A/N: Hi. This is my fourth year partaking in the Lost Secret Santa Fic Exchange, and I'm so happy to be back in the Lost fandom. This story is for Carolann'sStillLost. Also, sorry this is so late. I got caught up in studying for my midterms (mostly Physics).
Thank you Kab16 for creating this wonderful tradition.
Christmas 1984
Charlie couldn't stand the time that came between Christmas Eve and Christmas day. A mere 24 hours was nothing on any normal day, but for the 8 year old boy, time couldn't be going any more slowly. The hour long church service was nothing but pure torture, and their dinner made Charlie just want to crawl into his room and count down the hours till he see's what Santa had brought him. Of course, Charlie didn't all together believe in Santa anymore. Liam had ruined that for him the year before, but he still enjoyed the idea of him. The idea that someone could bring you any item you desired.
Bed time was at 9:00, and even though Charlie was wired, and was jealous of the fact that Liam got to stay awake until 10:30, he fell asleep faster than he could count the sugarplum fairies.
His sleep was undisturbed by dreams, and he never once woke up in the middle of the night. The next morning, he woke up at 8:00, and he could already hear Liam tearing away at his presents downstairs. Liam never could wait for everyone to wake up.
Running down the stairs, Charlie was mesmerized by the sight of all the presents laying around the tree. Running up to it, he grabbed the first gift he saw. It was marked for Liam.
"Voltron! WOW!" Liam exclaimed excitedly. Charlie looked at Liam enviously, and continued looking though the pile of gifts. They all belonged to Liam.
"Where are my gifts?" Charlie asked Liam, who just shrugged in return and continued to play with his new toy.
"Right over here Charlie!" His mother said, entering the sitting room. She motioned over to a large object in the corner of the room, which was covered in blankets and brown paper. Charlie gasped, and got up quickly. His mother smiled as Charlie tore away at the paper.
"A piano!" Charlie exclaimed excitedly. "Is this mine?"
"Yes Charlie." His mother grinned, "Father Christmas must have known how talented you are!"
Charlie kept smiling as he hugged his mother around the waist. She let him go and bent down to his level.
"You're special love." She told him. "Someday you're going to get us all out of here. All of us. Now play me a song."
Charlie sat down on the piano seat, and put his hands on the ivory keys. Everything afterwards came naturally. He didn't even know he could play the piano. He just did.
His mother smiled, with tears in her eyes. For once in his life, Liam showed signs of jealousy towards Charlie.
"Music doesn't get you anywhere." Charlie heard his father say. "He needs a trade. He needs to take up my business."
"No sweetheart. Charlie needs to follow his dreams."
For once in his life, Charlie felt that he could possibly accomplish his dreams, and get his family out of there, whatever his mother meant by that. But he couldn't dwell on that thought as he played through Debussy's Claire de Lune.