Christmas Musings

By Stormhawk

Disclaimer/Notes: Takes place in the ATS universe, but is AU. The ATS universe is all mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! laughs maniacally

In said universe, Spoon Boy is called Felix, a name born out of an RPG, and he never went to Zion.

Merry Christmas!

throws candy canes and Jonesy plushies

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"Oracle…" Seraph said as he walked into the kitchen, "there is a problem."

"What is it?" she said as she looked up from icing a fruitcake.

"Felix."

"Oh what have they done now? Making more kitty sounds? I really should send those other kids home, at least let him have a good Christmas for once."

"Well," Seraph said with a smile, "at least you don't have to worry about finding a tree."

The Oracle pushed past Seraph and walked into her living room to find the other potentials running around an impromptu Christmas tree. A tree, that underneath the tinsel and stars, was Felix AKA Spoon Boy.

"What am I going to do with you Felix?" she asked as she lifted him up and pulled all the tinsel off him to find him clutching his favourite spoon tightly.

She looked down at the rest of the kids, "you lot aren't getting any cookies. Seraph, get one of the priestesses to take them home."

"Yes Oracle."

She put Felix down and took his hand, leading him into the kitchen. She picked up an icing snowman and handed it to him, "here you go."

"Why do they tease me?"

She sighed and lit a cigarette, "I really have no idea, they're supposed to be good kids. I think you need to stick up for yourself though."

"How?" he asked as he bit the snowman in half. "Ooohh…sugar…" he said with a slightly manic look in his eyes.

She mused for a moment, "well how about the next time they try and make you into a tree, you tell them that you can bend people as well as spoons."

He frowned, "but people aren't made of metal and I'm best at bending metal."

"Yes, you're a regular little Magneto, but they don't have to know that. Now how would you like to go Christmas shopping with Seraph while I finish cooking?"

Felix nodded, "well you go and get changed, and dress warmly."

Seraph smiled and watched the little boy run out of the kitchen, "they tease him because…"

"Because he's named after a cat," she supplied quickly. She hadn't named him, the nine-year-old was one of the orphans in their network, and that had been the name pinned to his blanket.

"Oracle," Seraph said as he sat down, "you always tell people to tell the truth, so why do you pretend to be blind to his truth?"

"Because he is just a little boy."

"He's a CAH and the other potentials know that, or at least sense that he's different."

The Oracle glared at him, "He is not, not like the others. You can't just label him a simple CAH."

"He isn't a vampire, were-creature or any of the others, but he is code affected."

"He was going to die, he was so little and so sick, just a baby," the Oracle said as she bit her lip, "I had to do something."

"And you saved his life."

"Did I?" she asked. "His being is augmented by code, if he was ever to go to the real world he would die, he has to live in the Matrix forever."

"That isn't a bad thing…Auntie O."

"That means he never even gets the choice, everyone is supposed to get the choice."

"I know what I want to choose," Felix said from the doorway.

The Oracle sighed, "didn't I teach you it was impolite to listen in on other people's conversations?"

He pouted, "but you were talking about me."

Seraph smiled, "he does have a point."

Felix walked in and sat on a chair beside them, "I know what I want to choose, and I don't need Alice in Wonderland to help me."

"Oh?" the Oracle asked as she arched an eyebrow.

"I don't want to go to the real world, even if I had a choice I wouldn't want to leave here. I want to stay here and grow up to be like Seraph and help you."

The Oracle smiled and gave him a tight hug, "that makes me very happy."

"Shall we go?" Seraph asked him.

"Yes," Felix said as he put on his red and green mittens.

"Merry Christmas Felix," the Oracle said.

"Merry Christmas Auntie O."

"Happy holidays to both of you," Seraph said, "we still have a week left until the big day."

010101010101

Seraph watched as Felix ran around the park, ducking snowballs and laughing like any other child his age.

He looked around at the park, and saw a couple of children making snow angels.

He immediately got up and walked over to the statue/fountain and sat one the cold cement.

This time of year was especially bad for him, there were angels everywhere, and they just served to remind him of what he had lost. That he was just wingless.

That he would never be able to fly again.

Almost unconsciously, he reached over his shoulder and felt the stub of where one of his wings had been attached. The stubs were all that were left of his former existence.

Sometimes, even now, he wished that he hadn't left The Merovingian's employ, hadn't tried to do the morally right thing.

The world would be so different.

He would still have his wings, he would be rich, because even back then, his pay rate had been just a level or two below the Twins.

He would still be able to fly.

He wouldn't feel as though a major part of him, he wouldn't try to flap non-existent wings when there was danger around.

The Oracle would be dead.

Always and forever, one of the top things on The Merovingian's list of things to acquire were the Oracle's eyes. Not her literal eyes, but the unique code sequences that allowed her to see things on so many levels and make predictions as to what was going to happen.

That wasn't why he had left, but it was a reason not to go crawling back.

The Merovingian had ordered similar things done to other people since then, but he was the only 'Judas' who had survived to speak of it.

Some had gone crawling back, begging to get their power or tattoo back, and promising to swear unending allegiance if only they could get back what had been taken.

For better or worse, he was going to live with his choice.

"Come on Seraph," Felix said as he ran up and tugged at his hand, "let's get some hot chocolate."

Seraph smiled, for all the wisdom and spoon-bending the child was capable of, he was simply a child underneath it all. Especially during the holidays, during the holidays he was just another child waiting for his presents from Santa.

"So long as we can get marshmallows," the program said with a smile.