So... 2020. Needless to say, it's been a bit of a hard year for everyone, regardless of what else happened to be going on in their personal life at the time. And the fact of the matter is, for a lot of people, the holidays are hard, and this year are exceptionally so, especially given that they might not be able to see their friends and family at a time traditionally meant for being with your loved ones.

When I first listed the teaser for this fic in my timeline a few years back, I, like everyone else, had no idea what was coming. It was merely another little holiday short that was set in the midst of a larger adventure. I even played around with it a bit, though it wasn't quite turning out, so I set it aside again, thinking that it might be better to wait until I had the main story underway. And then this year happened.

I am, admittedly, one of the lucky ones this year-my family has been so far untouched by Covid-19, and through taking extra precautions and making sacrifices, I was able to be with my folks this Christmas. And while I am incredibly grateful, I know that there are others out there who are not so fortunate as I, and my heart goes out to them.

Like 'To Bridge the Divide', this work is in many ways tied to the moment in time in which it was written-and while this short piece did not perhaps come as easily, nor as eloquently, there is still a message within; a feeling, a wish that is difficult to put into words, but that I nonetheless tried to imbue. This year has been strange, and difficult, and the future will likely be so for yet a while longer-and in this moment, it can be so very difficult to be caught up in it all, with the past unreachable and the future uncertain. Yet even so, there remains joy, and hope, once we bring ourselves to find it (and often in the most unexpected of places), and while we may not be able to together with those we had thought we would be with, family is just as much about the one you make or find as it is the one you are born into.

Becca was never quite sure what it was that made her turn around and head back to her dorm room instead of continuing to the cafeteria when class let out, but the eye-wateringly sharp odor of nail polish that greeted her when she opened the door left her very glad that she did. Reflexively holding her breath, she dropped her book-bag and ran to the window, throwing it open and letting the chill winter air rush in to combat the fumes before turning and surveying the room, trying to locate the source.

It didn't take long. There was a conspicuous gap in the short row of nail polishes that Claire kept on her desk, and the missing bottle hadn't traveled very far—in fact, its smashed remains lay just off to one side of said desk, with what almost appeared to be a harness made of dental floss laying among the glass shards and metallic green spatter. That would have been enough to make Becca nervous—the polish was already beginning to dry, and would probably leave a stain regardless—but more concerning than even the difficult-to-explain tangle of floss was the trail of drips and suspiciously-uniform smudges that fled the scene, disappearing under her bed. Already dreading what she might find, Becca crept over to the bed and peered underneath.

Admittedly, the space under her bed wasn't the most tidy even on the best of days, and that had become especially true the past couple months—between classes and the very important side-quest of getting her tiny guests back to their own world (and keeping them from being discovered), cleaning had fallen to the wayside. Even so, said space could only be currently described as a disaster zone—scraps of fabric and cotton stuffing, fragments of foil and glass and cardboard, and all sorts of other odds and ends were strewn haphazardly across the floor. And, most damning of all, the trail of nail polish wove its way through the mess, back into the knothole in the back wall that served as the entrance to the small space that had been claimed by the two little foreigners. Pushing aside some of the debris, Becca inched her way under the bed, calling softly, "Kitt? Jake?"

After a moment's hesitation, the young woman and her Hybrid companion crept out of their sanctuary, neither quite willing to meet Becca's gaze, and in the latter's case, with ears and tail tucked low in chagrin. Becca took a moment to study them both, from their guilt-ridden expressions to the green polish on the bottoms of their shoes—and in Jake's case, on the tips of his flukes—before she asked, "Look… I know it can't be easy being confined indoors now that winter's set in, but what on earth is all this?"

Jake and Kit exchanged a look, before Jake took a deep breath and glanced up at Becca. "Well…er…" He trailed off, flushing and looking away. "We sort of got bored…"

"I can see that." Becca did her best to gesture at the assortment of objects cluttering her floor, most of which were about the right size for a person—or two—about six inches tall to carry without too much issue. "Where did you even get this without being caught? How did you get this without being caught? And why?"

"We've been scrounging the past few nights," Kitt said, meeting Becca's gaze. "And we asked Matteo to see what he could find, as well, so some of this is stuff he brought us. As for the why…"

Becca watched as her two guests exchanged another look, longer this time. Becca knew that they were probably speaking to eachother telepathically, and as such waited for the conversation to finish. When it did, Kitt began speaking again. "To be honest…We're both more than a little homesick. The holidays are coming up, and while you're been a great host, and Jake and I appreciate everything you're doing to help us get home…" she sighed, her gaze dropping. "It's just…hard."

