Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with another winter based chapter. This one is actually rather festive and hopefully touching too. I've wanted to write something like this for a while. I headcanon Gary's parents as dead and have always wanted to write a chapter where he talks about it or it at least is brought up. This was great to write. I enjoyed writing young Eddie and Melissa. So I hope you enjoy!

Ages:

Gary: 29

Eddie: 8

Melissa: 8

Disclaimer: I own the story and Eddie and Melissa :3

I smiled to myself and felt the warm glow of the fire as I sat opposite, warming my fur through. My cheeks were getting redder than ever but I loved it. I was so content. The engine noises coming from Eddie's car video game was providing a white noise for me and I was close to drifting off. But the pages of Melissa's book rustling when she turned each page stopped my brain from zoning out. I stayed semi-alert. I was peacefully content.

But the serenity didn't last much longer, I'm sad to say. Those two had gotten rather hyper after their lunch and started tumbling on the floor together but I finally settled them into quiet activities. Eddie playing his car game – well, that wasn't exactly the quietest – he whooped when he won and whined when he didn't – but at least it stopped him wrestling his sister. And Melissa reading her book – she actually was being a good girl and being quiet.

Despite this, she was the one to break the quiet moment first.

"I've had enough of that book now." She announced, perhaps to herself or me or Eddie. Whoever was listening really, that's who she was talking to. As she stood up, she threw the book onto the leather sofa with a slap. 101 things to do this Christmas.

She glanced at her brother. "I haven't done any of those things in the book yet and we're already halfway through the month!"

Eddie rolled his eyes upon hearing his sister's voice, not really caring what she was babbling on about. He stayed lying on his stomach on the floor with a cushion under his belly for support as he played his video game. His tongue stuck out in concentration and he spoke through it.

"Nobody cares about your boring book, Melissa." He muttered to annoy her before smirking when she nudged him with her foot. He continued. "I got so bored once that even I read that book. You've definitely done some of the things in there."

"It's called exaggeration, Eddie. If you listened in class, you'd know that people do that to be more interesting." She retorted to her brother but this time, she didn't kick him with her foot. And before the hazel orbed male could reply that she wasn't interesting, she continued. "Let's go see if dad has finished yet."

I nodded my head to myself. I had volunteered my service as special babysitter after Jayme turned up with little Dylan at the Ketchum household. It was Gary's day with the twins but unfortunately, he needed to write a research paper earlier than he had previously believed.

They spent lots of time with him so they weren't too disappointed but it was creeping towards early evening and he still hadn't come back to the living room. They wanted his attention.

Upon hearing his sister's voice, Eddie sighed out of habit but he paused his video game before switching the screen off. Even he couldn't resist trying to get their father to come back to them quicker.

Melissa smiled with satisfaction when her twin brother agreed with her without words and she stood over him while he lay on his stomach. He soon rolled around to face her so he was lying on his back and held his arm up to her.

"Help me up." He asked her in a tone that was more of a demand rather than a question, causing Melissa to raise her eyebrow and fold her arms stubbornly. When she did this, the male of the two made his eyes wide and stuck his bottom lip out. "C'mon sis, help me. It's hard being the saviour of this family."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes fondly upon hearing the young Oak being so much like the young version of his father and Melissa rolled her eyes too. But hers were for real. Despite this, she gave in.

With a loud sigh, she leaned slightly forward and held her hand back out to her brother. He grinned and took hold of her hand. At first, he made himself a dead weight so she couldn't lift him but then he complied. He used his legs while she helped him up. She grimaced.

"Your hands are always so sticky, Eddie." She told her brother with a disgusted waggle of her tongue before wiping her hands on her dungarees dress.

Eddie just shrugged and grinned and moved over to the mirror, his hand gently caressing his perfectly formed spikes of hair.

"It takes a lot of gel and a lot of effort to look this good." He said with another shrug and pretended to wink and click his tongue at his reflection, causing Melissa to groan even more. She didn't even need to tell her brother he was an idiot with words as her look said it all as she dragged him by the arm down to their father's study.

Eddie just laughed that she had refused to help him up at first but now she had done that and was dragging him so he barely had to use his feet. I looked at the fire wistfully one last time before I skipped down the hallway along with them.

When Melissa heard her brother's giggles, she couldn't help but giggle quietly herself. But both of them stopped when they reached their father's door. They both admired him greatly and were in awe of his studies. They showed obedience in the way they stood shoulder to shoulder outside the door and Eddie allowed Melissa to step forward to knock.

