Name: The Magic of Christmas
Setting: Post-season 5; generally canon
Prompt: "[Your choice] says that Santa isn't real. Is Santa real, [your choice]?"
x
"Hi Kat," Frankie said, plunking down next to her on the couch, not even trying to grab the remote.
"Hey Frankie." She paused the movie she was watching — Danny insisted that Die Hard was one of the best movies ever made but Kat wasn't seeing it — before reaching over and smoothing down the cowlick on Frankie's forehead that never stayed put, no matter how much Danny jelled it. "How was school?"
Frankie squirmed, a sure sign that something had happened. "It was okay."
"Okay," Kat pushed play on the movie again, only half paying attention as Frankie continued to squirm and sigh.
Seven minutes passed before he broke. "Archie says that Santa isn't real. Is Santa real, Kat?"
Damn. She was not prepared for this. For half a minute, she considered punting the question until either Danny or Kara got home, but she strongly suspected that would be enough of an answer for Frankie. She searched in her memory for how her own mother handled this conversation, coming up with nothing. "What do you think, Frankie?"
He huffed another sigh. "I saw Daddy putting the presents under the tree last year. He claimed those were the presents from him and Mommy and Santa had already dropped off the other presents. But I think he's Santa."
Damn, damn, damn. Mind racing, Kat recalled something that Ray once said to Claire, the youngest of his pack of summer camp kids. She reached out, resting her hand on Frankie's shoulder. "I'm going to tell you the truth, Frankie, but you have to promise that you won't repeat this to Archie or anyone else. Okay?"
"Okay," Frankie breathed, leaning closer, eyes wide.
"You're right that your dad is Santa. But so is your mom and me and Grandma Debbie and Uncle Tom." Kat watched as Frankie's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Christmas is about giving to others without expecting anything back. Not even a thank you. That's the magic of Christmas. We all create the magic by giving from our hearts, and that means we're all Santa Claus."
Frankie sat quietly, then he looked at Kat. "Does that mean I can be Santa too?"
"Of course," Kat replied. She leaned closer. "Who do you want to play Santa for?"
Big eyes stared at her. "I want to get Mommy something special. Will you help me?"
Kat grinned. "I sure will. But, remember, you can tell her that it was you. That spoils the magic."
"I promise," Frankie breathed, before grinning broadly. "It will be our secret."