All I Want For Christmas
Okay, I think this is the shortest chapter yet. I had some stuff to put up and felt like updating; sowwy. I think the next one will be longer. Would you believe I thought this story would be, in total, about half the length it is so far? This is what happens when I write. :P
There was no Plan D; that was the problem. Beth would have to wing it. And she'd have to do so with Gosalyn around, like it or not. On the plus side, Gosalyn was something of a distraction.
"I'M HOO-OOME!" The ten-year-old burst through the door and tossed her bookbag into the corner near the closet. She came to a halt midway through the room, apparently torn between examining the Christmas tree and settling down in front of the TV.
"Hey, sweetie. What's the homework look like tonight?" Drake asked from the couch.
Gosalyn turned to him with an offended expression. "Dad! There's only one more day of school before vacation, and you're thinking about homework?" She rolled her eyes.
"Translation: got it in every class, huh?" She screwed up her face and didn't answer. Drake nodded towards her bookbag and grinned. "Guess you better get down to it then."
"Oh, come on!"
"What?" Drake looked innocent. "There's only one more day of school before vacation, so you've got that to look forward to."
Beth turned on the couch to face Gosalyn. "Hey, I can help you with anything you need. Um, except I have to leave really soon to go shopping, but..."
Gosalyn blinked. "Oh, hey Beth. You're here again." Beth drew her brows together; it seemed like she'd heard that a lot today. "Nah, I'm okay. There's nothing I can't handle. But do I have to start it right now?"
Drake thought for a second, then shook his head. "I guess as long as you start it by five o'clock."
"I will!" She turned back to the tree and rubbed her hands together, cackling. "Keen gear! The swag!"
"The what?" asked Beth.
Gosalyn looked back at her over her shoulder. "The swag. You know, the loot! The booty! The -"
"Okay, I get it." Beth had to laugh; she'd never heard a little girl use the term "swag" before.
"The goods?" suggested Launchpad.
"Yeah! The chattel!" said Gosalyn.
Drake snorted. "And yet, she gets Cs on her vocabulary quizzes."
Beth laughed again. "You know, though, 'swag' actually means stolen goods."
Drake paused, then sat up straight. "Hey!"
Gosalyn gave a good impression of a sweet and innocent girl. "Whaaaat? I certainly can't vouch for how these gifts were obtained!"
"Okay, THAT'S it," said Drake in mock ire, getting to his feet and stalking towards Gosalyn. "Nobody accuses Darkwing Duck of petty theft, especially not his own daughter!"
"I dunno if I'd call that pile 'petty', DW," Launchpad put in.
Beth said, "I guess if you're worried these gifts aren't on the level, Gos, Drake can always take them all back."
"Hey! That's playing dirty!" Gosalyn looked offended.
Drake tousled Gosalyn's hair affectionately. "Better get your homework done tonight or else Beth's idea is less of a joke than you think."
"I know, I know," said Gosalyn, pushing his hand away half-heartedly. She flopped herself onto the couch, next to Launchpad, and grabbed for the remote control.
Beth shot a look at Drake, who was managing to look at Gosalyn with a combination of affection and exasperation. She loved watching him be a father; it was so wonderful to find a man like Drake, smart and active and also good with children. She checked her watch, then sighed and stood up to talk to Drake. "Hey. Um, thanks for letting me hang out here today," she said. Behind her, Launchpad and Gosalyn were talking in low voices and it was blending with the TV into a low buzz.
"Don't mention it," said Drake with a wave of his hand. "I mean, we are neighbours now, so you might as well come over." He paused. "All the time."
"I don't have to," she said, her throat going a little tight. Despite the conversation she'd had earlier with Launchpad, and the way the day had progressed, the fear of wearing out her welcome wouldn't go away. "If I stay too long just tell me-"
"Beth, you know how sometimes you ask me something, and I answer? Maaaaybe you should just believe it and stop talking," he said, his voice cheery enough. Beth laughed briefly, nervously. "So! You're on your way out? I can't interest you in any parting eggnog?" Apparently the subject was closed.
"Oh, I don't like eggnog," Beth said hastily, hoping it didn't come back to bite her this time.
"Cocoa, then. We have a ton of it."
"Oh!" Gosalyn spun around in her seat on the couch, bouncing to her knees to peer at him. "Can I have some?"
"Sure."
She looked hopeful. "The peppermint kind?"
"Me too, DW!" Launchpad said, half-turning and raising his hand.
"If we have any left. I'll have to check. Beth?" He started for the kitchen.
"Well..." She hesitated. "If you're going to be making some anyway..." Which was stupid, because he obviously was. He didn't point that out, however (for once), and just nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Beth stuck her hands in her pockets and immediately pulled them out again as her right hand struck the mistletoe. Last chance! She couldn't let it pass her by, she just COULDN'T, not after the whole day of trying.
It occured to her that over the kitchen door was probably the best place to hang the mistletoe. She'd be sure to catch him when he came back out! She whipped out the tape and tore off the right-sized piece, then ran for the doorway. She had it firmly hung up within fifteen seconds, and then stood and waited for a much longer time.
"Umm, Beth?" asked Gosalyn, beckoning her from near the tree. Beth felt a moment of distress at the idea of leaving her post, but after a brief hesitation, she made her way over to where Gosalyn was standing. The ten-year-old threw a glance over to Launchpad, who was still on the couch, to be sure he wasn't listening. Then in a low voice, she said, "You're waiting for Dad to come out of the kitchen?"
