Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today! Have a Christmas chapter. We've had a lot of heavy stuff to deal with so you'll be pleased to know that this chapter is all about Allie and is a lot of good times and fluffy stuff because this particular six-year-old doesn't have a lot to worry about.

Chapter 21 – Allie's Adventure

Allie

Allie was determined to remember everything about this trip, from the rumble of the airplane's wheels below her smoothly transitioning away as it lifted up into the air to the buildings that all of a sudden appeared small like toys she would play with. Cloud dragged against the wings and she caught only a few glimpses of the world below through breaks in the covering before they were so high up, she could see nothing below her but what looked like fluffy, white cotton balls and only the dark blue sky above. "Can this plane fly into space?"

"No," her dad replied simply.

"Do you guys remember a time before planes?"

Garnet laughed and Bismuth gave her a look. "Yes, Allie. I remember flying on the backs of pterodactyls when I was a kid. Those were the days."

"You're making stuff up again."

"Yes I am. Planes have been around for over a hundred years."

Allie wondered what life was like a hundred years ago. She imagined it being like the Wild West. People probably rode on horses all the time and lived on farms. She really wanted to ride a horse, a wild one. She'd told her dad before she left that she wanted to ride a big, black stallion and didn't understand why he said with a laugh that her mother had wanted the same thing or why Garnet had smacked him on the arm after that comment. She'd been told her mother was tall, so her horse would have to be big and would probably be named Shadow or Tornado or something cool like that. She imagined them together sitting up in their saddles, her mother's black stallion being slightly taller than Allie's horse. Maybe Allie would ride a mare or a pony. No, better yet, she'd ride Rainbow Dash and fly alongside, racing her mom. She could see clearly in her mind's eye her mom's hair trailing behind her in the wind, one hand attempting to keep her cowgirl hat on her head, her mouth wide open with laughter. She wondered what her mother's voice had sounded like. Maybe it resembled Garnet's, caring and gentle, but without the accent.

The flight was mostly boring, the most exciting part being when a lady came around with a cart full of drinks. Allie asked her dad if she could please have a soda. Aunt Amethyst used to let her drink it, but ever since her dad came back, he'd banned it from the house. Garnet softly put her hand on his arm and smiled. "C'mon, her first flight is a special occasion."

"Yes, Allie, you can have one."

Allie chose a 7-Up and sipped it, letting the bubbles tickle her nose, allowing her pinky to straighten up off the plastic cup. It made her feel grown up. Garnet offered her a handful of M&M's, saying: "I still can't believe these were a matter of national security."

Bismuth laughed. "When they stopped you to inspect your bag, I wondered what you had in there."

"They weren't even open."

Allie remembered them removing the M&Ms from Garnet's purse and waving some kind of magic wand over them. She wasn't sure what it was supposed to do. Maybe the man who did it was a wizard who had put a spell on them. She sniffed them and then ate one. Oh no…maybe he had poisoned them because her stomach felt gurgly and weird. She released a loud burp before deciding the candy was probably fine. "Scuse me…that was not ladylike."

By the time the plane began to make its way back down through the clouds, Allie had a hand of rainbow colors from eating too many M&Ms, which left a handprint on the window as she looked down at the ground coming closer and closer. She felt herself bounce as the tires hit the pavement and she saw flaps on the wings open as they slowed down. Allie sat back in her seat and grinned. "That was fun!"

"I'm sure it is when you've got plenty of leg room," her father said.

"I have little legs."

The airport was crowded and Allie held tightly onto her father's hand as they made their way around people, down hallways past stores and stopped at a bathroom so she could pee. Finally, they arrived at what her dad said was baggage claim, got their suitcases and went outside to meet their ride. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a woman whose black hair was wild and big, wearing spiky sunglasses and bobbing her head to whatever music was playing on her phone. She looked at the woman, then at her dad, then back, noticing the similarities. "Is that Aunt Sugar Life, Apple or Saw Darn It?"

"Sugilite," Bismuth corrected before calling for her. "Sugi!"

"Beezy!" She embraced her brother. "God, it's been forever. This is the new lady and offspring, right?" She shook Garnet's hand as the two briefly met and exchanged names.

"I'm Allie," she told her aunt.

"Well, Allie, I'll let you ride in front of me on my motorcycle. Hope these two are good at hanging on from the back."

"Sugi…" Bismuth shook his head.

"I kid; I drove over in Opal's minivan."

