A/N: This story is partly inspired by a recent SNL cold open where kids were asking Santa for things related to current events. It's also inspired by how I thought season 6 might end before it started airing. As far as this story goes, season 6 doesn't exist save for the wedding.

This story has at least one more part with Sharon and Andy getting to read the letter and react to it. I chose to post this now because I know there are so many fans out there who are sad, upset, and disappointed by the end of 6x09 and in the season generally. This story is intended to make me feel a little less disappointed, annoyed, and bummed. I hope it does the same for you. Thanks to everyone who has read my other Madeline Raydor stories. I'm glad that other people like them besides me!

Madeline Raydor sat at her little folding desk in her room, a converted den, on a late Saturday morning a few weeks before Christmas. Her mother and Andy were out running errands. So Rusty was left to watch Madeline. She stared at the blank piece of paper thing about what to write for her annual letter to Santa. She started writing them at the age of 4. Each year after she finished writing the letter, it was turned in to an organization that donated money to a charitable cause for every letter received. They then mailed the letters to Santa.

This year Madeline struggled with what to write. It's not that she didn't know what she wanted for Christmas. It's just that she wasn't sure if Santa was the right person to ask for what she wanted. But she decided to give it a shot anyway. Tucking her long strawberry blonde hair behind one ear, she started to write.

Dear Santa,

I know that you get a lot of requests for Christmas and I'm not sure if you're the right person to ask about what I want. It's probably something that I need to ask God. But I'll try anyway.

This year my mommy got married to my step-dad, Andy. They are both police officers and they work very hard to help good people and protect them from bad people. Mommy even got a new rank at work because she's really good at her job.

But the work they do is dangerous sometimes. Mommy was in an explosion at her work and Andy got hurt when he tried to chase a bad person.

That's why I want my mommy and Andy to be protected from bad things happening to them at work instead of toys this year. I love them a lot and I worry about bad things happening to them.

If it's not too much to ask, I have three more things to ask for. The first one is to see my brother Ricky and my sister Emily more next year. They don't live with me and I miss them all the time.

The second thing is for my brother Rusty. He wants to be a lawyer so I want him to get into law school. I also want the bad man who wants to hurt Rusty to get arrested and go to jail.

The last thing is that I want to keep seeing my daddy as much as I have been. I like doing things with him and I miss him when we don't see each other.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you get to have a vacation after delivering all of the presents on Christmas.

From,

Madeline Raydor

Madeline carefully folded her letter and tucked it into the envelope given to her by Andy earlier that morning. Then she turned it over and addressed it to Santa in her neatest printing.

She stood up and padded out of her room in bare feet. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans, and a white graphic shirt with a picture of a gray cat that said, "All you need is love...and a cat" beside it in black letters. Madeline walked across the hall to Rusty's room. She saw him typing away on the laptop through the open door.

"I finished my letter to Santa," She called through the open doorway.

Rusty turned around to face her, his serious expression turning into a smile, "That's great. Can I read it?"

"It's private," Madeline replied entering the room. She looked up at the cork board full of the stuff related to Stroh as she walked over to him.

"Okay," Rusty said a little surprised. "I won't read it then."

"I did ask Santa if he could make sure that Stroh gets arrested and go to jail," She offered.

"I'm not sure if that's Santa's department, Madeline."

"You're right, it's probably God's. But I figured I would try anyway."

This elicited a small laugh from Rusty in spite of all the stress associated with Stroh.

"Good thinking."

"I think it might be time to leave for Sarah's party," Madeline pointed out, referring to her classmate's birthday party that afternoon.

Rusty checked his phone, "You're right. We do need to leave soon. Why don't you give me the letter and go put your shoes on? Sarah's present is on the dining room table."

"Okay," Madeline said, handing over the letter. Then she left the room to do as Rusty instructed.

For a moment, Rusty considered not reading the letter. But given what Madeline just told him, he was curious to know what else she asked Santa for. He removed the letter from the envelope, unfolded it and began to read it. By the time he reached the end, there was a lump in his throat.

Without saying a word, Rusty set the letter down and took a picture of the text with his phone. Once he was certain that the text in the photo could be read, he folded the letter back up and tucked it in the envelope. Then he took his phone and went into his texts, composing a new group message to Ricky and Emily:

"I think you'll want to read Madeline's letter to Santa," he wrote. "She didn't ask for anything you can put under the tree."

With that, he attached a picture of the letter and pressed send.

"I'm ready," Madeline said from behind him, now wearing black sneakers, her favorite blue bomber jacket and a colorfully wrapped box in one hand.

Rusty stood up and picked up his own jacket and his keys. He turned to Madeline, "Let's go."