So what if it's August!? I really need to write this! Enjoy!

"Come on Will! Think! If you were Halt, what would you want for Christmas?" Will paced back and forth, trying to come up with a present to give the grizzled old Ranger.

It had to be something special, not some lame, common gift. Something that was one of a kind. Something he would remember for Christmas' to come. The problem was Will had no idea what to give him. And he had two days to figure this out.

Everyone else on his list was marked of. Alyssa was to receive a beautiful Jade necklace. Horace he had found a one-of-a-kind Nihon-Ja katana. Even Gilan's gift had been found. A fifteen pound bag of the best and richest coffee from Arrida. That had not been easy to find, and he had to hide it from Halt, when he brought it home. And from himself.

But Halt needed something really special. He just didn't know what. He flopped on the chair, knowing if Halt was here he would've been yelled at for abusing the furniture, though he wasn't. And at that moment Will didn't care.

Currently in the village...

"Well Abelard, this is our last stop." Halt said, dismounting the horse.

He walked in the store looking at all the different kinds of coffee. Gilan had always loved the cinnamon chocolate when he was his apprentice. It was one of the few things they both had liked. And it was a fond memory of how every winter, after a long hard day of work they would sit in front of the fire and just talk, heart to heart. It was something that hadn't happened for a while, but since he was coming to spend Christmas with Halt and Will, Halt hoped they could do it again, maybe even have Will join them. While he usually found his two apprentices super annoying, he loved having them around this time of year. Especially with all of the Christmas' that he'd been hurt and spent alone. It was truly a special time of the year. And while he could careless about every other holiday, as long as he had his sons, he'd celebrate this wonderful time of the year.

Buying three pounds of Gilan's favorite, and his usual thirty of the much darker coffee brew, he left happy, whistling the whole way home.

Back at the cabin...

Tug nickered hello to Blaze and Gilan as they rode up. Will threw on his cloak and was out there in a flash. He hopped from one foot to another, as Gilan dismounted.

"Will! Merry Christmas!" Gilan smile lighting up his face.

Will laughed. "Merry Christmas to you too, Gilan!"

"It's nice to see you again. Please tell me that's coffee I smell. After that ride I could use a cup."

"It is." Will nodded. "Halt is due back from town any minute now. And I figured he'd want a cup when he got back."

Getting Gilan and him a cup of coffee, laced with honey and a tad bit of sugar, as they were running out of honey, they both sat down, to chat. After fifteen minutes Will decided to ask a certain question to Gilan.

"Gilan. have you gotten Halt's present yet?" Will asked.

Gilan sipped his coffee and nodded. "Yep. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know what I should get him. It has to be something special. Everything I think of is lame." he said sadly.

"Will," Gilan spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter what you get him. He will always love it. I drew him a picture of Abelard and Blaze one year. He still has it. This is the one time of year he values the most. Halt wants us to spend it with him. He could care less if you got him anything. He's spent so many Christmas' alone, that presents don't matter to him anymore. It's the people he spends it with. And trust me when I say this, you and I are the only he has ever spent it with. But if you could whip something up on that lute of yours, I'm sure he would enjoy that."

Will glared softly at him, wiping away a few tears. "It's a mandola."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But seriously, it would be worth more than something man made. But don't do Graybeard Halt." Gilan teased lightly.

Will heartily agreed. "Anything, but Graybeard Halt."

Outside the cabin, Halt listened to their conversation, and his heart soared. It did him good to know they cared. He was afraid that they would be like everyone else. He should've known better. It also did him good to know he wouldn't have to listen to Greybeard Halt, for the five days Gilan would be here.

I know it is a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but this has been tugging at the back of my mind for a while now and after reading someone's 100 themes challenge, it just really inspired me. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing. There will be a second chapter so look out! Thanks for reading and please review.

Best Regards,

PFT3000