Day Five Part Three

A/N: Okay, so four days 'til Christmas! Merry Cristmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I highly doubt I'll finish this before Christmas, but I will finish it. I apologize for any spelling errors. Hope you like it! Please R&R!

I wasn't scared. It was looking at me with it's big black, and...hairy eyes, but I wasn't scared... Oh my godfather. It was going to pounce.

I moved my arm slowly, watching it watch me. No sudden movements and I wouldn't suffer bodily harm. I pushed myself up from my lying position, standing up with caution. It was going to do it, any minute, going to come after me. No quick movements Anna, no quick- I dashed for the door and yanked it open, slamming it shut behind me. I gasped for air, bending over and resting my hands on my knees. I was safe. I just couldn't sleep in my bedroom tonight.

"What's wrong?" I looked up with an annoyed expression that melted at the sight of my favorite sibling.

"There's a really big spider on my ceiling." I watched as he looked down at me with a confused expression before he chuckled and shook his head.

"And here I actually thought something was wrong." He picked on me, punching me lightly in the arm. I'd so beat him in a punching contest. "Go get a broom, loser."

It was my turn to look at him in confusion before I threw my hands in the air dramatically. "I wanna kill it, not sweep it out the door!" I yelled at him in what I call my "duh" tone, one I had perfected over the years. It had a tendency for making people feel stupid when applied correctly in a proper situation, which made me feel smarter. Nothin' like lowering someone else's self-esteem to boost your own! Like this one girl in my school who's rather...big boned. She only hangs out with larger people so she looks smaller in comparison. Smart lass, eh?

"Oh my god," he ran a hand through his short hair, "squish it, you loser." His suggestion sank in to my sponge-like brain, that wasn't such a bad idea. I could squish it on my ceiling with the broom! But then it's legs would be all dangly and moving like they somehow do after death. I wonder if humans legs dangle for minutes after they die. Party at my casket!

Knock on wood.

I nodded slowly. "That could work." I walked past him only to have him follow next to me and into the kitchen where the all-faithful broom stood.

"So...did you check it out?" Jim brought up casually, following me out of the empty kitchen, this time with the ever so trusty broom in my hand.

"Affirmative, Jimmy Crack Corn." I smiled at the use of our childhood spy nicknames, then frowned at the one he had chosen for me.

"Good, Sewer Scum." Don't ask. It was all his immature mind could think of at the tender age of nine and a half. At least I gave him a good one. I wasn't scummy like those few stenchitized kids that I'm assigned seats next to in school. Or behind Farty Frank. Or Cologne Colon. People must just not realise how nasty it is to bath in your cologne, well, I suppose we should give them all some credit for caring about their body odor at all. Kudos. And I'd never visited a sewer, not after I'd seen that movie C.H.U.D. That wasn't happening. I won't even walk over one of those rain-hole things in the ground anymore. Who knows what might pull you down in and eat you. "And when, pray tell, do you plan on putting the device to use on Georgina?" I smiled. We had nicknames for everyone.

"Dinner sounds about good, don't you think?" I asked, opening my door slowly to find the spider had moved. Moved somewhere. In my room. And I didn't know where. Shit. I hope it didn't fall on my bed.

I turned back sadly to Jim Bob who was staring at the floor thoughtfully. "Perfect." He nodded before letting out a chuckle. "And speaking of dinner, mom wants to talk to you."

I groaned. She probably wanted my help. And in that category of my non existing talents...the judges score a...dun, dun, dun...zero! I can't do anything. Really. I burn toast, my eggs always stick to the bottom of the pan, and never come off, the few times I've ever attempted to cook meat it always ends up raw. Biting into a raw hamburger. Mmm. Juicy.

"Let's go, let's go. She only wants to talk to you, don't worry. She's not stupid enough to let you actually touch the food." I glared at the ground as I shuffled my feet with my brother pushing me down the stairs.

