A/N: I'd like to announce that I've FINALLY broken 50 reviews! And in celebration, I'm going to answer some! Also, this chapter is a little shorter than my usual ones, but things start to heat up between...well...EVERYONE!

wishnik: Woah! You actually read my story! Thanks a billion! And I can't promise Sandle, but who knows? It could happen. Just have to keep reading to find out...hehehe...

charmed1818: I'm glad you like it, I update once a day (or whenever my editor sends back my chapters) so you better check a lot!

Daisyangel: To tell you the truth, at the beginning of last chapter I was all geared up to have them get presents, and while writing this one, I realized I wasn't sure what to get them...But I think I did okay.

JoonSanders: I'm basing the Rocky thing off one of my own experiences with my dear friend. He took me to see it at a theatre, and it was way awsome. It was in February, just like this one's gonna be! Except I don't plan on making Catherine wear what my friend wore...I don't think a bathrobe and short-shorts would look very charming.

xxPunkPrincessoo: Well, if you tell me who you want to be with Sara, I'll put a little tallymark on my little sheet with my chart telling me who wants her with Greg and who wants her with Nick...Savvy?

Silver Hair Fox: You told people about my story! Woot! You know, you are my heart and soul now...or something. Anyway, you only need to check if it's updated once daily, because that's when I update... 3

mudhousejunkie224: Once again, I myself don't know if this is Sandle or Snickers. I couldn't tell you if I wanted to!

Gorgeous Nick Stokes: I feel terrible about doing these awful things to Nicky...What's worse, is I have even more in store! >

XxbluemoonxX: I will keep writing as long as there's blood in my veins and reviews to keep me happy!

XoXoXoXoX

"Welcome to my humble abode," Nick said dramatically, his words accompanied by a sweeping bow. Sara giggled, then stepped over the threshold of Nick's house. She was the last one to arrive, and the rest of the gang had put their brightly wrapped gifts under a three-foot tall, obviously fake, Christmas tree.

Greg smiled cheerfully at her as she set down her presents, and Catherine patted a spot on the couch next to her. Sara sat down, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Sara was gazing around at the bright faces of her eight best friends, thinking of earlier that morning, when she had spent her first Christmas with the Petersons. She'd been put in their care about a week before the start of school, and they were just beginning to feel like her family. Now it was growing late, and the sun that had come up that morning was sinking in the sky. Sara snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Catherine.

"Are we just going to sit around, or is someone gonna give me some presents?"

Everyone laughed, and Greg, who was wearing an overly large Santa hat, began sliding boxes across the floor to their addressees. Sara was soon overloaded with Christmas loot. She'd gotten, among other things, a bath basket from Catherine, a shockingly pink bra from Mia, and a beautifully illustrated book, "Griffin and Sabine; an Extrodinary Correspondance," from Nick.

It turned out that everyone had gotten some kind of undergarment from Mia, including a purple bra with pink hearts for Catherine, and a pair of boxers with the logo of a cheap vinyard for Greg. She had clearly not forgotten the Thanksgiving wine.

Everyone had gotten the same thing from Greg, as well: skateboards, each with a different color and design on the bottom; Sara's was sky blue and had a pattern of clouds. Greg also explained that he'd teach everyone to ride as well as he did; he was tired of waiting around for the group to catch up to him when he rode ahead.

Catherine opened her gift from Gil last, slowly, so she wouldn't tear the paper. A plain white box was inside, and she hastily opened the lid to find a gorgeous top hat, black silk with a satin ribbon around the brim. When she put it on, everyone agreed that she looked absolutely "fab", as Mia put it. Catherine set it down carefully, putting it right next to a green umbrella that looked like a frog when it was unfolded, which was her gift from Sara.

Greg and Nick opened their presents from Sara at the same time. Greg finished first, shooting a look of triumph at Nick, and held up a t-shirt that was roughly the same color as Sara's new bra. Printed across the front, in black letters, was the phrase, "Tough guys wear pink."

Nick unwrapped his present, an Edward Gorey poster of the Gashley Crum Tinies, and thanked Sara sincerely. "How does she know me so well?" he thought to himself, sneaking a glance at the girl who, though she didn't know it, was the object of so many boys' affections.

Mia, also a temptress who held two boys' hearts, opened Archie's present to her. Into her hands fell the most fabulous dress she had ever seen. She looked at him, her eyes full of joy, only to find him staring at his feet. She reached for her present from Warrick, and was even more shocked. A rose in a bell jar seemed like a gift out of a fairy tale. Upon closer inspection, Mia noticed that each perfect petal on the rose was covered in tiny ice crystals. Warrick, by way of explanation, told her he had dipped the rose in liquid nitrogen, completely freezing it inside the vacuum-sealed jar.

She set down the rose, hurried over to him, and pulled him into a tight embrace, then gave him a shocking gift of her own. She looked deep into his eyes, closing the space between them in moments. When he kissed her back, she felt fireworks go off in her head and flames of passion dance behind her eyes, beckoning him closer.

When they broke apart, an awkward silence had descended over the group. Archie was looking morosely at his feet, as if the plain black tennis shoes that covered them were the only thing worth his gaze. If Mia had bothered to look into his face, she would have seen the heartbreak and pain that lay behind his features, the sorrow of knowing that he had no chance.

When the gang departed, one by one, Gil leaving first, gazing happily down at the Pink Floyd cd Catherine had bought him. Greg left last, shortly after Sara. The atmosphere in the room that he and Nick had shared was so tense and heavy that was almost difficult to move.

Nick took his gifts upstairs, hanging Sara's poster in a place of honor above his bed. He looked brokenly down at the skateboard, sitting innocently on the floor next to the closet. He reflected briefly on his friendship with Greg, analyzing the details in his mind, coming to the conclusion that he would have to be friendly - but only for Sara's sake. Little did he know that in a car driving away from his house, Greg Sanders was thinking the exact same thing.