Chapter Text
Can you take Aiden to see Santa at the mall tomorrow? - A
Yeah of course! - L
Thanks :D I need him out the house so I can do some wrapping - A
When’s a good time? 11? - L
Yeah that works. I’ll let him know. Thanks Lex - A
Please, I love hanging with the little guy - L
Lexa set her phone down on her desk and turned her attention back to her computer screen. She needed to finish this report tonight so she could focus entirely on her nephew tomorrow. He deserved that much at least.
In her younger days, Anya had once sworn she would never live in the suburbs, she refused to be surrounded by “hypocrisy, rose bushes and fake smiles”. But less than seven years later Lexa found herself pulling into a driveway flanked by white picket fences, snow-covered lawns, and soccer-mum vans to pick up her nephew. It made her smile every time.
Before she even had the car in park, Aiden had burst out of the front door and flung himself down the driveway to greet Lexa. She chuckled as she got out of the car, reaching out to gather him up in her arms and spin him around. At the sound of raucous giggling Anya shook her head, having followed her son out the door, admittedly at a much more dignified pace.
The light dusting of snow crunched underfoot as Lexa carried Aiden back inside the home. In his haste, it seemed he had forgotten a few things. Like shoes. And a jacket. And a t-shirt. He never was a fan of clothing, even if it was freezing outside, but Lexa was not going to let him catch a cold despite his best efforts.
Once inside Lexa set the boy down, who was promptly sent back to his bedroom with strict instructions from his mother to put more clothes on before he froze to death. Anya looked Lexa up and down, before pulling her sister in for a hug.
“You look tired.” The statement held a hard edge of accusation beneath the surface, but Lexa new Anya was just trying to look out for her.
“Well, I decided to take some time off work. I spent last night tying up a few loose ends but I’ll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep over the holidays. Stop worrying about me so much.” Lexa knew it was a moot point. As if her sister would ever stop worrying about her.
Anya scoffed at Lexa’s words, knowing full well that was not going to happen. “Coffee?” she asked.
“Oh god yes please.”
Anya raised a judgemental eyebrow at Lexa, who immediately felt defensive.
“What?! I’m braving the mall at Christmas for you. I need all the help I can get.”
“You may have a point.”
The pair bantered over their respective mugs until Aiden rushed back downstairs, almost vibrating with excitement at the prospect of meeting Santa. Lexa downed the remainder of her coffee in one (slightly scalding) gulp, rinsed her mug and allowed her nephew to pull her out the front door, yelling goodbye to a smirking Anya.
Once in the car, Lexa was treated to an update of all the drama going on in Arcadia Bay Primary School’s second grade. Mostly it concerned Aiden’s groups of friends, who had dubbed themselves the Nightbloods after watching one too many episodes of some TV show.
The parking situation at the mall was intense, but after a few near misses with flustered fathers and agitated mothers buying last minute gifts, Lexa finally spotted a woman packing bags into her trunk and patiently waited for the bay. And if Lexa thought it was busy in the parking lot, it was much, much worse inside.
Navigating through the crowds with a small child proved rather difficult for Lexa, but she was nothing if not determined. Santa’s grotto was located in the heart of the mall, where the foot traffic was densest. Gripping Aiden’s hand within her own, Lexa set off for the grotto, dodging between trolleys, prams, crying kids, frustrated adults, and stressed retail workers. Oh, how Lexa loves the holidays.
As they approached the tacky red, white and green display, Aiden’s grip on Lexa’s hand tightened. She looked down to his face, but he seemed calm enough. Odd. The pair joined the queue, behind several other over-excited kids with their board parents. Up front, there was a naturally rotund Santa with, by all appearances, and actual white beard. He was flanked by several elves all dressed in green who were arranging photographs with Santa and herding the children into a semi-organised line.
The elf taking the photographs turned to beckon the next youngest over, and the first thing Lexa noticed about her was her smile. There was such warmth and kindness to it, something you didn’t see very often.