had been sleeping in relatively late every day because of Winter Break.

She liked sleeping in late too. Her body felt well rested. She could be as lazy as she wanted to be, and she didn't have to worry about school whatsoever.

Daisy's body didn't feel well rested when Calypso was shaking her awake, and Daisy was annoyed.

"Stop it." Daisy groaned, shutting her eyes tighter. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew her body wasn't ready to wake up. She could use another few hours of sleeping.

"It's Christmas!" Calypso spoke excitedly, not letting up on aggressively shaking her sister. "And...and there are a bajillion presents in the living room! Santa bought us presents!"

Daisy had the feeling that it wasn't actually Santa Claus that had purchased those presents but rather Mark Sloan's credit card, and that made Daisy feel guilty.

Daisy sat up a little bit, her eyes still slightly shut as she tried to adjust to the light outside. "What? What time is it?"

Calypso only shrugged. "I...I don't know, but it doesn't matter! You have to get up!"

Daisy groaned, figuring it would be easier to oblige than to try to ignore an excited six-year-old on Christmas morning.

She stood up, letting an all but bouncing Calypso lead her out of her bedroom and down the halls.

Like Calypso had said, the living room was packed with Christmas presents, and it was unlike anything she had ever seen. There were all sorts of packages and wrapping paper and shiny bows.

This felt a whole lot like Christmas with the Johnsons, and Daisy wouldn't be surprised if Mark let loose the whole "you're going back into the system" speech.

The living room was far too elaborate for just a nice gesture. Daisy figured Mark had some bad news to deliver, just like the Johnsons had that Christmas morning years ago.

Except...Mark wasn't pregnant, was he?

Calypso wasted no time in immediately making her way over to the presents, sitting beside Callie. Callie looked equally as excited about all the presents as Calypso did.

Mark was sat on the couch with a cup of coffee looking happy too. He didn't bat an eye at all the packages that filled his living room.

The only person that seemed to mirror how Daisy was feeling was Arizona. The blonde didn't seem happy about being up so early, and she was making pancakes in the kitchen while being half-asleep.

"This is so cool!" Calypso was in wonder, looking over at her older sister. "Daisy! Come here!"

Daisy was overwhelmed by the amount of presents though, and she was overwhelmed at the thought of how much money had been spent. She felt...guilty.

She stood for a moment, trying to collect herself. She didn't make an attempt to move over to Calypso, something that made the younger girl frown. But Callie very quickly drew Calypso's attention away from Daisy.

"Ooh, that one." Callie pointed to a big red box with a shiny gold bow. "That one says Callie, that's mine."

"Caly with a y." Mark corrected, shaking his head. "That's not for you."

"Where are the 'Callie with an ie' presents?" Callie grumbled, standing up from her spot to sift through the gifts before turning to look back at Mark. "What did you get me?"

"My love and affection."

Callie scowled. "Not good enough."

"Thank you?" Mark was slightly offended as his adult best friend sifted through presents like a child. "Yours are in the back. Why can't Caly and Daisy go through theirs first?"

"Yeah, because Daisy looks thrilled about going through presents." Callie remarked sarcastically, shifting the attention in the room onto Daisy.

The girl looked terrified outwardly, but she honestly didn't feel terrified. It was more or less just a wave of feeling overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed beyond belief, and she couldn't stop the feeling.

"You okay?" Mark asked. He had been expecting smiles and happiness on Christmas morning, so he wasn't sure why Daisy looked so petrified.

"...Yeah." Daisy nodded, her voice wavering as she spoke. "It's just...it's...it's a lot."

"That's a good thing though, right?"

Daisy didn't answer Mark's question as her eyes were glued warily on the presents, as if Mark had buried a time bomb amongst the gifts.

"Santa brought all of this just for us." Calypso spoke gently in amazement, her eyes still not adjusting to all of the presents.

"Calypso." Daisy warned, nervously glancing over at Mark before flashing a look at her sister. She wasn't sure how angry Mark would feel about all of his credit being wrongly placed on someone else. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" Mark frowned. "He did bring all of these presents."

Daisy frowned at that, Mark's words only propelling Calypso to continue.

"He brought all of this for us." Calypso repeated herself. She was stuck in a sort of amazement that just wouldn't go away, and she looked at her sister happily. "Santa didn't skip our house this year! He didn't forget!"

