Chandler got out of bed and looked at the clock, three in the morning. He sighed at the early hour and grabbed his robe. As he put it on, he left the bedroom quietly, leaving his sleeping wife behind. When he walked past the kid's room, he noticed Erica's door was cracked open. Chandler hummed in suspicion as he opened the door wider and noticed his six-year-old daughter was missing. At first, he felt panic sting through him. However, he had to stay calm to not wake up Monica before checking the rest of the house first. Chandler silently walked down the stairs and was instantly relieved, seeing his daughter under the glow of the Christmas tree lights. He sighed as he sat on the floor next to her, making her jump with a small gasp. "Hi Daddy," the little girl whispered.
"Whatcha doing, sweetheart?" He whispered back.
"I heard noises and just knew it was Santa. I waited 'til he was gone, then I came down to look at the presents." Erica moved into Chandler's lap and looked up at the dazzling tree. "He came. I know he did."
Chandler smiled at her innocence and kissed the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. "You should be in bed asleep, so can you have energy for tomorrow."
"I want to open my gifts, Daddy" Erica frowned as she leaned back into his chest.
He gently combed her hair down with his fingers. "You just have to wait, sweetheart. I know you're excited, but Mommy is going to want to be here when you open your presents. Your brother wants to open his presents with you. I promise they will still be here when we wake up tomorrow."
The little girl crossed her arms with a slight huff, "why do we have to wait for them? I woke up first so I should get to open my presents before everyone else."
Chandler sighed, unsure of how to explain it in a way she would understand. "Because Christmas is about being with family. I don't think you want to open everything by yourself in the dark, do you?"
"But Daddy, what if I didn't get everything on my list?" Erica scanned the presents again.
"I'm sure you did. You were good all year, weren't you?"
Erica nodded and looked up at him. "I was. I promise."
"Then you have nothing to worry about, but you're supposed to be in bed right now. So I think it would be a good idea to go back to sleep. Don't you?"
She nodded with a yawn as her eyelids became heavy as the early morning hour caught up to her. Chandler couldn't stop himself from chuckling before he stood carefully. He lifted her in his arms and walked up to the stairs, heading towards her room. As he walked past Jack's room, he heard a tiny gasp, and his door closed. He bit his tongue in an attempt to quiet his laughter, going into Erica's room and tucking her into bed for the second time that night. "Daddy?" Erica mumbled just before Chandler left the room.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I don't like waiting," she muttered.
He smiled, "Merry Christmas, Erica."