December 2, 2025
"Mama, when Alexis gettin' here?" Avery asks as she follows her mother around the bedroom.
"She said she's picking you up from school, Ave." Kate replies as she selects a blouse from her closet and moves toward the bathroom. Avery goes to follow her inside, but before she can, Kate turns around and stops her.
"Nu uh. I am getting in the shower. And you need to go get dressed so that you can actually go to school. So go. Put clothes on, brush your hair, eat breakfast. You'll see Alexis today after school, I promise."
Avery sighs but nods. "You gon be here when 'm done gettin' dressed?"
Kate smiles as she leans down to her daughter's height. "Yes, Baby Girl. I will still be here after you get dressed. But if we both don't hurry up we're gonna be late, and that's not any fun."
Avery nods and gives her mother a hug before she turns and quickly runs out of her parents' bedroom and up the stairs to her own bedroom where her favorite dress and leggings are waiting for her on her bed.
When the bell announcing that the school day is finally done, Avery in first in line to be released, and she runs to Evan when she spots him waiting for her at the playground.
"Is Alexis here yet?" She burst out before she's stopped running.
Evan laughs and pulls her in for a hug. "Nice to see you too, Avery. I had a good day, got all my spelling words right. What about you?"
Avery sighs and shrugs out of her brother's hold. "It wasn' fast enough. Is she here yet?"
"I think I saw red hair over there." Evan points and begins to lead his little sister there. "Why are you so eager to see her anyway? We saw her three days ago and we'll see her a bunch soon."
"You'll see." Avery responds before she takes off running toward her older sister. When Evan catches up with her, Avery is already perched on Alexis' hip and talking a mile a minute.
"Hey, Ev. You guys ready to go?" Alexis asks as she moves toward her car.
"Yup. Can you ask her why she's so excited to see you? Hasn't said anything else all day."
Before Alexis can respond, Avery butts in eagerly. "Alexis, do ya know how to make deer ornments?"
"Deer?" Alexis asks as she loads her sister into the back seat and buckles her into the booster seat. Evan shakes his head at Alexis when she looks to him for clarification, and moves to the other side of the car and slides in.
"Ya. With the canes and stuff. Daddy says you maked him one. But it's gross now."
"Candy canes." Evan says. "She wants to make reindeer out of candy canes."
Alexis laughs. "Alright, that we can do. We'll have to stop somewhere to get supplies, but it won't be too difficult to make them."
"Yay!" Avery claps her hands as Alexis shuts the car door and moves to slide into the driver's seat. Alexis starts the car and pulls out of the school's parking lot, and points the car toward a nearby store while her siblings fill her in on their day.
"How we make the deers, Lex?" Avery asks as she bounces in her seat at the table.
Alexis laughs as she takes the plastic wrapping off the box of candy canes and pulls one out.
"Evan, are you sure you don't want to join us?" She calls to her brother who's reading on the couch. "It'll be fun."
"No thanks." Evan responds without taking his eyes off his book.
Alexis shrugs and turns back to Avery who's watching her with rapt attention. "Alright. It's not very difficult, Avery. You take your candy cane, and a piece of brown pipe cleaner, and wrap the pipe cleaner around the bend of the candy cane, and viola! You have antlers for your reindeer.
"He needs eyeballs." Avery points out. "And a nose."
Alexis laughs again and nudges her sister's shoulder. "I know, silly. The eyes and nose come next. We have googly eyes and little red balls for the nose."
Alexis takes two eyes and carefully glues them on the candy cane followed by the red ball. When she's finished she turns the reindeer around for Avery to inspect.
"Done."
Avery takes it gently from Alexis' hand and inspects it carefully. "He cute." Avery decides as she places it down on the table. "My turn?"
Alexis nods and Avery sets about making her own reindeer. "Does his antlers hafta be brown? That's boring."
"He can have whatever color antlers you want to give him." Alexis reminds her. "Well, so long as we have that color pipe cleaner."
"Purple." Avery states. "He gon have purple antlers."
Alexis smiles as she reaches over to the bag of pipe cleaners and takes out a purple one and cuts it into antler sized pieces.
"Lex?" Avery asks as she carefully winds the pipe cleaner around her candy cane.
