That Magical Mistletoe
This is part of my Christmas Exchange for the Writer's Block Party. This one is for Tmtcltb. Hope you all enjoy it.
This takes place about 5 years in the future. It refers back loosely to an incident that is described in a story that Scousedancer wrote last Christmas, entitled "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause." Thanks. My story begins about 4 days before Christmas on a Saturday.
Would love to know what you all think. My biggest present will be reviews.
Chapter One
"Danny, could you please go pick up some more eggnog and anything else you think I might have forgotten, before we leave for the base Santa Party? I want to be sure we have enough before people start arriving here afterward," Kara yelled over her shoulder as she was busy taking extra care decorating Christmas cookies with brightly colored icing and sprinkles.
Danny yelled back from the living room, "Sure, I am on my way. You will probably need extra milk as well. We will need to leave before long so the children won't be too late to see Santa and talk to him. I want to take pictures of them both. Are you going to be ready to leave soon, Kara?"
"Just get back as soon as you can, I will get the children ready. Now go!"
"Aye aye, he said smartly, saluting her and laughing as he ran out the door.
Kara had been up since the crack of dawn preparing for the afternoon Christmas party that the Green's would be hosting today, after the annual Children's Santa Party to be held at the base Annex. Mike Slattery would be the Santa today. Tom had been the Santa last year. It was a tradition they had started themselves for the children of the Officers and crew of the Nathan James, but the children of the whole base had been invited. All of the children got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. It was a festive time for one and all, parents and children alike.
This year, it was the Green's turn to host the annual get together for the Nathan James crew and families, after the Children's Santa party at the base. Kara was frantic to make everything the best it could be. It was a Christmas potluck afternoon party, with everyone bringing in their favorite Christmas dishes.
Five year old Frankie, ran into the kitchen chasing his 3 year old sister, Anna, her blonde curls bouncing as she ran, her green eyes dancing with delight. She was laughing and giggling as her brother chased her around the kitchen until she ran right into her mommy's arms. Kara scooped her up saying, "Anna, now stop teasing your brother. It is time to get ready to go see Santa. You are going to be dressed in your red velvet dress with white fur cuffs and I have a red velvet bow for your hair. Your father wants to take pictures of you both with Santa. Do you know what you want to ask Santa to bring you for Christmas, Anna?
"Yes, mommy. I want Santa bring me baby bed for Sarah. I want clothes for Sarah, too. ….and I want a puppy, so Halsey can be a mommy", she said in her little 3 year old squeaky voice.
"Don't be silly, Anna. Halsey is a boy dog. He would be the puppy's daddy", said a very indignant, Frankie. Halsey, hearing his name mentioned came up to the children very possessively placing his cold nose to their faces. He watched over them, as if they were his very own, which he thought they were. He had guarded each of them since they were born.
Kara got the two children dressed in their Christmas outfits. Frankie was wearing brown corduroy slacks and a white turtleneck sweater with a light brown reindeer on the front. It had a red collar around its neck with a sleigh bell on it. Kara looked at each of her children and hugged them both. She could not wait to see their pictures sitting on Santa's lap. They looked adorable. She was so proud of them. "Now stay right here and wait for your daddy to get back and we will leave for the Santa Party. Now don't get into anything that would get your clothes dirty. Frankie, I am depending on you, do you hear? You are going to have a great time this afternoon after the Santa Party. You know that your best friends, Nate and Kaito are coming over with Auntie Rachel and Uncle Tom and Auntie Christine and Uncle Mike."
Frankie said, "Yes, yes, we can play my new ships game, huh, mommy?"
Anna squeaked," Mommy, Uncle Tom, bring Jessica, please?"
I am sure that auntie Rachel and Uncle Tom will bring Jessica as well for you to play with, love", Kara said, her heart warming to what good friends the children of the other officers had come to mean to her own children. The Nathan James was really like a family to her and Danny and now to their children. All of the Nathan James Officers lived within a two block area, Rachel and Tom's house was next door and Mike and Christine's house was the next one to that. The boys were all back and forth between the houses playing and they even had sleep over's for the boys, though Jessica and Anna were only three so it was a bit too early for sleepovers, though the couples often babysat for each other. Kaito's little sister was still only a baby, but Kara and Danny were expecting a new arrival in about 6 months, so Mike and Christine's new little one would soon have a playmate.
A few minutes later, Danny returned and unloaded his bag of additional party fair.
