A little Christmas one-shot inspired by a trip to the mall with my two-year-old niece, a little bit of Twilight and the SheDAISY song Santa's Got A Brand New Bag. I know it's not the greatest but it was fun to write. Hope you all enjoy it!
"Ho ho ho!"
A booming voice resonated through the crowd of children and parents gathered in the plaza of Steamtown Mall. It was two weeks until Christmas and it seemed the entire town had decided to finish up their shopping today. Jim and Pam Halpert were no exception. Due to everyone having the same idea to go Christmas shopping, they were forced to bring along their two year old twins. Little Maggie was the spitting image of her mother with the exception of her wavy brown hair that favored her father. She also shared her father's love of mischief and could often be found getting into everything she shouldn't. Aiden looked more like Jim, although both children had Pam's green eyes. He was more laid-back than Maggie, choosing to sit and play with a toy until he figured out every little thing it could do. Unfortunately, his twin sister was his ideal toy. He constantly poked, pulled and prodded at her until she would run screaming to one of her parents. Today was no exception. The twins had been complete terrors up until their afternoon nap. Once they had woken up and seemed to be in better moods, Jim and Pam loaded them up into their car seats to spend a day at the mall.
"Momma! Ho ho!" Maggie squealed as she pointed across the plaza to the huge backdrop of Santa's workshop.
"Yeah, there's Santa Claus," Pam encouraged her. They had been teaching the children about Santa, hoping they would be comfortable and cooperative when it came time to sit on his lap for pictures. Last year had been a disaster. Maggie had screamed and kicked the whole time while Aiden refused to even let go of Jim long enough to sit on Santa's lap.
"Do you guys wanna go see Santa today?" Jim asked them.
Maggie clapped her hands and pointed.
"How about you Aiden?"
The little boy simply nodded and mumbled "Claus" around the pacifier they were trying to wean him from.
"Okay, but you have to give me Paci if you're going to see him. Santa can't hear you talk with Paci in your mouth," Pam tried bargaining with her son.
"Seriously Pam, you're stooping to bribery?" Jim shook his head in mock disappointment.
Pam rolled her eyes at her husband and put her hand out to take the pacifier from Aiden. The little boy reluctantly handed it over and Pam tucked it away into the diaper bag. "Alright. Let's go see Santa!" she said with excitement. The twins bounced anxiously in their seats.
"So, what are you gonna ask Santa for little girl?" Jim teased, slipping his arms around Pam's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Well, I was kind of hoping for Edward Cullen but…"
"I'm burning those books when we get home."
"Oh, come on Jim! You know you want to read all about the vegetarian vampires. Besides, I'm not the only person in the world that's read Twilight."
"Yes but you ARE the only mother of two year old twins that has read them."
"I sincerely doubt that."
"Okay. Would it be enough of a compromise if I wore white body paint and glitter?"
"Glitter?"
"Well, you said the guy sparkles, right?"
Pam laughed at her ignorant husband. "Seriously babe, you should read the books." She placed a quick peck on his lips to accentuate her point.
"Momma!" Maggie piped up again. "Choo-choo!"
Pam looked to where her daughter was pointing and noticed the child-sized train that wound through the make-shift North Pole.
"Hey, that's pretty cool." Jim said, stooping down beside the stroller. "If you guys are good for Santa, I'll let you ride the choo-choo, okay?"
Maggie and Aiden nodded vigorously.
"Seriously, Jim? You're stooping to bribery?" she teased back at him.
"Hey, if you can't beat 'em…" he answered with a shrug.
They wound their way through the line slowly until they finally reached the gate that led into Santa's village.
"You guys ready?" Jim asked.
"Noooo," Aiden mumbled.
"No? Don't you want to see Santa?" Pam prodded.
"Nooo!" Maggie added more forcefully than her brother.
Jim and Pam exchanged a nervous glance.
"I'll take Aiden," Pam offered, lifting her son from the stroller. They toted their two children to the big chair where Santa sat. Aiden buried his head into Pam's shoulder while Maggie uttered "no no no!" over and over.
"Hey kids. Are you two twins?" Santa asked them. Aiden peeked curiously at the man but made no move to release Pam's neck from his tight grasp.
"Do you guys want to take a picture with me?" Santa patted his knee and reached his hand up toward the children.
Jim finally managed to wrestle Maggie into a somewhat still pose and went to sit her on Santa's knee. But as soon as she felt Jim's grip loosen, Maggie slipped away and ran for the stroller that one of the elves had kindly moved for them. Aiden still refused to let go of Pam's neck and only tightened his legs around her waist when she finally wriggled him loose.
"I don't think this is going to work," Jim muttered in defeat. "Maybe we can try again some other time."
Pam nodded in agreement and apologized to the group of elves that had tried to help calm the kids. "Well, I guess we just finish our shopping then," she shrugged.
"Choo-choo," Maggie mumbled through the tears that were starting to slow.