"Gee Jim, your great at lifting spirits." I spat sarcastically, but jokingly, and smiled up st him as we reached the kitchen, now accompanied by three people. I ran my eyes past Louville, then to the guy standing next to him with an all too familar smirk gracing his lips. I caught his eye and glared at him. I don't know why he angers me so much, I haven't even friggin' known him for a day and he just- keep smirking you little asshole, I'll get you. And your little smirk too.

"Anna!" I heard the screech of my mother that couldn't be explained any further than sounding like Ron Weasley's howler on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. God I pictured Sirius Black hot, they totally ruined his image in my he-

"Yeah mom?" I snapped back to reality, oops there goes rabbit, hehe, at least I think those are the words-

"Don't you yeah mom me Anna, Timmy Peter's just called." Mommie Dearest cut off my thoughts again with her sickeningly evil voice.

"I didn't know he knew our phone number." I didn't want to know how he knew our phone number...

"He was very upset!" I looked up at her stunned. Upset about what? "Upset about what? Well, it seems as though you shoved the pie I baked into his arms and walked away rudely. He then told me he'd asked you to the town Christmas Dance and you told him not if he was the last human on Earth and civilization would be non existent without you two-ew!" I did not! He did not!

"He did not ask me!" I yelled back at her in my I-didn't-do-it-what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about voice, throwing my hands in the air.

"Oh really, Anna." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with shame. "That sounds just like something you would say to him." Well, yeah. But no, I wouldn't. Saying that would put really wretched images in my mind, of me and Tiny Tim, very, very, Tiny Tim. But since when has that ever convicted someone?

"I didn't say anything to him except Merry Christmas." I told her truthfully but she only shook her head.

"I don't see why Timothy would make something up like that. He's a nice young boy who's had a crush on you for years. You should respect him enough not to puposely hurt his feelings." I sighed, there was no way I was making a believer out of my mother, why try. "I want you to go over to his house right now, apologize an invite him to dinner tomorrow night. And I can't force you to go with him to the dance but you will dance with him. And you will not be rude about it."

Nice one, Tiny Tim, go to the only person I listen to at all, even if it is a small fraction. He was officially on my shit list. Scratch that, he was number one on my shit list. Of course that bumped loser James down to number two, but he didn't need to know that. Lift! Another boost to his ego. I pushed myself off the counter, not bothering to hide the annoyed expression that was creeping onto my face, and walked to the staircase angrily.

Tiny Tim must have gotten some guts over the few days of vacation, I mused, heading up the stairs to get my sneaks. Or maybe he was always intimidated with my friends around. Hehe, that's what I'd do. Invite a few friends over for this joyous dinner. He'd back off then, he sure would. I grabbed my bright blue sneakers and shoved my feet into them without undoing the laces, that would be a waste of time and I had too much planning to do. Revenge to plot. Pranks to plan. Woohoo!

I left my room, walking down the steps rather quickly and opened the front door, slamming it shut to show how mad I was. I slipped past Louville's beast of an automobile and, ignoring the soft footsteps behind me, glared angrily at a little blue house right in my sight. Maybe I'd use reverse psychology on him, or my fists, which ever spoke first.

"Hey, wait up!" I snapped my head quickly around to see James doing a strut-walk-jog that looked oddly normal. I turned my attention quickly back and continued walking.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see James had caught up and was now walking next to me, slightly out of breath. "So...what are you going to do?"

"Kill him." I answered with a small sadistic smile for my own sick humor.

"Cool. Can I watch?" He asked carelessly with a grin of his own and I resisted the urge to smile. I grunted instead. "I'll take that as a yes. So," I saw him glance at me, "I take it you don't like this guy."

"Kid." I corrected with a wave of my hand.

"I'll take that as a yes." I glanced over at him to find the strut and jog now abandoned, leaving him with a carefree walk. It somehow fit him. "Why?"

