FIC - The Old Familiar Carols Play (Part 1)
Fandom: Donald Strachey Mysteries
Title: The Old Familiar Carols Play
Pairings: Donald/Timmy
Rating: various, with one NC-17 chapter
Spoilers: minor ones for most of the movies
Summary: Some Christmases are more memorable than others.
Warning: A crazy rainbow of emotions.
Author’s Note: I covered as many of the prompts as I could when writing this. If I left yours out, either thematically or musically, I do apologize. I could only fit in twelve chapters. Thanks guys! As always, all hail my beautiful betas, mjmcca and nyteflyer .
Colors Dull and Candles Dim
Of Christmas time when I was young, the magic and the wonder.
Donald crept along the shoveled path, wincing a little at the crunch of salt and sand under his boots. The sun shone bright off the snow, but the high drifts all along the sidewalk threw shadows over him as he crouched down low.
“Ready or not, Donnie! Here I come.”
Clapping a hand over his mouth, Donald lifted up carefully to take a quick look around. Snow, white and mounded high, stretched as far as he could see. From the edge of the houses to the sidewalk and then heaped in enormous piles to the street. Someone burst out of the drifts and onto the concrete directly behind him.
“I'm gonna getcha, Donnie!” Donna loomed over him, snapping her mittened hands like crab claws. “Run run, Donnie!” With a wild whoop, Donald plunged into the snow up to his chest. Darn it! He struggled across the yard as Donna flung loose handfuls of snow and slush in his direction.
“Here I come, Donnie!” she shouted as she began wading through the snow behind him.
“No fair, Donna!” Donald hollered as she gained on him. “You're like, three feet taller than me!” Donna lobbed another handful. Donald spluttered through a mouthful of cold and wet. “Tough luck, squirt! Grow faster!” Donna replied. Growling in frustration, Donald shoved his way deeper into the snow. If he could get to backyard, he could climb up on the porch. That would even things out! His feet tangled in the snow and he tumbled onto his butt. Donna laughed loudly.
“Donna! It's not funny!” Donald yelled, deeply exasperated.
“Need a hand, tough guy?” The voice came from over Donald's shoulder, but before he could turn, hands hooked under his armpits and hauled him from the snow. He expected to be set back on his feet, but instead the hands continued lifting until he was settled astride solid shoulders.
“Daddy!” Donald exclaimed. He wrapped his hands around his father's forehead and held on. “Donna's being mean!” Albert Strachey laughed as he settled Donald more firmly.
“Oh is she?” he asked. Donald nodded vigorously. Albert tugged his hat back up from where Donald's clutching hands had pulled it over his eyes.
“She called me a squirt!” Donald announced. Albert snorted as he started walking. Donald held on and happily kicked his feet.
“You are a squirt, squirt,” Albert informed him. He shifted his grip to hold Donald's ankles. “Easy with the boots there, Donnie.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Donald said automatically. “And I'm not a squirt! I'm six!” The snow built up on top of the fence caught his eye and Donald tugged imperiously on Albert's hat. “Snow, Daddy!” Albert obligingly drifted over to the fence so Donald could scoop snow into a messily-packed ball.
“I have some bad news, Donnie. I'm short. Grandad was short and I'm pretty sure your great-grandad was too. You're pretty much doomed to be a squirt for life,” Albert said.
“Donna's not a squirt,” Donald pointed out as Albert crept up toward the curb. Donna was talking with Richard from next door. She'd taken off her hat and was twirling her hair around her hand.
“Donna got all your mother's tall genes,” Albert said. Donald frowned as they neared. Carefully, he took aim. He'd only made one snowball so he'd have to make it count. With a mighty heave, he threw it at Donna. It hit the side of her head and exploded in a mist of fine powder.
“Yes!” Donald shouted, momentarily forgetting not to kick. “Yes, yes, yes!” Donna whirled, her mouth a perfect 'o' of outrage. Donald fisted his hands in Albert's hat and giggled.
“Donnie! You can't use Dad for help! That's cheating!” Donna shouted.
“Tough luck, Donna!” Donald hollered back. Consternation and rueful amusement flitted across Donna's face.
“Hoist on your own petard, eh, daughter-mine?” Albert called. Richard grinned at her and started helping her shake the snow from her hair. Donna rolled her eyes and turned back to him with a smile. Donald hugged Albert's head a little tighter and shivered. Albert swung him down and shifted him to straddle a hip, legs dangling.
“Come on, tough guy. Back inside,” Albert said. Donald whined in protest, but Albert just started walking back to the house. “None of that, now. We'll have cocoa.” Mollified, Donald laid his head on Albert's shoulder and allowed himself to be carried up the stairs to the porch. Albert set him down and knelt to help him knock the snow from his boots. A thought occurred to Donald.
“Daddy?” he asked, bracing his hands on Albert's shoulders.
“Yeah?” Albert asked as he dusted most of the snow from Donald's coat.
“Why would Donna wear mama's jeans?"
=+++=
1980 (A Baby Just Like You)
1982 (White Christmas Makes Me Blue)
1992 (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas)
1998 (God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen)
1999 (I Wonder as I Wander)
2000 (Frosty the Snowman)
2002 (Coventry Carol)
2004 (Walking in a Winter Wonderland)
2005 (Holly, Jolly Christmas)
2006 (Do You Hear What I Hear?)
