It's the second week of November, Saturday morning.

Lauren rolled over in bed, flinging her arm across the other half of the bed. Her eyes opened abruptly, then they narrowed. "Mick?" She sat up and glanced around the room. It was quiet. Micky had asked his mom to watch the twins for the weekend, but he wouldn't tell Lauren why. She knew he was up to something, though. Now she just had to find him. She got up, pushing the sleeves of her pajama top down. She scuffed her way out of the bedroom and into the hall.

Lauren smiled slightly at the Christmas decorations that already adorned the inside of the house. Micky had insisted that he start decorating way back in June--actually, he'd just gotten really bored one weekend and started putting them up. Several strings of lights were wound up and down the bannister, per her request. It'd been a tradition she had started about ten years prior. Micky had added strands of gold garland around the strings of lights. Despite the dark of the early morning, the lights were lit and shown brightly. She squinted against the brightness and wondered how in the world Micky had gotten up, on his own, before sunrise.

Lauren made her way down the stairs and made her way through the downstairs. She frowned. Where did he go? She went to the back door, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and went outside.

A ladder was perched in front of the porch, headed up past the porch roof. She spotted a pair of feet on the last wrung she could see at the top... then she heard the sound of a staple gun... again and again and again... but the pair of feet never moved.

Lauren smirked and made her way off the porch. She stood back and looked up at the porch roof. Micky was leaning against the porch roof, rather comfortably, watching the staple gun make its way across the roof, stapling down the strands of lights that absolutely covered the entire roof.

"You're cheating, Mick." She smirked, waiting for him to jump at the sound of her voice.

Micky didn't turn. He didn't even move. Lauren rolled her eyes. "MICK!"

This time he moved and nearly fell off the ladder. He hugged the top of the ladder and shot a glare down at Lauren over his shoulder. "Don't do that!" Meanwhile, the staple gun had stopped and fell over on its side on the roof. "You broke my concentration!"

"Concentration... please, Mick! You were asleep up there!"

"Just goes to show how good I've gotten." Micky grinned, and the staple gun began stapling again.

Lauren shook her head. "I can't believe you can work your powers in your sleep. I'm not sure if that should worry me..."

Micky shrugged. "Hey, I just figured that out last weekend, babe, gimme a break."

"Alright, alright." She paused. "Mick, just how many lights do you have?"

He grinned widely. "Twenty-five thousand imported Italian twinkle lights!"

Lauren's jaw dropped. "Oh my Lord...!"

"Groovy, huh?"

"That's insane!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!" Micky stuck his tongue out at her.

"No, that isn't what I meant! I mean... uh, how the heck did you get so many lights?" She paused, frowning. "And don't tell me they're really imported!"

"Nah, they're just regular strands of lights. I just like the way that sounds. Anyway, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy--"

"Mick..."

"Right. Well, the very last guy got a really good deal on the lights. They only cost fifty bucks." Micky paused, realizing the look on Lauren's face hadn't changed. "Babe, I've always wanted to do this! There's nothing wrong with the lights, I really only spent fifty bucks... please, babe, lemme do this!"

Lauren sighed, then smiled. "Okay, Mick, go ahead."

Micky crowed, "Awright!"

Lauren chuckled. "If you need me to 'oooh' and 'ahhh,' I'll be in bed, sleeping." She started to make her way back up the proch steps.

"Hang on, babe," Micky began, now descending the ladder. "I wonder if the staple gun will keepi going if--"

Lauren stopped and swatted his leg. "Stay up there just incase there's anyone nearby! I think it'd be kinda weird to see a staple gun moving all on its own!"

"Awe, but, babe...!"

She grinned. "Later. Besides, your mom's got the twins for the whole weekend." She winked and headed back inside.

Micky grinned, going back up the ladder. "Good point."

~End~