"Yeah, Avery?"
"You gon be here for Christmas?"
"Of course!" Alexis says. "I wouldn't miss Christmas with you guys for anything."
"Ben gon come too?" She asks shyly.
"Is he my boyfriend or yours?" Alexis teases. "Yes, he'll come too. Just like last year."
Avery blushes and concentrates on sticking the eyes and nose on her candy cane.
"Can I make him a deer too?" She whispers.
"I think he'd like that very much, Avery."
"Yeah?" Avery breathes, her smile growing as she looks up at her big sister.
Alexis nods and holds out another candy cane. "You can give it to him when you see him next."
Avery nods excitedly and pulls out a blue pipe cleaner. "You cut this please?"
Alexis takes the pipe cleaner from her sister and cuts off a piece for the antlers and hands it back.
When it becomes clear that Avery is in her own world creating multiple reindeer, Alexis grabs some tissue paper and pipe cleaners and begins twisting them together. When she finishes the flower she looks to her siblings to make sure that they're content to continue their own things and continues making flowers. When she gets the sixth one finished, she hears a key scraping into the front door and then Castle is pushing the door open and calling out to his kids.
"Children, I have returned! And I come bearing food!"
Avery sets her most recently completed reindeer on the table and scrambles down from the chair and runs to her father with her brother hot on her heels. Avery launches herself into Castle's arms as Evan takes the bag of chinese food from him and carries it into the kitchen.
"Hello, Bug. Did you have a good day?"
Avery nods excitedly. "Lex helped me make deer!"
"Did you thank her?"
"'Course, Daddy. That's good manners." Avery says as she drags him to the table by his hand. "For you!"
There are at least 12 candy cane reindeer on the table with different colored antlers.
"Are all of those for me?" He asks as he reaches out to touch one with yellow antlers.
"Don't be silly, Daddy." Avery says with an eye roll. "This one for Gram, this for Lanie, this for Espo, this for Ryan, this for Jenny." Avery moves each reindeer as she names the recipient. "These guys for Lex and Ben. This Evan's." She picks up two reindeer twined together and holds it up. "This is you and Mama!"
Castle takes it gently and looks at it. One of the reindeer has hot pink antlers and the other has white ones, and they're connected by a gray pipe cleaner around their necks.
"They're lovely, Avery. Thank you."
"Welcome, Daddy. Put it on the tree!"
"After dinner. You can help me find a perfect spot for them."
Avery nods and claps her hands. "Yes!"
Castle scoops her up and kisses her on the cheek, smiling when she winds her arms around his neck.
"Did they behave?" He asks Alexis once he's set Avery back in her seat and helped Evan bring all the food and plates in from the kitchen.
"Of course, Dad." Alexis says with a smile as she hugs Evan in thanks. "They were great."
"I see Avery wasn't the only one crafting." Castle says as he looks at the flowers on the table.
"I just felt like doing something." She explains. "I was thinking I could put them in a vase? A bouquet that's impossible to kill."
Castle nods as he chews. "That would be nice, Pumpkin." He says once he's swallowed.
They finish the rest of their meal while Avery and Evan fill Castle in on their days, and once the leftovers have been put away and the craft supplies have been cleaned up and the candy cane reindeer have been placed carefully in the tree, Alexis heads for the front door and dons her jacket.
"I'm heading out. Ben's on his way home."
Castle hugs her tightly and nods. "Thanks for keeping an eye on them."
"I love them. You know that."
"We love you too, Lex!" Avery exclaims as she rushes toward her sister and hugs her tightly. "You're my favorite sister ever!"
Alexis laughs and kisses Avery's cheek. "I'm your only sister, Goober."
"You're my favorite sister too." Evan whispers loud enough for Avery to hear and give him a glare.
"You're my favorite brother, Evan." Alexis says with a smile as she hugs him goodnight. "I'll see you crazies tomorrow."
After another round of hugs, Alexis is out the door and walking toward the elevator. Avery turns to go up to her room when Evan stops her and tugs her in for a hug. "You're my girl, Ave." He says softly, relaxing when she hugs him back. "I love you lots."
Avery gives him a smile and nods. "I love you too, Evan."
Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support!