On Borrowed Time

BONUS: Last Christmas

Bonus: Last Christmas

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Felicity Smoak, Starling City, USA

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It was 3:30 am, December 25th and Felicity found herself for the third time that week donning her red parka and woollen mittens. She couldn't sleep, she hadn't been able to for what seemed like weeks now. She had gathered her energy through large amounts of coffee and through sporadic naps here and there. No matter what she tried, insomnia still had her locked tight in its grips. 

She shoved her feet into her boots and grabbed the steaming mug of hot chocolate before heading out into the crisp night. She left the patio light off in hopes that she might see some of the stars. She knew the light pollution the city dispelled would make it near impossible. Still, she shivered as she settled herself down on the front step and turned her gaze skyward. Tiny pinpricks, millions of miles away forced their light through the dust-coloured sky and she felt small.

For half a minute she thought that Oliver should have a bat signal, flashing up in the sky and then she wondered what it would be of and put the idea to rest. That and how the heck would anyone be able to see it through the bright haze the city seemed to let off at all hours of the night?

Her thoughts closed in on her again, the dark ones, the ones that ate at her in a gnawing consistency. In truth, she knew why she wasn't getting to sleep. This would be her last Christmas and that thought, though small seemed too heavy a burden. Now, Felicity didn't celebrate Christmas herself being Jewish and all, but she loved the twinkling lights and the cute reindeer decorations that filled the storefronts. Mostly, she just loved the feeling of happiness it seemed to bring people. 

She rubbed over the embossed reindeer on her own mug and thought about her mistake bitterly. She should never have made the deal, but it was far too late now. The cold nipped at her but she forced herself to stay outside. There was only so much time left to absorb the natural beauty of the world. Perhaps for the first time ever, she regretted the amount of time she spent behind the screen of her computer.

Her thoughts bit at her with the same harsh and unrelenting force the cold seemed to. She pulled her knees up closer to her chest and with them the mug, to billow warm steam over her face. She took a deep sip from the mug and let the liquid warm her from the inside out. Then she became blind. 

The snow sparkled a dazzling glare to her eyes and she threw her hand up to shield her eyes. A dull roar echoed in the night and a wave of familiarity overcame her. She hazarded herself a look, slowly peeking out from behind her mitten to see the slightly dirty but unmistakable silhouette of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. She grew elated, could it really be them? 'No', she thought, it's just a muscle car, not an Impala. After all, her brothers were in Maine only the night before last. 

She stood so the lights wouldn't continue their blinding glare and turned to head back inside. She didn't want to get her hopes up, she wasn't even sure why she was hoping it was the Winchesters. Comfort she supposed in having her family nearby during the holidays. She paused, half turned from the driveway when the car seemed to grow louder. Shielding her eyes she hazarded a look back to see that she had been right all along.

The black car drove deliberately up her snowy driveway and parked feet away from where she stood. The driver cut the engine and left the air sounding empty. Her heart seemed to be in her throat she realised and tears were burning her eyes. She set the mug down and felt her feet moving and then running before she even registered which brother was which. 

She ploughed into Sam first and was immediately engulfed in a warm embrace. He was big enough that his arms seemed to swallow her into his wide chest. A laugh vibrated through his chest and rumbled in her ear before she finally pulled back. "Did you miss us sis?" he asked, his eyes alight with amusement.

Dean's voice interjected, the parental sound of scolding reaching her ears. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing, get back inside before you get pneumonia!" She could see Sam roll his eyes as Dean rounded the front of the car. She flung herself into his embrace and found it equally as warm as Sam's. She didn't realise that the tears that had been burning her eyes only moments before had betrayed her. 

"Hey, kiddo whatcha crying for?" She untangled herself from his embrace and hastily wiped away the tears with a shrug. She didn't want to admit how much she had been hoping it was them. "You think we wouldn't show up for Christmas? Come on!"

She sniffed and then laughed a little. "I'm Jewish, I don't celebrate Christmas," she mumbled. Dean shrugged before looking back at Sam. 

"Neither do I, but Sammy always liked it."

As if on cue Sam pulled a giant gift bag out of the backseat of the Impala with a large grin on his face. Then another gift wrapped in metallic Christmas paper with a large bow on the top of it. Felicity felt warmed by the excited grin on his brother's face but frowned at Dean's words. 

"What do you celebrate then?"

Dean slung his jacket around her, over top of her parka, pulling it snug around her. He reached around the back door as Sam headed in and grabbed their duffel bags. Once in hand, he closed the door and wrapped an arm around Felicity's shoulders before guiding them all back towards the front door. The air was cold but a warmth had wormed its way into her. 

"Nothing," he finally answered, making almost a duck face as he thought it over a bit. "Family," he finally decided, "I celebrate family."

The warm light engulfed them and the stinging of the cold faded to a mere memory as Sam took charge. He produced eggnog from his bag, grabbed glasses and began to pour the liquid out. He took a miniature tree out, flicked a switch on the bottom of it and the fibre optic tips flashed with colour. The pitiful tree made Dean just shake his head. Sam wasn't phased though he just continued on like a happy puppy, handing out the carefully wrapped gifts he had in the bag. 

And though Dean celebrated 'family' and not Christmas, he too produced two small packages from his duffel bag. They were wrapped in newspaper, which made her grin. She then excused herself before returning with two packages herself, wrapped in plain blue paper. Dean eyed her carefully with a knowing look. He knew what her tears had been, he understood what she was thinking. He had been there before, the last holiday and Sam had made them celebrate Christmas that year. He hadn't given it up since.

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The Winchesters laughed that early morning, one celebrating Hanukkah, one celebrating Christmas and one simply celebrating Family. For all the time in the world that they spent plagued with the evils of hell and the wrong doings of criminals, for every darkness they faced; that day they glimpsed a sliver of light. A light that had nothing to do with the gifts, though they be plenty. 

A handwritten hacking guide and a new EMF detector for Sam. A blank journal for Dean, leather bound and lined like his father's before him, and a new shotgun. And for the youngest sister, proper family flannel in the colour purple and a golden pendant with an anti-possession symbol engraved on one side and the word 'family' on the other.

There was a light, a glow of love that engulfed the Winchester siblings and if only for a moment it ate away the dark. 

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A/N - Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! I know I haven't updated in forever and I know this doesn't progress the story any but I wanted to wish everyone a happy whatever you're celebrating. I hope to update soon, I just needed a break from this story for a while.  

I love you all, and hope you're all having a wonderful season no matter what it is you're celebrating! <3 

Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah! 

What do you celebrate?