A/N: I got a PM the other day from PeterOinNYC and he asked for a Christmas fic. As he explained the parameters, a movie came to mind, one of my favorite Christmas movies, that features one of my favorite Christmas songs. To top it off, the world he suggested, well, there's only one word for it, Aces. I'm getting to visit some amazing worlds in this David vs The Christmas Fics, 2018 challenge. Folks, it's time to come on home. It's Ace, Charles at Christmas, in NYC.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, Home Alone 2, All I Want for Christmas is You, Darlene Love or the E Street Band, but I do miss Clarence Clemons.
"You ask him," Ellie said to Jenny.
"He's your brother," Jenny retorted, grinning at the absurdness of it all.
"Yeah, but you married him," Ellie replied, grinning.
Jenny sighed, and leaned back in toward her husband. "Are we really staying at the Plaza Hotel.
Chuck picked up the Talkboy tape recorder beside him, and said. "Yes." He then pointed it toward Jenny and hit play. "Yes." He burst out laughing.
"I never should have agreed to this," Jenny muttered.
"I'm just glad we all get to come along," Carina said, leaning over Chuck and Jenny's seat.
"I'm just glad he payed for first class on this flight," Casey pipped up. Emma swatted him.
"You do know, if this is Home Alone, that makes you Uncle Frank?" Ellie asked John.
John shrugged. "I'm good with that."
Jenny laughed. She needed this. It was three years after Jack was sentenced to jail time and each year around Christmas, Jenny got a bit depressed. She tried not to given how much Chuck, Ellie, and the whole Bartowski clan just loved Christmas, but her father…he had just made an imprint over so much of her life. Thanksgiving night, when Chuck put on Home Alone 2 after dinner, and Jenny had seen the huge Christmas Tree at Rockefeller, she had softly said to him that she'd love to see it live. She didn't notice the grin that Chuck got on his face.
Two weeks later he surprised, her, the kids, Ellie, her family, Carina, and Zondra by booking them a stay in the Plaza hotel over Christmas, complete with their trip to see the tree and anything else he could do from the movie. Ellie made him promise no breaking into any house and rigging it up to be a deathtrap. Jenny thought he was Christmas crazy before but once he found the Talkboy tape recorder….he was just another level of Christmas that she didn't know existed. If he exploded, he might be nothing but tinsel and lights….
Jenny hoped the trip would be able to help her get over her dad, but how was Chuck to know what happened to her at Christmas as a kid? She had told him so much of her past, but that part….it was just too much. It wasn't she didn't want to tell him, but by telling him, it forced her to relive it, and she was trying to forget her life pre-Chuck. She grinned as she saw Chuck's face light up as the plane began the decent into New York City. She may have two daughters, but for the next week, she was about to have an overgrown child, and she found herself not minding one bit.
-ooooo-
"It's beautiful," Jenny said softly to Chuck staring at the huge beautiful tree in front of her. Zondra and Carina had told Chuck and Jenny they were on babysitting duty so the two of them could enjoy the night. It was the 23rd of December, and while there were many out and about, they might as well have been the only two there.
"I mean it's alright," Chuck replied. She gave him a look. He shrugged. "It's got nothing on you."
"Bartowski, it's that kind of talking as to why we have two kids," Jenny replied, with a grin on her face. "It is cold out here, think you could help me warm up?"
Chuck smiled. "I would do all I can," he replied. "Want me to get a cab?"
"Nah, let's just walk, it's only a mile or so."
"Are you trying to get mugged?" She gave him a look. "Right, if someone was dumb enough to try you'd protect me." She laughed and took his arm, walking toward their hotel. It didn't take long until she heard it, and it felt like a knot seized in her stomach. She tried to pull him away.
"Wait a minute," he said, and headed toward the Salvation Army donation bucket with someone in a Santa Claus suit ringing a bell manning it. He put something in the container, told the Santa, "Merry Christmas," and headed back to Jenny.
"How much?" she asked softly.
"Five hundred," he replied. He wasn't bragging, in fact she was a little surprised he didn't do more. Chuck Bartowski was always looking out for a way to help out others.
"You a good one, Chuck," she said softly. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt sick inside. As they walked, she could feel the confusion from Chuck. He had done nothing wrong, but she felt her wall go up. The one that had not been up around him in years. She didn't want it up but she couldn't help it. He was so good, and there were times, admittedly long ago…she wasn't. They got back to the hotel, and she needed some time to herself. "I'm gonna go check on the girls, okay?"
"I need to talk to Casey anyway," Chuck replied.
She didn't really believe him, but she wasn't about to call him on it, when he let her strange actions go. She did swing by for a second, but the girls were asleep and Carina and Zondra shooed her off. She slipped away, went up the stairs, and found herself on the roof, looking over the city. She was going to stand there quietly, enjoy the view, and collect herself, but someone was already up there. She shouldn't have been surprised.
"I don't see Casey," she said softly. Chuck whipped his head around, surprised. She shook her head. "I-I need to talk to you, and no, you've done nothing wrong, it's something I did wrong."
"Jenny-"
"Chuck," she said in a tone that conveyed "shut up and let me say this." Chuck made a miming motion of zipping his lips. "Christmas for years with Dad and I…it mean running the Salvation Army con."
He stood there quietly and dropped his head. "I'm sorry, Jenny, I didn't know."
She stepped towards him and pulled him into a hug. "I know, Chuck, and it's not your fault, but…" she moved away, looking him in his eyes. "Christmas….it's just not for me what it is for you and I…"
"I get it, it's hard."
She shook her head. "You a wonderful man, but thickheaded some days." He blinked. "I'm jealous, Chuck. You're early life was hell too, but Casey…Casey didn't do you the way Dad did me. I was dressed as an elf while Dad rang that damn bell and we stole money from KIDS!" Tears were in her eyes. "Kids, Chuck! We took money out of kids' hands that needed it. We were the worst kind of awful."
"Jenny," Chuck began, but just stopped and pulled her into him.
"I know, Chuck, it's not fair to you, but somehow, I need to get this off of me, to cleanse my soul. And I can't seem to forget it."
He looked her in the eye, and grinned. "Trust me?" She nodded.
-ooooo-
It was Christmas day, presents had been exchanged, and Jenny was smiling as she put a serving of mashed potatoes on the child's plate that came through the line.
"I was thinking that instead of watching Twilight Zone all day, we could do this at home to, and maybe you could even be in charge of the menu," Chuck said, putting green peas on a child's plate. The kid gave the peas a disgusted look. "They're good for you."
"Why they gotta look like that?" the kid asked, walking off.
"Thank you, ma'am," one of the kids said to Jenny. Chuck thought she was going to bawl, but she steeled herself and grinned at the kid.
"You're welcome, Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," the kid said, walking away.
"God bless, how do I let you two rope me into this?" Casey muttered, in charge of the gravy.
"He grinned when he said that," Chuck loud whispered to Jenny.
"I noticed the same thing," Jenny replied. "Thank you, Chuck."
"Always, Jenny, always."
"Merry Christmas, Chuck."
He turned to her, saw her grin, and gave her the full Bartowski smile. "Merry Christmas, Jenny."
A/N: When I got the request from Peter, I went and reread Aces, and realized I had already done three chapters of Christmas in the fic. I needed this to be really different, and given how they had changed their lives in the end, this seemed to be the only logical conclusion. Thank you, sir, for letting me come back to the is world for just a few moments. For the record, I typed the entire thing before I remembered Sarah was Jenny and Chuck's daughter and had to change every single Sarah to Jenny.