2009 (All I Want for Christmas is You)
2047 (Aspenglow)
Title: The Old Familiar Carols Play
Pairings: Donald/Timmy
Rating: various, with one NC-17 chapter
Spoilers: minor ones for most of the movies
Summary: Some Christmases are more memorable than others.
Warning: A crazy rainbow of emotions.
Author’s Note: I covered as many of the prompts as I could when writing this. If I left yours out, either thematically or musically, I do apologize. I could only fit in twelve chapters. Thanks guys! As always, all hail my beautiful betas, mjmcca and nyteflyer .
Colors Dull and Candles Dim
Of Christmas time when I was young, the magic and the wonder.
Donald crept along the shoveled path, wincing a little at the crunch of salt and sand under his boots. The sun shone bright off the snow, but the high drifts all along the sidewalk threw shadows over him as he crouched down low.
“Ready or not, Donnie! Here I come.”
Clapping a hand over his mouth, Donald lifted up carefully to take a quick look around. Snow, white and mounded high, stretched as far as he could see. From the edge of the houses to the sidewalk and then heaped in enormous piles to the street. Someone burst out of the drifts and onto the concrete directly behind him.
“I'm gonna getcha, Donnie!” Donna loomed over him, snapping her mittened hands like crab claws. “Run run, Donnie!” With a wild whoop, Donald plunged into the snow up to his chest. Darn it! He struggled across the yard as Donna flung loose handfuls of snow and slush in his direction.
“Here I come, Donnie!” she shouted as she began wading through the snow behind him.
“No fair, Donna!” Donald hollered as she gained on him. “You're like, three feet taller than me!” Donna lobbed another handful. Donald spluttered through a mouthful of cold and wet. “Tough luck, squirt! Grow faster!” Donna replied. Growling in frustration, Donald shoved his way deeper into the snow. If he could get to backyard, he could climb up on the porch. That would even things out! His feet tangled in the snow and he tumbled onto his butt. Donna laughed loudly.
“Donna! It's not funny!” Donald yelled, deeply exasperated.
“Need a hand, tough guy?” The voice came from over Donald's shoulder, but before he could turn, hands hooked under his armpits and hauled him from the snow. He expected to be set back on his feet, but instead the hands continued lifting until he was settled astride solid shoulders.
“Daddy!” Donald exclaimed. He wrapped his hands around his father's forehead and held on. “Donna's being mean!” Albert Strachey laughed as he settled Donald more firmly.
“Oh is she?” he asked. Donald nodded vigorously. Albert tugged his hat back up from where Donald's clutching hands had pulled it over his eyes.
“She called me a squirt!” Donald announced. Albert snorted as he started walking. Donald held on and happily kicked his feet.
“You are a squirt, squirt,” Albert informed him. He shifted his grip to hold Donald's ankles. “Easy with the boots there, Donnie.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Donald said automatically. “And I'm not a squirt! I'm six!” The snow built up on top of the fence caught his eye and Donald tugged imperiously on Albert's hat. “Snow, Daddy!” Albert obligingly drifted over to the fence so Donald could scoop snow into a messily-packed ball.
“I have some bad news, Donnie. I'm short. Grandad was short and I'm pretty sure your great-grandad was too. You're pretty much doomed to be a squirt for life,” Albert said.
“Donna's not a squirt,” Donald pointed out as Albert crept up toward the curb. Donna was talking with Richard from next door. She'd taken off her hat and was twirling her hair around her hand.
“Donna got all your mother's tall genes,” Albert said. Donald frowned as they neared. Carefully, he took aim. He'd only made one snowball so he'd have to make it count. With a mighty heave, he threw it at Donna. It hit the side of her head and exploded in a mist of fine powder.
“Yes!” Donald shouted, momentarily forgetting not to kick. “Yes, yes, yes!” Donna whirled, her mouth a perfect 'o' of outrage. Donald fisted his hands in Albert's hat and giggled.
“Donnie! You can't use Dad for help! That's cheating!” Donna shouted.
“Tough luck, Donna!” Donald hollered back. Consternation and rueful amusement flitted across Donna's face.
“Hoist on your own petard, eh, daughter-mine?” Albert called. Richard grinned at her and started helping her shake the snow from her hair. Donna rolled her eyes and turned back to him with a smile. Donald hugged Albert's head a little tighter and shivered. Albert swung him down and shifted him to straddle a hip, legs dangling.
“Come on, tough guy. Back inside,” Albert said. Donald whined in protest, but Albert just started walking back to the house. “None of that, now. We'll have cocoa.” Mollified, Donald laid his head on Albert's shoulder and allowed himself to be carried up the stairs to the porch. Albert set him down and knelt to help him knock the snow from his boots. A thought occurred to Donald.
“Daddy?” he asked, bracing his hands on Albert's shoulders.
“Yeah?” Albert asked as he dusted most of the snow from Donald's coat.
“Why would Donna wear mama's jeans?"
=+++=
1980 (A Baby Just Like You)
1982 (White Christmas Makes Me Blue)
1992 (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas)
1998 (God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen)
1999 (I Wonder as I Wander)
2000 (Frosty the Snowman)
2002 (Coventry Carol)
2004 (Walking in a Winter Wonderland)
2005 (Holly, Jolly Christmas)
2006 (Do You Hear What I Hear?)
2009 (All I Want for Christmas is You)
2047 (Aspenglow)