Eleven-year-old Lena sat in the living room, staring at the Christmas tree silently. She was home alone for the time being, and though tempted to crawl under the tree and peek at gifts, she was not risking her bottom for it again. She’d learned the hard way not to go under the tree, and wasn’t eager to learn that lesson again anytime soon.

She sighed softly, as she curled up in the corner of the couch. She knew there were gifts under the tree for her from Ty, and a couple from Paulie, but that wasn’t what had her worried. No, her current worry had to do with Santa Claus. The jolly old man in red and white hadn’t remembered her in a very long time – the last time she remembered getting anything from him, she’d been about five. After that, he just never came; and she never got any gifts from anyone – she was a bad seed, who didn’t deserve anything whatsoever. Her mind had been poisoned from the moment she’d lost her parents, until she’d finally had enough and run away from the place she’d been forced to call home.

Only thing was Ty didn’t know any of this, as she’d never told him anything about her past. All he knew was that she was on the streets and looking for a place to stay. He’d gone and assumed she was a ward of the state, and had taken her into his home without a second thought.

She closed her eyes a moment, trying to force her past out of her head. She would rather soon forget the Hell she had lived through all those years. Though, the streets hadn’t been too bad after she’d met up with Jimmy and his gang of motorbike friends.

“I wonder what Jimmy’s up to these days,” she wondered to herself. She often thought of the teen she fondly thought of as an older brother. He’d always been there to look out for her, no matter what the case may’ve been. He’d also been the reason she had finally ended up meeting Ty. “I hope he comes ‘round again soon. I miss hopping on his bike and speeding down the streets on it.”

She sighed again, as she turned her gaze to the television screen that currently had Frosty the Snowman playing on it. She’d been forcing Ty to watch all the Christmas specials, as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d watched them either. Though, she did know that Frosty had always been her absolute favourite.

“I’m so stupid,” she muttered softly. “I bet Santa doesn’t even really exist. Why would he suddenly remember me now anyway? I bet everyone will just tell me I’m too old to believe in stuff like this… I bet they’ll tell me I’m just being stupid…”

She flicked the television off, her favourite snowman disappearing from the screen – which didn’t bother her, as she’d watched it three times all ready. She stood, stretching some and headed for the front hall; once there she grabbed her coat, slipped her shoes on, and headed on outside.

She glanced around the front yard, not quite sure what her next move was going to be. All she knew was that she was tired of sitting in the house doing nothing. She hated having idle hands, as idle hands always ended in trouble for her, because it meant she’d think some stupid scheme up.

“Maybe I’ll go around the block or something,” she spoke aloud softly. “I need to clear my head.”

She headed out the front gate, turning left once outside of the yard. She walked to the end of the street, her hands jammed up her coat sleeves. She glanced around, sighed, and then headed back for the house.

“Don’t feel like getting lost today,” she muttered to herself, remembering the Halloween incident. She entered the yard once more, and headed around back, wandering aimlessly. “I wish I could remember where Brian lived, so I could go see him for awhile.”

Yes, she knew Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys – she’d even found his house accidentally on Halloween while trick or treating.

She paused by the large oak tree that sat in the yard, and glanced upward. She eyed the platform Ty had helped her put in the tree momentarily, before starting to climb. She didn’t care how cold it was, she loved this old tree more than anything – well, except for maybe a good swing. She loved sitting on swings and swinging until she felt as though she was going to touch the sky.

