Shawn gets one of his wishes granted right away and realizes that it comes at a cost to Jon.

Haul out the holly! Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.

Fill up the stocking. I may be rushing things but deck the halls again now.

For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. Candles in the window, carols at the spinet.

Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. I need a little Christmas now...

...Hasn't snowed a single flurry, but Santa dear we're in a hurry

Climb down the chimney. Turn on the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.

Slice up the fruit cake. It's time we've hung some tinsel on the evergreen bough.

For I've grown a little leaner, grown a little colder. Grown a little sadder, grown a little older.

And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder. I need a little Christmas now!

-Angela Lansbury

"Hi, Daddy!" Audrey exclaimed when her father finally made it to the phone. Happily, she wrapped a lock of her fiery hair around her fingers.

Richie's voice was weak but grew in strength as he spoke to her. "Hello, princess. How's my girl?"

"I'm great, Daddy." As she filled her father in on the events that had occurred since she last spoke to him, she turned towards Jon who was in the kitchen prepping for dinner.

He had decided against "botherin'" Richie.

Her father asked her several questions about the world outside of his hospice room. Unsurprising to Audrey, his questions turned to Jon almost immediately.

"Mmmm," Audrey closed one eye and squinted at her cooperating teacher through the other. "I don't know. You'd have to ask him."

Jon was washing vegetables. With the water running at full blast, he had not heard her.

She walked up behind him. "Here he is, Daddy."

She put the phone to Jon's ear before he realized she was there. He jumped when the case of the phone touched his face.

"J?" Richie's voice was suddenly in his ear. "How are you, son?"

Jon froze for a moment then shot Audrey a dirty look. She stuck her tongue out at him as she took over cleaning the vegetables.

"Hey, Richie," he replied, nearly dropping the phone as he tried to shift it to the other ear. "I'm okay. How're you?"

The older man coughed in response. "That answer your question?" he gave a feeble laugh.

"That good, huh?" The sharp sensation of awkward small talk coupled with guilt over the time that had passed since they last spoke pricked his spine and caused him to pace.

"What are your plans for the holidays, J?"

"Audrey hasn't told you?"

"I'd like to hear about it from you."

Jon took a deep breath and told him about Shawn's list. "So Aud and I've been working on that since we left school. It'll take the whole month to do, I think."

Richie grunted his approval. "Sounds like fun. I'm glad you're doin' this for Shawn. And for you."

Jon had no idea what Audrey may or may not have told her father and the last comment made him uncomfortable. "Listen, Richie, I don't feel right about takin' Audrey from you for Christmas. How about she just helps me plan this thing and then I send her home to you."

"Will you come with her?"

"Nah, I can't. Shawn and I have to stay put just in case Chet shows up wantin' to take him for Christmas. He said he might be by. I doubt it, but I have to stay just in case."

"Then Audrey's stayin' with you." Richie's tone left no room for arguments.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" the old man scoffed. There was spark in his voice that wasn't there before. "I've had my daughter with me every Christmas since her first. When was the last time you spent Christmas with someone?"

That feeling of awkwardness grew, and he shifted miserably under it. "I dunno, but it's not like I spend every Christmas alone."

"Don't lie to me, J," he responded firmly. "How long's it been?"

Jon sighed. He never could lie to Richie or at least not very well. "Not since the last Christmas I spent with you and Lizzy."

"You were 19 then. So what is that- 14 years?"

"Yeah."

"Then she'll stay with you and Shawn. You can make it up to me later."

He frowned. "How?"

"Bring the family up next time you have a break."

Now Jon really was wondering what Audrey had told her father. He cast a glance in her direction, but she was busy with the pot roast and didn't see him looking at her. With a heavy sigh, he agreed. A depressing weight settled on his back. There was something he wanted to talk to Richie about- a lot of things actually, but he had no idea where to begin.

Richie was silent. He knew the young man well enough to know what his expression was despite the miles between them. When Jon made no effort to say anything else, Richie gently but firmly prompted, "Out with it, J."

There were some things Jon couldn't do and one of them was to go against Richie when he told him to do something. He took a final look at Audrey, then headed to his bedroom. What he had to say, he couldn't say in front of her.

In the safety of his room, Jon began to talk.

And talk.

And talk.

In the beginning, Richie could not understand most of what the teacher was saying, but he listened without interrupting. Knowing Jon as he did, he knew he would eventually calm down and repeat himself in a more coherent way.

And he did.

"You sent her, didn't you?" the younger man when he was done re-explaining himself.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because at the lowest," he said, then stopped. He struggled to find the words. "Well second lowest point of my life your daughter just happens to show up. I figure that's only because you couldn't come down here, or it'd been you in my classroom instead of her."

"You really think I could do that without talkin' to you at all, huh? Other than Audrey, you're the only one who thinks I'm that powerful." Richie laughed. "I have no interest in shatterin' that illusion. Make of it what you will."

Jon finally cracked a smile. "So you did. Thanks, I really needed her."

"Mmhmm," Richie agreed. "Audrey's had a hard time since her mother died. She needed a change of scenery and a family of her own."

