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“Well this ought to be an adventure,” Stiles said as he and Lydia stepped inside the busy mall. “How are we going to do this?”
“Well, I mean, I’ve got to get you stuff, you’ve got to get me stuff, the girls have to get us stuff.”
“The girls are one, they’ll get you whatever I decide they're going to get you.”
"Well that's no fun! I'm going to let them pick out what they're getting you."
Lydia sighed. "Well then how do you want to do it, Stiles?"
"I think we should split up. You take them for a bit, then we'll meet back up and switch."
"Fine, we'll do it your way." Lydia took the stroller from Stiles and walked off in one direction while he walked off in the other.
An hour later, they made plans to meet back at the food court for lunch.
"Did you find anything good?" Lydia asked when she saw Stiles come back with a couple of bags.
"I got some T-O-Y-S for S-A-N-T-A to bring."
Lydia sighed, "Why are you spelling things again?"
"Because who knows how much they can comprehend right now? I don't want the magic to be ruined before they have a chance to enjoy it."
"I really don't think they'll care."
Stiles sighed, he wasn't going to argue. "Oh, I saw some Disney princess camping sets in a store down that way," he pointed in the direction he'd come. "Remember we talked about how cute that would be... you know, set up a tent in the living room and they could sleep in there with their sleeping bags!"
Lydia nodded. They did talk about that. "Why didn't you get it?"
"Because it was too bulky to carry around. I figured I could just let them walk or carry them when I take them, and you can use the stroller and carry all the bags."
"Okay, whatever. It is going to be your arms that'll feel the pain tomorrow."
When they finished eating, Lydia got up to throw their trash away and an elderly woman came up to her.
"I just want to tell you that my daughter and I have been watching your little family, and I just wanted to say, you're doing an awesome job as a mom, and your husband seems like such a wonderful father."
"Oh, he's not my-" Lydia started to say before it registered what the lady had told her. "Um," she tried as she blinked tears out of her eyes that had stealthily crept up. "Thank you. Really. Thank you." The woman smiled before walking away, and Lydia walked back to where Stiles was trying to get a diaper bag together to take with him.
When he looked up, concern filled his voice, "Are you okay?" Lydia came back wiping tears away. "What did she say to you?" He was not opposed to punching an old lady in the face if she deserved it.
"No, it wasn't anything bad!" Lydia told him before he got up to make a scene. "She just wanted to say what wonderful parents we were."
"Seriously?" Stiles sat back. "Like for real?"
Lydia nodded. "Yeah, it caught me off guard."
"Well, that was really sweet."
"I know, right!" Lydia grabbed her purse off the back of her chair and put it cross-body around her neck. "Well, I'm going to make my way over to that store you were talking about."
“Alright, we'll get going in a minute.” Lydia leaned down and kissed him quickly.
“Be good for Daddy,” she told her girls before walking away.
When Lydia left, Stiles turned back to the twins. “Alright, I'm going to tell you a secret. The real reason I didn't get your present earlier, was so I could send Mommy to get it so she wouldn't see us getting her present. See...your daddy's smart.” He reached over to pick up Amelia, when he looked down at her feet. “Where's your shoe?” He bent over and found it under the table, and when he came back up with it there was a woman standing there.
“Awe, aren't they the cutest things!”
When he realized she was referring to his daughters, he smiled as he put Amelia's shoe back on. “Oooh, say 'thank you',” he cooed and the girls babbled something that could have been right.
The girl chuckled. “You look like you're doing a great job. I applaud any single father-”
“Oh, I'm not...” Stiles shook his head. “I'm not single.”
“Oh...my bad. I just didn't see a ring.”
“Oh...well...I mean..I'm not married, but...I've been with their mom for awhile...so...”
The girl smiled. “Right...well... if you ever need a baby sitter or...you know...just a night off...text me.” She slipped him a piece of paper. He looked down and saw a phone number written on it.
“Oh, I don't think that'll be necess-” He looked back up and the girl was already 10 feet away. Stiles turned back to the twins and held the number up. “Are you watching this?” Then he threw the number away. “And we don't tell Mommy about this, otherwise she'll never leave you alone with me again.”
Lydia was leaning against a wall, on her phone while she was waiting for Stiles to come back with her children.
“Lydia?” She looked up, a blonde guy coming toward her. “Lydia Martin?”
Lydia stared at him a moment, recognizing him slightly, but she couldn't remember from where. Then it hit her. “Brandon?” He nodded. Brandon was a guy she went on a double date with back in junior year and slept with a couple of times before meeting Aiden.
He was still coming toward her and wrapping her in a hug, which felt a little awkward, but she went with it.
“Oh my God! How are you?” He asked her.
“I'm good! Do you uh...do you live here now?”
“Yeah, I'm a model.”
“That....is actually...not surprising at all.” She'd recalled the 6 pack he'd sported.
Brandon laughed, “Hey, you know what? We should catch up! How about I buy you a coffee...or dinner?”
Lydia smiled and chuckled. “I don't th-”
“Oh come on! A drink?”
