Heyes was shaving when he heard his bedroom door creak, followed by the distinctive light footsteps of Kid's son Tommy. He'd woken deliberately early to have some time to himself before either the boy or his partner surfaced, to get better prepared to face whatever chaos came with their waking. But he wasn't surprised that the child had ruined a perfectly good Hannibal Heyes plan...again.

He turned to look at his nephew and sighed, recognising that look on his face. "It's too early for the kinda question I'm sure you wanna ask. Wait a bit and maybe ask ya Pa. He'll be up in about an hour. And if he can't answer, ask me after I've had coffee."

Tommy's face screwed up. "I can't ask him what to get him for Christmas! It won't be a surprise if I do, and he'll wanna know what's up, with me and you not telling him what we're talking about, and get all grumpy."

Heyes smothering a laugh at how perfectly Tom had described how the Kid would react, let out a relieved puff of breath. This question was something he'd been expecting for a few days, with Christmas just two weeks away, and was more than happy that Tom wasn't going to ask something difficult, like why is the sea salty? A question he'd been waiting for since the three of them had visited San Francisco a few weeks ago. So he asked calmly. "What were you figuring on buying him, Tom?"

Tom looked over at Heyes, his face crinkled in disgust at his stupidity as he said. ""I dunno Uncle Heyes, that's why I'm asking you."

Heyes stifled a snort, and sat down next to the boy on the bed, and started to explain the idea that had come to him yesterday. "Well, Tom, you heard of the song Twelve Days of Christmas?"

"Course I have, Miss Henley insisted we start learning it from December 1. She's gonna make us sing it in church at the Christingle service." He sighed, then scratched his nose as he said. "What's that gotta do with Pa's present?"

Heyes grinned and said. "Well, how about you and me figure out how to make that work as a present for him?"

"You ain't making sense Uncle Heyes, maybe I oughta come back when you're more awake."

Heyes counted to ten in his head, and took a breath before saying quickly. "It'll make more sense if you just gimme a minute to explain."

With a look that was so reminiscent of his father, despite his very different facial features, Tom stopped talking and waited, his expression torn between interested and impatient.

"Well, how 'bout on the first day of Christmas ya listen to ya Pa."

Tom' wrinkled his nose. "That ain't a proper present, Uncle Heyes."

Heyes snorted and said firmly. "Believe me, Tom , it is...least it would be if you can do it."

"What all day?"

"Yes, Tom all day, it's a Christmas present."

"Can't I just buy him some peppermint candy instead?"

"Well, Tom, if you don't think you can manage it, I guess peppermints will have to do, but that'd be just too easy don't you think?"

Heyes carefully pitched his voice to sound like he was issuing a challenge, he knew Tom would never be able to resist it, just like his Pa rarely could, even now.

"Of course I can do it...maybe on the second day of Christmas I can go to bed, and stay there."

"Now ya getting it Tom! But maybe that's a bit hard...I mean it'd have to be all night, and no climbing out the window before its light." Heyes held his breath, hoping he'd caught the boy's interest enough. He hid a smile as Tom straightened his shoulders and said bravely. "If it's just the one night, I can manage it." He paused then added with a grin. "Billy is complaining its getting too cold to be out after dark anyway. Ain't no fun in the dark on my own." He paused then added with a worried expression on his face. "I don't gotta add them all together do I?"

Heyes bit down on a laugh and said seriously. "No,Tom, I know its Christmas, and all, but I don't expect your Pa will be expecting a miracle that big."

Tom frowned at him and asked with his eyebrows crinkled. "You being mean to me Uncle Heyes?"

"Maybe a little bit, Tom."

Tom sighed, his face shifting into a put upon expression. "Pa says you can't help it sometimes, and that I just gotta be the bigger man, and ignore it when it happens."

Heyes filed that little bit of information away and decided he and the Kid were going to have a little talk in the next few days. Him mean huh? Who was it exactly that stopped his partner and Tom from killing each other some days? But deciding not to get distracted, he refocussed on the job in hand. "So what about day three Tom?"

"I won't argue with Mrs Greeley 'bout eating my veggies. I kinda like corn anyways, but don't tell 'em that."