I didn't know that Gary sometimes listened to music quietly as he wrote or researched but this became new information to me as I heard soft Christmas tunes coming from inside. Over the sound of the radio, I heard his chair make a noise on the wooden floor. I thought he might just call for his children to come in but he didn't. He showed his gratitude for their manners by standing up to answer the door.

He looked a little fuzzy from being in his own world and focusing hard but he gave his twins a small smile, his hand running through his hair. But before he could greet them, the children showed the fact they were still children and barged into his study.

"Will you come play with us now, dad?" Eddie asked eagerly, hopping into his father's chair and spinning around in it multiple times.

The auburn haired Pokémon Professor pulled a face and was quick to tug him out of the seat, worrying that he'd accidentally hit the buttons on the keyboard and delete his research paper. I stayed hovering in the doorway while Eddie pulled a face at his father 'being no fun'.

But before he could complain, Melissa smiled sweetly up at her darling daddy.

"You've been at this ages, dad, can't you come and play with us for a little bit now?" she asked with big teal eyes and clasped her hands under the chin. She knew when to turn on the charm and it was Eddie's turn to pull a face.

After Gary seated his son in a chair that was safe for him to spin in, he smiled at his daughter and you could see that his eyes were softening for her. But his expression didn't change. He glanced at his computer.

"I'm sorry, princess, no can do. I'm really busy." He told his daughter apologetic and with a nod of his head, hoping the psychology would make her understand sooner. She didn't.

You could see the disappointment in both the children's eyes. It was true that they always had a good amount of time with their father but Melissa's book got her in the mood for family. And playing his car game made Eddie remember both he and his dad's love for those vehicles. They both wanted time with him.

The boy of the twins was less willing to show his disappointment though so he hummed half obnoxiously and went back to spinning on the chair. Melissa was about to blink her eyes at her father and ask him in a different way when her eyes spotted something else. She blinked for real as she moved over to the computer screen. Her hands fell to her sides as she observed.

"Wait, weren't you writing about how where a Pokémon is born can affect its personality and later life?" she quizzed her father, referring to what he had told them before I ushered them off to babysit earlier in the day. After Gary nodded, Melissa's eyes filled with hurt, already knowing what was going on. "But this one is about evolution stones."

I gave the junior Professor Oak my own look and a shake of my head, realising too what was going on. Eddie seemed too involved in spinning and humming but soon enough, he gasped. He peered at the computer screen with his sister and realised himself. He folded his arms over his chest, both their little tempers coming out.

"You liar!" Eddie gasped dramatically and narrowed his eyes up at his dad, standing next to his sister rather than the 'liar'. "You've started a whole new paper when you didn't need to!"

I continued giving Gary the glare but I soon softened. I shrugged and figured I should give him the benefit of the doubt. While both his twins glared up at him, he looked like a rabbit that had been caught in the headlights. Melissa grabbed her brother's arm to tug him stubbornly out with her but Gary stopped them.

"Hey!" he breathed out, feeling guilty that he had hurt them but looking at them firmly as he took both by one shoulder each. "I'm sorry, okay? I just got carried away. You know how much I love my work."

The first half of his apology was sincere and his last sentence was said with a sheepish giggle. But he was telling the truth for all of it. Both Eddie and Melissa glanced at one and other to inwardly confer whether they were to forgive him. They soon gave each other a nod of the head and turned back to their father. Both folded their arms over their chest.

"We'll forgive you if you come spend time with us now." Eddie told the older Oak with a nod of his head, his arms still folded over his long sleeve baseball shirt. His hazel eyes met the ones that he shared with his father after the older male glanced at the computer screen. He sighed. But he knew his writing would have to wait. He looked between both children.

"I want to spend time with you too. So I hope that you both have an activity picked out that we can do without you two arguing. I've had enough punishment without missing out on your bickering."

Though I had been narrowing my eyes at him earlier, I soon smirked. I didn't know if the Oak twins were blessed to have a Professor father or if it was a curse. He often used reverse psychology on them to get them to behave. It was only so long until they picked it up and it didn't work anymore. Perhaps Eddie would be the first to notice. After all, he was in line to be the next next next Professor Oak.

Melissa turned and looked at her brother with big eyes and her head tilted on one side. She looked almost vulnerable. I think she was worried that if the activity wasn't interesting enough, Gary would go back to his work and she'd get the blame for them not seeing him. We all knew this wasn't the case. So instead of being playfully mean to his sister like he normally would have done, Eddie came up with an idea that meant a lot to her. He didn't smile at her but he smiled at Gary.