Kara said, "Oh so glad you are back. We are all ready to go. I will be coming back here a little earlier. Tex, Andrea and Kat are going to drive me back here before the Santa party ends, so we can have everything ready when everyone else comes over afterward. Kat is going to have everything ready for the kiddie's area so everyone can deposit their children there to play. I hired a couple of teenagers to keep an eye out on the little ones and the 5 year olds have games to play to keep them occupied. I think they will love the Christmas cookies and milk we have to give them. Kat also will help them make some special decorations for their own trees to take home. For an afternoon get together for the Crew of the Nathan James and friends and families it should be great fun, I hope."
"Wolf and Miller are bringing over the makings for the punch. We will have to make sure they don't spike it much. Danny looked up at Kara, admiring his lovely wife. "Kara, by the way, come here a moment," he said, with a sparkle in his eye.
"Oh Danny, what is it? I am so busy now."
Danny grabbed her arm and dragged her into the foyer, pulling her into his chest in a tight embrace. Before she could say anything, he gave her a deep searing kiss. Kara couldn't resist the passion in that kiss and responded in kind, but she pulled away after it seemed to extend too long. Danny laughingly pointed up above their heads, to the mistletoe which hung there. "Well, I had to test our mistletoe, sweetheart and it seems to be working very well, indeed, judging from your response. We will have to make sure everyone knows it is here, so we can have a lot of kissing going on. I know I want to make use of it again," he said, giving her a seductive look and patting her on the bottom, laughingly.
A few minutes later they were all piled into the car and off they went to the Santa Party. The Children were so excited and Mike made a wonderful Santa for the children on the base. He took his time with each child on the base and there were even little gifts given to each child at the end and, of course, many pictures were taken of the children in all of their Christmas outfits.
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By the time, the guests started arriving at the special get together of the Officers and crew of the Nathan James at the Greens house, Tex and Andrea were there to greet them and Danny and the children were there shortly after. Danny had left after his own children had seen Santa, so he could get home to help Kara. Tex was greeting couples as they arrived and pointing out the Mistletoe saying, "You know what that is. Don't forget to do the honors." At this point, everyone stopped to kiss their partners or the ones they were with. The teenagers loved this as well. Everyone was having a great time. The children were in the den and another room, which was used as a Florida room, glassed in outer area, but heated in the winter. There was plenty of room for children to play in different areas for different ages.
Jessica and Anna went off to play with a few other children 3 and 4 years old. Frankie found his two best friends Kaito, Mike and Christine's son and Nate, Tom and Rachel's son. The three of them were standing at the opening of the den watching as the couples came into the house. Nate was standing there with a frown on his face, watching each couple kissing under the mistletoe. Frankie noticed Nate's apparent displeasure and he asked him, "Nate, what is wrong, do you have a tummy ache?"
Nate looked at him and pointed to all of the people kissing. "Look at them; they are all kissing each other. It is just like my daddy said. It is magical. That is not good. It is not good! Not again, Oh, Frankie, it is not good."
Kaito said, "What is not good, Nate?"
"It is that green stuff hanging up there." He pointed to the mistletoe.
"See how, Uncle Tex is pointing to it and everyone stands under it and it is magical. It causes them to kiss each other. Last year, we had some of that up at my house, just like here and when Santa came to my house, I was not in bed like I was told to be and I saw my mommy kissing Santa Clause. It was right under that green stuff. I told my daddy the next morning and he told me mommy kissed Santa Clause because when they stood under that green stuff, it is magical and it caused mommy to kiss Santa Clause, just like it is causing all of them to kiss each other." He pointed to all the adults kissing each other as they walked under the mistletoe.
Kaito said, "Uncle Tex is calling it mistletoe. Did Auntie Rachel really kiss Santa Clause, Nate? She did not really, huh?"
Nate said, "Yes, Kaito, she really did kiss Santa Clause. That is what my daddy called it, mistletoe. I was hoping it would not be magical this year. My father put it up at my house again. What if mommy kisses Santa again this year? What if he forgets to leave us any presents? I don't want that mistletoe in my house."
Kaito said, "Oh, no, my daddy put up that stuff in my house too."
Frankie looked up at the mistletoe and all the people kissing each other as they passed under it. "Oh no, what if my mommy and Auntie Kara and Auntie Rachel kiss Santa Clause, when he comes to our house?. It really is magical. We have to do something Nate. What can we do?"
Nate looked very serious. I don't know, but we have to do something." They sat in a huddle and Kat came over to see what they were doing. She said, "Hi guys are you getting ready to play one of your games?"
