Fic - Merry Little Christmas (Dresden Files)

[cornerofmadness]

Merry Little Christmas
Author- cornerofmadness
Disclaimer- not mine, no profits made. All rights belong to Mr. Butcher
Timeline - set between Small Favor & Turncoat with spoilers for the short story It's My Birthday Too
Warning- fluff?
Word count - 1854
Rating PG-13
Summary - sometimes the bad things in the world allow you to take a breather
Author's note - I see the file name of this (which I started last year and forgot about) and realize this had been started for a challenge but I no longer know for which one. Ah well. Thanks to evil_little_dog for the beta.


* * *

"You mean, you don’t leave cookies and milk out for Santa?" Murphy patted her Tupperware container full of cookies for Michael’s youngest to put out by the fireplace.

Thomas shook his hair back and leveled one of those looks at her that made me want to go for a castrating knife. My brother probably didn't even realize he was flirting; it was like breathing to him. "Murphy, has anything I ever said or done led you to believe my father let us believe in Santa Claus?

Murphy pouted. "I suppose that’s true. I figured your uncle didn’t either, Harry."

I shook my head. "Christmas was just another day. Once he got me some clothes from the Goodwill and put it in a box. Does that count?"

Murphy made a face, probably trying to hide the sympathy gathering in her eyes. "No, so I’m glad we’re going to the Carpenters tonight." She wagged a finger at me and my brother. "I’ll come by tomorrow morning until I have to go to Mom’s."

I smiled. The closest thing to a real holiday get together I’ve ever had had been either under the direction of Murphy or Michael. "Sounds good. We’ll be here."

"Let’s go." Murphy stood up. "We don’t want to be late for dinner."

"Good point. Charity already isn’t charitable toward me." I grinned at my own weak pun. Truth was ever since I had taken on Molly as an apprentice, saving her life, Charity and I had settled our differences.

"Also there’s going to be a New Year’s party at my apartment, mostly for my employees and a few clients. You’re more than welcome to come, Karrin." Thomas' eyes gleamed. "I’d love to have you."

"When you said things like that, Thomas, it makes me nervous," Murphy replied and my brother flashed that Crest strip whitener smile. "I’ll try to swing by," she promised, probably thinking the same thing I was. There was a hint of a ‘please, help me,’ in Thomas’ words, almost as if he didn’t quite trust himself alone with a group of people.

"Bring Too-Tall with you." Thomas waved a lazy hand at me.

"No, they think I’m your…" I sputtered, holding my hands up.

"Stringy teddy bear," Murphy giggled.

The evilest smile I had ever seen slithered across my brother's face. "Boy toy that I bang like shutters in a wind storm?"

"Stop it!" I stabbed a finger at them. "Both of you. And yes, that’s exactly what they think."

"The boys in blue are right. You are a big whiney queen." Murphy blew me a kiss.

I curled my lip at her. "Don’t make me blast you."

"If only they knew about his vow of celibacy." Thomas heaved a huge sigh, rolling his eyes at me.

"Go out to the Hummer now!" I ordered, not really brimming over with Christmas cheer. My makeshift family just laughed at me as they obeyed.

XXX

"Tell me you got something more romantic than a box of bullets for Murphy." Thomas looked up at me through bangs that curled rakishly.

I gave him an arch look. "I keep telling you that it’s not like that with me and Murphy. Besides, Karrin would like bullets."

He offered up his best melodramatic sigh, sinking down on his chair. "I’m surprised you ever lost your virginity at all."

I glared at him. "I do just fine, thank you." Thomas snorted at me and I added, "I didn’t buy her bullets." Though I was tempted to shoot him in the ass right about now.

My brother grinned as knock sounded on the door. "We’ll see."

I let Murphy in. She seemed lost behind her gift bags so I took one of them. Mister peered into it the moment I set it down.

"Merry Christmas," Murphy said, sitting next to Thomas on the couch.

"Merry Christmas, Karrin," Thomas said. "When’s your mom expecting you?"

"Too soon." Her nose wrinkled. Can’t say I blamed her. If my sister married my ex, I’d be pretty miserable about it, too.

"You’re always welcome back here," I said.

Murphy smiled weakly. "Thanks. Guess we ought to just jump to the gift exchange." She presented me with one gift that looked like a dog bone with a ball at one end then she handed Thomas a smaller box. "You two are hard to shop for."

"Me?" I blinked, unwrapping the gift.

"Power tools are usually what flies as gifts for men in my family," she replied and Thomas laughed.

"Point taken." I opened the dog chew-toy, handing it off to Mouse. The ball end was a packet of mice. Opening it, I flipped one to Mister who promptly ‘killed’ it. My pets were so easily satisfied that I envied them. "Thanks, Murphy."

"Don’t worry, I still have a real gift for you," Murphy said, pushing the remaining bag back to me.

Thomas held up a t-shirt, reading I'm Thinking Outside My Boxers with a pair of boxers embossed between the words.

Murphy blushed a bit. "I just thought that screamed your name. I know you're probably not the t-shirt type but it was too cute to pass up."

"I love it. It’s very funny." Thomas got up to kiss Murphy’s cheek.

"Definitely sounds like you." I clawed open a case of Mac’s beer. Taped to the box was a cylinder of sparkling gaming dice.