"We're stuck here, after all," Jake added quietly, his voice tired. "And everyone we know and love…They're a universe away. There's no way to call them, no way to even know how much time has passed..." His eyes briefly closed. "Or whether or not we'll see them again."

Becca couldn't help but feel a pang of grief at the expression on his face, one that was mirrored on Kitt's. She knew, of course, that it was hard on her two little guests to be away from their world—hence her determination to see them get home—but with everything going on (and here the grief was followed swiftly by guilt), somehow she had missed the fact that the holidays would probably make the separation worse. After all, Christmas was a time to be spent with family and friends—and while Becca certainly hoped that Jake and Kitt considered her a friend, they were each the only family that the other currently had.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to make you two upset." Reaching forward, she lightly brushed their shoulders with the tip of a finger. "Just keep working on your project, if it helps keep your mind off of things, and keep staying out of sight. I'll try and get the nail polish cleaned up—and next time, try to avoid picking Claire's most expensive polish, all right?"

She got a couple tiny grins in response, and feeling that she'd at least cheered them up a little, Becca slid back out from underneath the bed—though not before catching Jake rubbing his upper arms as if struck by a sudden chill, and the concerned glance that Kitt gave him. She made a mental note to ask about it later, then grabbed a rag and a bottle of rubbing alcohol from under the bathroom sink and went to work on the shimmering green pool still doing its level best to creep along the floor, humming quietly to herself.

It took slightly longer than expected, as in a couple places the polish had firmly adhered itself to the floor and she had to very carefully go over the place the bottle had shattered in order to confirm she had collected all of the possible glass slivers, but soon the only evidence that anything had happened was the remnant of the drip trail left under her bed. It was at this point that Kitt stepped out from under the bed to collect the floss harness and, once it was stowed away, to offer to finish cleaning, as Becca was running out of time to have lunch before her next class. After a moment's consideration, Becca agreed to the offer, and was in the middle of pouring a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol into a bottle-cap for her to use when she heard footsteps approaching the door. Thrusting the cap at the Kitt, she hissed, "Hide!"—but as usual, reflexes honed by months of close calls, the little outworlder was already a step ahead, snatching the cap and darting back to safety, leaving Becca to dash to the windows and pull them shut, then run back to hastily grab her cleaning supplies and kneel in front of the bed, hopefully shielding from view anything that would arouse suspicion.

The door opened, and a moment later Becca let out the breath that she was inadvertently holding—it was just Claire. She relaxed slightly as the blonde nudged the door shut behind her with one foot, her arms full of annoyed-looking Ice-Type. Setting the Vulpix down, Claire crossed the room and dropped her own book-bag on the bed, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. "You really shouldn't be letting Matteo wander around unsupervised, you know—school rules and all that. And why was he dragging a pine branch back towards your room?"

Giving the floor one last swipe with the rag, Becca stood and headed back towards the bathroom to put the cleaning supplies away. "Matteo was apparently out on an errand—the pine branch was likely part of that. Besides, you and I know that between his stubbornness and his knowing Extrasensory, keeping him somewhere he doesn't want to be is impossible. It's why we have our agreement, which he's apparently been ignoring the past few days." Supplies stowed, she leaned against the doorway. "I don't suppose you brought the branch with you?"

Claire wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but I had to hide it in my bag, and my stuff is going to be covered in sap now." She turned her attention back to her bag, letting out a startled exclamation when she unzipped it and thickly-needled twigs immediately sprung upright. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Wrap the end in paper towel, put it in a baggie with some water and tie it shut, and leave it by my bed. It'll be dealt with."

Claire's eyes narrowed in thought, and she glanced over at Becca's bed and the space underneath. "Ah. So that's what's been going on. I suppose that my missing nail polish also has something to do with it…"

Becca sighed. "I can't believe you already noticed that…But yes, it does. Look, can we talk on the way to the cafeteria? I'd like to get something to eat today…"

"You skipped breakfast again?"

"I was busy! And it's not like you have any room to complain, you skip meals all the time!"

"Yes, but not the one you need to keep yourself awake during History!"

