Hey, Everyone!

It's the holiday season, so I decided to write a holiday one-shot! I celebrate Christmas, so I made mine Christmas oriented. I hope you all love it.

Enjoy!

I Can't Wait to Get Back Home to You

"Hi," Annabeth's voice was crackly through the crappy speakers, going in and out. I reached my hand out and touched the monitor. I wanted to hold her so badly it hurt.

"Hi," I responded lamely, because that was what I was good at. Lameness.

She laughed slightly and smiled none-the-less. She was so perfect. "How is everything holding up?"

I shrugged. "Okay. No one has died in the past two days."

"Well, that's good to hear," Annabeth nodded. "Is everything secret military business?"

I laughed. "No, not completely."

"What are you going to tell me, then?"

My expression fell. "I don't think you want to know."

My thoughts flashed to Grover Underwood, who was currently sick in the hospital wing, a horribly infected bullet wound. No one had died in the past few days, and I really hoped that wouldn't change.

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a worried look. "Why?"

I smiled. "I don't want to ruin your holiday."

"Our holiday," Annabeth corrected. "I moved into your house so that we could share everything. Don't go back on me now."

I cracked a smile that matched hers. "I love you."

She blinked a few times, and whether she wanted me to know or not, I knew she was holding back tears. "I miss you even more when you say that."

"I know," I whispered, placing the tips of my fingers back on the monitor, right next to her cheek, "I'm sorry. But I can't help it. I do. And I want to tell you every chance I get."

That made her smile. Her eyes were watery now.

"Please don't cry. It's Christmas Eve."

"This is the first time I haven't spent it with you," Annabeth whispered, her voice going in and out so much I could barely hear it.

"You have Colin, though," I replied. "You'll always have Colin."

"He's asleep, though," Annabeth replied. "You know what he said to me the other day. He told me to make you promise not to tell Rachel if I told you."

I laughed. "Okay, I won't."

"Well…he said that he thought I loved him more than his mom did because she left him and I wanted to stay. That I gave him hugs everyday and packed his lunch every night and helped him read when he was struggling. He said," she took a deep breath; "he said that he loved me more, too, and he never wanted me to leave."

"That sounds a lot like my son," I said, shaking my head. "I'm glad I got to keep him, though."

"So she didn't even fight for him?" Annabeth asked.

I shook my head. "We were seventeen. She couldn't handle it. I just took one look at him, and I…I just needed him. I loved him too much. She agreed to try. And then…"

"You don't have to finish," Annabeth said. "I already know."

"Can you believe he's going to be five in three months?" I asked.

"He looks like you," Annabeth said. "He looks so much like you. I hug him everyday and I tuck him in at night, and I tell him I love him. Because I do, but also because I love you."

"And I think about you every night. And I miss you so, so much."

She looked like she was holding back tears again.

"Annabeth," I whispered.

"I…I don't want to wake him up," she whispered. "I don't want to be too loud."

"Oh, he's not asleep," I replied.

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's Christmas Eve, and he's four years old. He' waiting for Santa," I said.

"He was so excited this morning. You know what he asked for?" Annabeth asked me.

"What?"

"He asked for a puppy, he asked for his dad, and he asked for a whole family again."

"What time is it?" I asked her. I tried my best not to smile. My plan would come into place, and I didn't want to ruin it.

Annabeth shrugged. "I don't know."

"Check," I replied.

She leaned over the computer screen at the clock on the wall. She was wearing the sweater she'd gotten last Christmas from her dad, a teal turtle-neck.

When she sat back down, she said, "It's midnight."

There was a sudden giggle in the background. My smile broke free and filled my face. "Is that you, buddy?"

Colin's head of hair, which looked strikingly like my own, appeared at the edge of the desk.

"You should be in bed," Annabeth said sweetly, rubbing his head, while he giggled uncontrollably, a habit he had when he was surprising someone.