The gravity of Calypso's words held a damper on the room as silence engulfed everyone. Calypso didn't seem to notice what she had said, her smile as wide as ever as she glanced at the presents yet again.

Daisy felt uncomfortable though when the adults looked over at her, and Calypso's words brought back a nightmarish swarm of the terrible Christmas the girls had endured last year with the Walters, the look on Calypso's face as Daisy had to explain that Santa had accidentally forgotten their house.

"Calypso." Daisy snapped, really just wanting her sister to shut up with the personal information that she could never just keep to herself. "Stop it with the Santa thing, he isn't even real."

The way that Calypso's smile flipped into a frown made Daisy immediately regret her words. She hadn't meant to make the six-year-old miserable alongside her, but that's exactly what she had done. Her guilt intensified even more.

"Woah woah woah." Mark frowned, looking seriously offended by what Daisy had said. "Don't spew lies in my house."

Calypso eased a bit at Mark's response. She knew he was telling the truth and her sister was just trying to be mean. Calypso knew deep down that an adult wouldn't ever lie about Santa Claus.

Daisy wanted to yell, and she wasn't sure why. There were too many thoughts floating around in her head, and she needed to get it all out before she exploded.

The presents were too much. The presents were way too much, and Daisy had the urge to ask Mark to return all of it.

Calypso was so happy, though. She had begun to unwrap presents right alongside an excited Callie. The child and the adult woman's energy matched perfectly, both of them wide-eyed and excited with each new present that was unwrapped.

Mark felt like he had succeeded as he watched the happiness unfold from the couch, emptying his coffee cup subconsciously.

Staying up all night trying to make sure that every single thing was perfect meant severe exhaustion, and it also meant that Mark found it crucial to make a second cup of coffee in the kitchen.

Arizona was also being suspiciously quiet, and Mark figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure that the woman hadn't fallen asleep on the pancakes.

Upon getting up to actually go to the kitchen though, Daisy caught his attention. She was drumming her fingers against her thigh rapidly as she stood, her eyes cloudy. She looked very anxious, and Mark was confused.

Wasn't Christmas morning the one guaranteed time of the year that every kid is happy? Did Daisy have a secret phobia of wrapping paper or something?

"There's presents for you too." Mark spoke, kind of scaring Daisy. She had been so zoned out that she hadn't seen the man approach her. "If...you wanted to open them."

Daisy only shook her head. She didn't really want to open any presents, she was okay with just watching Calypso open hers.

"Is there something wrong?"

"It's just too much." Daisy spoke, that wave of overwhelming thoughts hitting her hard again. "I mean...it's nice, but...I don't...I think maybe you should return everything."

"That's not happening." Mark remarked confidently. "Postage to the North Pole has got to be a fortune. I'm pretty sure Santa has a 'no-return' policy anyway."

Mark was clearly trying to be funny, but Daisy couldn't find the humor in his statement.

"I'm serious." Daisy frowned, upset that Mark wasn't taking her seriously. She looked over at Calypso, the younger girl in her glory as she unwrapped a small pink bicycle. "I mean...a bike? She doesn't even know how to ride a bike. It all just seems excessive."

"Can't she learn?" Mark proposed, Daisy frowning like she hadn't thought of that. "I'm sure Santa didn't mean to upset you with all the presents-"

"Stop it with the Santa thing." Daisy groaned. "It's...it's not funny."

"You're very anti-Santa." Mark noted distastefully as he frowned. "I'm sure if Santa had known you weren't a believer, he would've brought you coal."

"Mark." Daisy groaned. Mark thought this was all fun and games, and he was disregarding Daisy's mental turmoil. She tried to speak up again, her voice wavering as she did so. "It's too much. You need to take it back."

Daisy was confused when Mark had a light-hearted smile appear on his face, the man leaning in like he was telling her a secret. "It's Christmas, Daisy. You're allowed to be a kid, just for today."

Daisy tended to try and play adult 24/7, something that so blatantly put a physical and mental strain on her. Mark didn't think it was right that she tried to assume all responsibility at thirteen.

Daisy wasn't sure what Mark had meant by that. Daisy knew she was a kid, she was always a kid. What did he mean by that?

"But, I-"

"Daisy!" Calypso called for her sister, holding up a neatly wrapped white box with a green bow as she beamed from her spot on the living room floor. "This one has your name on it!"

