A Moment of Magic, a four brothers fanfic

Title: A Moment of Magic

Author: veiledndarkness

Pairing: None

Rating: PG

Summary: You're never too old for a Christmas parade.

Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made, no harm intended.

*Set pre-movie*

For the prompt Christmas at fourbrothers100

"Bobby! Bobby, wake up!" was all the warning that he got before a blur of hair, clothes and thin limbs landed on him and his bed.

Bobby opened one bleary eye, already regretting that last shot he'd had at the bar so few hours before that moment. "Nngh," he groaned, tugging the blankets up and over his head.

"Wake up!" Jack scrambled over Bobby, yanking the blankets back down. "C'mon, wake up! Guess what? Today's the day!"

Bobby attempted a glare, a poor excuse for one. "This had better be good, Jackie," he grunted. "I had a late night."

"It is good, I swear," Jack nodded rapidly. He sniffed and held his nose. "Phew, Bobby, you smell like a dirty sock."

Bobby rolled over, pressing his face into the pillow. His head was pounding; sharp stabbing pains that made him feel sick. "Scram, Jack, go pester Angel."

Jack tugged on Bobby's arm. "Bobby...c'mon," he pleaded. "You promised me we'd go. You shouldn't make promises if you aren't gonna keep 'em, Mom said so."

"Jesus..." Bobby opened his eyes again, there was that damned guilt settling in. "Alright...Fuck, go downstairs and bring me a really big cup of coffee, ok?"

Jack whooped happily and jumped off the bed. He scrambled down the stairs, jumping every other one. Bobby curled up with a strangled whimper. Those marching bands were going to be murder on his hangover.

After a thorough shower and a heavy amount of caffeine, Bobby was able to dress himself. He swallowed several aspirins along with two Alka-Seltzer tablets, giving his reflection in the mirror a once over. He winced, hearing Jack's excited footsteps heading his way.

"Let's go," Jack tugged on Bobby's arm. "Before all the good spots are taken."

"Christ, Jack, ease up," he grumbled, letting himself be dragged down the stairs.

Evelyn stood at the bottom of the stairs, Jack's hat and scarf in hand. "Here," she pushed the knit hat over his head, covering his tousled hair. "Now you keep that hat on, I don't want you catching a chill."

"Yeah, I promise," Jack chirped.

Bobby tugged his own hat on, yawning. Evelyn eyed him, her lips twitching at the corners. "Cheer up, Bobby. Christmas parades are lots of fun."

"Oh yeah," he grunted sourly. "Bagpipes, screamin' kids, thrills and chills..."

"Maybe next year you won't go out drinking the night before, hm?"

"It was a celebration," Bobby did his coat up. He could already feel the cold air and the door wasn't even open just then. "An' they bought one last round before closing. It'd be rude to turn down a drink."

She scoffed, passing him his gloves. "Uh huh. Take your brother; he's been talking non-stop about this since September. And you will behave, and you will keep your temper."

Jack snickered as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. "No shouting at strangers, right?"

"God, you guys are both such nags."

"I nag out of love," Evelyn kissed his forehead. "Go have fun," she leaned in, kissing Jack's cheek.

Jack was nearly buzzing with anticipation. He sat as still as he could in the car, his eyes wide with excitement. Bobby nodded to him. "Go on, pick some music."

"Christmas music…" Jack flashed a bright, hopeful grin at him.

Bobby started to protest and then thought better of it. "Aw, go ahead, drum on lil' drummer boy."

Jack laughed and spun the knobs, searching through the radio dial. He settled on a radio station that was playing music twenty-four hours a day. He settled against Bobby's side, fidgeting with his gloves. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever go to a Santa parade before?"

Bobby nodded tiredly. He was in need of more caffeine. "Yeah, once or twice, it was fun."

"Why only once or twice?"

"I dunno," Bobby shrugged. "I was older n' you the first time I went. It wasn't cool to go much after that."

"How could it not be? Mom said there's nothing babyish about wantin' to go…right?" Jack glanced at Bobby, his eyes wide.

