Santa Baby Chapter 2

[blackrose]

Heero and Duo are still stuck in Santa's Enchanted Cave, praying for their informant to show up, and hoping any manner of natural disaster might happen and shut down the department store.

<center><b><u><font=+1>Santa Baby</b></u></font>

by the Black Rose</center>



Chapter 2



Heero opened the curtain to face a mob. A screaming, throbbing, swirling mob. He fought the urge to rub a hand over his face, seeing as it could dislodge the spirit gum holding on his white eyebrows, and streak his 'rosy' cheeks.

"This sucks," his ever-cheerful elf muttered behind him.

"Go collect Christmas lists like you're supposed to."

"Yeah yeah." Duo trudged off in the direction of the front of the line.

Heero quickly counted heads. It looked like there were about twenty-four kids in line. He needed to keep each visit as brief as possible. It was when he said too much that the kids got nasty, kicked his shin, or tried to use his beard as toilet paper.



<b>Two hours later...</b>



The line was empty again. Heero sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. It was four o'clock, only two more hours to go. His head lolled to his left. "Anything yet?"

Duo continued sorting through the lists. "No. Nothing."

Santa closed his eyes. This was nightmarish. Actually, he didn't think he had nightmares this bad. At least not in a long, long time.

He clamped his eyes shut tighter at the sound of footsteps. Many footsteps. Like a crowd moving together. And a voice, calling out in a loud tone that echoed off the tile all around them.

"We're here. I need you to line up single file. It's okay if you're not first, because Santa won't leave until he's heard everyone's wish, ok?" She sounded patient, far more patient than he was capable of at this point, and kind. Very kind. He peeked through his eyelashes.

Heero's eyes opened wide when he saw her. At first, he thought he was hallucinating. He blinked, shot a look over at Duo, who with one glance, confirmed he was not. A familiar woman with long, blond hair - one he would have known anywhere - stood in the center of a gaggle of kids. Munchkins of all sizes, shapes, and color, crowded around her, none of them rising higher than her waist. A couple of guards stood by the door. Heero could pick them out by their dark suits. And accompanying the foreign minister on this trip were a woman with a microphone, a guy with a camera, and another, taller man wearing a suit - who seemed to need to lean down every so often and whisper something in Relena's ear. The children, for their part, seemed to be listening to their 'guardian', and had started to form a line.

The tall man left the foreign minister and jogged over to Santa's cave.

As he approached, his features became clearer, and Heero realized it was someone he didn't recognize. Which meant it wasn't 'him'.

"Hi. We called and spoke with the manager, earlier."

"Who are you."

The tall man smiled and held out a hand to St. Nick. "I'm John Parker, I work for Ms. Darlian's office. I'm her publicist."

"I see." Heero regarded the hand a moment before shaking.

"Ms. Darlian, Relena, every year, she takes war orphans to visit Santa as one of her causes. We called earlier and the manager said it wouldn't be a problem. We have forty kids, though, and I know you close in two hours. Ms. Darlian personally requested that you stay long enough for all of the children to see and get their picture taken with Santa." The muscles around his eyes tightened, and Heero realized the guy was really afraid Santa would say no.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine."

"We have a reporter accompanying us this time. Apparently, they found out... Relena doesn't really like the idea, but she thought it might raise awareness."

He frowned. "Spit it out."

"Well, we know you have your own photographer, and we wouldn't dream of getting in your way. But if you would allow them to shoot some footage of you with the children..."

Heero fought the urge bang his head against the back of Santa's throne. "Fine." Forty more kids. The things he did for her. He opened his eyes so he could at least see her...

"I'll need you to sign this release."

Heero stopped watching Relena and returned his focus to Mr. Parker - who was currently holding a pen and sheet of paper in Santa's direction. "What's the release for?"

"Just that you agree to let us use your image on the news story, etc. etc." He was wearing that tight expression again. The man was far too apologetic.

"Who gets the release?"

"The reporter. For the station."

Heero took a deep breath and nodded. He penned his name on the form in a rush. Mr. Parker smiled, shook Santa's hand and thanked him. "You really have no idea how much this means to the kids and to Ms. Darlian."

The Preventer closed his eyes again and rubbed his right temple with his hand. 'Yes. Yes I do.'

<i>She was wearing a red sweater that seemed to brighten her hair and her eyes when she waltzed into the room. How was it that she always managed to look like she was floating on air?