"Oh, this is very cool," I said, spilling them out into my hand. The plastic multi-sided dice glimmered in the light.

"So geeky, so him," Thomas said, shooting me a look that said 'I can't believe I'm related to you.'

"You’re just jealous," I grinned at my brother. "Thanks, Murphy."

"It was hard to think of what to get you," she said again, rolling her shoulders. "I figured you could use them at game night at Billy’s."

"They’re great," I assured her.

"Here you go, Karrin. I thought it was stylish and protective." Thomas handed her a slender box.

"You have me intrigued." The box was exquisitely wrapped, reflective silver paper, black ribbon. There was nothing exquisite or dainty about how Murphy ripped into it. I could almost see my brother wince. Murphy lifted a choker out of the box. Made with generous chunks of jet beads, the choker interspersed them with gothic silver crosses.

"Father Forthill blessed it. Should be good against Black Court vampires as well as being pretty," Thomas said, getting up. He took the choker from her and Murphy moved her hair in that way women have that was both practical and seductive at the same time. I wondered if she knew. Thomas fastened his gift around her neck.

"Thank you. I’m sure it’ll come in handy," Murphy replied, running her fingers over the jet and silver. "And it is very pretty."

"My gift is a lot less practical," I admitted. I should have just said ‘I’ve never really had much cause to give gifts in my life and I suck at it.’

Murphy picked up the box, letting it slant just a bit, trying to determine what was inside. "It’s heavy."

"Fragile, too," I added hurriedly lest she really gave it a good shake.

She gave me a curious look then ripped it open. Inside were five individually wrapped – in brown paper bags from the vendor – items. The curious look deepened as she opened the smallest one, pulling out a terra cotta plaque that bore a changing swirling pattern. By the time she got it all opened and laid out that first piece proved to the center between the four elements, earth, wind, fire and water. Murphy looked at me, surprised. "Harry, this is really beautiful."

"I saw it in one of those catalogs you get in the mail all the time and thought it was…" I threw my hands up. How to explain this odd and impulsive purchase of mine? I was not the kind of guy who knew what was pretty or what someone might actually like. All I knew was I had liked the artwork and hoped she would, too. "It's striking and I thought you'd enjoy it, even if the real elementals aren't so gentle as they look here. Unfortunately, the catalog ones were resin but I found the actual designer. He makes them in terra cotta to help give them a hint of power. "

"That is a really nice gift, Harry," Thomas said, obviously surprised I could do this without embarrassing myself. Since I was pretty surprised myself, I tried not to be annoyed with him. "Where did you find the artist?"

Damn him, he just had to ask. Murphy's eyes seemed to repeat my brother's question. I could already feel the blush rising up my cheeks. "The Renn fest," I mumbled.

Thomas snickered. "Did you say Renn fest?"

I jutted out my chin. "Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Murphy said.

"Can you just imagine him in tights?" Thomas guffawed, his face reddening as he laughed. "Do they even make them that big?"

"Shut up," I muttered.

"I can see Harry as a knight in shining armor," Murphy countered, patting my arm.

"Thank you very much." I smiled at her.

Murphy set the terra cotta elementals aside and got up. The hug she gave me made my ribs creak. "Thank you, Harry. It's wonderful. You'll have to come over and help me put this up."

"You'll need him to reach the high places on the wall," Thomas said and Murphy pinched him.

She gathered up the last two wrapped gifts, mine to Thomas and his to me. Oddly, they were exactly the same size. "Come on you two, open them up. I want to see what they are," she said with all the patience of a six year old.

My brother and I obligingly tore into the colorful wrapping paper. The gift he wrapped - or probably had wrapped for him- was as beautiful and pristine as the one he had given Murphy. The one I wrapped looked like someone had done war with the paper and it was pretty much the truth. Two square-headed robots peeked out of the torn paper at me and I howled. "Thomas!"

"God, we got each other the same thing," he laughed, holding up the Rock'em Sock'em Robots box I'd gotten him.

Murphy was looking between us as if we were insane; granted, that was a good guess. "I don't get it. Is this some sort of man thing?"

"Long story," I assured her. "I had gotten one for Thomas for his birthday but things sort of went to hell."

"So we both thought to try it again," Thomas added.

"Tell me it wasn't you I was bidding against," I moaned.

"Oh, probably," Thomas replied then nodded to me. "Come on, open it up."

I set up the delightfully Sixties toy. My brother smirked at me over the plastic robots.

"Let's see what you've got, Harry."

"I play the winner," Murphy cried.

I had to admit. This was the best Christmas I had ever had.

Comments

[ladystarlightsj.livejournal.com]

Aww, very nice!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thank you very much

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

This is really enjoyable. I love how well you captured their voices.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. i do like writing in first person

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

You did a good job.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I really loved this!
You got them all so perfectly.
Makes me want to go back and reread my Dresden novels.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

high praise indeed. I'm really glad you liked it. thanks

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

Just got a chance to read this. It was a lovely Dresden Christmas.

(How many more months until the 11th book comes out in paperback? Feels like I've been waiting forever for it.)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thank you very much

i don't know i was just wondering that myself. Something tells me it will be painful and I'm not sure i'll like it...