That Christmas Thing [A/I- YTeen- 1/1] 12/24/05

[~Ruby~]

Title: That Christmas Thing
Author: Ruby
Email: slightlywicked_@hotmail.com
Rating: YTeen
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, nor to I own any of the song lyrics that are used in this story unless otherwise stated.
Couple: Alex and Isabel.
Summary: Future Stargazer Christmas fluff.
Author’s notes: Warning to dreamers, Max and Liz are not together in this story. Max is married to Serena, who was featured in my stories ‘The Sweetest Surrender’ and ‘Bemused, Bewildered and Brunette’ while Liz is with Sean Deluca. I suppose this story can be considered a stargazer tag to ‘The Sweetest Surrender’. Anyway, consider yourself warned!

Another note; I actually stole this idea from a short candy fic I wrote back in 2002. Originally, I was going to rewrite the candy story but I thought that it fit Alex and Isabel much better and so I reworked the whole thing.

Anyway, Happy Christmas!

*hugs*

Ruby

<center>***</center>

“Isabel, this is ridiculous.” Alex Whitman whined to his soon to be ex wife if she made him go through with this act of embarrassing madness.

Isabel narrowed her eyes at him, “Is it ridiculous to give your children a magical Christmas? Is it ridiculous to make your sweet nieces and nephew smile and laugh with joy?”

“Joy? Ha!” Alex snorted in disbelief. Maybe the children would be happy but Alex was slightly more concerned with the ribbing he would get from his sweet nieces and nephews’ parents especially Michael, Sean and Kyle or as Alex liked to call them the three stooges. He still had completely lived down the stripping cop incident of 2000.

He stared at his reflection in horror and try to remember why he had allowed Isabel to talk him into this and then remembered that she hadn’t actually talked him into it, she had tricked him by wearing an incredibly sexy little item from the Victoria’s secret store.

“I have to be the skinniest Santa in the world.” Alex mumbled and tugged on the oversized red velvet jacket that Isabel had gleefully hired. “Ho, ho, ho kids. Santa has been on the Atkins Diet this year.”

“Don’t make jokes, Alex. Not at a time like this.” Isabel ordered as she walked towards him with a pillow from their bed. “Here. Use this pillow to add some padding.”

“The Christmas Nazi thinks of everything.” Alex murmured, adjusting the pillow under his jacket.

“What did you call me?” Isabel asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Alex ignored her and continued to study his reflection, “The pillow won’t wobble like jelly and everyone knows that Santa has a jolly belly that wobbles like jelly.”

“You’re right,” Isabel said. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe I could use my powers to fatten you up. I could even give you a full Santa makeover.”

“Eh, I think I’ll stick with the pillow.” Alex said, backing away from Isabel slightly.

Isabel grinned, “I thought you would say that.”

Alex sighed as Isabel handed him the fluffy white Santa beard that had come with the suit. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to tell the kids the truth about Santa?”

Isabel gasped.

“I’m not saying that you have to do it.” Alex continued as he put on the crimson velvet hat to complete his transformation into Santa Claus. “I’ll do it. I will sit them down and tell them the whole truth about jolly Saint Nick. And while I’m at it, I’ll let them know about the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and Barney.”

“Alex Charles Whitman!” Isabel sputtered.

He couldn’t help smiling at the look of horror on his wife’s face. He also couldn’t believe that she thought that he would ever do anything to hurt their children especially something like forcing them to grow up before their time. Their three children, Seth, Rory and Noah, were the most important people in the world to Alex and he would do anything to keep them happy and safe. Even dress up like Santa.

“I was kidding.” He said with a boyish grin. “I dressed up as a cop for you and it looks like I’ll dress up as Santa for you as well.”

“No stripping!” Isabel said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I think a stripping Santa might scar everyone for life.”

“Hahaha!”

Isabel smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before she murmured in his ear. “I think you might be the sexiest Santa I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?” Alex asked, grinning with male pride.

“Uh huh.” Isabel replied, smoothing her hands down the length of his arms. “And I’ve been an awfully good girl this year, Santa. I think I deserve…”

The doorbell rung before Isabel could finish her sentence, announcing the arrival of their families.

Isabel clapped her hands together in joy, “I’m going to go and answer that while you finish getting ready. The presents are in the sack in my wardrobe. Be careful when you bring them down. I don’t want anything to be broken.”

Alex nodded, knowing that if he did break anything that the wrath of the Christmas Nazi would bear down on him.

She pressed another quick kiss to his cheek and smile brightly, “This is going to be the best Christmas ever. Love you.”

Alex watched silently as his wife disappeared from their bedroom before turning back to the mirror and glaring slightly at the image that met his eyes.

“Its Santa time.” He scoffed before heading into Isabel’s wardrobe to retrieve the sack of presents.

<center>***</center>

“Your tree looks beautiful,” Serena Evans, Isabel’s bubbly brunette sister in law, said with an impressed smile. “Our tree looks like your tree’s ugly sister.”

