Bad Santa
AN: I trust y'all had a safe Christmas. Remember to keep safe, according to the reports, we're entering the darkest days of this pandemic, so please remain strong and self-care. #BLM and for the Georgian's among you, remember your vote matters, so use it wisely.
On Christmas Eve, the Christmas lights in the upscale Buckhead neighbourhood on Chestnut Close were softly muted by the swirling snow. Visibility was next to impossible because of the huge fluffy white flakes swirling around outdoors. It was a blustery night out. It looked as though someone continually shook a snow globe to watch the flakes swirl around the decorative Christmas village inside.
Inside the mansion at the bottom of the cul-de-sac, eight-year-old Mia Grimes stared out the window mesmerized by the winter scape before her eyes and smiled. Mia smiled because she wished for snow this Christmas. Snow in Atlanta was a rare thing, so it made her especially happy whenever it snowed at Christmas. This year she would share the cold fluffy delight with her sister, Simone. The one born two minutes after midnight the year before.
It was a special year for the Grimes family because there were also two surprising new additions.
...
"Mimi, come on, you're missing the movie," Carl called after his sister then roared with laughter at the sight of Harry burying his fiery head in the snow.
"Coming, Carl," she called back but moved not a muscle because she remained transfixed by the fluffy floating flakes drifting tempestuously on the unseen winter wind.
Thirty minutes later, Mia's father's arms seized her on both sides of her tiny body, plucking her from the chair on which she perched, peering out at the large flakes that looked as soft as a kitten's fur.
"It's time, princess."
"Daddy, look at the pretty snowflakes." She pointed out the window. "I wanna catch them on my face. Can you take me and Simone outside, pleazzzzze, Daddy?" she pleaded with him and batted her long lashes over warm blue eyes.
Mia Grimes knew just how to get to her father; it was said from the day she was born that Rick Grimes took one look at his daughter, and she had him wrapped around her little finger. As a result, he often found himself between a rock and a hard place because of his inability to say no to his eldest daughter, and now he had three.
Rick took a minute to assess the situation before he replied. The weather had undoubtedly gotten progressively worse since lunch. Plus, he knew his wife would never agree to an extended stay outdoors and certainly not for their one-year-old, but one look into his eldest daughter's pleading eyes, and he caved.
"Sure, princess, daddy will take you outside for a few minutes, but only after we eat, okay? Now. You have to wash up and change, then we'll have supper so that grandpa and grandma Jones can leave before it gets much worse outdoors," Rick countered.
"Daddy, why do grandpa and grandma have to go home when nan and gramps stay next door?"
Rick chuckled, "That's an excellent question, princess. Why don't you ask them to stay?"
"Okay."
Rick walked them down the windowed hallway trimmed with blinking Christmas lights to rejoin the family who had gathered together for their annual Christmas movie marathon and a special birthday dinner.
Mia giggled and squirmed as a result of being tickled on both sides.
"Stop, Daddy… stop!" She begged as her torture continued.
"Next time, when your brother calls, you'll do as you've promised, won't you?"
"Yesssss, Daddy. I promise," she added, placing her tiny arms around her father's neck and giving him a kiss.
"Good," Rick replied, kissed his daughter on both cheeks, and set her down a few feet away from her grandparents. Morgan and Carol Jones sat on the soft cream-coloured leather loveseat in the family room, enjoying the movies with the boys and the soon-to-be birthday girl.
Rick then turned and left the room when he heard Michonne's voice over the baby monitor in the nursery talking to their cooing newborns.
Mia hurled herself directly into her grandfather's waiting arms and was showered with kisses by her bespectacled bald-headed grandfather.
"Hey, princess!" Morgan chuckled as the ball of energy known as Mia slammed into his chest. "What have you been up to?"
"It's storming outside, grandpa. Will you and grandma stay after dinner?"
"Sweetheart, grandma and I would love to stay."
"Goodie," Mia squealed and kissed her grandfather's cheek. "Then we can all go outside after dinner and play in the snow."
