Merry Merry Christmas

Maeve's First Christmas With Bobby

It took a couple of weeks (or months) but Maeve grew out of her soft and quiet self and became a very excited kid. Even after calling Bobby dad, she was still a little timid.

But after weeks and months of effort, she turned into the most extroverted shape-shifter ever.

... Maeve didn't know they could make snow-mans that big. The truck pulled up in the night to a house where a man had fallen from his roof, and on the roof was a giant snowman.

"Woah, that's a big snowman."

"Yup." Chimney agreed, staring up at it. "Alright, Chimney, Hen, you're with me... Uh, Buck, can you take the toddler to bed please?"

"I'm not tired." Maeve protested, but Buck was already leading her to the truck. "Boo, sleeping is for the weak..." She grumbled, crossing her arms as she sat in the engine.

"Then be the weak, come on, just a little nap." Buck pleaded, and the toddler huffed, nodding her head.

By the time everyone else came back to the truck, Maeve had already fallen asleep, sprawled out on the seat like a cat (which she was). "Phew, I thought she was gonna ignore me..." Bobby sighed.

"She doesn't usually fall asleep?" Hen asked. "She's only sleeps like twice a week or something... I hope..."

"At least she is out now."

Maeve woke up a few hours later and found herself asleep in Athena's bedroom. She shape-shifted into a mouse and quietly shuffled to the door, she stood by it and watched Athena and Bobby talk.

"You could sleepover, Maeve is already asleep here anyways. We could make a night out of it." Athena's voice echoed. "We could.." Bobby hummed.

Maeve was about to go back to bed when she heard Athena say something about moving in.

What?

Bobby turned to her and the two started talking, it looked serious. Maeve backed into the room and hopped onto the bed. If Bobby moved in with Athena, where would she go?

Would he abandon her?

She didn't want that.

She didn't want to go back to that place or another place like it. Needles, fake suns, endless operations and cameras watching their every move.

She really liked the 118, did she have to leave?

She lied down in bed, trying to go back to sleep when she heard Bobby come in. She felt him pick her up and heard the door close, halfway through the car ride, Maeve opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Maeve, did I wake you?" Bobby said apologetically. "No." Maeve yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to move in with Athena?"

That question startled Bobby, what was he supposed to say? 'No, we are not moving in because I freaked out and got scared?'

"Not yet, kiddo..." Bobby smiled. "If you move in with her, will you give me back to the orphanage?" Maeve asked, frowning. Bobby almost crashed the car at that question.

"What do you mean by that, sweetie?" Bobby asked, trying to hide his worry.

"If you move in with Athena, where will I go?" Maeve asked again. "... Well, with me." He answered, and Maeve looked down, like she was thinking about whether he was lying or not.

"Listen to me, Maeve." Bobby said firmly, making the toddler immediately look up. "I will never, ever, abandon you. You are stuck with me, whether you like it or not.... Okay?"

That made Maeve smile a little. "Okay.."

"Good, now get some rest, you are staying up way past your bedtime again." He chuckled.

...

By the time Maeve woke up again, she was on the couch in the firehouse with loud noises from downstairs. She put on her headphones and looked down from the top. There were a lot of people, the firehouse was dressed in lights.

"What's going on?" She whispered to herself. Shapeshifting into a cat, Maeve walked down the stairs with her headphones around her neck, taking in the surroundings.

Oh yeah, the firehouse toy drive thing.

The little cat walked around unnoticed until she bumped into a kid, and it attracted more kids. "Aww, kitty!" They squealed excitedly. Maeve took one look at them, and her ears folded back.

They chased the little cat all around the firehouse, screaming kitty. "Do we have a cat?" Chimney asked Buck, as the kids passed them by, they stared at each other for a moment before realising.

"Do we help her?" Eddie asked. "Not until I get a good video." Buck smirked, the chase lasted about 5 minutes until Maeve climbed the firetruck and stayed there.

"Now we help." Buck smiled, putting his phone away. "Stay here, kids... I will get the cat down." Chimney said, climbing the truck slowly. "And Maeve, I swear to god if you become a snake."

"Meow." The cat growled as Chimney picked her up. "Holy crap, you are a soft cat!" Chimney wowed. He let the cat down and the children all petted her.

"She's so pretty, what's her name?" One of the younger kids asked, stroking the irritated cat's head. "Her name is Maeve, she belongs to the captain."

"That is a weird name for a cat. Why didn't you name it Fuzzy paws or something lame?" One of the older kids asked with a snarl, and Chimney wanted to slap him. "It's hard to explain."

"Are you guys even real firefighters?" Another one asked, and Buck was about to argue with a bunch of 12 year olds when Maeve hissed at them, scaring the older kids.

