Fic: 12 Years of Christmas, 10/12: Tiny Tots With Their Eyes All Aglow
Title: 12 Years of Christmas, 10/12
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Tim finally finds an excuse to miss the annual Christmas movie viewing, but Bruce pulls rank.
Note: Tim and Cissie now have two children-Sadie, 6, and Aiden, 2. Lian is about 19 years old.
Apologies for the very long delay in posting! Real Life took over for both of us for a while.
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
10. Year 19: Tiny Tots With Their Eyes All Aglow
~*~
Lian crossed her arms and looked at Cissie. “You know, you’d think after all these years, they would learn that this is inevitable.”
Cissie pat her shoulder, smiling. “And yet, would it be the same if they didn’t try to duck out?”
“Hmm. You may be right,” Lian said after a moment. “Papa wouldn’t know what to do with himself if they just came in and sat down.”
“Don’t give them any ideas. Remember a few years ago, when they switched the labels on the DVDs and we almost watched Die Hard instead?”
“And we almost got away with it,” Tim said, carrying Aiden into the room on his shoulders. “It would have been wonderful,” he said wistfully.
Cissie snorted. “If you can watch it more than once a year, it’s not a Christmas movie.”
“What’s not a Christmas movie?” Sadie asked, looking up from where she lay on her stomach, coloring with Roy in a brand new coloring book.
“A movie Daddy likes that Mommy tells him every Christmas that he can’t watch instead of It’s a Wonderful Life,” Tim said, lifting Aiden off his shoulders and setting him on the floor next to his sister. “It makes Daddy very sad,” he said with a grin at Cissie.
Cissie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “It’s a grown-up movie,” she explained. “And watching It’s a Wonderful Life is a tradition.”
“I like traditions,” Sadie declared, turning her attention back to her coloring book. Aiden plunked himself down next to her and reached for the box of new crayons. “Hey!” Sadie cried, lying flat over the coloring book. “This is my coloring book!”
Tim pulled Aiden back onto his lap as he settled onto the floor next to the children. “Hey, buddy,” he said, grabbing the box of enormous crayons and the much simpler coloring book. “How about this one?” He let Aiden roll off his lap again and onto the floor as he pulled the bright red crayon from the box. “I was thinking,” he said slowly, handing the crayon to Aiden. The boy wrapped his fist around the huge crayon and began scribbling intensely in his coloring book while Tim continued. “That I could take the kids into the other room to play for a while during the movie. You know how long it is. I’m not sure it will keep Aiden’s attention that long, and Sadie might want to play too, right, sweetie?” He grinned down at his daughter.
Cissie snorted while Sadie looked up, grinning hugely. “Can we play games?”
“Definitely. Whatever you want.”
Aiden twisted to look up at Tim. “Candy Land?”
“Sure, buddy.” Tim scooped Aiden up again, along with the crayons and coloring book and turned-only to run face-to-shoulder into Bruce.
“I’ll take him,” Bruce said cheerfully, holding open his arms. Aiden reached for him, and Tim handed his son over warily. He didn’t trust the cheerful tone.
“We were just going into the other room to play during the movie…”
“I know-I’ll take them.” He gave Tim a sharp smile. “I don’t want to split up the happy couple on Christmas Eve, after all. I’ll watch the kids in the other room-you go watch the movie with your wife.”
Sadie scrambled to her feet, collecting her coloring supplies. “Grampa, do we have to play Candy Land? We play that all the time!”
He reached down and tousled her hair, making her grimace. “We can play Memory after Candy Land, if you want.”
Tim scowled after them as they left the room, Sadie agreeing happily to playing her favorite game with Bruce. “He’s good,” Tim muttered. “Traitor.”
Cissie laughed softly and stepped over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Who’s the traitor, Bruce or Sadie?” She leaned up and kissed him. Quietly so only he could hear, she murmured, “It won’t be so bad-think of it this way, we’ve got over two hours of child-free cuddling ahead of us now.”
