This is so late, but I kept forgetting to post. 2020 is kinda related to my Christmas fic from last year, but you don't need to read to understand.


1989

Catherine Halstead makes sure that her two young sons are dressed for the Chicago winter before heading out to the light display that they go to every year the first week of December. She looks to her two boys seven-year-old Will and five-year-old Jay, "Are you boys ready?"

Both boys nod their heads excitedly, Will also verbally responds with a loud yes.

"Okay, let's go," Catherine agrees, leading the brothers outside to the car. She watches as Will buckles himself into his booster seat and helps Jay with his five-point car seat. After double-checking that both boys are safely buckled in, she gets into the driver's seat and starts their journey to the Christmas light display that she and Pat would go to when they were just dating.

"Mom?" Will gets his mother's attention. "Why isn't dad coming?"

"Your dad and I decided that it would be good for us to have some mother-son time," Catherine answers.

"He came last year."

"You boys are bigger now- but, since your dad didn't come with us, you need to be on your best behavior and help look after your brother."

"I will, mom," Will promises.

Getting to their destination, Catharine turns off the car before getting out of the car and letting the boys out since the child lock is on the back doors.

Once she has both boys situated, they go towards the light display. She holds on to each of her boys' hands, with minor resistance from Will, stating that he is too old to be holding his mother's hand.

As they walk through the displays, Jay points out something that he wants his mom and older brother to see. Catherine notices that Will is being unusually good with his younger brother.

Due to Jay's size, it takes them longer than it did last year for them to see all the displays since they don't have Pat to carry the small boy this year.

They slowly go through the displays, her heart swelling with joy each time she sees the excitement in her boys' eyes.

When they finally make it back to their car, Cathrine once again makes sure that her sons are buckled in to their seats properly.

"Did you guys have fun?"

"Uh-huh," Jay answers sleepily.

"Yeah," Will answers at the same time as his brother, whose head is now lolled to the side as he fights sleep.

By the time they make it home, Jay is out for the count and Will jumps away when he feels the car stop. Once she is sure that Will isn't going to fall over, Catherine unbuckles the sleeping boy and carefully picks him up to carry him into the house, thankful that he is still small for his age.

"Mama?" Jay mumbles when his mother adjusts him in her arms.

"Go back to sleep, baby," she whispers. Sleepily, Jay accepts this and buries his face into the crook of her neck.

Catherine knows that she can't give her boys material items, but she can give them love and memories.


2000

A sixteen-year-old Jay is leaning over the coffee table with his school books sprawled out. "Are you ready?" Catherine asks her youngest.

"I have homework," Jay answers, looking up to his mother.

"It's Friday, it can wait until tomorrow," she tells him.

"Are you sure this won't be too much for you?" Jay asks, knowing that the chemo is taking a toll on his mother.

"I'll be fine. Go get Will for me?"

"Okay, Ma," Jay responds, putting a scrap of paper in his school book to hold his place.

Jay goes up the stairs to the room he and Will share, the room that Will kicked him out of a couple of hours ago because Jay was distracting him from his own homework. He knocks before opening the door, "Jay leave," Will immediately tells his brother without looking up.

"Mom said to get you. We're going to see the light display."

Will turns around to face Jay, "Don't you think we're a little too old for that?" Will questions. "Besides, that can't be good for mom."

"I already asked mom. She said she will be fine. Will, come on. You're going to college next year and anything can happen. This might be the last year that we can go with her."

"Then you go, but if mom gets worse it's on you," Will tells Jay before turning his back, ending the conversation.

Jay goes back downstairs to find his mom waiting for them, "Ma, are you sure we should go?"

"Yes, I am sure. Where is your brother?"

"He doesn't want to go," he slowly answers.

Catherine raises an eyebrow, knowing her son is keeping something from him.

"He said we're too old for it and that it's bad for you," he admits, unable to lie to his mother.

"Let me decide what's good or bad for me. That's not you boys' job. I'll talk to Will about that later. Do you think you're too old for this?"

"No." Jay answers.

"Okay, let's go. Grab your jacket," she orders.

Mother and son walk out the door and head to the light display.

Once there, they slowly walk around each light display. "Mom, look, this one is new," Jay points out to his mother.

"It is. It looks nice," Catherine comments to which Jay nods in agreement.

The two take their time going around to each section, commenting on how it looks or has changed since the previous year.


2020

"Earth to Jay," Hailey laughs as she pulls her boyfriend out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Jay looks to her confused.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking. My mom used to bring Will and me here every year," he tells her.

"I wish I could have met her," Hailey tells him, grabbing his hand.

"I wish you could too," Jay responds, "She would have liked you," he adds.

"I would have liked her too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're you because of her."

"I miss her."

"I know," she whispers. "When was the last time you came with her?"

"When I was sixteen. She got too sick after that. But Will decided he was too old that year."

Hailey squeezes his hand, sensing his need for comfort. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"I love you."

"I love you too" she responds before Jay leads her to the different displays.


2022

"How you feel?" Hailey asks Jay as they walk through the light displays.

"You're the pregnant one. I should be asking you that," Jay responds placing a hand on her baby bump.

"We have each other's six. I can read you, Jay."

"It feels weird… and good."

"We don't have to do this again," Hailey tells him.

"No, I want to be able to share this with you and our son. Mom would want me too."

"He's going to know how special this is to his daddy," Hailey tells him.

"I love you both."

"We love you too," Hailey stands on her tip-toes to peck his lips.


2026

Hailey and Jay walk around the light displays with their three-year-old son, Lucas, in Jay's arms. Lucas points excitedly at each light display where the bright, colorful lights catch his attention.

"I think he likes it," Hailey comments to Jay, as Lucas points to more lights.

"Me too. I'm glad we kept coming," Jay admits. "He's finally old enough to kind of understand it."

"Just wait until he really gets it. And the meaning behind it."

"I can't wait," Jay answers, wanting to share the importance of the tradition with his son.

"To bringing back old traditions," Hailey states.

"To bringing back old traditions," Jay echoes with his signature heart-eyes.


A/N: Sorry this is so late, again. And also sorry it's not my best work, but I took a different approach to it than I normally do.

I have some stuff that I'm pretty excited about coming up. There's also a Burzek and Makayla fic I'm almost done. I have also slowly been working on cover art for my stories (posted and unposted) so I have about 90 of those that I want to get done. Some that I have already done are being redone (touched up pulse adding the title to the drawing).