"Heero, why don't you go with me this year?" She placed both palms on his forearms.

"No."

He could see it: the pain he caused. So plainly written on her face. A brief sense of satisfaction flit through him, only to be replaced by guilt.

"But Heero, certainly you can relate to them. They lost their parents in the war."

"I fought in the war. How does that equate with relating to them?" He pulled out of her loose embrace and turned away.

"Heero, you could be a role model to these kids. They need people to look up to, someone to spend time with them. You have no idea how much it means to them just to spend a little time with someone, relating to them, talking to them. They're so eager to--"

He glanced back, over his shoulder. "I already told you no."

"I'm sorry. I won't ask again."</i>

"My name is Kerridan." A little girl with dark brown hair said while tugging on the front of his pants' leg. She held a raggedy looking doll in her other hand.

Heero nodded. "I'm...Santa."

She grinned with missing teeth. "I know you're Santa."

He picked her up off the floor and settled her in his lap. The photographer snapped the picture.

"What would you like for Christmas?"

She hugged the doll. "I want a mommy."

Heero blinked. "I don't know where your mommy is. Isn't there a toy or something you'd like me to bring you from my workshop?" He glanced out of the side of his eye; there was the cameraman, with his camera right on them, and the reporter nearby. It felt hotter in Santa's cave than it had all day.

"My mommy is in heaven."

Heero sucked in a breath and tried to keep his grip on the little girl. He didn't know if he could handle this. Bring back Christopher and his shin splintering, or Timmy and his leaky diaper. "I see." Just when he thought he had this whole 'Santa' thing down.

"But I want a new mommy. One like Miss...Miss Rewena."

"Okay." He looked up, asking for help from somewhere, anywhere. And found it in blue eyes he hadn't seen up close in years.

"Oh, Kerridan, sweety. You're supposed to tell Santa what you want for Christmas." Relena bent down and picked the girl up in her arms. Kerridan clung to her neck.

"But thass what I want for Chrismus."

Relena continued to hug her tight as she carried her towards the exit of the enchanted cave. "But honey, Santa can't bring you that."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not what Santa's do. They bring toys and clothes and shoes and things that growing boys and girls need."

Santa never felt so useless in his life. He got the strange feeling that the assembled adults in the 'audience' were glaring at him. Heero glanced down; another child was inching his way towards the supposed owner of the cave.

"Tell me your name."

The little boy shook his head.

"You don't want to sit on my lap."

The little boy again, shook his head.

Heero groaned inwardly. "What do you want for Christmas?"

The boy took a step towards him, then another. He stopped when he was just in front of the arm of Santa's chair, and motioned Heero closer.

Santa leaned down to let the little boy whisper in his ear.

"I want some baseball shoes."

Heero nodded. "Okay. What else?"

The little boy stepped forward to whisper again. "A baseball glove."

"So you want baseball equipment."

The little boy shook his head. "I want to play on a baseball team. But I need someone to teach me to play."

<i>They need people to look up to, someone to spend time with them.</i>

Why did those words suddenly feel like a knife in his heart? He shoved the feeling aside. "Okay. So, no picture?" He reached towards the boy to pick him up. The kid backed away and ran towards the exit.

Heero stared at the line and wondered how he was going to make it through this. At least with the brats from earlier, he could tell them to be good and maybe Santa would bring them those insipid toys. But what do you say to a child asking for a new mommy, or someone to teach them how to play baseball? Somehow, he didn't think he could lie to them. They believed he was Santa Claus, and if he said he'd bring them something, and then they didn?t get it...

"It's okay." A soft voice said from behind him. Heero's shoulders tightened.

"I've already explained to them that you just take their wishes back to the real Santa. That you can't promise anything." She touched his arm. "But just hearing them out, spending time with them today, that's enough."

Heero nodded and kept his head turned away. He didn't know that she would recognize him in the costume, but he didn't want to take that chance.

He waved the next child over. Kelly wanted dance shoes. Heero could handle that. Brittany wanted to see her little sister again. Santa wanted to crawl out of his skin.

A little boy, Sean, and his brother, Tom came up next. They wanted to go on a trip to Earth. They'd never seen it before. Then Tom confided: "I think my mommy and daddy are there."

Sean shushed his brother, and Heero tried to hold on to them for the picture to be taken.

