Author's Note: The next portion of the story is going to take on a different setting and pacing (mainly a switch in games), so here's a nice buffer between the two chapters. A Christmas special! (Which obviously was first written around Christmastime.) Enjoy!

~December 24, 1982~

"I'm going to catch Santa for sure this year!" Elizabeth giggled, bouncing up and down on the living room couch. "I'll stay up all night! This time, I will! You'll help too, right?"

Evan sat on the floor in front of it, watching the Fredbear and Friends Christmas special. He briefly glanced at his younger sister. "Right, um...yeah, of course. Mikey says Santa isn't realy, but..." He trailed off, saying nothing more as Michael sulked into the room.

"Ugh, seriously, Lizzy?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "If Father catches you jumping on the sofa like that, he'll kill me."

She did not acknowledge this, giggling harder and pointing at him. "Mikey, you're covered in flour!"

He tried to brush off his clothes which were, in fact, covered in flour. "Yeah, Dad wanted me to bake the cookies for some strange reason. No idea why, I'm terrible at it. Keep burning them."

"We know," Evan said, sighing. "You've set off the smoke alarm so many times recently." His expression brightened as he snickered. "Actually, it's sorta funny."

"Not my fault, dope." Michael went closer and gently smacked Evan upside the head. "And you freak out like an idiot every time. Just shut up and watch your dumb baby show."

Evan flinched but said nothing.

"Now, Lizzy, seriously—" Mike shot her a look as she increased her jumping speed— "quit hopping on the couch." She laughed as he turned his back to her, prepared to reenter the kitchen.

"Piggyback ride!" She leapt off the couch. He instinctively stopped and tensed for impact. Sure enough, she hopped right onto his back, and he managed to tuck his arms in the crooks of her legs before she could fall off. With an irritated huff, he returned to the kitchen, with Elizabeth clinging to his back and giggling loudly in his ear, much to his dismay. Already, he could tell he was going to gain a headache soon, half from this, half from the constant stress of having to look after his obnoxious siblings 24/7. He muttered to himself angrily as he yanked open the oven. He never understood why William dumped so much responsibility on him.

"Ooo!" Elizabeth exclaimed, watching Michael retrieve an oven mitt which he used to pull out the sheet of sugar cookies. "They smell really good! Can I have one?"

"Not yet." Michael straightened. Juggling her and the cookies, he hastily moved the sheet over to the nearest counter. He adjusted his sister and eyed his creation. He had to say, they truly did smell delicious, and they didn't look burnt for once. Though he despised baking (had been struggling over it for the past week now), he felt rather proud seeing them turn out so well. He just hoped they tasted good.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he gave a grunt of annoyance, for Elizabeth was leaning forward and reaching for the cookies eagerly. "Get closer, Mikey!" she said. "I want one!"

"I said not yet!" He jerked back, stopping her. "They're not even frosted, dummy."

"Hmph." Elizabeth once again wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not a dummy."

"Yeah, yeah." He crouched down and slowly released her. "I'm putting you down now." At first, she refused, but after a few moments of Michael repeatedly and angrily telling her to let go of him, she did. The moment he straightened, Evan hesitantly entered the kitchen.

"You're not going to throw something at me again, right?" he asked.

Michael gave a short laugh, remembering when, in the midst of his frustration over baking, he'd hurled a whisk at Evan when he entered. "No, of course not. I just finished the cookies." He gestured to them.

"Whoa," Evan said. "They look great, Mikey!"

"Whatever."

"Almost like Mum's did."

"Ah." Mike shifted his eyes to the side. He had, after all, used her recipe. With a sigh, he bent down and opened a cupboard below the counter. "You guys can decorate 'em. I'm done with this crap."

Elizabeth clapped her hands. "I'm going to put sprinkles all over mine!"

"Can I make one look like Fredbear?" asked Evan, lifting his eerie Fredbear plush.

"None are shaped like bears, dingus," Michael said. "Just stars, Christmas trees, wreaths, stockings, and snowmen. But if you want to make a Fredbear snowman, then by all means, make your snowman yellow. Totally won't look like it's made out of yellow snow."

"Ew." Elizabeth crinkled her nose.

Giving a chuckle, he pulled out the frosting and sprinkles, then carried them to the dining room table. "Bring the cookies in here, crybaby. You two better not make these look like complete messes. Father'll kill me."

"You could help," Evan said, carrying in the cookies.

