Spoilers galore for Friend or Foe. If you don't want to be spoiled, then go read the original story!

Christmas came around and I was rushing around, trying to make sure I had everything.

Even though war had been declared, and we were probably going to be fighting, we decided to let have everyone have time off some point today. In shifts, but it was better than nothing.

We'd decided between us that each Head should get two hours off, and it was my two hours now, so I ran for the Departure Cavern, hoping that I was still in time for Jamie's party.

Taboo and I got through the Tunnel at top speed and practically flew out of the top. I had to swerve to avoid crashing face first into the rock and formed an ice bridge to take me safely down to the lake.

"...You're late."

I jumped about a foot in the air, because that wasn't Taboo.

I turned to the far end of the lake to see the Man in the Moon standing there.

"Late for what?" I asked, noticing that it was night time, with the moon hanging high in the sky. I'd almost completely lost track of time.

"The Guardian Ceremony. You missed it." The Man slowly walked towards me. "It was a few hours ago."

Taboo was sniffing around the lake. "Whoa, a lot of scents around here. You'd like a party had taken place here!"

A party...

I quickly flicked my watch face around so I could see it, having forgotten to check in the mad rush, and saw that it was past midnight. In fact it was coming up to one AM.

"...I've missed it." I said, my shoulders slumping.

"Jamie should still be up." Assured the Man. "If you run you might catch him before he goes to bed."

I looked over at the Man. I should be in awe, this is the entity that created all of the immortals. I wouldn't be who I was today without him.

However, right now, all I wanted to do was see my old friend. Just to remind me that the normal world still existed, I just felt tired of my world right now.

"Thanks." I said, nodding to him. Then I shifted the bag on my back and took off running.

It felt so good to run after being stuck down in the base for so long. It had done a number on my fitness and I cursed under my breath as my stiff legs complained. That was going to take so long to get back.

I finally made it to Jamie's house with Taboo loping behind me. I stopped by the gate to see that the lights in the front room were out. The whole house looked asleep.

I let out a sigh and ran to the back of the house, jumping messily over the fence and landing with a crunch in the snow.

I walked fully round the back in the garden and looked up at the windows, and in one of them the light was still on.

I smiled to myself and held out my hand, a snowball forming it. With a flick of my fingers I sent it flying towards the window on the upper floor, where it landed with a satisfying thud and dispersed.

Less than a minute the later the curtains were drawn back and the window was flung open, revealing Jamie in a pair of pyjamas, his messy brown hair flopping into his face.

His eyes quickly found me and widened. "Jackie!"

He looked over his shoulder for a second before calling back down.

"Come in! I'll come down and open the door!"

"Thanks!" I called up, but he had already gone back inside.

Taboo and I jumped back over the fence to make our way to the front. Jamie opened it the same time we reached it, and I began speaking before he could.

"I am, so, so sorry for not making it to the party." I said, and Jamie tried to interrupt.

"Jackie-" However, I was still going.

"I lost track of time, which is easy to do down there and-"

"Jackie-"

"I am so-"

"JACKIE!"

I blinked. "Yeah?"

Jamie shook his head and carefully put his hands on my shoulders. I flinched internally from the heat, but because I'd seen it coming I managed to not let it show.

"I know." Said Jamie. "It's okay, you're busy, I get it. You even said when I called that you might not make it to the party."

"I know, but still..."

"Hey, you got off at, roughly Christmas."

I chuckled. "Roughly."

Jamie also chuckled and stepped back to let me in. "Come in, do want something to drink?"

"Yes please." I said, walking and getting rid of the snow without really thinking about it.

"Okay, I've got some milk." Jamie paused and got a good look at me at the brightly lit hallway. "On second thoughts you look like you could do with something stronger."

"I don't drink Jamie." I reminded him.

"Good point, the Heads would kill you if you came back drunk. How much time have you got off?"

"Two hours." I said, following Jamie to the kitchen as he got out a bottle of milk. Taboo went straight to the living room.

"Not much time."

"Stuff... stuff's happened. We're still fighting."

"Really? The Guardians are all finished their end." He said, handing me a glass filled with milk.

"Yeah, well, we aren't the Guardians." I said with a shrug. I really didn't want to get into what happened.

We walked into Jamie's living room and sat down on the same sofa, Taboo curled around our feet.

"So, how's it been at HOG?"

"Alright. We're alive." I said, taking a sip of the milk.

"Hmm, you're being oddly coy."

"Can we please not talk about work?" I asked, a slight plead in my voice. Jamie frowned, normally I wasn't this upfront that I didn't want to talk about something.

"Something happened, didn't it?"

I shrugged again and looked at my milk, swirling it.

"Alright, talking about something else..." Jamie tapped his fingers on the sofa, seemingly lost for words. Whenever we were together we usually talked about the immortal world, how it was going on either of our ends. We rarely talked about mundane things. That's why it ended up not working out between us, I spent more time with HOG than with my then boyfriend, and I regret it. Ironically it made more of a work-a-holic than before.

"...How's Chris?" I asked, opening up conversation to something we both could talk about.

"Chris is fine. Completely smitten with Tara." Jamie said with a smile.

"Wait, Tara? Tara Lumen?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you said she was missing!"

Jamie gave me an odd look. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

Jamie chuckled and shook his head. "I can't believe it, usually you know everything about what's happening with the Guardians."

Pieces started clicking in my head, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"What have the Guardians got to do with it?"

"Guess." Jamie gave me a mischievous smirk. "I thought you were clever."

"Oi." I batted him lightly on the head, which caused him to laugh.

