Burn Notice Fiction: "Break Out The Ammo And Eggnog" (PG)

[halfshellvenus]

Title: Break Out The Ammo And Eggnog
Fandom: Burn Notice
Author: HalfshellVenus
Characters: Sam, Michael, Fiona (Gen)
Rating: PG
Summary: Not your typical celebration, but close enough.
Author's Notes: For usanetwork_las and the prompt of "What X really wanted for Christmas."
Also for writers_choice ("Gift").

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Comments

[olivia_j]

Aw, this made me tear up a little bit! I am not fond of christmas and usually dislike christmas stories, so to make me go all melty and 'aw' is quite the achievement! Perfect voices for the three of them and just generally and entirely lovely.

[halfshellvenus]

Oh, your comments were love!

I'm not fond of Christmas stories either (writing OR reading), and when I got this writing prompt, I kind of blanched. :0

That you found it successful and moving after all of that was a joy to hear. Thank you!

[meridian_rose]

So lovely :) Everyone was so in character with the bickering and the chore division and the stray bullet in the sofa. Love the gifts and the reasoning behind them. I agree completely about Maddie's cooking and the cigarette smoke! Sam's planned evening sounded lovely and the closing moments where he reflects how they're all family was perfect :)

[halfshellvenus]

So glad you enjoyed this-- I see you have a broad range of fandom loves too!

I agree completely about Maddie's cooking and the cigarette smoke!
The way everyone is afraid of her cookies is very telling. Who doesn't (ordinarily) like homemade cookies? :0

Sam seemed like a great choice for this prompt, because we all know what Michael really wants (it comes up nearly every week), and I've written often enough about what Fi wants. But Sam has a deeper side than we usually see, and he's so much fun to write in general!

[petunia846]

That was cute! At first when I read the part about Sam finding something glinting under the couch I thought the story was going to go in a very different direction...ha! I like the actual direction though. It's not a side of Sam that we often get to see.

[halfshellvenus]

At first when I read the part about Sam finding something glinting under the couch I thought the story was going to go in a very different direction...ha!

Oh, heavens no. It's hard enough for me to write a Christmas OR birthday story, but that kind of story on top of it... just isn't in me! I'd have to hang up my NoRo hat for good. ;)

I'm glad you weren't disappointed with where things went. I love Sam, and of all the people who might have a "hidden" and non-obvious Christmas wish, he seemed the best choice. Plus, another chance to write his POV! There's no downside to that. :D

[sistahraven]

D'awwwwww.

[halfshellvenus]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it! :)

[rise_your_dead]

I'm absolutely in love with your Sam POV here! He's amazing and IC. I'm kill'd dead by Fi and Mike trying to cook together, and Sam's choices for gifts for everyone. This is just WONDERFUL, and the right amount of cozy and snarky and even a little bit edgy for a BN fic. Bravo, am recing this one!

[halfshellvenus]

Oh, I was hoping you'd find this one, because I remember how much you love Sam. Yay, Sam!

Michael and Fi's kitchen semi-disaster seemed perfect for them, because Michael's pretty far out of his element and Fi probably isn't enjoying the pressure, and between the two of them that makes for two Type-A personalities generating friction instead of cooperation. ;)

And I'm so glad you noticed Sam's gifts. I think he is far more thoughtful than he usually likes people to believe (just as he's smarter than he often lets on), and he really is a true-blue friend. Love him.

I'm thrilled that you liked this one so much. It was a tough one to write-- exactly the kind of prompt that gives me fits, because Christmas/birthday stories are so often a recipe for shmaltz and I kind of have an aversion to the whole idea!

[rise_your_dead]

Aww, I adore this fic, so i'm glad i found it!

Hee, I can so picture them having a fight over the meal, too. And Michael insisting there aren't enough herbs in it, etc.

I know, that's why I'm disappointed the only time we've ever seen Sam give gifts was in the Michael's birthday ep. And then he gave him a five-pack. Yes, he's so my favorite.

You did perfectly - sometimes it's hard to balance out the snark/action/angst of a show like this with a Christmas story, and you definitely did it!