Groaning, Michael opened his mouth to reply. He didn't get the chance, for the doorbell rang. "Great, who could that be?" he said. Shaking his head, he walked to the front door and threw it open. He was greeted by the sight of Henry and Charlie.

"Hey, Mike." She waved, swiping back a strand of her hair.

"Um...hi," he said with a blink of surprise. "What are you two doing here?"

"Got a break from the diner," Henry replied, "your father and I have to stay at work a bit longer, and Charlie was growing bored. We thought it would be a good idea if she came here to give you three a bit of company. I'm sure it isn't pleasant having to look after the two of them by yourself for so long." His cheerful expression wavered. "Which you don't all the time, right? I haven't heard much of that babysitter William was hiring a while ago." Ah, yes. The babysitter that he fired because he was 'wasting money', since Michael was there and could very well look after Evan and Elizabeth with no charge.

Fighting back the urge to sneer, Michael ignored the question and said, "Ah okay. Cool, I guess. I was—um...I mean, there were some cookies baking, and my sibs about to decorate them."

"That sounds like fun." Charlie stepped in, Michael moving aside to make room for her. As she unwound her scarf and shrugged off her coat, she breathed in the scent wafting through the warm house. "It smells good. Who baked them? Your dad hasn't been here in a while, right?"

"Doesn't matter," Michael said. "See you in a bit or whatever, Uncle Henry." He started to close the door, ignoring Henry's friendly wave and final words. After slamming it shut, he turned to Charlie who had just hung up her winter coverings.

"So," she said, a smug expression crossing her face, "did Mr. Michael Afton bake Christmas cookies?"

Michael scoffed. "Of course not. That's not cool or manly at all, I'd never."

"Hey, Mikey!" Elizabeth hurried into the living room and up to them, her face miraculously covered in red and green icing. "The cookies are delicious! You really did make them taste just like Mummy's!"

"You probably don't even remember what hers tasted like," he said. "And what happened to your face?" He crouched in front of her and began brushing at the frosting with his thumb. "I told you not to eat any."

She giggled, swatting at his hand. "I just ate one. It's not that bad, Mikey." Her green eyes flicked towards Charlie who watched with a soft smile on her face. "Hey! Charlie's here! Is she going to decorate cookies too?"

"Mhm." Michael went back to his full height. "Now go." He shood her in the direction of the dining room. "We'll be there in a minute." Elizabeth dashed off, leaving the two friends alone in the living room. He shot Charlie a look, noticing the amusement lingering in her smile. "Oh, shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Her smile broadened. "I think it's sweet, actually."

"Sweet? I'm not sweet!"

"Maybe, but I'm sure your cookies are! Are you a good baker?"

"I hate it."

"That wasn't an answer."

"No idea."

"Then I'll be your critic." She grinned.

"You're taking too much joy in this," he said.

"Aw, come on, you've just been so serious and 'cool' recently." She jerked her shoulders into a shrug. "I don't care if it's not a normal guy thing to do or whatever you've got in your head, I like it. I'm sure your cookies are great."

He paused, feeling his glare fade as his lips twitched with the urge to smile. He tried not to appear pleased by the compliment. "It's not like I had a choice, but sure, whatever. Now come help with my siblings, they're driving me insane." He returned to the dining room, Charlie following. The moment they entered, Elizabeth showed them the cookies she had decorated, which were complete messes of frosting and sprinkles. A lot of it she had gotten on herself as well. Michael wanted to scream with annoyance at the sight, but Charlie handled the situation, getting Elizabeth to wash herself off before continuing. Meanwhile, Evan hadn't even completed one, strangely fixated on a single cookie that he was designing with care. Michael found it hilarious and poked fun at him for it, though Evan didn't appear to care as much. Because of this, Michael almost sabotaged his cookie, but figured that would hurt him as well. Baking them had been a lot of work, after all.

For the next half hour, the four of them decorated the sugar cookies. Michael refused at first, but eventually caved when they kept bothering him. He did especially when Charlie purposely put a bit of frosting on his nose and teasingly threatened to smear some all over his face if he didn't stop being a big grouch and help out. Though he didn't want to admit it, the experience was rather fun. So much so that he forgot to make fun of Evan. This enjoyment ended, though, when Michael realized they didn't have nearly enough cookies, for William had demanded many. He often handed them out to people at work, more of an attempt at keeping up the appearance of being a good boss, rather than actually acting kind. How William spoke of his employees outside of work and his attitude towards them said otherwise.

