Disclaimer: I don't own The Gifted!

A/N: I'm glad people are putting up with this even though Christmas is long gone, lol!

Chapter 6

"Stay still for five seconds, Riles."

Clarice glanced over at John, who was trying to wrangle a wriggly Riley into her winter gear. The kid was so tired she was actually in an energetic mood, so she was making things difficult by moving around and talking to anyone who walked by and trying to practice her Tiny Tim hobble. Clarice had to bite down on a smile as John tried to put Riley's hat on her and missed as she swooped under his arm and toward James, who was standing nearby.

"She's being so silly," Norah said. Unlike Riley, she was sitting on the edge of the stage, coat on and ready to go.

"No kidding," Clarice said, raising an eyebrow as James swiped up Riley and literally tossed her to John. Clarice sucked in a breath but quickly remembered this was just how they were and Riley liked being thrown around like that. She shouldn't be worried, it wasn't as if either of them would ever drop Riley. Still, her eyes followed the seven-year-old as John tossed her into the air twice, making her shriek with giggles.

He caught her and set her on the ground, rapidly plunking her hat down on her head and then holding her in place with his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down, kiddo."

"I can't help it, I gotta run," Riley said, trying to pull away but John had a firm hold on her. She sighed and slumped back against his legs, looking over at Clarice. "Claaarice, make him let go."

Clarice shook her head. "No can do." Not anymore, at least. She had a feeling that Riley sometimes forgot that Clarice and John weren't actually dating anymore. They weren't enemies or anything, they just weren't…things weren't the same. But they had dated some in high school and a year after that, and Riley probably just thought of them that way.

"Are we still going to drive by the lights?" Riley asked, craning her head back to look up at John. "You said maybe we could."

"I said if it wasn't too late, and it's already nine."

"It's like four hours past your bed time," James said, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Ali had already left with one of her other friends, so now he had time to spend with the rest of them. Fancy that.

Riley made a face. "Is not, I don't go to bed that early."

"Aunt Evelyn changed your bedtime," James said, "You go to bed at sunset now."

"Do not!"

"She told me, it's the truth. When the sun goes down, you go to bed, so it's way past your bedtime."

Riley made a wild attempt to push James, but she couldn't get away from John. "She did not tell you that!"

"Did so."

"Not!"

"So."

John sighed. "James…"

"Oh my gosh, you're both acting like preschoolers," Clarice said, rolling her eyes at James, who looked very pleased at aggravating Riley. "I think we could go past the lights on the way home, if that's okay with the driver?" She looked over at John and raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. "I think we could do that if someone would chill out just a little bit." He gently squeezed Riley's shoulders and she made a whiny noise. "Agreed?"

"Yeaaaah," Riley said, raising her shoulders and nodding.

John squeezed her shoulders again and then let her go so she could dash over to Norah. The two of them headed off down the theater aisle toward the back doors, James following after them so they wouldn't get into too much trouble. Clarice stuck her hands in her pockets and looked over at Kurt.

"Hey, we're heading out," she said, interrupting his conversation with one of the other actors, "You've got our numbers, right?"

"I think so, unless you changed them," Kurt said with a grin. "Which wouldn't do without telling me, of course?"

"Of course not," Clarice said, rolling her eyes. The fact that she had somehow kept the same phone number all these years was a bit of a miracle.

"You guys have a good night," Kurt said, giving a little wave, "Don't get into too much trouble."

"Because there's so much trouble to get into in Westchester," Clarice said, "We'll just go climb the water tower or something."

A half-smile darted across John's face as they walked up the aisle side by side, their elbows carefully not brushing. "You still remember that?"

Clarice smirked. "I moved away, I didn't have my memory wiped," she said, hoping it came across more as teasing than snarky. But judging by the quick flash of uncertainty that crossed John's face, it hadn't entirely worked. She quickly backtracked. "It's still one of my favorite memories."

John's eyebrow shot up. "We got arrested."

"But it was worth it."

That got a reluctant laugh out of him. "I had community service for two months!"

"You worked at the wildlife center, it wasn't like you hated it," she said, "Remember that hawk that tried to adopt you?"

"Terrence? Yeah, I think he still lives in the woods around here."

