All I Want For Christmas Is You

By: DarkElements10

"Zack, Cody, it's time for you two to go to bed!" Carey Martin called as she walked into her sons' bedroom in their apartment.

"But mommy," six-year-old Cody Martin whined as he stood up from the pile of toys that he and his twin brother Zack were playing with. He pointed to the window. "Santa hasn't come by yet. I need to stay awake to make sure that my Christmas wish comes true."

Carey laughed gently as she reached out and stroked Cody's hair, flattening some of the pieces of blonde hair that had stuck up. She looked over at Zack, who was sitting on the floor minding his own business, making explosion and screeching noises as he smashed two cars together over and over again.

"What is your Christmas Wish, honey?" she asked as she bent down to his level.

Cody buried his face in his hands and took a few deep breaths, something that he always did when he was afraid of how to answer a question, and then brought it down away from his face and looked up at his mother with wide blue-green eyes.

"I want daddy to come home." He replied simply, his lower lip sticking out.

Carey sighed as Zack looked up from the toys that he was playing with, noticing the change in the atmosphere of the room. He stood up and walked over and stood beside Cody, watching as Carey struggled to find something to say. Finally, he spoke up himself.

"Mommy," his voice sounded quieter. More subdued, not like the Zack that she always knew. "Daddy is going to come home in time for tomorrow right? It's Christmas tomorrow."

"Guys," Carey put her arms around her sons and lifted them easily off of the floor. As usual, Zack immediately wrapped his arms around Carey's neck and nuzzled his cheek against her shoulder. Cody, however, didn't look away from Carey, a troubled expression on the young boy's face. She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, still holding Zack and Cody to her. "Your father is very busy with his band."

"He's always busy with his band," Zack breathed quietly. Cody looked over at his brother and saw that his eyes were fluttering shut. Zack yawned and suddenly opened his eyes wide, as if he was trying not to fall asleep. "We don't get to see him anymore."

"That's my Christmas Wish, mommy," Cody repeated his earlier statement, this time with more urgency. "Daddy has to come home tonight!"

"Or tomorrow" Zack added. Cody frowned and made a whiny sound as he reached out a little fist and punched Zack on the arm. "Ow!" Zack cried, tears welling up in his eyes as he held onto his bruised skin.

"Honey, don't hit your brother," Carey said quietly as she hugged Zack to her, rocking back and forth. Zack stuck his tongue out at his brother as he wiped away his tears.

"But mommy, you don't understand." Cody tugged on the sleeve of her robe. "Daddy has to-"

"I understand that daddy has to come home, Cody." Carey interrupted. She reached over the arm of the couch and grabbed her cell phone. She punched in some numbers and handed it over to Cody. "Here, call your daddy and ask him where he is."

Zack sat up and watched Cody, looking a little jealous, as his younger brother was being able to use their mother's cell phone, when usually the two of them weren't allowed to. As Carey waited for her husband to pick up the phone, she looked around the apartment. Even though she and Kurt had gotten a divorce only a couple of months before, Zack and Cody still wanted him as a big part of their lives and she couldn't blame them.

Christmas decorations hung everywhere, there was tinsel, and popcorn, store bought, and hand cracked ornaments all on their small tree, decorated by Zack and Cody themselves. There was even a small hole in the wall behind the tree, where they accidentally bashed a hole in the wall when they argued over who would get to put the star on top of the tree.

And it being Christmas Eve there was already a lot of gifts under the tree. A lot of toys for Zack and Cody, stuff for Carey, and some stuff for Kurt. On the windowsill were four stockings, one for each of them. Christmas music was softly playing in the background of the living room, creating the atmosphere.

Carey just hoped that a disappointing phone call wouldn't ruin it.

"Daddy?" Cody suddenly asked as he sat up straight, Zack climbed down from his mother's lap and padded over to Cody, reaching for the phone. Cody pushed his brother away. Zack made a whining sound and jumped, pulling the phone away from Cody. "Hey!"

"Daddy, when are you coming home?" Zack asked into the phone. Cody jumped down from the couch and grabbed the phone back.

"Give it back! I was talking first!" he cried.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"That's enough!" Carey snapped and grabbed the phone from Zack and Cody and pushed a button. "Kurt, you're on speaker." She called and moved the phone away from her mouth. Zack and Cody stared in amazement as they heard their father's voice, as if he was in the room.

"Hey boys!"

"Hi Daddy!" Zack and Cody cried in unison.

"When will you be back?" Cody demanded, getting right to the point.

"Don't worry; I'll be back tonight at eleven o'clock at the latest. I promise!" Kurt laughed into the phone.

"But daddy, we'll be asleep." Zack pointed out. "Can't you come home earlier?"

"Not through this traffic. I don't want to get a ticket."

"You got that right!" Carey replied with a snort. "Kurt, how far away are you?" she asked as she stood up and walked away from her sons. Not wanting to be left out, Zack and Cody followed her.