"Do you really ride a motorcycle?" Allie asked.

"Yeah. You want to take a ride sometime?"

Allie felt her eyes go wide for only a second as she imagined hanging on, riding on the back of her aunt's motorcycle feeling cool before her father dashed that daydream, saying: "Yeah, I don't think so. Maybe when she's older."

She looked up at him. "Like seven?"

"Like my age. I figure by then I'll be good and due for a heart attack."

The ride was uneventful and it was dark, so Allie could only see what was illuminated by street lights. There was, however, one thing missing. "I don't see any horses."

"We're in downtown," Bismuth said. "You have to go way out of the city to see horses."

Allie didn't know when she fell asleep, didn't even realize time had passed until her father shook her awake and helped undo her seatbelt. "It's been a long, trip, hasn't it, Baby Girl?"

She yawned and nodded. "There's no snow."

"It doesn't snow everywhere."

The house was large and covered in a dazzling light display that Allie wanted to keep staring at as it blinked and different colors chased each other. A whole fleet of illuminated reindeer stood in front of a bright sled on the expansive lawn. The roof was high and Allie focused on the chimney billowing smoke and hoped they remembered to put the fire out in a couple of nights so Santa didn't burn his rear.

Sugilite opened the door and showed them in. "Opal! I didn't dent your car, but I gave your spare change to a homeless guy and changed the radio station!"

A little girl, slightly taller than Allie with hair big and poofy like Garnet's ran out of the kitchen. "Aunt Sugi!" She hugged her aunt and then looked at Allie. "Is this my cousin?"

"Allie, meet Ruby," Bismuth said. "And Sapphire has to be lurking around here somewhere."

"She's helping Mom and Grandma in the kitchen," Ruby told him. "I'd help but you set one potholder on fire…"

A round of introductions ensued and Allie didn't think she'd ever remember everyone. There was her Aunt Opal and Uncle Leon – Ruby and Sapphire were their daughters, twin girls two years older than Allie. While Ruby was bursting with energy, Sapphire was quiet and polite. Her grandparents hugged her, Grandma Cordero looking at her face as if memorizing it. "It's nice to finally meet you, Alexandrite. You have your dad's cheeks," she said cupping Allie's face. "And his nose. I think you even have the same gap in between your teeth he did before he got braces."

"Speaking of teeth and gaps, where is Sardonyx?" her father asked.

Her grandmother stood. "She's flying in tomorrow night. Had one more show tonight before the holidays."

"You'll love Aunt Sardonyx," Ruby told Allie excitedly. "She's like a wizard or something and she's super funny."

"She does a magic and comedy show in Vegas," Bismuth said more to Garnet than Allie.

Allie turned to Ruby and gasped. "She's magic?"

"Yeah. She can like, make a quarter appear from behind your ear and get out of handcuffs and stuff like that. I've even seen a video of her where she sawed a guy in half. In half!" Ruby put her hands by her head and made a gesture like her head was exploding. "I mean, how does she do it?"

"She's magic…" Allie whispered. She still loved Aunt Amethyst, of course, but having an aunt that was a wizard was going to be pretty cool. When it was time for dinner, she was impressed by the large table that could seat everyone around it and the beautiful plates with winter designs on them. She picked up a shiny spoon and looked at herself in it.

"Not yet," Sapphire told her softly.

Grandma Cordero looked around the table, her eyes falling on the one person who wasn't family. "Garnet, would you like to say grace?"

"Of course." Garnet folded her hands in front of her, bowed her head and closed her eyes. When Allie noticed everyone doing this, she did the same, but it was a bit confusing. She and her dad didn't do this and Grandma Palamo only did it on special occasions, like Easter. Well, it was almost Christmas, so she supposed it was special. Garnet's prayer was different from the one she was used to hearing and she wondered how long this would take. She opened one eye and saw Ruby with her eye slightly open too and they both giggled together as Garnet finished the prayer.

"Thank you, Garnet, that was lovely." Grandma Cordero shot a look at both giggly girls. "We do not laugh during grace. Ruby, you should know better."

"I laugh when Dad says it," Ruby protested.

Aunt Opal shook her head and sighed. "And I've told him for years that 'good food, good meat, good God, let's eat' is not a real prayer."

Ruby laughed so hard she snorted and even Sapphire let out a small giggle as Uncle Leon proclaimed: "Good enough for me."

"I was always partial to 'rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub, yay God," Bismuth said.

