David."

   "I love you too, Rosey. You still knock me out."

   "David, I still desire you."

   "Rosey, do you know what it was like to be near you all evening and not being able to touch you like I wanted to."

   "David, it was the same for me all evening."

   "Well, then if we are alone now, why are we just talking about it and not doing something about it?"

   She whispered in his ear, "Yeah."

   He started to touch her all over. He helped her remove her negligee and she helped him get out of his PJs. They made passionate love for the first time in a couple of weeks. In the afterglow of their lovemaking, David told her, "Rosey, you always make me feel so good."

   "David, I love making you feel so good."

   They spend the rest of Christmas Eve making love and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

********

   "MOMMY" "DADDY"

   All of a sudden, Rosey could hear her children. She woke up. Then she remembered what day it was - Christmas Day. She moved David's arms from around her, without waking him up. He moved and moaned.

   She planted a kiss on his cheek. She grabbed her negligee and also a dressing gown to put on over top of it.

   She went into DAS' room. "Good morning, Sweetheart." She helped him out of his bed and went to change his diaper. She then went into Barbara's room, sprung her from her crib and changed her daughter.

   By this time, Hutch had emerged from the guestroom. "Merry Christmas, Rosey." he said.

   "Merry Christmas to you too, Hutch." she answered. "How well did you sleep?"

   "Pretty well, thank you. And you?"

   "Really well." Well, after a lovemaking session like that, one would sleep really well.

   "Starsk up yet?"

   "Of course not." Just as Rosey said that, her husband came out of the room. "Speak of the devil and the devil appears." She giggled.

   "Merry Christmas, Rosey." he said.

   "Merry Christmas, David. How are you? How well did you sleep?"

   "I slept really well, thanks. I needed a good night's sleep like that one." He gave her an affectionate squeeze and whispered in her ear, "we need more nights like that one." He gave her his patented grin.

   Everyone went downstairs. Everyone gathered around the tree. "Well, I wonder what Santa brought us." Rosey asked.

   David was the last one to open his presents and the last box that he opened was the box that he had been anticipating for years. "Rosey, honey, you bought it for me."

   "Yeah, Hutch would not buy it for you."

   He gave her an affectionate squeeze and told her, "I will have to properly thank you later." He gave her his patented grin.

   David couldn't wait to try out his new caboose, so he got out his train set and put it together. It had been the first time that DAS had seen it and he went absolutely crazy watching the train go around and around the track. He was not the least bit afraid of the train and he squealed with delight every time the train came near where he was.

   After breakfast, Rosey decided to get out the ever-popular Monopoly game. As usual, David did not fare very well in playing it. He was content to buy his usual utilities and sit back and watch his debts pile up.

   The rest of the holiday was just spent quietly. They watched some old Christmas movies on TV - Holiday Inn, It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. David played with his train. Rosey and Hutch got out the cards and played gin for part of the time.

   They just stayed in their PJs. When the turkey was ready, they just stayed in their lazy clothes and enjoyed the pleasure of not dressing up for dinner.

   After dinner, Hutch headed back to his place. He wanted to get ready for work the next day.

THE END