Heyes smiled and shook his head. "It'll be our secret, Tom, I promise."

Silence fell between them, before Tom said seriously. "I dunno whether I can do this Uncle Heyes. I wanna, 'cos I know Pa finds Christmas real hard still, but maybe I oughta just buy him candy, so he won't be disappointed if I don't get it right."

Heyes pulled the youngster into a hug as he said reassuringly. "Maybe we can throw some easy ones in for ya."

"Like what Uncle Heyes? Ain't that cheating?"

"No, Tom, it ain't cheating, just bending the rules, and me, and your Pa know all about that, so he'll understand."

Tommy's nose crinkled. "Day four, giving Pa a hug when he looks like he wants one, but thinks he's too big to need one. That's plenty easy cos Pa gives real good hugs."

Heyes smiled even as his throat tightened a little. Damn he loved this boy. "That sounds a real grand idea Tom. How about day five, you don't track mud in through the house? I know it don't bother your Pa much when you do that, but if you didn't, it'd sure make Mrs Greeley happy and that'd please your Pa too."

Tom nodded, then rubbed his nose and glanced down at his pyjamas, noting the rips in them, from him clambering out the window, and looked back up at Heyes with a grin. "Day six, I'll not hole my pants."

A snort escaped Heyes, as he could still remember just how many times both his and Jed's Ma had complained about how much thread they went through mending the tears. He sobered quickly though, as he also recalled the usually painful punishments dolled out to them in Valpo for doing exactly the same there. Which happened often, because the clothes the boys were given were frequently already frayed anyway. He pulled the boy back into a hug, as his usually carefully hidden anger at Maggie for leaving came fiercely to the front of his mind. If his partner had been the man she'd somehow come to believe he was, when after five years she really should have known better, their son would no doubt have faced the same pain as he and Heyes.

"Uncle Heyes you all right?" Tom's worried voice broke the silence, and drew him out of his dark thoughts as he added even more sadly. "You're thinking about Ma ain't you?"

Heyes still keeping the boy close, plastered a smile on his face and said. "Just remembering Tommy, don't matter, now where were we?"

The boy didn't even complain about the use of the name he had decided he'd outgrown and instead only said. "Day Seven, I won't roll my eyes when Pa calls me Tommy."

Heyes tried to keep the amusement out of his tone as he asked. "You sure you can manage that Tom?"

The boy looked serious again, then shook his head as he said. "Maybe it oughta be, I won't complain out loud when Pa calls me Tommy."

Heyes nodded his agreement, and managed to push his anger at Maggie back down to a simmer, and firmly put the memories back where they belonged, to concentrate on what was important right now. "I think that's more realistic Tom."

"Tommy, where are you?"

Kid's worried voice came through the house as they heard his footsteps.

Tommy bounced off the bed, and shot to the door as he said. "We better finish this tomorrow Uncle Heyes. I want a visit from Father Christmas, and Pa says he'll write him not to deliver here, if I ain't good, and you know what he's like on a morning." Then shutting the door quietly behind him, he was gone, and Heyes heard him shout. "I'm here Pa! I was just looking at the snow."

ASJ

Heyes smiled at the relieved rumble of his partner's voice as he said. "There you are, son."

He knew the Kid on finding Tom's bed empty, must have worried that he was out in the storm that had come through in the night. As he dressed, Heyes' mind was still on ideas for the last four days, and once he was fully clothed, he had one for each day, and was sure he could convince Tom that they were valid ones.

Day Eight: Don't fall asleep in church.

Day Nine: Finish one book Miss Henley suggests you read.

Day Ten: Make your bed.

Day Eleven: Don't get into a fight at school, just because someone is an idiot.

Day Twelve: Agree to a haircut without grumbling.

Eleven might take a little bit of bribery of course, but then candy was usually a good way of convincing Tom of just about anything, if he had a mind to agree, and simply needed a nudge in the right direction. With a small grin, Heyes checked himself in the mirror, then went to join his family for some much needed coffee.

The Twelve Days of Christmas was published in 1780.

The first Christingle Service was held in Germany in 1747