Allie was careful to watch what everyone else was doing and put her napkin on her lap just like her cousins. Well, actually, she folded it like Sapphire had done, since Ruby just kind of plopped it down before reaching for a casserole dish full of scalloped potatoes.

"Ruby, let someone he…" Aunt Opal stopped as Ruby had just accidently dropped a spoonful of potatoes on the fancy tablecloth.

"How about I help?" Garnet offered, since she was seated next to Ruby. She put a scoop on the girl's plate, who said she wanted more. Another small scoop and Ruby told her: "Keep 'em coming."

"You can't just eat potatoes, Ruby," her mother told her.

"Yes I can. They're my favorite."

"Yesterday macaroni and cheese was your favorite."

"I have many favorites, so there."

Allie turned her attention to Sapphire who was holding her silverware properly and cutting her ham. It didn't seem that hard and deciding to be grown up, she took a hold of her butter knife and a fork and attempted to cut it. It was harder than she expected and before she knew it, the knife slid across her plate, out of her hand and halfway across the table.

"Allie! You let me help with that," her father scolded. "You're not allowed to use knives."

"She has to learn sometime," Sugilite said. "Besides, it's a butter knife. What's she going to do, go out and stab someone with it?"

Grandma Cordero cleared her throat and said something under her breath about Allie turning out like her mother and the girl smiled. Yes, she wanted to be brave, too, maybe be a hero someday, just like her mom had been. She felt her father place the knife back in her hand, which he covered with his then showed her how to slowly and carefully cut her own meat and Allie felt proud that she was grown up to do so.

Allie was pleased to find out that she was sharing a room with her cousins. They all got to sleep in a big bed together. Ruby jumped up on it once she was in a pair of red pajamas with Christmas lights on them that looked a bit small and bounced a couple of times. "We can stay up late and tell ghost stories and hang out and have fun!"

Sapphire sat on the floor brushing out her long hair, which was lighter and lay straight down her back as opposed to her twin's wild, puffy hair. "I don't think Mom will like that."

"Oh yeah, but Dad might let us…hey, Allie, what's that?"

Allie held up her plush monkey. "This is Bonkers. He protects me from like ghosts and clowns and stuff."

"You still sleep with a stuffed animal?" Ruby asked. "I stopped doing that when I was like five."

"Oh…well, I stop right now," Allie told her hurriedly as she tossed Bonkers onto a nearby chair.

There was a knock on the door followed by Uncle Leon's voice. "Everyone decent?"

"Yes!" Ruby answered, then continued talking when he entered. "We're gonna have a slumber party and stay up late."

"Well, if you do that, then you'll be much too tired for the big surprise Bismuth and I have for you girls tomorrow."

Ruby jumped toward him to be caught up in his arms. "What surprise? What is it?"

"The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you'll find out, won't you?" He kissed her nose. "Come on, girls, bed. I'll tell you a story."

"Hansel and Gretel!" The twins requested in unison.

All the girls scrambled into bed, laying side by side while Uncle Leon settled in the chair after moving Bonkers onto a dresser. Allie had never heard this story before as Aunt Amethyst tended to tell her stories about her mom or maybe other fairy tales and of course, Allie's Adventures. Actually, she wasn't sure why the story was called Hansel and Gretel when her uncle was talking about Ruby and Sapphire and leaving them in the woods for some reason to be kidnapped by a witch who kept Ruby in a cage and made Sapphire her slave. Although, in the end they burned the witch in the oven and got to live in a gingerbread house, which Allie supposed would be pretty cool. "Wait, what about when Ruby and Sapphire eat the whole gingerbread house?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's food or shelter," Sapphire told him.

"I guess you're going to freeze and starve," her uncle told them.

Bismuth had been standing in the doorway for about half of the story. "Preparing them for when we drop them off in the woods tomorrow?"

"Shh, that's supposed to be a surprise."

Ruby leaned toward Sapphire and whispered: "Bring breadcrumbs…"

"Didn't you listen?" Allie asked. "Breadcrumbs won't work – we need lighted pebbles."

"We are not abandoning you guys in the woods," Bismuth told them. He hugged Allie and kissed her cheek. "But we do have a surprise for you, so go to sleep. You'll want to be wide awake tomorrow. Why is Bonkers on the dresser?"

"Dad, I'm too old for a stuffed animal."

She was positive she saw sadness in his face as he nodded. "Of course. I'll leave him there, though, just in case."