She reached the platform at last, and hoisted herself upon it, lying down once safely on. She stared up at the sky through all the bare branches that were trying to block her view of the clouds. She gave a small contented sigh, as she placed her hands upon her stomach. She felt safe here in this tree, though she knew she was safe indoors too. But when in the tree, she felt as though no one could touch her and that she was invincible. It was the perfect spot to go, just to think about things and get away from it all for a while.

~~~~~

Ty Pennington pulled into his driveway, parking his car moments later. He’d gone out to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Though Lena hadn’t told him what she wanted for Christmas, he was sure she’d like everything he had gotten for her. He’d paid attention to her in the stores, as she eyeballed things, but never asked for them.

“I hope she’s not in the living room,” he thought as he grabbed his parcels from the trunk. “Otherwise she’s going to see all this, and know what I bought.”

He opened the unlocked door, and managed to get his boots off without dropping anything.

“Lena?” He called out, hoping to gage her whereabouts when she responded. “Hello?”

He frowned slightly when he got no response, though he shrugged and headed on up to the spare room to hide the presents. Once they were well hidden and the door was locked, he headed on back downstairs to search for his young ward after he’d checked her room.

“Lena? Where are you, Kiddo?”

He checked the living room and the kitchen, finally looking out the back door. He knew how she liked to be outside doing things that sometimes she wasn’t supposed to be doing. He was relieved to spot her up in the tree, knowing she couldn’t cause any mischief from way up there.

“I’ll make some dinner, before I let her know I’m here,” he decided. He knew when she was up in the tree to leave her alone. It was her thinking spot. 

He set about making some Kraft dinner and hot dogs for a change. They’d been eating chicken lately, and frankly, he needed a break from it. Besides, what kid didn’t like Kraft dinner?

Soon the food was ready, and he opened the back door, to make his presence known.

“Lena! Food’s ready!”

He chuckled softly, as he saw her wave a hand in acknowledgement, and knew she’d be in shortly. He closed the door, and set some plates and utensils on the counter. He’d a kitchen island that she liked to sit and eat at when they were actually home. He wasn’t sure why she liked it so much, but he figured it had to do with sitting on the chairs and being able to swing her feet.

A few minutes later, he heard the back door open, and her shuffling on inside. She sauntered into the kitchen only moments later.

“Hey,” she said softly, as she climbed up onto one of the chairs at the island.

“Hey,” Ty smiled. “How was your day?”

“It was a day,” Lena shrugged, as she eagerly piled the Kraft dinner onto her plate. “No different from any other, really.”

“You all right?” He asked her after a long moment of silence. “You’re awful quiet tonight, Kiddo.”

“Just got nothing to say, is all,” she replied, shrugging once more, as she sliced her hot dogs into bite-sized pieces with her fork. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good,” Ty answered. “You excited for Christmas?”

“Sure,” Lena said softly, still not looking at him, as she mixed her Kraft dinner and hot dogs together. “And no, I didn’t go under the tree at all.”

“I never said you had,” Ty stated. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”

“I’m fine!” Lena snapped slightly.

 Ty raised his eyebrows, but dropped it, as he too dug into his Kraft dinner. He could tell something was up, but knew not to push her too hard about it, or all Hell would break loose.

“Do you think we should attempt the turkey tomorrow?” He asked, as the next day was Christmas Eve. “Or wait until Christmas Day to have it?”

“I don’t care,” Lena mumbled, her mouth full of KD. “You cook it whenever you want it.”

“You know Santa doesn’t like moody kids,” Ty pointed out. “You sing that song enough.”

“Whatever,” Lena responded, getting up and putting her plate in the dishwasher once she’d scraped it clean. “I’m going to bed.”

“It’s only six o’clock,” Ty said, giving her an odd look. “Are you feeling all right, Kiddo?”

“Just - leave me alone!” Lena snapped, her voice thick with emotion. She raced out of the kitchen and on up to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Ty felt concerned, wondering just what was bothering her. She didn’t usually get so moody, and he knew it wasn’t that time of month, as she hadn’t reached puberty yet – thank God.

  He sighed as he cleaned up the dinner mess, silently praying she’d be in better spirits the next day.

~~~~~

Around eight o’clock, Ty headed upstairs to check on Lena, as it’d been awfully quiet in the house since her outburst. He hoped beyond all hope she hadn’t gone and snuck out again.

He breathed a sigh of relief, when he heard her soft reply to his knock on her door. He opened it, and peeked in. He frowned slightly, when he noticed her face caked with tears.

“Kiddo, what’s going on?” He demanded gently, as he went and sat on the edge of her bed. “You’re worrying me. It’s Christmas; you’re supposed to be happy.”

“I’m fine,” Lena whimpered, rubbing more tears from her eyes. She was getting a headache and her eyes felt like they were on fire, from all the crying she’d done.

“You’re anything but fine, if you’re crying,” Ty insisted, rubbing her back gently as she lie on her side. “C’mon. Tell me what’s wrong, and maybe I can fix it. I am the tool guy.”

Lena shook her head, as she rolled over to face him. “I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it.”

“Well, I’m here if you need me, okay?”

Lena said nothing, as she maneuvered so she was sitting on her knees. She threw her arms about him, and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his neck.

Ty automatically wrapped his arms about her in return. She usually wasn’t the clingy type – she liked to appear tough, and crying and being clingy was not being tough.