"She has a point!" Called a small voice from under the bed. "Whoever scheduled History as an eight-AM class wasn't human—and that's coming from someone who isn't!"

"Thank you, Jake," Clair said, just as Becca snapped "You stay out of this!"

"As you wish," came the mild reply, and after a long, silent moment, both girls cracked identical, sheepish grins. "Right. Food." Claire managed. "Grab your stuff and let's go, kay?"

Becca did so, though as she followed Claire out of the room, she spared one last look back into the room. "You behave, okay? Please don't get yourself into any more trouble."

Matteo, who had by this point made himself at home on Becca's pillow, flicked an ear in reply. There was no response from under the bed, but Becca knew that that was as close to an affirmative as she was going to get with the door open, and as such she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Claire was waiting at the end of the hall, and as soon as Becca caught up to her, she asked, "So, about that explanation…?"

"Your suspicions are correct: your nail polish fell victim to Jake and Kitt's attempt at keeping their minds off of the upcoming holidays. They've been gathering all sorts of things the past few days; it's probably to decorate that pine branch Matteo fetched for them in lieu of a proper tree. The polish was probably in case the branch died, or all Matteo could scavenge was a dead one. Obviously, with the snow already being a couple inches deep, they can't exactly head out themselves…"

"That's true," Claire replied, before they reached the stairwell and had to put the conversation on hold. Once the girls had reached the bottom, she picked right back up where she had left off, "I suppose it's the least I can do, not making a big deal out of the loss of the polish. I owe them quite a bit, after all."

"You were a bit of a jerk before Jake straightened you out," Becca admitted. "Granted, a part of me still wishes that you hadn't found out, nice as it is to have backup in case I can't be there for them… But what's done is done. I just wish I could do more for them…"

"On top of trying to get them home?"

"Well, yeah. Like I said, they're trying to keep their minds off the holidays. I'm not sure how well that's going to work, though, given that there's probably going to be something done for the students who won't or can't go home once class lets out tomorrow—they're going to have their own situation thrown into their faces again, however accidentally. I… I just don't want this year to be awful for them."

Claire nodded sympathetically. "I don't think either of us can truly know what they're going through—Matteo might, based on what you've told me about him—but you're right, it's going to be tough." She paused, then brightened. "You know what we could do, though? Throw them their own little Christmas party."

"You think that'll help?" Becca asked.

"It's worth a shot. After all, they've still got us two—three if you count Matteo. And if we can pull it off, at the very least it should help keep the homesickness at bay."

"If we pull it off," Becca emphasized. "If this goes wrong, we're only going to make things worse."

Claire shrugged. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And if it goes badly, they'll still know we tried. That might be more important to them than even if we managed to pull it off; just knowing that we care enough to try and give them a happy Christmas even though we can't get them what they truly want."

"Right. So how do we do this?"

"We can work out the details at dinner tonight—then we'll have a couple days to prepare everything once classes end tomorrow. For now, just make sure that pine branch stays fresh, and see if you can sneak it down to the Infirmary and get Ms. Turner's Florges to help root it…" Claire grinned. "But first, food! It won't be any use trying to plan anything if you pass out in the middle of class from hunger!"

That night, sitting in a relatively unoccupied corner of the cafeteria as fourth-meal wound down, Becca and Claire looked over the list they'd just finished compiling. After a moment, Becca asked, "So… What's the best way to go about this, you think? You've probably got more experience with this kind of thing than I do."

"Well," Claire began, "Most of this shouldn't be too difficult. Food and drink is easy—we just have to make sure to cut the portions small enough for Kitt and Jake to easily handle. Likewise, I can run into town and grab some fake snow from a craft store, along with some resin and glitter for making ornaments—probably going to need silicone for a mold, now that I think about it—and I'm sure I can find a miniature fake tree there, so that we can have a proper tree to decorate for them—no offense to Matteo, but that branch is going to make for one funny-looking tree."

"Don't they sometimes sell miniature trees—or at the very least shrubs—at the grocery stores?"

"That's true." Claire cupped her cheek in one hand as she made a note on the list. "And I could check the local nursery as well—they're bound to have something left."

"And if all else fails, you could grab something from the floral section of the craft store—that might be closer to scale."

"Point. Oh, and I'll try and get some miniature bells and fairy lights, too. Think you could make some paper chains out of your colored index cards? Paper snowflakes, too—there's a tutorial I can show you for some 3D ones that would look nice if we strung them along a thread..."

