Quickie:
SassyLostie - Hehe, kidney.
sivan - Clem and Sawyer? Up to something? Pfft...
xKatie-Bearx - I kind of like Katy better. It's unique. :-)
Number1GSRCSIfan - Happier? I thought I was doing a good job...hehe. Oh well, I'll try!
Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy. But I kept thinking every day, "Damn, I have to update Baby Steps." And never actually got around to doing it. So sorry for the long wait! (I hope it's worth it...)
Chapter 56
The next day was Christmas Eve – filled with cookie making, tree trimming, and vacuuming galore. And by the evening, popcorn stringing was on the venue.
"How about Dustin?" Sawyer suggested, picking up another piece of popcorn from the bowl.
"Sounds too dirty," Kate replied, also picking a piece of popcorn.
"How is it dirty!?"
"Dust?"
"You're hard to please…"
"Well I thought Cameron was a great name."
"It sounds stupid."
"I like Clementine," Clementine chimed in.
"Course you do," he grinned, tossing a piece of popcorn at her.
"Heyyy!" she giggled.
"You just keep hangin' those ornaments, Sunshine."
"Fine. But I still think Clementine is good."
"But Clementine's your name," Kate said. "How would we know the difference?"
"I don't know."
"Besides. We don't know if it's a boy or girl."
"Well I think you should have a girl."
"It's ain't up to us," Sawyer told her.
"Who's it up to?"
"How the hell should I know?" he muttered.
"Jack would know," Kate murmured.
Sawyer glared and threw a piece of popcorn at her.
"Hey!" she laughed, picking up the piece. "We need these to put on the string, remember?"
"There's no way this is gonna go around the tree, Freckles. You can't even get them onto the damn string. All they do is break!"
In response, she held up her end of the string, perfectly lined with popcorn. Sawyer looked down at his – a bare piece of string with 5 lone pieces of popcorn.
Kate laughed. "Good job."
"Yeah, well then why don't you do it?" he said, getting up to sit by Clementine. "I'll just hang ornaments with my daughter."
"Is that supposed to hurt me?" she said, with a clever smiled.
"Know what?" he said, getting up. "I'm gonna go check on those cookies."
"Try not to burn yourself this time," she called over her shoulder.
"Ha ha," he echoed from the kitchen.
"Kate?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah?"
"Is Santa going to find me here?"
"Of course he will."
"What if he goes to my house? And I'm not there?"
"He'll know you're here. He always knows where you are. Didn't you know that?"
Clementine shook her head.
"He's always watching you. To make sure you're a good girl."
"Always?" Clementine asked, hesitantly.
Kate smiled. "Well…most of the time."
"So….he can see me right now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'm gonna be extra good. So that he doesn't forget my presents."
Sawyer reentered the room, and sat back down on the couch beside Kate.
"Are they done?" she asked.
"Yeah. I took 'em out so they cool off."
"Really?" she grinned. "And no burns?"
"You ever gonna let me that one down?"
"Probably not," she laughed.
Kate put down her string, and slowly sat up.
"Hey Clem, do you want some hot chocolate?"
"Yeah!" She paused. "I mean, yes please."
"What about you?" she softly asked Sawyer.
"Hot cocoa ain't gonna heat me up enough," he smirked.
She grinned. "Then I guess you'll just have to find another way."
"Baby, I got all kind of ideas."
She got up, but leaned close to him.
"As long as none of them involve me."
"You know, one day you're gonna want it and I'm gonna make you suffer too!" he called after her.
"Want what?" Clementine asked.
He glanced at her, trying to come up with something to tell her. Then he got an idea.
"My Christmas present."
"Why doesn't she want you to have it?"
"She doesn't think I'll like it."
"But she won't know if she doesn't give it to you."
"That's right, Sunshine." He lowered his voice. "Know what? Come here a sec."
She did and he whispered into her ear. A moment later she smiled.
"Okay."
"That's my girl."
In a few minutes, Kate reentered the room with three mugs of hot cocoa. She placed them all on the coffee table and sat beside Sawyer on the couch once more. Clementine looked at Sawyer and he nodded.
"Kate?" Clementine stood.
"Yeah?"
"How come you won't give daddy his Christmas present?"
Kate stared, confused. Then she turned and glared at Sawyer in realization, thwacking his chest with the back of her hand.
"You're unbelievable!"
"Hey! That hurt," he laughed.
"You have no shame, do you?" she shook her head.
"It was worth a shot!"
"Clementine, your father isn't getting his Christmas present because he's been very bad."
"He has?" Clementine raised her eyebrows, amused.
"Yep."
"I thought you said it was 'cause she didn't think you'd like it?" she turned to her father.
Kate laughed. "Is that what you told her?"
"Would you rather I told her the truth?" he retorted.
"Daddy, you lied to me!?"
"I didn't lie to you, sunshine."
Clementine put her hands on her hips, refusing to believe him.
"Know what? It's getting' pretty late. I think maybe you oughta get to bed."
"But I don't wanna!" she argued. "I'm not even sleepy."
"You want your presents, don't you?"
"Yes…"
"Well then, the sooner you get to bed, the sooner you can wake up and have your presents."
"Can we finish the tree first?"
He sighed. "All right."