Carol chuckled at their granddaughter's reaction; contrary to popular belief, Rick Grimes wasn't the only person wrapped around Mia's little finger because it seemed her grandfather Jones suffered from the same affliction.
Uncertain as to his wife's reaction, Morgan shrugged his shoulders and asked, "What is it? It makes sense; we'd be expected here first thing in the morning anyway," he added in his defence.
"Nothing, dear," the petite blue-eyed silver-haired woman replied with a smirk and walked over to the fireplace. Carol placed another log onto the glowing embers to keep the fire going as they prepared to gather for the pizza dinner, which Mary announced would be ready shortly.
Carol turned to her grandsons and instructed, "Boys, it's time to wash up and dress for dinner."
"Oh, man, why do we have to dress up?" Andre whined.
"Yeah, Simone's only one. She won't remember anything," Alex argued.
"Maybe not, but in this family, we dress up for special occasions… now off you go," Carol instructed the twins. "Give her to me, Carl," Carol ordered her oldest grandson and held her arms out to take the star of the evening.
Carl in turn passed his baby sister to his grandmother.
"Hi, sweetheart, you know it's time, don't you?" Carol asked, looking at the little honey-coloured blue-eyed girl with a mass of loose dark curls who stared back at her with dimpled cheeks showing off her newest teeth.
Simone cooed her response, and her tiny fisted hands and legs covered in her Christmas onesie became animated.
"Come on, Mia, dear, it's time for us girls to change too."
"See you, grandpa, "Mia hugged Morgan then followed her grandmother and sister down the hallway.
"Are you excited, Moni? Today, you'll get to wear your tiara, and mommy says that I can help you to blow out your candle." Mia babbled as she skipped down the hall beside her grandmother.
...
The Grimes family consists of the father, Rick Grimes, his lovely wife, Michonne and their children, Carl, Mia, the first set of twins, Andre and Alex, Simone, the newborn twins, Leticia and Lincoln, born two months earlier the result of an oopsie pregnancy. Both sets of grandparents, Mary Grimes and her boyfriend, Tobin Mamet, and Morgan and Carol Jones. The group was presently gathered in the large dining room.
Tonight's dinner was held in honour of Simone Grimes, whose official birthday fell two minutes after midnight on Christmas morning. As a result of the hodgepodge nature of Christmas the year before, part at home and part in a hospital room, it was decided Simone's birthday would be celebrated on Christmas Eve and they would continue their Christmas traditions. The eldest twins, Andre and Alex, who didn't particularly appreciate their sister messing up Christmas, gladly supported this decision.
The birthday girl, Simone, wore a special dress. It had a black velvet bodice with a red, silver, grey and black plaid skirt and a giant red bow at the waist with white stockings and black patent leather shoes. She also wore the cutest little tiara on her head.
Simone sat in the high chair at the table next to Mia between their parents while her younger siblings slept nearby in her playpen.
Holiday music filtered throughout the house as background noise while the family chatted and dined on the homemade pizzas Mary crafted to each individual's preferred taste.
As promised, Mia helped her baby sister blow out the candle on a small round cake and was rewarded with a fistful of pink and white frosting on her face because Simone wanted to share the cake with her sister.
Mia giggled, and Simone did too. Their grandpa, Tobin, captured the memories with his new Canon.
The joy on Simone's face mirrored that of her older sister's, except Simone looked like she wore a mask because the frosting was pasted all over her face.
"Oh, that's so gross. Gran, now we have no dessert," Alex and Andre whined. "Girls are so gross," they declared.
"Andre and Alex!" Rick chided his young sons.
Carl, who sat between his brothers, snickered, which earned him a cross look from his father.
"Yes, Daddy," the boys replied with cowered heads.
"I believe you two owe your mother and grandmothers an apology, don't you?"
"We're sorry, Mommy, Gran, and Grandma," they parrotted in unison.
"Don't worry, sweethearts here's the real cake; grandpa had to take pictures first," Mary added, producing a 3-D brown-skinned Barbie doll cake decorated with pink and white frosting dress. After that, the girl's faces were cleaned up, and new photos were taken to commemorate the occasion.