Isabel smiled with pride at her Christmas tree. “It took us six hours to find it but I knew it was the one as soon as I saw it. It is the perfect height, circumference and color. And each decoration is handmade with loving care.”

“Psycho care you mean,” Michael Guerin smirked as he entered the living room with his wife, Maria and their four year old daughter, Jamie. “All hail the Christmas Nazi. She has struck again.”

“Well, well, well if it isn’t our old friend Ebenezer Scrooge.” Isabel laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Shouldn’t you be busy with the ghost of Christmas Past?”

“And miss out on Alex making a fool of himself?” Michael asked with another smirk. “I think not. You better have bought your camera Mrs. Evans otherwise I will be pissed.”

“I got it and it is ready for action,” Serena grinned, showing the camera to Michael. “I think these pictures might be perfect for next year’s Christmas cards.”

“You two are so cruel.” Maria stated but she couldn’t help smiling.

“Have they started already?” Max asked as he joined the group, bring with him his and Serena’s five year old twins, Jack and Audrey, and Alex and Isabel’s three children, Seth who was seven and Rory and Noah who were four.

“Of course they have. They are planning on torturing my husband today, just like they do most days.” Isabel explained as she adjusted the green bow on the back of Rory’s dress.

“I think being married to Isabel is torture enough for him.” Max teased with a grin as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

“Hey!” Isabel said, punching her brother playfully on the arm. “I have you know that Alex is very lucky to be married to me and I’m even luckier to be married to him.”

“I can’t imagine anything worse then being Mr. Christmas Nazi.” Michael said with a shudder.

“And I can’t imagine anything worse then being Mrs. Guerin,” Isabel retorted, “No offence Maria.”

“None taken.”

There was another knock at the door and Isabel rushed to meet and greet the late arrivals, thriving on the role of hostess.

“Are we too late? Has Santa been already?” Liz Parker asked, her arms were lovingly cradling her precious buddle of joy.

“No, I have a feeling that he will be here shortly.” Isabel said.

She hit the play button on the cd player and Jiggle Bells floated out of the speakers, giving Alex the signal that it was time for him to come downstairs.

“Ho, ho, ho.” Alex’s voice drifted down from upstairs. “Merry Christmas!”

The children went crazy as they caught sight of Alex coming down the stairs. “Its Santa! Its Santa! Its Santa!”

<center>***</center>

Alex was starting to get a headache and if that wasn’t bad enough, he was starting to overheat in the suit and his fake bread was starting to itch.

“Whatca doing here, Santa?” Audrey asked, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Did you get my letter?” Rory asked, her blue eyes shining with anticipation. “Did you? Did you? Did you?”

Alex nodded at his daughter’s question. Rory’s letter to Santa had been interesting to say the least, filled with demands for more dolls, the disappearance of her brothers, a baby sister like Maddie Parker Deluca and a pony called Sweetie Pie.

“Did you bring Sweetie Pie?” Rory asked as she tried to look into the sack of presents.

Noah pushed his sister out of the way, “Let me talk to Santa!”

“I want to go home,” Jamie Guerin sobbed and hide behind Michael’s legs. “I don’t like Santa. I wanna go home, Daddy.”

“Where are your elves and your reindeers? I want to see Rudolph. Does his nose really glow?” Seth asked thoughtfully while Jack nodded his agreement. “And why isn’t Dad here, Mom? Doesn‘t he want to see Santa?”

Isabel opened her mouth to reply but Alex beat her to it, “Why don’t we open some of the presents I bought you?”

“Yay presents,”

<center>***</center>

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as he mad his escape upstairs to change out of the suit and back into some normal clothes. He was looking forward to spending the day as a doting dad instead of Santa. Next year someone else could dress up and be attacked by six present loving children.

“You did great.” Isabel smiled lovingly as she walked into their bedroom. “Seth said that this is the best Christmas ever and I agree with him. You made an amazing Santa!”

Alex grinned and tossed the pillow that had been hidden in his coat onto the bed. “And you make an amazing Mrs. Claus.”

Isabel smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You want me to help you get out of that suit?”

“That depends.” Alex said with a cheeky grin. “Are you planning on getting into something a little more uncomfortable?”

“Alex, we have guests downstairs.”

“So?” Alex asked, nuzzling her neck. “They are busy with the kids.”

“They wouldn’t miss us for ten minutes.”

“I only need five.” Alex grinned. “Ah, I do love you, Mrs. Whitman.”

Isabel laughed. “I love you too, Mr. Whitman. Forever.”

“Mommy?”

“Crap,”

“Why were you kissing Santa?” Rory asked, her blue eyes were wide with confusion. “And where is Daddy?”

“Eh…um…well…” Isabel stuttered, for once at a lost for words. She looked at Alex for help but he only grinned, obviously seeing this as the perfect moment to get his revenge.

“Aunty Isabel, what were you and Santa doing?”

“Santa? You wanna help me out?”

“No, I think my work here is done.” Alex grinned. “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, Isabel.”