Becca couldn't help but snicker at her friend's enthusiasm. "And I suppose you'll be wanting me to string popcorn and cranberries if I have the time."

Claire waved dismissively "No, I'll get that if there's time. You're going to have to work on gifts, after all. Any ideas?"

Becca hesitated. "Honestly, I was hoping you might have some ideas. What do you get a six-inch-tall outworlder? I mean, I have several ideas of what I would get them, but their size makes it impractical at best and impossible at worst."

"What were you thinking?"

Becca flushed slightly. "Well, Kitt likes to draw, so maybe some art supplies. A couple puzzles for Jake. And maybe a field guide for them both, since they've been pretty interested in the differences in Pokémon between our world and theirs."

Claire frowned. "Yeah, I can see how that might be difficult. If you got some colored pencils, you might be able to cut them to size, but it'd be hard to do correctly. A puzzle might be feasible, though the pieces are going to be pretty big scale-wise, and there's the whole issue of not being able to see the image as you work… The field guide might be plausible, though, depending on how large the pages are and how it's bound…"

"I'd also thought about one of those resin pixel-image kits, but that just sounds like it would be all sorts of trouble…"

Claire winced. "Yeah, that's probably a bad idea." She paused. "Although… What if we scaled down a no-sew fleece throw blanket kit?"

"To make? Or to give to them to make?"

"Why not both? I mean, we're going to have to make at least one to make sure we scale it properly. And it's going to get even colder in January than it is now, so the more cozy blankets they have, the better. And you could make them a new sleeping cushion and pillows, too."

Becca shrugged. "Well, they would certainly be practical gifts." Her mind flicked back to Jake's sudden chill, and she nodded. "That sounds like a good idea actually. And it would be a lot easier than my only other idea…"

"What was that?"

"Scarves. I'm pretty sure that I would have to use embroidery floss and sewing needles—or at the very least, toothpicks—to get the sizing correct…"

"Can you crochet?"

"A little, why?"

"Well, there you go. As long as you use one of the finer yarns and a small hook, you shouldn't have much trouble at all—and it would certainly be easier than knitting on toothpicks!"

"True." This time it was Becca's turn to reach for the list and scrawl a note, and when she was done, she looked over at Claire. "Of course, we've still got to get all of this done without them finding out…"

"Eh, I'm sure we can come up with a plausible excuse or two. We could probably do most of the crafting down in the laundry room while we're watching our things. Or, maybe, you could say that you're taking Matteo to be groomed, and then the two of you disappear for a couple hours? You'll have to give his coat a good brushing before you get back, though—maybe sprinkle a bit of dry shampoo in his fur to fool Jake's nose, too."

"But that still only gives us a few hours to get everything done…"

Claire leaned forwards over the table. "Becca, we'll make it work. Stop fretting. First thing after class gets out tomorrow, I'll head out and get the stuff for the tree. You worry about what you need to grab for the blankets, pillows, and scarves. Then we'll divvy up everything and get to work—and remember, we have a couple days. It'll be plenty of time!"

"Right." Becca hoped she sounded more confident that she felt. "First thing tomorrow after class."

Somehow, over the next three days, they managed to get everything done. As soon as class had let out for the holiday break, Claire had whisked Becca into town and to the first craft store they came across, flitting through the aisles as Becca considered various fleeces. As soon as she had made her selections, Claire had taken them to be cut and shooed Becca off to look at yarns—and as soon as Becca had picked out what she needed, had collected those as well and gone to pay for everything. After that, they had gone in separate directions, Becca to seek out both an appropriate guide-book and wrapping paper, while Claire took their supplies back to the Academy before heading to the nearest nursery to find an appropriate conifer and, as it turned out, some decorative stones that were the perfect size to prop up the book and hold the pages open.

Their shopping spree finished, they stashed their purchases in the top of their closets (save the miniature pine, which went in the window), and took the opportunity to grab a quick meal before setting the next stage of their plan into action—which is to say, Claire spent a few minutes down the hall negotiating the use of their floormate Alfred's pressure pot when he wasn't curing a batch of custom dice, and Becca stuffed the fleece and silicone they'd bought into her laundry basket in order to sneak both down to the laundry room, where she and Claire would meet up and attempt to prepare ornament molds.