…
Inside the Grimes household, several hours after the children were all tucked into bed, visions of sugar plums and toys danced through their heads, but then a clang and clash erupted downstairs.
Morgan and Carol continued their honeymoon-like behaviour in a guest bedroom at the far end of the hall and were too caught up in their own little bubble to notice the clatter.
Carl was still recovering from a get-together with his friends the night before; as a result, he was out like a light.
But Mia heard the clatter and sprung from her bed and stole silently down the stairs to investigate the matter. She knew it was him but couldn't believe her luck; for years, she and her brothers would stay up as late as they could to see Santa but had never succeeded. Finally, this year she would see him, she thought.
...
In the family room, the crackling sound of the low fire kept the room toasty warm. The lights were dimmed low by design to not attract any nosy children. The moonlight streamed through the wall of windows, illuminating the space and the snow continued to fall steadily, but the flakes were much smaller than before, which meant the snow for a few would last beyond Christmas.
The scent of Christmas permeated the air. A mixture of the pine trees commingled with the cinnamon and citrus potpourri found throughout the house evoked memories of Christmases past, and Christmas music streamed on Michonne's iPhone, providing background noise while they work. Finally, Michonne passed the remaining presents to Rick, who placed them under the children's tree while placing the last gift bags for her stepmother and mother-in-law under the other.
She took another sip of the sparkling cider and stared at her husband's ass in his Santa suit as he knelt forward, arranging the last of the presents in an orderly manner under the tree. The two had only recently reconnected intimately after the birth of the twins. As such, they could barely keep their hands off one another now that the twins began sleeping through the night and they no longer felt like zombies; with three infants, six-year-old twins and an eight-year-old in the house, spontaneity was just about lost, so they seized the moment whenever possible.
And Christmas season meant their front door was like a revolving door at the mall on Black Friday. As such, the present moment was about as good as it would get for the next few weeks.
Rick stoked the fire with the poker and added a log to it, hoping to capitalize on some alone time with his wife because it had been a few days since they last touched.
"Great job, Santa! Can I interest you in some milk and cookies?" she purred.
Rick got off his knees and winked at his wife, "Well, since it's Christmas and you've been so supportive, Santa thought he might show his gratitude with a little something for you, darling," he countered in a lazy southern drawl which was more pronounced due to fatigue from a long day. His eyes scanned his wife's sexy curves dressed in a Santa hat, a red velvet dress trimmed with white fur at the neck and hemline; on her feet, she wore red Santa boots also trimmed with white fur.
The hungry look on his face made Michonnes knees weak, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. It still felt new after all these years together—like they were young lovers and so eager to touch one another.
Rick swallowed hard as the mischief in his eyes reflected back at him. He moistened his lip and felt his pocket. "Shit!" Rick cursed under his breath. The moment he had planned all day was now delayed. "Don't move. I'll be right back," he instructed, kissing Michonne's forehead and rushing down the hall towards his office.
Meanwhile, Michonne heard a clang and a crash from the family room and wondered just what had him so flustered.
He returned a few minutes later, his breathing slightly elevated and his complexion slightly rosier than before, but happier nonetheless, having found what he sought. Rick found Michonne standing next to the children's Christmas tree, adjusting the newest ornaments on it, the photos of Leticia and Lincoln.
"Shall we try this again?" he asked, fishing from his pocket a small robin's-egg blue gift box with a white bow.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Go on, open it!" He instructed, eager to see her reaction.
Michonne's fingers trembled as they untied the white ribbon around the blue box and opened it only to find another that held the treasure. She opened the leather box and gasped. Both her index and middle fingers immediately went to her lips.
"Oh my God. It's so beautiful! Thank you!" she exclaimed with wide tear-filled eyes as she stared at the beautiful platinum band featuring a sapphire, an emerald, a diamond, a ruby, tanzanite and opal, all the gems representing their family.
"I figured now that our family is complete, you should have something to tell our story," Rick added, taking the ring from the box and slipping it onto her right ring finger.
"I love it—I love you."
"I love you too. Merry Christmas, babe."
