That was such a great cheesy, sweet Christmas episode. Liz was totally bearable in it. So fantastic without Sonny, I think I can deal with anything. So I started writing this (and I mean only this first little bit) at Halloween, so it's been amended because I let Soap Queen pick which kind of story for the holiday and this one fit so perfectly with it. I'm hoping Jason is somewhere in Port Charles because I don't want to spoil my good GH mood by watching past episodes. :-P And Soap Queen rocks because she answers all of my GH questions on Christmas Eve :-P (cause wiki doesn't help as much as it could).

Charlie Barrett was born in the fall of '05. So I put him at 5 to deal with the odd Sorasing GH does. I want him in between Cameron and Jake. If you guys have any guesses on any of the ages of the little kids feel free to mention them. I can adjust Charlie's age.

Merry Christmas Folks!

(This is meant to have a Tom Sawyer kind of start, I actually had it open as I originally wrote, it has since been edited. The name will be explained later on)

Christmas Eve – Upstate NY

The Adventures of Charlie Sawyer

"Charlie?" the soft voice questioned.

No answer.

"Charlie," it repeated a little firmer this time.

No answer.

"Charlie come on," she followed her words with a loud sigh.

No answer.

She shook her head and pulled off her sunglasses, then looked at them in her hand right before she was going to toss them to the empty seat next to her, the dark walnut rims and the gold hardware, they were beautiful glasses and absurdly pricey, she thought twice about tossing them on the seat where she wouldn't notice they were resting before she tossed her bag on top of them once she got back into the car. She slid them atop her head instead as she opened the car door.

"I swear Charlie," she said as she climbed out.

She pulled open the back door of their luxury, navy blue, rental sedan.

"Hello," she said pulling off his left ear bud.

He automatically scowled as his thumb instinctively hit pause on his DS, "What the-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence, turn that thing off," she ordered as she automatically went to speed up the process as she leaned over his booster seat to undo his belt.

"I can do it," he squirmed in his seat trying to get to it before she could, after all it wasn't like he was a little boy, he was after all 5.

"Well then hurry up, I've got to pee," she rubbed her cream colored cashmere glittens together, they matched her oversized scarf and she was debating dragging the hat out of her pocket as well, first impressions be damned.

"This isn't a house," he said as she shifted him to shove his winter jacket on.

"It's not a house, it's a diner because my bladder is seriously going to explode."

He rolled his eyes, he really shouldn't know how to do that at five.

"Come on, they've got the best French Toast and Strawberry milkshakes in the world and I've been sitting in traffic for 6 hours."

"But you said we'd have dinner with Pops and Nikki."

"We'll have dessert with them," she promised as she tugged him out of the car.

"Mooom," he began to whine.

"Sooner I'm fed, sooner you can start setting up that train," she swore.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-

"Haha," she cheered, "we're finally here." She frowned when she heard no response, but then smiled seeing her son with his head knocked to the side and his mouth open slightly. She pressed send on her phone to return the last call instead of waking him.

Jason's voice was the one that greeted her on the other side, "What are you going up so late?"

"Hello to you too," she said with her voice dripping with annoyance, "we have a problem Jason."

"What's wrong?" His voice was guarded, after all that could mean Brenda had a hangnail, not that she'd ever let herself get one.

"Monica just called me," her voice was wary.

"It's almost 1am in Rome."

"Yes, I'm aware of that Jason. She apologized, but her words were kind of slurring, I think she might have been drinking. Do you think you can go check on her?"

"Br-"

"Rebecca just left, her last link to Emily and I think it's hitting her pretty hard."

Jason sighed, he had failed his family enough times, "Was she at home?"

"Yes I think so, just go over Jason, check on her, don't let her know I told you?" Her voice was anxious.

"Okay, thanks. Merry Christmas again Brenda."

"You too Jason, call me in the morning, let me know what happened?"

"Okay."

She pressed her earpiece off and smiled up into the review mirror, "Your mother deserves an Oscar."

-o-o-O-o-o-

Jason rubbed a hand over the back of his head, obviously a well intentioned Brenda had set him up as his mother looked up at him with Christmas cheer, utterly delighted to see him and stone cold sober.

