_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
I wanted to be
what you needed
so badly that
I forgot how to be
what I needed
— Ben Maxfield
°。°。°。°。°。°。
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— 2nd person
"Do we really have to wear these ugly sweaters?" Haley asks, tugging on her green Christmas sweater.
Phil was seated on the couch with Luke while Alex, Haley, Madison and Claire behind the couch.
"It's just until grandma can see them" Claire confirms, zipping up her own red Christmas sweater.
"Mine smells like poo" Luke complains, tugging on the color of his dark blue sweater. "Mine's itchy" Alex groans, scratching her arms.
"My sweater is choking me, before you know it my skin will turn blue from the lack of air" Madison jokes, looking down at her red sweater.
"You know what? I'd rather be itchy than this smell" Luke says, wanting this to be over.
"Come on, Phil hurry" Claire says, standing behind Phil.
"Okay, here we go. Connecting" Phil says, clicking on the laptop. "Come in, Florida over. Mom? Dad?" Phil mimics the static of a microphone.
The laptop connects to the call. "Hello, Phillip" Frank says, popping on the screen only showing his forehead and eyes.
Phil glances at everyone signaling that it's time. "Merry Christmas Eve!" They chorused.
"Merry Christmas Eve!" Frank cheers back. "A little lower dad" Phil says, meaning the screen. "Merry Christmas Eve!" Frank says in a lower tone.
They all laugh it off. "Thank you for the sweaters" Claire spoke louder. Frank finally lowers the screen, now seeing him fully.
"You're welcome. You look beautiful in them, darling" Frank replies. "Where's mom?" Phil asks.
"Mom is sinking fast" Frank jokes. They all look at each other not understanding the joke. "She's in the bathtub. Get it?" He adds on.
"They have that claw foot" Phil says to Claire.
"Honey, come on" Frank calls out for his wife. Phil turns the camera toward the Christmas tree that's standing in the family room.
"Hey pops, here's the tree. And there's the ornament you sent us" Phil says while Claire walks into frame to show where the ornament is hanging in the tree.
"Right here" Claire says, pointing at the crystal ornament. "There are the stockings hung by the chimney by Claire" Phil shows turning the cameras towards their chimney.
"Still funny" Frank chuckles. "What the hell is that?" Claire asked.
"What?" Phil looks up at Claire with confusion written all over his face. "What is that? That's looks like a cigarette burn" Claire declares, pointing at the burn mark on the couch.
"Was one of you smoking a cigarette?" Claire questions her kids. "No" they all answer. Claire not believing them and keeps asking who it was.
"Which one of you was smoking?" Claire repeats, wanting to know who did it. "Not me. I have a respiratory problem" Phil admits. Claire rolls her eyes at her husband.
"Obviously it wasn't you" Claire says to Phil. Frank still on the call looks awkwardly at the scene in front of him.
"Now I've got a family of liars and smokers" Claire exaggerates. "Honey, come here, you've got to see this" Frank calls out, not wanting to hang up.
"Did you shoplift your Christmas presents too?" Claire implied. Nobody says anything. "Haley, keep that ugly sweater on" Claire hisses, pulling down Haley her sweater.
Phil hesitates. "Anyway, Merry Christmas" He joys out.
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— Madison's pov
"This is unacceptable and I wanna know who did this" Mom begins, standing with dad in front of us with her arms crossed.
None of us say anything.
"Nobody, huh? I guess the couch did it to itself" Dad says, looking at all of us hoping we would crack.
"I guess it came home after a touch day lit up a cigarette and then it burned itself" Dad suggests.
"Is that what happened? Because that makes no sense" He says leaning forward. I sigh leaning my head on the back of the couch.
"If whoever's responsible doesn't come forward, your father and I are just gonna have to punish all three of you" Mom says, making dad nod his head.
"Are you serious" I exclaimed, lifting my head up from the couch. "That's not fair" Luke says.
"I can forgive the smoking, but I can't forgive the lie -phil- Or the smiling" Dad says smiling. Why the hell is he smiling?
"No one wants to confess huh?" He asks waiting for a reply.
"No? That's fine, because you know what happens next?" He questions us.
"We cancel Christmas" He continues. Be so fr.
"That's not fair" Luke says, pouting. "Okay dad sure" Haley huffs, not believing dad. I mean same yeah.
Looking at mom she also seems surprised.
"Okay guess where I'm headed? To take down the tree" Dad says walking to the tree. I raise my eyebrows at him.
"That's right guys, this is your last chance" He says, almost tripping over the presents. "Come on guys" Mom pleads.
