Christmas with the Rangers is one of those inexplicable situations where Halt is on his best behaviour and even Carmen and Vanessa were on good terms. Erm, mostly.

Cassandra was lounging on the rug by the fireplace with Alyss, Anne, and Marissa, leaned against Horace's legs and watching Evelyn climbing all over the King and Halt, who were rather awkwardly chairing a couch with their women—Pauline and Meredith got on pretty well—while the latter talked over them.

Gilan, Will, George, Henry, and Horace were all sitting on a sofa opposite Halt and Duncan with their wives and fiancées sitting against them on the ground (mostly because the men needed their coffee to stay awake, and putting coffee on the floor was just asking for Evelyn to get a hold of it), myself excluded.

I was helping Shannon make coffee and tea for everyone. Carmen and Vanessa were talking in earnest voices to Melody and Beth on the floor by the fireplace while Adrianne and Kory had some sort of domestic disagreement.

"What do you reckon they're talking about?" Vanessa asked.

Anne smirked. "Clearly what to name their children. Kory, just think Killian is a wonderful name!" She said, imitating Adrianne.

"Oh, but Adrianne, I love the name Poppy!" I replied, leaning down into the conversation under the pretence of delivering coffee.

"Killian!" She insisted.

"Poppy!" Carmen and I agreed.

"KILLIAN!" Vanessa joined in.

"POPPY!"

"Why did I marry you?"

"Because you love me!"

"I'm going to kill you as soon as Christmas is over." Adrianne called cheerfully.

"Speaking of Christmas, oughtn't we get a move on?" Alyss asked.

Will frowned, looking around at the stacks and stacks of presents. "How do we determine what order to open presents?"

We fell into arguments then.

"Size?"

"By length or height?"

"From smaller or from bigger?"

"Age?"

"Youngest or oldest first?"

"I'm not telling you how old I am!"

"Rank?

"That's kind of offensive."

"Colour?"

"How the hell is that even supposed to work?"

"I thought we were just listing useless ideas!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT!"

"Dear God, are they always like this?" Melody asked Alyss.

"Always," All the non-warriors agreed.

Carmen sprang away from her sister. "Crowleeeeey!" She cried.

"Oh, for God's sake." Alyss muttered, grabbing boxes and shoving them into people's laps. "It's a miracle any of you ever accomplish anything."

"STOP." Evelyn said loudly.

We all stopped and turned to face her in surprise as she pointed to a box. Elizabeth's smirk worried me.

"Who's it for, honey?" I asked.

She shrugged. "For da Ranger folk. Unca Halt open, open!"

Halt exchanged glances with us worriedly and picked up the box. Inside was a cloak. A mottled cloak—a red and green mottled cloak. How very Christmas-y, I thought to myself.

"Unca Halt should wear." Evelyn ordered.

I was rather surprised when Halt—although scowling at Crowley—swung it over his shoulders.

"Merry Christmas," Cassandra said, smiling.

Will picked up his mandola and started playing holiday music, eggnog and coffee were passed around, and presents got unwrapped. After a snowball fight with the crumpled brown paper, we all ended up crowded around the fireplace.

"No one is to ever find out how Rangers spend Christmas," Gilan intoned. "And anything I say under the influence of eggnog is to be ignored."

"I'll drink to that," Will agreed, before glancing at me.

I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. "Cheers."

X-x-X-x-X One Year Later X-x-X-x-X

"Coffee?" Halt asked us at large.

I snorted. "Why ask questions you already know the answer to?"

"Probably the same reason you answer questions with questions."

"To annoy the hell out of you?"

"Spot on," Halt said sardonically. "Pauline?"

"Tea, darling."

"Why don't you call me darling?" Will whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't push your luck, Will Treaty." I replied.

"I think I will, Mrs. Treaty."

"Mm… That's Ranger Rosabel Treaty to you. You know, I like the sound of that."

"It'd probably work out better for your Ranger career if you weren't pregnant," Halt pointed out as he handed me coffee.

"Oh, it won't set my career back a bit if you babysit while I'm on missions, Mr. Retiree."

"We are not babysitting for you,"

"Halt!" Pauline chided. "We'd be glad to, Rosabel."

"Why thank you, Pauline."

I had a mother, a father, a husband, a dog (Ebony's chin rested on my feet), brothers and sisters, a silver oak-leaf, and soon a child. 21 years old and I had everything I'd ever wanted—even if it wasn't how I'd expected.

"One day, when we grow up, we're going to marry two brothers." I told Marissa. "Then we'll be sisters. Mummy and Daddy will adopt you and we'll get a cat—"

"A dog!"

