24 Gifts Of 2008 - #24 - Christmas Morning (Ryan and Lily)
Final gift! It's another AU, but this one is probably stand alone, so no universe. Kinda... not for Taylor fans... or Seth fans... but there's soem Ryan & Lily Atwood cuteness... lol
"Daddy! It's Christmas!" a little voice said, jumping up and down on the blanket covered body.
"Go 'way," came the mumbled reply, the sheets being pulled up higher.
"Daddy!" the little girl said, flopping down on top of him and tugging the covers down to see his face. "It's Christmas!"
Suddenly, he reared up and grabbed her, lifting her up in the air with the slightest of shakes and a growl. "Too early!" he said.
The little girl giggle. "Daddy!"
Ryan laughed and gently dropped her back down onto his stomach. "Who told you 4am was the correct time to wake daddy up on Christmas morning?" he asked. "Wait, don't tell me... Uncle Seth?"
"Not telling," Lily said, shaking her head and sending the blonde locks, still laced with tinsel from the Christmas pageant the night before, flying around her face. "Uncle Seth said it was a secret!" she added.
Ryan smiled and slowly got up, grabbing Lily and tossing her over his shoulder to carry her downstairs to the tree and waiting presents. "Well, I guess I'll manage to enjoy the holiday without knowing," he teased, tickling her side.
"Daddy! Put me down!" Lily protested.
"Whatever you say," Ryan said, pretending to heave her off his shoulder as he actually gently plopped her down into the over stuffed chair. "Now, were you good or did you sneak peeks?" he asked.
"Good!" Lily insisted, bouncing up and down in her seat. "And you gotta open that one first!" she added, pointing to the small box sitting in front of all the others and tied with a sloppy bow.
"Who is this from?" Ryan asked, picking it up and spotting his daughter's block handwriting. "Santa?"
"No! It's from me! Uncle Seth said Santa wouldn't mind," Lily replied.
"Nah, Santa's good about that," Ryan said. "He doesn't mind other people helping share the Christmas spirit."
"Open it! Open it!"
Ryan smiled and carefully pulled off the paper, watching his daughter get more and more excited as he did. Finally, he revealed the back of a picture frame and turned it over to reveal a picture of Ryan, Lily, and his estranged wife. For a moment, his smile faltered, then he forced it back on. "Was this your idea, baby girl?" he asked, trying to sound happy even as he wondered how quickly he could get his daughter to forget about the picture and let him throw it out.
"Nuh-uh, Uncle Seth's!" Lily said. "Do you like it? I wanted to give you a picture of Izzy 'cause you like her lots, but Uncle Seth said I should give you a picture of Mother!"
Ryan forced another smile. "I think your idea was pretty good," he said honestly.
"You don't like it?" Lily asked.
"I'm still kinda sad that your mom and I... I just wish we were like this," he said, lifting the picture from his lap.
"I like Izzy lots, too," Lily said, sliding off the chair and taking the picture to put it face down on the floor, then climbing into his lap. "Grandpa Sandy helped me get you another present, Daddy," she said, pointing. "Wanna open it?"
"How about you open some first?" Ryan replied, kissing the top of her head. He had a pretty observant kid, and he only hoped she wouldn't notice when he kicked Seth's ass later, both for the 4am wake up call, and even more for the picture of Taylor. It was bad enough that she took a job in Paris without talking to him. It was worse when she left without giving him a chance to tell her he wanted a divorce. But it was the whole ignoring the calls from both he and his lawyers about the divorce and how she needed to sign the papers they'd sent her three times that really pissed him off.
He didn't want to live his life in limbo forever, waiting for Taylor to make a decision.
The End
Tomorrow or early Friday morning, these will all be made public, so Merry Christmas to my friends list! Enjoy the day!
"Daddy! It's Christmas!" a little voice said, jumping up and down on the blanket covered body.
"Go 'way," came the mumbled reply, the sheets being pulled up higher.
"Daddy!" the little girl said, flopping down on top of him and tugging the covers down to see his face. "It's Christmas!"
Suddenly, he reared up and grabbed her, lifting her up in the air with the slightest of shakes and a growl. "Too early!" he said.
The little girl giggle. "Daddy!"
Ryan laughed and gently dropped her back down onto his stomach. "Who told you 4am was the correct time to wake daddy up on Christmas morning?" he asked. "Wait, don't tell me... Uncle Seth?"
"Not telling," Lily said, shaking her head and sending the blonde locks, still laced with tinsel from the Christmas pageant the night before, flying around her face. "Uncle Seth said it was a secret!" she added.
Ryan smiled and slowly got up, grabbing Lily and tossing her over his shoulder to carry her downstairs to the tree and waiting presents. "Well, I guess I'll manage to enjoy the holiday without knowing," he teased, tickling her side.
"Daddy! Put me down!" Lily protested.
"Whatever you say," Ryan said, pretending to heave her off his shoulder as he actually gently plopped her down into the over stuffed chair. "Now, were you good or did you sneak peeks?" he asked.
"Good!" Lily insisted, bouncing up and down in her seat. "And you gotta open that one first!" she added, pointing to the small box sitting in front of all the others and tied with a sloppy bow.
"Who is this from?" Ryan asked, picking it up and spotting his daughter's block handwriting. "Santa?"
"No! It's from me! Uncle Seth said Santa wouldn't mind," Lily replied.
"Nah, Santa's good about that," Ryan said. "He doesn't mind other people helping share the Christmas spirit."
"Open it! Open it!"
Ryan smiled and carefully pulled off the paper, watching his daughter get more and more excited as he did. Finally, he revealed the back of a picture frame and turned it over to reveal a picture of Ryan, Lily, and his estranged wife. For a moment, his smile faltered, then he forced it back on. "Was this your idea, baby girl?" he asked, trying to sound happy even as he wondered how quickly he could get his daughter to forget about the picture and let him throw it out.
"Nuh-uh, Uncle Seth's!" Lily said. "Do you like it? I wanted to give you a picture of Izzy 'cause you like her lots, but Uncle Seth said I should give you a picture of Mother!"
Ryan forced another smile. "I think your idea was pretty good," he said honestly.
"You don't like it?" Lily asked.
"I'm still kinda sad that your mom and I... I just wish we were like this," he said, lifting the picture from his lap.
"I like Izzy lots, too," Lily said, sliding off the chair and taking the picture to put it face down on the floor, then climbing into his lap. "Grandpa Sandy helped me get you another present, Daddy," she said, pointing. "Wanna open it?"
"How about you open some first?" Ryan replied, kissing the top of her head. He had a pretty observant kid, and he only hoped she wouldn't notice when he kicked Seth's ass later, both for the 4am wake up call, and even more for the picture of Taylor. It was bad enough that she took a job in Paris without talking to him. It was worse when she left without giving him a chance to tell her he wanted a divorce. But it was the whole ignoring the calls from both he and his lawyers about the divorce and how she needed to sign the papers they'd sent her three times that really pissed him off.
He didn't want to live his life in limbo forever, waiting for Taylor to make a decision.
The End
Tomorrow or early Friday morning, these will all be made public, so Merry Christmas to my friends list! Enjoy the day!