Eleven Pipers Piping:
We interrupt this broadcast to bring you the secret Santa's point of view
He rubs his hands together to get rid of the cold and checks for the hundredth time if everything is in place. It is. He sighs and checks again. This is it, the biggest gift yet and he's more nervous than ever. She'll be coming soon and he wants to make sure everything is just right. It occurs to him that this may be a bit much, but he's consulted his brother who assures him that this is so romantic. Well, he knows it is that's why he's come up with the whole twelve days of Christmas thing.
"You ready, dude?" America comes up behind him with an unnecessarily strong clasp on the back. The blond is practically bouncing on his toes; "The hero has everything under control and ready. She won't know what to do with herself after this."
He sure hopes so, or else America is going to owe him big for this. Thus far, he's only had minor help getting the gifts to Seychelles from very few people. This latest gift, however, sort of forced his hand to include the blonde. Once he saw that his thank you card had been confiscated, he needed to do something. He didn't have choice; America had to know.
The carolers start their songs and he knows it's only a matter of time. He adjusts his black hat and tightens his black mask. Yes, he's wearing a hat and mask or, more specifically, a Zorro costume per a certain Spaniard's insistence. It's a good idea since he's going to get rather close to her and he wishes to keep his identity secret until tomorrow. The costume leaves a lot to the imagination and he smirks to himself as he stands in the shadows of the Rockefeller Center. A part of him is nervous, that's true, but another part is anxious to do this, to see her face and watch her reaction. A smile tugs at his lips as he gazes out at the unsuspecting crowd of people out on Christmas Eve. It amazes him that so many people aren't inside with their families turning this time. He shrugs it off. It's America, he supposes.
The caroling is nice though. It reminds him of home and he listens along and closes his eyes. His head bobs slightly along to the children singing Jingle Bells. He even sings along to Hark the Herald, Angles sing,
"I see Comoros!" America yells out and points over the slew of people.
He gives the signal. The carolers switch out to eleven hand picked singers who start singing Michael Buble's Cold December Night. Everything else sort of goes in slow motion after that, the special police escort sort of clears the crowd a bit and he can see Seychelles more clearly. She looks lovely all bundled for dear life, clinging to Comoros' arms as both women gaze in awe at the huge Christmas tree.
Her wonderstruck look warms his stomach that does summersaults. They didn't even notice how the crowd parts for them. Maybe they think they just have luck and are squeezing through but from his position, he can see the policemen at work.
Seychelles is pointing and smiling at the decorations while Comoros nods along but her attention is more on the singers than the Christmas lights. The shorter islander is cooing at everything but she sways to the music and clings to her friend, resting her head on her shoulder. It's cute, endearing even, but he wishes it were him she's clinging to and cooing at. Soon enough, hopefully.
When the song ends, he starts moving. The men sing a soulful rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You. This is it. This is his moment. He checks his pocket, the rose is there along with the card attached to the steam so she knows that all of this is for her. America gives him the thumbs up and he nods. The Christmas tree lights switch, flickering to make it look like snowdrops. Then the lighting changes, a plethora of color in a splendid light show that is just enough to distract Seychelles and the entire crowd from noticing Zorro slip on stage behind the singers.
He has people in the crowd, courtesy of America, who make sure the two women are front and center near the stage. One by one, a singer pulls a lucky lady onto stage to sing to. The women laugh and smile and Seychelles looks like she wants to be in on the action. Don't worry; he's going to make it happen soon enough. For now, she pouts a bit at being skipped and he can't help but chuckle.
The song reaches the bridge and it's now or never. The Christmas tree lights still flicker, making a light show on the stage. He takes a deep breath and makes his debut. Seychelles notices him and squints in a bit of confusion. Their eyes meet as he moves closer. She looks somewhere between intrigued and curious but mostly confused as to why Zorro keeps coming. He reaches out his hand and she takes it with a smile. He pulls her up on stage in the center of it all.
"You're Zorro," Seychelles points out; her laughing rings out over the song. He can only nod to her then holds up a finger and reaches behind him to pull out his rose. When he hears her gasp he knows he's done the right thing with this.
She bits her lip and takes the rose, thanking him profusely. He responds with a kiss on the check and he hears her twinkled laughter again. Reluctantly he pulls back then points behind her at nothing in particular. Seychelles turns to see what he's talking about and it give him time to make his escape, back to his previous vantage point. She looks around for him, searching the crowd though he knows it's useless. She seems disappointed but looks back to the rose.
She notices the card. Good. Good.
Seychelles examines it for a moment then opens it. Her eyes widen and he smiles.
A/N: Merry Christmas! This is officially a day late! I'm sorry. I tried, really I did. But, in any case, it's early unless you're in like China or Japan. In which case, it's late Christmas Day if not the 26th, so it's not so bad. I assure you the 12th chapter will be on time! So, how did you like the switch in POV? This chapter took some serious thinking, hence the lateness but I figured switching POV was a good move. Well, you know who it's not but any guesses on who it is?