Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: The season two Christmas episode had Claudia tracking down Artie's childhood piano and accidentally finding his father, who she then brings to the Warehouse for Christmas. Joshua Donovan also made an appearance in this episode. This is mostly just Christmas fluff. And since it is now after Thanksgiving, I don't feel bad about it. :) Season three chapters will start on the first of December, which should put the season three Christmas episode going up on Christmas day. Enjoy!

All I Want For Christmas

After checking once more to be sure Artie and his father were getting along, Claudia headed up the stairs and sat down next to Josh.

"You know they're going to kill you when they find out," Josh told her.

"They'll get over it," Claudia said. She didn't sound the least bit worried.

"Yeah, after they kill you," Josh said drily.

"Don't you think it's about time they bury the hatchet?" Claudia asked.

"I think they're grown men who can bury it for themselves."

"Well, they needed a little shove," Claudia said defensively. Seeing the look on Joshua's face, she shrugged innocently. "What? They're stubborn. They could be the last two men on earth and they still wouldn't speak to each other on their own."

"Fair point," Josh conceded.

"Besides," Claudia added. "If something happened to one of them before they could fix this, the other one would never forgive himself."

"You know," Josh said, a fond smile appearing on his face, "when Claire and I were little, whenever we had a fight Mom would put us in timeout together and make us hold hands."

"Seriously?" Claudia asked with a grin. Joshua nodded.

"There is nothing more mortifying to an eight-year-old boy than being forced to hold hands with his sister."

Claudia laughed.

"You guys fought a lot," she pointed out.

"It's because we were almost the same age," Joshua told her. "We knew how to push each other's buttons. But she was usually pretty good with you. You remember when you were seven she tried to prove to you that Santa existed?"

"Yeah, I remember," Claudia said with a smile. "She showed me that website that was supposed to show where Santa was throughout the night."

"And she and her friend tried to make reindeer tracks on the roof," Joshua reminded her. "Except then the ladder fell over and pulled down all the lights."

"Mom was so mad," Claudia said with a laugh. She sobered a little as a realization struck. "That was the last Christmas we were all together."

"And this," Joshua said, giving Claudia a nudge with his shoulder, "is the first Christmas that you and I are back together."

"That we are," Claudia said. She grinned devilishly at her brother. "You know, I think rescuing my older brother from his twelve-year imprisonment in an inter-dimensional space deserves an extra big Christmas present."

"Well, then the giant cardboard box I got you will be perfect," Joshua said teasingly.

"Jerk," Claudia said, giving him her meanest glare.

"Brat," Joshua shot back. Claudia tried to hold her angry look, but eventually it gave way to a smile.

"I'm glad you're here," she said warmly.

"Me too," Joshua said. "I missed you, squirt. Plus, I can't do this from CERN."

He reached over and grabbed her in a headlock, rubbing the top of her head. After a moment of struggle, Claudia finally managed to get away. Josh smiled innocently at her as she shook her hair back into place.

"There you are," Leena's voice said. The siblings looked up to see that the innkeeper had come into the entryway. "Claudia, can you help me set the table?"

"Sure," Claudia said, jumping up.

"I have to go finish wrapping presents," Joshua said as he got to his feet. "It's a good thing socks and underwear are so easy."

Claudia stuck her tongue out at him before following Leena towards the kitchen.

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"No way!" Claudia cried as she finished pulling off the wrapping paper. A large hardback edition of the collected works of HG Wells was staring up at her.

"You like it?" Myka asked.

"Yeah!" Claudia exclaimed. She got up from the couch and went over to Myka, enveloping the older agent in a tight hug. "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!"

"You're welcome," Myka said with a laugh.

"Vat's vith all ze hugging?" Mr. Weisfelt asked his son. Artie shrugged.

"I ask myself the same question," he said.

Claudia crossed back over the sea of wrapping paper Pete had created and sat back down on the couch. She carefully placed the book on the couch beside her other gifts: an awesome necklace and shirt from Leena, a beautiful leather jacket and some foreign pins from Joshua, the latest Doctor Who season from Pete, and some classic vinyl records from Artie.

"Well, that's all of them," Pete said. He had been given the job of passing out the gifts and so was sitting beside the Christmas tree. A giant red bow from one of the packages had ended up on top of his head and the fuzzy slippers Leena had given him looked as if they would be permanently attached to his feet. All in all, he looked even more hilarious than usual.

"Time for eggnog," Leena said, standing up.

"And cookies!" Pete called from the floor.

"I'll help," Mr. Weisfelt said.

"I can handle it," Leena assured him.

"I insist," he said firmly as he stood up. "My muzzah raized me to be a zhentleman."

Leena chuckled and led him towards the kitchen.

"Nice slippers, Pete," Claudia teased.

"My feet get cold," Pete said indignantly. "Besides, they're manly slippers."

"Yeah, if you're an Eskimo," Myka told him.

