Disclaimers: They're not mine, but one can dream. This was started two
years ago so in no way correlates to the present show. Feedback is always
appreciated lutaski@alltel.net. Look for new chapters on Wednesday nights.
He kept to the shadows as he watched everyone scurry through this magical night. Even though everyone seemed to be in a hurry, there was none of the usual brusqueness associated with a long day of shopping in large crowds. Ah, the magic of Christmas he thought to himself as moved further into the shadows.
He had been gone from town for to long. He didn't even know why he was there now. It was to late. He had made his choices long ago, and now he had to live with them. The hell with this he thought as he made his way to a tiny bar, far enough out of the way on the docks that the Christmas Carols didn't reach the front door.
Once inside he shed his jacket and ordered a bottle of Scotch. If he wasn't going to be happy this Christmas Eve maybe at least he wouldn't be hurting either. His training kicked in and he carefully looked around the bar and found an unoccupied table in the back. He looked up from his glass as the bell above the door announced another customer.
Luke didn't know why he came here for a drink before his annual breaking and entering session, but he did. He was surprised to see a face out of his past sitting in the back corner. Let it go, Luke told himself, he didn't want anyone interfering in his misery, so why interrupt his. Luke took a seat at the bar and remembered those Christmas when Lucky was a child and how he wouldn't trade those memories for anything. So he picked up his drink and made his way to Frisco's table.
"Luke", Frisco said as his old friend took a seat. "Strange place for you to be spending Christmas Eve", Luke commented as he refilled his glass from Frisco's bottle. "As close to home as I seem able to get", Frisco replied. Luke stared into his drink for a moment when than said, "You know their divorce is final tomorrow". "Yeah, Tiffany made sure I heard that", Frisco said as he swirled the liquid in his glass. He downed the fiery liquid in one gulp and asked Luke, "So how are the girls taking you and Felicia"? "We're not together", Luke replied as he finished his drink and stood. "Take some advice from a man that learned the hard way. Even if you and Felicia are not meant to be those girls deserve to know the man that their father is. And in case your interested their spending Christmas with Bobbie at the Brownstone", with that Luke left the bar continuing on his appointed rounds for the night.
Frisco paused for a moment and thought about his children and his wife. Because even when she was married to Mac that was how he always thought of her. He didn't know if they could be friends, but if he could survive all that time in a Bulgarian prison, he could at least fake a friendship with Felicia if that was all she wanted. The question was how to get her to let him in the door. He knew she wouldn't believe that he had changed and was finally ready to settle down, so he was just going to have to prove it to her.
His first stop after leaving the bar was the locker where he had stashed the presents for the girls, a leather bound diary for Maxie, he had remembered Felicia telling him how much she had cherished hers at that age and a world geography game for Georgie so she could read about all the places her daddy had been. His second stop was a costume shop, no one would turn Santa away on Christmas Eve, or at least he hoped not.
As Frisco made his way to the brownstone all the memories he and Felicia had created together washed over him, bringing with them a sense of peace Frisco hadn't felt in years. Close to the brownstone he watched a group of carolers that were going door to door. Maxie, Lucas and Georgie were sitting on the steps listening to them approach. Frisco saw them and moved to the side so he could listen in on their conversation.
"What did you ask Santa for", Georgie asked her cousin. "For mom and dad to go back to at least being friends", Lucas replied seriously. "Dad doesn't feel like he's welcome here anymore" he added and than asked, "What about you". "A family", his youngest daughter replied, while Frisco's heart broke. "We have a family, Georgie", Maxie replied, "Mom and us and Aunt Bobby". "I miss everyone else", Georgie said petulantly, "Robin and Grandma and Daddy". "They all love us very much, Georgie, they just can't be here", Maxie said as she hugged her little sister. "Why not", Georgie asked? "Sometimes it just hurts to much to be someplace when you know you can't be with the people you want to… Frisco didn't hear the end of the conversation as the carolers arrived at the brownstone.