Frankie said, "Hi Kat, we are getting ready to do something, but we are not sure what we want to do yet." He knew they could not let her in on this. This was for the three of them to figure out. It was like the missions he and his daddy talked about whenever his daddy would show him how to build something in the workshop or when something was broken. He said, Nate, Kaito, have your daddies ever done missions with you?"
Both Nate and Kaito said in unison, "Yes." They each explained how their fathers had done missions with them in fixing things or hunting or fishing with their fathers. They heard their fathers map out a mission and explaining to them how they would go about doing the job, be it cooking, fixing something, raking leaves, making something in the workshops, reparing something or just about anything they had been taught to do, even the way they went to a store to purchase a number of things for any project they were working on.
Frankie took this all in and then looked up saying. "I know what to do. We can go over next door to your house, Nate and Kaito and I will help you take down that mistletoe. Then you can help me and Kaito to take it down at his house, Then, after everyone is gone from your my house, tonight, after everyone is asleep, You and Kaito can come back here and help me get it down."
Nate and Kaito looked at Frankie and Nate said, "We can do that, but Kat must not see us go and my little sister Jessica and Anna must not see us.. They would tell our daddies."
Frankie said, "I know how we can leave. Follow me like when we play hide and seek. We go to the basement, like when we play, mission."
None of the boys noticed that Halsey had been watching them with interest. As he had been watching over all of the children, even the little ones, making sure that one of the teenagers was aware of which of the toddlers had a wet diaper, he also noticed where Frankie was at all times. He was satisfied that Anna and Jessica were playing quietly together with a couple of other 3 year olds. He was quite quick to follow Frankie out of the room right to the door to the basement, as soon as the 5 year old was sure no adult was watching him. He opened the door to the basement and slipped down the stairs. Halsey was right on his heels, even before the other two boys followed, closing the door behind them. At the bottom of the stairs, Frankie turned to find Halsey looking up at him, his head cocked to the side questioning where he was going. "Oh Halsey, what are you doing, here?"
Nate said, "We will have to take him with us. It will be ok." Kaito and Frankie nodded agreement. They did not have a choice. If they left him, he would start barking and then everyone would know they were gone. The boys thought they could get back long before anyone noticed that they were gone. They had traveled back and forth from each others houses many times. The doors in this neighborhood were rarely locked.
Frankie led the way out the glass doors of the basement into the back yard. They went out the gate into the lawn on the side of the house and crossed the grass until they got to the front door of the Chandler house. They let themselves into the house and Nate showed them into the foyer and pointed at the arch from where the Offending Mistletoe was hanging. Nate tried to stand on a chair but was too short to reach the ceiling of the room. They thought for a moment and Nate led the two boys and Halsey into the garage. There was an aluminum light weight full ladder hanging on a nail on the wall. The boys lifted it off the hook and carried it into the house. They set it up and locked it into place, like his daddy had shown him. Nate placed it under the mistletoe and climbed up on the ladder as the other two boys held onto the ladder at the bottom. Nate was able to reach the Mistletoe and pull it down. It dropped to the floor and Nate climbed down from the ladder. Halsey was whining and gave a few barks.
Frankie said, "Good, you did it Nate. Now we go to Kaito's house. Halsey, be quiet. He tried to pet the dog, but Halsey was too upset at the danger he perceived the boys to be in. The boys left the house and ran next door to Kaito's house. They went right to the basement garage where the ladder was. It was harder to get up the stairs, the boys being only 5 years old. They did not even notice that Halsey had left them.
He was on his way back home to alert Danny of the danger the boys were in. Haley started barking at the glassed in doors and jumping up, with his paws on the glass doors, where he could see people talking. He tried to get into the kitchen, but the door was closed. The basement door was closed. He started howling in a high pitched tone. Danny somehow heard it and made everyone stop talking. He ran out the door and called Halsey and he came running into the house barking and whining. He pulled on Danny's hand. Danny said, "Kara, check on the children and see if everyone is Ok."
Kara was back in a minute. I don't see Frankie."
Tom said, "Nate isn't here."
Mike said, "Neither is Kaito"
Danny said, "Come on Halsey; lead us to them, boy."
The dog bounded off, first to the Chandler residence. The three men came in finding the ladder in the foyer and a green patch of mistletoe on the floor.
The children were not there and Halsey ran right out the front door to Mike's house and they burst into the house. There was Kaito up on the tall ladder with his hand on the mistletoe. The other boys were holding on to the bottom of the ladder, Kaito was so startled when their fathers burst into the room with a barking Halsey that he twisted around and fell off the ladder. Quick reactions on the part of Mike as he stepped forward saved the boy from injury, when he fell right into his father's arms, his small fist still grasping of the mistletoe.
