Chapter 3: No Such Thing as Santa?
"Dad! Someone's here," Sydney told him as she watched from the window.
"That's nice sweetheart, I think I'll just go in the kitchen..." Jack replied, trying to sneak away.
"Oh no you don't, you're going to help me greet our guests," she said, yanking him toward the door and opening it to admit Dixon. "Dixon! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas to you too Sydney," he said, handing her the bottle of wine he carried. "And Jack? Is that really you?" he asked, hiding a smile behind his hand.
"Yes it's me Dixon," Jack said with a nod. "Why don't you shut the door Sydney?" Jack suggested. "You're letting the snow in."
Sydney moved to obey, but was halted by a shout from the walk. "Wait up!" Weiss hollered. "Don't shut me out here!"
"Merry Christmas Weiss," she said as she re-opened the door. Jack quickly left the living room for the safety of the kitchen. There was no way he was going to put up with the same reaction to his costume over and over. It would be better if he just came out when they had all arrived and got it over with. Besides, from here he could hear everything that was going on and see new arrivals walking up the sidewalk.
"Feliz Navidad!" Weiss replied boisterously as he shut the door behind him. "And here is a gift for you, my lovely," he added, giving her a brightly wrapped gift.
"You've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean too much Weiss," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "You keep using pirate lingo. Someday I really need to borrow that movie from you so I can see what I missed," she added as she started opening her present.
"Actually, you don't need to," Weiss said smugly when he saw the surprised look on her face. "You've got your own now."
"Aye, that I do! Thanke kindly Weiss," she said with a grin.
"You're welcome lass, but don't be trying to out-pirate me now. I'm Captain Eric Weiss!"
"In your dreams!" she said, giving him a good-natured shove.
"Sydney, Carrie and Marshall are almost to the door," Jack said, sticking his face back in the living room.
"Thanks Dad," Sydney said and opened the door to let her heavily pregnant friend in. "Carrie! Marshall! I'm so glad you could both make it," she said warmly, taking their coats and handing them to Jack to hang up.
"Well we wanted one last night out before the baby comes," Marshall said. "I mean, not that having a baby means you don't ever get to go out again, well it does but that's not a bad thing, it's just different but "Different is Good" like the old Arby's slogan said..."
"Marshall. I think they understand," Carrie said with a quelling look.
"Right, right. After all Mr. Dixon and Agent Bristow have both had children themselves so they understand what it's like. I bet they know more about it than we do, don't you? You guys could probably give us some real pointers... Wow! Agent Bristow, you sure do know how to get into the holiday spirit! Look Carrie, he's dressed as Santa! Did you do that for Sydney when she was a little girl?" Marshall asked, his eyes wide.
"Not really Marshall," Jack said, managing to look completely at home in his outfit.
"So Jack, you look good in red," Weiss said, a wide grin on his face.
"Don't push it Mr. Weiss," Jack warned as Sydney opened the door for Vaughn and Lauren.
"What's going on?" Vaughn asked curiously, his voice low.
"Weiss is pestering Dad about being Santa Claus," Sydney told him with a grin.
"Ah, this should be good."
"Can I sit on your lap and give you my Christmas list?" Eric asked, ignoring the glint that appeared in the older agent's eye.
"You know what they say Mr. Weiss," Jack said and then sang,
"You'd better watch out, You'd better not cry, You'd better not pout I'm telling you why..."
Here he paused for a minute, looking around the room before settling his gaze back on Eric. "Santa Claus is coming to town," he concluded, letting his features settle into his usual intimidating expression.
"That's right Eric," Vaughn said with a grin. "He sees you when you're sleeping..."
"He knows when you're awake," Dixon added.
"Yeah yeah, he knows if I've been bad or good so I'd better be good for goodness sake Does this mean no more Santa jokes?" he asked plaintively.
"Do you value your life Mr. Weiss?" Jack asked in a foreboding voice.
"So! Anyone else up to a snowball fight?" Eric asked, trying desperately to draw attention away from himself. Judging from the laughter surrounding him, he didn't quite succeed.
"A snowball fight?" Dixon asked, his eyes lighting up. "I haven't had one of those in years. Dianne always liked to go someplace warm for the holidays."
"Count me in," Vaughn said once he finished laughing.
"And me!" Sydney chimed in, going to the closet to get everyone's coat. "Anyone else?" she asked, looking around.