"Whoever did this, just take responsibility. Don't put the rest of us through this" Mom tries to convince us.
She looks over at Luke who at any moment will cry. "Luke?" She asks him. He shakes hit head softly pouting.
"This is really it. Okay? Here we go" He pretends to take out the decorations but stops again. Like I said he won't do it.
"Three, two, one" He counts down, again pretending to take the tree down. "Okay. Goodbye Dunphy Christmas"
"Maddy, I guess your not getting that car" He confesses, taking down the tree. Dammit I thought he was joking.
"I was getting a car!" I exclaimed.
"No, I was lying, because that's what we do now. Dunphys are liars" He says, walking away with he whole damn tree
"Why would you lie about that" I sneered, watching dad walk away.
"I can't believe it's all gone. Dad never follows through" Haley says, shaking her head.
"Are you sure one of your friends didn't burn the couch?" Alex accuses, leaning on the piano.
"Hey don't look at me. Only one of us was caught with a lit cigarette in their hand" Haley says, looking at me.
"Oh come on, I was 3 and grandma put that in my hand it's not like I smoked it" I scoff. "And don't forget that Luke was caught playing with matches multiple times" I add.
"That was a year ago. Just admit that you did it" Luke says to me. "Oh yeah cause I love smoking so much, so much you can call me Chandler Bing 2.o" I sass.
"Just admit you did it" I fire back. Before Luke can say anything. "Okay, look. I have an idea" Alex chimes in.
"Do you remember the movie Spartacus?" Alex asks us.
"Is that the movie with Brad Pitt?" I guessed.
"No Maddy, that was the movie Troy. Anyways, here's what we do. Luke, you tell mom and dad it's your fault" Alex says.
"I didn't do it" He rushes out. "It doesn't matter, because after you confess, Haley, Maddy and I will confess to the same thing" Alex explains.
"How does that do anything?" Haley asks her. "They'll be so touched that we're protecting each other that they'll have to bring back Christmas" Alex finished.
"That's awesome" Luke smiled. His smile drops looking confused again. He forget already I know it.
"How does it work again?" He asks.
All three of us walk into the kitchen. "Mom? Dad?" Luke began. "Hey Luke. What can we do for you?" Dad asks Luke, standing with his hands on his hips looking over at mom.
"I did it. I was playing with matches. I'm sorry" Luke confesses in a soft tone. "You did the right thing by confessing but, this is bad buddy. I mean really bad okay?" Dad says walking backwards to the back door.
"Claire, you wanna handle this?" He says walking out the door.
"Um.... Luke, why didn't you say anything?" Mom asks him. "Mhmm.... I don't know" He mumbles out.
"Okay, well your father and I are extremely disappointed in you. So, go up to your room. Go on" Mom says putting her arm around Luke his shoulders.
"Alex!" Luke calls out for her. "We'll be up to talk to you in a minute" Mom says pushing Luke out of the kitchen.
"Haley? Maddy!" He cried out. "What?" Haley asks. He looks at us pleadingly. "Say something!" He says getting out of moms hold.
"About what?" Alex asks, acting like she doesn't know.
Luke scoffs. "I take it back" He says to mom. He squints her eyes at all four of us. "What is going on?" She asks us.
"These guys were going to say they did it too, and you were going to be proud of all of us" Luke admits.
"Why would we do that?" Haley asks Luke. I just stand there not moving, not saying anything. Maybe then they will forget i am even here.
"I don't know what to believe with this kid" Alex says in disbelief. Luke rolls his eyes and shakes his head in annoyance.
"Liars! I didn't do it" Luke says.
Mom looks at Haley. "We'll it's wasn't me" Haley claims.
"Don't look at me!" Alex says, throwing het hands in the air. "Maddy?" Mom asks me. Is she fr?
"Yeah I totally did it, cause I am so addicted to smoking. Last time I checked I have Asthma" I remind her.
"Seriously?" Mom snapped. Dad walks back into the room panting, holding the Christmas tree under his right arm.
"Wait, nobody did it again?" He says, pausing in his walk. "No, that's fine. Guess what?" He continued.
"Christmas is still canceled" He announces, pointing his finger at us.
I let out a groan. "That's fine by me" He says, walking back into the backyard.
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— 2nd person
"Honey" Phil begins, walking towards his wife. She looks up. "Mmmm" She murmurs, fiddling with a Christmas ball.
He sits down beside her. "Would it really be so bad to back down?" Phil suggest. Claire sighs. "And have the kids never take any of our threats seriously again?" She says.