“Bruce-but I think I’ll forgive him,” Tim said, pressing his forehead against Cissie’s.
Dick cleared his throat from his position on the couch. “Still here.”
Tim rolled his eyes, pulling away from Cissie a little to address his brother. “Prude.” He settled onto another smaller couch and pulled Cissie down next to him. “Are we ready to watch the movie?”
“Just about,” Lian said, kneeling by the television and waiting for her father to assume his set on the couch with Dick. Once everyone was seated, she grinning and started the movie before settling in her customary seat on the floor in front of Dick and Roy.
Roy ruffled her hair. “You know, you don’t have to sit on the floor, princess.”
“I know,” she said, twisting to look up at her father. “But it’s tradition.”
Cissie settled back against Tim and murmured, “Speaking of traditions-I’m sorry you lost your partner-in-crime. Think you can manage to rein in the scathing sarcasm for one year?”
“Maybe,” Tim said quietly, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “If I have to.”
“There are some traditions we could do without,” Lian spoke up, smirking at them. “It always takes you the first ten minutes to stop talking.”
“Then you’re not listening,” Tim retorted lightly. “Bruce and I talk through the entire movie.”
“I wouldn’t call that talking,” Roy said thoughtfully. “More like bitter, cynical muttering.”
“I tune them out,” Lian said matter-of-factly.
“Good thing it wasn’t for your benefit, short stuff,” Tim said, grinning. “Bruce and I are like the little ones-we need games and coloring books to keep us happy through the movie.”
Lian stuck her tongue out at him. “Be quiet and watch the movie, Uncle Tim!”
He settled back against the couch. “I still say astronomy doesn’t work that way,” he murmured to Cissie.
She laughed and twisted to kiss his cheek. “You’re hopeless.”
“Yes.” He kissed her hair as she turned back to face the movie. “But you love me anyway.”
“I do.” She laced her fingers with his. “Who do you think is going to be in here asking for one of us first-Aiden, Sadie or Bruce?”
“Aiden,” Tim said promptly. “He’ll be bored after they stop playing Candy Land.”
~*~
“Grampa!” Aiden tugged on Bruce’s sleeve, holding out his coloring book. “Look!”
Bruce looked up from the game of Memory to see the book. It was covered with bright scribbles that didn’t even vaguely resemble the ink drawing underneath. He smiled. “Very nice, Aiden.”
Aiden beamed up at him. “It’s you and Daddy workin',” he explained, trying to climb up Bruce’s leg. “See?”
“Which one’s me?” he asked, pulling the boy into his lap as he turned up a pair of mismatched cards. He flipped them back over again and waited for Sadie to take her turn. He thought she would probably be able to make a match this time
“That one!” Aiden declared proudly, pointing to a yellow and black scribble to one side. He twisted to look at Bruce hopefully. “Can we play Candy Land now?”
“How about after Sadie and I finish the game of memory?” He inspected the drawing again critically. “No Uncle Dick?”
Aiden gave him an indignant look. “Uncle Dick doesn’t work here!”
“Grampa,” Sadie interrupted. “You’re not paying attention!”
“Sorry, Sadie,” he said, glancing down at the cards on the table in front of them. “My turn? And Uncle Dick works here sometimes,” he told Aiden.
“Uncle Dick works in New York most of the time,” Sadie said seriously, watching Bruce turn over another mismatched pair.
Aiden nodded solemnly, reaching for one of the cards as Bruce moved to put it back.
Bruce took Aiden’s hand and pulled it back from the table to keep him from upsetting the arrangement of the cards. “Most of the time,” he conceded. “But sometimes he comes to Gotham to help your dad and me out. Just like Jason and Uncle Roy.”
Sadie made a match and took a second turn. “I guess so,” she agreed reluctantly.
Aiden squirmed, turning to look up at Bruce. “I want apple juice.”
He glanced down at him. “I guess we can go get some juice. How about you, Sadie-are you thirsty?”