Mike held Kaito tight to his chest, still shaking at how close he had come to a serious fall. "Kaito, what were you doing on that ladder? What are you boys thinking running away from the party like that?"
Tom knelt down to look his son, Nate straight in the eyes. He said sternly, "Nate, I have warned you about running off on your own, I thought you had learned your lesson, young man, Just what do you think you boys were doing? Do you know how dangerous it is to be on ladders without one of us being with you?"
Danny took hold of his son. Frankie, "I want to know just what you boys think you were doing. If Halsey had not warned us about you boys being AWOL, we might not have been able to be here to save Kaito. He could have been killed and all of you could have been hurt. Now we want answers, do you understand?"
Nate spoke first. He was almost crying," Daddy, it was the mistletoe. We were trying to take it down. It was up in all of our houses and it is magical, daddy. You told me it was. I told Kaito and Frankie about how the mistletoe made mommy kiss Santa Clause last year and we did not want Auntie Kara or Auntie Christine or mommy to be kissing Santa Clause this year. You were right daddy. We saw everyone who was under the mistletoe at Frankie's house kissing, so we knew we had to take the mistletoe down so they would not kiss Santa this year. With all those mommies kissing Santa Clause he might forget to eat the cookies and milk we all are leaving him and he might forget to leave us any presents. Please daddy, we did not mean to do anything wrong. We just wanted to make sure no mommies would be kissing him. He has all those presents to leave."
Tom looked at Mike, who had a glint of humor in his eyes and was very aware of what had happened last year, as it was the talk of the whole base. He took pity on Tom and said, Boys, you should have come to us and told us what you wanted to do. I think under the circumstances, each of us would have taken the mistletoe down this year. We certainly would not want any of the mommies to be distracting Santa on his rounds on Christmas Eve. If it had been up, we could have made sure that each mommy was asleep in her own bed, like you should have been, Nate. But to make sure this year, we can take the mistletoe down. What do you think about that Tom and Danny?"
Tom looked a bit embarrassed but blinked and said, "I agree, I would have taken it down, if you had told me about your fears, Nate. From now on I want you to agree to speak to me about anything that is bothering you like that. Is that clear, young man?"
Nate tearfully said, "Yes, daddy, I will tell you."
Danny said, "Frankie, it is still up at our house, but after everyone is gone tonight, You and I will take it down, as we would have done anyway, if you had told me, though I can assure you that I will be with your mother in our bedroom, so she will not be kissing anyone but me under the mistletoe. How would that be?"
Frankie said, "That would be good Daddy. We were on a mission and we planned it just like you taught me. We thought we were doing the right thing, Daddy."
Danny said, "In order to plan a mission, you first have to know to speak to the people who know more about how to do that mission. You boys are too young to be planning missions without speaking to your superior officers first that would be us, your fathers. You could have gotten yourselves hurt. It was not a smart move. You have a lot of learning to do first. Is that understood by all of you boys? Halsey has been on many missions and even he knew you were in over your heads. You have him to thank that you were not injured."
The boys all walked back to the Green's house with their fathers.
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Later that night, after all the guests were gone and Danny and Frankie were alone in the living room. Danny said, "Frankie, are you ready to complete the mission?"
Frankie said, "Yes, sir."
Danny lifted Frankie up so that he could take the mistletoe down, which he did. Frankie let out a sigh of relief that his mission was complete and from his standpoint there was no more danger of Santa being kissed by his mother.
Danny said, "One day in the future, Frankie, you may want to put mistletoe up again, but by that time, you will not have to worry about mommy kissing Santa Clause."
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Later that night, when Danny and Kara were in bed together and the children were asleep, Kara said, "Well you handled that well, I think. Poor little Frankie was so worried. You couldn't change Tom's story, without making him lose his belief in Santa Clause. Well, between all the mommies wanting to kiss Santa and the magical mistletoe, it would be really quite funny, if it wasn't actually becoming a serious problem to our sons. They were willing to risk life and limb to protect Santa from their mommies. Well Santa, are you ready to be ravished by this mommy. It is not Christmas, but I don't need the mistletoe to want to kiss you. "
"Well, Mrs. Santa Clause, I certainly do want to be ravished with your kisses and more, magical mistletoe or not. By all means, carry on, please," said Danny with a rather delicious sparkle in his eyes.