A/N: Okay, guys, I said I'd get this up before the end of Christms break, so here it is. Whew...oh, and again, this has been typed on my crappy laptop keyboard, so...please forgive my typos! lol. I don't actually have Chapter 15 finished yet, I'm still writing it, so you're gonna have to wait a while longer for that one, but I DID get a good bit done with it today. No worries. It's still going strong. Anyway, this chapter's a little bit shorter than some recent ones have been, but there are still some important plot developments, so...yeah. I can't think of anything else to say at the moment, really. I'll just get to the story then, like I know you all really want me to. lol, you don't need to hear my rambling. Here it is, Chapter 14!

Chapter 14: I'll Be Home For Christmas

Later that afternoon, father and son were at a pizza parlor eating a late lunch. They had just come in from a rousing one-on-one game of ice hockey, which Nicky had won, of course. Larry was keeping an eye on the cheap TracPhone sitting on the table between them. He had purchased it when he realized how difficult it was to receive a call from Amelia on his home phone when he was supposed to be at work.

"D'you think it's sunset in London yet, Dad?" Nicky asked. He was excited to finally talk to the woman who had captured his father's heart.

"Soon, I think," Larry answered. "I hope, anyway. It can't be much longer, can it?" Just then, as if on cue, the phone began vibrating furiously and emitting a strange squawking noise. Nicky eyed it warily and Larry scrambled to answer. "I couldn't figure out how to change the ring tone," he admitted sheepishly. He spoke into the phone, ignoring his son, who was rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Hello, Larry Daley speaking...Amelia Oh, it's so good to hear from you. I'm glad you're safe. How...no, I'm fine...yes...yes, he's here. Yes of course. He's really anxious to meet you, too. No, you'll be fine...yes, I love you, too. Here's Nicky. He handed the phone over to the boy, who rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, Dad...you are so technologically challenged..." To Amelia he said "Hang on a second and I'll put you on speaker phone, okay?" He pushed a couple of buttons, and then Amelia's voice could be heard by both of them.

"...sounds good. Let me know when you're done." "I'm done Nicky replied.

"Oh." She laughed. "Well, thank you. So, you're the one I've heard so much about? It's nice to finally meet you. Well, sort of meet you, anyway."

"It's nice to meet you, too. I mean, Dad only finally told me about you today, but I've been wanting to meet you ever since then. I don't blame him, though. I guess it's not exactly the kind of thing you can say over the phone or in a letter," Nicky told her.

"That's right. Your dad told me you were at boarding school this year. Do you like it?"

"Mostly. There are a few things that are hard to get used to, but I think it's been a good experience for me."

An awkward pause followed, which Larry felt compelled to end, so he interjected. "It's too bad you two won't be able to meet in person. At least, not for a while.

"About that...we might be back in teh States a lot sooner than we originally thought. Apparently our whirlwind tour of Europe has been cut short," Amelia informed them. "I must say, I'm not all that unhappy about it. I'd rather be home anyway. I miss you too much."

"How short? When will you be back?" Larry wanted to know.

"I'm not sure of the exact date, but I think we're only going to London...France...and I'm pretty sure I heard something about Austria. Maybe Italy. The amount of time we spend in each museum has been cut down, too. I guess they don't expect that we'll attract much attention, so they don't want us around for too long.

"Aw, man, I'll STILL be back at school by the time you guys come back," Nicky complained. "That stinks."

"Sorry, bud," Larry said, ruffling his hair. "Maybe spring break."

"I certainly hope so," Amelia replied. "I'm looking forward to meeting you in person. It'll be-" She stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Larry questioned anxiously. "Amelia, are you okay? What's going on?"

"Shh!" she hissed. "Someone's coming. Be quiet for a minute."

Larry and Nicky began to hear faint voices coming through the phone. It sounded like two gossipy night watchmen were patrolling together.

"...can't believe they decided to send it bakc already. I mean they just got here. What's wrong with them that they don't want them anymore?"

"Not good enough quality," a second voice answered. They were growing louder, so Larry assumed they were getting closer to Amelia. He quickly covered the bottom of the phone to block out the background noise coming from the other patrons at the restaurant. He didn't want to get Amelia caught by the tow men. Who knew what kind of trouble that might cause? "It's pretty shoddy craftsmanship on some of the wax figures, and the clothes are even worse. Not only that, but they're starting to look a bit travel-worn, really. It hasn't been good for them, being shipped from place to place so many times without repairs."