After their dads left, the three girls, though tired, stayed awake a few minutes longer wondering what the surprise was. "I don't think I can wait!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We'll know soon enough," Sapphire said gently. "For now…" she yawned, "…we should sleep."

Allie couldn't stop thinking about the story. Her eyes fell on Bonkers while she considered that she should get up early and look for pebbles in the yard.

Her eyes scanned the countryside as they had left the city in the minivan and Allie wondered where they were going. There didn't seem to be any woods around, so that was good, but just in case, she'd gone outside and filled her pockets with gravel from the path around her grandparents' garden. Instead, they were driving past large farms and she took in the sight of fences surrounding grass and cows and some horses. Finally, they turned onto a gravel driveway and up to a farmhouse. As soon as they were all out of the minivan, a woman walked up and welcomed them. "These are our little riders today?"

"Yep," Bismuth put his hands on Allie's shoulders. "This is Allie and here we have Ruby and Sapphire."

She knelt down and smiled at the girls. "Your dads tell me you three like horses."

Immediately, all three of them stared at her wide-eyed and Sapphire let out a little squeal of delight. Allie wasn't sure what to think. She was going to get to ride a horse…a real one?! "For real?" she asked, looking up at her dad.

"Yes, for real. This is an early Christmas present, so remember that tomorrow morning."

"It's okay. This is the best present ever! Besides, I'm sure Santa is good for the rest."

They were led to a small fenced in area where three ponies waited expectantly for their riders. Allie immediately was drawn to a tan one with light hair and approached it. The pony let out a snorting sound and moved its head as though nodding. "Can I pet her?"

"Yes. That's Liesl," the woman said. "She's very friendly. All our ponies are. Just be very careful putting your fingers near her face. She might mistake them for carrots."

Allie started by stroking Liesl's mane, which was much coarser than she imagined, while her fur was silky. Finally, she got to put a hand on her nose which was surprisingly soft and ran her fingers along the white spot between her eyes. "Hi, Liesl."

"You want to pet her or ride her?" When Allie nodded, the woman helped her step on a mounting block so she could put her foot in the stirrup and swing her other leg over.

"Dad! I'm on a horse!"

Bismuth had his phone out, taking pictures. "I see that."

Once her cousins had mounted their ponies, the lady took turns leading them around in a circle, showing them the basics of the reins and how to urge the animals to move forward. Their fathers followed, taking photos and videos. Then, finally, Allie was able to ride by herself, guiding Liesl around the fenced in area. A gentle breeze blew her hair back and she enjoyed the feeling of bouncing gently up and down in the saddle. She was surprised how easily it was to get Liesl to trot, though she didn't go any faster than that because she was told not to even though she wondered what it would be like to gallop across the fields. She felt strong, confident and brave sitting atop her horse…well, pony…but maybe someday she could ride a full-fledged horse. She imagined herself grown, her horse galloping then jumping over a fence. Maybe she'd be in a rodeo.

It was over too quickly, the morning passing into the early afternoon seamlessly. Allie petted Liesl's nose again and fed her a carrot in thanks before following her dad back to the minivan. "I'm gonna miss her. We bonded."

"In two hours?" Bismuth laughed.

"Yes. I should do horse riding."

"It might be hard to arrange that where we live."

"Oh…" Allie felt a little let down. She liked karate, but it was nothing compared to what she'd just experienced. Although, her butt did hurt so maybe that was a sign horse riding was not for her. She guessed she should just put the idea out of her head, even though the whole way back to her grandparents' house, she couldn't stop thinking about horses.

Early that evening, the aunt she hadn't met yet showed up and Allie was immediately enamored with her. She was tall and thin like Aunt Opal, but definitely had more personality. She wore tinted glasses and her short hair was dyed blonde. Aunt Sardonyx laughed loudly and smiled showing off the gap between her front teeth her father had mentioned. "Oh my stars! Is this little Allie? You look just like your mother!"

"You met my mom?"

"Sure did. In fact, when we first saw each other, I did this." Aunt Sardonyx held up her hands, fingers spread apart so Allie could see they were empty, then reached behind Allie's ear and produced a folded bill. "Ta-da!"

Allie accepted it and opened it. "Wow! Five bucks! All for me?" She turned to Ruby. "You said she could only do quarters!"

