Prompt: New Year's Eve
Characters: Emily, Derek, Aaron & Spencer (What Makes a Family; deleted scene between chapter 19, Haste and chapter 20, Trust)
Words: 447
"We're stayin' up 'til midnight, right?" Derek asked eagerly.
"Wrong," Emily answered gently. "We have things to do tomorrow and I need all three of you at your best.
"But Aaron and Spencer didn't know about snow days or writing to Santa or anything. So, they probably don't know about all the New Year's stuff either. Don't you think we oughta show 'em?" Derek tried, smiling beguilingly.
"It's wonderful that you care about Aaron and Spencer, but they happen to need sleep even more than you do. The answer is no. Bedtime is the same as usual," Emily said, standing firm.
"So, we can't do anything?" Derek complained, just as Aaron and Spencer came through the kitchen.
"Stop following me," Aaron complained, glaring at Spencer, who clung to him.
"But I love you," Spencer whimpered.
"Emily, make him stop, please?" Aaron begged.
"It's December 31, 2012!" Spencer exclaimed loudly. "That means that we only have hours before the world comes to an end, according to the Mayan calendar!"
Derek laughed softly. "Kid, if the world ends, we ain't gonna know it. It says so in the Bible. No one knows when it'll happen. If you're expecting it to happen tonight according to calculations or logic, or whatever, it won't."
Spencer's eyes got wide. "Is that true?" he asked Emily.
"Not helping…" she whispered to Derek.
"Is the end of the world that impossible to predict?" Spencer insisted, hysteria lacing each word.
At the same time, Aaron spoke up, "Are we Mayan?" he asked.
Spencer's mouth dropped open, his fears forgotten, and he stared at Aaron. "You're kidding, right? Somebody tell me he's kidding…" Spencer squinted at Aaron, as if to judge his sincerity, then, slowly, he said, "The Maya people live in parts of Mexico and Central America…and they're Native American."
"Well, if I'm so wrong then why are you freaking out about their calendar," Aaron insisted. "Besides, we could be Mayan…Derek could be, maybe."
"My dad was black and my mom was white. I'm not native and I never lived in Mexico," Derek said firmly. He turned his attention back to Emily and whispered, "See what I mean? These two totally need to experience a real New Year's Eve so they stop believing in craziness."
"I bought some decorations," she confided, as five-year-old Spencer tried to educate eight-year-old Aaron about geography, calendars and anything else he decided Aaron should know. "You're more than welcome to get them out - just hats and noise-makers - and encourage them to look forward to tomorrow with excitement rather than confusion and dread."
"Awesome! Thanks!" Derek exclaimed, and he took off to the hall closet to find the party stuff.