"I think we should all bake Christmas cookies." He said with a shrug and casually used his finger to itch his nose. He softened the hard gel in his hair with his other hand. "Me and Melissa want to get at least one of the 101 things to do before Christmas things done."

Gary blinked upon hearing the unusual suggestion from his son and then frowned. He wasn't exactly a chef. He was worrying how he would manage it. He went through a mix of emotions but eventually he nodded and smiled.

You could tell that Melissa was touched too. Though she didn't say it with words, the way she beamed and held onto her brother's elbow said it all.

"Well let's go then! I'll get the book!" she announced to us all and with that, she disappeared off back to the living room to fetch said item.

Gary and Eddie shared a fond laugh at their daughter and sister and Gary ruffled his son's hair too. After this gesture of them making up, they both headed to the kitchen to meet Melissa. I stayed back. I looked around the room.

It was such a serene place for the Pokémon Professor to work. You'd have thought as a boy his office would end up with car posters and pictures of girls. Some things hadn't changed and there were some photos of cars. And there were photos of girls. But they were family. Him and Jayme. Him and Melissa. Him and Misty. Him and Jessie. Him and his mother. I stared at that one most.

I crept forward. I was drawn to it. Somehow I knew, she'd play an important role in that day. I smiled at it, half sadly, before making my way back to join them. I met up with them when the ingredients were already out and their aprons were on.

Gary rolled his sleeves up and rested an arm on each of his children's head as he leaned forward to read the recipe book on the counter. He furrowed his brow.

"I am really not a chef but I guess we'll give this a go."

Melissa nodded and beamed upon hearing this, just happy to be doing a festive activity with her father and brother too. Eddie was excited too but less so. He broke away from having his father use him as an arm rest and picked up the cookie cutters. He studied them while Melissa went to measure out the sugar.

"These are nice and all…" he began in an unenthusiastic tone as he pretended to make the angel shape and the Christmas tree fight. He then grinned when he saw his father raising an amused eyebrow at him. "…but maybe I want to do a festive car cookie."

From sitting on the counter top I knew that Gary wanted to agree with his son but his daughter would definitely have scowled. So instead he smiled, moving to cut the correct amount of butter. He stayed talking to his son.

"Oh I don't know. I think the angels are really cute, don't you?" he asked his son, causing Melissa to nod and beam, even though he wasn't talking to her. She answered their father after transferring the sugar into the mixing bowl.

"They're lovely." She said with another enthusiastic nod, using her elbow to jab Eddie's ribs when he repeated her words in a mocking tone. After that, she turned to give him a sweet smile. "You can do a car if you want though." Her words were sweet too but they soon took another turn when Gary was occupied by preheating the oven. "Just mind my angel doesn't ruin the crap out of it though."

It was wrong of me, I know, but I couldn't help but burst into laughter at hearing the child's rude word. I thought to myself, if it was one of the Ketchum's, I'd have surely gasped. But it was an Oak child and not one from our little family so I found it amusing. I wondered where they picked it up.

For once, Gary didn't hear. He put his hands on his hips as he rose from kneeling to preheat the oven. He smiled at his children.

"What's next then?" he asked, really beginning to get into their little activity after he leaned to turn the Christmas radio station back on and hummed along to it.

What was next indeed! There was a lot of humming to cheesy Christmas songs that turned into hearty duets in the kitchen. Flour managed to get everywhere. On Gary's chin like a beard. In Eddie's hair like snow. On the end of Melissa's nose like a frosty blob. But after less than half an hour, they had more than a dozen little Christmas cookies cut into various shapes.

"Stars. Christmas Trees. Santas. Angels." Melissa noted to herself as she pointed to each variation of the shapes before giving her brother a look and a raised eyebrow as she reluctantly mentioned the last one. "And cars."

Upon hearing this, Eddie nodded and smirked smugly, taking his fingers out of his mouth from licking butter off them to annoy his sister.

"Yup." He began in an airy provoking tone, not quite as good as being sneaky and quiet as his sister. He shrugged. "And they've already made it this long without an angel ruining the crap out of them."

"Language!" Gary was quick to tell his son off with a look as he took charge of placing each and every one of them on the baking tray. But he wasn't mad. It wasn't the worst word in the world.