"You're just jealous," Pete said. He looked down at the wrapping paper surrounding him. "Hey, let's see if we can bury me in wrapping paper."

"You are such a child," Myka told him. She rolled up a piece of wrapping paper and threw it at his head.

"I'm gonna go get the camera," Claudia said with a grin.

She got off the couch and headed for the stairs. She made it up the first three before she heard Artie's voice behind her.

"Claudia, wait a minute," he said. Claudia turned around to see him standing there with a strange look on his face.

"What's up?" she asked, coming back down the stairs.

"I wanted to thank you," Artie admitted. "For bringing my father here. It really means a lot to me."

"No problem, Gramps," Claudia said.

"I, uh, also wanted to give you this," Artie said. He pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal an oblong package wrapped in red and green paper.

"What's that?" Claudia asked curiously

"Well, this is the, um, other half of your present," Artie explained awkwardly.

"I didn't know they made record players that small," Claudia teased.

"It's not very expensive, but I thought that maybe..." Artie trailed off before holding out the package. "Here."

Claudia took the package with a curious look and carefully began to unwrap it. The wrapping paper slowly fell away and she found herself staring at a double picture frame. In the right half was a picture of her with Myka, Pete, Artie, and Leena. Somehow Myka had convinced them all that they needed a group photo. Watching Pete try to get from the camera into the shot before the flash went off had been a spectacle in and of itself.

In the left side of the frame was a picture of a middle-aged couple standing in front of a fireplace beside a tree with a boy and girl who looked almost twenty. A small red-haired girl was standing in the very front with a wide smile on her face. Across the bottom of the frame was the word Family.

All of the air seemed to leave Claudia's lungs. She reached out and carefully touched her fingers to the glass covering the left photo.

"How did you get this?" she asked softly.

"Many hours of searching," Artie told her. "I noticed you don't have any pictures of them, and I thought..."

Claudia looked up with wet eyes.

"It's perfect," she told him. She reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around Artie's neck. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," Artie said, hugging her back. Claudia pulled away and Artie smiled fondly at her. "Merry Christmas, kiddo."

"You too," Claudia said with a smile.

"Artie?" Leena's voice called from the kitchen.

"That's me," Artie said. He turned and went back into the living room. "What?"

Claudia headed up the stairs two at a time. When she reached her room, she reverently set the picture frame on top of her desk. The sight of both her families right next to each other drew a wide smile from her face. With a quick wipe at her eyes, she picked up her camera and headed back down the stairs.

When she back into the living room, she found everyone gathered around the piano.

"Come on, Artie," Pete whined.

"Just one song?" Myka added.

"What's going on?" Claudia asked.

"Artie is being a Scrooge and refusing to play a Christmas song," Leena told her.

"I am not being a Scrooge," Artie retorted. "I just haven't played carols in years. Make my father play something."

"Vat?" Mr. Weisfelt said in surprise.

"I think that's a great idea," Myka agreed.

"Yeah," Pete said, turning to the older man.

"No," Mr. Weisfelt said firmly.

"Pleeeease?" Claudia pleaded. She held up her clasped hands and stuck out her lip in her best pleading face. "Pretty please?"

"Twelve years later and she's still got it," Joshua muttered with a shake of his head.

"Fine!" Mr. Weisfelt said. He pulled back the piano bench and sat down, placing his fingers over the keys. "But only vun! Vat am I playing?"

"Something that doesn't involve Santa," Pete said seriously. He made a face. "I've had enough of him for today."

"Can you play 'Let It Snow'?" Leena asked. Mr. Weisfelt nodded. He cleared his throat and then his fingers began to dance across the keyboard in a short intro. He gave them all a nod when it was time to begin singing.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful," Leena began. The others grinned and joined in.

"But the fire is so delightful," they sang. "And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Pete held out his hand to Myka as they started in on the second verse. She took it with a wide grin and the two of them began to dance around the living room. They both laughed aloud as they tried to sing while clumsily making their way through a random series of steps.

"Shall we join them?" Joshua asked, holding out his hand to Leena.

"Why not?" she said gamely. The two of them stepped away from the piano and began a much more coordinated dance.

"What do you say, Gramps?" Claudia asked, giving Artie a nudge. "You up for some dancing?"

"Absolutely not," Artie said bluntly.

"He haz two left feet," Mr. Weisfelt told her as his fingers continued to move across the keyboard. "You shood have seen him at hiz middle school dance."

"You went to a school dance?" Claudia asked in amazement.

Artie groaned and covered his face in embarrassment. Claudia couldn't help laughing at the look on his face. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the side of the piano with a grin on her face.

"What are you smiling about?" Artie asked irritably.

"This," Claudia said, motioning at the living room. "This is what Christmas is supposed to look like."

"So did it live up to your expectations?" Artie asked.

"No," Claudia told him honestly. "It blew them out of the water. This is the best Christmas ever."

It is now more or less officially the Christmas season. In honor of the beginning of the season, how about a review? :)