On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.
Rufus wandered through the empty house. Bountiful packages wrapped in every color imaginable were tucked around the overly large Shinra Christmas tree. It was early still, but Rufus wanted to open the presents more than anything. He ran to his parents' room and threw open the double doors.
"Mom! Dad! It's Christmas!" He yelled bounding onto the bed as he had done every Christmas prior. When he found the massive bed empty he sat down and lowered his head. He felt the tears in his cheeks and tried his best to stop.
He had known his parents were on business and he had known they weren't going to be there for the family Christmas. Father had promised he would make it up to him next year and Mother swore she would be there as soon as she could, but there was no way they would be there for the present opening.
He felt an hand on his shoulder and looked up into the deep brown eyes of the house butler, Michaels.
"Young master, what ever is the matter?"
"I forgot they weren't going to be here. I knew, but I just hoped that maybe they would surprise me."
"Oh young master, you know how much it pains them to be away. They will be here as soon as they can be to see you. In the meantime they want you to open your gifts. They left me the video camera so that they can see it later. Shall we begin?"
Michaels held out his had to Rufus and Rufus eagerly took it. He ran out the large pile and looked back at the butler who set up the camera at an angle so it could see the event. The maid, Nora, came out with Rufus' bathrobe and his house slippers. After he hastily put them on, the two sat him down and handed him gift after gift.
Slowly but surely he worked his way through the presents and down to the last one. All that was left, was the gifts he had bought for his parents with his allowance. He thanked his parents for every present, happily modeling all clothes, showing the camera his every smile, and giving a wave with a loud "I love you" at the end.
Once the camera was off he sat down and looked at his gifts. He was happy and loved all that he had gotten, but it wasn't the same. The best part about Christmas was when his parents were there, begging him for two more minutes of sleep, happily watching him open all they had gotten for him, and even the breakfast after. Trying to get him to eat while all he wanted to do was play with his new toys. This was not the Christmas he had wanted and looked forward to.
"Young master, we have the Christmas omelets and your Grandmother Shinra sent over your favorite cherry cheese Danish." Nora said as he walked in holding his usual cup of extra frothy and sweet hot chocolate.
He took the offered cup, "Thank you Nora."
He followed the maid to the empty dining room and sat with her and the butler. They watched him while he ate, asking him if he enjoyed his gifts and if he was warm enough.
He put on his best happy face and told them that he was having fun and made Michaels promise him that they would get into his large building block set as soon as breakfast was over. The butler happily agreed and once Rufus was done, obliged the him.
It was the one day Rufus wasn't required to get dressed until late in the day, so he took full advantage of his free time. He played with his building blocks, controlled his remote helicopter, chased Nora and Michaels with his foam dart gun, and even helped Nora start with dinner in the kitchen.
"Do you think that Mom and Dad will be happy I helped?"
"Yes. I think they will be proud that you decided to help me." the younger Maid said guiding Rufus' hands around the edge of the pie she was working on helping his trim the crust.
"Do you think they will be back for dinner?"
Nora thought for a moment, "I don't rightly know, but I am sure they will be back as soon as possible."
Rufus nodded and went back to concentrating on the pie. Nora looked at Michaels. The butler was putting the finishing touches on ham that sat in front of him. They didn't know how to tell the eight year old that diligently carved an "S" out of dough that his parents wouldn't be home for dinner. They had called the house and made the staff aware that they would be later than planned, but gave them permission to eat with the youngster.
Michaels had tried to ask them to wait for the business trip. He had asked them to take the boy with so that he wasn't alone for the day, but he had been turned away and given quite a lecture on the matter. Rufus was old enough to know what was expected of a Shinra, according to his father. Michaels said nothing further. He knew the boy was disappointed, but that was not his concern. His concern was keeping him as happy as he could. If that meant disobeying his parents and allowing the child to "do servants duties" and make dinner he would happily oblige.
Rufus waited by the window watching out for his parents to arrive, but they didn't come. When Michaels and Nora set three places and sat down to eat with him, Rufus went to argue about them eating but fell silent.
"They aren't coming are they?" the young blonde said sadly.
"No sir."
Rufus sat down and the three ate in silence. The two staff attempted to make small talk, but the eight year old only shook his head. The dinner was as delicious as it had always been, but something bitter lingered in the meal. Rufus stood after wards and followed the two to the kitchen with his plate.
"Sir, if you would like we can do the dishes and you can-"
"No. I want to help." He said in a voice that that would become all too familiar in later years.
Rufus didn't want to play with the toys. He didn't want to watch the Christmas specials. Instead all he did was stare out the window waiting for his parents, insisting that he had to give them their presents.
The staff tried to coax him to go to bed at his usual time, but he refused telling them that he needed to wait up to give them their gifts. They let him be, sitting in the living room watching over the young man as he slowly fell asleep.
His parents didn't get home until it was almost after dark. They snuck in, trying to keep their voices down so that they didn't wake him. They found him instead asleep on the couch holding his presents to them under his arms, the butler and the maid reading and sewing, respectively, in the two armchairs on either side of the sleeping figure.
"He refused to go to bed until you got home." Michaels said.
Rufus' mother knelt by him, "How was his day?"
"He assured us he had fun, but he was rather disappointed. I do hope that you will be able to be with him next year. He missed you both greatly."
The president picked his son up, "I will do what I can. Thank you both for asking to stay with him."
The two bowed deeply and left the room, heading home to see their own families.
As the President put his sleeping son to bed, he promised himself that he wouldn't leave the boy alone on Christmas ever again. Little did he know that he would break that promise every year to come.
After two years of his parents not coming home for the day he stopped looking for them out the window, after another he insisted on helping the maid and butler make all of the meal and even asked them to make it smaller so that they didn't waste so much. After five years he stopped buying his parents presents and instead started getting Michaels and Nora presents. It became their own private exchange and surprisingly enough he looked forward to it every year. The maid and butler grew to know him better than even his own parents who had become more and more distant. It wasn't until after his seventeenth birthday that his parents offered to let him come with them so that the could be together for the holiday, but he declined. He would rather stay home with his new puppy Dark Nation and the staff.
Yet still the family smiled every year for the family Christmas card that would be sent out to family and staff. They posed with Rufus placing the star on top. No one would ever think that any thing was ever had other than a merry family Christmas.
~Here it is,my Christmas fic. I hope you all like it! Obviously all character (c) Square Enix. Thank you for reading!