Even Ruby and Sapphire were astonished. Aunt Sardonyx couldn't find money behind Ruby's ear but somehow was able to make five dollars appear in her pocket. She asked Sapphire to choose a card and put it back in the deck. When their aunt chose the correct card, five dollars had magically appeared on the back of it. Allie couldn't believe it – her aunt really was a wizard.

Dinner that night was a simple meal of chili and cornbread. Grandma Cordero asked Aunt Sugilite to lead the prayer and Allie wondered why she didn't ask any of the kids. Allie probably could have thought of something good to say, though she'd never prayed aloud before. Actually, she didn't really pray, but sometimes she talked to her mom. She guessed if there was anything super important God needed to know, her mom could tell Him.

That night was fun as the girls all got to open a present from their grandparents, which was a new pair of pajamas for each of them. Allie's were green with snowflakes on them and they were fuzzy and warm when she put them on. Her cousins got matching pairs, but Sapphire's was blue and Ruby's red.

Aunt Sardonyx treated everyone to a magic show and Allie marveled at her multiple card tricks and how she was able to separate metal rings that previously were connected and when she made candy canes appear out of a seemingly empty hat.

"Are you gonna saw a guy in half?" Allie wanted to know.

"Not tonight," her aunt replied with a laugh. "I couldn't bring my saw on the plane."

Finally, Grandma Cordero sat down with a book and opened it. Everyone took places on couches and chairs around the room, Allie seating herself between Garnet and Bismuth. She felt Garnet's arm go around her shoulders and leaned in while she listened to the story her grandmother told. It started with an angel and there was something about a virgin, which Allie wasn't sure what that was, a long trip followed and a baby was born. It kind of wasn't much of a story as it didn't seem to have a real ending. It just sort of trailed off as her grandma talked about peace and 'goodwill towards men' – whatever that meant. "What happened next?" Allie asked.

Everyone looked at her as though she should know the answer already.

"What do you mean 'what happened next'?" her grandmother asked.

"It just…didn't really have an end."

Garnet squeezed her shoulder and pulled her closer. "It does, Allie. His story has a remarkable ending. If you like, I can tell you sometime."

"Do you have any other questions you probably should have learned in Sunday school?" Grandma Cordero shot an accusing look at her father.

"Yes. What's a virgin?"

The adults in the room all looked in different directions or at Bismuth as if to see how he was going to answer. Allie wondered if it was something she shouldn't ask.

"It's someone very holy, like a saint," Sapphire said.

Aunt Opal pursed her lips while Uncle Leon spoke: "Let's just say it's something the two of you will be for a very long time."

Garnet spoke next. "You know how in the story Mary and Joseph weren't married yet, but later they got married? A virgin is someone who hasn't known that romantic type of love with another person. Mary became pregnant without knowing that."

Allie eyed her suspiciously and pulled away a little. "You mean like…kissing?"

"Yes."

"Ew!" She crossed her arms, disgusted by the thought of a boy kissing her. "I am staying a virgin the rest of my life!"

"I fully support your decision, Allie," her father told her.

"Thank you." She couldn't understand why the other adults were snickering while Ruby and Sapphire nodded as though, they too, did not want to be romantic with a boy. However, her grandmother still looked at Bismuth with a disapproving glare. Allie wasn't sure why or if he had done something wrong. She turned her attention to the gifts under the tree and wondered how many were for her and what Santa might bring that night. She remembered sitting on his lap in the mall and whispering what she really wanted. She hadn't even put it on her list because she wanted to tell him directly. The old man had nodded and said he'd do his best and to be good from then until Christmas. Allie had been good – well, she was pretty sure she had – and she hoped he would give her the gift every other little girl seemed to have.

The first thing she did on Christmas morning was race to the window and she felt disappointment rise in her as there was still no snow on the ground. It would have been cold and dreary if not for the light displays on the houses still shining brightly. Ruby and Sapphire weren't there, so she tiptoed over to the dresser and removed her stuffed monkey from his perch, whispering: "Merry Christmas, Bonkers."

Allie knew the room her dad and Garnet were in was the next one over so she walked over and knocked on the door. Upon hearing her father say it was okay, she raced in and jumped up on the bed, quickly realizing someone was missing. "Where's Garnet?"

"She went to church with your grandma, grandpa and Aunt Opal's family."

"Why didn't we go?"

"Because I'd rather sleep than get up at the crack of dawn to sit for a hour and think about fishing." He tapped her nose. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Allie hugged him. His arms were strong and always made her feel protected. She felt lucky to have a dad who loved her so much. He was wearing dark pajama pants and a T-shirt which showed off half of his star and triangle tattoo on his arm. She'd asked him once what it meant and he'd replied: "That eighteen-year-olds have no business choosing tattoos from a wall of options."