Clarice started pulling on her gloves, getting ready for the explosion of winter outside. There were at least a many old memories they had together, gathered from years spent as friends and then something more. She still remembered way back when she first met him, that shaggy-haired ten-year-old boy who didn't have a bike and always frowned. He had been sitting on his aunt's front porch, having gotten sent outside after breaking a lamp inside. Clarice and Marcos had ridden up on their bikes and Marcos had offered to steal his brother's bike for John and the rest was history.

"Hold on." John reached past her as they stepped up to the door, his fingers resting on the worn wood, keeping it closed. He looked down at her, his brown eyes full of sincerity, his gaze searching hers. "Are you really okay with this?"

"With the lights? Yeah, it's not a problem." She pulled her toboggan on her head and shrugged. "I wanted to see them anyways."

"That's not…no, I meant the play. The parts we have." He shifted, looking uncomfortable, and he sucked a breath in through his teeth. "The whole married thing."

A shiver went down Clarice's spine because once upon a time, this wouldn't have been a big deal. Actually, once upon a time, she would've assumed she would have been married to John Proudstar by this point. But that was her eighteen-year-old self, who hadn't known anything about the world except a tiny town and a little community. And she had been the one to break things off, thinking the distance would be too much, that it was too much when they were both young…

"It's just a play," she said, trying to be nonchalant, "It's not a big deal, right? And we're doing it for the kids."

"Right." John smiled, but she knew it was forced. Had she said something wrong? Had she…was that the wrong thing to say? Sometimes it was so easy to be around him, like no time had passed, and other times the tension was thick and awkward between them.

"Are you okay with it?" she asked.

"Yeah, no, it's fine. Except I'm going to completely ruin it," he said, making a face, "I'm not exactly an actor."

"I think you'll manage." Clarice reached up and grabbed his hood, flipping it up over his head. "Don't want your ears to get cold."

"Thanks," he said, his eyes lingering on hers. After a long moment, he shifted his hand and opened the door for her. She slipped out past him and was instantly grabbed by Riley and Norah. Riley bounced on the balls of her feet while Norah simply tugged Clarice down the path toward the truck.

"We have to go down Carter Street," Norah said, "It's sort of on the way, and they have the best lights this year."

"That's just 'cause our street isn't finished decorating yet," Riley said, "We'll beat 'em."

Clarice shook her head. "I wonder how much money this town shells out in electricity bills this time of year."

"Bazillions of dollars," Riley said in a serious tone, "Like kajillions."

"Wow, that's so much money," Clarice said with a grin.

Behind them, James must have said something that John disagreed with because John grabbed his younger brother and put him in a quick headlock. James was laughing, so it wasn't like it was serious fight. Besides, wrestling was sort of just a thing between them. Clarice had seen Riley try to join in before, and it was cute seeing two powerhouses being super careful yet still trying to make it seem like she was wrestling, too.

James fought back, but John had a good grip on him, and he couldn't get free. They scuffled a little while longer until John dropped James into a bush and caught up with the rest of them.

"So Carter Street," John said as if he hadn't missed a beat, "We could do that."

"And that road with the sleigh? The big one?" Riley grinned, mischief in her brown eyes.

John shook his head. "Just Carter Street." When Riley started to pout, he arched an eyebrow. "You do actually have a bedtime, remember."

She crossed her arms with a huff and marched ahead of the others. "Fine…"

Carter Street wound up being even more over the top than Clarice remembered. She pressed a hand to the window, an incredulous laugh escaping her, as they drove past a yard with an entire Santa Claus vs. Krampus scene out front. "That's just…so extra."

"Right?" James said, rolling his eyes, "Paul is actually proud of it. It's his dad's house, he's the football coach."

"Do the elves have a papier-mâché cannon?" Clarice asked.

"I think it's plastic," John said.

"It's wooden," James said.

Clarice sat back in her seat as they rolled slowly down the street, the girls in the backseat chattering away across James. Some things in Westchester never changed, like the Christmas light displays and knowing that practically everyone in the town knew each other. She looked over at John, who was grinning, the colorful lights casting a glow across his face. Their hands were both on the console but they were carefully not touching. Her favorite stations weren't saved on the radio. She wasn't wearing his jacket and he wasn't wearing her scarf.

Some things stayed the same. Others changed.