"I think I'm out for this year," Carrie said with a smile.
"And I'll stay here with you... if that's ok with you that is. I'm not saying you need company..."
"Marshall, it's fine," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"I doubt this suit should get wet Sydney," Jack replied dryly. "I'll keep your guests occupied while the four of you play in the snow."
"What about you Lauren?" Sydney asked, looking at the other woman quizzically. "Care to join in?"
"No, that's ok. I'll just stay in here and keep warm," she said.
"Ok!! Last one out there has to be on Weiss' team!" Sydney hollered as she raced out the door.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean??" Eric asked indignantly as he followed after her.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us Lauren?" Vaughn asked uncertainly.
"I'm sure. As much as I love looking at snow, I don't really enjoy getting cold playing in it."
"Maybe I should stay with you then..."
"No, don't let me keep you from having fun. You guys go play, I'll sit and talk with Carrie. Someone's got to keep the poor girl sane, I can't leave her alone with Jack and Marshall," she said, pushing him toward the door.
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm sure! Just make sure you win."
"Was there any doubt?" he asked, flashing her a grin as he raced outside to join the others.
"You're the last one Vaughn, you have to be Eric's partner!" Sydney teased.
"I still don't get why that's some big punishment," Eric muttered.
"Watch this Eric... keep her distracted," Vaughn ordered softly, casually bending down to scoop up some snow.
"I mean, what's the big deal? Are you saying I'm not a good snowball fight person?" he asked smoothly. "I'll have you know I was once the celebrated snowball fight person of Calaveras County!"
"That's the Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and it's a story by Mark Twain," Dixon pointed out.
"Thank you Dixon," Sydney said.
"Well whatever. I'm just saying that I've got some mad snowball skillz. I can roll em and throw em faster than you can believe! Why..."
"Weiss, why don't you shut your mouth and show us these snowball skillz as you called them, you white boy rapper wannabe," Sydney taunted.
"Because that's my job," Vaughn replied, hitting her in the chest with a perfectly aimed snowball.
"Pfft.. pff..." Sydney said, spitting some snow out of her mouth. "That's it, this means war," she warned the two men who were rolling on the ground, holding their sides in laughter. "Are you ready for this Dixon?" she asked her former and now current partner.
"Does it look like I'm ready?" he asked, tossing a snowball up in the air and catching it again with a devilish grin .
"Let's get 'em!" she shouted, bending down to form a snowball and throw it at Vaughn in one smooth motion.
"Hey!" he hollered, jumping off the ground.
"We've got you now guys," she yelled, picking up more snow and throwing it at Weiss.
"I want to throw up a white flag!" he begged, holding up his hands against the onslaught of snowballs coming his way from both Sydney and Dixon.
"Oh no you don't! It's too late for that," she told him.
"Isn't there anyway I can win?" he whined.
"Not a chance," she said as she bent over for more snow.
Five seconds later she knocked flat on her back in the snow when Vaughn came rushing at her. "No way at all?" he teased.
"Vaughn!! You... you... you snuck up on me! That's not fair!" she protested, the laughter in her eyes showing how little she minded.
"Oh, you think that's not fair? Just wait till you see what else I've got in store for you," he said, grabbing a handful of snow and rubbing it in her face. "Alright Miss Bristow, who wins?"
"You do, you do!" she answered breathlessly, peals of laughter escaping as she squirmed underneath him.
The laughter drew the attention of the four agents inside in the warm house. "What are they doing out there?" Carrie asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Just playing," Lauren said from her vantage point by the window.
"It sounds like someone just got wrestled to the ground," Carrie surmised.
"That would be Sydney," Lauren answered softly, unable to take her eyes from the scene outside. There was still a light dusting of snowflakes coming down, and Dixon and Weiss were watching and laughing as Sydney and Michael wrestled around in the snow, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Finally Michael rolled off her and pulled her up. The sounds had faded, but it was clear from watching that they were both still laughing. Their faces were red with exertion and their eyes were sparkling with merriment.
"It's hard to know what to do isn't it?" Jack asked quietly, surprising her.
"What?"
"When you know you can't have everything you want. It's hard to know what to do, isn't it?" he asked, understanding shining in his eyes.
"I'm not sure what you mean Jack," she replied uneasily. But she did, and for the first time she realized that she might not get her Christmas wish.