She pouted. “No. And you didn’t say please, Aiden.”
“P’ease?”
Bruce laughed. “All right.” He stood and picked Aiden up with him. “Are you sure you don’t want to come, Sadie? I think there might be some fresh Christmas cookies in the kitchen.”
Sadie hesitated, biting her lip. She looked at the half-finished game and then up at Bruce. “Can we finish the game after?”
“Of course.” He reached out and ruffled her hair. “I’m still pretty sure I’ll make a come-back and beat you.”
Sadie giggled, ducking away. “Grampa, you’re silly.”
Aiden tugged on Bruce’s tie. “Juice! I want apple juice!”
“All right,” he said, shifting Aiden so that he couldn’t strangle Bruce with his tie anymore. “Let’s go get some juice.”
Sadie hopped down from her chair and skipped ahead of them to the kitchen, babbling about the special cookies she had made for Santa the day before. Bruce smirked, thinking of the moss Tim had growing in the conservatory for the reindeer, and followed her into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at Alfred, who was sitting at the table reading a book.
“Hi, Alfred!” Sadie ran over and hugged him. “Aiden wants juice and Grampa said I could have cookies!”
“Did he?” Alfred asked, raising an amused eyebrow and standing. “And how did Master Bruce manage to avoid the annual Christmas movie tradition?”
“We’re playing Memory and I’m winning!”
“I’m surprised Master Timothy didn’t offer to play as well,” Alfred said, pulling a bottle of juice from the refrigerator, and taking a plastic toddler cup down from the cabinet. He poured the juice and fixed the lid on the cup before handing it to Aiden.
“Sippy cup!” Aiden cried happily, taking the juice with both hands.
Bruce put Aiden down in one of the kitchen chairs. “He did offer, but I didn’t think it was fair to make him miss out on the movie.”
“Considering it is his favorite,” Alfred commented dryly. “And yours, too, sir.”
Bruce waved a hand dismissively, watching Alfred offer Sadie a sugar cookie. “It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“You are a martyr, sir.”
Bruce smiled and caught Sadie lightly by the arm as she danced around the kitchen. “Sit down while you eat.”
She dropped into the chair next to Aiden. “I thought you didn’t like the movie,” she said around a mouthful of cookie. “Or is this what Daddy calls sarcasm?”
Bruce caught Aiden’s hand as he reached for Sadie’s cookie. “Alfred taught your father about sarcasm.”
Aiden pouted up at him. “I wanna cookie!”
Alfred raised an eyebrow at the boy. “I am certain your parents have taught you better manners than that, young man. How do we ask for things?” He glanced over at Bruce. “And Master Timothy knew plenty about sarcasm before he ever met me-I merely helped him fine-tune the skill.”
Aiden looked up at Alfred with wide eyes and a trembling chin. “No cookie?”
“You may have a cookie as soon as you say please, Master Aiden.”
“Cookie p’ease?” Aiden asked.
“Of course.” He gave Aiden a sugar cookie.
The boy beamed and took a huge mouthful of cookie. “Th’nk you,” he mumbled, spraying crumbs across the table.
“You’re quite welcome.”
Bruce pulled out a chair and sat at the table while the children ate their cookies. He picked up Alfred’s book, shaking his head in amusement. “I have yet to figure out how you manage to evade Dick every year.”
“One of my many secrets, Master Bruce,” he said serenely, taking his own seat again.
Sadie finished her cookie and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “Thank you, Alfred,” she said before turning to Bruce. “Can we finish our game now, Grampa?”
“Don’t you think we should wait for Aiden to finish, too?”
Sadie huffed, slumping in her chair. “He’s so slow.”
“Am not,” Aiden mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his fist.
Bruce and Alfred exchanged a look, and Alfred cut in smoothly. “Perhaps Master Aiden would like to finish his cookie here with me while the two of you go to play your game. I can tell him a story until you’re finished.”
