All I Want For Christmas
Puck closed his eyes tightly and massaged his temples. This was not the perfect Christmas he'd imagined.
Normally he didn't celebrate Christmas - he wasn't a perfect Jew, but he did at least observe Jewish holidays. Though it nearly killed him, he fasted and abstained from sex on Yom Kippur. He went to Temple and the lake and recited the Tashlich prayers on Rosh Hashanah. But the holiday he loved the most was Hannukah.
He just loved it. Gorging himself on latkes and doughnuts… Lighting the Menorah… Gifts… His Bubie had always made it the best eight days of the year.
The reason he found himself celebrating Christmas this year was Beth. It was the first time Quinn had allowed him to have their daughter over the holidays. Something about her spending time with her new fiancé's family in the Caribbean… He didn't really care. This was the first time his little family would all be together during the holiday; him, Beth, Rachel and his newest pride and joy Zeke.
The thing was Beth loved Christmas.
Rachel had been ecstatic at the chance to decorate their small home for Christmas. She'd strung lights, and garlands and ornaments – or rather she'd had him string lights, and garlands and ornaments, while she directed with their 2 month old son cradled in her arms – until his fingers bled. They'd gotten a tree, which the 5 year old Beth had gleefully helped them decorate.
His new wife had driven him to the brink with the glorious smells of gingerbread, shortbread, and fudge – that he wasn't allowed to eat. She'd even gone so far as to buy a small turkey for Puck and Beth to eat on Christmas night.
Puck and Rachel had taken the kids to Columbus one day so they could go to 'the good mall' to see 'the good Santa' and get their picture taken. Rachel and Puck's Mom, Amelia, had cooed over the pictures for hours while Puck had just mourned the loss of his 75$.
The three Puckerman's and the one Fabray-Puckerman had even gone carolling one night. Rachel singing at the top of her fabulous lungs with Zeke bundled into the sling strapped across her chest, Beth joyously singing whatever words came to mind, and Puck backing them all up with his guitar.
Christmas morning was when it all fell apart.
Apparently someone got Beth the wrong doll.
"Santa hates me!" The blonde 5 year old wailed dramatically, flinging the offensive Malibu Barbie across the room.
Puck glared at his wife, he was convinced his daughter had learned her theatrical ways from her, "Baby, Santa doesn't hate you."
"Ye-yes he does!" Beth's sobbing caused her to hiccup between words. "Zeke got everything he wanted!"
"Elizabeth," Puck said patiently, rubbing circles into his throbbing temples, "your brother's playing with paper."
Beth barely spared a glance at the 2 month old, who was stretched out on one of his baby blankets happily crunching some red wrapping paper in his tiny fists, as she threw herself into Rachel's lap. "Mama!"
Rachel smoothed down Beth's curls with one hand before resting her cheek atop the little girl's head. "Oh Sweet Pea… What's wrong with the Barbie Santa got you?"
"I want the Princess Barbie!" Beth hiccupped.
"The Malibu Barbie is pretty awesome." Puck insisted lamely, not believing that phrase was coming out of his mouth.
"No!" Beth shook her head violently. "It's all I wanted!" She insisted "Santa doesn't love me anymore!"
"Beth," Rachel murmured, rubbing soothing circles into her stepdaughter's back "Santa definitely still loves you. Who wouldn't?"
"But he brought me the wrong thing!"
"He has to remember a lot of things, baby," Puck said "maybe he just got confused."
"Plus," Rachel added "you haven't even got your last present yet."
"There's no more presents left…" Beth sniffled, rubbing her red eyes.
"Are you sure about that?" Rachel asked. Beth nodded sadly. "Why don't you check under the tree one more time?"
The blonde girl scrambled off her stepmother's lap and crawled toward the Christmas tree.
Puck watched curiously as Rachel left the room and felt his eyes widen as she came back with a squirming puppy in her arms. "Rach-"
Beth looked up as the puppy let out a little yip. Her hazel eyes widened and a smile spread across her tearstained face. "Is that for me?"
Rachel smiled and carefully placed the puppy in Beth's arms "His name is Hank." The brunette scooped Zeke up off the floor as Beth and Hank romped around the living room.
"When'd you pick up the mutt?" Puck asked quietly, slinging an arm about his wife's shoulders.
"He's not a mutt." Rachel contradicted "He's a Blue Heeler. And I got him for you a week ago, Mike was holding onto him so it'd be a surprise. I figured he would solve our little Christmas crisis."
Puck dropped a kiss atop his wife's head. "I love you."
"Of course you do." She responded, snuggling their yawning son.
Suddenly a grinning Beth ran up to them and threw her arms around Puck's legs. "Daddy, this is the best Christmas ever!"
"I'm glad, baby." Looking over at Rachel and Zeke then over at Beth and Hank he revised his earlier thoughts. This was just the Christmas he'd been hoping for. "You know," he said, kissing his wife soundly, "you didn't need to get me any presents for Christmas. I've already got all I could possibly want."