After the group finished singing Bobbie shooed the kids inside for hot chocolate and cookies and noticed Santa wistfully looking at the door. "Can I help you Santa", Bobby asked as she pulled her sweater around her. "Interested in what Lucas wants for Christmas Bobbie", Frisco asked. "He told you Santa" Bobbie questioned as she tried to place the voice. "Not exactly, but I never did grow out of that eavesdropping phase". "Frisco", Bobbie exclaimed as she pulled him in for a hug. "So do you want to know", Frisco asked. "I can guess" Bobbie said. "You could go invite him over", Frisco said. "I think I will Bobbie said as she grabbed her coat. "Don't break her heart again Frisco", Bobbie warned.
Frisco took a deep breath as he entered the brownstone and knew that coming home was the right thing to do. With a ho, ho, ho, he entered the living room much to Georgie's delight. "Mommy, look Santa came", Georgie squealed in delight. "So he did", Felicia said as she turned expecting anyone but the love of her life. Maxie sensing that this was a moment Mom really needed to handle alone, grabbed Lucas and Georgie and dragged them into the kitchen where they watched through the crack in the door.
"Hello princess", Frisco said after the children were gone. "Please don't do this Frisco, I can't do this again, not now", Felicia pleaded as she faced the fireplace. "Don't you even want to know what I got you for Christmas", Frisco asked as he moved toward her. "What ever it is, you didn't have to bother, just being here for the girls is enough", Felicia said as she tried to resist the pull she felt every time he was within ten feet of her. "Just humor me and open it", Frisco pleaded like the little lost boy he so often still resembled. "Okay", Felicia said as she gave in, just like she always had. She carefully opened the box to find the one thing her heart had always craved no matter how much she proclaimed to love Mac. Inside the box was the picture of them from their first wedding, right inside of this room. Surrounding it was Frisco's WSB ID and passport cut into little pieces. She looked up him and said, "You had better be sure this time, because I won't let you walk out again". "I'm sure", Frisco said as he kissed his princess.
As the kids watched on from the kitchen Georgie turned to Maxie and asked, "Do you thinks this means Robin will come home to"?
He kept to the shadows as he watched everyone scurry through this magical night. Even though everyone seemed to be in a hurry, there was none of the usual brusqueness associated with a long day of shopping in large crowds. Ah, the magic of Christmas he thought to himself as moved further into the shadows.
He had been gone from town for to long. He didn't even know why he was there now. It was to late. He had made his choices long ago, and now he had to live with them. The hell with this he thought as he made his way to a tiny bar, far enough out of the way on the docks that the Christmas Carols didn't reach the front door.
Once inside he shed his jacket and ordered a bottle of Scotch. If he wasn't going to be happy this Christmas Eve maybe at least he wouldn't be hurting either. His training kicked in and he carefully looked around the bar and found an unoccupied table in the back. He looked up from his glass as the bell above the door announced another customer.
Luke didn't know why he came here for a drink before his annual breaking and entering session, but he did. He was surprised to see a face out of his past sitting in the back corner. Let it go, Luke told himself, he didn't want anyone interfering in his misery, so why interrupt his. Luke took a seat at the bar and remembered those Christmas when Lucky was a child and how he wouldn't trade those memories for anything. So he picked up his drink and made his way to Frisco's table.
"Luke", Frisco said as his old friend took a seat. "Strange place for you to be spending Christmas Eve", Luke commented as he refilled his glass from Frisco's bottle. "As close to home as I seem able to get", Frisco replied. Luke stared into his drink for a moment when than said, "You know their divorce is final tomorrow". "Yeah, Tiffany made sure I heard that", Frisco said as he swirled the liquid in his glass. He downed the fiery liquid in one gulp and asked Luke, "So how are the girls taking you and Felicia"? "We're not together", Luke replied as he finished his drink and stood. "Take some advice from a man that learned the hard way. Even if you and Felicia are not meant to be those girls deserve to know the man that their father is. And in case your interested their spending Christmas with Bobbie at the Brownstone", with that Luke left the bar continuing on his appointed rounds for the night.
