A/N:

An extremely special thank you to Demi clayton for breaking my review silence of five years! Too bad that you are a guest, because I really would have thanked you via PM! I actually shed a few tears, no kidding. I swear there is no better feeling in this world than those of positive feedback from readers :")

"Nightlight, bright light,

Sweet dreams I bestow.

Sleep tight, all night.

Forever I will glow."

The last notes of the lullaby faded into the dark corners of the room as Claire tucked the girl in. She was careful to make not even the silver of a sound as Claire gently pulled the covers over Sophia's sleeping body. If the child awoke, Christmas preparations would have to be delayed, as the child insisted on putting anything remotely ingestible in her mouth. Claire already had to deal with a few scares when Sophia had eaten pieces of chocolate that were a little too large, resulting in choking escapades.

She then walked out of the room with her feet pressed against the floor, entering the dining hall and was greeted with Jamie bobbing excitedly in place beside a dismantled Christmas tree and an array of little trinkets and lights.

Claire smiled. This was the first Christmas she was looking forward to.

As it turned out, installing and decorating a Christmas tree was no quiet nor easy job, given the enthusiasm that powered Jamie and Sophia's delight at the twinkly items. The girl had awoken after a disastrous attempt at the tree caused the tower to fall over, and Claire was now handed a babysitting job while Olivia got busy in the kitchen.

Claire, surprisingly, didn't mind one bit.

She had gladly accepted Olivia's offer to camp in the Bennett household while she located living quarters for herself, and a source of income and sustenance. However, Claire wasn't going to leech off her kindness and she helped in whatever small ways she was capable of, from cleaning up to babysitting, she had become a happy pseudo-housewife.

"Pretty!" Laughed Sophia as Claire lifted her so she could place the plastic star at the tip of the tree. After several attempts and even more giggles, the tree was finally upright, glittering with the many charms and knick-knack that now adorned it.

Claire sighed lovingly as she fingered the batteries that Jamie had insisted on taping to the tree. There were several items on it that didn't belong there, the children had gathered whatsoever that was within their reach and strung it up. It made a rather unusual tree, but Claire couldn't deny that she liked Sophia's collection of Barbies hanging questionably by their necks, it added personality to the centerpiece of the room.

"What you doing?"

Claire peered over Jamie's shoulder, eyeing the artwork he busily scribbled away at. She smiled softly as she easily recognized the red figure, Santa Claus. The boy was drawing a haphazard army of reindeers pulling his sleigh, that was clearly too small for the presents that spilled out from it.

"Are you making that for the Santa himself?" she questioned incredulously, and Jamie heartily nodded yes.

"I want to be on his Nice list," he declared, completing the last reindeer.

"Green!" stated Sophia importantly.

"And you really think that drawing him a portrait will make him like you?" Claire asked as she handed the girl a green pencil.

"And I have been good all year," clarified Jamie, "I am also leaving cookies and milk out for him, he can't not like me after that!"

Claire ruffled his hair, enjoying his convinced fantastical talks. She inwardly wondered how easy it was for children to live in a world of their own. Where did that world go as they grew up? Too many adults were unimaginative, downright boring.

"Blue! Blue! Blue!" cried Sophia. Claire handed her the entire box of pencils.

The night sky seemed deeper and somehow more velvet in the winter months. The stars peeked out of the wispy clouds, the night was deep enough that people had retreated into the warmth of their homes, leaving the streets empty, strangely surreal, serene and haunting.

Claire walked under the lights of the streetlamps, lost in her thoughts.

She would be wandering these very streets, probably weak and near death, if her father didn't come looking for her first, a worse outcome. But then she came across one little boy, and her fate was turned around, she will always be in awe of how the universe works.

Or maybe it is simply luck, a voice whispered in her mind she snorted glumly under the hood of her clothing. Luck was not her mistress.

The past few days had been a blur of bustling and second grade math homework. It had passed too fast, Claire thought, she didn't realize how five days had flown by. She was worried she would outstay her welcome at the one week mark, but all her interactions with Mrs. Bennett seemed to put her mind at ease. Claire needed a home and Olivia needed a helping hand. It was a symbiotic relationship, one that they had both accepted gratefully.

This moment of quiet cruising along the lone winter streets was one of the few quiet moments she had to herself. As much as she had developed a liking towards the Bennett household and their little posse, she missed having her mind all to herself. It was the only thing she seemed to retain from her long gone days.

Her journal lay collecting dust at the bottom of her bag, she had people to talk to now, she no longer had to confide in a musty notebook. But she wanted to record her life nonetheless. She made a mental note to update her journal when she got home, she didn't want to fall too far behind.

Claire stopped in her tracks for a second, almost awestruck.

Then a genuine smile split her face in real happiness. She didn't see how easy it was, effortless. It came almost naturally and she would not have noticed if she wasn't taken off guard.

She had just thought of that place as home.

…

With the promise of a roof and clothes warmer than before, Claire lost track of the time she spent under the starry ceiling. With a memory of a tune and her musings her only companions, she had strayed far from her dwelling and as she walked back, her watch glowed a bright four a.m.

She hoped Mrs. Bennett wouldn't mind the late hour she returned at. She entered through the back door, tip-toeing her way around the house. As she entered the kitchen, she found a plate of cookies and a glass of milk settled beside it, with Jamie's Santa portrait and Sophie's attempt at one placed beside it.

'Jingle your bells when you visit us, Mr. Santa!' The words at the bottom read in Jamie's hand.

Claire rolled her eyes, and picked up a cookie and bit into it.

As though her action triggered a reaction, the backdoor slammed open. It was eerily similar to the times when she'd lay cowering in bed, and her gut reflexes kicked into action. Claire darted under the table and hid behind the hanging tablecloth, holding her breath tensely.

The clonking of heavy boots on wooden floorboards filled the silence as chunky legs came into her view. She could not peek out to see who the intruder was, they could be armed and she didn't fancy a Christmassy hole in her head , so Claire tried to gauge the threat simply by evaluating the clothing and stature of the heavy man who broke into the house.

These seemed to be work boots, pants made from thick fabric, she struggled to see the hem of the clothes. Claire risked peering out cautiously from her hiding space.

She would recognize that red and white trim with her eyes closed.

A deep belly laugh sounded.

"I couldn't be that fat now, could I?"

Claire's jaw dropped.

Santa Claus?

A/N:

I don't celebrate Christmas, so excuse inconsistencies.

If by some small chance you are actually an RoTG fan reading this fiction, please review :")