Buffy and Dawn were walking around the mall, trying to find Christmas presents for their friends.
Dawn stopped at a window and peered inside. “They’re so cute, Buffy. It’s sad seeing them all in there like that.”
Buffy noticed that Dawn was staring in at the pet store. She sighed and knew what her sister was thinking. “Yeah, they’re cute. Come on, Dawn. We’re here to look for gifts that don’t need to be trained.”
Dawn pouted as she let her sister lead her away from the pet store.
Buffy didn’t feel that much into the Christmas spirit. She was trying to be for Dawn, but this would be their first Christmas without their mother. It didn’t seem right to be celebrating without her. She also missed Giles and wished that he could be there for Christmas, but he was in England visiting family. As much as Buffy wanted him there with her, she knew that he hadn’t been to England in a while, so felt that she had to let him go. He would at least be back for New Year’s.
They continued to walk in silence, when Dawn suddenly spoke up.
“I miss her, Buffy,” she said quietly.
Buffy stopped to look at her sister. “I miss her, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult, Dawny. I really want this to be a good Christmas for you. Let’s say we make the best of it, okay? I know Mom would want us to be happy.”
Dawn nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. It would be so cool if we could have a white Christmas, though. I guess it’s not possible in Sunnydale.”
Buffy put on a small smile. She knew that anything was possible as she remembered another Christmas a few years ago when it snowed. Dawn was with their dad at the time, so she wasn’t able to see it. That’s what she remembered, anyway. She led her sister over to another part of the mall, where a group of kids were lined up to see Santa Claus. Buffy smiled wider and pulled Dawn over. “How about we see Santa? We haven’t done that in a long time.”
Dawn rolled her eyes. “Aren’t we a little old for that?”
Buffy shook her head. “You’re never too old. Come on, where’s your Christmas spirit?”
Dawn had to smile at Buffy’s effort. She really was trying.
They got in line and watched all of the kids sit on Santa’s lap, telling him what they wanted for Christmas. It was almost their turn, when the little girl in front of them walked over to Santa.
He gave her a smile and picked her up, placing her on his lap.
Buffy listened as Santa asked the girl what she wanted for Christmas. She seemed to have a sad look on her face as she told him that she wanted a mother for Christmas. Buffy felt saddened for the child, and could even tell that Santa had a somber expression on his face, from what she could see of it. She heard him say that he couldn’t make any promises, but he would do the best that he could. Buffy let out a sigh as the little girl walked away, finally it was their turn. She grabbed Dawn’s hand and pulled her over to Santa, who graced them both with a smile as they sat on his lap. Dawn on one side and Buffy on the other.
He wrapped his arms around both of them. “Well, have you girls been good this year?”
Dawn didn’t seem so sure and glanced at Buffy, who only gave a smile and nod.
“I think we have,” she responded.
Santa chuckled and something about it felt really familiar, but Buffy shook the feeling off.
“I’m sure you have. Can I get you two anything special for Christmas?”
It was Dawn’s turn to speak up. “I’ve kinda always wanted to have a pet, but Buffy doesn’t think I’m ready to handle one. I’m old enough. She just doesn’t wanna deal with the responsibility, which I am perfectly capable of dealing with.”
Buffy sent her sister a glare.
Santa laughed again as his gaze landed on the older Summers. “What about you, sweetheart? Anything special you want Santa to get you?”
Buffy looked into his eyes and noticed how blue they were, then just shook her head. “No, I don’t need anything,” she said, looking away from his intense stare. She couldn’t say that she wanted her mother back, figuring that the little girl asking for a mother was hard enough.
Santa nodded and gazed back at Dawn. “I’ll see what I can do,” he told her with a wink.
She smiled and got off of his lap.
Buffy did the same and just as she moved away, Santa suddenly reached out and pinched her on the ass. She gasped in surprise and jumped away from the man, scowling at him to see that he was grinning at her. He gave her a wink as well, and she was a little confused about why he seemed so familiar to her. Buffy just shook her head and walked away with Dawn.
Santa watched them go, then gave his attention to the other children that were waiting for him.
* * * * *
Buffy and Dawn were at their house later that night putting up decorations. It was Christmas Eve and they were waiting for their friends to arrive, so they could all exchange gifts.
“Buffy, you forgot about the mistletoe.”
She snatched it out of Dawn’s hand. “Where is this supposed to go?”
Dawn shrugged. “I don’t know, hang it from the ceiling or something.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and went to grab the ladder. She found a place by the door and climbed up to pin it on the ceiling. She then got down and put the ladder away, when she heard a knock on the door. She went to answer it to see that all of her friends were there together. She smiled and moved out of the way to let them into the house.
Xander noticed the mistletoe over Buffy and grinned as he placed a kiss on her lips, which took her by surprise. He pulled away to look at the confused expression on her face.
“Um, thanks?” she said in confusion.
He just pointed at the mistletoe.
Buffy glanced up and nodded. “Right, I forgot.”
Anya suddenly smacked her fiancé on the head.
“Hey, what was that for?” Xander wondered, rubbing the spot where she hit him.
“That was for kissing another woman, Harris.” Anya was upset and headed into the kitchen, Xander following after her.