Once again, I laughed but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Eddie. He was the one who had been caught saying it when technically he was just repeating his sister's words. But he didn't have time to sulk for long. And I didn't have time to observe for long. A favourite Christmas song came on the radio and they all joined hands and began belting out the tune.

I shook my head fondly. That was what the days running up to Christmas were all about. Family. Being silly. Having a laugh. Doing festive things. Making memories together. And I was so lucky to make so many memories with so many people. It was true that I was in the Ketchum family. But I felt part of the Oak's too when I was with them. And part of the Morgan's as well when I was in their presence. I guess what I'm trying to say is – us – all of us – the entire groups of various families – were all family.

I drifted away from my little soppy thoughts while sitting on the counter top when the oven bleeped. The cookies were done.

Gary felt like he could trust Melissa out of those two the most so he let her put the oven gloves on and watched over her as she took them out. Eddie didn't seem to mind. He was too busy picking out the perfect sweets to make the details of his car shapes.

But even he couldn't help but have an impressed peek when the cookies came out of the oven. They all looked at their handy work proudly. I licked my lips. For some reason, all of their eyes focused on the angel ones.

Gary's eyes flickered there and looked almost sad but he busied himself by moving to the cupboard to get icing for the children. Melissa and Eddie's eyes stayed on them for a while. Their expression was different. Their eyes were round. They looked curious. It was Eddie who broke the silence.

"Hey Dad?" he asked, his little head whipping round when he saw his father was no longer behind them. He continued when Gary moved the cupboard door so it wasn't in his face and spoke back to Eddie.

"Yes, son?" he asked, shaking his head slightly as if to dismiss secret thoughts that were in his head. He managed a smile for them both. Eddie was quick to come out with his question.

"Do you believe in angels?" he asked and the way he blinked up at his father with big hazel orbs made him look very angelic himself. Melissa glanced between the cookies and her brother after he asked this. She looked rather shocked at his serious question.

After Gary didn't answer for quite some time and his mouth just hung open, thinking, the auburn and purple haired girl's brow furrowed.

"Of course he believes in angels. We've had Misty's mom and dad come down and they're angels. How could dad not believe in what he's seen?"

Despite the slight shakiness taking over the auburn haired male's throat, he couldn't help but laugh and nod his head. But before he could add his input, the two twins began bickering over whether Jordan and Lynne were ghosts or angels.

After they finally settled this and some flour had been thrown in the process, Eddie sighed, causing his now loose and soft locks to part as they hung over his forehead. He tried again.

"Fine. What do you think happens to the other angels at Christmas?" he asked, his head tilting and his cheek resting on the counter top as he looked at his father. "Y'know, the ones not like Jordan and Lynne. The ones who can't come down?"

I swallowed for Gary when I saw his expression change to that of one that he rarely showed off. He looked like he didn't know what to say. He looked emotional. He looked vulnerable. His children were just innocent children, not knowing that that subject was sore for him. Sure, they knew that he didn't have any parents. But their father didn't often show too much emotion in front of them. They thought that they were just engaging in normal conversation. Or maybe they knew. Their voices had grown softer.

Eventually, the younger Professor Oak cleared his throat and blinked back his slight wetness in his eyes. He came back to their side as he answered them.

"I don't know." He told them but the way his eyes looked proved that he wished he knew. He wished he had an answer for them. He shrugged and gave it a go. "Maybe they do come and visit at Christmas."

Melissa let out a quiet gasp upon hearing her father's words, her eyes full of hope. But then she thought about it. She blinked.

"If they come to visit at Christmas then how come nobody sees them? Maybe they have to stay up there after all. They're all with each other so hopefully not alone."

Gary's eyes were filling with even more pain as each minute passed but he couldn't help but smile. His daughter didn't want them to be lonely. He shrugged again and rested his hand on his son's head for his own comfort as he continued again.

"I don't know. Maybe Santa isn't just a jolly old guy in a red suit and with a belly like a bowl full of jelly. Maybe he represents all those angels. Young or old. It doesn't matter. If Father Christmas comes and visits you, you've been visited by a fallen loved one too."

Eddie and Melissa just glanced at each other and pondered this while my eyes filled with tears. I looked away and out into the garden so none of them could see. I was so touched.

Santa Clause was a thing made up for kids, of course Gary knew this. But there was real hope to his words. He had been waiting for a visit from his own parents so if he told his children this enough, maybe he would believe that was the reason they hadn't come down from 'up there' as well. Maybe they couldn't come down in human form like Jordan and Lynne. But their everlasting love and pride for him was represented every Christmas he had celebrated the jolly old gent.

