"Tyler!" Riley's voice carried throughout the Brooklyn apartment, "Tyler Friar you get down here right now!"

Lucas came in from the front door, stopping when he saw his wife at the bottom of the steps, he'd heard her from the street. He had almost thought about not going in, knowing when his wife was mad it was usually bad, and mad on Christmas Eve was not what he wanted to deal with at all.

"Tyler Cornelius Friar, if you're not down here by the time I count to three, I'm coming up and you know that's not what you want!"

Lucas felt a shiver of fear down his spine. "Hey Honey, what did Tyler do?"

She turned to her husband, rage burning in her eyes, "One" she yelled, hearing the sound of her son making his way to the staircase, "Two" then his feet going down the steps until he stopped on the landing. "Tell your father what you told your sister."

Tyler bit his lip as he looked to his mother and then father, "I told Janelle, that Santa isn't real."

Lucas groaned, "Tyler why would you tell her that." He pushed passed Riley who was shocked he did so.

Their son shrugged his teenage shoulders, "Cause it's true. Why are we lying and saying some strange guy drops in our house through a chimney and leaves presents only if she's good."

Riley was about to push forward when Lucas put an arm up to hold her back, "I got this Riley."

"You're grounded from all electronic devices until the new year, next you're going to apologize to your sister for lying to her, and you're going to be helping me with end of the year filing at the office. Now apologize to your mother, and then get Janelle down here and tell her you're wrong."

"But I'm not wrong." Tyler challenged.

"Son, you are. Now go." Lucas's voice was curt before watching the boy clomp up the stairs.

"That was way harsher than I was going to be." Riley blinked as she watched him move around the living room, past the Christmas tree and towards the basement stairs. "Lucas, what are you doing?"

He threw his winter jacket on a chair, "Proving to Janelle that Santa is real."

"What are you going to do?" wondering what he was thinking, what he thought he could use from the basement to prove to their six-year-old daughter that Santa was real.

"Just make sure Tyler does what he's told to do, just trust me."

Riley threw her hands up, knowing she couldn't argue with him as he disappeared down to the basement.

"Mommy," Janelle sniffled as she came down the stairs.

Riley held her daughter and shot her son a look to remind him just how much trouble he was in. "Come here, Tyler has something to say to you."

He rolled his eyes as he sat on the couch next to his younger sister, "I'm sorry I lied, Santa is real."

"He is?" she looked up to her big brother with her hopeful green eyes.

"Yes" he said deflated, "I was just being mean earlier when I told you he wasn't real."

Janelle blinked several times, "Why would you lie to me Ty?"

He gritted his teeth, "Because I was frustrated and didn't want to play with you, so I made up the lie about Santa so you would leave me alone."

Riley watched as her daughter's lower lip quivered, hearing that her older brother didn't want to play with her probably was hurting her more than the news about Santa.

The basement door burst open, "Did you know that fireplace isn't real?" The voice was deeper then how he usually spoke as he sauntered out in a Santa suit and beard. "Ended up in the basement."

Janelle's eyes went wide, "Santa?"

"Janelle, good to see you." He opened for a hug which the little girl gladly gave.

"You are real, see Tyler, he's real." She looked back to her brother who just watched with his jaw dropped open.

"Uh, yeah, so real Janelle." He looked to his mother who returned a still scolding look, "It's not Christmas Eve yet."

"Oh, I know," he chuckled "But I heard a bad little boy told his sister I wasn't real, and we couldn't have that now could we."

"I guess not." Tyler sulked. "Well you're real. I'm going to my room."

"Tyler, stay." Riley's voice was quick.

He groaned as he watched his father talk with his sister, "Now, Janelle, what would you like for Christmas."

Janelle looked over to her brother before cupping her hand around Santa's ear and telling him what she really wanted.

Lucas looked at his son as his daughter spoke, "I'll see what I can do. It might be a little difficult, but I'll try."

"Thank you, Santa." Janelle ran to her mom, "What's for dinner?"

Riley took Janelle's hand, "We're having Street Corn and Chicken Tacos." Leading her into the kitchen before glancing back at her husband and son.

Once he figured his mom and sister were gone Tyler got up.

"Tyler, stay."

"I'm not a dog." He replied.

Lucas moved towards his son, "Janelle wants to spend time with you. That's what she asked for from Santa. She's your sister, and you're lucky to have her. You know the age gap is about the same as your mom and Uncle Auggie."

"So, it's not like mom and Auggie hung out as kids."

"But they did, not a lot, but your mom made time for him, and look at how close they are now. Janelle is the only sister you have, don't push her away just because you think you're some cool teenager and she's an annoying kid."

"I can't play with her all of the time." He reminded his father.

"I know," Lucas looked his son in the eye, "How often do you really play with her, she might ask you a lot but you don't."

Tyler sighed, "Fine, I'll play with her more, but I am not playing dress up."

"I didn't say you had to. Now go, gather up your electronics so I can hold onto them until the new year."

Tyler groaned again before going up the stairs.

Lucas waited for his son to be out of sight before slipping back down to the basement, pulling off the Santa suit, thankful he had it on hand. He knew the next few days he would have a moody teenager to deal with, but hopefully his son would take the time to spend with his sister, and by Christmas morning he might be able to let up on some of the punishment.

He stuck the suit back in an old suitcase before checking to make sure the presents he'd hidden down here hadn't been disturbed. If his daughter could believe in Santa for another year or so he would be okay, if she had lost that childhood magic today, he would've been crushed, not only for her but for him and Riley.

When he got back upstairs, he went into the kitchen Janelle ran to him and started talking about how Santa had come to the house. He listened to the pure joy in her voice, and the excitement knowing they had time left before his little girl met the world.