“You mean so he can take a nap? He hasn’t had one yet,” Sadie pointed out.
“No nap!” Aiden cried. “M’not sleepy!”
“Of course not,” Alfred said with a smile. “Not on Christmas Eve. I thought I might read you a story from my book. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Aiden hesitated, rubbing his eyes again. He looked up at Bruce. “What about Candy Land?”
“If you want to hear a story, we can play afterwards. Besides-we already played once tonight.” He reached down and ruffled Aiden’s hair a little. “Go ahead and listen to the story.”
Aiden blinked at Bruce for a moment before carefully putting the remains of his cookie on the table and climbing off the chair. He stuck a thumb in his mouth and walked around the table to Alfred. With his free hand, he tugged on Alfred’s arm. “Story p’ease?”
Alfred reached down and pulled the boy into his lap. “Which would you prefer, young man?” he asked. “A story from my book, or a story from my memory?”
Aiden curled up against him and patted Alfred’s arm. “Alfred story.”
“Very well.” He glanced up at Bruce. “The two of you are welcome to stay as well, of course. I am certain that you would be happy to correct my impeccable recollections.”
Bruce smirked and turned to Sadie. “What do you say, Sadie? We can finish the game after Alfred tells his story.”
She gave him a wide grin. “Okay. And then I’ll finish beating you in Memory and we can play Candy Land with Aiden?”
“You’re so sure you’re going to win?”
“Mmhm,” she said, settling into a chair at the table. “I’m going to be Oracle when I grow up.”
Bruce laughed and reached out, ruffling her hair. “I’m sure you will.”
“Story!” Aiden interrupted impatiently, tugging at Alfred’s sleeve.
Alfred smiled down at him. “Once upon a time, when you grandfather was a very small boy-“
Bruce groaned out loud and covered his face with his hands. “Not this one.”
Alfred raised an eyebrow at him. “Quiet, young man, or I will tell the story about the drapes.”
Bruce’s mouth snapped shut, and Alfred gave him a serene smile. “Very good,” he approved. “Now, once upon a time…”
~*~
Next time, part 11-Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Tim finally finds an excuse to miss the annual Christmas movie viewing, but Bruce pulls rank.
Note: Tim and Cissie now have two children-Sadie, 6, and Aiden, 2. Lian is about 19 years old.
Apologies for the very long delay in posting! Real Life took over for both of us for a while.
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
10. Year 19: Tiny Tots With Their Eyes All Aglow
~*~
Lian crossed her arms and looked at Cissie. “You know, you’d think after all these years, they would learn that this is inevitable.”
Cissie pat her shoulder, smiling. “And yet, would it be the same if they didn’t try to duck out?”
“Hmm. You may be right,” Lian said after a moment. “Papa wouldn’t know what to do with himself if they just came in and sat down.”
“Don’t give them any ideas. Remember a few years ago, when they switched the labels on the DVDs and we almost watched Die Hard instead?”
“And we almost got away with it,” Tim said, carrying Aiden into the room on his shoulders. “It would have been wonderful,” he said wistfully.
Cissie snorted. “If you can watch it more than once a year, it’s not a Christmas movie.”
“What’s not a Christmas movie?” Sadie asked, looking up from where she lay on her stomach, coloring with Roy in a brand new coloring book.
“A movie Daddy likes that Mommy tells him every Christmas that he can’t watch instead of It’s a Wonderful Life,” Tim said, lifting Aiden off his shoulders and setting him on the floor next to his sister. “It makes Daddy very sad,” he said with a grin at Cissie.
Cissie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “It’s a grown-up movie,” she explained. “And watching It’s a Wonderful Life is a tradition.”
“I like traditions,” Sadie declared, turning her attention back to her coloring book. Aiden plunked himself down next to her and reached for the box of new crayons. “Hey!” Sadie cried, lying flat over the coloring book. “This is my coloring book!”