It took a few tries, but by the time they went to bed that night, the fleece had been washed and was ready to be used, and between them Becca and Claire had created thirty miniature molds. And, so far, neither Kitt nor Jake seemed to have any clue about the surprise that was coming.

The second day passed in much the same way—Claire, making good on her promise, took some of the fleece, a few index cards, and her sewing kit with her when she went to wash her laundry, and returned with a neatly-stitched cushion and some tiny pillows ready to be stuffed, as well as a pair of long, delicate paper chains. Becca, meanwhile, had taken the pine branch Matteo had collected to Ms. Turner's Florges, who had coaxed it into rooting, and the new little tree (which did look rather strange with its fanlike shape) had been returned to Kitt and Jake, who were happy to see that it was now in its own pot, having apparently and understandably gotten attached to it, and who promptly began weaving some of their found baubles into its needles. Seeing how much the activity did to cheer up the little outworlders made Becca more determined than ever to grant them a happy holiday, and that night both she and Claire stayed up long after midnight, cutting and sewing by the light of their desk lamps and Becca's laptop screen. By the time they were finally too tired to work any longer, they had finished the fleece blankets and the additional kits, gotten the cushion and pillows stuffed and sewn up, and had completed all of the paper decorations they had planned—and Becca had finished crocheting the scarves that she had wanted to give her guests. Claire had also been busy with the silicone and resin, and after a few false starts, had gotten the first batch of ornaments cast, and had managed to create an additional ten molds.

The third day began with checking in on Kitt and Jake—who had, strangely enough, been rather quiet the past two days—before jumping back into their preparations, which had become especially critical, for that night was Christmas Eve. Claire spent most of the day in the kitchen baking, leaving Becca to double-check their list and make sure everything was done, which at this point was thankfully little more than wrapping everything up and collecting the final batch of ornaments from a rather bemused Alfred. Then, suddenly, there was nothing left to do, save for each girl setting an alarm on her Styler, setting it to vibrate, and tucking it under her pillow, so that they could wake up early enough to set everything up the next morning. And even then, it was simply a matter of decorating.

First was the miniature pine Claire had found, the girls winding the fairy lights and paper chains through its branches and hanging the tiny bells and resin-and-glitter ornaments, some newly-cured, from its branches. As Becca topped it with a star, cleverly cast to fit over one of the lights, Claire strung the chain of paper snowflakes from the tree to the bed-frame, and the tree to the bookcase next to the window. That done, she tacked a popcorn-and-cranberry string to Becca's bedframe, and they both spent a few minutes dusting the entire setup with fake snow, piling it up in little drifts here and there, and arranging the brightly-wrapped gifts (most of which were comically dwarfed by the guidebook) under the little conifer's branches.

They finished just as the morning sun began to creep over the horizon, and Claire snapped a picture of the little Christmas scene on her phone before both girls crept back into bed, pretending to still be asleep as the room began to brighten, and waiting for Kitt and Jake to awaken and discover the surprise left for them.

They didn't have to wait long. Becca heard a rustling sound from underneath her bed, and then a startled cry from Jake. A moment later, the little outlander had dashed out from under cover, skidding to a stop in front of the tree and the gifts tucked underneath. Becca watched as he hesitantly reached out to touch one of the bells hanging from its branches, and as it rang he jumped back, ears swiveling up in unbridled surprise. Eyes wide, tail flicking back and forth, he circled the tree, taking it all in—then ran back towards the bed, his face alight with happiness. "Kitt! Kitt, you've got to see this!"

She met him halfway, apparently having been woken by his initial shout. Jake was practically bouncing with excitement, and he swept her up into a joyous hug, spinning her around and laughing. "I can't believe it! Look at this!"

"Jake, put me down!" Kitt laughed, and still grinning, her link-brother did so. Turning, Kitt glanced up, meeting Becca's eyes as she peered over the bed with her own small smile. "Did you and Claire do this? For us?"

"Yep. You were so down the other day… I wanted to make today happy for you guys. You've been through so much…"

For a moment, the cheerful mood faltered; a flicker of sadness crossing the face of the two outworlders. Then, blinking back tears, Jake smiled. "Thanks, Becca. You too, Claire. All of this…" He waved a hand back at the tree and decorations. "You have no idea how much it means. I…I wish I could put it into words..."