He kissed the side of her head, as he rubbed her back some more. “Maybe you should get some sleep, Kiddo. You’ve been up late these past few nights, watching all them Christmas shows.”

“Kay,” Lena whispered, though she made no attempt to move from his embrace.

Ty squeezed her just a little bit tighter, wanting to be sure that she knew he was there for her, good or bad. He hated to see her so upset, but there wasn’t much he could do, if she wouldn’t tell him what was wrong.

Finally Lena released her grip on him, and disappeared into the bathroom to change. She returned moments later, and crawled under the covers, as he sat there and watched.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” Ty told her gently, as he tucked her in and kissed her forehead. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

She managed a small smile for him, as she snuggled into the blankets. “I won’t.”

He smiled as he handed her, her stuffed Frosty the Snowman. He’d taken her to Build-a-Bear just after Thanksgiving and had given her money to build whatever she liked. In return, she had gone and built her favourite snowman, and dressed him up in his hat, scarf, broom, and corncob pipe.

“Watch he doesn’t get too warm,” he teased gently. “Or he just might melt.”

Lena gave a tiny giggle, as she hugged her stuffed snowman tightly. She didn’t care how old she was, sometimes it was nice having someone be a father to her, so she could be a kid again. It’d been so long, she’d almost forgotten what it’d been like – and sometimes, she was scared Ty would up and leave her too. Though, times like right now re-assured her somewhat.

Ty smiled, kissed her forehead once more, and then left the room after turning her nightlight on. He knew she had a thing about shadows lurking in the dark. He headed on downstairs to watch some television and work on some last minute things. If he wanted to cook the turkey the next day, there was much that still needed to be done.

~~~~~

Around one o’clock Christmas Eve morning, Ty awoke abruptly. He could feel someone staring at him, and couldn’t shake the feeling. He glanced around the room, and almost jumped out of his skin, when he spotted someone standing in the doorway. Soon as his eyes had adjusted though, he relaxed some.

“What’s wrong, Kiddo?”

“I had a nightmare,” Lena spoke softly, standing there in flannel pajamas and hugging Frosty to her chest.

“C’mere,” Ty told her, sitting up some and turning on his bedside lamp.

Lena ran for his bed, quickly crawling up next to him in her haste. She hadn’t wanted to bother him, but her nightmare had her extremely spooked. She hadn’t had a nightmare like this in quite awhile, and had the urgent need to feel safe again.

Ty wrapped an arm around her, as she snuggled in next to him. He was extremely glad he slept in pants and a wife beater; otherwise this would’ve been extremely awkward.

“Care to tell me what it was about?” He asked.

“Not really,” Lena admitted. “Though, it was really super scary.”

 “What classifies as super scary in your books?” Ty wanted to know, as he pulled her a little closer to him. He hadn’t missed the way she’d shuddered when making that small confession.

“Something happened to you, and there were lots of people with big guns and stuff,” Lena told him quietly, snuggling into him some more. “And – other people, I’d rather not talk about at all.”

“You can stay in here tonight, if you’d like, “Ty offered. He didn’t care how old she was, or how wrong people might think it was, the offer stood. If she was scared enough to come running to him in the middle of the night, then she definitely needed him near. Besides, who would know anyway? It’s not like either of them would tell anyone, except maybe Paulie – and Paulie wouldn’t care, nor see the harm in it.

“Thanks,” Lena whispered gratefully, as she slid under the covers and snuggled in close to him. “Frosty didn’t want to have to go back and sleep alone.”

“Well, Frosty’s not going to have too,” Ty replied, as he lay back down and turned out his lamp. “Frosty is welcomed in here, anytime he has a nightmare.”

“I love you, Ty,” Lena told him softly, her head on his chest. She needed to be as close as possible right then, in order to feel safe. She was terrified someone was going to break in and take her away from him, like they had in her dream.

“I love you too, Kiddo,” Ty replied, hugging her close to him. “Now, how’s about we get some sleep?”

Lena gave a soft giggle, as she snuggled into his armpit. She closed her eyes, Frosty still clutched tightly in her one arm, and Ty in the other. She could get used to this – being loved, and cared for, that is.

~~~~~

The next day went by without a hitch. Ty made their Christmas dinner, with Lena’s help. It was just them as his mother and brother couldn’t make it. They’d even spent the evening gorging on cookies and drinking hot chocolate while watching Christmas movies.