“I'm with-”
“Mama!” She heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Stiles coming back carrying a twin in each arm.
“Hi!” Lydia smiled wide and held her arms out so Aurora could fall into them. “Were you good for Daddy?”
“Wee!” Aurora replied.
“Yeah, 'wee' we had fun,” Stiles laughed nervously. Lydia raised an eyebrow, but Stiles turned to Brandon. “Who is this?”
“Brandon! You remember Stiles. Right?”
“Uhh...kind of?” He seemed confused. Brandon shook his head. “Sorry, I … I didn't realize you were married.”
“I'm not.. but “ she shrugged and smiled. “I had his babies, so he's stuck with me.”
Stiles grinned and wrapped his free arm around his girlfriend and kissed her temple.
“Oh...so, Stiles...what do you do?”
“I work for the FBI, so...I could probably commit the perfect murder....you know....hypothetically.”
“Okay, Christmas Eve means we can all open one present.” Stiles said slowly as the family sat by the tree.
“I really don't think they understand.”
“I think they understand a lot more than you think they do.”
Lydia just laughed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever you say.”
“I think that Aimee and Rorie should open these.” Stiles picked up two Christmas boxes and opened them up. “Look guys! Pajamas! That you can wear tonight for Santa! Yay!” He and Lydia decided to combine two of their childhood holiday traditions. His was getting pajamas to wear specifically for Christmas Eve and hers was to open a present on Christmas Eve. “Here, let's put them on!” Stiles began changing their shirts, then cocked his head toward one present in particular. “Hey, Lyds. How about you open that present right there.”
“O...kay..” She picked up the box, slightly confused, but went with it. Once she'd torn into the wrapping paper, she found a white cardboard box. Lydia opened the box carefully and looked inside. “Stiles?”
“What's in the box?” he asked.
Lydia wasn't looking at him, but she could hear the smile in his voice. She reached inside and pulled out the small velvet box, then took a deep breath before popping it open to reveal a diamond ring.
She looked back at him, tears in her eyes; and realized he was holding the girls in his lap, their new pajamas on. Amelia's pink shirt with purple writing saying “Will you” and Aurora's purple shirt with pink writing saying “marry Daddy?”
Aurora pointed to the velvet box in Lydia's hand. “Wee!”
Stiles rolled his eyes and smiled. “Yes, Rorie. It's the ring.”
“Pwee.” Amelia smiled.
“It is very pretty,” he replied, then turned to Lydia. “They helped me pick it out, and then they couldn't stop talking about it. I thought for sure you were going to figure it out.”
Lydia smiled and sniffled. “No. I had no idea.” She wiped the corner of her eye, and Stiles stood the girls up. He rose to one knee and took the box from Lydia's hand.
“Lydia...” His voice broke and he chuckled. “Well, let's see if I can even get through this.... I love you so much. You're the most amazing woman I've ever known, and an even more amazing mother. Sometimes I don't know how you even put up with me, but you do, and you do it with such grace." He paused and took a deep breath. "You've saved my life more times than I can count, and I honestly don't know where I would be if you weren't a part of it... and I don't want to find out. So, Lydia Martin, will you marry me?”
Lydia nodded, as tears fell down here cheeks. “Yes.” Stiles smiled and took the ring from it's box and slid it onto Lydia's finger. She grabbed his faced and kissed him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
She laughed and sat back, looking at her daughters' shirts. “When did you get these?”
“At the same time I got these,” he told her as he lifted two more shirts out of the first box: a red shirt with “She said...” in green writing, and a green shirt with red writing that said “Yes!!!”
Kira put a pie in the oven just as she heard her phone beep telling her she had an incoming text.
When she opened the message, at first glance it just looked like a cute family Christmas selfie. Stiles was wearing antlers and taking the picture with his right arm. His left arm was around Lydia's shoulders, while the banshee wore a Santa hat and held their twins in her lap.
“Wait a minute.” Kira mumbled before enlarging the picture to see a ring on Lydia's left hand positioned strategically under the word “yes” on Aurora's shirt. "Oh my God! Scott!”
“.....yeah hold on, Kira's calling me.” Scott walked into the ktichen and pointed to the phone. “It's Stiles. Did you hear?”
Kira sighed. “Yes. Tell him I said congratulations.” Scott opened his mouth to relay the message and Kira added louder, “and tell him to tell his fiancee to call me.”
“Did you hear that?” Scott asked, then nodded and turned back to Kira, “She's doing it now.”
A moment later Kira's phone began to ring, and she answered, “Oh my God! Tell me everything!”
"Oh no!" Lydia said later that night once “Santa” had visited and couple were in bed.
"What? Did we forget something?"
"Yeah, your Christmas Eve present."
Stiles just smiled. "I think you saying 'Yes' was the best present you could have given me."
Lydia sigh. "Whew! Good, because I don't think I can top that."
Stiles laughed and then seemed to realiize something. “Oh...”
“What?” Lydia asked him.
“I just thought...am I going to have to do this every year? Like... does your Christmas Eve present have to be jewelry now?”
“Yes.” Lydia nodded. “Yes it does. It's tradition.”