Disclaimer: Sometimes I forget, but, yep, I don't own anything.

A/N: HELLO, FANDOM! So, if you haven't heard, I'm crazy and I've challenged myself to do as many Christmas oneshots as I can for this month. I'll be doing a variety of ships, sometimes not even ships, just character-specific, some serious and sweet, others pure crack, canon and even my personal AU. Consider this my Christmas gift to y'all.

Summary: "You know, when my coworker came over to me, saying there was some weird yet moderately attractive pedophile guest creeping on my young, impressionable son, I came running out here, but then I saw you and thought, oh, of course it's just Austin." Austin/Emily (mostly friendship), mentions of Damon/Kaylie


-BB-

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

9

After all these years, Austin has built up a strong, instinctive hatred for snobby rich people parties.

Low romantic lighting, a classically trained pianist at a grand piano, playing soft, soothing music, waiters in white shirts and pink bowties carrying around platters of little bits of food that cost way more than Big Macs, but hardly taste like 'em. The only reason Austin even goes to these things anymore is to keep up appearances and, of course, the booze is free and flowing.

He doesn't even know why he's at this party. Maybe because it's getting closer to Christmas and everything he's ever watched on TV says it makes you the biggest fucking loser if people aren't surrounding you during the holiday season. So instead of sitting home, alone at his little apartment or pouring over paperwork at his very own, locally owned gym, Austin is here, schmoozing with NGO reps. After all these years, he's still playing their games.

As alluring as the open bar is and how the ballroom is decorated like a winter wonderland with iced lights, everything white and crystal and royal blue, Austin is bored out of his mind. He was hoping Sasha and Payson would make an appearance, Nicky and Kelly maybe. Those four always seem to get the room gossiping and that keeps Austin entertained. So far, no shows.

Kaylie and Lauren are around though, which is surprising seeing as they went off to do their own individual things, chased other passions after their last runs at the 2016 Olympics. Lauren brags about making partner at her law firm (God bless the accused innocents in New York City) and she even brags for Kaylie about being engaged. Austin spoke to the two briefly, but has steered clear ever since. Though, as he watches both of them from across the room, Austin smiles. Both have grown up a lot since the old days.

Right before Austin finishes off another glass of champagne, something thuds against his leather shoes. He looks down and finds a little rubber ball in front of him. Austin looks forward and that's when he sees a little guy, maybe seven or eight years old with a lazy sort of expression on his fair face and short, dark hair. He wears a little gray vest with a snowman on it and black pants. Austin has been mingling for maybe an hour now and this is the first time he's seen anyone under sixteen.

Bending down on one knee, Austin picks up the ball and holds it out. "Here you go."

The little boy looks from side to side before he rushes over to Austin and takes back his ball. "Thank you," he says in this adorable, high-pitch squirrely little voice.

"What's your name, bud?"

"Henry."

"Cool," Austin says, figuring he belongs to one of the NGO people or something that couldn't find a babysitter on short notice. "Henry what?"

"Kmetko."

Austin's world spins. He suddenly straightens, towering over the little boy, looking around just as frantically.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," Henry says resolutely. "Who are you?"

"Austin Tucker." His mouth falls open and he slaps his palms against his cheeks like the kid from Home Alone and it makes Austin laugh. Cute. "I take it you've heard of me, huh?"

"You know my momma!" the little boy shouts.

Austin's lips tug in a smile. "I sure did, kid. Once upon a time." He keeps looking around the sea of people, searching for her. Even after all these years, he knows he'd be able to pick her face out of a crowd without a problem. "Is your mom around anywhere?"

"Somewhere," he replies. "She said I have to stay in the kitchen."

"The kitchen?"

"Momma says if her boss finds out she brought me to work with her that's strike two," he says, very seriously. "She should be around here somewhere, wearing her pink bowtie. Her pink bowtie is like Superman's cape. When she puts it on she's gotta go to work, like how Superman saves Metropolis and I have to stay out of trouble."

"Well, if I'm looking out for you, you can't possibly get into trouble, right?" Henry makes a face like he's thinking about it really hard. "They've got some pretty cool Christmas trees over there," Austin says, jutting his head to the right. "And brownies and cookies and fun stuff. Wanna check it out?"

Henry nods his head excitedly and Austin smiles back, just as excited.