I hoped he didn't blow it for me. I'd told him what I was planning a couple times we'd video-chatted. He'd told me he'd gotten the exact ring I'd asked for, so I really, really hoped he didn't mess up.

He may have been very mature, but he was still four.

"I think he should stay," I said.

"Well, okay," Annabeth caved. "But only for a little while."

She pulled him up onto her lap. He flashed the black box behind his back to me, and I smiled.

"What?" Annabeth laughed. "What is it?"

Colin continued to giggle and Annabeth tickled him and he squealed.

My heart ached because I couldn't hug them, too.

"Serious mode, buddy, serious mode," I said playfully.

He nodded.

"Annabeth, you know I love you," I began. "You know I love the little things you do for me, the way you wake up every morning, the way you wake me up when I sleep in too late, the way you adapted to Colin and my past life so quickly, the way you accepted me, and the way you never cared. I love the way you love Colin, and I love the way he loves and accepts you. I love the way you know who you are. I love that you did so many things for me, even something I never asked you to do, give up working in the office, to take care of Colin while I served our country. I love every single thing about you and I love everything single thing you've done for me, for my mom, for my step-dad, and for my small son, who loves just as much as I do."

She kissed him on the cheek, eye watery. He wrapped his small arms around her neck, the box still in his hand.

"I want to grant one of your Christmas wishes right now, Colin," I said. "And thank you for helping me out."

She raised an eyebrow, nervous laughter filled with love and happiness. A sound I'd know anywhere.

Colin's little fingers fumbled with the box behind his back. He was so professional, it was so cute.

"Annabeth Chase," I said as soon as he got the box open behind him. I glanced at the white gold ring with the diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. He got it right. "I love you, like I have said many, many times tonight alone, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Percy-"

Colin brought the box out from behind his back, and she stared at it.

"Will you marry me?" I asked.

She stared at the ring for so long I began to worry.

"I was so worried you weren't going to ask," she finally said, her shoulders shaking as she said, "Yes. Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! Oh, Percy!"

"I love you, too, Mommy!" Colin said as she slipped the ring onto her finger, crying. I wanted to kiss her so badly.

She'd said yes. She'd really said yes. I was going to get married.

I was getting married to the love of my life.

Colin put the box down and she hugged him so tightly and he squealed with joy as he wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her back. I loved them so much.

I was going to have a wife.

And maybe a second kid.

If she wanted to, maybe. Hopefully.

I loved my family so, so much.

"I love the way you wake me up, too, Mommy," Colin said. He placed a toddler-style kiss on her cheek and she cried with joy.

"You call her 'Mommy' now, bud?" I asked. "Since when?"

"Since now," Annabeth whispered. "He's never said that to me before."

"I've always wanted to," he confessed in his little boy voice. "I just didn't want to before I knew you were going to be. I didn't want you to leave. And now I feel like you won't. I feel like it's okay to call you that now, Mommy."

"I love it, baby," Annabeth said. "I love it just as much as I love you."

"Jackson?" my general was suddenly standing at my doorway. "We have something serious going on. We're calling an emergency meeting."

"Yes, Mr. D, sir," I said.

I turned back to my fiancé and son. "I have to go. I'll call you guys again later, okay?"

They both nodded.

"I love you," Annabeth said.

"I love you, Daddy!"

"I love you both." I replied.

"Now, Jackson," Mr. D said impatiently.

"I can't wait to get back home to you," I said, and they switched off.

As I walked out of my room with Mr. D. I couldn't stop the smile from tugging at my lips.

"What are you so happy about, Jackson?" Mr. D asked.

"I'm getting married, Sir," I replied.

His eyes softened, but his expression lingered. "Merry Christmas, Jackson."

I faced the wall in front of me again. "It is indeed, Sir."

So Happy Hanukkah, Mercy Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and a happy New Year to all. I hope this story left you with something warm and fuzzy inside.

Thanks for Reading!