Tim pulled Aiden back onto his lap as he settled onto the floor next to the children. “Hey, buddy,” he said, grabbing the box of enormous crayons and the much simpler coloring book. “How about this one?” He let Aiden roll off his lap again and onto the floor as he pulled the bright red crayon from the box. “I was thinking,” he said slowly, handing the crayon to Aiden. The boy wrapped his fist around the huge crayon and began scribbling intensely in his coloring book while Tim continued. “That I could take the kids into the other room to play for a while during the movie. You know how long it is. I’m not sure it will keep Aiden’s attention that long, and Sadie might want to play too, right, sweetie?” He grinned down at his daughter.
Cissie snorted while Sadie looked up, grinning hugely. “Can we play games?”
“Definitely. Whatever you want.”
Aiden twisted to look up at Tim. “Candy Land?”
“Sure, buddy.” Tim scooped Aiden up again, along with the crayons and coloring book and turned-only to run face-to-shoulder into Bruce.
“I’ll take him,” Bruce said cheerfully, holding open his arms. Aiden reached for him, and Tim handed his son over warily. He didn’t trust the cheerful tone.
“We were just going into the other room to play during the movie…”
“I know-I’ll take them.” He gave Tim a sharp smile. “I don’t want to split up the happy couple on Christmas Eve, after all. I’ll watch the kids in the other room-you go watch the movie with your wife.”
Sadie scrambled to her feet, collecting her coloring supplies. “Grampa, do we have to play Candy Land? We play that all the time!”
He reached down and tousled her hair, making her grimace. “We can play Memory after Candy Land, if you want.”
Tim scowled after them as they left the room, Sadie agreeing happily to playing her favorite game with Bruce. “He’s good,” Tim muttered. “Traitor.”
Cissie laughed softly and stepped over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Who’s the traitor, Bruce or Sadie?” She leaned up and kissed him. Quietly so only he could hear, she murmured, “It won’t be so bad-think of it this way, we’ve got over two hours of child-free cuddling ahead of us now.”
“Bruce-but I think I’ll forgive him,” Tim said, pressing his forehead against Cissie’s.
Dick cleared his throat from his position on the couch. “Still here.”
Tim rolled his eyes, pulling away from Cissie a little to address his brother. “Prude.” He settled onto another smaller couch and pulled Cissie down next to him. “Are we ready to watch the movie?”
“Just about,” Lian said, kneeling by the television and waiting for her father to assume his set on the couch with Dick. Once everyone was seated, she grinning and started the movie before settling in her customary seat on the floor in front of Dick and Roy.
Roy ruffled her hair. “You know, you don’t have to sit on the floor, princess.”
“I know,” she said, twisting to look up at her father. “But it’s tradition.”
Cissie settled back against Tim and murmured, “Speaking of traditions-I’m sorry you lost your partner-in-crime. Think you can manage to rein in the scathing sarcasm for one year?”
“Maybe,” Tim said quietly, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “If I have to.”
“There are some traditions we could do without,” Lian spoke up, smirking at them. “It always takes you the first ten minutes to stop talking.”
“Then you’re not listening,” Tim retorted lightly. “Bruce and I talk through the entire movie.”
“I wouldn’t call that talking,” Roy said thoughtfully. “More like bitter, cynical muttering.”
“I tune them out,” Lian said matter-of-factly.
“Good thing it wasn’t for your benefit, short stuff,” Tim said, grinning. “Bruce and I are like the little ones-we need games and coloring books to keep us happy through the movie.”
Lian stuck her tongue out at him. “Be quiet and watch the movie, Uncle Tim!”
He settled back against the couch. “I still say astronomy doesn’t work that way,” he murmured to Cissie.
She laughed and twisted to kiss his cheek. “You’re hopeless.”
“Yes.” He kissed her hair as she turned back to face the movie. “But you love me anyway.”
“I do.” She laced her fingers with his. “Who do you think is going to be in here asking for one of us first-Aiden, Sadie or Bruce?”
“Aiden,” Tim said promptly. “He’ll be bored after they stop playing Candy Land.”
