Twelve Days of Christmas

Sometimes the things that remind you most of the holidays are the ones that aren't about Christmas at all. Twelve drabbles. AU.

DISCLAIMER: Characters property of Lisi Harrison. Lyrics property of Blue October.

December 20th

"I will keep calling you to see/if you're sleeping are you dreaming/if you're dreaming are you dreaming of me?"

The Lyons Household is your favourite place to be. Your friends think it's a little weird, but you'd rather spend four hours there, babysitting Todd Lyons, than shopping or partying or rolling around with Kemp Hurley in the snow. After all, babysitting Todd guarantees you a few peaceful hours in which you can think and build intricate Lego towns and remember what it was like to be nine years old, an age you miss very much.

(Of course, babysitting also puts another forty dollars into your already stuffed wallet, but that's not why you do it.)

Today you waltz into the Lyons' house, shake the snow out of your glistening chocolate waves, and find Todd tugging at his mother's sparkling cocktail dress, begging her not to go. His face is all red and you instantly know that he doesn't want you here tonight. He wants his mother to stay home and wrap him up in her arms. Now more than ever, you know how he feels.

"He's not feeling well," Judi whispers in your ear before she whisks out the door, leaving Todd sniffling in the foyer. "Don't let him hole himself up in his room; keep him out here in the front of the house. I just don't want him to be alone. Thanks for coming on such short notice, Massie."

And before you can suggest that maybe Todd needs to be alone, Judi slips out the door and locks it behind her. She's gone. You turn to Todd, wondering what exactly to do with the tearful child. He aims his big brown eyes straight at your amber ones and a shiver goes down your spine.

It always amazes you how much you see yourself in him. You can instantly tell that he's not sick in a physical sense—he's tired, he hates the perpetual gray weather that comes with the winter snow, he just wants his mom. He's too old to be throwing these kinds of fits, but too young to find the words to say exactly what's on his mind. And so are you.

He throws himself on the couch in the den and moodily asks if he can watch Star Trek. You know that Judi would never let him watch a PG-13 movie, but he needs something to entertain him. Within seconds, he's ordered the movie on OnDemand.

After two hours of Chris Pine looking sexy enough to keep your attention and several action-packed shooting scenes, Todd turns to you.

"Do you think my parents got into a car wreck?" Todd asks with a smile as the Enterprise takes another hit from whoever they're fighting.

The words tumble from your mouth before you can even pause to decipher his question: "No, of course not!" Because even though his parents should have been home thirty minutes ago, it's almost Christmas, and you just want Todd to be happy, because he's finally smiling.