A few minutes later, the two older kids were being chased by a cat with headphones.

"Cap!" Buck called chasing after the cat and Bobby, who was in front of the chase, paused mid conversation and picked up the cat. "There you are!" He chuckled, petting the cat.

"Woah, you are really soft."

...

The shifts fly by and Maeve found herself at the end of the day, she was expecting to drive back to the apartment but she found that Bobby and her were going somewhere else.

"'Where're we going?" She asked. "Athena's house, we have something important to do." He smiled, placing the kid in the car. "Is it paperwork?"

"Something better."

They get to her house and Athena opened the door and looked surprised, but it dissolved into happiness when Maeve grinned at her. "Mama!" Maeve squealed, hugging her.

"Hi baby... Bobby! I-I... I didn't know you were coming."she smiled, hugging Maeve.

"Can we come in?" He asked with a charming look. "Sure thing." She nodded.

Maeve came in and rushed around, looking frantically. "Baby, what are you looking for?" Athena laughed. "Presents! And you didn't leave any carrots out for the reindeers." Maeve looked disappointed.

"What about Santa?"

"Everyone loves him, no one cares about the reindeers." She explained, making the couple laugh.

"How about you go get some carrots and milk, I need to talk with Athena for a moment." Bobby suggested, Maeve nodded and went into the kitchen.

She rummaged through the fridge and finally found a carrot when she heard a gasp from the living room, she peeked around and saw Bobby kneeling down with a ring.

Bobby was saying something but Athena grabbed his face before he finished his sentence. They immediately got up and hugged, which left Maeve more confused.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Bobby turned to her and Maeve swore she saw tears in his eyes. "Me and Athena are getting married!" He announced happily, and the toddler tilted her head.

She heard about it somewhere before.

"What does that mean?"

"That means Bobby will become my husband and you will officially be my step-daughter!" Athena beamed, picking her up. "Uh... Okay then." Maeve nodded, still not getting it.

...

The next day, Hen, Karen, Micheal and his boyfriend came over.

They were all checking out Athena's ring. "You must be excited about the wedding." Micheal smiled at Maeve who was playing with Denny. "I thought they were already married before this." She giggled.

"You would make a cute flower girl." Karen added. "What's a flower girl?" Maeve asked. "It's someone who throws flowers onto the ground as they walk down the aisle." Denny answered.

"That's a job?" Maeve tilted her head. "A very important one." Athena said.

"Okay, consider it done!"

"And this ring is a rock star!" Karen said in awe. "You have taste, Bobby." Micheal's boyfriend added. "It is a promise to Athena's family for a life of love, loyalty, all the home cooked meals they can eat and a fluffy cat."

"And it's also a promise to also give Bobby and Maeve a place of comfort and happiness."

"Wait, wait- go back, a fluffy what now?" Hen raised her eyebrow, and the shape-shifter froze. "Recent discovery has led me, chimney and Bobby to discover Maeve is a super fluffy cat."  Buck chimed.

"Really?"

Everyone turned to Denny and Maeve, she sighed, grumbled and shape-shifted into a cat as everyone started to pet her.

"I can cross something off my bucket list! She is adorably soft." Micheal wowed. "She really is, and you only found out now?" Hen asked, stroking Maeve's head.

"Yeah!" Buck said.

"Anyways, how about we open up some gifts?"

The adults did a Secret Santa while Maeve and Denny just made cards for everyone, they were scribbled in crayon and drenched in a ton of glitter.

"This is from me and the 118, just a little gift." Bobby smiled, handing Maeve a neatly wrapped box. "Thanks!" The little girl exclaimed. She ripped the box apart, and stared inside, expecting a toy or some new colour pencils.

However, she found something even better.

It was a helmet and a jacket, a LAFD jacket. It was labeled 'Nash' and the helmet had a paw symbol on it in blue.

"You've been at the 118 for 3 months now, Maeve." Bobby explained. "So, we thought it's high time you get your own uniform!" Buck added.

"My own..?" Maeve repeated slowly, like it wasn't real and just some prank. "I spoke to Chief Alozno about you coming with us on shifts. He found out you have been helping out."

"Even though you're not old enough, you do have a special power. So we talked it out and he agreed to let you be the youngest person to wear that suit.... The first child firefighter and with a special job... Try it on, kid."

Hesitantly, Maeve put it on and shape-shifted many times, the jacket stayed on all the times. "Woah.." Maeve's eyes lit up.

"Welcome to the team, probationary firefighter Maeve-" Bobby held out his hand to shake Maeve's, but she toppled him over in a hug before he could.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"No problem, kid."

Aww, fluff.

I hope the next chapter doesn't ruin it.