"I dunno, that one looks pretty good to me," the first voice replied. They were noe clearly audible, as though they were standing right next to Amelia, so Larry figured they were probably talking about her.

After a pause, the second voice spoke up again. "She looks different than she did when we unloaded her. She had her hands on her hips then, I think."

"You've been drinking again, Ben," the first guard accused. "States don't move. That's why they're statues."

"I've not had a single drop all day, George, my word on it, but I swear she had her hands on her hips earlier. Oh never mind. You're right, anyway. She does look more...lifelike than the others. Looks like she was made better than they were. Better costume, too. Looks pretty authentic. But she's the only one. The others are all...well, dull. That's why they've cut the tour short. After seeing them up close, none of the museum directors want them. Maybe American museums have lower standards, I don't know, but they're being sent back in just over..." The voices faded out as the men moved away.

"Just over what?!?" Larry asked, frustrated. "How long?"

"Larry, Nicky, are you still there? They're gone," Amelia said quietly, a note of relief in her voice. Larry uncovered the bottom of the phone.

"Yeah, we're here," Nicky replied. "Did you hear them say how long until you're shipped back here? That part didn't come through."

"Uh-huh. Obviously someone was really disappointed with us. We're not good enough to be kept more than a week," Amelia told them, slightly sarcastic. "all the other museum directors took one up-close look at us and cancelled."

"Yes! You'll be back before I have to go back to school. You'll even be back in time for Christmas!" the boy shouted, excited. Upon receiving startled looks from the other diners, he flushed and ducked his head. "Oops. Sorry."

Amelia just chuckled. "So enthusiastic. I'm flatteres." Just then, they heard more voices approaching. "I'd better hang up now," she said, sighing. "We're clearly not meant to have any more privacy whatsoever tonight. I'll talk to both of you soon, alright?"

"Sounds good," Larry told her. "Bye!"

"See you soon," his son added.

"Bye!" There was a click, and Larry sighed.

"You miss her already, huh, Dad?"

"Yeah. I do. But we'll see her soon. Until then, let's head home. I think we have enough time to play with the Wii for a bit before I have to get ready for work. How does that sound?"

"Awesome! They don't let us play videogames at school. I've missed kicking your butt on Super Mario Smash Brothers."

"Well, then, Nicky, you're in for a surprise. I've been practicing!"

"Oh, really? You mean you might get more than one hit in? I can't wait! I'm glad you've finally figured out which buttons to push, Dad. You might even be a challenge for once!"

"Why you little...I'm gonna beat you this time, just you watch!"

"Okay, Dad...whatever you say." With that, the two got in the car and drove home, discussing battle strategies the whole way.

A/N: I hope you all liked it. Please let me know what you thought! I don't think I have too much to do tomorrow, so I can work on Chapter 15 then. I'm HOPING I can have that one up before Christmas break ends, too, but that might not happen. I'm gonna try, but I can't promise. Also, I think I'm coming to the end soon. I have it planned out and I know what's going to happen (if you ask me, I WILL lie through my teeth, so don't bother) and I don't think I'll have more than 20 chapters total. I don't THINK. That is, unless my characters decide to take over and mutate the story. That IS entirely possible. I don't think that will happen, though. Anyway, seeing as I'm coming to the end soon, I'm gonna ask for some input from you guys now, to give you some time to think about it before the last chapter. I have two questions, but one I can't really ask without giving away the ending, so I think I actually WILL save that for the last chapter. But I'll ask this one. After this story, does anyone have any suggestions for fandoms they'd like me to write for? As I say on my profile, I'm willing to try for most books (if I haven't read them I will so I can fulfill requests) some movies (if I've seen them or have access to them so I CAN see them) and maybe a few T.V. shows. You never know until you ask. So if anyone has any requests, I'll see what I can do. Again, no guarantees, but I'll try my best. Thanks for the input! Love you guys, my wonderful readers! Stay tuned for the next chapter, in which Nicky and Amelia FINALLY meet! YAY!!!