~*~
“Grampa!” Aiden tugged on Bruce’s sleeve, holding out his coloring book. “Look!”
Bruce looked up from the game of Memory to see the book. It was covered with bright scribbles that didn’t even vaguely resemble the ink drawing underneath. He smiled. “Very nice, Aiden.”
Aiden beamed up at him. “It’s you and Daddy workin',” he explained, trying to climb up Bruce’s leg. “See?”
“Which one’s me?” he asked, pulling the boy into his lap as he turned up a pair of mismatched cards. He flipped them back over again and waited for Sadie to take her turn. He thought she would probably be able to make a match this time
“That one!” Aiden declared proudly, pointing to a yellow and black scribble to one side. He twisted to look at Bruce hopefully. “Can we play Candy Land now?”
“How about after Sadie and I finish the game of memory?” He inspected the drawing again critically. “No Uncle Dick?”
Aiden gave him an indignant look. “Uncle Dick doesn’t work here!”
“Grampa,” Sadie interrupted. “You’re not paying attention!”
“Sorry, Sadie,” he said, glancing down at the cards on the table in front of them. “My turn? And Uncle Dick works here sometimes,” he told Aiden.
“Uncle Dick works in New York most of the time,” Sadie said seriously, watching Bruce turn over another mismatched pair.
Aiden nodded solemnly, reaching for one of the cards as Bruce moved to put it back.
Bruce took Aiden’s hand and pulled it back from the table to keep him from upsetting the arrangement of the cards. “Most of the time,” he conceded. “But sometimes he comes to Gotham to help your dad and me out. Just like Jason and Uncle Roy.”
Sadie made a match and took a second turn. “I guess so,” she agreed reluctantly.
Aiden squirmed, turning to look up at Bruce. “I want apple juice.”
He glanced down at him. “I guess we can go get some juice. How about you, Sadie-are you thirsty?”
She pouted. “No. And you didn’t say please, Aiden.”
“P’ease?”
Bruce laughed. “All right.” He stood and picked Aiden up with him. “Are you sure you don’t want to come, Sadie? I think there might be some fresh Christmas cookies in the kitchen.”
Sadie hesitated, biting her lip. She looked at the half-finished game and then up at Bruce. “Can we finish the game after?”
“Of course.” He reached out and ruffled her hair. “I’m still pretty sure I’ll make a come-back and beat you.”
Sadie giggled, ducking away. “Grampa, you’re silly.”
Aiden tugged on Bruce’s tie. “Juice! I want apple juice!”
“All right,” he said, shifting Aiden so that he couldn’t strangle Bruce with his tie anymore. “Let’s go get some juice.”
Sadie hopped down from her chair and skipped ahead of them to the kitchen, babbling about the special cookies she had made for Santa the day before. Bruce smirked, thinking of the moss Tim had growing in the conservatory for the reindeer, and followed her into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at Alfred, who was sitting at the table reading a book.
“Hi, Alfred!” Sadie ran over and hugged him. “Aiden wants juice and Grampa said I could have cookies!”
“Did he?” Alfred asked, raising an amused eyebrow and standing. “And how did Master Bruce manage to avoid the annual Christmas movie tradition?”
“We’re playing Memory and I’m winning!”
“I’m surprised Master Timothy didn’t offer to play as well,” Alfred said, pulling a bottle of juice from the refrigerator, and taking a plastic toddler cup down from the cabinet. He poured the juice and fixed the lid on the cup before handing it to Aiden.
“Sippy cup!” Aiden cried happily, taking the juice with both hands.
Bruce put Aiden down in one of the kitchen chairs. “He did offer, but I didn’t think it was fair to make him miss out on the movie.”
“Considering it is his favorite,” Alfred commented dryly. “And yours, too, sir.”
Bruce waved a hand dismissively, watching Alfred offer Sadie a sugar cookie. “It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“You are a martyr, sir.”