"Okay, okay, a dog. And we'll be the only two female Rangers, and all your brothers will be my brothers. And our husbands will have lots of family too. Then we can grow old together."

"Who's going to get married first?"

"Well, me of course."

"Not fair! I'm older."

"Barely."

"Three months!" She said indignantly.

"Whatever. I'll get married first, because I'm more mature."

"Are not!"

"Are too."

"I'll fight you for it."

"Deal!"

She grabbed our discarded training swords and jumped up. I was midway through parrying a blow when Gilan, Dad, and Halt walked up with a stranger. His name, I would learn, was Will.

I was distracted, and the sword caught me in the chest. She jumped around shouting in triumph as I studied Will Treaty for the first time as he caught my eyes with his own brown ones and smiled hesitantly. I wondered if he had a brother…

This is it, folks! I can't believe how much fun this has been to write. It's been over a YEAR since I posted that flaw-ridden monster of a first chapter, and I've had over a hundred reviews. My reviewers are ALL amazing, but I've got two in mind:

RAfan2421, who has actually been reviewing my most recent chapters! *cough, cough, non-reviewers* You've been amazing, and so helpful with your pointed comments on how I should continue it!

Luvergirlof books, my first reviewer: when you reviewed that very first day I posted, I was totally overjoyed. My first real review! Your suggestions really helped improve my writing, and your loyal reviews kept me writing.

Others:

GodricsRanger

Frogata

stonedog80 (Yes, I killed them, get over it!)

runningwithhorses

SoulMistress12

Eva Cormac (Aw, thanks, sis.)

Animevampfreak10 (I like your character Sara… EVERYONE GO READ HER STORY FOR A LAUGH!)

scarhead8

Raider1472 (I know, ugh, the Kory thing sucked!)

Apprentice of Fire

Lizzet Nighthunter

Shadowcyrse

Lillian

Lovemusic2

Shadow Ranger

RainbowBubble1

sneaky lunitic spy

RALover

~anonymous person who informed me my fic falls into the category "awesome and beyond"~

jusa lilcrazE

carsgoVROOM

WillxEvanlynforever

Da' Book Worm(Your constructive criticism has been stored for later usage, thank you!)

Ginger

JACKtheREAPER537

Konri Kari

wolfdragonz

Wow, guys, almost thirty reviewers!

I'd like to add that I WILL be editing this baby from start to finish, and I WILL have it done before its one year anniversary (for those of you keeping track at home, I posted this fanfiction on March 21st, 2011!)

And now, for a much more solid shout-out: there are some people without whom my cast of OC's wouldn't exist.

Eva Cormac (Marissa)—fact is, if it came down to it, there's no one I'd rather have by my side if transported into RA to replace Alyss and Jenny. Thanks for your support and review.

Tarquinia "Quinn" Finnegan (Adrianne)—thank you for being a crazy fangirl with me and Estella and playing LARP games based on RA, games that are in fact the basis of this fic—you're the best archer I know, by the way.

Estella Cigam (Elizabeth)—I'm eternally in your debt. You taught me right and wrong and that funny little grey shade in between that Rangers spend so much time in. Thanks, my poisonous friend.

Camilla Rose (Annabel)—oh, I know I killed you. Sorry. I figured you'd be the one to run off screaming like a Skandian and save all of our hides. Anyhoo, you'll be in the sequel under a new name.

Alyssa Latrommi (Anne)—I didn't even know you read RA, but in hindsight, it's obvious from your quiet mannerisms that you're a Ranger sent undercover to keep an eye on our volatile Estella.

Atticus Walker (Kory)—pacifist, shmacifist. You're a knight dating Adrianne. (You never technically dated Quinn? Eh, nuance.)

Jameson Hemp (Wayde)—I'd just said as an aside to Estella, "We might just make a Ranger of him yet!" And then you fell out of the tree. Thanks a lot.

Carmen and Vanessa Diaz (Carmen and Vanessa)—you guys made terrible Rangers. Neon flip-flops? Halt would've died. It was an honour, girls.

Shannon Miller (Shannon)—I'm sorry I didn't protect you from the Jerome's, Bryn's, and Alda's of our primary school. Halt would've been ashamed.

Okay, okay, enough reminiscing on my part.

Can't get enough Rosabel? Well, subscribe, sweetie—I have another RA fic staring the whole gang, entitled If You Can't Beat 'Em. And I assure you, there will be a sequel starring the kids and the characters of this one.

And you Sherlockians, read A Very Holmes Christmas (by me!), which stars Rosabel as Sherlock's protective little sister.

If there's any fandom you'd like to see her in, drop me a line—review or PM—and we'll see if it's a fandom I know.