There were a few other things that had not changed about Jon and that was his lack of desire to get married or to have kids. He had a strong feeling that Richie knew this, so he said nothing.

"Jonathan."

Jon sat up straight at the mention of his. That feeling of panic that a kid gets when he's about to get into trouble overcame him. He couldn't remember the last time Richie called him anything other than J.

"Yeah?"

"Let go of the past. It's over with. Time to move on. You don't wanna end up like me, trapped in a prison of your own mind. You've got Audrey. You've got Shawn. Make the most of it."

Jon always felt a little disconcerted when it seemed like Richie could read his mind. And the older man always seemed to have that ability with him. "Yeah. I'll try."

Richie tried to say more but he ended up in a coughing fit. The next voice Jon heard was a nurse's.

"Is he okay?" Jon asked, worriedly.

"He'll be fine," she replied cheerily. "It's just time for his medication and a nap."

"Oh, okay."

"Wait," she said. Her curiosity came across strongly in her voice. "Are you J?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad you called! Richie's told us all about his son. We were beginning to think you didn't exist!" she laughed.

"I do," Jon said sheepishly. Her comment made him uncomfortable; it had been an exceptionally long time since he'd been referred to in that way. "It's just that Audrey does most of the talkin'."

"Call more, J. We want to hear your stories about Richie!"

"Yeah, sure thing," he said weakly as he terminated the call.

Jon sat on his bed for a long time afterwards, lost in thoughts about the past and the future. As the smell of the meat cooking filled his room, he finally got up to join Audrey in the kitchen.

"Feel better?" she asked with a small smile when she saw him.

He placed the phone back in its cradle and walked over to her. "No, I don't."

She looked at him in surprise.

"I just miss him even more and regret all the time I've lost with him."

"Aw, Jon," she reached out to him hugged him tightly. She really thought talking to her dad would have been a comfort and she worried she'd done the wrong thing by forcing the call on him.

As Jon held onto her and rested his chin on her head, he felt deeply unsettled.

When Shawn got back to the apartment after hanging out with Cory after school it was nearly 5:30pm. He knew the moment he stepped into his floor's hallway that Audrey was already there. He could smell the delicious aroma of pot roast wafting out from under door number 8.

The sudden slamming of the door caused Jon to look up from chopping vegetables.

"Go wash your hands," he told Shawn, who threw his bookbag at the nearest chair, missing it completely. "Then get in here and make yourself useful."

Shawn grinned and without protest did what he was asked to do. When he returned to the kitchen, he walked up behind Audrey, leaned over, and put his chin on her shoulder. "Whaddya want me to do?"

"Mash the potatoes for me, please," she said, motioning to the freshly washed potatoes. "Do you remember how I showed you how to do it?"

"I think so."

"Boil them first," she reminded him. "It's much easier that way."

Jon and Audrey watched him slowly and carefully peel and then dice the potatoes with his tongue stuck out to the side the whole time he was working. They struggled not to laugh as they didn't want to discourage his endeavors. However, he was going at a painfully slow pace and after a while Jon couldn't take it anymore.

"Shawn, we'd like to eat some time tonight. Feel free to pick up the pace. They don't have to be cut perfectly."

Shawn looked up very serious, blew his bangs out of his face, and looked to Audrey for confirmation. When it came to cooking, he didn't trust Jon fully, even though his teacher was a capable cook. Audrey was just...better than everyone.

"They're going to be mashed up anyway," she said, taking the rolls out of the oven.

The boy nodded and proceeded to suddenly and quickly diced the rest of the potatoes. So quickly Jon grew worried that there would be more than potatoes in the dish, but he refrained from saying anything as Audrey had her eye on Shawn.

"Is Mr. Williams coming over tonight?" Shawn asked as they sat down to dinner twenty minutes later. As much as he liked his media arts teacher, he didn't like him coming over to the apartment when Audrey was there because her stay was always cut short when he showed up. Shawn had never asked Jon how much Eli knew about Audrey, but he suspected he must know that she was often over as he had never heard the teacher say about her being there and he never had a problem giving Jon a hard time about women. However, there was a distinct change in Jon when Audrey and Eli were both there. He went from being comfortable and relaxed to on edge. It was weird and Shawn couldn't quite figure out what the difference was, so he just preferred to see Mr. Williams at school.

"Nope," Jon said. "I set him up with this waitress from Hannigan's so he's gonna be busy for quite some time if it all works out."

Shawn's fork suddenly clattered against the table. Audrey and Jon found him looking absolutely horrified at them.

"Shawn? What's wrong?" Audrey asked with concern.

With food in his mouth he said to Jon, "You set him up with a waitress," he looked at Audrey in despair. "From Hannigan's?"

"Yeah so?" Jon put his fork down when he realized what Shawn was thinking. Exasperated, he said, "Not Audrey! You know she isn't the only one who works there."

"She's the only one I know who works there," he grumbled.

Audrey couldn't help but laugh. "I promise you, Shawn, it isn't me. She's a friend of mine- Taylor. We work the same shift."

"Oh, okay." The boy seemed placated, and dinner went on without any further interruptions.

