[backdated to early Christmas morning]
December 25th, very, very early morning. Just after midnight. All isn't quiet in Chicago, but then, when is it ever? There's people spilling out of bars and clubs, celebrating the coming of the day with a little too much alcohol and quite enough joy for the entire city. There are couples in Grant Park, taking a stroll to enjoy the freshly-
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When she wakes up bright and ridiculously early, Martha isn't in her bed. But Meggie is quickly distracted from her curiosity by the bike in the middle of the room. It's pink and white, with streamers on the handles. It's the prettiest thing Meggie's ever seen, just about. She's never had a bicycle before and doesn't know how to ride, but there are training wheels, and white elbow and knee pads and a pink helmet on the table nearby, and she wants to ride it now.
And this is how Meggie winds up riding her bicycle through the main floor of the Kashtta at seven in the morning on Christmas day. Her decorations are still taped haphazardly to the walls and she's making Christmas carols ring through the halls, but not too loudly, and she's hasn't had a good Christmas practically since before she can remember, so this is perfect.
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Relieved and now certain that he did, he returns to the Kashtta sometime in the morning. He will no doubt stumble upon Meggie and her brand new bicycle.
A grin spreads across his face as he kneels down, watching her ride around the main floor. "Now that's a sweet ride."
Santa gave him a motorcycle. He'd know these things, Meggie.
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"Wes!" she just about shrieks, turning around and pulling the bike to an abrupt halt right in front of him. She hops off and promptly tacklehugs Wes, not that the force of it will affect him much.
"Merry Christmas!"
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"Merry Christmas, munchkin! I see you already got Santa's gift, huh?"
He walks them over to the bike and whistles his approval.
"And you ain't even seen the rest of your presents yet."
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"What did Santa get you?" she asks, swinging her feet a little.
Her eyes widen and she asks quietly, "More?"
Meggie hasn't had a pleasant Christmas since her mother was around, and for those she was too young to remember now. This Christmas is unlike anything she can remember, and she hasn't even been awake for very long.
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"He got me a bike of my own. It's a bigger bike and it's black, parked out in the driveway," he says with a grin. It's the most beautiful thing he's seen in his life.
Wes might be in love with it.
"Course there's more," Wes says, tapping her nose lightly with his index finger. "You didn't think I wouldn't get anything for you, did ya?"
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Meggie's kind of feeling that way about her own bike. She hasn't really had something like that of her own since her mom was around.
She buries her face against his shoulder, suddenly shy. Instead of answering, she says, "I drew you a picture."
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It doesn't seem fair she wouldn't have perfect ones. Every kid deserves it. Then again, Wes is fully aware life is anything but fair.
He points toward the present that's for Meggie. It's a very big stuffed animal. "That's the first one," he says with a grin, setting her down so she can go inspect it. "And did you? Can I see?"
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When Meggie squeals, she makes a bit of a shrieking noise as well without meaning too, and the combined effect probably isn't all that pleasant. As Wes puts her down she unclips her helmet and drops in to the floor unceremoniously. The white stuffed rabbit is practically as big as she is - which for a stuffed animal is big but for a girl is not - but she lifts it anyway in a giant hug.
"It's in me and Martha's room," she says, voice muffled a little by the rabbit's ears.
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She's very happy with the gift she got. A big roll of money. However she also knows that it's now the most money she has in Chicago, and she needs to find a safe place to keep it.
So here comes Parker down the hall with the money stuffed...somewhere on her, and a grin on her face. She hears the Christmas carols and can't help but follow the sound. When she sees a little girl on a bike she stops and loses her composure for a moment.
Bike. Bikes are bad. Bikes are dangerous.
But the little girl is so cute, and so happy, and...she's inside. She's inside so that's safe, isn't it?
She pushes away the anxiety and slowly a smile comes back to her lips. "Did Santa bring that?"
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"Yeah," she says, giddy. "He did. What did Santa bring you?"
The halo catches Meggie's eye and she giggles, pushing her helmet back on her forehead a little.
"I like your costume."
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Her voice comes out in a loud stage whisper, one that children perfect. "I can tell you what I got, but it's a secret. Can you keep a secret?"
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"I love secrets! I can keep a secret."
She hasn't had to keep many before, because she hasn't really been told more than a few, but she'll do her best.
She leans over the handlebars of her bike, perhaps a bit unsteadily, and listens.
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"Santa left me money! And now I have to go find somewhere safe to put it!"
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She knows having money is, of course, a good thing, but she can't quite see why the bills in and of themselves should be very exciting.
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The only shiny, pretty things Parker has in terms of "stuff" are things she's stolen. Purchasing anything makes no sense to her, nor does paying bills. Mostly it's the normal people of society, who have jobs and mortgages, pay bills. All of those are things for the kind of adult Parker doesn't want to be.
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