"Well, you could, but when you guys try and talk telepathically to me, I get headaches, so let's avoid that." Becca replied dryly, ignoring Claire's snickering. She gestured at the tree. "Well, are you gonna investigate your gifts or not?"

Jake blinked, then his face lit up as he remembered the gifts piled under the tree. "Right! Come on, Kitt, let's go see what's there."

The next half-hour was enjoyable for all involved, as each gift was carefully unwrapped and exclaimed over. First was one of the finished fleece throws, a beautiful floral print on one side and a verdant leafy collage on the other, which went to Kitt, followed by the other, stormy gray clouds accented with lightning and backed by a cool ocean pattern for Jake. Next were the kits, then the pillows, all in bright colors, and the sleeping cushion in a restful misty blue. This was immediately commandeered as Kitt and Jake opened their next presents, which happened to be the decorative stones—and which puzzled the two until Claire hinted that they were related to the largest parcel. At this point, the guidebook was discovered and exclaimed over, before the outworlders' attention was redirected to the gifts still waiting under the tree. The scarves were next, Jake's in a rich deep blue, and Kitt's in a pale sky-tinged silver, and while Kitt folded hers and set it carefully aside, Jake immediately slung his over his shoulders, clearly pleased.

There were also two packages that Becca didn't recognize, which she assumed that Claire had slipped under the tree when she hadn't been looking. Jake peeled back the paper on his first, a puzzled expression creeping over his face at the crimson fabric that he had exposed, before it morphed into one of dry disapproval as he fully unwrapped a miniature winter Ranger's uniform redone to look like that of a nutcracker. "Ha-ha. Very funny."

"Sorry," Claire snickered, not in the least apologetic. "I couldn't resist."

Jake rolled his eyes, and watched as Kitt unwrapped her own gift, which bore some resemblance to a safari outfit. She regarded it for a moment, head tilted, then nodded to herself. "Lots of pockets on this. That'll be handy."

Jake muttered something under his breath, then looked up from his paper-strewn spot. "So, I guess that's it?"

"Claire made some stuff if you're hungry. There's cookies, of course, and some fruit salad in the mini-fridge, as well as a cheese ball, among other things. I was planning on sneaking some stuff from the dining hall later, too, since they'll probably have something fancy today… But as far as presents go, that's it, yeah. Why?"

"Well, uh…" Jake trailed off, then glanced over to where Kitt was beginning to gather everything to take it back to their sanctuary. She nodded, and he turned back to Becca and Claire. "We've been working on something, too. Just give us a second. And could you wake Matteo up? He should see this as well."

So saying, he and Kitt ran back under the bed, and Becca could hear scuffing sounds as they started to move their mysterious item out from under the bed. She lightly poked Matteo awake, and after some grumbling, the Vulpix crawled over to the edge of the bed and looked down just as the outworlders managed to bring their project out from under the bed.

Becca felt her breath catch-so this was what they had been up to. Every single one of the odds and ends that they had collected, save for the ones that had been used to decorate their pine-branch-turned-tree, had been fused together into a glorious mismatch of color and texture. One that, when they stood it upright, was nearly as tall as they were, and that spelled out 'Noel'.

"We would have spelled 'Thank You', but we didn't have enough stuff for all the letters," Jake said, scuffing at the floor with one foot. His ears dipped slightly. "And… Well, it's not the prettiest thing in the world…"

"It's perfect."

Both Jake and Kitt looked up, and Becca couldn't help but smile as she continued. "It really is, guys. I know it probably wasn't what you were planning, but it's clearly from your hearts, and that's what matters. Thank you."

Kitt shrugged. "It started as a way to keep our minds off things, but then it became about showing our appreciation for everything that you and Claire and Matteo have done for us—Arceus knows we haven't been the easiest things to keep under wraps, and we've accidentally caused you more trouble than we're probably worth. And yet… You're still determined to get us home safe."

"Well, that's what Rangers do—we help out those who need assistance," Claire said, and then added, "Plus, you're our friends, so that goes double for you."

"Still—"

"Don't worry about it—just enjoy your presents, okay? And Merry Christmas."

Kitt seemed momentarily taken aback, but then smiled. "Merry Christmas."

And as Jake echoed her a moment later Becca decided that that was, in fact, exactly what it had turned out to be.

Happy Holidays, everyone. May the New Year bring good tidings for us all. Stay safe, stay hopeful, stay strong-we're all in this together, and one day, this will be just another challenge we've overcome.