"Dad! Someone's here," Sydney told him as she watched from the window.
"That's nice sweetheart, I think I'll just go in the kitchen..." Jack replied, trying to sneak away.
"Oh no you don't, you're going to help me greet our guests," she said, yanking him toward the door and opening it to admit Dixon. "Dixon! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas to you too Sydney," he said, handing her the bottle of wine he carried. "And Jack? Is that really you?" he asked, hiding a smile behind his hand.
"Yes it's me Dixon," Jack said with a nod. "Why don't you shut the door Sydney?" Jack suggested. "You're letting the snow in."
Sydney moved to obey, but was halted by a shout from the walk. "Wait up!" Weiss hollered. "Don't shut me out here!"
"Merry Christmas Weiss," she said as she re-opened the door. Jack quickly left the living room for the safety of the kitchen. There was no way he was going to put up with the same reaction to his costume over and over. It would be better if he just came out when they had all arrived and got it over with. Besides, from here he could hear everything that was going on and see new arrivals walking up the sidewalk.
"Feliz Navidad!" Weiss replied boisterously as he shut the door behind him. "And here is a gift for you, my lovely," he added, giving her a brightly wrapped gift.
"You've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean too much Weiss," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "You keep using pirate lingo. Someday I really need to borrow that movie from you so I can see what I missed," she added as she started opening her present.
"Actually, you don't need to," Weiss said smugly when he saw the surprised look on her face. "You've got your own now."
"Aye, that I do! Thanke kindly Weiss," she said with a grin.
"You're welcome lass, but don't be trying to out-pirate me now. I'm Captain Eric Weiss!"
"In your dreams!" she said, giving him a good-natured shove.
"Sydney, Carrie and Marshall are almost to the door," Jack said, sticking his face back in the living room.
"Thanks Dad," Sydney said and opened the door to let her heavily pregnant friend in. "Carrie! Marshall! I'm so glad you could both make it," she said warmly, taking their coats and handing them to Jack to hang up.
"Well we wanted one last night out before the baby comes," Marshall said. "I mean, not that having a baby means you don't ever get to go out again, well it does but that's not a bad thing, it's just different but "Different is Good" like the old Arby's slogan said..."
"Marshall. I think they understand," Carrie said with a quelling look.
"Right, right. After all Mr. Dixon and Agent Bristow have both had children themselves so they understand what it's like. I bet they know more about it than we do, don't you? You guys could probably give us some real pointers... Wow! Agent Bristow, you sure do know how to get into the holiday spirit! Look Carrie, he's dressed as Santa! Did you do that for Sydney when she was a little girl?" Marshall asked, his eyes wide.
"Not really Marshall," Jack said, managing to look completely at home in his outfit.
"So Jack, you look good in red," Weiss said, a wide grin on his face.
"Don't push it Mr. Weiss," Jack warned as Sydney opened the door for Vaughn and Lauren.
"What's going on?" Vaughn asked curiously, his voice low.
"Weiss is pestering Dad about being Santa Claus," Sydney told him with a grin.
"Ah, this should be good."
"Can I sit on your lap and give you my Christmas list?" Eric asked, ignoring the glint that appeared in the older agent's eye.
"You know what they say Mr. Weiss," Jack said and then sang,
"You'd better watch out, You'd better not cry, You'd better not pout I'm telling you why..."
Here he paused for a minute, looking around the room before settling his gaze back on Eric. "Santa Claus is coming to town," he concluded, letting his features settle into his usual intimidating expression.
"That's right Eric," Vaughn said with a grin. "He sees you when you're sleeping..."
"He knows when you're awake," Dixon added.
"Yeah yeah, he knows if I've been bad or good so I'd better be good for goodness sake Does this mean no more Santa jokes?" he asked plaintively.
"Do you value your life Mr. Weiss?" Jack asked in a foreboding voice.
"So! Anyone else up to a snowball fight?" Eric asked, trying desperately to draw attention away from himself. Judging from the laughter surrounding him, he didn't quite succeed.
"A snowball fight?" Dixon asked, his eyes lighting up. "I haven't had one of those in years. Dianne always liked to go someplace warm for the holidays."
"Count me in," Vaughn said once he finished laughing.
"And me!" Sydney chimed in, going to the closet to get everyone's coat. "Anyone else?" she asked, looking around.