"Jason, this is such a wonderful surprise," she literally was beaming.

"Merry Christmas Monica," he nodded, wishing he had a gift in his hand. He had sent her flowers, he had gotten into the habit of it some years ago. Showing up in her living room on Christmas Eve empty handed made him feel like an idiot. At least a gift he could have handed off and then left as quickly as he arrived. "Have you talked to Brenda tonight?"

A worried expression instantly graced his mother's face, "No, why is something wrong? Charlie-"

"No," he stopped her instantly, "just wondering."

She smiled still slightly confused, "I'm sure we'll hear from them tomorrow. Edward went a little overboard when he was shopping this year."

Jason couldn't help, but smile back.

"Glad to see you've finally developed some manners, visiting your mother on Christmas Eve," The self-righteousness was evident in Edward's voice as he walked into the room.

Jason bit back the urge for a comeback, "Merry Christmas to you too Edward."

"So why are you really here?"

"Edward stop, Jason is my son and this-"

"Your house," he waved a dismissive hand at them and went to get a drink.

"Dr. Q?" Alice interrupted.

"Yes, Alice?"

"I thought you'd like to know another car pulled up," she nodded.

Edward's glass went down, "Who did you bring after us? I will hand you over-" he pointed at him as he hurried out of the room.

They were all at the door in time to see a woman standing and leaning into the backseat.

"Brenda?" Jason questioned aloud, despite only seeing her back.

She turned with a smile, "Surprise."

He hurried down the steps to her and the sleeping child, still in his seat, "Why is his coat off"

She sighed, "Because he gets hot in the car and trust me you don't want a kid overheating in your car."

Charlie was already in Jason's arms by the time she had finished and they were heading towards the house and the joyful faces of Monica and Edward. They really had needed family.

"She was drinking really?" He questioned with quick steps as he rushed Charlie out of the cold.

"Oh Brenda," Monica tried to be annoyed with the not so young woman anymore that had married her son, lived in her house…

"Hey it worked, we wanted to be a surprise," she smiled as the door shut behind them.

"Thank you," Monica nodded.

"Why don't you give the boy over to Alice, Jason?"

Everyone glared at him.

"Just saying Jason might have other families to-"

"Stop now Edward," Monica ordered.

"Are we there yet?" Charlie asked burrowing his nose into Jason's neck as he snuggled in.

"I don't know, where did you want to be?" Jason quickly and softly replied, there was something about Brenda's son; the ability for a quick comeback always seemed to flow easier.

Charlie tensed for a split second, then his eyes flew open, "Jason?" his arms tightened around his neck.

"Merry Christmas Charlie," Jason himself now beamed.

"Are you surprised? Did we surprise you?"

"That you did young man," Edward said placing a hand on Charlie's back.

"Pops!" he launched himself out of Jason's and into Edward's.

Edward took the name good-naturedly just as he accepted the young boy's weight, after all he was fairly certain one of those hellions on Tracy's side had altered it from Papa to Pops.

"Can I get a hello too?" Monica questioned with a smile.

Brenda's little boy suddenly turned into an adorable little gentleman, "Merry Christmas Nikki," he grinned.

"Merry Christmas Charlie," she smiled back.

"Can we set up the train now?" his head swung back to Jason.

"Uh, Charlie I don't really know-"

"I have the train waiting for you," Alice inserted.

"But it's Christmas Eve," Charlie's lip fell into a pout, "are you leaving?

"Of course he isn't going anywhere, it's Christmas Eve and he's with his family, isn't that right Jason?" Edward scolded the black sheep of his family. It was only one night after all and it mattered to Charlie.

"I'll help you with the train Alice," Jason nodded.

"It's no-" she started to wave him off.

"How about I take the train and you take my trunk," Brenda said pivoting to follow Alice.

He simply stared after her.

"It's Christmas Jason," his mother reminded. "Now," she said turning back to the little boy in Edward's arms, "what do you say we go see what holiday goodies Cook has for us?"

Merry Christmas!

(more coming tomorrow)