AN: There is a bit of a time skip since last chapter, but I hope it's okay either way. HAHA

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"Your spirit pulls me through

When nothing else will do"

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My Everything

Day 05 – Milk and Cookies

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After checking if all doors and windows were locked, Gray was about to go to the room he shared with his wife when he noticed movement behind the couch.

With a frown, he turned on the light – even though it was hardly necessary, Juvia had put so many lights on their Christmas Tree he could see fine (in various colors) – and walked towards the couch. He was surprised to see what exactly was behind it.

"Rose Fullbuster!" The little girl almost jumped when she saw her father. "What are you doing up?" Gray asked his four-year-old daughter, who looked guilty for a moment. She was the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen – bias aside, she was – with her thick black hair in curls and beautiful azure eyes, with also thick eyelashes framing them. She had Juvia's nose and mouth, but Gray's chin. "You were put to bed an hour ago." He crossed his arms above his chest, as much as he loved his little girl and wanted to give in her every wish, he was also a parent.

"Sorry, daddy." Rose answered, biting her lower lip. "But I'm in a mission, just like you and mama have!" She finished, excited.

Raising an eyebrow and suddenly very amused and interested, Gray raised an eyebrow. "A mission? What would that mission be?"

Rose looked to one side, then the other searching for someone who could be listening in (Gray had to smother a laugh) and called him by moving her finger so her father could lower down. Amused, Gray sat next to his daughter behind the couch. The little girl went to her knees to be at the same height as her father and whispered in his ear: "I'm going to get Santa."

"You are going to what?" Gray asked in disbelief.

"Shhhh, daddy!" Rose put her tiny hands on his lips. "Santa might hear you." Gray nodded and she removed her tiny hands from her father's lips.

"Alright." He whispered. "Why do you want to get Santa?"

"Because I would get gifts every day." She answered, as if he were stupid.

"And where would Santa sleep?" Gray asked, trying to fight off a smile.

"My room. We can do what we do when Igor sleeps here!" Whenever the pink haired boy spent the night at the Fullbuster's, they'd put a mattress on the floor next to Rose's bed for him to sleep.

"Oh." Gray nodded.

"Igor said he would try to get Santa too. One of us can do it, right, daddy?" Rose asked. "I put milk and cookies for him as bait."

"Sure you can get him." The Ice Mage shrugged one shoulder. "But what about the other kids?"

"What other kids?" The little girl asked, confused.

"You know Santa takes gifts to every child, right?" When Rose nodded, her curls bounced. "Well, how can he take the gifts to them if you capture him?" Her frown was the exact copy of her mother's whenever the Water Mage was thinking very hard.

"Maybe… he will come here last." Rose said, not very confident on her reasoning.

"Maybe." Gray shrugged. "But imagine if he does not." He looked at his daughter. "Imagine how many boys and girls could be very sad in the morning when their gifts are not under their trees. How would you feel if this happened and you had been a good girl all year?"

It took Rose a moment to answer. "Really sad."

Gray nodded. "And if Santa stays here, he can't prepare the gifts for next year, and then all children will be sad. But not you, because you will have gifts all the time."

Rose bit her lower lip, and seemed to think for a while. "I don't want that, daddy. I don't want boys and girls sad, I just wanted gifts."

"And you will have them in the morning." Gray explained. "You can have gifts in special days, Rose, but if you get them every day it stops being special."

The little girl sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'm not getting Santa."

Gray smirked. "Good, darling." He got up from the floor and watched as she did the same. "Now go to your bed, I'll be there in a minute to see if you are really there." He gave her a pointed look and she nodded. He reached for the cookies, but Rose spoke.

"Daddy! These are for Santa!" She said in horror and Gray raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, sorry." He said and waited until she was out of his sight to get the lachryma phone and call the Dragneel's to let them know Igor was trying to kidnap Santa as well – the children were thick as thieves, having just six months apart.

Once the call was over (Lucy's sigh of frustration and resignation was exactly the way he thought it would be, after all, she did that all the time regarding both her husband and son), Gray went to Rose's room and he saw she had fallen asleep atop of her blanket. Gray, then, tuck her under it and kissed her, whispering good night.

Juvia seemed to be asleep when he arrived in their room and Gray quietly lied down next to her, putting his arms around her. She moved a little and by her deep sigh, he knew she had woken up.

"What took you so long?" Juvia whispered, putting her own arm above his.

The Ice Mage kissed the back of her neck and answered her. "Your daughter wanted to kidnap Santa and I had to talk her out of it."

She turned around a bit to try to look at him. "What?"

"Igor and Rose plotted to get Santa to get gifts all year." Gray could finally smile about their little plan. "Apparently, they are using milk and cookies as bait to keep him a little longer."

"Oh my god." Juvia chuckled. "She is so your daughter. Juvia bets you thought things like that when you were her age."

"Perhaps." Gray couldn't help it but to laugh. "When I was a kid I wanted to stay awake to ask the Tooth Fairy for more money."

Juvia laughed. "Sounds like something a little Gray-sama would do."

"Yeah." They stopped laughing and stayed in a comfortable silence for a few moments. "She's a perfect mixture of us, you know? She does this thing when she thinks very hard that reminds me of you, especially when she wrinkles her nose. But then she does things like trying to kidnap Santa that is so like me… We couldn't have asked for a more perfect girl."

"We couldn't." Juvia turned around completely and kissed her husband. She rested her head on his chest. "She's our little girl, always will be." Gray nodded, kissed the top of her head and tightened his hold on her. He was a very lucky man.

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AN: Well, great minds think alike and clearly Rose and Igor are in the same wavelength regarding Santa. LOL I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks to: Megan0810, ElectraGoob, rebekfanai06, Snavej, endingsarenotalwaysbad, cybercorpsesnake and Armageddon Angel! Thanks for the lovely feedback.

12/12/2015 ~ BonneyQ