I could tell Gary was doing his best to blink back the tears and he had to for a different reason when Melissa suddenly gasped. Her face filled with pure and childlike innocence.

"I know what we'll do…" she breathed out, looking between her father and brother for suspense before beaming. "Let's leave one of these cookies out! Just in case an angel comes to visit as Santa tonight!"

Gary swallowed a large lump in his throat but luckily it couldn't be heard for them past the sound of Eddie scoffing. He nudged his sister after he finished decorating his little car cookie.

"Santa comes to visit on Christmas, dumbie, not December 16th." He said with an eyebrow raise but when he met his father's hazel orbs, he shut his mouth. He thought Gary's look was to tell him not to ruin it for Melissa. But in actual fact, his eyes were full of hope. His eyes were full of longing. He so wanted to do this too. Eddie swallowed. And he nodded. He quickly changed his mind. "Okay, okay."

And with that, they all set to finish off the cookies with Gary every so often glancing at the ceiling.

No more tears came but he felt the ache in his chest. I did too as I watched them go out to the balcony to leave the cookies there. I stayed in the kitchen to give them a moment but I listened. My heart aching for Gary but my mind soaring too. I knew in my mind that his time for a visit would come. But until then, the gesture he was doing with his children was sweeter than any cookie.

The auburn haired Pokémon Professor took a deep breath and managed a smile at his daughter as she carefully left the cookies on a chair in a secluded part of the balcony. He rested his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Do you want to say anything? In case an angel or Santa clause is listening?" he asked his daughter softly, causing her to nod and beam. She was so enthusiastic, her little pigtails bobbed around her neck. She breathed out before speaking.

"I hope you like the cookies! And I hope you come and tell us what it's like 'up there' soon."

Gary nodded his head, approving the words. Eddie was being unusually quiet though. He shuffled his feet, causing Gary to look down softly.

"Anything you want to say, buddy?" he asked his son, keeping a firm hand on his shoulder. I believed Eddie was sensing the most out of the two. He knew his grandparents weren't with them like Ben's grandmother was. He sighed too. He swallowed. After that, he looked up at his father with big, hazel eyes. He spoke as well.

"If you're out there – whoever is out there – come and visit us soon. Please." He said and it was his son's words that caused Gary to need a minute to catch his breath. Because his father was silent, Eddie nudged him. "Are you going to say anything, dad?"

I listened. I breathed out. I shut my eyes. I wondered what on earth he would say. Would he say what was in his heart and express the longing he had to meet an angel? An angel being his mother or his father. I opened my eyes. No. It wasn't the time.

Gary managed a smile at both of his children but he shook his head. He kept one hand on each of their shoulders. They looked innocently disappointed, wanting their father to join in too, but they didn't persist. As they looked up at the evening sky with wonder, Gary shut his eyes. And he mouthed into the wind. He just said three simple words, his heart full of hope.

"Mom and Dad." He whispered, addressing his angels but not saying anything else. He didn't need to. That's all he needed to say. He just needed to mumble their names to remind himself that they were and they are very real. Very real indeed. Even though they weren't together.

They stayed outside in the winter air for quite some time. I gave them their privacy but eventually, I jumped down from the counter to join them. It was then that I saw Jayme had been watching from the front doorway with a sleeping little Dylan on her hip.

She was using her other arm to hold her hand over her heart. Her eyes were filled with tears; she was emotional to be sure. She was biting her lip and she was looking in Gary's direction. Like her husband, she was looking longingly. But she was looking longingly at him. Looking longingly at them.

She wished she had been part of that tender moment. But then she stopped. And she realised. She didn't need to be a part of it. She had seen it. She knew she was the luckiest woman alive to not only have her sweet and thoughtful children but to have her soft Gary too. And on top of that, she knew something far greater. She knew that his time would come.

She knew that he would be reunited with his parents. One day. Someday. Perhaps someday at Christmas. But until then, he had his wife. He had his children. And he had Santa Clause. And as long as the jolly old fellow was alive in his children's hearts, he would keep on hoping that his Christmas wish would one day come true.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 After writing this, I came up with a little idea that Dylan believes in Father Christmas until he's an adult which is sweet for Gary because it keeps the hope alive for years and years that his parents might come back. I have a headcanon/reasons that they don't come back for a long time but I'll keep that quiet until I decide to write about it :P Thanks again and I will be back next Wednesday for another Christmas themed chapter so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3