A/N: Hello everyone! This really isn't too much about Christmas, but it is about family and would technically take place during December. Crossover fun, AU, to anybody who has read the comics as well as seen the animated series, this is kind of me taking a few liberties here. Nothing too extreme. Will Raven remain the same as canon? yes, and no. Complicated, I know. Also, she is eight, a year older than Vivio herself. Again, more liberties. I love those! Canon knowledge is not really required to understand the references, as they will be mentioned and expanded upon for the most part.

All that said, read, review, and enjoy!

1- Blanket

"Vivio! I don't think staring at her will wake her up any sooner."

The girl turned at her mother's voice from the kitchen, looking away from the sleeping child. "But Mama, you can't celebrate Christmas if you're sleeping!"

Takamachi Nanoha giggled as only a young woman could. That was true. She had made this very same point to Fate on their first non-violent Christmas together. (She loved Hayate to bits, but that incident had put a real damper on holiday spirit even with the party.) "Can't celebrate it when you're grumpy, either," she reasoned instead, resolving not to tell her newly-official daughter that. "Besides, she was out in the cold. I wouldn't want to be awake right now either. So come on, let her sleep and help me with these cookies. After all, Fate-chan is going to need a perk-up after work today!"

Vivio quietly pumped a fist in agreement, rising from her stool and moving away. Perhaps the smell of sugar would wake her up. She probably needed to wake up soon, but she was too cold to wake up.

Her face was grey and solemn in sleep, Vivio noticed. She was too still there, breathing too quietly and almost invisible under the blanket. It was scary.

Maybe she was scared.

Vivio understood fear.

"Vivio!"

She turned, ready to go to her, but the sleeper made a noise. Vivio squeaked. "Mama!" The sleeper shifted, moaning again. Her face scrunched as it tried to defy waking up, but by the time Nanoha arrived in the room, her eyes were beginning to open. Nanoha couldn't help the smile on her face. The girl was naturally startled. She had been unconscious and half-frozen after all.

Slowly, the girl drew herself up under the blanket. She didn't look threatening, but her face was trying to keep itself frozen in a blank expression. Her eyes, to Nanoha's delight, were a complete giveaway, much like Fate's had been. Granted, there wasn't much to give, other than bewilderment, but the Ace of Aces would take what she could get.

"Nice to see you awake," she said, sitting down on Vivio's vacated stool. Her daughter remained standing, but she shifted from heel to toe, struggling to contain the bursting energy that had been running through her system since her birthday. She was happy to see her daughter's courage, especially considering this child seemed very close to tears. Or that she needed to be. The unnamed girl looked at her, purple eyes seeming to see something that wasn't visible. In a way, she seemed less like Fate, but more like Lutecia, according to reports. "How are you feeling?"

For a moment, the girl seemed not to know what she was saying. Then she looked down, a rather quick avoiding of the eyes, and said simply. "Cold."

"Well, if you said you were warm, I'd be worried," Nanoha commented, making sure to prevent Vivio from jumping in and babbling, as was her wont when she was excited or curious. Nanoha didn't know where that came from. Nope, not her. "Would you like some tea?"

The girl nodded, expression perking minutely at the sound of the word tea, and drew the blankets around her more tightly. Vivio, uninhibited by her mother, jumped in, making sure the woman was going to get a warm cup. "You were outside in the cold for ages," she said, looking as wide-eyed as the nameless new friend. Or family, probably family. They had a big family anyway. It wouldn't be so bad. "You were up against a bus stop. It was good that it wasn't snowing! Why were you there?"

The girl blinked, tilting her head. She seemed to be trying to process what Vivio was saying, and then shook her head. She didn't know, didn't remember.

"Vivio, stop that," her mother scolded as she returned to the room, carrying a tea mug and a couple of bowls.. "Remember when I found you? All those questions would have given you a headache."

The girl flushed. "Oops." Then she frowned. "But, Nanoha-mama," she began, as though a new thought had just occurred to her. "What if someone's looking for her?"

Nanoha tilted her red head, frowning in a perfect imitation of her daughter. "I suppose that's true."

"Nobody's looking for me," the girl said, and then her mouth shut with a nearly audible click. Her eyes had widened with horror and then were squeezed shut. The teacup began to crack, but then stopped and the girl drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping the blanket around herself. She didn't move for a few moments, and Nanoha and Vivio looked at each other. Vivio had only a limited understanding of what was going on. She knew plenty of sad people, after all.

However, Nanoha had a very, very raw understanding, and on the inside, rage was bubbling hot in her throat. The girl was shying back, though, and that was odd. Despite that, Nanoha reached out a hand anyway. The girl flinched and Vivio almost leaned to stop her movement, but instead, Nanoha gently patted the short, purple hairs that stuck from under the blanket.

"It's all right," she said gently. "You can stay there if you want. It's nice and warm after all." The eyes peeked out from behind the safety of the white fabric and Nanoha counted this as a step in the right direction. "I'm going to go get another cup," she declared. "I set this one down too hard." She stood and left, smiling and humming a little tune.

Vivio watched her go before turning back to the silent cocoon. "That was cool," she informed her, sitting in the space vacated by the girl's legs. "I usually have to punch something before I can do that. You must have lots of magic."

"... Yeah." Vivio couldn't see the other's face but there was something in those eyes, something sad.

Vivio decided not to press, and instead placed her own small hand on the edge of the blanket, the barrier. "My name is Takamachi Vivio," she informed her with little-kid solemnity. "Who are you?"

"A demon."

Vivio merely nodded at this. "I'm a clone," she said, smiling. "But what's your name?"

"... You care?"

She sounded surprised and that made Vivio a little sad. Not discouraged exactly, but sad. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

The other girl blinked. Had she never thought of it before? She was like Lutecia, so so much! For a moment, she seemed to mull it over, as though she had rarely ever heard her name spoken. Then, she decided it was worth it and nodded. "Raven," she said. "I was never given a last name. No one was."

"Ooh." Vivio was curious now, but in the back of her mind, a more pressing question arose. "Can I call you Rae?"

Raven blinked, and her grey skin flushed a faint pink. "Yes..."

"Yay!" Satisfied, Vivio hopped up to sit fully on the couch."Nanoha-mama is baking cookies for Fate-mama. Want to help?"

Rae nodded again, and when Vivio extracted the blanket from around her arms, she didn't resist.

"Mama!" Vivio called. "Rae-chan's going to help too!"

She heard her mother giggle. "Well, I'll be out there in a minute, then."