Title: The Babysitter
Author: Azure K Mello
Part: 34/36
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Rated: Adult
Type: AU
Summery: Christmas morning
Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS
Find the rest at: /azurekmello
NOTE: Welcome to the Mello family Christmas.
It was all sort of a blur. First he was being introduced to Will's grandparents. Then Giles was asking him to please call him Rupert. And there was pasta and wine. Mr. and Mrs. Rush took Liz, Xander, and Faith to the movies. Faith didn't want to go to church and seemed awkward about it until Giles told her yet again that she needed to be comfortable.
Church was rather lovely especially as he was wine warmed and they sang happily and then strolled home through the crisp December air. Once in bed they heard sleigh bells in the hallway and Giles emulating Father Christmas. Xander could be heard squealing. Still in Father Christmas' voice Giles told him to go to sleep, that his stocking was outside his door, and that he wasn't to open it to the morning.
The morning was bright and Angel was excited to the point where he kissed Will awake. "Happy Christmas."
"You too." Will brought in bags from the hall way and looked inside the top of one. "This has to be yours," he said holding it out.
Angel took it, stunned, "I got a stocking?"
"Of course you did. And I know that one's yours because there's a personal sized bottle of wine."
"Why is there wine in a stocking?" he asked pulling out the bottle with a bow on it.
"So you don't have to go downstairs to get a drink while opening your stocking. Hence the screw top." He pulled out a wrapped cylinder. Unwrapping it he discovered a can of Lilt and said, "Nice. See I get an English soft drink." He sat cross legged on the bed and started opening things. He noticed that Angel still hadn't moved and said, "Nothing's going to bite you."
"Sorry, it's just a little culture shock, I haven't had a Christmas like this is a while."
"Just have fun with it. Drink your wine and open your presents." He kissed Angel gently then pulled out a piece of fruit cake that was wrapped in cling film and sniffed it before unwrapping it and pulling of a chunk. "Americans give this stuff out as a gag gift; they have no idea."
"Well, have you had it over here?" Will shook his head. "It's dry dense sponge with a little fruit in it." Angel unwrapped his own piece. "It's not pure fruit held together with a little flour and tons of liqueur."
"Dad used Grand Marnier this year."
"Your dad made this?"
"Yeah, he makes the ones for the stockings and the big Christmas cake. Every year, Xander wants to know why they always taste the same. Da says that he and Father Christmas discuss their recipes." He finished his cake and started pealing a clementine.
"You're eating a good breakfast."
"I need strength to open presents. Lunch isn't until two o'clock."
There were little wind up toys, nail polishes, brightly colored cigarettes, cool guitar picks, books, magic tricks, little fireworks, and tons of sweets and little edible things. In the place of guitar picks, cigarettes, and nail polish Angel had a tiny paint set and nice paper.
Eventually Will said, "Okay, I think they're ready for us downstairs. Mum likes some time to herself just because today is daunting."
In the hall Xander was calling through the bathroom door, "Liz! I dranks all my spark-lin juice. I nee'a go!"
"Go down stairs."
"I can't. Liz. Please!"
She opened the door with a sigh. She was in fuzzy pajamas with curlers in her hair. "Go," she said. Then seeing Angel she squeaked and ran into her room.
"I live with woman. I know not to judge the process. You're going to have beautiful hair in twenty minutes." Angel called through her door. "It's Christmas; you can't be upset."
"I'm going to have beautiful hair in ten minutes," she replied softly.
"There you go. Don't worry about it. We'll see you down stairs."
Xander was still doing a wee with the door open. "How much sparkling cider was there in that bottle?" asked Will.
"It was big."
"Why did you drink it all?"
"I et all my choc-late."
"Xander, Father Christmas put close to five pounds of chocolate in our bags."
"I know it took a while and I needed all my juice." He flushed the toilet, pulled up his pants and started to wash his hands. Xander was always thorough when washing his hands.
"Did you eat everything?"
"No, just my choc-late."
Will swung the little boy onto his hip. "Well, happy Christmas, Xand." They went down to the kitchen.
Joyce had a glass of sherry in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "Happy Christmas, boys. How were your stockings?"
