title : what the hell is it and why
is this thing heavy?
oc / pairing : chris larroquette and
tatum riley (riloquette)
trigger warnings : none!

DAY TEN : " why is this thing heavy ? "

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" SHE'S GONNA HATE THAT . "

" WELL TELL ME WHAT SHE WON'T HATE! "

TATUM WAS A MESS . DESPITE ALL HER efforts to win Chris back, she was as unconvinced as a fish going on land. Tatum wanted this gift to be perfect, and who better to shop with than the person who knew her the most, but which was Charlie. Well, it would have been Stevie, if he weren't so pissed off at her, too. Which, he did have a reason to be. Chris was his sister, and Tatum knew she kind of treated her like shit.

Charlie had been walking beside her this whole time. She wasn't any help. She never was. And frankly, she knew Charlie didn't want to help her either after what she did. Tatum didn't care, though. She just dragged her sister along, hoping that there was a Christmas gift that would show her how sorry she was. But, it wasn't going as well as she hoped.

"You'd have better luck going to the Sam Goody across from this store," Charlie told her.

"But I'm pretty sure every single one of you is already getting her a stupid Judas Priest record," Tatum replied.

"You know she likes other bands, right?" Charlie asked.

Tatum paused. She thought for a moment, and the more she thought, the more she felt bad about not knowing any of her other favorite artists. Charlie sighed, shaking her head.

"I swear, she deserves so much better than you."

"Shut up, Charlotte," Tatum grumbled.

"Keep verbally abusing me and I will drive us home," Charlie told her.

Tatum said nothing else. She crossed her arms, looking at her sister. She could tell that her mind was reeling. "What are you thinking?"

"Chris's go-go boots," Charlie answered, "she told me she needed a new pair. She wore the ones she had out. Like, there's a hole in them. Maybe you can get her those."

"Finally! That's something!" Tatum squealed, "Ugh, I knew you'd come through. Okay, we'll go to Sam Goody, get her some records, then we'll go get her some new boots."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. You're welcome," she muttered sarcastically, before they walked out of the store they were currently in.

They first go to the Sam Goody. Charlie made sure to tell Tatum what to get, what artists Chris liked. The Riley Sisters buy at least three records for her before they head over to the Baker's shoe store that was across the mall.

Tatum practically dragged Charlie up and down the aisles of the store, trying to find the perfect shoes for her. Tatum, realizing she has no idea which go-go boots that Chris liked, then eventually turned to her sister. "I ... Don't know what I'm looking for," she said.

Charlie sighed. "Of course not," she mumbled, "c'mon."

Charlie ended up leading Tatum to the aisle with the boots. She carefully looked in the aisles. Shoe shopping wasn't her strong point, but she knew enough to know what kind of go-go boots Chris would wear.

Tatum grabbed a pair. Lavender with sprouting flower designed on the sides. "Oh, and what about these?" She asked.

Charlie looked at them. "She would say in her own words, 'this is the ugliest fucking show i've ever seen.'"

Tatum sighed, before putting them back on the shelf. "Well, what about these?" She asked, showing her a pastel blue pair.

"She hates that shade of blue," Charlie answered.

"Seriously?" Tatum asked, "how can she hate pastel blue?"

"Some people just don't like blue, Tate," Charlie told her.

She turned around. Charlie eyed a pair of go-go boots. They're pastel pink with hearts all over them. The pink and red compliment each other nicely. "Oh, she would love these," she told her sister.

Tatum looked back. She gasped. "Oh, those are perfect," she told her, "we should get them. What size does she wear?"

"An eight," Charlie answered.

"Cool! Hopefully they have it in her size," Tatum said, "she's definitely gonna love it."

The two sisters rushed to the register with the pair of shoes, hoping that the boots were available. It took a bit, but it was worth the wait. When the cashier came back with the shoes in Chris's size, Tatum immediately paid for them with the cash that she had left.