They walk side by side and Austin takes him over to the buffet. Henry points to the different desserts and Austin obliges, piling them high on a plate. Once he has enough Christmas cookies and brownies lightly dusted with powder sugar, Austin drags a comfy chair right in front of the Christmas tree so Henry can sit right in the middle of all the action. Austin then pulls up a folding chair so he can sit too.

"So your mom works for Party Down catering?"

"Yup," Henry answers. He picks up a chocolate chip cookie, inspects it and then nearly stuffs the entire thing in his mouth. "And at the Holiday Inn. Once, she brought me with her when she was cleaning a room and I found an iPad! But momma made me turn it into the lost and found. She says it was the right thing to do."

"She's always been a smart one," he says. "So Henry Kmetko, tell me what your favorite Christmas song is."

He shakes his head. "I don't like music."

"You don't like music?" Austin asks skeptically. "Who doesn't like music?"

"My dad loves it too much."

Austin's expression darkens. That makes sense, given that his father is the infamous Damon Young. Curious, Austin leans a bit forward, smiling softly at the fudge smudged all around Henry's little mouth. "You ever see your dad?"

"Sometimes. He came to my birthday party, but not in a long time."

Right, because he's too busy, engaged to Kaylie Cruz and all.

"Aww, that doesn't mean you don't have a favorite Christmas song. C'mon, kid. Everyone has a favorite Christmas song."

Again with the deep, contemplative expression, the kid is a thinker. "Rudolph."

Austin smirks. "Me too."

They talk a bit more and bounce the ball around and Austin even gets the pianist to try his hand at playing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The entire time, Henry looks up at him with his big brown eyes (that he so obviously got from Emily) like Austin Tucker literally is Superman. Though a few colleagues come over to make small talk, Austin spends most of the party hanging out with Henry. When the kid starts to doze off in the comfy chair, Austin takes off his jacket and drapes it over him and lets him sleep.

"Can't you ever make friends with people your own age?" Lauren Tanner teases with a hand propped up on his hip.

"What can I say? The kid can hold up a conversation better than most of the others in this room," Austin says. He takes a look around and sees that the number of guests is starting to dwindle.

"That's because Austin prefers talking about super heroes and make-believe and not have real, adult conversations," Kaylie adds, coming up beside her blonde friend.

"You bet," Austin says, exaggerating the enthusiasm in his voice. "You two about to take off?"

"Just about," Kaylie says. "It was nice seeing you again, Austin."

"You too. Tell your boy I said Merry Christmas," Austin says, standing and kissing her cheek. He then sets his eyes on Lauren and smirks. "And, you, tell all your single lady friends, I said—"

"Eww. One of these days, Tucker, you're going to have to grow up," Lauren snaps.

He chuckles. "Not if I can help it."

They finish their goodbyes and Austin sits back in his seat, fiddling with his phone, waiting for his old friend to come looking for her young son.

"You know, when my coworker came over to me, saying there was some weird yet moderately attractive pedophile guest creeping on my young, impressionable son, I came running out here, but then I saw you and thought, oh, of course it's just Austin."

He'd know that sweet, soft-spoken voice anywhere. Austin stands from his seat and greets the young lady standing in professional white button-down and black slacks with the signature pink bowties of the catering company. Her hair is short, cropped, with bangs pushed to one side and even after all these years and having an actual child, she's still so Emily. Austin doesn't hesitate to stand and give her a hello hug.

"Hey, Em, you look great," he says. "Long time no see."

"Really, really long." She does this thing, sort of nuzzles her face against his shoulder and the hug somehow turns into him kind of cradling her. When they pull away, she smiles, a little coy, and Austin can't believe she's here. "I guess I shouldn't even bother telling you that you look great."

"Great, huh? You better tell that to your coworker, who apparently thinks I'm only moderately attractive. Moderately attractive. What is that?" he says jokingly. "Hey, you just missed the other girls. Did you say hi?"

"Um, I saw them, but I did just the opposite, actually. Dodged them," she says shamefully. "You get pretty good at it after a while. I just…couldn't."

"Em…"

"Do you mind keeping an eye on him for a little while longer?" Emily asks, motioning to her soundly sleeping son. "I just need to finish up, cleaning and packing, then I'm free to go."