Bobby nodded. "That's right, nothin' wrong with it at all."

"I wish Mom could've come. She said I could help her make cookies this weekend. We're makin' gingerbread an' candy cane cookies," Jack grinned, his head resting on Bobby's shoulder. "You wanna help too?"

"Nah, I ain't the cookie makin' type," Bobby pulled over to the first gas station he saw that had a coffee shop attached.

Jack's shoulders drooped. "Oh..."

"I might....maybe," Bobby said quickly, alarmed at how sad Jack looked.

"Promise?"

Bobby cut the engine, pocketing the keys. "Yeah, sure," he gestured to the coffee shop. "C'mon, I'll get ya a hot chocolate or somethin'."

Jack perked up and hurried out of the car, chocolate was the magic word.

Bobby winced as the kid not far from them shrieked about something or the other. He closed his eyes; the noise level was nearly unbearable. Jack slipped his gloved fingers into Bobby's hand, tugging on his arm. "I saw a better spot over there, can we go?"

"Anywhere away from this kid would be just fine," he muttered.

Jack pulled him over to the space on the sidewalk, oblivious to the dirty look that Bobby gave someone when they tried to step too close to where they were. "Perfect...here's just right," he said. He pushed at his coat sleeve, to check his watch. "Mom said the parade starts at twelve thirty."

Bobby yawned and nodded, tugging Jack closer to him. "Great."

"Bobby...You could at least act like you care," Jack huffed.

"I do..." Bobby tilted Jack's head up, looking at him. "I'm still tired, that's all."

"Liar," Jack looked away, angry tears gleaming in his eyes for a moment. "You smelled like..." he trailed off, swallowing hard, "Like before."

Bobby smacked himself mentally. "Jackie..."

Jack sniffed and stared out at the street, his arms crossed over his chest. "Don't lie."

"I...Ok, yeah, I was out at the bar last night," Bobby pressed his gloved hands to Jack's shoulders. "But I still wanted to go here with you, honest. C'mon now, it's not the same as the foster placements, you know me, you know I won't hurt you just cause I had a couple drinks."

Jack edged closer to him. "I don't like it when you come home smellin' like that," he mumbled.

Bobby sighed. "I know...I'm sorry. Look, let's just focus on today, ok?"

Jack nodded after a long moment. "Yeah."

"I think the parade's gearin' up," Bobby squeezed Jack's shoulder. "I hear drums an' shit."

Jack smiled when he saw the first clowns marching up the streets, velvet bags in their hands, filled with candies, his earlier anger with Bobby forgotten in the moment of magic before them.

Bobby held onto Jack's shoulders as the second last float went by them, a lavishly decorated gingerbread house, complete with children in gingerbread costumes, waving and grinning at the people they passed. Jack was bouncing excitedly, the last marching band going by them then.

"How many more till Santa?" Jack looked up at Bobby, his cheeks flushed from the cold wind, his eyes wide and so very blue in the mid day sun.

Bobby hugged him closer and pointed down the street. "There comes the big guy now."

Jack stilled against Bobby, watching avidly as the last float turned the corner down the street, the red suit so visible, the reindeers on the front, bobbing up and down with the machinery. "Bobby...Bobby, look!"

Bobby smiled a little. The look on Jack's face was worth the freezing cold wind, worth the hangover, which he'd forgotten about as the parade went on. "Yeah, I see it, Jackie. Wave to him, huh?"

Jack waved with the other kids, beaming happily when the Santa on the large sleigh waved back at the kids lining the streets. "He saw me! Bobby, he saw me an' he waved! Did you see?!"

"Yeah...I saw," Bobby murmured. He looked at the Santa as he passed, watching the man wink at him. He smiled more, nodding to him. He felt...Bobby looked down at Jack. He felt like a kid for a brief moment, felt like every other kid on the street, believing in the magic of Santa, in the magic of Christmas.

Jack gripped Bobby's hand. "Thank you for takin' me here."

Bobby squeezed his fingers and nodded. "We'll come downtown next year too."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing back at the float as it moved further down the street. "Promise."