Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the Deep Eyes or anything pertaining to Final Fantasy. They all belong to the wonderful Squaresoft. I only use them for my non-profitable but evil purposes.

This Christmas

by Destiny Lockheart

Chapter one - Her Arrival

The artificial snow fell lightly through New New York, several days before Christmas. Captain Gray and Sergeant Ryan had been at the Deep Eyes supply depot, making sure everything was in order before taking their annual Holiday break. "So, how does it feel, sergeant?" Gray asked as Ryan tightly closed the door and locked it. "Five days without traveling into a phantom invested wasteland?"

Ryan chuckled. "Feels great, captain. Got anything special planned for the holidays?" They began to walk away and back towards where the Deep Eyes were currently living.

"Not really," Gray admitted. Ever since Aki had left without a word, he had spent most holidays alone. "Though I hear General Hein might be organizing a Christmas party for all military personal so I may be attending that." Gray stopped walking. "How would you like to make a little wager with me, sergeant?"

Ryan paused and turned to face the captain. "A wager? I thought you weren't supposed to encourage that kind of behavior."

Gray laughed. "Let's just say I'm getting into the Christmas spirit." He looked Ryan squarely in the eyes. "So, are you going to take my bet or not?"

"It depends," Ryan replied as the continued walking, wondering what the captain had in mind. "What were you planning on?"

Gray laughed again. "Let's just say it involves the Christmas party, our two corporals and some mistletoe."

Ryan stopped, shocked. The captain couldn't possibly be thinking on betting of the possibility of..."Oh please, tell me you're not thinking of what I think you are."

Gray turned to face Ryan. "That's right. I'm betting you that Neil will be able to get Jane under the mistletoe at the Christmas party."

"You can't be serious. There's no way you'll be able to win that bet." Gray just smiled and nodded. "It's a deal," Ryan said extending his hand. Gray took it and they shook.

&-&-&-&

Jane breathed a sigh of relief as she walked down the hallway to her apartment. She had successfully avoided Neil on the first day of their vacation. Neil had a habit of becoming extremely annoying when they didn't have to hunt down phantoms. She pulled out her key as she reached the door. So far, so good. All she had to do was get inside, then she wouldn't have to worry about Neil again until tomorrow. "Hey, Jane, wait a moment!" she heard him call down the hallway. She rolled her eyes and went inside, slamming the door shut behind her, hoping to keep him out. No such luck. He managed to get his hand in the doorframe in time to keep it from shutting. "Oww, I said hold on," he said, coming inside and shaking his injured hand.

"Really? I didn't hear you," she said sarcastically, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, no need to get snippy with me," he replied, sitting down on her couch. Obviously, he was not planning on leaving anytime soon. "By the way, babe, have I told you how great you look tonight?"

Jane knew Neil well enough by now to know when he was up to something and when he used that tone of voice, he was definitely up to something. "Okay, Neil, what do you want?"

"Right, I'm not going to lie to you," he said, leaning forward. "I need you to do me a favor."

That worried her. The last time he asked her to do him a favor, she had to deck him because of what he had in mind. She hoped for her fist's sake he didn't have the same idea. She had other things she needed her hand for other than punching Neil every time he got out of line. "It better not be what you wanted me to do last time," she warned.

"Oh, no." He still remembered the bruise she had given him when he suggested that. It was not an experience he wanted to relive. "It's nothing like that at all."

She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. "Well, what is it?"

"It's like this," he said, clasping his hands together. Jane decided she could do him the favor of pretending to listen to him, then she wouldn't have to help him out later. "Somehow, my older brother found out I'm on vacation for the next couple of days." Jane smiled. This could get interesting. "He and his wife are going on 'a second honeymoon,'" Neil didn't bother hiding the disgust in his voice, "and he wants me to watch, I quote, 'my little ball of energy while I'm away.'" He rolled his eyes.

"So," Jane replied leaning back in her chair. "Why don't you just call your brother and tell him you can't do it?"

"I can't!" Neil protested so vehemently she jumped. "They've already left and Cassie will be arriving in New York in thirty minutes."

"Seems like you're out of luck," Jane told him matter of factly.

"You gotta help me, Jane," he pleaded.

"Do what?" she asked, sitting up straight. "She's going to have to stay with you. There's no getting around it."

"I know, but I need you to help me take care of her while she's here. I don't know the first thing about taking care of kids," he admitted.