I stopped abruptly, fixing a sickly sweet smile on my face. "Because he's annoying and idiotic. Kind of like you." He chuckled as if he wasn't offended, well, he probably wasn't. I turned away from him and walked up the drive to the house where the enemy lay, with no warning of attack. Chaos was sure to ensue. Hehe. I humor myself.

"Well, I guess you have it all covered then. And to think I was going to help you get out of this Christmas dance." He exaggerated the Christmas dance part with a roll of his eyes that held amusement. It was a ball, loser, not a dance. Big difference.

I turned to him with a raised brow, stopping midway down the drive. He chuckled as if satisfied and moved his eyes to the side of my head, moving his hand up towards my cheek with ease and tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Slowly he turned the back of his hand to run affectionately down my cheek before he leaned closer to me so our faces were only inches apart. "Play along, honey."

He pulled his hand back quickly and tucked it into the pocket of his pants before walking towards the front door with a small smile, leaving me standing there in shock. My cheeks were warm, I could feel it. I reminded myself to thank god later for not blessing me with fire red hair like my sister and the tomato red cheeks to go with it.

How great thou are, how great though are...

I was blushing.

Anna Donovan, of the Ireland Donovans, did not blush. She did not get embarrassd. She did not get flustered from the contact of a simple gesture of the opposite sex. She played it cool.

I shook my head at myself and headed up the drive to where he stood, leaning against the door of the house, his eyes on me, this time without amusement. I faintly wished the door would open and he'd fall on his ass. Or better yet, fall into a big dark pit. Oh, where are the charmed one's when you need them? Pru! Wait, Pru bit it, Piper! Pheobe! Paige! Shit, Leo! Hmm, no orbs, I guess this was up to me to solve. Without the help of him.

I kept eye contact with him and watched as he slowly raised an amused brow and cocked his head. He turned around to face the door before I could tell him to do so. I quickly reached my hand up to knock loudly. I fell into place behind him with a sigh and waited.

And waited. And waited.

Maybe he died. She's got high hopes, she's got high hopes, she's got high apple pie in the sky hopes...at least I think those are the words.

I looked up towards the sky. Smart people were those people that could tell time by looking skyward. I wish I had that skill. I estimated to approxiamtely five minutes we stood, and about fifty times James glanced over at me curiously. He seemed completley at ease with his hands tucked deep down into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. "Do they always take this long to answer the door?" As if on cue, the door opened. Grandfather Peter's, I assumed, a.k.a. tighty whities, stood with a disgusted look plastered to his face that seemed as if his face was made like that. Though now, I noticed when I looked down depite my head telling me not to, he was clad in some form of a nightgown. I've got a golden ticket...

"Gramps, you gotta go change your diaper!" I heard a sqeal from somewhere deep inside the house and glanced over to James to see him biting his lip, apparently holding back the same laugh I was. If I ever have to start wearing diapers...well, let's just hope my family loves me enough to kill me. I'm an big woman now!

"Not now, we have company!" He yelled back as if he couldn't hear his own voice. He peered at us and I shifted on my feet, making sure not to look at James in fear of bursting out in laughter. It seemed George had made up his mind. "Carolers! They're carolers, son! We have carolers, at this time of day! Cot-pickin' teenagers!" He stomped off, disappearing behind the doorway and I felt it. It was coming...

I burst out laughing. James soon followed my lead and erupted with laughter also, bending over and holding his stomache before standing back up with a smile of true entertainment. I glanced over at him, catching his eye, and chuckled once more. "Carol-" I watched as Tim appeared in the doorway and then looked from James to me and back again. I had to do it, it was just too perefect a moment to give it up...

"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" I galnced sideways and James shook his head before continuing with me in a deep, talented voice. "Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin, good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!" I then saluted him and yelled a quick, "Your invited to dinner tomorrow night," before me and James tumbled out into the road, laughing so hard that by time we reached my house we were gasping for air.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dinner was going to be a kick. I knew it. I had to liven up my mood after the last three hours I'd had.