"I'm not that far away, it's just the traffic. It's been three hours and we've only moved five feet. The last minute shoppers really get on my nerves you know."

"Yeah, I know that feeling." Carey replied, feeling kind of guilty. Because she had taken two part time jobs, while she hired a babysitter for Zack and Cody, it was hard getting money. So some of the gifts for Zack and Cody are coming late, and she still has some that's she's not going to be able to get until way after Christmas, probably for their birthday. "Listen; just try to get home today."

"I promise."

"Ok," Carey turned back around and almost tripped over Zack and Cody, who were standing that close to her, looking up at her intently. "The boys want to say bye." She handed the phone down to Zack and he and Cody pushed their ears against the phone.

"Bye daddy," Cody parted.

"Bye Cody, be good, you do want Santa to come and give you presents, don't ya?"

"Yeah, Zack is the only one out of the two of us on the naughty list." Cody giggled in reply.

"That's not true, daddy, I'm on the nice list this year." Zack denied. "I even saw Santa in the mall and he told me himself."

"Alright, well, I have to go no." Kurt replied laughing a little bit. Over the phone you could hear hysterical laughter and someone yelling 'my tongue is stuck!' over and over again. "I love you, boys."

"Love you too" Zack and Cody chorused.

"Be good to your mommy."

"We will"

"Bye"

"Bye"

Cody turned off the phone and handed it to Carey, as Zack yawned loudly, and tugged on the bottom of his shirt, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

"Mommy, can we wait for daddy to get home?" Cody asked eagerly.

"Yeah, please?"

"I'm sorry boys, but its 7:00. It's way past your bedtime." Carey replied, and ignored the twins' groans of disappointment and picked them up and walked them back to their room. "You want to be asleep so Santa can come. If you're awake, waiting for your dad, he's not going to."

"She's right, Cody," Zack agreed, his blue-green eyes growing wide with fright at the thought. "We have to go to sleep."

"Ok" Cody grumbled in reply and wiggled out of his mother's arms to get into his bed. Zack eagerly jumped into his and pulled the blankets over his head and started to snore loudly. Carey laughed and walked over to his bed, pulled the covers down, and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Zack."

"Good night, mommy."

Carey walked over to Cody's bed and pushed some of his flattened hair off of his forehead. Cody still looked depressed, his lower lip sticking out as far as it could go. Carey smiled and tapped his lower lip. "You don't want Santa to see you sad, do you?"

Cody smiled and pulled his lower lip back before yawning loudly. "Goodnight mommy." He rolled onto his side and pulled his covers up. Carey leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Cody."

She turned and started to walk out of the room, turning off the light.

"Mommy?" Carey turned back around and saw Cody sitting up in his bed. "Can you leave the hall light on? I don't want any monsters to get in."

"Sure" Carey smiled and left the bedroom door open a crack, leaving the hall light on as she went to her bedroom to wait for her ex-husband.

Carey sat up in her bed, reading a romance novel when she heard a key in the lock to their apartment door. "Kurt?" She called quietly as she got out of the bed and walked out of her bedroom.

"Merry Christmas, Carey." Kurt said quietly as he walked through the front door. "Am I late?"

"Only a half hour," Carey replied as she pulled her robe tighter around her. "But you can't really help that, did you remember to bring their gifts?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I got them right here." Kurt replied and pulled two brightly wrapped boxes out of his bag. "Should I give it to them now?"

"I think that you should wait," Carey replied and then thought for a second, changing her mind. "Never mind, they've been waiting up for you all night, so you can give it to them now."

"Ok, great." Kurt walked over to the boys' room and gently knocks on the door. "Zack? Cody? Are you guys asleep?"

Carey followed Kurt into the bedroom and watched as he woke up his sons.

"Daddy!" Zack and Cody cried in unison when they sat him kneeling over Zack's bed. Cody jumped out of his bed and onto Zack's and the two hugged their father tightly. "You're home!"

"Yes," Kurt laughed and hugged them back. "And I have some gifts for you." He handed the two of them the wrapped boxes and the twins tore it open eagerly.

"Cool!" Zack cried as he jumped to his feet and started to jump up and down on his bed. "I got a Yankee's jersey!" he held it against his chest and bounced some more!"

"A blankie!" Cody cried as he opened his gift. He grabbed the light blue cloth and draped it around his shoulders, hugging it to him tightly.

"Boys, what do you say?" Carey asked.

"Thanks, daddy!" Zack and Cody practically tackled their father to the ground.

"Merry Christmas, boys." Carey added with a smile.

The End

If you want the full effect of this story, picture them as Dylan and Cole Sprouse were in the movie Big Daddy. I love that movie, they were so cute there. And whenever there was an episode with 'blankie' I always thought about how Cody got the blanket. So when I saw an old episode of Suite Life of Zack and Cody with the blankie in it, I thought of the idea that Kurt could have given it to Cody for Christmas when they were young. ^-^ Anyway, Happy Holidays!