"Argh, I still have to make at least two more batches." Michael ran his hands down his face. "I barely got one done, and it was torture. Do you know how much material I went through? I had to run and buy more countless times; I kept messing it up. It's just too stressful." He rubbed at his temples, shutting his eyes at the throbbing in his head. And there's that headache, he thought to himself with a deep sigh.

"Hm." Charlie tipped her head to the side. "I could help you. I've baked a little, used to do it with my mom all the time. Are you following a specific recipe?"

"My mum's, actually," he said. "You sure you wanna help?"

"Definitely." She pushed back her chair and stood. "Now come on. Show me your baking skills."

"As if I have any." Michael rolled his eyes as he rose and went to the kitchen. "Neither of you eat any of the cookies while I'm gone."

"Okay!" Elizabeth called. Evan gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement, for he was too focused on his cookie-making. The moment Michael and Charlie entered the kitchen, she smothered a laugh with her hand.

"This place is pretty messy, isn't it?" she said, running her brown eyes over the counters. They were littered with various bowls and baking appliances, along with flour, dough, and sugar spilt on both them and the floor.

"Okay, part of that was Lizzy," he said. "I was also really frustrated. Baking isn't really my thing."

"I tried one of your cookies, Mike." She snagged a nearby dishtowel and began to wipe down one of the counters. "They're really good."

"Took me at least a billion tries."

"Then with your new experience and with me here, you can do it in one!"

"Way to compliment yourself."

"I didn't." She made a face, throwing the towel at him.

He caught it before it hit face, then tossed it aside. "We better get to work then; my father will be back before long. He probably expects at least a couple batches to be done."

"Well then, your 'fathah' will be blown away," she said.

He scoffed at the slight mockery of his accent and grabbed the nearby recipe. As he handed it to her, he said, "Come on. Let's get to work, idiot."

"Right behind you, dummy." She slid a mixing bowl across the counter to him. "First one to gather the ingredients wins!"

"You're on!" Michael dashed to the fridge. Charlie did the same and giggled as they playfully swatted at each other. It was as if they were kids again, cheerily doing a Christmas activity together. Mike felt a bit stupid doing such things, but without anybody there to see them except him and Charlie, he let himself unwind. It had been a while since he did something so fun with her, and though he missed the more reckless and dangerous activities he did with his group of friends, there was something different about this. Nicer, perhaps. He brushed off most thoughts of this however, simply baking the cookies with her help.

It did in fact go faster and was less frustrating for him. Though Charlie claimed she had no expertise when it came to cooking, she was at least a little knowledgeable in baking. They managed to make two more good batches, with the third tasting quite disgusting. Turned out, they accidentally switched the salt and sugar. Elizabeth's face when she eagerly tried one of the messed-up cookies was priceless and made even Evan burst into a fit of laughter.

"It's not funny!" Elizabeth exclaimed, stamping her foot. The others kept laughing, Charlie leaning over herself and Evan sitting on the floor. He put a hand against his mouth, in hopes of stifling his continuous laughs.

Michael shook his head. "Oh, that was priceless. Wish we had a camera at the time." He lifted one of the other cookies from where they sat on the dining room table. "Yo, Char. I dare you to eat one. A whole one."

Charlie took a moment to recover herself from laughing, then with a small smile, she snatched the cookie from him. "If you do it, then I will."

"Fine, you're on." Michael took himself a cookie. Evan and Elizabeth went silent, watching with anticipation as Michael and Charlie faced each other, smirking confidently. They waited only a moment, before both lifting them and taking a bite. Michael nearly spit it right back out. Not only did it taste badly, but it appeared to also be slightly burnt. Though it held the texture and ordinary taste of a cookie, it was also incredibly salty, almost like a cracker. The burnt aftertaste only added to the disgustingness. Forcing it down, he made a gagging noise. "Oh, yuck! Don't blame you for your reaction now, Lizzy."

"Hmph. See? It is terrible!" She gestured to him, then giggled. "You both look really silly."

Evan nodded, smiling amusedly. Michael ignored him, laughing at Charlie who threw the cookie down on the table and shook her head.