Once Lena had fallen asleep, Ty had carried her upstairs to bed; glad she’d put her jammies on earlier. Soon as he was sure she was snug in bed, and wouldn’t be waking anytime soon, he set to work on putting the last of the gifts under the tree.

~~~~~

Early Christmas morning, Ty awoke, wondering why Lena hadn’t come to wake him up. She’d been in better spirits the day before, and even a little excited about opening presents the next day. He slid out of bed, and headed into the bathroom to do his business and take his ADHD medication.

Once that was done, he sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, pondering on whether he should wait for her to get up or not. He shrugged, deciding it might be best to let her sleep a little longer, and that he’d go and make some breakfast first.

Imagine his surprise when he reached the stairs, only to find Lena sitting on the third top step with Frosty in her lap. He could tell just by the way she was sitting, that she was upset about something. He quietly went and sat down next to her without a word.

Lena said nothing, as she rested her head upon his shoulder quietly. The day she’d been dreading somewhat had finally arrived, and the truth about Santa was soon to come out. She really hoped she hadn’t been forgotten again this year – it always hurt her more than she cared to let on, to be forgotten.

 It was silent for a short while, as the two of them sat there on the steps. At last, Lena spoke finally, though very softly.

“Do you think Santa remembered me this year?” She asked, turning her worried gaze upon the man sitting next to her. “You don’t think he forgot me again, do you?”

Ty gave a small, relieved sigh. Santa. So that’d been her worry all along. This he could handle, no problem.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” he pointed out gently, his gaze kind and caring. “You’re going to have to go down and look, Kiddo.”

“But what if he never came?” Lena fretted. “What if he thinks I’m too old now, to still believe in him? What if he stops bringing you presents once you turn, like, ten or something? I’m all ready a year past that!”

“Well, then I’d definitely be too old to still believe in him.”

“You believe in him too?” Lena repeated, wide-eyed. “But I thought adults didn’t believe in Santa?”

“I’m not your average adult, now am I?” Ty winked, nudging her slightly.

Lena smiled some. “No…”

“What do you say, we go take a peek and see if Santa came for us or not?”

Lena glanced down the stairs nervously. She never thought it’d be so nerve-wracking to walk down a single flight of stairs. “You’ll go with me, right?”

“I said we, did I not?”

Lena turned her gaze back upon Ty, as she felt him take her hand and give it a squeeze. “I guess it’s now or never….”

Ty gave her a re-assuring smile, as they stood, him never once letting go of her hand. “C’mon Kiddo. We can open gifts before breakfast, if you’d like.”

Lena quietly allowed him to lead her down the stairs, as she put a death grip on his hand – and Frosty, who was in her other one.

Ty watched as Lena’s eyes went wide as saucers, upon spotting all the gifts piled under their tree. He knew she’d noticed there was more than the night before.

Lena gasped in surprise at the sight that lay before her. She let go of Ty’s hand, and went running for the tree, to see if Santa had indeed brought them some presents. She knew the pile was bigger, but what was to say they weren’t just all from Ty or the rest of the design team?

A camera flashed, as Lena read the tag in the first gift she’d picked up. It was definitely a Kodak moment.

“To Lena…. love Santa!” Lena exclaimed. “He came! Ty, he came! Santa remembered me this year!”

Ty chuckled as he joined her by the tree. “See? There was nothing to be worried about, now was there?”

“Why did he forget me all those other years?”

“Maybe he didn’t. Maybe they just got misplaced or stolen.”

“Maybe…” Lena trailed off, as she hugged the present. “But least he found me this year!”

“Seems he found me too,” Ty replied, holding up a gift to himself from Santa. He figured it had to be from Paulie, as he hadn’t put any under the tree for himself. Paulie had come to visit and put some gifts under the tree, but they’d never looked at them. Luckily, Lena had learned her lesson about crawling under the tree, and hadn’t tried to peek since – otherwise the whole Santa thing would’ve been a bust. “Merry Christmas, Lena.”

“Merry Christmas Ty,” Lena said quietly, a shy, but bright smile upon her face. “And thank-you.”

“For what?” Ty asked, looking confused. “That gift’s not from me.”

“For everything,” Lena told him as she set the present down and tackled him in a bear hug. “You’re the best present I’ve ever gotten.”

Ty could feel his eyes fill with tears, as he hugged her tightly in return. “You’re the best present, I’ve ever gotten too, Kiddo.”