"And you think I do?"

"Well, I figured between the two of us, we'd be able to figure it out," he said, looking at anything in the room except her. It wouldn't take Jane very long to figure out what he was hinting at.

"How is that happening? You leave three hallways away from me," 'thank god for that,' she added mentally, "so unless I move in with you..." Realization dawned on her. "Oh no, I'm not doing that."

"Come on, Jane. It's only for five days, and I'm sure you'll love Cassie."

"Neil-" she started to protest.

"You and Cassie can share my room and I'll sleep on the couch. Please, Jane, at least come and get her with me." He gave her his best puppy eyes. "If you don't fall in love with her by the time we get back here, then you don't have to do it. I promise."

"I-" She looked around her small apartment, trying to come up with any excuse possible to get her out of this. The truth was, there was none. "Alright, but you'd better hope that she's darn adorable."

"Thank you," he said, grinning at her and leading the way out the door.

Jane wondered what could possibly be wrong with her as she followed him out of her apartment and turned out the lights.

&-&-&-&

Major Elliot cleared his throat nervously as he waited in General Hein's office, occasionally looking at the girl next to him. She claimed to be Corporal Neil Fleming's niece, but Elliot couldn't see much of a resemblance. Then again, he never really paid that much attention to the Deep Eyes appearance. The girl had long red hair and steel-blue eyes that sparkled. How anyone's eyes could shine like that - even during Christmas - with the war going on was beyond him. May be it had something to do with the fact she was so young. Major Elliot envied the young's hope sometimes.

General Hein turned his chair around then. "I understand that you wanted to talk to me, major."

"Yes, sir. This girl," he began, indicating the girl standing next to him, "claims to be related to Neil Fleming of the Deep Eyes and says that she is to be staying with him for the next couple of days."

"Thank you, Major," Hein said absent-mindly, waving his hand. "You're dismissed."

"But, sir," Elliot protested, looking nervously at the girl.

"That's an order," Hein said placing his hands on the desk and standing up. "Now leave." He looked at Cassie. "I'll make sure she gets where she needs to go."

"Yes, sir." Major Elliot made a hasty retreat out of the room.

Cassie smiled as she watched him leave. "Bye, major," she called after him cheerfully. General Hein stepped out from behind his desk and knelt down in front of her. "Hello, sir," she whispered softly.

"Hello, sweetie," he said as gently as he could. After all, he had a little girl of his own once and he knew how easily frightened they could be. "Mind telling me your name?"

"Cassie Fleming, sir."

"And you're here to stay with your Uncle Neil of the Deep Eyes?"

"Yes, sir," she replied meekly.

"Well, then," he said, standing up and taking her hand, "why don't I take you to see him."

"Thank you, sir," she managed to say as General Hein lead her out of his office.

&-&-&-&

"You couldn't have let me grab a jacket, could you?" Jane scolded as she walked next to Neil down the sidewalk.

"Hey, no one told you to wear a tank top in the middle of winter," he told her with a grin. "I know a way to get you warmed up," he added, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

She took one disapproving look at his arm then proceeded to punch Neil in the stomach. As he doubled over in pain, she continued walking. "Come on, Neil. Your niece will be arriving in New York any minute now."

Neil groaned in pain but stood up and followed her. It wasn't long before he caught sight of General Hein heading their way. "Whoa," he said, grabbing Jane's arm, "the General of all things evil is heading this way."

&-&-&-&

"Stay behind me till I say otherwise," Hein muttered to Cassie as they approached the two corporals. Much to his amusement, she obliged. Did this mean she'd do the other things he asked? "Ah, Neil Fleming. Just the soldier I wanted to see."

"Really, sir?" Neil yelped, trying his best to hide behind Jane. The general's cold glare always had taht kind of effect on him.

"Something of yours arrived at my office this evening." He gave a small grin as he tapped Cassie on thhe shoulder to signal her to come out.

"Uncle Neil!" Cassie called, coming out from behind General Hein and throwing her arms around Neil.

"Hey, Cassie!" Neil replied, picking her up and returning her hug.

General Hein smiled, thinking of how great it would be to see his daughter again. "Merry Christmas, you three." He nodded and turned to walk back towards his office. After all, he had a Christmas party to plan and money to win.

"Merry Christmas, sir," Jane called after him.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas, General Hein," Neil added. The general waved his hand in acknoledgement and Neil turned his attention back to Cassie. "Didn't you get here a bit early?"

