Shawn turned to his wife as a fresh wave of laughter exploded down the hallway.
"Strict Dad or angry Mom?" he whispered, raising his sleepy form with his elbow.
"You go" Rebecca murmured
"I went last night"
The groan was embedded with fatigue, with the unwillingness to move from their warm bed.
"Rock, paper, scissors?"Suggested Rebecca. Shawn shrugged his agreement.
"Cheater" he snapped as Rebecca outwitted him, crushing his scissors with her rock.
"Strict Dad. Off you go, tell them to go to sleep"
Shawn rived the blankets back, let out a gasp as his feet made contact with the freezing floor.
"It's cold" he whined
"Go" demanded Rebecca firmly, pointing her reluctant husband in the direction of their children's bedrooms.
"Alright knock it off" commanded Shawn flicking Cameron's bedroom light on.
"Knock what off?"
"All the messing around, it's nearly 1am!" snapped Shawn, "It's way passed your bedtime and you shouldn't be telling jokes to Chey through the wall"
"I wasn't" lied Cameron, "I was asleep"
"Sure you were. I guess me and your mom just hear voices now huh?"
Cameron huddled beneath the covers, aware that the game was up.
"Just go to sleep alright?
"I'm trying" protested Cameron
"So try harder"
"You have to turn the light off"
"Do you want presents this year?"
"It's not up to you" retorted Cameron, "Santa decides if I've been good or not"
"You think I can't call Santa?" warned Shawn, "Besides he sends his elves to check on you and if you're not asleep or misbehaving they send a report to Santa and he changes all your presents into coal"
"He does not" Cameron refuted, the quiver of uncertainty embedded in his tone.
"Oh no? Where'd you think the song words came from?" questioned Shawn
"What song words?"
" I don't know something about he sees you when you're sleeping, knows you're awake...be good for Heaven's sake!" he mumbled.
" You don't even know?"
" I remembered the important part!" protested Shawn, " Behave or you get no presents!"
"So are the elves watching now?"
"Sure. They watch all the time"
"Even when I go to the bathroom?"
"I don't think so"
"So they don't watch all the time?"
"Do I look like an Elf?" snapped Shawn frustrated by his son's inquisitiveness, "I don't work for Santa!"
"Then how come you can call him?"
"Because I can!" cried Shawn exasperated "And if you don't go to sleep right now I'm calling him and telling him to put you and Chey on the naughty list!"
Cameron dived beneath the covers at the threat, lay against his pillows and shut his eyes feigning sleep. Satisfied Shawn switched off the light and padded back to his own bedroom.
" Well they're certainly a lot quieter. You put the fear of God into them?" joked Rebecca as Shawn clambered back into bed beside her.
" Santa" Shawn corrected settling down to sleep.
The first scream penetrated his subconscious slightly; the frantic tug on his sleeve roused him fully. He startled from sleep to find his two young children shaking him awake frantically.
" Wha- Cam, Chey, matter?" he groaned, disorientated and panicked by their urgency
"Theelvesareoutsidethewindowandthey'retryingtogetin!" babbled Cameron anxiously
"What?" questioned Shawn confused.
"Shawn what did you do?" demanded Rebecca
"I didn't do anything!" objected Shawn, " I was asleep"
" Ok Cameron slow down what's the matter?"
"There are elves outside my window and they're trying to break in!"
"And there are reindeers in my room" piped Cheyenne, "Daddy said Santa sends them to check we're behaving"
"Shawn!"
" I- he- Santa does that!" Shawn defended his story adamantly, "He does check they're behaving he has a list Becks!"
" Yes but he doesn't stalk them!"
" Santa stalks us?! " squeaked Cameron
" What's stalk mean?" asked Cheyenne, fear wavering through her words.
" I'm not responsible for that one" Shawn raised his hands as Rebecca glared at him.
" The elves aren't trying to break in" Rebecca attempted to soothe their stricken children.
"But I saw them at the window!" protested Cameron
"They won't be there now"
"Yeah they'll have gone back to the North Pole" added Shawn
"They only do quick visits, peek in the window and leave"
"But Daddy said they watch all the time" murmured Cheyenne
"Well daddy was wrong, weren't you?"
Shawn remained mute, pride wounded by the fact that his parenting tactic had backfired spectacularly.
"Weren't you?!" repeated Rebecca loudly forcing her husband into agreement.
"Yeah" sighed Shawn
"So the elves aren't trying to break in?"
"Nope"
"And the reindeers aren't in my room?"
"Nope" Shawn repeated
" So it's safe to sleep?"
"course it is" smiled Shawn
"Come on everyone, back to bed" chided Rebecca. Cameron and Cheyenne faltered in the doorway.
"Can't we sleep in here with you?" whispered Cheyenne.
" Of course you can darling" Rebecca acquiesced sweetly, shoving Shawn so there was more space.
"Uh OW! Husband lying here!" he cried indignantly
"You have to make room" She sniped pulling the blankets aside so their children could climb into the gap between them.
"Well I know someone who won't be getting any presents" muttered Shawn
"Yes well I can think of another person" countered Rebecca her tone lilted with amusement.
"Mom, Dad if you don't go to sleep nobody's gonna get any presents" Cameron scolded sleepily.
Shawn raised his eyebrows at Rebecca, who nibbled her lip in an effort to quell the laughter rising. With a contented sigh Shawn wrapped the blankets around his family before snuggling down to sleep.