Bruce smiled and caught Sadie lightly by the arm as she danced around the kitchen. “Sit down while you eat.”
She dropped into the chair next to Aiden. “I thought you didn’t like the movie,” she said around a mouthful of cookie. “Or is this what Daddy calls sarcasm?”
Bruce caught Aiden’s hand as he reached for Sadie’s cookie. “Alfred taught your father about sarcasm.”
Aiden pouted up at him. “I wanna cookie!”
Alfred raised an eyebrow at the boy. “I am certain your parents have taught you better manners than that, young man. How do we ask for things?” He glanced over at Bruce. “And Master Timothy knew plenty about sarcasm before he ever met me-I merely helped him fine-tune the skill.”
Aiden looked up at Alfred with wide eyes and a trembling chin. “No cookie?”
“You may have a cookie as soon as you say please, Master Aiden.”
“Cookie p’ease?” Aiden asked.
“Of course.” He gave Aiden a sugar cookie.
The boy beamed and took a huge mouthful of cookie. “Th’nk you,” he mumbled, spraying crumbs across the table.
“You’re quite welcome.”
Bruce pulled out a chair and sat at the table while the children ate their cookies. He picked up Alfred’s book, shaking his head in amusement. “I have yet to figure out how you manage to evade Dick every year.”
“One of my many secrets, Master Bruce,” he said serenely, taking his own seat again.
Sadie finished her cookie and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “Thank you, Alfred,” she said before turning to Bruce. “Can we finish our game now, Grampa?”
“Don’t you think we should wait for Aiden to finish, too?”
Sadie huffed, slumping in her chair. “He’s so slow.”
“Am not,” Aiden mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his fist.
Bruce and Alfred exchanged a look, and Alfred cut in smoothly. “Perhaps Master Aiden would like to finish his cookie here with me while the two of you go to play your game. I can tell him a story until you’re finished.”
“You mean so he can take a nap? He hasn’t had one yet,” Sadie pointed out.
“No nap!” Aiden cried. “M’not sleepy!”
“Of course not,” Alfred said with a smile. “Not on Christmas Eve. I thought I might read you a story from my book. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Aiden hesitated, rubbing his eyes again. He looked up at Bruce. “What about Candy Land?”
“If you want to hear a story, we can play afterwards. Besides-we already played once tonight.” He reached down and ruffled Aiden’s hair a little. “Go ahead and listen to the story.”
Aiden blinked at Bruce for a moment before carefully putting the remains of his cookie on the table and climbing off the chair. He stuck a thumb in his mouth and walked around the table to Alfred. With his free hand, he tugged on Alfred’s arm. “Story p’ease?”
Alfred reached down and pulled the boy into his lap. “Which would you prefer, young man?” he asked. “A story from my book, or a story from my memory?”
Aiden curled up against him and patted Alfred’s arm. “Alfred story.”
“Very well.” He glanced up at Bruce. “The two of you are welcome to stay as well, of course. I am certain that you would be happy to correct my impeccable recollections.”
Bruce smirked and turned to Sadie. “What do you say, Sadie? We can finish the game after Alfred tells his story.”
She gave him a wide grin. “Okay. And then I’ll finish beating you in Memory and we can play Candy Land with Aiden?”
“You’re so sure you’re going to win?”
“Mmhm,” she said, settling into a chair at the table. “I’m going to be Oracle when I grow up.”
Bruce laughed and reached out, ruffling her hair. “I’m sure you will.”
“Story!” Aiden interrupted impatiently, tugging at Alfred’s sleeve.
Alfred smiled down at him. “Once upon a time, when you grandfather was a very small boy-“
Bruce groaned out loud and covered his face with his hands. “Not this one.”
Alfred raised an eyebrow at him. “Quiet, young man, or I will tell the story about the drapes.”
Bruce’s mouth snapped shut, and Alfred gave him a serene smile. “Very good,” he approved. “Now, once upon a time…”
~*~
Next time, part 11-Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.