"I think I'm out for this year," Carrie said with a smile.
"And I'll stay here with you... if that's ok with you that is. I'm not saying you need company..."
"Marshall, it's fine," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"I doubt this suit should get wet Sydney," Jack replied dryly. "I'll keep your guests occupied while the four of you play in the snow."
"What about you Lauren?" Sydney asked, looking at the other woman quizzically. "Care to join in?"
"No, that's ok. I'll just stay in here and keep warm," she said.
"Ok!! Last one out there has to be on Weiss' team!" Sydney hollered as she raced out the door.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean??" Eric asked indignantly as he followed after her.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us Lauren?" Vaughn asked uncertainly.
"I'm sure. As much as I love looking at snow, I don't really enjoy getting cold playing in it."
"Maybe I should stay with you then..."
"No, don't let me keep you from having fun. You guys go play, I'll sit and talk with Carrie. Someone's got to keep the poor girl sane, I can't leave her alone with Jack and Marshall," she said, pushing him toward the door.
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm sure! Just make sure you win."
"Was there any doubt?" he asked, flashing her a grin as he raced outside to join the others.
"You're the last one Vaughn, you have to be Eric's partner!" Sydney teased.
"I still don't get why that's some big punishment," Eric muttered.
"Watch this Eric... keep her distracted," Vaughn ordered softly, casually bending down to scoop up some snow.
"I mean, what's the big deal? Are you saying I'm not a good snowball fight person?" he asked smoothly. "I'll have you know I was once the celebrated snowball fight person of Calaveras County!"
"That's the Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and it's a story by Mark Twain," Dixon pointed out.
"Thank you Dixon," Sydney said.
"Well whatever. I'm just saying that I've got some mad snowball skillz. I can roll em and throw em faster than you can believe! Why..."
"Weiss, why don't you shut your mouth and show us these snowball skillz as you called them, you white boy rapper wannabe," Sydney taunted.
"Because that's my job," Vaughn replied, hitting her in the chest with a perfectly aimed snowball.
"Pfft.. pff..." Sydney said, spitting some snow out of her mouth. "That's it, this means war," she warned the two men who were rolling on the ground, holding their sides in laughter. "Are you ready for this Dixon?" she asked her former and now current partner.
"Does it look like I'm ready?" he asked, tossing a snowball up in the air and catching it again with a devilish grin .
"Let's get 'em!" she shouted, bending down to form a snowball and throw it at Vaughn in one smooth motion.
"Hey!" he hollered, jumping off the ground.
"We've got you now guys," she yelled, picking up more snow and throwing it at Weiss.
"I want to throw up a white flag!" he begged, holding up his hands against the onslaught of snowballs coming his way from both Sydney and Dixon.
"Oh no you don't! It's too late for that," she told him.
"Isn't there anyway I can win?" he whined.
"Not a chance," she said as she bent over for more snow.
Five seconds later she knocked flat on her back in the snow when Vaughn came rushing at her. "No way at all?" he teased.
"Vaughn!! You... you... you snuck up on me! That's not fair!" she protested, the laughter in her eyes showing how little she minded.
"Oh, you think that's not fair? Just wait till you see what else I've got in store for you," he said, grabbing a handful of snow and rubbing it in her face. "Alright Miss Bristow, who wins?"
"You do, you do!" she answered breathlessly, peals of laughter escaping as she squirmed underneath him.
The laughter drew the attention of the four agents inside in the warm house. "What are they doing out there?" Carrie asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Just playing," Lauren said from her vantage point by the window.
"It sounds like someone just got wrestled to the ground," Carrie surmised.
"That would be Sydney," Lauren answered softly, unable to take her eyes from the scene outside. There was still a light dusting of snowflakes coming down, and Dixon and Weiss were watching and laughing as Sydney and Michael wrestled around in the snow, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Finally Michael rolled off her and pulled her up. The sounds had faded, but it was clear from watching that they were both still laughing. Their faces were red with exertion and their eyes were sparkling with merriment.
"It's hard to know what to do isn't it?" Jack asked quietly, surprising her.
"What?"
"When you know you can't have everything you want. It's hard to know what to do, isn't it?" he asked, understanding shining in his eyes.
"I'm not sure what you mean Jack," she replied uneasily. But she did, and for the first time she realized that she might not get her Christmas wish.
