The Christmas Mood

Written By: Lauren

Canon: 5th season.

Genre: Holiday/Songfic. The song is "The Christmas Shoes" by Newsong. I've used a few lines from the actual song as what's spoken by the character(s) only.

Rating: G

Summary: It's Christmas Eve & Larry's plans fall apart. One little boy may be able to help without even knowing.

Balki was putting the finishing touches on the tree in the guys' apartment. He gazed at the tree, a handful of tinsel waiting to be placed. He hummed a Christmas tune that seemed to be a medley of a bunch of different songs. He did this mainly to not think about how maybe yet another Christmas was going to go down the drain.

Larry sat at the counter, with the phone receiver to his ear and propping his head up on his free hand. "Mom, I sent the presents out early last week. They should've been there by now." He listened, his frown deepening. Not from what his mom was saying, but from Balki's humming getting louder and the song becoming more incoherent. Larry glared through Balki, who did his best not to make eye contact. "Yes, I know, mom." He sighed. "Everything's been going wrong again. Like preparing for the dinner. I practically pealed my hand trying to peal the potatoes. I'm okay, mom." His glance went to the couple of band aids stuck to his free hand, which now rested in front of him. "We had five strands of lights burn out completely after we hung them–– What?" He listened. "But, mom, I didn't even really make plans. The four of us are just going to have dinner tomorrow night. I wanted to give Jen..." He stopped, his eyes widening. "Oh, no, mom, I have to go. I forgot to get a gift for Jennifer. Bye." He set the receiver down.

Now, Balki glanced over at Larry. "Cousin, you forgot to get her the necklace?"

"Not just a necklace, a locket. I was going to get it while I was out yesterday, but I forgot about it. I'll have to go get it now. If I don't get trampled in the rush of other people who forgot gifts, that is," Larry said, standing. He crossed to the closet, walking in front of Balki. He pulled out his leather jacket and put it on. "I shouldn't be surprised. This happens every year. Nothing goes right at Christmas. The one year the only plan I'd made and I've already messed it up." He paused. "So much for the Christmas spirit."

"Cousin, everything is okay right now, except for the locket and the gifts you sent your family," Balki said.

"That wasn't consoling," Larry commented, knowing that's what Balki was trying for. "It's problems like this that make me think Ebenezer Scrooge had the right idea." He went to the door. "I won't be long, hopefully." He left the apartment.

Balki looked down at the tinsel still in his hand and looked up at the tree again. He spotted a not-so-covered spot and careful placed the tinsel. He gave it a sad smile.

Larry couldn't believe how long the checkout line was. He stood, the locket in hand, gazing around at the nearly picked clean store. Actually, he gazed at anything to ignore the little boy in front of him, who kept pacing. Despite having found the locket he wanted fairly quickly, Larry's mood still wasn't where he wanted it. He kept thinking about the things that had gone wrong, including the things that were fixed.

The line moved ahead one, but he still had three others, plus the pacing little boy right in front of him. What was with this kid? He couldn't have been older than ten and here he was alone in the store. Why didn't the boy have his father with him, atleast? Larry could tell the gift the boy had was a pair of women's shoes, for his mother, mostly likely. He frowned at the gift choice the boy had. Whenever he tried to buy a pair of shoes for a family member, even if the box said they were the right size, they never fit right and had to be exchanged.

The frown deepened as Larry heard the jingle of coins come from right in front of him. Great, the kid was probably paying for the shoes in all coins. His eyes rolled up to the ceiling. What did he ever do to deserve all of this?

The line moved forward again, making the little boy even more anxious, if that was actually possible. Larry watched him continue his pacing, but finally took note of what the boy looked like. His frown smoothed out. The boy, he hated to admit it, looked... dirty, from head to toe. His clothes were worn, from constant wearing and more than likely having never been washed. Suddenly, Larry wished he hadn't paid this much attention to that little boy.

The line moved forward again, leaving the young man currently at the checkout and the little boy before Larry. He reminded himself it wouldn't be long now. The boy only had a pair of shoes and the twenty-something man at the checkout had a tool set and a long jewelry box. Larry flipped open his jewelry box and gazed at the locket.

The jewelry box closed as the young man left the cashier and the little boy stepped up. The boy placed the boxed shoes on the counter. What happened next surprised Larry more than anything. The little boy spoke, "Sir, I wanna buy these shoes for my mama, please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size." He started pulling the coins out of his pocket. "Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there's not much time." He piled more coins on the counter.

Larry could tell from the way the boy's hand dug in his pocket that he wasn't going to have enough to pay. His thoughts shifted when he heard what the boy had left to say and was completely floored...

"You see, she's been sick for quite a while, and I know these shoes would make her smile." The little boy looked down as he dug the remainder of the coins from his pocket, then put the last of them on the counter. "And I want her to look beautiful, if mama meets Jesus tonight."

No, Larry couldn't have heard that right. The boy's mother was dying. Why didn't they buy food with this money that he was using for the shoes. Maybe the boy knew his mother wouldn't be around much longer and truly thought the shoes were the best idea.

The cashier glanced over the piles of coins in front of him. "I'm sorry, son, there's not enough here."

The little boy's eyes widened in panic, and he dug in his pockets, turning them out, showing he had no more coins. The boy look on the verge of tears and, possibly in desperation, turned to Larry, who was surprised that what the boy said next was actually directed at him: "Mama made Christmas good at our house, though most years she just did without. Tell me, sir, what am I gonna do? Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes."

Larry had already been considering helping the boy out if he hadn't had enough to pay for the shoes. Now, he was being asked directly for his help. He pulled out his wallet and laid down a five dollar bill for the cashier, then gave the little boy a twenty.

The look on his face was one Larry would never forget, as the boy spoke again, "Mama's gonna look so great!"

Larry smiled at the little boy and knew this had happened for a reason, as the boy thanked him and ran out of the store. He set the jewelry box down.

The cashier smiled. "That was really nice thing you did, mister."

"Thanks," Larry replied, then added, "I needed a reminder what Christmas is all about." He paid for the locket and left the store, a smile on his face and a feeling inside that wouldn't let the petty problems from earlier bother him.

Larry entered the apartment, whistling "We Need A Little Christmas." He went to the closet and hung up his jacket. All the while, Balki watched him from his seat at the counter. Larry stopped in front of the tree. "Balki, the tree looks great!" He walked over to the counter and opened the jewelry box. "What do you think?"

"The locket is beautiful, Cousin," Balki said, then paused, remembering something. "Oh, Cousin, your mama called back, they got your gifts after she hung up."

"Thanks, Balki. And I'm glad they got my gifts, even if it did take forever." Larry smiled.

He noticed Larry's change in mood. "Did they have the Christmas spirit on sale at the store, too?"

The smile remained. "You could say that."

The End