My Aunt Meno, Beatrice, had gripped me in a tight hug as soon as me and James had stepped through the door. In her words, she had "found me!" Joy. She then dragged me up to my room and sat me down on my bed to cry on my shoulder and tell me her sob story. I think I hurt her when I thought back to the minutes before I had opened the door and a laugh escaped my lips, and when she'd just get done telling me the climax of the fight between Uncle Frank and her and I'd be smiling. But I explained to her that fighting only brought people closer together and I was so happy that her and Uncle Frank would be closer after all of it blew over. She bought this.

And now, peace. I was alone, contemplating the best way to go about the deed.

She couldn't see it, of course, that was a given. The chair cushions would prevent that factor. But the key was when to strike. I couldn't be near her, that much was obvious, unsuspecting people had to be near. I grinned, and I knew just who that could, and would if I had anything to do with it, be next to her ladyness. Hehe.

I grabbed the device I had already blown up and hid it inside my jacket. I walked casually down stairs with no trace of anticipation on my face. It's called acting children! I continued slowly into the kitchen where the whole crew sat except for my grandmother and my mother. Grandmother would be at the end to grandfather's right, where a lady should sit, she had always said. I smiled at grandpa, heading down to sit to his right at the head of the table. I glanced around to see everyone was deep in conversation except for James who was glancing at everyone in turn. Swiftly, with the skill of a blackjack dealer, I slid the devilish device under the seat cover, and on cue my mother walked in before my bottom had the chance to hit the seat and hissed at me.

"Anna! You know your grandmother sits there every year. Sit somewhere else." I shrugged as if I didn't want that all along and moved to smile and sit down next to Michael. He was hot. In a contest of hotness against Susan's fiance, he'd win. Against James-I shook my head and leaned back in my seat.

"What's goin' on Michael?" I questioned, turning my body slightly towards him and smiling.

He shrugged with a small, slightly shy smile of his own. "Nothin' much. How about you?"

I mimicked his shrug. "Eh, livin' life. So, I hear you can surf." I didn't hear he could surf, but he looked like a surfer.

He nodded, the nervous look on his face slowly fading. "Yeah, I caught the pipeline a month ago."

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely interested. "You hit a pipeline with your board?" I asked to show my confusion.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No. There's no pipelines in the ocean."

"Ah," I shook my head at him, "then explain how Ariel and the rest of the mermaids go about their plumming." He looked at me curiously for a moment, and when I only grinned widely at him he smiled and shook his head, replying with a "Your brother was right. You are weird."

That was a compliment and a half.

Mommie Dearest chose that time to interrupt and walk in with Grandmother trailing behind her, her nose stuck up in the air. I glanced down the table to see Jim already grinning at me, a twinkle in his eye. I glanced at the rest of the troop quickly. Across from me was James, then his brother, Susan, and dad at the head of the table. Louville was to my left, Michael to my right followed by the love of his life and Jim. On the other side of James sat Meno and Frank who it seemed had already made up and were nuzzling each other. Make. Me. Sick. Then mom sat next to Frank, and as if in slow movement, Grandmother went to sit next to Louville, on the chair. I glanced before me to see a knowing look in James bright eyes before it was interrupted by a very loud, very grotesque sound.

Heads turned, conversations stopped. "Wow grams, that was a juicy one." I looked down to the owner of the voice to see Jim smiling at a horrified grandma. He was my hero.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The scene had died down and everyone had been into their own little conversations for fifteen minutes. I saw Georgina had backed away a little after her dignity had recieved a blow. The troop was in a deep debate about politics or another. I smiled. "Hey," I nudged Michael with my elbow to have him smile at me, "isn't it funny how the three most important men in the country are named Bush, Dick, and Colon?" Michael quickly swallowed and threw his head back to laugh, and I also earned a chuckle from James. I shared a grin with him. Maybe James wasn't so bad after all.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo