Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: Hello everyone! How are you guys? Hope you all are doing well and your holidays are going well! Hope you've almost finished your Christmas shopping, we still haven't over and that's why I really hope you guys have finished and not going through this crazy last minute shopping like me and my family are lol Back to the fic though! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! All of your wonderful words really made my day and warmed me up in the cold weather. Christmas sugar cookies for each of you! So happy that you all are enjoying it! Had some doubts at first but thanks to you all they're all gone! Here's the next chapter and like I said they won't be very long chapters, but I figure it works better this way, you can read them easier in just about one sitting. Anywoo I need to get ready to go the mall-AGAIN- so I cute this short! Hope you like and please review if you can! Enjoy!


Point Place's Mall had fully decked out their boughs of holly and donned their apparel. And then some.

There were long strands of garlands hanging from the ceilings and just about on every wall. Strands of lights were founds shinning from the garland as large shinny ornaments ranging from the traditional silver and gold to the wilder colors of purple and pink dangling down from them. The walls that weren't decorated with garlands had Christmas wreaths hanging on them; the wreaths seeming to get larger and larger. Paper cut-outs of the various Christmas characters could also be seen taped up against most of the shopping windows and their theme songs along with other Christmas melodies could be heard playing in nearby speakers.

And of course the big Christmas tree in the middle of the shopping center, which was so elegantly decorated you knew that was the one section of the mall that was decorated by a professional. Thought that was most probably because the giant tree was also part of Santa's Workshop where dozens and dozens of the little kids were lined up eagerly awaiting their turn to sit on the jolly man's lap and reveal what they wished fro most this Christmas.

All of it put together made such a beautiful sight. It would have filled any Grinch with the Christmas Spirit.

However it was all overlooked by Eric as he concentrated on something he wasn't use to seeing in Point Place's Mall. People. And not just people, but people and people and people on top of more people. People of different ages, some young and some old. Some yelling and screaming, some looking like they had a bad cold. Eric was sure if The Grinch had seen this part of Christmas he would have let that sleigh fall off that cliff.

With a horrified look on his face Eric turned to a grinning Jackie, "On second thought, I like not having shoulders. I can go through doors a lot easier. Come on let's go…"

Before he could even fully turn himself around to face the doors they had just entered through Jackie grabbed his upper arm to bring him to a halt.

"What about your pretzel?" she asked, knowing that reminder would keep him in the mall for a good hour or two.

"The mall does have the best pretzels." Eric said with a sigh after taking a few seconds to think over his reply; he hadn't wanted to say he didn't want the pretzel any more or that it was just a pretzels, but he couldn't. The mall pretzels were really good. Jackie nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we'll get your pretzels in a while. First things first." Jackie began to say, her tone going from nice and casual to one that was more firm and sounding as if she were on an important mission. She looked up at Eric, her eyes looking into his with a determined glare. "What is Steven getting me for Christmas?"

"What? Why would I know? I don't know" Eric asked with a puzzled frown.

The way he'd quickly changed his response, and even answering the question with another question and then answering his own question was not at all lost on Jackie. She grinned happily knowing the true meaning behind Eric's words.

"Yes, you do." She stated in a tone that sounded like she was almost singing.

Eric stared back and shook his head, "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No. I don't."

"Yes. You do."

"Fine." Eric said with a frustrated sigh, "If I say yes I do will that end the conversation and mean we can go get my pretzel?"

Jackie shook her head, "No, because then you would have to tell me what it is that Steven bought me. You can't just say you know what it is and then walk away." She said in a 'how do you not know this' type of voice.

"Jackie, I'm not telling you what Hyde is getting you for Christmas." He said trying to sound and look as serious as he could.

A smile sprung back up onto Jackie's face and she pointed her finger at Eric, "So then you do know what he's getting me!"

The seriousness that Eric had tried his best to keep in tact faded away as his eyes widened slightly with shock when he realized he had been tricked, "What? No. No. I meant whether I knew—which I don't—or not what Hyde was getting you I wouldn't tell you." He attempted to save himself and even change the subject of conversation a little, "Why do you want to know so badly anyway?"

"So I can make sure that my gift to him is better than the gift he gives to me." Jackie flat-out explained.

Though it didn't clear up much of Eric's confusion, "Why?"

Jackie gave a quick roll of her eyes, "Because that's what gift giving is all about."

"I'm sorry, but…what?" Eric practically screeched out his facial expression showing much confusion and even more shock.

"Yeah." The brunette nodded, "And this way if I buy Steven a better present then he'll feel so guilty about what he bought me and one of two things will happen, either A. He'll go out and buy me a really expensive gift that better than his or B. He'll be wrapped around my finger for the net few weeks and I can get him to do whatever I want him to do. Personally I'm hoping for B."

Eric looked back at Jackie; rapidly blinking his eyes wondering if the shallow explanation had really been what he'd heard her say—then again this was Jackie so it was more than likely that he had. His mind struggled to accept the idea and his mouth struggled to find words to argue against it.

"Jackie…I…that's… it's…No!" he exclaimed earning him a scowl from Jackie and a few fellow shoppers passing by. "That's not gift giving is about. At all. It's about giving not receive. Not out doing each other."

"Well at least this explains why all the gifts you give usually stink." She fired while crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're supposed to buy great gifts because you want buy great gifts." Eric went on, ignoring the previous statement from the midget brunette, "You buy them because it's something someone really, really wants. Or because you love them and what to show them just how much. You might even just buy a great gift because it had a really great sale price. But you don't buy great gifts to get better fits later or to wrap people around your finger."

"Yeah, maybe you don't Linus but the rest of the world does."

Jackie then began to walk off ahead to get a start on their shopping leaving Eric standing in his spot with a slightly perplexed look on his face.

"Linus?" he repeated not being use to being called this Peanut character; he shrugged and then decided to catch up with the strolling brunette a few feet away from him. "Well at least he can kick a football."

Turning her head to see over her shoulder, Jackie looked Eric up and down, "Yeah, but you look a lot more like Charlie Brown."

While Jackie continued on her merry way, the words stopped Eric right in his tracks. His green eyes became large with fear, he had heard before from his friends that he was similar to Charlie Brown in many ways but appearance had never been one. As his heartbeat quicken, his hands swiftly flew up to the top of his head in search of even the smallest bald spot. He even began to search around for a mirror or any shinny object that would show him his reflection but he immediately stopped his actions all together when he heard Jackie's laughter of amusement.

"That's not funny." He declared angrily, stomping at a quick pace to catch up with the giggling young woman, "You've seen my dad!"

0o0o0o

"My stomach hurts." Eric groaned in a very unhappy tone as he dragged himself and his many shopping bags through the crowded mall.

"I told you not to eat that pretzel so fast." Reminded Jackie, who was a few happier steps ahead of Eric.

Though Eric wasn't feeling too well—the crowds doing nothing to help—he didn't feel so terrible that he couldn't argue a little bit."My stomach doesn't hurt because I ate the pretzel fast, it's because I didn't have anything to drink it with. Told you should've bought a soda."

"And I told you I would buy you a pretzel not a meal." Jackie pointed out, never looking back at Eric and instead focusing on the windows of the many stores.

"Yeeaahh, we have to go over what you think a meal is again."

Jackie let the comment slide and be forgotten as something new and shinny, sparkling in the department store window grabbed a hold of her attention; it was practically calling her name, she has to have it! "Oo let's go in here!"

She reached behind her and grasped Eric's arm with her small hand before pulling him towards the entrance of one of the larger stores in Point Place's mall. Eric hated the idea of entering another swarming shop that made a can of sardines look roomy and when he looked up at the ceiling, praying fro strength, he caught the name of the store and he began to loathe the idea even more!

"Jackie…" he whimpered as if that would stop her, "We were just in this store not even an hour ago."

"I know." Jackie replied yet never stopped her feet from leading them into the shop, instead she just smiled brightly and spoke with even more excitement from before, "But that was an hour ago. They might have brought out some new stuff by now!"

After giving her explanation Jackie made her way into the store without another thought, Eric on the other hand didn't move as quickly. The young college student remained at the entrance scanning his eyes over the growing crowds and wondering if maybe it would be wise to just wait out here for Jackie. Probably not. She got mad when he tried to go to the restroom without telling her.

What had he gotten himself into? He asked mentally asked himself. Why had he agreed to come shopping? Why had agreed to come shopping with Jackie? Maybe he should have just stayed at home and let Red shove his foot up his…no, no this shopping trip was bad but it wasn't that bad.

Taking a deep breath Eric, decided to just go in and hope that Jackie would realize it was pointless coming back into a store that they—well technically she—had already looked through and bought stuff from. Letting out the breath of air slowly and tightening his grip on the shopping bags in his hands, Eric stepped into the busy department store. His first thought was to rush through the mob of shoppers and make his way to Jackie as quick as he possibly could. She was short and so was pretty easy to lose in the crowd; then that of course would lead to spending even more unnecessary time in this store.

However, Eric rush through plan did have a few loopholes and obstacles. Like the shopping bags in his hands along with other shoppers and their own bags. Eric couldn't have 'run' more than two feet when he knocked into a slightly older man, he apologized and then stepped back but that had lead him to bump into one of the store workers. Once a quick apology had been made Eric turned to the opening he spotted in the crowd, he hurried towards it, even once bumping into another woman with several shopping bags that had somehow managed to get tangled with his own….well Jackie's bags…he was almost at the gap, he could see the light! Then suddenly just before he could reach it a young mother pushed her baby's stroller up, blocking the clear exit.

It took a few more minutes and a lot more mumbled apologies before Eric finally managed to escape and meet up with Jackie who was contently looking at the display of holiday jewelry.

Looking disheveled, Eric cleared his throat as he turned to Jackie, "Ok, um Jackie. Explain to me again why I am holding your shopping bags."

"Because I asked you to hold them when I was tying my shoe, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Eric nodded but as he looked down he caught a glimpse of Jackie's shoes and his head snapped right back up, "Jackie! You're…you're wearing boots! Boots that don't even have laces!"

"I know that." the young woman answered Zenly before letting a smile break out onto her lips, "But you didn't."

Too exhausted to argue Eric slumped his shoulders and voiced another thought that had entered his head, "You know, shopping with you last time was a lot more fun than it is now. Because…well actually for a lot of reasons but most because I didn't have to carry your bags.'

"Well of course you didn't carry my bags back then, you were huffing and puffing carrying my purse alone." Jackie said casually as she examined a charm bracelet with different Christmas charms and mini-jingling bells. "That was before you went to Africa and bulked up."

Both of Eric's brows raised up a few inches at the words and he tried to contain a smug smirk, "You think, you think I bulked up?"

"Yeah." Jackie nodded, without a fight.

There was no hiding Eric's proud smile now and this time he even began to examine his arms that no longer resembled twigs off a tree branch; he opened his mouth the respond to Jackie's statement but apparently she wasn't done.

"It's a good thing too." she added casually, "We were beginning to wonder who would carry who over the threshold if you and Donna ever started talking marriage again. It wasn't looking to good for you."


Author's Note: And that my friends is Chapter 2 of 'Tis the Season to Go Shopping' Hope you liked!

Some of these things have actually happened to me when I've gone shopping. The carrying someone else bags while they 'tie' their shoe happens to me ALL the time lol

Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, remember only 8 more days Christmas, and have a nice day!