"Sorry kid. You wouldn't be nice to Santa so no choo-choo today," Jim answered her.
Aiden reached his hand up toward Pam. "Paci" he requested.
Pam rolled her eyes and reluctantly handed him the pacifier.
One week later
"Hey honey," Jim called into the kitchen where Pam, Aiden and Maggie were decorating gingerbread men with frosting and gumdrops. "I need to run out for a few minutes! I'll be right back."
Pam raised an eyebrow in question but continued to supervise the twins as they played with the different colors of frosting. It was twenty minutes later when she heard the front door open again and a set of loud footsteps stomp through the living room.
"Daddy's home," she told the twins. "Let's go give him some gingerbread men." Pam placed a cookie in each child's hand and led them to the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. Her husband, dressed in complete Santa gear, was peeking under furniture and behind doors, pretending to look for someone.
"Well ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" he proclaimed once he noticed his audience. "You must be Maggie and Aiden. Your Daddy told me I should come visit you a little early this year."
The twins stared in amazement at this man dressed all in red.
"I have some toys for you guys but you have to come over here and see me in order to get them."
"Bribery Santa?" Pam asked in a teasing tone.
"No! Not bribery. That's just how the magic works. See, I can't give the present to anyone other than who it's supposed to go to. Otherwise it gets stuck in the bag and refuses to come out."
Pam nodded in mock understanding and knelt down in front of Aiden and Maggie. "Alright. Who wants to go first?"
Maggie took a tentative peek around her mother before taking a few steps forward.
"That's it little girl. Don't be afraid," Santa Jim encouraged her.
When Maggie was finally standing directly in front of him, Jim reached into his bag and withdrew a case of bathtub art supplies.
"Your Daddy said you like to draw so I though this would be perfect for you. There're crayons and markers and even finger paints!"
Maggie's eyes widened in amazement as she stared at the box in her hands.
"Can you say thank you and give Santa a big hug?" Pam asked.
"Tank you," Maggie's little voice chimed as she launched herself around Santa Jim's neck.
"You're welcome little lady and merry Christmas! Now, why don't you give your brother a turn?"
Maggie skipped joyfully back to Pam and Aiden. "Go Aiden!" she encouraged her little brother, giving him a light tug on the wrist.
Aiden moved so slowly, Pam wondered if he was going to freeze up and come running back over to her, forever traumatized by all things Santa. Once he was finally close enough, Santa Jim held up his hand. "How about a high five?" he asked.
Aiden smiled at the familiar gesture and smacked his hand into Santa Jim's. Once again, Santa Jim reached into his bag of goodies. This time he withdrew a toy guitar with buttons and switches all over it. "Your Daddy told me that you like to play with his guitar, which is not something you should be doing. So, here's a guitar just for you. You don't play with Daddy's anymore and you don't let him play with yours either okay?"
Aiden nodded vigorously and threw himself into Santa Jim's arms without being asked. "Tank you" he said, mirroring his sister's actions.
"You're welcome. Now, Santa's got to get going. I've got lots of other children to see before Christmas. But you guys can come see me at the mall anytime, okay. Do you promise you'll come sit in my lap this time?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Maggie exclaimed enthusiastically while Aiden jumped up and down.
"Okay, well Merry Christmas!" Santa Jim waved to them before slipping out the door.
Aiden and Maggie waved goodbye before turning to look at Pam.
Pam smiled down at her children and wrapped them in a huge hug. "Merry Christmas sweeties," she said, planting a kiss on top of each of their heads.
"Daddy?" Aiden asked quizzically.
"He'll be home in a little while. You'll have to make sure you tell him all about your visit with Santa Claus."
"Claus!" the little boy exclaimed.
About five minutes later, Pam had finally settled the twins in front of the TV to watch Barney while she set off to start dinner. Once again, the front door opened and heavy footsteps entered the living room.
"Daddy!" she heard the twins squeal, followed by their tiny feet running over to Jim.
"Hey guys! What did you do while I was gone?"
"Santa!" they exclaimed in unison.
"Santa? You mean Santa was here and I missed him?"
Pam joined them in the living room. "You sure did. He brought presents and everything."
Jim widened his eyes in mock surprise. "What did you guys get?"
Aiden and Maggie ran to the toy box in the corner of the room and dug out the presents they had received.
"Wow! Those are cool! How about you guys finish watching Barney and I'll help Momma with dinner?"
The twins obediently settled in front of the TV again while Jim and Pam headed toward the kitchen.
"You know Jim," Pam began, "I have to hand it to you. That was a pretty genius idea."
"Well, you know, there's more to me than my stunning good looks." He cocked his head to one side and flashed her favorite smile.
"Really?" Pam stepped across the small space between them and placed her hands flat on his chest. "So what else have you been keeping from me all these years, Halpert?" she whispered, snaking one hand behind his neck and drawing him in for a deep kiss.
Jim kissed her back eagerly, slipping his arms around her waist.
