Hey babes! Got a new one for ya, as part of the Kindergarten!AU I created a little while back. I know it's not Christmas, but this one-shot is done and I wanted to post it. I think it's pretty cute.

Enjoy!

Making her way casually through the Christmas tree lot, Skye walks up and down the rows, perusing the many different trees available for her to purchase, varying in size and type. This is one of her favorite parts of the holiday, getting to pick out the best tree she can find and then take it home to decorate while listening to Christmas music on full blast.

She runs her hand across the branches as she walks down one row, looking up and down at each tree she passes by, looking for the most perfect one for her and her home.

"Miss Skye?"

Turning her head, Skye smiles when she sees Annabelle running quickly toward her, a wide smile on the little girl's face.

"Miss Skye!"

"Annabelle, hello. What are you doing here?" she asks, hugging the small child.

"Finding a tree with daddy," she replies when she pulls out of the hug.

"Annabelle? Sweetheart, you can't just run off like tha—oh, hello Skye."

"Grant," she says with a small smile, "hi. How are you?"

"Doing alright. You?"

"Pretty okay. Annabelle tells me you're here to pick out a tree."

Grant nods. "We are."

"Are you here to get a tree too, Miss Skye?" Annabelle asks.

"Of course I am," Skye says, smiling down at the young girl. "I'm trying to find the best tree that I can. But my ceiling at home isn't very high so it can't be too tall. And it can't be too big either because I don't have a lot of space in my living room. Do you think you can help me find the perfect tree to put up at my house?"

Annabelle nods eagerly. She looks up at Grant. "Can I, daddy?"

Grant smiles. "Of course you can, sweetie. Just be careful and don't go too far, okay?"

"Okay." Annabelle smiles up at him and then darts off through the tree lot.

Grant and Skye slowly follow behind her, giving the girl some space while she looks for a tree, but making sure they can still see her.

"So, you're getting ready for the Christmas season, then?" Grant asks as they walk.

Skye nods. "I am. I've always loved Christmas."

"Annabelle loves Christmas too," he tells her. "She always gets very excited on Christmas morning to get to open her presents."

Skye smiles and laughs quietly. "That does not surprise me at all in the slightest. Annabelle is a very energetic girl."

"She definitely is that," Grant says. "She's always been my little ball of energy, always keeping me on my toes. But I love her. She's my little girl."

"And she seems to love you just as much," Skye states. "She loves telling me stories about what the two of you do together when you're at home."

"Well then I guess I should probably tell you that she's always telling me stories about what you teach and the different activities you do in class. She completely loves being in your class."

"And I love having her in my class."

"Miss Skye! I found one!"

Grant and Skye turn their heads to see Annabelle running toward them, a wide smile on her face.

"You found one?" Skye asks the young girl.

Annabelle nods eagerly. "Yeah. It's perfect, Miss Skye. Come on. Come see it." She grabs her teachers' hand and tugs on it.

Grant chuckles. "Slow down a bit, Anna. Just relax. There's plenty of time to show Miss Skye the tree you found for her."

Annabelle sighs exaggeratedly. "Okay."

Grant looks at Skye and gives her a small smile. "We'd better follow her and go see the tree she picked out before she gets irritated," he tells her.

"Good idea." Skye looks back down at Annabelle. "Okay, Annabelle, lead the way to the amazing tree you found for me."

"It's over here," Annabelle tells her, tugging on her hand again.

Skye laughs quietly and follows behind Annabelle, Grant right on her heels.

"It's right here," Annabelle states after they walk a little ways, stopping in front of a very full tree.

"Wow," Skye says, looking up at the tree. "Annabelle, I think you have most definitely found the perfect tree for me. Thank you very much."

Annabelle grins up at her. "You're welcome."

"Now I just have to figure out how to get it to my car," Skye remarks.

"Daddy can do it," Annabelle tells her. "He's super strong."

"I'm sure he is," Skye says. She looks up at Grant. "I couldn't ask you to do that, though. You probably have to find your own tree so you can get going."

"I don't mind," Grant says.

Skye gives him a small smile. "Well, thanks, then. I'll uh, I'll just go pay for the tree real quick and then I'll be back and show you to my car."

Grant nods and smiles. "We'll be waiting right here for you."

Skye gives him another smile and then turns around to go and find the cashier.

Once she pays, she heads back over to where the tree is to find Grant and Annabelle still by the tree waiting for her.

