.

"MOOOOOM!"

Cassidy gave a long sigh. She should have known that the unusual peace that morning meant that Trick had been up to something. She turned around in her chair to see her eighteen-year-old daughter, Cale, come storming up to her from her room. Her short, fire-red hair with purple streaks was frazzled, the edges singed ever so slightly. In all honesty, Cassidy thought she looked halarious. Cassidy tried to hold bakc her giggles. "Oh Cale." She reached up and began to pat down her daughter's staticy hair.

"Mom, that brat rigged my pencil with one of his... static eliectricity shoker-things!" The teenaged girl really didn't have the patience to actually pay attention to what Trick had called it. "I'm getting sick of him doing stuff like this all the time!"

"First of all, Trick is not a brat. Second of all, did you ever think that it could have been Matty D?" Cassidy responded softly.

"It wasn't Matt." Cale huffed. For some odd reason, she was the only one that Matty D would let call him that. "He was with me when it happened. He was upset because he wasn't the one who did it." Matty, along with Avril, Ash, Quinton, Peirce, Finny and Newt had all been in Cale's room together. They had formed a band together several years back, and today they were working on some new songs.

Cassidy sighed. "Trick!" She called out. "Come here please!"

It took only a few minutes for the four-year-old boy to appear. "Yes, Momma?"

Cassidy simply gestured to Cale. "Do you know what happened to your sister?"

Trick hesitated. He knew his mother already knew what happened. He also knew that he would be in even more trouble if he even tried to deny what he had done. Trick slowly folded his arms behind his back. "Yes, Noah and I did it."

"Why?"

Trick shrugged.

"That is not an answer, young man." Cassidy knelt so she was at eye-level with her son. "Why did you try to hurt Cale?"

"I didn't wanna hurt her." Trick admitted. "Noah and I just wanted to play with her."

Cassidy felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, but she quickly hid it. "Trick, you know very well that that is nto the way to play with people. Someone could get hurt."

"I know, Momma. I won't do it again." Trick smiled up ather hopefully.

Cassidy smiled back. "Now, you have something to say to your sister."

"Okay." Trick ran up to Cale and hugged her around her middle. "I'm sorry, Cale. I didn't mean to make you mad."

Cassidy gave Cale a look.

Cale coughed ackwardly. "Uh, yeah, sure. I forgive ya." She patted her adoptive brother on the shoulder.

"Thank you Cale!" With that, Trick let go of her and ran off.

Cale rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh... I gotta go." She headed back to her room.

Cassidy laughed. Trick and Cale's relationship was both concerning and adorable at the same time. She lightly slapped Tech's arm. "You know you could have helped!" She scolded him for sitting there the whole time.

Tech hid behind the newspaper he'd been reading. "I'm sorry! You were... just handling it so well, I didn't want to cut in and ruin it."

Cassidy continued to laugh. "Fine, but next time you're dealing with them!"

"Yes dear." Tech replied automatically, earning another slap.

Later that day, Tech and Cassidy were getting ready for bed. Cassidy was already in bed, curled up under the covers, waiting for Tech.

Tech layed down beside Cassidy, slipping his arms around her. "Hey beautiful." He whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

Cassidy giggled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing.." Tech answered innocently.

"Hey, it's only Christmas Eve, there's still time for me to contact Santa. You don't want me to tell him that you're being naughty, do you?"

Tech almost fell off of the bed laughing. "You.... you have connections with Santa, huh?" He played along.

"Tech. I am a mother. All mothers have connections with Santa." Cassidy smirked before bursting into giggles.

Tech suddenly had a worried look on his face. "Uh, Cass... I wanted to ask you something..."

"Yes?"

"Are we.... I mean... uh... are we... going to have kids again?"

Cassidy sighed. "Why tonight, Tech?"

Tech blushed. "I don't know.... This is one of the few nights that you haven't been totally exhausted from the kids."

"Which would tell you something..." Cassidy smiled. "Tech.... I thought we went over this before. I can't handle having another baby after what happened with Felicity. That's part of the reason why we adopted Trick."

"I know, it's just..."

"Face it, Tech. We're old." Cassidy laughed.

Knock knock!

Tech quickly jumped up off of Cassidy. In between three kids and Duck, he had quickly gained this reflex. Thankfully their bedroom door was closed. He opened the door. "Trick? What are you doing up?" His bedtime had been a couple hours ago.

"I can't sleep." The little boy coyote rubbed his eyes.

"Come here, Trick." Cassidy said, holding out her arms. Trick waddled over to his mother. Cassidy pulled him up into her arms. "Why can't you sleep? Bad dream?"

Trick shook his head. "Momma, I'm confused."

"About what, love?"

Trick hesitated here. "Well...... Cale and the older kids... they told me that Santa Clause isn't real."

Cassidy and Tech exchanged looks. Of course Cale would say something like that.

"Well, Trick... I'm going to be totally honest with you." Cassidy began.

"Okay." Trick said, rather eager to hear what she was going to say.

"Santa isn't real. He's a make-believe story."

"Really?" Trick gasped. "You mean like Peter Pan?"

Cassidy nodded. "Yep, just like that."

"Oh, but why do the kids at school think he is real?"

"I don't know. Maybe their parents think he is." Cassidy shrugged. "All that matters is that you know."

"But, then what is Christmas all about?"

"Do you remember the story Uncle Dusk told you?"

Trick nodded. "About baby Jesus?"

Cassidy nodded. "Yes. Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birth. We give each other presents on Christmas because-"

"Oh! I remember! Uncle Dusk said that Jesus was the most important gift of all! Right?!"

"Right!" Cassidy laughed, hugging her son. "Now, are you all straightened out now?"

Trick nodded. "Thank you, Momma!"

"Oh good greif, now you're never going to go to sleep." Cassidy sighed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Which means, no presents."

Trick gasped. "No! I'll go to sleep, honest!" Trick scrambled out of Cassidy's arms and ran for the door.

"Hey! You're forgetting something." Cassidy pointed to her cheek.

"Oh!" Trick ran back up to Cassidy and gave her a kiss. "Night, Momma." He turned to Tech and hugged him. "Night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, Trick." They called after him as he scurried to his room.

Cassidy sighed happily and flopped back on the bed. "Okay. I'm ready to sleep."

Tech shut their door and gazed at her. "Uh Cass.....you know what we were talking about before...?"

"Tech...... I'll think about it. Besides, it couldn't be tonight. You know very well that the kids will be up at four in the morning."

Tech raised his eyebrow.

"Okay, Felicity and Trick will be. And Cale will be grumpy because they woke her up. Either way, I need sleep."

Tech chuckled. "OKay, I give." He cuddled up to her. "Night, Cass."

"Goodnight, Tech." Cassidy gave him a kiss. She curled up against him, quickly falling to sleep.

.....

"Momma! Daddy! Wake up!"

Tech yawned. "Cass... time to get up.." He nudged her arm.

Cassidy moaned, slowly opening her eyes. She glanced at the clock. "Five-thirty. I wasn't too far off." She mumbled, sitting up. "Go wake up Cale." She told Trick and Felicity, who were standing at the door with anticipation. The pair ran off excitedly.

"Morning, sunshine." Tech chuckled, ruffling Cassidy's already frizzy hair. He kissed her cheek, and Cassidy returned it. They gazed softly at each other before kissing again, this time for much longer.

"MOOOOOOOM!"

Cassidy broke the kiss, giggling loudly. Tech also laughed, hugging Cassidy close.

Some things just never change.
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