Bismuth let her go, letting her sit cross-legged on the bed. "So, it's just been us for a while, hasn't it?"

"That's okay. I like having you as my dad."

"Good. I'm glad you're my kid, but I have a question for you. What would you think if Garnet came to live with us? Would you like having her as part of the family?"

"Like…as my mom?" Her eyes widened and she felt her excitement build. This was BETTER than the gift she'd asked Santa for. "Are you gonna marry Garnet?"

"I still have to ask her. I hope she says yes."

"Are you asking her today?"

He chuckled. "No. I asked your mom on Christmas, so that day is special. I was thinking a week from now on New Year's. Can you keep a secret that long?" She nodded enthusiastically, but he eyed her skeptically. "Pinkie promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Allie said solemnly, knowing no one broke a Pinkie Promise.

"That works."

From somewhere downstairs, she heard the front door open and knew that meant her grandmother and the others were back. She scrambled off the bed and ran downstairs to greet everyone. Her cousins wore pretty dresses in shades of red and blue according to their names, though Ruby pulled at the collar of hers as though she couldn't wait to take it off. "Now that we got the boring part over can we open presents?"

"Ruby!" Aunt Opal hissed.

"What? It is…boring…"

Grandma Cordero gave Ruby a sharp look. "We go to church to remember why we celebrate Christmas. It's not all presents and Santa and eating."

"But that's the BEST part of it!" Ruby protested. "But I guess I like the singing in church…"

"Well, then there's hope for you yet not to turn into a total heathen…" her grandmother's eye fell on Allie.

Allie wanted to tell her she wasn't a heathen, but she actually didn't know what that was. Her grandmother made it sound bad though and she wasn't sure why her grandma didn't seem to like her when Grandma Palamo absolutely loved her. Wait…when her dad got married did that mean she'd never see her other grandparents or Aunt Amethyst again? She thought about the gift she'd given her aunt for the baby and worried she wouldn't see the baby…ever. She'd have to ask him later though because Garnet was right there and she'd promised – Pinkie Promised – not to tell Garnet. Her future mother looked beautiful in her red dress and lipstick to match. Allie went up to her and hugged her. "I love you, Garnet."

Garnet knelt down to give Allie a proper hug. "I love you too."

Ruby had made her way over to the tree and was shaking one of the gifts. Uncle Leon shook his head and laughed. "We'd better get on with presents or I don't think Ruby is going to last much longer."

Allie joined her cousin at the tree and a gift wrapped in sparkly candy cane paper perched right near the front caught her attention. "To Allie, From Santa…" she read off the tag. "Can I open this one first?"

Bismuth's face reflected confusion but he nodded. "Go ahead."

She ripped the paper from the box, which was plain giving no hint what was inside. Her heart pounded and she took a deep breath as she carefully pulled the lid from the box and wasn't sure whether to cry or exclaim with joy at what she saw inside. Santa had listened to her…he was not only real but she had been good enough that he'd given her the one thing she'd really wanted. Gently she extracted the doll from her box and ran her fingers across her face…across the mottled skin that looked exactly like hers. In fact every patch, every stripe matched exactly. She was dressed in jeans and a pink top covered with a denim jacket. Her hair was very dark brown and long like Allie's. Her brown eyes didn't close when she was tilted back, but that was okay because dolls like that were scary. She smiled slightly showing off her front teeth. Allie ran her thumb across the doll's hand, right where there was a light patch just like she had. Allie turned to her dad. "She looks like me."

"Yes, she does, but where did she come from?" he asked.

"She's beautiful," Garnet commented.

"Did you…?"

Garnet shook her head and one by one the adults followed, each unsure where the doll had come from. Allie couldn't believe they were stumped by this when it had been right there on the tag. "Thanks, Santa."

Things inspired by true events: The M&Ms being a matter of national security, the changing of names in Hansel and Gretel (my dad used to do this with me and my brother...and we lived by some woods...) and Liesl is inspired by a real pony I rode once.

Also, yes, someone in the room knows where the doll came from but also knows that Allie needs to believe in Santa and miracles and be a kid as long as she can, so that person is staying tight-lipped about it. (Not hard to figure out if you remember a conversation a few chapters back though ;) ).