AN: Hey guys, been a while, huh? For those of you waiting for a Red Test update, I am so sorry, I know I haven't updated in like six months but between school and writers block and other things, I feel kinda stuck in a rut in that department. I was planning to work on it during Christmas but a very sudden family matter occurred and I've been quite occupied since. School's also bound to get more stressful in 2014, but I hope I'll have better luck in terms of writing in the new year.

Anyway, this story has been in my mind for a while and I needed some cheering up, so I decided to write this. It's a Bartowski Christmas Eve fic set maybe five or six years in the future. Mostly fluff and Charah of course. Anyway I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and please review.

Chuck vs The Christmas Eve Monsters

Small feet move softly across the carpeted floor of the the white house with the red door and the picket fence. The young boy with chocolate curls and blue eyes slowly opens the door to his bedroom and steps out quietly, he twists the door knob when he closes the door so it doesn't make a clicking sound. Content that it is shut, he proceeds to tiptoe down the hallway, making sure that the lights are closed in his parent's room.

Stephen starts to make his way down the stairs, but pauses when he notices the additional noise of sniffing and the extra footsteps. He turns around to see the culprit sniffing at his feet.

"Shhh, Rufus," Stephen places his finger over his lips. "You can only be part of the mission if you be quiet."

The family dog, a golden retriever the Bartowskis adopted from the pound a year ago, christened Rufus William Chazzie by Stephen (when he couldn't decide which name he wanted), sinks onto his hindquarters and nods in compliance. Stephen pats his head and smiles.

"Okay," the boy relents. "You can be part of the mission. But you have to be quiet."

The dog wags his tail happily, but when it makes a sound against the wood of the stairs, Stephen puts his finger over his lips again because he knows how easily his mother wakes and how his father follows suit and this is a top secret mission.

The two make their way down the stairs as Stephen glances over at the milk and cookies on the table that he and his mother and father all left out for Santa. They are still uneaten and he looks to the fireplace where his stocking hangs. It's empty and an initial bout of worry goes through Stephen that Santa thinks he's a bad boy. But after he takes a glance at the clock on the table, he realizes it's only eleven and Santa won't be there for another hour.

Rufus sits next to where Stephen is crouched, wagging his tail. Stephen pats the dogs' head again and begins to ponder how long he can stay up and if he'll get to see Santa. But he knows that spies don't just give up on a mission if it seems a little hard, which furthers his determination to see the big man in the red suit with his own two eyes.

Stephen realizes that that he can't wait up for Santa for another hour without his favorite stuffed T-Rex his mom and dad bought him last Christmas. So, again with Rufus on his tail, Stephen tip toes up the stairs and takes the red dinosaur he left on his bed. Just as he is about to leave his room and head back downstairs, Stephen begins to hear strange sounds.

Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, Stephen sees that it's only 11:10 and far too early for it to be Santa. The strange noises get louder and Stephen starts to get scared. He looks down at Rufus who seems unfazed but a little curious. Stephen begins to wonder if it's monsters like he saw on a cartoon yesterday with his Uncle Morgan and starts to worry. Carefully, he prods under the bed with his little league baseball bat, but feels nothing. Yet the noises remain.

"C'mon Rufus. We have to see if Mommy and Daddy are okay," Stephen tells the dog. With his T-Rex clutched in one hand and the bat in the other, Stephen leads his accomplice towards his parents room and knocks -albeit a little frantically- on his parent's door.

His father answers the door, dressed in only his boxers. "Stephen, what- "

The young boy pushes past his father and tells him to close the door once Rufus is in their room. Stephen rushes into his parents bed, next to his mother who is doing up the buttons of the dress shirt that she borrowed from his father.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Sarah asked as she stroked back his unruly curls.

"You and Daddy are okay?" he asked, still clutching the baseball bat and the T-Rex.

"We're okay, Buddy," Chuck answered as he slipped on one of his nerd inspired t-shirts over his head and sits back on the bed, causes it to depress a little and moves the baseball bat to the

"We're fine, sweetie," Sarah spoke. "What's the matter?"

"I heard noises. I thought it was something bad," he buries his face in the crook of his mother's neck as his father pats his back.

"What did you think it was, Buddy?"

"Monsters," Stephen admitted shyly. "That's why I brought my bat, in case you or Mommy were in trouble."

"That's very sweet of you, baby boy," Sarah smiles and kisses his hair. "But we're okay."

"Why did you think there were monsters?" Chuck asked.

"I heard noises. There's nothing under my bed but there were noises coming from your room. Really strange sounds."

Husband and wife share a glance and identical blushes at the realization of what their son had really heard.

"Mommy and Daddy are safe, Buddy," Chuck assures his son. "There are no monsters."

"Promise?" Stephen pulls his head out from it's previous place, buried in the crook of his mother's neck.

"Promise," Sarah smiles at him. "Besides, Daddy would protect me if there were any monsters."

"That's right. And your mother is more than capable of beating monsters on her own, but I'd be there to help," Chuck replied. The two shared a loving look. "Did the noises wake you up?" Chuck inquired, curious that this was happening now, but hadn't previously.

"I was awake," Stephen admitted shyly. "I wanted to see if Santa," a small pout came over his face. "You weren't supposed to know. It was a top secret mission."

"You've been a very good boy, Stephen," Sarah assures.. "Tomorrow morning Santa will have come with your presents."

Stephen nods his head in recognition, but he doesn't move from his place on his parents bed.

"Do you wanna sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight?" Chuck asks

He nods again, with a smile on his face as his mother helped him settle into their bed and tucks him in.

"Can Rufus sleep here too?" he asked. "I don't want him to be lonely on Christmas."

"Of course he can," Sarah answered as he gave the dog a pat from it's position on the floor of her side of the bed. "Goodnight, sweetheart," Sarah kissed her little boys' forehead. "Sleep well. We love you."

"Merry Christmas, Buddy," Chuck gave his son a hug.

It was late and Stephen was out like a light in ten minutes, sleeping snugly in between his parents and clutching his T-Rex, with Rufus curled up on the floor, next to the bed and besides Stephen's baseball bat.

"He's so thoughtful," Sarah whispered to her husband, with a smile. "Wanting to protect us from monsters."

"Brave and caring," Chuck mused.

"Don't forget nerdy," Sarah replied, gesturing to their son's choice of Justice League pajamas.

"Mmhm," Chuck nodded in agreement. "When do you think we should tell him?"

"Maybe tomorrow," she said. "He's been asking for a little brother or sister for a while, I guess he'll finally get one this year."

AN: I hope you all enjoyed that bit of holiday fluff. Like I said before hope you had a Merry Christmas and good luck to everyone for 2014. Please leave a review and I'll try my best to get back to writing, but I can't make any promises now.