Beth looked a little sheepish. "Is it that obvious?"
"Heck, yeah."
Beth felt herself blushing. "Well... how else am I going to go about this? This is a gift I deserve, dang it!"
Gosalyn made a face. "Okay, why does everyone think it's okay to tell me stuff like that? This is my DAD you're talking about."
"Sorry." She felt chagrined; sometimes it seemed easy to forget that Gosalyn was just a kid, and Beth found herself speaking to her as an equal. "I just... What do you mean, 'everyone'?"
"Oh, you know," said Gosalyn, her casual manner almost exaggerated, "just you, but if there were anyone else, they'd probably think so too, so everyone."
"Uh...huh." Apparently that made sense to the ten-year-old mind. Beth couldn't wrap her mind around it, but she didn't really have to. "That's fair. How about this: You don't tell your Dad about the mistletoe, and I won't mention wanting to kiss him anymore."
"You'd BETTER not," said Gosalyn, grimacing. "I've had more than enough of that mental image."
"Not me," said Beth, and grinned when Gosalyn groaned and covered her ears. That had been too easy; Gos had just walked into it, and Beth couldn't resist. She turned to get back to the door before Drake came out, but she missed it by that much. He strode on out with a platter of mugs of cocoa, and didn't even notice the mistletoe.
"Oh, dogGONE it!" she whispered fiercely.
Gosalyn looked sympathetic, but relieved. "Sorry," she said quietly, and made her way to the cocoa.
Beth meandered over to the kitchen doorway and yanked the mistletoe down while Drake was still distracted. In a way, she was glad he hadn't seen it on his way out. At least he wouldn't comment on what a silly place it was for the stuff.
She was tempted to stay and try again - it was so frustrating to give up after trying so hard all day long!! But she really couldn't stay any longer, so there was no point in leaving it up. There's always tomorrow, she told herself, trying not to feel like defeat was crushing her chest. If she couldn't manage it all day long today, she probably wouldn't manage it in the few hours she'd be here tomorrow night; but if she told herself often enough that she could do it, there was always the chance that she would.
The cocoa was delicious, but it burned her tongue a little.
"Attention, mall shoppers. The time is now 11:55 pm, and our stores are about to close. Please, have a lovely evening and a happy holiday!"
Beth hated the voice on that intercom. She was sitting, exhausted, on a fixture in the center of the mall with her head hanging down towards her lap. Nothing. She hadn't been able to find a thing for Drake.
At least she'd finished her shopping for everyone else... But... Drake's gift was the most important one, and she just couldn't FIND it!
She was so tired that the whole ordeal had her near tears. There was nothing else for it; she'd have to come back the next day, as early as possible. She wasn't due over at the Mallard's until 5 pm; they'd said "any time", but she couldn't be too late for dinner or else she'd hold them up, and even though she doubted they ate at 5 pm sharp she still didn't want to take the chance.
Still, if she was going to spend as much time at the mall tomorrow as she had today, she'd need a heck of a head start. Rubbing her eyes, Beth stood and headed unsteadily for the doors, hoping a cab was nearby. It was late, and she didn't want to bother with the bus. At least she could fall asleep a bit on the ride home; she didn't feel like she could keep her eyes open much longer if she tried.
On the ride home, she dreamed of Drake's face when he opened her gift. His expression was full of surprise and delight, and - yes - something more; but try as she might, she couldn't see what the gift was that had made him feel that way.
The light looked wrong when Beth woke up the next morning. She fumbled for the clock, squinting as she pulled it close enough to see, and nearly dropped it when it came into focus.
"11:42?! I overslept!" she yelped, scrambling out of bed and making a dash for the shower.
By the time she emerged, she felt a bit better, a bit less rushed. Sure, she'd have to rearrange her day a little bit because of the late start, but it wasn't as if anything was set in stone. She was lucky that she worked from home, so it was impossible for her to be late for that; all she was really late for was her supposed "early start" in finishing her shopping. And, she had to admit, she felt much better after getting a full night's sleep.
She should call Drake though, just to let him and the others know that she might be a little bit late that evening. As always, her heartbeat sped up as she dialed - one of these days, she'd be able to face the possibility of talking to Drake without breaking into a sweat - but she ignored it in light of the great day she'd spent with him yesterday.
Her throat froze up on her when the phone was picked up, but opened up immediately when the person answering spoke. "Yello?"
"Launchpad!" In sharp contrast to speaking with Drake, she found speaking to Launchpad to be incredibly easy. "It's Beth!"
"Hey! You're still comin' for dinner, right?"
She grinned. "Of course! No, I'm just calling to let you guys know I might be a little late. I've gotten a late start on finishing up my shopping and I'm just about to leave now."
"Sure, I'll let DW know. Don't think it'll be a problem. Hey, you want company?"
"I would love it," she said earnestly. Launchpad was Drake's best friend; if anyone could give her feedback on gift ideas, it was him. And, she had to admit, she did enjoy just being around him. There had been very few people in her life who put her so at ease. He was practically the only person she'd ever known who seemed genuinely willing to listen to her talk, no matter what she was talking about.
"Great!" he said happily. "C'mon over and we'll drive out to the mall."