"Nope, I'm not eating that entire thing," she said. "I'd probably puke. You gonna do it, Mike?" Michael hesitated, his gaze flicking between her and the cookies. Slowly, he began to smirk and lift his higher. She tensed. "Oh, no. Please don't—" She broke off as he shoved the entire cookie in his mouth. Immediately, both Evan and Elizabeth broke out in a chorus of "ew's". Michael choked, slamming his hands against the table. It took him a good minute of chewing and swallowing to properly get it down, and he was left grimacing in disgust.

The look faded as he crossed his arms and shot Charlie a triumphant grin. "Ha! Take that."

"You're disgusting." She gave him a small shove.

"Yeah, I am," he said. He paused, then with a short laugh, took another gross cookie and turned to Evan. "Hey, dork, you wanna try one?"

He shook his head. "No thanks, Mikey. I'm good."

"Nah, come on, you want to." Michael got down to Evan's level. He fell back a step, which accomplished nothing when Michael crept closer. "Come on, don't make me shove it in your—" He stopped short when a sudden hand grabbed his arm. He glanced up at Charlie who grasped his arm tighter, her expression darkening. It wasn't often she glared like that. With a grunt of annoyance, he glared right back and ripped his arm away from her hand. Straightening, he put the cookie back down. "Fine, whatever. Be a loser, Evan." He cleared his throat. "Now we better keep decorating these cookies."

"Yay!" Elizabeth hopped onto her chair. "I wanna make a snowman."

"Fredbear wants me to make another stocking," Evan said, settling at the table, where his Fredbear plush was already sitting. "I'll put his name on it."

"That's stupid," Michael said. He turned to the plushie, tempted to steal it, like he sometimes did. Fredbear almost seemed to stare back at him, its bright white pupils boring into his eyes. With a shudder, Michael ignored it and sat beside Elizabeth.

Charlie sat at his other side, saying, "That sounds great, Evan. I think I'll make another Christmas tree. Just make sure you use the good cookies."

"Ew, imagine if we didn't." Evan gave a little chuckle.

"Uh-huh," said Michael, disinterested. And so, the four of them once again started decorating. Michael's sullen attitude had returned, but it started fading as he once again began to unwillingly enjoy himself. They managed to frost all the cookies shortly before the front door opened, and William and Henry entered.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth sprang up and dashed over to him. Evan followed at a slower pace, carrying one of his cookies with him. Michael rose, but did not go over, watching as William lifted Elizabeth from the floor and examined the cookie Evan showed him with a neutral expression.

"Hey." Charlie nudged Michael, drawing his eyes to her. "It's nice to see a friendlier you," she said, giving a faint smile. "The Christmas spirit getting to you?"

"Shut up," he said, his voice hard.

Her pleased expression wavered. "Sorry. Um...we should do something with each other more often, that's kind of what I meant." She looked down and back up. "I feel like we haven't been talking as much recently, like you're sort of, um, ignoring me? Shutting me out? We're best friends, Mike. I really hope you're not purposely doing that."

He softened. "I know, Char. I've just been preoccupied, and um...you know, we're not kids anymore. Things are different now."

"Different how?"

"I...don't know."

"Oh."

"But, you know, whatever." He jerked his shoulders into a shrug. "You could always hang out with my friends and I a bit. If they don't like you, I'll make 'em. You're fantastic." He bopped her on the head, making her snigger.

"Thanks for the offer, I guess," she said. "Just miss you, Mike."

"Pfft, I'm still your friend. I never left, dummy," said he. "Now c'mon, let's see what these losers are up to." He grabbed her arm and led her over to the rest of his family and Henry who were talking.

"Hey, Dad." Charlie escaped Michael's grasp and gave her dad a side-hug.

"Ah, there you are," he said. "According to these two, you and Michael have been quite busy baking."

"Yup, and I think we did pretty well," Charlie said. "Mostly, anyway." She exchanged an amused glance with Michael.

"I'll have to try one soon then," Henry said. "William and I were just discussing with each other. Every year, Charlie and I go with a group of friends and carol at people's houses. He's given you three permission to come along, if you like."

Michael stiffened. "Ah."

"Ooo! I want to!" Elizabeth said, clapping her hands.

"I, um...I guess I will." Evan scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor. "Can Fredbear come along?"

Henry nodded. "Of course he can, bud."

Evan brightened. "Oh, good."

"What about you, Mike?" Charlie said. "Want to come along? I'd love to hear you sing, I bet you have a great voice."

"Pfft." He rolled his eyes. "I don't sing."

Elizabeth frowned, sending him a quizzical look. "Yes, you do, Mikey. I hear you do it in the shower all the time."

He made a panicked noise, heat racing across his cheeks as he blushed. "Lizzy, you traitor."

Charlie laughed. "Aw, come on. Don't be embarrassed, I think it's cute." She quickly corrected herself, "Well, I mean, not cute—just...um...never mind." Her laughs grew a bit more nervous. "So are you coming or what?"

"Well, uh..." He hesitated, throwing William a glance. The man eyed him, his arms crossed. "Dad, are you going?"

He shook his head. "I'll simply be working on a few things here, Michael. It will be nice to have the house...empty."

Michael swallowed, not enjoying the thought of it just being him and William at the house. As much as he said he disliked his siblings, they were a nice buffer between him and his father. Sometimes, anyway. "Ah, okay. In that case, I—" he groaned in annoyance— "I guess I'll come."

"Great!" Charlie grabbed his arms and dragged him towards the front door. "Get your coat and stuff on before you change your mind, and let's get going." Evan and Elizabeth quickly followed, as did Henry, after exchanging a few final words with William. Properly bundling up, the four left and climbed into Henry's van.

Michael sighed, already regretting his decision. Charlie poked him in the arm. "Cheer up, Mr. Grinch. You're going to have a great time, okay?"

"Whatever you say."

"I'm being serious."

"Hm."

"Do you always have to be such a big grouch?"

Michael sent her a smirk. "Yes."

"Okay, whatever," she said. "You know, I'm still looking forward to hearing your singing voice."

"It's nothing special," he said.

"I really like it," Evan piped up. "You're a great singer, Mike." He sent his brother a smile, but it withered when Michael responded with a scowl. Evan quickly looked away. "Sorry."

"Be nice." Charlie elbowed Michael.

He glared at her. She held his gaze, not faltering. "At least try."

Michael paused another moment, before caving. With a sigh, he said, "Ugh, fine." He nudged Evan who sat on his other side, drawing his attention. "Thanks, Evan...or whatever. I guess you're not half bad."

Evan brightened right back up. "Love you too, Mikey."

"What?" Michael startled. "That's not what I—argh!" He put his head in his hands. "I want to bash my head against a wall."

Charlie patted him on the back, chuckling. "Now that's the Christmas spirit."

They arrived at the carolers' meeting place shortly and spent many happy hours singing to others and joking with each other in between houses. Even Michael had a fantastic time, despite Charlie repeatedly teasing him over his singing. Not because it was bad, mind you, but simply because the teasing made him flustered, and she thought that was quite amusing to see. Even Elizabeth and Evan didn't bug him as much, he actually enjoyed seeing them sing, and hearing their young, sweet voices. He never would have admitted it, though, along with the fact he and Evan fell asleep against each other on the ride back home.

Once they arrived back at the Afton household, they discovered snow fluttering down from the dark sky. Elizabeth promptly threw herself onto the ground to make a snow angel, even though it had barely stuck.

"This is so pretty. I hope the snow actually stays for Christmas," Charlie said as they made their way up to the house. "Would be amazing to finally get a white Christmas. Barely happens."

"Don't be cliché, Charlie." He elbowed her teasingly.

"Don't make me throw a snowball at you."

"That would be quite an accomplishment, since there's barely any snow."

She giggled and shook her head as they reached the door. It was locked, so after a while of knocking and waiting for William to answer, he finally did. Mike's younger siblings immediately entered, Elizabeth excitedly exclaiming over the snow and Evan yawning whilst he hugged Fredbear close.

"Thank you for taking them, Henry," William said.

"It was no trouble; we all had a great time." Henry waved a hand. "Not sure if I'll see you again before Christmas, so...Merry Christmas, old friend."

"Mm. Merry Christmas," William said, shaking his hand. He reentered the house, and Henry headed off towards the van. Michael and Charlie lingered on the porch, watching the snowflakes flutter down. "Coming, Michael?" William poked his head back out.

"Yes, Dad, one minute." Michael lifted a finger. With a short, disapproving hum, William ducked back in and shut the door. Mike turned to Charlie. "Well, you heard them. Last time we see each other before Christmas."

"Comes faster every year, doesn't it?" she said, smiling slightly.

"I guess," he said.

"I did get you a present, you know." She shrugged. "Just don't have it with me."

"I procrastinated, haven't bought you anything yet." He laughed sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that."

Charlie shook her head at him. "I figured." Her smile growing, she moved closer, but quickly stopped. "I was going to hug you, but you know, you're such a grouch now, I don't know if I can. Can I—"

"Ugh, whatever." He pulled her into a hug. As she hugged him back, he smiled. "Merry Christmas, Charlotte."

Charlie tightened her arms around him. "Merry Christmas, Michael." The two drew away, then she rushed off to the van, waving over her shoulder all the way. He waved back and watched the vehicle pull out of the driveway onto the street, soon fleeing his sight. Rubbing at his arms against the cold, he flung the front door open and went in. He fully expected both Christmas Eve and Christmas to not be as enjoyable, like they often weren't anymore. Surprisingly, they felt better than usual, and he was glad for it, despite not being into the holiday as much as when he was younger. Though he didn't know it, this Christmas and the days leading up to it were memories he would treasure, the final Christmas before the incident happened, before he made the worst mistake of his life. Such peaceful and enjoyable moments with his family and friends he kept close, even years later...

~December 24, 1987~

Michael gazed around his living room, having just turned out the light. The glow of his miniature Christmas tree cast colors and shadows across the walls. With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets and went over to it. It was not a full-sized tree, only about a medium one, which he set up on a table near his television. There were no presents beneath it, only a single picture—a photo taken during that very night of caroling. Henry had snapped it of Charlie, Evan, Elizabeth, and Michael. They all looked so happy, Charlie nudging Michael who was rolling his eyes, but giving the smallest of smiles. Meanwhile, Elizabeth enthusiastically sang as she looked at her sheet of music, and Evan did nearly the same thing, only he appeared more focused and shared his music with his Fredbear plush who was kept close in the crook of his arm. Reaching over, Michael brushed his fingers over the picture, a happy moment frozen in time.

Christmas hadn't been the same ever since, simply a lonely time by himself, a time of bitter memories and the reality that his life was rather...miserable, empty. Well, at least, it used to be. Now he had Charlie, Henry, and new friends, whom he already had a few good times with. And yet, he was still alone. Nothing could ever bring back that time with his siblings, which he'd taken for granted back then. And ruined...

Michael let out a long, quivery breath, feeling pressure build behind his only eye. As he once again brushed his fingers over the picture, across his dear siblings, a tear escaped. He smiled bitterly. "Love you two." He turned away and brushed the tear off. He missed his siblings, couldn't believe it had only been five years since his last Christmas with Evan. It didn't feel that way, it felt so much longer. He liked to think they were both in a better place, but he couldn't be sure. Thoughts of Circus Baby and Fredbear weighed on his mind. Were his siblings truly free?

With a groan, he grabbed his head and leaned forward. "Shut up, mind. Just...just go to bed and get through Christmas." He'd had a better time than usual, having actual people to exchange gifts with and do activities together, but on Christmas, he knew he'd have no one. Just another sorry reminder of what he'd lost. "Why does this time always make it feel so much worse?" He released his head and lifted it, gazing longingly at Evan and Elizabeth's old stockings, which he'd managed to swipe from his father's house. He still hung them up every year, in memory of them.

With another lonesome sigh, he turned to head back to his room. He stopped at a knock on the front door. Um...He headed towards it hesitantly. Who could be coming by at this hour?

He opened the door and relaxed, upon seeing Charlie standing there, a basket hanging from her arm and her other hand holding a plate covered in foil. "Charlie?" he said. "What are you doing here so late?"

She didn't respond, immediately throwing her arms around him. He paused, surprised at the sudden action, then hugged her back. He gave a half-hearted chuckle, shifting his position, for the basket she held dug into his side. "What's with the sudden hug?"

"You looked like you needed it," she said.

"Ah." He shifted his eye downward. "I suppose I did. But you didn't just come here to do that, right?"

"No." She drew back, smiling softly. "I was actually just going to invite you over to my dad's house for Christmas. I still like to spend Christmas with him, and we both thought it would be a great idea to invite you."

He blinked, taking a moment to comprehend her words. "Wait, seriously?"

"Sure, why not?" she said. "No one should be alone on Christmas, and besides, why wouldn't I want to spend my favorite holiday with you? I love you."

He couldn't keep back a slight grin. "Well, there's really only one way I can respond to that. Of course, I'd love to spend Christmas with you." He reached and took her hand, chuckling a bit. "But you could have just called me. Why did you come all the way over here?"

"If you didn't notice, I have this with me." She moved the covered plate she held closer to him.

"Oh? And what is it?" He released her hand, took the plate, and pulled off the sheet. He didn't say anything for a moment, a soft smile finding its way to his lips. "Cookies. You used my mother's recipe, didn't you?"

She nodded, smiling back.

He replaced the covering, then leaned closer and pecked her on the cheek. "That's a sweet gesture, I haven't had them in ages. Now what's with the basket?"

"I brought a bunch of Christmas movies." She pulled out one of the tapes, her smile growing. "Thought we could eat cookies and watch them together, just you know, spend the rest of Christmas Eve together. Sorry I came so late; the cookies took much longer to make than I thought."

"No, it's alright," he said, then gave a faint chuckle. "You know, your ideas of how to spend a night with your boyfriend are quite innocent."

"Oh, um, alright." Charlie tensed, her face growing a bit red. "You wouldn't rather do...something else, right?"

"No, I'm just teasing you." He booped her on the nose. "It's cute when you blush. It sounds like a great time, wouldn't want anything different. I really appreciate it." He smiled fondly at her. The content expression faded as he cast his gaze to the distance, staring at the dark sky. "It...it's wonderful, really. I'm actually quite lonely around this time of year. It's just a bittersweet time, I suppose, and—" he lowered his gaze, gripping the plate of cookies tighter against unwanted memories— "by myself, I think it's more bitter than sweet."

Smiling gently, she took his hand and guided him inside. "Then let's have a nice Christmas Eve together, and tomorrow, an even better Christmas."

"That sounds lovely," he said. "I'll get us something to drink, you can set up the VCR."

"Sounds good." Charlie let go of his hand and went to the television. After turning the lights back on, Michael entered the kitchen, where he prepared them hot chocolate. As soon as he sat on the couch beside Charlie, she handed him a cookie. "Taste it and tell me what you think."

"Alright." He took the delicacy and wasted no time biting into it. He expected the familiar, delicious taste of his mother's cookies, but what he actually received was much different. Salty, burnt, and somewhere between a cookie and a cracker. He spat it back onto his hand, giving a disgusted noise. He nearly corrected himself, realizing he didn't want to offend Charlie, but he didn't when she began to laugh. At once, he knew what she had done. "You purposely remade one of our disgusting cookies and gave it to me, didn't you?" he said, sending her a look.

She nodded, just barely getting out words between her laughs, "You...you should have seen the look on your face!"

Michael shook his head and set the cookie aside. "You're an evil woman, cheerios."

"Maybe," said Charlie, recovering from her laugh attack, "but you love me."

With a chuckle of his own, he moved closer and put his arm around her. "Yes, I do." The two of them kissed, then settled in for a Christmas Eve night of cookies, movies, and the cozy company of each other. As usual, Michael ended up dropping off, and Charlie let herself fall asleep as well. They woke up earlier than usual, though, when Michael fell off the couch. That certainly wasn't the most comfortable way to wake up on Christmas morning, but the two had a good laugh over it, and after briefly stopping by Charlie's place to let her change, they headed to Henry's for presents, a good meal, and simply to spend time with one another. It was the best Christmas Michael had in what felt like ages, and he was more than grateful for it.

"Despite everything terrible going on," he said several hours later, gazing at two graves in the quant, snow-covered cemetery, "I think I'm happier than I have been in a long time. Wherever you two are, I hope you're happy too. I love you both...sorry I never said it enough." He laid out Evan and Elizabeth's stockings in front of their graves, smiling as a fresh tear fell down his face. "Merry Christmas."

Author's Note: Ah, the feels. Also, Mikey boi has such a soothing voice when just speaking, so I'm completely sure he would be a fantastic singer. You can't convince me otherwise.

Special thanks to my mom's amazing Christmas sugar cookies for inspiration; now I want to stuff my face with them. Also, I know caroling isn't done much anymore (I think), but it's actually quite fun, as long as you have set destinations and don't do it at random houses. That's just sort of awkward and not a good idea haha. Also, felt I should mention, I was at first undecided when the present-time part of this special takes place within the story, and it's actually after the fnaf 2 section. So I wasn't too detailed with it for the sake of spoilers. Instead, you mostly got wholesome moments in the past. I just find it so adorable lol.

But, anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this, I had a lot of fun writing it. Merry Christmas!