It was a three hour emotional beating. Some of the kids requested clothing, new shoes, a doll or some sporting equipment. Some of them wanted families, to see relatives they missed - to find their lost puppy. His heart bled for them all, and by the time he'd seen the last one, he didn't know how anyone with less training could have survived. He was sure he'd seen the reporter cry more than once. Even now, Duo had tears in his eyes.

And Heero knew they were all thinking he was the coldest Santa Claus in the universe.

"All right, Santa, Santa's little helper," the publicist began.

"We prefer to be called 'elves'. It's a little more pc," Duo interrupted.

"Oh hey, we should get a shot of Ms. Darlian telling Santa her Christmas wish," the reporter suggested. "For the piece."

Relena blushed, and Heero would have protested, if he'd thought of it. She looked to her publicist. John nodded at her and then rushed to take charge of the kids.

Santa remained frozen while Relena sat down in his lap. "I know, this is silly," she said in a low voice.

"Closer. Look like you're telling him your Christmas list."

Relena turned to look up at him. He tried to keep from flinching when she met his gaze. He hadn't seen her this close up in...far too long.

"Santa, this year I wish..."

He knew what she would wish for before she said it. It was the same list she gave every year.

"For peace to last another year between the Earth and its Colonies. For mankind to improve in understanding. I wish for another year without war, so that these children can grow up in a world that only knows peace."

"That's great, Relena. Thank you so much for letting us come with you today," the reporter said.

Relena's weight shifted so that she could stand up.

"What about your wish?" The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them.

"Pardon?"

"What do you wish for?"

The reporter and her cameraman were no longer paying attention. They were packing up equipment, getting ready to go. Duo was helping John corral the children, and the photographer had hightailed it out of there - probably to go home. They were alone.

"I don't have any wishes for myself."

He recognized his own words. But she didn't know what he had meant. "Everyone does."

<i>"Why won't you tell me what you wish for, Heero? Why won't you let me in?"

"I don't have any wishes for myself."</i>

"I..." She looked down at her hands and folded them in her lap. "You're a department store Santa."

<i>"Everyone has wishes. Everyone that has hope, has some wish--"

"I don't need your pity, Relena."</i>

"I take wishes to the real one."

"Ok ok. I wish...I wish that someone I care for..." She glanced up and stared into his eyes. "This is silly." She moved to stand up.

"You'd insult Santa Claus?" He held on to her at her waist.

She sat back down and wrinkled her nose at him. "Okay, so, there's a man I used to... I still care for him very much, but...."

"But?" Heero swallowed against a lump in his throat. Was this him or--

"He left. Two years ago. I don't know where he is, but I'd like to know. I just want to know that he's found someone."

He closed his eyes. "That's not something for yourself."

"You don't understand. He's stubborn. He gets so focused on his work.... It's just not good for him to be alone. I-I worry about him. I want him to be happy. I..."

His hands tightened on her waist despite himself. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. "You love him."

She nodded her head turned away. "I always will."

Heero sucked in a breath. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. His hand came up to move her hair so he could see her face, and then he remembered. She didn't know... She didn't know it was him.

"Thank you for listening." Relena stood up from his lap and turned to face him. He wanted to say a hundred, maybe a thousand things, but all he could do was nod.

She left, and took the children with her. Santa's Enchanted Cave closed for the night - the lights turned off.

The magic gone.

[Andrea]

Great chapter, Rose. I loved it.

[Kari]

I love it expecially with the guys dresssed up in santa or an elf costume.
*snickers*

[melrose_stormhaven]

Dang it! Heero no baka!!!

well, more please.

pretty please?

[Morrighan]

Awww.... Poor Heero. Those last couple hours...wow.

Can't wait to see more!!

[Wingnut]

Awww.... Poor Heero. Those last couple hours...wow.

Can't wait to see more!!

My sentiments exactly. Plus, the fact that Relena well you know, sitting on Santa Heero's lap and all that. Relena will definately want a copy of that picture when she finds out everything involved with this. Come to think of it, I want one too!
Hey Rose, mabye you could get Stefy to do a special fanart of this Relena on Santa Heero's lap and all. That would be too wonderful.

[blackrose]

I already have asked Stefy for a picture of Relena on Heero-Santa's lap. We will have to see if she accepts....


OH STEEEEEEEEFFFFFYYYYYY....