Title: We Are Family
Summary: Because Daddy promised to be home for Christmas. Wee!Tracys. 1/20 Avalon Series.
A/N: This is now part of a series of Avalon Tracy stories. I've decided to do this and I hope I can keep it up! The number of fics in this series is undetermined. But this is the first story. The others I have written are NOT part of it, the list will be on my profile!
2nd A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
AGES: Scott – 11; John – 9; Virgil & Ava – 7; Gordon – 4; Alan – 2
"NO! I WANT DADDY!" Avalon Tracy looked up as her oldest brother stomped down the stairs and turned his icy blue gaze to her.
"Can you do anything?" Scott asked, he let the act fall and he looked utterly defeated. Jeff had promised he would be home by morning and he'd spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with them, but as yet he had not returned. To the six Tracy children he was late, because it was almost time for them to go to bed. It was usually Scott who put Alan to bed but tonight, Alan wanted Jeff to tuck him in.
"I'm not sure what you want me to do, Scotty." Avalon said honestly. She was only 7. Scott was 11 and he was the responsible one. He had to do what Daddy wanted. Daddy's little soldier.
"Can you calm him down? Maybe get him to sleep? Please." Scott asked, Avalon shook her head slowly. But still, went upstairs and soon enough she returned a sleeping Alan in her arms. Cuddling always made him doze off. And cuddles from Avie were too good to pass up. She settled on the couch and made sure Alan was comfortable and allowed herself to fall asleep as well.
Later that night Avalon woke slowly. Alan was gone and she was being carried.
"Go back to sleep, Darling. I'm got you." Her father said. Avalon snuggled into her father's arms and let herself fall asleep again.
She woke next morning to Gordon shaking her. He was very excited and Alan was by his side he wasn't shaking her but he also was excited.
"Ava! Wake up! It's snow!" Gordon said pointing to her window. Avalon got up and rubbed her eyes as she looked outside and was greeting by snow falling slowly to the ground. The yard was already covered in a thin blanketing of snow. She spared her brothers a grin and told them to go downstairs and ask Dad if they could go outside after breakfast. The two boys agreed and raced off downstairs. No more than five minutes later after Ava finished pulling on her snow boots did Alan come back up to her room crying.
"Oh, Allie what's wrong?" Ava asked. Alan sniffled and wiped his eyes.
"Daddy had to go to work." Alan whispered.
"Oh no, Allie." She gave him a quick hug, "Well, what did Grandma say?" She asked.
"Grandma says we can, but we have to have Johnny, Virgie and Scotty with us." Ava nodded, of course Alan and Gordon and her all had to have the other three with them. Scott and John mostly because they were older. Virgil because he hated to miss out.
As Scott, John and Virgil were finishing their breakfast, Ava helped Alan and Gordon put on their warmest coats, gloves, scarves and their beanies. Then she sat them down and helped them do up their snow boots nice and tight. There was nothing worse than getting snow in your shoes. Then Scott and John appeared grabbing Gordon's hands and Virgil and Ava held tight to Alan's leading his outside.
Ava sat on the couch beside Scott wrapped up in a blanket and had hands wrapped around a cup of hot cocoa. All of them had gotten sufficiently soaked to the skin somehow, even wrapped in all their winter clothes. Alan and Gordon's jacket were hung near the fire, Scott, John, Virgil and Ava's were hung in the kitchen near the oven. All the Tracy's sat in the lounge nursing hot cocoa and wrapped in their thicket pyjamas or in blankets.
Virgil was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ava and Alan was nestled across their laps, snoozing soundly. It was 8:30 and they were watching a Christmas movie and waiting for their father to arrive home. He had promised and Ava was confident that their father wouldn't break his promise. He hadn't before so he wouldn't now right? Ava looked up as she heard a car pull up outside.
"Maybe that's Dad." She whispered to Scott, he tilted his head to one side and listened.
"Maybe," He replied. The trio still awake – Gordon and John had fallen asleep next to each other in an armchair – listened carefully for the sounds of the door unlocking. None came. Sighing softly, Ava looked at her brothers and suggested that they take them up to bed and tuck them in. Scott had to wake John because he was too old to be carried and Scott couldn't manage that. But Ava gathered Alan into her arms and with John's help, Scott was able to get Gordon up to carry him.
Ava tucked Alan in and then bid her brothers a goodnight. Ava knew her father would be there. He had to be, he wouldn't break his promise. She'd heard what Alan had asked Santa for when they saw him at the mall three weeks ago, he'd asked to have Daddy home for Christmas. As she climbed into her bed and closed her eyes she thought she heard the front door open but she was already falling asleep.
"AVA! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Gordon's voice was louder and he was shoving her roughly. "Wake up! Santa came!" Ava opened her eyes slowly and smiled a little at how excited her brothers were. Alan stood by her bed bouncing on the ball of his feet. Scott stood in the doorway, already showered and dressed. Being 11 Scott may not believe in Santa anymore but he still enjoyed the excitement of Christmas. And right now he was smiling at the jubilant way Gordon bounded around Ava's room.
"Gordy? Al? Why don't you go and wake Virg and Johnny? Then we'll go down and open presents?" Ava said both boys raced to the other's bedroom.
"Merry Christmas, Scott." She said.
"Merry Christmas, Ava. I had a look under the tree. I think Alan got the most presents. You know because he's Grandma's favourite." Scott said with a smile.
"Only because he's little." She replied, pulling on her dressing gown. She yanked on her big UGG boots she'd gotten for her birthday just as Alan came barrelling into her room once more. Once she was on her feet he gripped her hand and dragged her downstairs, where Gordon sat in front of the tree. Scott knelt down next to him and started to deal out the presents.
"What 'bout Daddy?" Alan asked. He didn't touch his presents and Gordon – who was halfway through tearing into his stopped – that was right. They couldn't do this without Dad. Jeff Tracy had promised that he'd be there for this. Because it their first Christmas without their mother. Alan wanted to postpone the present opening and the others were about to agree when another person entered the lounge.
"Hey you weren't going to start without me were you?" Jeff said as he sat down on the couch with a smile.
"DADDY!" Alan was on his feet and he climbed up his father and wrapped his arms around Jeff's neck tightly. The Patriarch laughed as he accepted his youngest children hugging him tightly before the others followed. Everything was right in that moment. Daddy was home for Christmas and the family had just what they needed.