"Wonderful, thank you," started Angel but he saw the look on Will's face and continued, "for asking. You'll have to thank Father Christmas for me."
"Did you all get nice things?"
"I et up all my choc-late."
"Wow."
"Where did Father Christmas get Lilt?" asked Will.
"He made it," said Xander.
"No, it's trademarked. Coke would have him drawn and quartered."
"Will," reprimanded his mother.
"Horses or cars?" asked Xander.
"Reindeer."
"Neat."
"Yeah, so he wouldn't dare make it."
"One day, boys? Not one day where you can go without discussing horrible ways to kill people? He found it in a store in LA. He gave me the address; apparently it's not that expensive. But of course they didn't make him pay."
"No," Xander agreed, "If they maded him pay he'd gives them coal or, if they's too old fer presents he would magic-ed them into elves and make them his present slaves."
"Honestly, you two when will you just accept that he is a jolly old soul?"
"He's an evil overruler of cheer," responded Will.
"Yeah he only gives us gifts to keep us cum-up-lace-ant." Xander nodded as he spoke.
"A big word and bigger concept, high five," they slapped hands.
Angel studied Xander and said, "You haven't taken a nap at pre-school yet. If he wasn't nice he would give you coal. You've made the women at your preschool go prematurely gray. You sort of deserve coal."
"That's lovely, boys, get yourselves drinks and then come into the living room, the grownups are already there. Where are the girls?"
"Liz's crackering her hair up, she'll be down in a second. Faith is still in her room but her stocking isn't in the hall." said Will as he poured himself and Xander mugs of tea as Angel poured coffee.
"I'll go check on them," said Joyce and headed up the stairs.
Will added tons of sugar and milk to Xander's tea and topped it up with cold water. "I'm going to carry this for you but I can't carry you too, okay, buddy?" He put Xander down as Liz came plummeting down the stairs with nougat in her hand. "Did you get good stuff?"
She flipped him off, "Like the nail polish? It changes color."
"I got it too," said Will giving her the two fingered salute. Glancing at his hand he says, "I haven't applied it yet. What did you get to drink?"
"Blackcurrant flavored cola."
Faith came down after her and Will asked her the same question. "Strawberry Lime soda. Its label was in Chinese I think."
"I won't be able to help you there, I don't speak Chinese. So grab yourselves drinks and get into the living room." He saw that Faith's smile was off so he handed Xander's tea to Angel and said, "Go get settled." Once the others were gone he said, "What's up?"
"I don't have presents for anyone and your parents just gave me a huge bag of gifts and they're going to give me more."
"You haven't been here for a pocket money day. No one expects you to. We're pleased to have you here so you're going to get gifts."
"They're not really going to give me an allowance?"
"Oh yeah, all you have to do is change your own sheets, either keep your room clean or keep your door closed, help keep our bathroom clean, and don't break curfew without a good reason. You'll get a hundred dollars on the first of the month, Liz gets seventy-five because she's in middle school, and Xander gets fifteen. Faith, they are going to treat you like our sibling, so you'll get in trouble for staying out after curfew, not coming to dinner if you didn't say you'd be out, but you're going to get pocket money. Don't worry, it's Christmas, just have fun."
"Okay."
"Yeah? What would you like to drink?" He poured her a glass of orange juice. "It's all okay, just have fun."
In the living room they opened presents, tons of presents. Xander and Angel both gave the other Duplo Blocks Xander said, "You like playing with mine."
Angel smiled at the box in his hand and said, "Well, truthfully I only gave you your set so that we could have even more fun. What if I leave mine with you so they'll already be here for next time I come to babysit?"
As Will had predicted Angel was quizzed by the Rushes all about himself after all the presents had been opened. The answers were just as Will's had been to the Rosenbergs polite and evasive. His parents had died young, he was adopted by the Rosenbergs, he was an art major; he was well adjusted. They got dressed after all the gift wrapping was thrown away. They watched a new movie Liz had received and played new games.
Will went into the kitchen to truss the crown roast of lamb, sewing the meat together while making tiny cuts to insert garlic into the flesh. "You hate cooking," observed Angel.
"Yet I'm good at trussing meat, go figure."