They went home and the two Riley sisters immediately wrapped the gifts. The wrapping paper is very much on them. White with red hearts surrounding the shoebox neatly, the records wrapped with traditional Christmas wrapping paper.

"How much time we got until the Prance Christmas party?" Tatum asked.

Charlie checked her watch. "A half hour."

"We better go now," Tatum told her, "the last thing we want is to be late."

"Agreed," Charlie said, "I'll drive."

"Cool," Tatum said back.

The two blondes put all the wrapped gifts in Charlie's trunk, and they headed to Judas Prance. The familiar neon rainbow lights shining with the additional Christmas decorations complimented it nicely. Luckily, the Riley sisters weren't late. They bring on their gifts, Lucy helping them with most of them.

The gift opening actually came later in the night after everyone had a couple of drinks, and after Patsy's emotional speech about being a family. They're all in a circle. They open the gifts one by one. It's finally Chris's turn to open hers. Tatum and Charlie give her their gifts.

She had opened the three records first. Poison's Open Up and Say ... Ahh, Megadeth's Rust in Peace, and Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood. Three albums that Chris had yet to put on her shelf.

"I saved the best for last," Tatum told her, before handing her the last gift.

Chris grabbed it, almost dropping it on the process. With her two hands, she slightly shook it before putting it on the table. "What the hell is it?" She asked them, "and why is this thing heavy?"

"You'll find out what it is when you open it, Chrissy," Tatum replied back, "c'mon, open it up!"

Chris looked down at the box. Already reluctant to open any gifts that Tatum brought, though she was grateful for the first three. Her eyes looked at the heart-shaped patterns on the wrapping paper before she finally started to open it.

It revealed the box. It read the brand of the shoe. Confused, Chris finally opened up the box to reveal the thigh high go-go boots that Charlie and Tatum bought her a couple hours prior. She slightly gasped, picking up one of the boots. Her thumb tracing around the red hearts.

"Oh, these are so cute!" Chris said to Tatum, "it's my favorite shades of pink and red and everything!"

She then looked up at her. "How did you know that I needed more go-go boots?"

Tatum shrugged. "Guess I got lucky," she told her.

Stevie was about to open his mouth, Charlie looked at him, urging him not to say anything. He shut his mouth afterward, a sigh escaping his lips, frustrated that his sister was still falling for most of her shit.

Chris took one of her shoes off to try it on. She slipped on the shoe before standing up. "And they're the right size, too!" Chris told her, "that was a lucky guess, too, huh?"

"I wear the same size, so pretty much," Tatum replied. It's a partial lie. "I hope you like them."

"Like them?" Chris said back to her, "Tate, I love them, thank you."

Tatum hugged her back. "You're welcome, Chrissy."

She gave Tatum a hug afterward. Charlie looked at Sidney, rolling her eyes afterward. Sidney gave a shrug, and shook her head. Almost everyone in the bar knew it was total bull and she was taking the credit. No one said anything, and Charlie didn't want anyone to say anything.

"And for the records, too," Chris told Tatum, "they're great. I can't wait to add them into the collection."

"Now that, I kind of had some help with," Tatum said back to Chris, before she looked at Charlie and gave her a wink. It made Charlie smile a little bit. At least she was getting some credit.

Chris took the shoe off and put it back into the box with the matching one. She closed the box, moving it to where the rest of the gifts were. Everyone had made sure they would be safe.

"I'm definitely wearing them all the time. The hearts make it so cute," Chris told her, "I can't believe you got me shoes."

"I just wanted to make it up to you. You know, after last time. You deserve something for having to deal with me," Tatum replied back.

"Well, you did a pretty good job," Chris said to her, "I'm not exactly healed yet. But, I'm not as mad as I was before."

Tatum gave a smile. "So, we're good?"

"Kind of. You still gotta work twice as hard," Chris told her.

Tatum gave a nod. "Well, it's something. It's a start, I'll take it," she said.