“It didn’t mean anything, Anya. It’s tradition.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and looked at Willow and Tara, who were still standing there.
“He’s right you know,” Willow said and also gave Buffy a peck on the lips.
“Okay, I think I’m just gonna move away now,” she commented, stepping away from the mistletoe.
Willow nodded and walked into the living room to give Dawn a hand with putting last minute decorations on the tree.
Tara just gave Buffy a hug, pulling away after a moment and gracing her with a shy smile. “Merry Christmas, Buffy.”
She smiled in return. “Same to you, Tara.”
Tara nodded and headed into the living room to help the others.
Buffy closed the door and was about to follow after her, but someone else knocked before she could. Everyone already arrived, so she didn’t know who it could be. She opened the door back up and was face to face with Santa Claus. “Aren’t you a little early?” she said teasingly, wondering why Santa was standing in front of her door. She got a better look and noticed that it was the same Santa from the mall. “Who are you?”
He then took off his beard and hat.
Buffy placed her hand over her mouth when she saw that it was now Spike standing in front of her. She lowered her hand after a few seconds. “It was you? I was wondering why Santa was such a perv,” she said with a smile, looking him up and down. “I have to admit that this is a good look for you, Spike. You should wear red more often.”
He just rolled his eyes. “Don’t get used to it, Slayer.”
Buffy shook her head and still seemed to be confused. “Spike, why are you doing this? Isn’t your reputation bad enough?”
Spike shrugged. “I felt like making some extra cash for the holidays. This was all I could get.”
Buffy nodded and accepted his answer, even though she was still confused. She moved out of the way and motioned for him to come inside.
He gave her a smile and walked into the house.
Buffy continued to stare at him. She couldn’t believe how good he looked in a Santa outfit. She was brought out of her reverie when she saw the look on his face, wondering what put it there. Buffy glanced up and saw that she was once again standing under the mistletoe. “Damn,” she said and turned back to him.
Spike quickly lost his smile and took on a serious expression as he moved closer to her. He cupped her cheek and brought her lips to his in a soft caress.
Buffy was surprised at the gentleness of the kiss, then started to return it when the shock wore off.
Spike took this opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, pulling away when she needed oxygen. “Yeah, you’ve definitely been a good girl this year.”
She blushed a little at the comment.
He went to grab the bag that he left on the floor and joined everyone else in the living room.
Xander started to laugh at Spike’s appearance, but Anya smacked him on the head again to quiet him.
Spike placed the bag on the floor in front of the tree and smiled at them, ignoring Xander. “Got goodies for you all.”
The girls beamed in excitement and attacked the presents in the bag.
Xander was surprised to see that he had one, too.
They all seemed to be happy with the gifts and thanked Spike.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, black box. “This is for you, love.”
Buffy was stunned and took the box from him, letting out a gasp at what was inside. It was a gorgeous, heart-shaped locket. She looked up at him. “It’s beautiful, Spike.”
He was relieved by her reaction.
Buffy gazed back at the locket and opened it up to find a picture of Joyce inside. She gave him a watery smile. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Spike wiped one of her tears away.
“Could you put it on me?”
He nodded and took the locket from her, placing it around her neck.
She smiled and stared at it, then back at him.
Spike was caught in her gaze, looking away when he thought of something else. “Right, I have one more gift that I left in the car. Be right back,” he claimed and made his way outside.
The girls then all went over to Buffy and admired her necklace.
Spike came back inside a few seconds later, holding a bigger box. He walked over to the girls and handed the box to Dawn. “This is for you, nibblet.”
Dawn smiled and took the box from him. She noticed that it had holes on the top and hurried to get it open. Her face lit up when she saw what was inside. She reached in to pull out an adorable, brown puppy. “She’s so cute! Thanks, Spike! This is the best present ever.”
Spike smiled at Dawn’s excitement as they all started to pet the puppy. He turned to look at Buffy. “I couldn’t resist, pet.”
Buffy smiled at him, then Dawn when she saw how happy her sister was. “She’s happy, that’s all that matters,” she said and went over to pet the puppy as well, who decided to lick her on the face. She laughed and wiped her nose.
Dawn looked up at her older sister. “I think we should name her Joyce.”
Buffy nodded and gave Dawn a smile. “Yeah, I think that sounds good.”
They all played with the puppy some more.
Dawn then glanced out of the window, amazed at what she saw. “Buffy, it’s snowing!” she exclaimed and ran outside, the others right behind her.
They all watched the snow fall.
Buffy wondered if it was another Christmas miracle, then gazed at Spike and saw the smile on his face.
“Was this your doing?”
Spike just shrugged his shoulders. “A true magician never reveals his secrets,” he told her with a wink.
Buffy rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her face. She then wrapped her arms around him.
He decided to take a risk by doing the same.
“Thank you for this, Spike. You’ve made this a really great Christmas. I know my mom would have loved it.”
Spike placed a kiss to the top of her head. “Happy Christmas, Buffy.”
She smiled and touched her lips to his, pulling away to notice the shocked expression on his face. “Merry Christmas, William.”
He smiled as well and continued to watch the others play in the snow.
Buffy’s smile grew when she saw how much fun her sister was having. It was definitely a Christmas that she would never forget.
The End
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!