"Yeah" Phil agrees. Claire looks down at her hand again playing with the decoration again.
Phil looks up with a smile on his face. "Or... The kids could realize that were making a supreme sacrifice by giving up our power to save their Christmas" Phil explains his idea.
"Which would be in a way be the greatest gift that we could ever give them" Claire says, understanding what her husband means.
"And which would be paradoxically make them respect us even more" Phil finishes the sentence. Claire pauses shaking her head.
"Okay, forget that. Go back one" Phil says.
"Hey, guys" Alex says walking down the stairs. "It was me" She stutters, walking slowly into the family room.
"What?" Both Phil and Claire ask, standing up from the piano bench.
"I found a cigarette at school and when no one was home and I tried it I guess I held it too close to the couch" Alex confesses.
Phil and Claire open their mouths to say something.
"I am so sorry" Alex rushed out before Phil or Claire can say anything.
"You can take my Christmas away but don't take it from everyone else" Alex says folding her arms.
"That is very noble of you to care about the family, but you still smoked and lied. That's really bad. Now, help me grab the tree" Phil says excitedly, the corners of his mouth lifting up.
Phil and Alex walk away towards the back door. "Phil, Alex, come on back" Claire says.
"Starting December 26, you're grounded for a full week, and that includes New Years Eve" Claire sighs.
"But, I was" Alex gets cut off. "Yeah, non negotiable. So..." Claire concluded, shrugging her shoulders.
Alex nods reluctantly.
"Everybody, it's official. Christmas is back on" Phil yells out. Announcing the other kids. Madison, Luke and Haley rush down the stairs.
"Your not joking again are you? Because I will throw myself out the window" Madison asks, leaning on the stair railing.
"No Maddy, it's not a joke" Phil says, smiling brightly.
"Stockings. Lights. Ornaments. Wreath" Phil list off, pointings at everyone for their own task to do.
Everybody is surrounded in the family room. Luke, Phil and Alex on the floor. Hayley was seated in the piano bench. Claire on the arm chair in the corner and Madison laying upside down on the couch.
"All righty. Here's another one for Luke. Looks like a book" Phil says, handing Luke his present.
"I have a book already" Luke complains. Looking at Phil who has diving googles on.
Madison sits up sniffing in the air. "What the hell is that smell?" She asks, looking at her parents.
Smoke coming of the couch. "What is that? Oh my god. The couch is smoking" Claire says, standing up from the armchair.
Everybody surrounds the couch. Phil waves his hand in front burn. He gasps. "It's the sunlight" Phil says, looking at Claire,
Haley looks around for the source. "It's the ornament" Haley says, holding the crystal ornament.
"It's like a magnifying glass" Luke wonders. Phil looks at his wife, eyes wide.
"Hey, how weird is that? It's burning a hole in the exact same spot that Alex was smoking in" Haley concluded.
"Alex, why did you take the blame?" Phil asks his daughter.
"I didn't want to lose Christmas" Alex admits, looking over at Claire.
"That is so stinking beautiful" Phil says. He glances at his other kids. "Get in here. Yes" He says holding out his arms. "It's huggy time" He adds. Holding his family in his arms.
"Wait you were going to take Christmas away for something none of us did" Madison says, looking at her dad.
"Well, uhhh Christmas is about moving forward" He stumbles over his words. He moves forwards to hug his family again but Alex stops him.
"I've never heard that" Alex says smugly. Claire nods her head. "Actually, honey, you did king of shoot your mouth off" Claire agrees.
"You called us all liars" Luke points out.
"You took away the biggest holiday" Claire also points out.
everyone talks at once loudly pointing out Phil's mistake. "I made a mistake, I made a mistake" he admits.
"And people make mistakes and they make up for those mistakes" He says slowly, not knowing what to say.
"By taking their family to Italy!" He announces in a unsure tone.
All the kids cheer and jump around while Claire shakes her head in disbelief.
"Fucking Italy here we come" Madison yells happily.
"Maddy language" Claire scolds her.
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Authors note ↓
Again it has been a while since I updated. I graduated finally! This Wednesday I have my graduation and I have been to Paris 4 days with school.
Been to Disneyland AND I met Antman🤭 wish I could've met all the avengers but I didn't :(( Anyway I had a lot of fun and I am back home so I will update faster 😝
Also because I haven't updated so long I have a long chapter for you all sadly no Will in this one. I know I miss him too. Next chapter he will definitely be in there.
I haven't proof read so spelling mistakes can be found please let me know
Also another reminder English is not my first language:)
Have a good morning, good afternoon and goodnight!