"Not really," she told him with a grin. "Who's that?" she asked innocently, looking at Jane.

"That's Jane," he glanced over at her, then back at Cassie, "my friend."

"Hi, Aunt Jane," Cassie called, letting go of Neil with one hand to wave.

Jane wondered if she should possibly be worried about that but shrugged it off on account that Cassie was so young. "So, are you ready to go back to my apartment?" Neil asked Cassie.

"Yeah. It's cold out here." She snuggled closer to Neil. "Isn't Aunt Jane cold?" she asked, looking in Jane's general direction.

"Very," she admitted as they began walking back to the apartment building.

"Snuggle up to Uncle Neil," Cassie recommended. "He's nice and warm."

Jane looked at nEil and laughed. "I'm not that cold, honey."

&-&-&-&

Gray meet Ryan outside the military apartment building. "This is just great," Gray said. "Neither Jane or Neil are in their apartments."

"That's because they're over there," Ryan said, pointing down the road. Neil could be seen carrying Cassie with Jane walking on the side to make sure he didn't drop her.

Gray followed the direction of Ryan's finger. "I wonder who the little girl is," he muttered.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Ryan answered as the trio approached them.

"Hey, Serge, Captain," Neil greeted them, placing Cassie on the ground.

"Hello," Cassie shyly said to the two officers.

"Oh yeah," Neil said. "Captain Gray, Sergeant, this is my niece, Cassie. She's going to be staying with me for the next couple of days."

"How come I wasn't informed of this earlier," Gray asked.

"Sorry, sir," Neil said sheepishly, "but I just opened the letter from my brother today."

Gray rolled his eyes and Jane resisted the urge to strangle Neil. Neil's habit of not opening his mail till weeks after he received it was going to get him trouble one of these days. "I was just going to inform you two about," Gray stopped, a plan forming in his mind. "Never mind, I'll tell you later."

"Come on, Uncle Neil, Aunt Jane," Cassie said, pulling on their shirts. "I'm tired and I'm freezing."

"All right, we're going inside now," Neil said, picking her back up and taking her inside.

Jane went to follow them but Gray stopped her. "Aunt Jane?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Captain, she'd just a little girl." She shrugged. "She doesn't know any better."

"Still, don't let that idea get into Neil's head or a little Neil Jr. will be calling you mommy one day." Ryan laughed.

"Captain, don't even joke about that!" she protested as she went inside.

"Hey, Aunt Jane, where are you going?" Cassie asked as Neil unlocked his apartment and Jane continued on to hers. "Don't you like us anymore?"

Jane looked pleadingly at Neil who made a point of looking at the ceiling. It seemed like there wasn't any way of getting out of this without sending Cassie into billions of tears. "I'm staying a bit longer," she said. "I just thought Uncle Neil's apartment was in the next hallway," she lied.

Cassie smiled as Neil put her down and showed her inside. "Get me out of this," Jane muttered as Neil held the door open for her.

"I'll think of something," he told her, closing the door.

"Cassie, where's your stuff?" Jane asked her.

"General Hein told me he'd send it up her tomorrow." She yawned and opened the door to Neil's bedroom. "Can you two tell me a bedtime story?"

Jane looked over at Neil. "Sure," she said with a shrug. After all, what was the worst that could happen.

Cassie climbed onto Neil's bed and Jane and Neil sat on either side of her. After they were both seated, she climbed into Jane's lap. "Tell me a story about lions," she mumbled as she closed her eyes.

So, they took turns in telling her the story of Kimba: The White Lion. By the time the story was over, CAssie ws sound asleep. Jane tried to move her so she could stand up and hopefully leave. "Don't do taht," Neil told her. "You'll wake her up."

"what do you want me to do?" she whispered. "Stay like this all night?"

"That's not a bad idea." Jane sighed. "Don't worry, you can lay down; just don't move her too much." Jane took his suggestion. Thankfully, Cassie stayed asleep and Neil covered both of them with the blanket. "I'll see you two ladies in the morning," he said, kissing Cassie on the forehead. "You want one too?" he asked, grinning at Jane. She did her best to smack him but he was too far away. "I'll take that as a no. Night." He turned and went to leave the room. In the doorway he stopped and turned around. "You know, Jane, you're a natural with kids," he told her.

AN: And so ends chapter one of this story. What do you think?