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-The Troublemaker-

December 24th, 2030. Late Night. Slateport City, Hoenn.

Nick got on his tip-toes to reach the doorknob, careful to open the door of his room slowly. The door let out a small creak as it opened, and Nick gasped, quickly peeking his head into the dark hallway. He looked to the left, then to the right. Letting out a sigh of relief, he licked his lips and stepped outside, holding his breath to avoid making noise as he crept down the staircase.

The house was black. Nick squinted to adjust his eyes, groping around with his hands to keep himself from tripping. Making out the shape of a Christmas tree, Nick made a bee-line to the tree, his eyes sparkling when seeing what was beneath it.

He reached out, but then stopped. Looking back over his shoulder, he waited a moment, and then lit up in excitement as he grabbed a gift.

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, the lights switched on. Nick let out a yelp in surprise, dropping his gift as he spun around with small pupils.

"—Allie?"

Nick was surprised to see his older sister standing in the doorway, her little hands curled onto her waist as she stared at him with fuming eyes.

"You shouldn't be down here," Allie scolded in a harsh whisper.

Nick pushed his gift under the tree behind his back. "I-I wasn't doing nothing," he defended. Allie craned an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"You can't open those yet," she pressed. She walked over, snagging the gift from under the tree. "You halfta wait until Christmas morning."

"I was just checking them," Nick muttered, shifting. "To see if any were broken."

"Nu-uh." Allie pointed at him. "You were gunna open them!"

"Just one," Nick whined. He puffed his cheeks. "It's not my fault I can't sleep…"

So Nick was restless. Putting the gift down, Allie looked at him, pulling him from the ground.

"Okay," she said decidedly, and Nick looked at her, confused. "Wait here."

Nick just stood there as Allie disappeared into the kitchen, glancing back to the presents behind him. When Allie stepped back into the room, Nick straightened himself out, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Here," she said, handing him a sippy cup. "Drink this."

Nick blinked a few times cluelessly, taking the cup and sipping from it. Smiling, he looked down at it.

"Apple juice," he said, and Allie nodded, nudging him forward.

"Upstairs," she said, and Nick stumbled forward, Allie leading him back into his room. Looking over his crib, she scrunched her brows together.

"How did you get out?" she asked, not seeing the crib opened.

"I can get out," was all Nick said matter-of-factly, and Allie let out a noise of exasperation, shoving him lightly towards it.

"Then get back in," she ordered, and Nick whined, doing as he was told. Plopping down in his crib, he looked at her bitterly, the sippy cup in his mouth.

"I'm not sleepy," he muttered into his cup.

Allie knew that if she left now, Nick would just wait for her to fall asleep, sneaking his way back to the tree once more. Tapping her foot in thought, an image came into her head of May cradling Nick close, singing to him softly a lullaby she said her own mother had sung.

Nodding firmly, Allie turned off the lights. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing quietly, just as her mother did. She missed a note or two, and her tempo slowed when trying to recall the melody—but she sung it, and Nick's eyes drooped, his grasp loosening on his sippy cup as he lay in his crib.

Finishing the song as best she could, she opened her eye to peek, smiling in satisfaction when seeing her brother sleeping soundly. Pulling the blanket over him, she took the cup from his loose hand, placing it onto the nightstand.

Careful to not make noise, Allie closed the door slowly, watching Nick's face as she did so to make sure he wouldn't wake up. Smiling, Allie turned on her heel, but stopped, something blocking her.

"Allie?"

Allie blinked owlishly, squinting at the bathroom light. Peeking up, she looked surprised.

"Daddy?"

"What are you doing?" Drew asked tiredly. "Were you just in Nick's room?"

"He was causing trouble," Allie told him, and Drew looked weary, turning to Nick's door.

"I'll go check on him," he said, but Allie held out an arm, and Drew looked down at her.

"I took care of it," she said simply, and Drew looked puzzled as Allie walked past him without saying a word more. Allie closed the door to her room, and Drew raised a brow, stepping towards Nick's room. Opening the door slightly, he peeked inside, bracing himself for the worst.

There was light snoring, and Drew looked taken back, not expecting to see his son sleeping so peacefully. It was then he noticed the half-full sippy cup on the table, and the blanket draped tightly around him.

Letting out a small smile, Drew closed the door quietly, looking to Allie's door. A small chuckle escaped him, and he yawned as he made his way back to his own bedroom.

He had nothing to worry about.

...And so it continues!