Daisy hesitated, not sure what to do. She didn't trust Mark at all, and she was still waiting for the announcement that would punch her in the gut.

But she hadn't remembered the last time she had opened a Christmas present, and her curiosity and longing were tugging at her.

Maybe that's what Mark had meant.

She couldn't remember the last time she had just been careless, like how Calypso was. Children were always so careless and happy, and Daisy wondered if thirteen was too old an age for her to regress to a happier and careless state of mind.

She probably couldn't anyway with the way that her brain liked to torture her, but the thought that maybe thirteen was an acceptable age to be a kid again gave her a spark of hope.

Calypso had to be watched after constantly. Daisy was the one that protected her and did everything for her, Daisy had to be the adult for Calypso.

But...maybe on Christmas morning, Daisy could ease off of her responsibilities a little bit. There were three other adults in the apartment, maybe Daisy could let them assume responsibility.

Just for today, Mark had proposed.

Daisy wouldn't ever stop being so protective and guarded, but maybe just for today she could shrug responsibility off.

Daisy cautiously approached her little sister as she sat beside her on the hardwood floor, Calypso smiling as widely as ever.

Mark watched as Daisy seemed to relax a little bit beside Calypso, feeling content as he began to retreat to the kitchen to fill up on coffee.

"Ooh, Arizona." Callie called happily, retrieving a small box wrapped in gold paper. "I think Santa might have brought you something you really want."

Callie had watched her wife eye the same diamond necklace for months every time they went into the jewler. Naturally, Callie had to get it for Arizona.

"Is it a leg?" Arizona asked hopefully from the kitchen.

Mark was in the kitchen adding water to the coffee pot when Callie walked in, holding the box enwrapped in gold paper.

Arizona grunted in disappointment when she saw the size of the tiny box. "Not a leg."

Callie's smile faltered for a moment, but she knew Arizona was just in a bad mood because it was so early in the morning. "No, but...it's even better than that."

Callie placed the small box on the counter beside Arizona, her excitement radiating.

Arizona acknowledged the present, flitting her eyes to it before looking away, focusing instead on the pancake batter she was mixing.

"You're not gonna open it?"

Arizona forced a small smile, looking over at Callie. "I'm tired, Cal, and I'm making breakfast for everybody. Maybe later."

Callie frowned. "But...can't you just take a second to open it? I thought you'd like it, I just want to see-"

"I'm sure I'll love it." Arizona nodded. "I'll open it later."

Callie was so excited for Arizona to open the diamond necklace though, she just wanted to see her open it now rather than later.

"Arizona."

"I said later, Calliope." Arizona snapped at her wife, her attention only on pancakes at the moment.

The tension in the kitchen was so thick that it made Mark think there was some kind of underlying issue. Maybe they had an argument that had traveled into this morning.

Whatever the case, Mark had never been more excited to exit his kitchen, making his way over to the couch. He wanted to watch the two girls open presents in the living room rather than watch the two women argue in the kitchen.

Daisy had started to get a little more comfortable with the whole "opening presents"

thing. There were still so many gifts, but they didn't seem quite so overwhelming now.

Daisy had just finished unwrapping a new book while Calypso looked for another present under the tree for her sister to unwrap.

"I think this one's yours too." Calypso held up another white package with a green bow. She wasn't great with reading, but Daisy's name was one of the only things she could confidently make out.

Calypso handed her the third white package in a row with a green bow in the corner. She surveyed the rest of the gifts with white wrapping paper, a green bow strategically placed in the same exact spot on each package.

"I think all the white ones are yours." Calypso noted, turning to Daisy as she smiled widely. "They're all the exact same."

Daisy took note that all the packages with her name on it were the exact same, something that weirdly made her feel incredibly soothed.

"I think Santa knows that you like patterns." Mark spoke, taking a sip of his coffee.

Daisy only blinked at Mark's words. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to insult the man for thinking she was dull in regards to the whole "Santa" thing or thank him for how much effort he had put into wrapping the packages.

Daisy was in wonder at the way this Christmas was the complete opposite of the nightmare that it had been last year. No hitting or screaming or empty living rooms, a Christmas tree with no presents beneath for the girls.

The memories that plagued Daisy's mind didn't even cross Calypso though. She wasn't thinking about Mr. Walter and his yelling. The six-year-old was merely sat in wonder about how Santa Claus knew everything. She was convinced that he was seriously the best.