Frisco paused for a moment and thought about his children and his wife. Because even when she was married to Mac that was how he always thought of her. He didn't know if they could be friends, but if he could survive all that time in a Bulgarian prison, he could at least fake a friendship with Felicia if that was all she wanted. The question was how to get her to let him in the door. He knew she wouldn't believe that he had changed and was finally ready to settle down, so he was just going to have to prove it to her.
His first stop after leaving the bar was the locker where he had stashed the presents for the girls, a leather bound diary for Maxie, he had remembered Felicia telling him how much she had cherished hers at that age and a world geography game for Georgie so she could read about all the places her daddy had been. His second stop was a costume shop, no one would turn Santa away on Christmas Eve, or at least he hoped not.
As Frisco made his way to the brownstone all the memories he and Felicia had created together washed over him, bringing with them a sense of peace Frisco hadn't felt in years. Close to the brownstone he watched a group of carolers that were going door to door. Maxie, Lucas and Georgie were sitting on the steps listening to them approach. Frisco saw them and moved to the side so he could listen in on their conversation.
"What did you ask Santa for", Georgie asked her cousin. "For mom and dad to go back to at least being friends", Lucas replied seriously. "Dad doesn't feel like he's welcome here anymore" he added and than asked, "What about you". "A family", his youngest daughter replied, while Frisco's heart broke. "We have a family, Georgie", Maxie replied, "Mom and us and Aunt Bobby". "I miss everyone else", Georgie said petulantly, "Robin and Grandma and Daddy". "They all love us very much, Georgie, they just can't be here", Maxie said as she hugged her little sister. "Why not", Georgie asked? "Sometimes it just hurts to much to be someplace when you know you can't be with the people you want to… Frisco didn't hear the end of the conversation as the carolers arrived at the brownstone.
After the group finished singing Bobbie shooed the kids inside for hot chocolate and cookies and noticed Santa wistfully looking at the door. "Can I help you Santa", Bobby asked as she pulled her sweater around her. "Interested in what Lucas wants for Christmas Bobbie", Frisco asked. "He told you Santa" Bobbie questioned as she tried to place the voice. "Not exactly, but I never did grow out of that eavesdropping phase". "Frisco", Bobbie exclaimed as she pulled him in for a hug. "So do you want to know", Frisco asked. "I can guess" Bobbie said. "You could go invite him over", Frisco said. "I think I will Bobbie said as she grabbed her coat. "Don't break her heart again Frisco", Bobbie warned.
Frisco took a deep breath as he entered the brownstone and knew that coming home was the right thing to do. With a ho, ho, ho, he entered the living room much to Georgie's delight. "Mommy, look Santa came", Georgie squealed in delight. "So he did", Felicia said as she turned expecting anyone but the love of her life. Maxie sensing that this was a moment Mom really needed to handle alone, grabbed Lucas and Georgie and dragged them into the kitchen where they watched through the crack in the door.
"Hello princess", Frisco said after the children were gone. "Please don't do this Frisco, I can't do this again, not now", Felicia pleaded as she faced the fireplace. "Don't you even want to know what I got you for Christmas", Frisco asked as he moved toward her. "What ever it is, you didn't have to bother, just being here for the girls is enough", Felicia said as she tried to resist the pull she felt every time he was within ten feet of her. "Just humor me and open it", Frisco pleaded like the little lost boy he so often still resembled. "Okay", Felicia said as she gave in, just like she always had. She carefully opened the box to find the one thing her heart had always craved no matter how much she proclaimed to love Mac. Inside the box was the picture of them from their first wedding, right inside of this room. Surrounding it was Frisco's WSB ID and passport cut into little pieces. She looked up him and said, "You had better be sure this time, because I won't let you walk out again". "I'm sure", Frisco said as he kissed his princess.
As the kids watched on from the kitchen Georgie turned to Maxie and asked, "Do you thinks this means Robin will come home to"?