Michonne set the discarded boxes nearby and embraced Rick's waist.
Rick embraced his wife, his hands resting gently on her hips as his head bowed to capture her soft lips.
Michonne moaned, and her body acquiesced to his touch, neither of them aware of the presence of an interloper until they heard a deafening scream.
"Bad Santa! That's my mommy, not Mrs. Claus' sister."
Mia screamed at the top of her lungs, terrified that the bad Santa had chosen to break into their home to ruin Christmas.
"Daddy! Daddy!" she called out in distress to summon her father to save Christmas.
Michonne gently pushed at Rick.
"Shit!" Rick cursed under his breath, releasing Michonne, who chuckled.
"Now what?" he asked.
"The garage," Michonne whispered.
"It's freezing cold in there," he replied.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Mia wailed as she ran to the bottom of the stairs to wait for her father.
"It's either that or ruin Christmas for your daughter," Michonne retorted and ran after Mia before she could wake up the entire household.
...
Michonne sat on a chair in the small dining room with her back to the outer room while Mia sat in her lap and sobbed.
"Calm down, sweetheart. Mommy got rid of him."
"Mommy, where's my daddy? Why didn't he come, Mommy?" Mia demanded.
But before Michonne could formulate a good lie, she heard her name.
"Michonne?" Rick called from the kitchen just off the garage, "What happened?"
"Bad Santa came in the family room a few minutes ago. Mia's scream chased him off. He ran towards the kitchen and then out the garage. It must have been unlocked."
...
Michonne heard Rick's feet shuffling on the hardwood floors and looked up to see him clad in his silk elk print button-fly Christmas boxers carrying a baseball bat. She smiled and motioned to him by rubbing her index finger up and down the side of her face where strayed white strands of his fake beard clung to his short beard.
Rick quickly removed the offending strands and buried them in a nearby bowl of potpourri.
"Are you okay, Princess?" he asked, crouching down to speak with his daughter.
"Did you get him, Daddy?"
"There's no one here but you and mommy, baby."
"Did you see his car? He's not the good Santa; he's the bad one."
"No, he was long gone."
"Where were you, Daddy?"
"Daddy was sleeping, sweetheart. We should all be sleeping. Come on, Daddy will tuck you in bed."
After placing the baseball bat in a corner, Rick walked over to the chair where his girls sat. He gently took his daughter into his arms, and together the three of them ascended the stairs.
…
Utterly dismayed by what she had seen, after both her parents tucked her into bed, Mia crept out of bed once more and snuck into Carl's temporary room across the hall from hers.
"Carl. Carl. Wake up!" her tiny voice, urgent and distressed as she shook her brother awake.
Carl stirred, groggy from sleep with squinted eyes.
"Carl! Wake up!"
"I'm up—I'm up. What is it, Mimi?" Carl asked, sitting up with his back against the headboard.
"Mimi, what are you doing up?" he asked.
"Is mommy like Mrs. Claus' sister?"
"Of course not. What are you talking about, Mimi?"
"I saw them, Carl," Mia stated emphatically with her arms folded around her tiny body.
"What did you see, Mimi?"
"Them—you know—Bad Santa and mommy. He kissed our mommy, Carl."
"He kissed mommy," Mia added, alarmed by what she had witnessed.
Suddenly, everything made sense, and Carl knew exactly what his sister had witnessed. His sister was yet another child scarred by their parent's inability to keep their hands to themselves, resulting in six children in less than ten years together.
"Mimi, mommy would never kiss Bad Santa."
"You promise?"
"Of course, because dad would beat him silly with a baseball bat and then haul him off to jail. Now go to bed so Santa can bring us goodies."
"Carl?" she added in a whisper.
"Yes, Mimi?"
"Can I sleep here with you?"
"Okay, but you have to go to sleep, Mimi. No more talking, okay?"
"Okay. But, Carl?"
"Mimi!" Carl replied with a raised brow like their father used when annoyed with their twin brothers.
"Santa already passed by because there are lots and lots of presents downstairs."
"Good night, Mimi!"
"Nite, Carl," Mia replied, hugging her big brother.
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