"Ewww!"
They pulled away as soon as they heard their opinionated little girl in the kitchen. Pam giggled in response while Jim tended to Maggie.
"Maggie, I thought you were supposed to be watching Barney?" he questioned.
"Juicy!" she exclaimed.
Jim rolled his eyes. "Okay. Go back to the living room and I'll bring you and Aiden both some juice."
Pam and Jim exchanged amused glances while Jim retrieved the juice for the twins.
"So, where were we?" he whispered huskily once he had reentered the kitchen.
"Making dinner," Pam answered pointedly. "You know the rules. No fun for Mommy and Daddy until the kids are in bed."
"Oh come on…they're watching Barney. They won't even notice if we sneak upstairs for a little while," Jim whispered persuasively, once again wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Yeah, remember what happened last time we thought that? Maggie told your parents she saw us 'jumping on the bed'. I don't think we'll ever live that one down."
Jim laughed heartily at the memory. "Oh yes. I definitely remember that one. My brother still doesn't let me forget it."
Once the twins had finished dinner and had their baths, Jim and Pam dressed them in their favorite pajamas, pink for Maggie and green for Aiden. Jim allowed each child to pick a book for him to read as they piled on him in the big recliner. Pam smiled as she watched the scene unfold, absentmindedly picking up a sketchbook to try and trace the memory onto paper while it was still fresh in her mind. Once the stories were over, they kissed their children goodnight and tucked them into their new toddler beds that had been purchased for them only a week ago. Finally, Jim collapsed onto the couch with Pam snuggling up next to him.
"You know, we still have to clean up from dinner," Pam mumbled tiredly.
"Yeah, we can do that in the morning though. I can think of better ways to spend our time," Jim whispered suggestively.
Pam rolled her eyes and buried her face into his chest. "You really do have a one track mind don't you?"
Jim laughed and kissed her on top of the head. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you head on upstairs and get ready for bed and I'll clean up the kitchen? After all, Santa didn't get to bring you anything today."
A quiet giggle escaped Pam's lips and she reluctantly climbed off the couch, pressing a quick kiss on Jim's lips before standing up. Jim smiled after her as he watched Pam climb the stairs. He hurried to the kitchen and quickly rinsed out the dinner dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Jim turned off the downstairs lights, checked the locks and headed up the stairs to the bedroom. He poked his head into the room to find Pam nowhere in sight.
"Pam?" he called curiously.
"Yes Mr. Claus?" he heard her respond from the direction of the bathroom. As he turned toward the voice he spotted one leg poking out of the bathroom door, covered in black fishnet stocking and a red slipper. Jim gulped in response as Pam emerged the rest of the way. Along with the fishnets and slippers, she wore a sexy red negligee with white fur trim that fell about mid thigh. Her auburn curls spilled out from under a red Santa hat.
"Whoa," Jim managed to blurt out as he took in the sight before him.
"What? You think you're the only one that can dress up around here?" she teased. "I'm pretty sure I met the sexiest Santa ever today. I gotta tell you. I don't remember Santa ever looking like THAT before."
Jim raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Really? Well, Mrs. Claus…what can Santa get you for Christmas this year?"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you can figure that out on your own," she whispered huskily and pushed him back toward the bed.
Christmas Eve
"Well, we did it!" Jim cheered enthusiastically. "We got both of them to sit on Santa's lap without throwing a fit!"
Pam smiled at him, pulling the photos they had purchased from their protective sleeves. "Yeah we did. And don't they look just precious?"
Now that the kids were in bed, Jim and Pam settled comfortably into each others arms.
"You know," Pam began. "I was thinking…maybe we could exchange just one gift tonight."
"Oh come on Pam. You know the rules. No gifts until tomorrow. Santa has to bring them first," Jim teased back.
"Ok, fine. But there is one that I want you to open tonight. I, um, just made it today," Pam replied with a slight giggle.
"Oook. Let's have it," Jim answered.
Pam ran from the room and emerged a few minutes later with a tiny necklace-sized box. Jim raised one eyebrow quizzically before lifting the lid. Inside the box lay a white stick inside of a plastic bag. On top of the stick were two faint pink lines.
Jim's eyes shot up in amazement. "Pam…is this what I think it is?"
Pam nodded her head vigorously, a huge smile beaming from her face. "You're gonna be a daddy again, Halpert."
Without saying a word, Jim swooped Pam up into a deep, passionate kiss. He could feel the tears of joy prickling at his eyes. "We're going to have another baby?" he asked in amazement.
Pam beamed with joy. "We sure are," she answered, wiping away her own happy tears. "I went to the doctor three days ago and he said I'm at about 7 weeks. It was torture trying to keep this from you for three whole days."
"Oh, I love you," Jim whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.
"I love you too, Jim. Looks like Santa gave us something special this year too."
Jim smiled and snuggled Pam against his chest. "Absolutely he did."
"So....do you still want Edward Cullen for Christmas?"