"Sure thing," Austin says. "Don't worry. I'll keep the other weird, guarantee less attractive pedophile guests away from him." She starts to walk away, when he calls to her and she looks to him form over her shoulder. "And Em, I really do mean it. You look great."

She smiles weakly and continues on her way. While Emily finishes work for the night, Austin thinks about the last time he saw her. It was the last time she was back in Boulder, years ago, when Henry was only a baby. She was back in town to visit her mom and wish the girls luck before they went off to the Olympics in 2012. He barely got a moment alone with her then and remembers how much he wished he had.

A little while later, when Emily comes back, she gives Austin his coat back and tries to wake Henry to put his little, puffy coat back on him. The little boy just mumbles grouchily and rubs at his eyes and Emily gives up, resorting to scooping Henry up into her arms, pulling the coat around him to shield him from the cold outside. She starts to walk away and Austin follows through the kitchen and out the back to the parking area.

"So, have you eaten yet? I know this twenty-four hour diner—"

"Actually, I'm exhausted and I should probably get this little guy to bed," Emily says as she carefully sets Henry down in the backseat and bundles him up. "Thanks for the offer though, Austin. Don't worry. We have leftovers galore."

"I wasn't thinking eating would be the only thing we'd do. I thought we could catch up. Damn, Emily, I haven't seen you in forever…"

"I'm really sorry, Aus, but I can't. I should go."

He frowns, afraid his natural charm is about to fail him. "You can't spare me five minutes to talk?"

Emily closes the door to the backseat and stares over at Austin. He can see where Henry gets his pensive stare. "Okay, but just five minutes."

She gets into her car to turn on the heater and Austin gets into the passenger seat. It's awkward at first, but Austin's always been a natural at conversation and he gets her to open up just as easily as he did when they were sitting together at the Denver exhibition, without their dance partners, but together. They end up talking longer than five minutes, but she can't regret it. He knows this by the way he gets her smile.

"Austin, I really should go. It's late."

"Okay," he says, sounding a little disappointed. "One question though, why do I feel like I'm going to give you my number and say I want to hang out some time and you're going to agree, but then when I get out of the car I'm never going to hear from you ever again?"

Emily sighs miserably and leans against the steering wheel of her little, secondhand car. "Because it's probably the reality of the situation. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but I also know you, Austin. You think I need saving and you want to try to save me, but I'm fine. I've been doing fine on my own ever since I left Boulder."

"Clearly. Just look at your kid." Austin glances over his shoulder to see little Henry fast asleep. "I talked to him for a bit. He's smart and healthy. You did good, Em." Austin reaches out and touches her shoulder. "And for your information I'm not going to try to save you. I just want to get reacquainted and if I get to know Henry in the process then that's cool too."

"Damon said the same thing," Emily says, sounding pained. "And now I have to figure out how to tell Henry that daddy isn't going to make it to Christmas dinner."

"It's Damon's loss. Don't punish me for it," he says. "Come on. We used to be friends, Emily."

"Yeah, use to."

She's afraid of empty promises and even worse, broken ones, and that's something Austin understands and respects. He sees her cell phone sitting between them and takes it, programming his number into it. "Okay then, no pressure," he says, handing it back to her. "I'd just rather spend my Christmas with an old friend and maybe a new one, just hanging out, not at another snotty party like this one."

He pulls on the latch of the car door, but before he leaves, Austin turns back and places his hand over Emily's, giving it a squeeze. "Tell Henry I said goodbye. I had fun."

Austin likes to think h played that right, but gets a little nervous when it gets closer and closer to Christmas and he doesn't hear from her. The day before, he finally gets a call from Emily, saying she has Christmas day off and proposes they order from whatever place is open. Austin says he has a Wii that Henry might get a kick out of so they end up at his place, watching the little guy jump around excitedly as Emily tells Austin about the hundred other jobs she's taken over the year just to make sure her kid is fed and that he had gifts to open this Christmas. Austin admires her strength and tells her about his new desire to close his gym and become a stunt man.

And when hanging out with Emily and Henry becomes a regular thing, Austin has snobby rich people Christmas parties to thank for why he can't quit grinning.


A/N: Wow, it's been a while since I wrote these two. I have mad respect for single parents who haul ass just to make sure their children are taken care of and have a childhood. I hope you liked it! Merry Christmas, everyone! :) Tell me your thoughts.

Review!

Xoxo