I shook my head and thought about it, landing on the conclusion.

"No..." I looked at Jamie, disbelief all over my face. "She isn't... Is she?"

Jamie's grin grew wider as he shrugged. "You tell me."

"Tara Lumen, a Guardian?"

"Ding ding ding ding." Went Jamie in a game host fashion. "We have a winner!"

I laughed, and it felt so good to laugh. I'd had little to laugh about that lately.

"Bad Jackie." Quipped Taboo. "Don't go down that road!"

"But, Tara Lumen, a Guardian, really?"

"Yep. Isn't it great!?"

"Of course it is. I'm happy for her. She deserves something good."

"Oh, and she's dating Jack."

I started to spit take, but managed to keep the milk in my mouth as I turned to face Jamie.

"Do you want milk all over your living room?" I said once I'd swallowed.

"I'm serious! Tara and Jack are an item now."

"Wow. I didn't see that coming."

"I kinda did." Said Jamie, "But I had the advantage of not being stuck underground."

I grumbled good naturedly and gave him a shove, which he gladly returned. Very quickly there was shoving war on the sofa, and I had to struggle to keep from laughing too hard.

"The kids are asleep upstairs!" Hissed Jamie in protest as we struggled not to laugh too hard.

"Hold on, kids. Plural?" I asked, laughter dying.

Jamie looked a little embarrassed. "Well, it's a long story, but basically I ended up taking in these two girls, Cass and Mel, and I'm considering adopting them."

I smiled a genuine, proud smile. "Good on you. I'm sure they'll be happy. How's Chris taking it?"

"He's fine with it. He's actually been asking me to adopt them."

I smiled again and said. "You're a great dad. They'll love living with you."

"I hope so. I'm kinda nervous."

"It'll be fine. I'm sure."

"Since when you were you the socially competent one?" Asked Jamie, grinning.

"I don't know, it's scary. Must think of something awkward..."

Jamie laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Awkward enough for you?"

I felt my face go a rare colour, red. "Definitely."

I eyed his arm nervously. "How long are you going to keep it there?"

"As long as I feel like."

"R-right."

"Relax, I'm going to do anything." Jamie playfully ruffled my hair, which he knew I hated.

"Uh huh." I said, smoothing my hair back down. My eyes landed on my bag and I remembered what was in it.

"Oh! Almost forgot!"

I began to lean forward to grab my bag, when Taboo, picked it up and passed it to me, seemingly happy to see me in the awkward situation.

I gave her a look as I rummaged through the bag, looking for Jamie's Christmas present.

"Ah ha!" I cried, pulling out a thick rectangle in reindeer patterned paper. "Merry Christmas." I said, passing it to Jamie.

"Of course you'd get me a book." He sighed good naturedly, before carefully opening the wrapping paper.

A book entitled 'Guide to UFO's and other Unexplained Phenomenon' appeared through the paper and Jamie's face split into a grin.

"Oh my God! Are you sure you don't have psychic powers? I was looking at this the other day!" He turned it over in his hands. "It's expensive though, and you don't make that much..."

"Relax." I said. "I may have used a book order at the book shop to get it. We get discounts."

"You sneaky little..." Jamie shook his head, before turning and wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

I let out a very undignified squeak. Both from surprise, a little pain from the body heat and embarrassment.

"Aw." Jamie said, chuckling. "I didn't know you could make such a cute noise."

"Excuse me? I don't do cute."

"Sure you don't."

We sat like that for a moment before;

"Would it kill you to return it?"

"Oh! Right."

I pulled my arms up to wrap around his middle. It was definitely awkward for me, because, while I'm experienced in hugging, it was Jamie I was hugging. Given our history I wasn't sure how to feel about this.

"Okay, I think I've put you through enough awkwardness." Jamie pulled of the hug and we sat back our original positions on the sofa. Suddenly Jamie's face lit up like he remembered something.

"Wait here!" And he was off like a shot.

I looked down at Taboo and we both shrugged.

Jamie came tearing back in, carrying a small, blue present. He stopped by the sofa and handed it to me before sitting down.

"Merry Christmas."

I gave a curious half smile as I opened on end of the parcel, and carefully pulled out the book.

"You are kidding." I gasped, grinning. "You got me the book on Norse mythology I was after! Where did you even find this?!"

"I have my ways." Jamie said with a grin as I examined the rare book from all angles.

"I... I don't know what to say. T-thank you."

"You're welcome Ice Cube."

I felt myself go a deeper red. I hadn't heard call me that in a long time.

I was suddenly got overwhelmed by a sense of calm, relief and nostalgia. Here, the world of HOG, as much as I loved it, couldn't touch me. All the things that had happened seemed far away, like they'd happened to someone else, not the person sitting next to her friend in his living room.

I put the book in my lap and leaned my head on Jamie's warm shoulder. Now it was his turn to blush.

"J-Jackie...?"

"I've missed this." I said softly, silencing him. "I'd almost forgotten that this place existed."

Jamie relaxed under my head. "What happened? You never come back this rattled. Or sentimental."

"...A lot of things. Making me appreciate what I have."

"Hmmm. I'd suggest taking time off, but we both know that isn't possible."

"I know. Thanks though."

"You're welcome."

I closed my eyes, feeling warm and safe. The world around me wasn't going to implode, people weren't getting attacked this second. Everything was fine.

I was soon having some much needed sleep, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't have any nightmares.

Okay, after this, to close it out, the story will take place after FoF. Since that hasn't been published yet I have been talking with MysteriousSherlock to get the details right, but there shouldn't be any major spoilers.