"Are you ready?" Grant asks her when she reaches them.

She nods her head. "Yeah, I think so. My car's not too far from the lot. Annabelle, why don't we walk ahead and lead your dad to my car while he follows behind us?"

Annabelle smiles. "Okay." She grabs hold of Skye's hand and the two wait for Grant to have a good grip on the tree before making their way out of the tree farm and to the parking lot.

Once they reach her car, Skye stops next to it and then waits as Grant sets it on her roof and ties it down with some rope.

"All set," he says, letting out a breath and taking a step back.

"Thank you," Skye says to him. "You're a huge life saver."

Grant shrugs and waves her off. "It was no problem. But now, I think Annabelle and I need to go and find our own tree and let you get home. Do you have someone who can help you get it inside?"

She nods. "Yeah, I can probably get one of my neighbors to help me out."

"No boyfriend to help you?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "No one currently. I don't have the best of luck in that department, so for now it's just me."

Grant nods. "Ah, well I wish you the best of luck and that you'll find someone soon enough that'll be the best person for you."

She smiles softly. "Thank you."

"Anytime. I guess we'll see you around, then," he says as he gently tugs on Annabelle's hand and pulls her back toward the tree farm.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Bye, Miss Skye!" Annabelle calls out with a wave.

She laughs quietly. "Bye, Annabelle, see you in class after the holidays."

She watches as the two of them walk away and then turns to climb into her car, start it up, and pull out of the parking lot.

"Merry Christmas to me," Skye says quietly to herself as she leans back into her couch, cradling a steaming cup of cocoa in her hands. She watches the fire crackle in front of her, listening to the ambient noises all around her.

The sudden trilling of her phone beside her breaks through the silence. She reaches over to grab it and sees an unknown number on the lock screen.

Hitting the green answer button, she holds the device up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Skye Coulson?"

"Yes it is. Who is this?"

"Grant Ward."

Skye's breath catches very briefly. "Grant Ward, how did you get my number?"

"Have you ever heard of a phone book?" he asks with a small laugh.

She lets out her own quiet laugh and nods her head. "Yes, I believe I have heard of that." She takes a deep breath. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" she asks.

"Well, I wanted to call you and say Merry Christmas. I wasn't sure if you'd still be up at this hour, but I'm glad you are and that I didn't have to leave a message."

"So am I. Are you by yourself right now?" she asks him.

"Yeah. Annabelle's asleep. She tried to stay up because she wanted to see Santa, but she didn't make it very long before she succumbed to how tired she really was."

Skye smiles at the image that pops into her head of Annabelle fighting against sleep. "Well she's a very determined young girl so I'm sure she tried her hardest."

"She definitely did. Are you enjoying your holiday?" he asks her.

"I'm trying. I never do that much for the holiday, but I have my own little traditions."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah. They might seem kind of ridiculous to other people, but they're my traditions and they help the holidays to feel right since I'm on my own."

"No, yeah, I totally get that."

"Really?"

"Definitely. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having traditions that others think are ridiculous. Annabelle and I have a few like that. But as long as they mean something to you, it's perfectly fine."

Skye smiles. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."

"You did?"

"Yeah. It's just weird sometimes, spending the holidays alone in my apartment. So it's nice to have someone to talk to."

"Well I'm glad I could be that person for you tonight."

"Me too. You're a pretty easy person to talk to."

"That probably comes from the conversations I have with my five year old," he jokes.

"Yes, that makes sense. Five year olds usually have some very interesting things to say."

"They certainly do. Especially mine."

Skye laughs quietly. "Yes, she does. But that's what makes her so fun to be around."

"I would definitely have to agree with you on that," he says. He takes a deep breath. "Well, as much as I would love to keep talking with you, I should probably get to bed so I can get as much sleep as possible. Annabelle likes to wake up as early as she can on Christmas morning so she has enough time to play with whatever toys she gets."

She laughs quietly. "Somehow that does not surprise me. Will you tell Annabelle I said Merry Christmas when she wakes up?"

"I most certainly will," he says. "Goodnight, Skye."

"Goodnight, Grant." She pauses. "And Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Pulling the phone down from her ear, Skye ends the call and then holds the device close to her chest. Biting her lip in her teeth, she smiles and lets out a small squeal she would never make in public.

Setting her phone aside, she grabs the remote to flip on her radio, the chorus of All I Want For Christmas Is You coming through the speakers and flooding her apartment.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!