After dinner, the three of them moved to the couch to catch up on the news. The news wasn't necessarily something Shawn cared about, but he wasn't about to miss a chance to be around Audrey while she was there. He considered going to his room so she and Jon could be alone. But he decided against it as she often left if he did. So, to make sure she stayed as long as possible, he grabbed a pillow, tossed it on her lap, and laid down.

"So," Jon said as a commercial break began, "What do you think, Audrey? Should we give Shawn an early Christmas gift."

Shawn immediately sat up and looked at them expectantly. "Yes," he said. "Yes, you should give Shawn an early Christmas gift."

Audrey ignored him and focused on Jon. "I don't know," she said doubtfully. "It's only December 1st."

"Yeah," he said, knowing full well that dragging out the conversation was driving Shawn crazy. "That's true. I guess we'll wait then."

"What?" Shawn cried, jumping to kneel on the couch. "That's not fair! You brought it up-gimme!"

Audrey started to laugh as Jon said. "Well, that's true, too."

"Okay," she sighed in mock resignation, still laughing. "It's your gift to him anyway."

Shawn could barely contain himself as he kneeled on the couch and bounced up and down. "Where is it?"

"Right here." Jon held his hands out, presenting Audrey to Shawn. "I got you number one on your list."

It took a moment for his words to sink in and when they did happiness filled him up and bubbled over. He threw himself across them both in an awkward and uncomfortable hug, giddily babbling his gratitude over and over.

"I won't be here for New Year's then," Audrey clarified wanting to make sure he understood so that he wasn't disappointed later.

"Okay, that's okay," Shawn chirped gleefully. "I'll be with Cory and Topanga anyway."

As he said this, he caught a glimpse of the strange look that crossed Jon's face. He looked away from them to something on the floor. Shawn couldn't see that there was anything worth looking at there, but he was too happy to worry about it.

"So, this means we're doing everything on the list then right?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "But we are not telling you when we're doing your list. That's the surprise we're still working on."

"I can't wait," he said, grinning so big his cheeks were beginning to hurt as he settled back against her. His thoughts were brimming over with everything he was going to get to do with them in the days ahead.

After the news was over, Shawn, without complaining, started on his homework, whistling happily to himself as Jon and Audrey graded papers. The time went too quickly and soon it was time for him to go to bed and for Audrey to leave. He was about to go to his room when he realized that Jon had been uncharacteristically quiet for quite some time. His teacher's demeanor had shifted noticeably after the mention of New Year's Eve.

As Shawn thought about the holiday, it abruptly became clear to him why his teacher seemed saddened. This New Year's Eve was important to both of them. For Shawn, it was the first one that he, Cory, Topanga, and Eric would be able to go out on their own for New Year's Eve. For Jon it was the one and only time he'd get to be with Audrey at a party they were both attending. It was as close to a date as he'd get with her.

Shawn stood in the shadows of the hall and watched his teacher put away the dishes. He felt a strange rock settle in his chest and a lump in his throat. The adults in his life didn't give things up for him. They didn't put him ahead of their wants and desires. Not even his parents. Booze, spending money, and scheming to get money all went ahead of him.

Yet here was his teacher, who was not obligated to do anything other than teach him in class, but who was doing what his parents wouldn't do. Shawn knew how Jon felt about Audrey and the significance of Audrey spending Christmas with them was not lost on him.

Shawn wasn't a very affectionate kid. It was very hard to be affectionate when your own parents weren't very loving with you. Letting your walls down enough to really hug someone or to be hugged was difficult. Jon knew that from his own experience. So when he found himself suddenly being hugged by a kid who didn't hug people, he knew he'd somehow managed to break through to him. And in order to encourage Shawn's newfound vulnerability he had to let his own walls down enough to genuinely return the hug.

"Thank you." Shawn said intensely, looking up at him with watery eyes.

"You're welcome, Shawn," Jon said, surprised to find himself getting choked up. "We're both happy to do this for you."

But the boy shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Thank you for giving up your New Year's so I can have my Christmas."

Jon didn't know what to say. The emotional stuff came about as easy to him as it did to Shawn. But he was extremely touched that Shawn had made the connection. Ruffling the boy's hair he said, "Yeah, well, we're both going to have the best Christmas ever. That's a pretty good trade off, don't you think?"

Shawn responded by hugging him even tighter and making him gasp in pain and for air. "Shawn! Leggo before you break a rib!"

The teen looked up through the tears and grinned. "Whatever you say, Dad."

Jon smiled at the title. It was strange, but also nice to be called that he realized with amazement.

"Good. Then go to bed."

As he watched Shawn leave to go to his room, Jon tried to give a name to the feeling that had overtaken him, but it was too unfamiliar to do so. He shrugged and made his way to his own room. Maybe it was the feeling that came with Christmas, and he was just feeling it for the first time.

Oh, climb down the chimney! It's been a long time since I felt good neighborly.

Slice up the fruit cake. It's time we've hung some tinsel on the evergreen bough.

For we need a little Christmas right this very minute. Candles in the window, carols at the spinet.

Yes, we need a little Christmas right this very minute.

We need a little Christmas now!