Disclaimer, the usual.
As the sun rose the next morning, dorothy awoke feeling more cheery than usual. As she got up and stretched, toto and pockets ran into the room and jumped up on the bed.
"Well, you two seem energetic this morning." Dorothy said walking over to the wardrobe and opening it.
"alex is on his way too, everyone else seems to have left already." Toto said panting.
"I'm not surprised, every other time we've spent Christmas in Oz, everyone leaves before me." Dorothy replied changing out of her nightgown and into a red and white striped outfit.
At that moment alex stuck his head in the doorway.
"Oh good, you're awake." Alex said walking over.
Dorothy smiled and grabbed the scepter which was still floating close to the wardrobe.
"Good morning." Dorothy replied.
"Sleep well?" He asked.
"yep, you?" Dorothy asked walking over to him
"always." Alex said kissing her cheek.
Dorothy giggled and slid the slippers on. She then turned and walked over to the dresser. Picking up the picnic basket that was on it, she walked over to the bed and opened it. immediately toto and pockets jumped in.
"You know, eventually, pockets will get too big for that basket." Alex said.
"I know, but I'll do it while I still can." Dorothy replied
"well, at least toto isn't getting any bigger, however he is getting old." Alex said resulting in a loud growl coming from the basket.
"Alex, be nice, toto, you too." Dorothy said chuckling
"sorry." They both replied.
"Anyways, we should get going, they won't wait forever for us." Dorothy said.
"well I wouldn't say that." Alex said grabbing the scepter.
Dorothy shook her head and took his hand.
"Take us to Oz." Dorothy said clicking her heels.
Immediately they both felt themselves lurch forward. The colors whizzing by, dorothy found herself feeling dizzy, then suddenly she felt her feet make contact with the floor, but she found herself falling into Glinda's arms.
"Dorothy, alex, there you are, I was about to check on you two." Glinda said smiling.
"Good morning Glinda, merry Christmas." Dorothy said setting the basket down and letting toto and pockets climb out of it.
Looking around they found they were at the far back of the chambers, rather close to the crystal ball Glinda had set up. She could see everyone by the throne, making idle chat while they waited. Looking at alex she found him leaned up against the wall. catching his breath.
"You know, one day, we need to find a better way to get to Oz." Alex said
"Sorry, that's all we have, since I don't think either Roquat or father time would like to have to drop what they're doing every time you want to come to Oz or go home." Glinda said still with a smile.
Dorothy giggled and walked over to the group. Everyone turned to face her.
"Merry Christmas." They all said in unison.
"Merry Christmas to all of you." Dorothy said.
"Hey kiddo, you're just in time for presents." Scarecrow said walking over to her with lion and tin man following close behind.
"That's from all three of us, it's the latest invention we were working on." Lion said.
"And, happily, it didn't explode." Tin man said
"How reassuring." Alex said walking over.
"Speaking of that, have you even worked on the rainbow mover?" Aislynn asked.
"No, he hasn't, but I was doing some looking at it, and I think it would be an easy fix." Wiser said.
"yes, I assume it would, I made it so that when the button was deployed the rainbow mover would be debilitated when the red button was pressed, not destroyed." Scarecrow said.
"Brilliant." Jon said taking a sip from a cup of tea.
"Dorothy, open it, I've seen their little invention in action, remember I told you about it weeks ago?" Ozma asked.
Dorothy tried to think, but she couldn't remember. She assumed it was mentioned once and then never again. shrugging, she opened the box, revealing a metal orb. It was split down the center with what appeared to be small arrows inscribed on both, taking it out and turning it, immediately the lights around her seemed to dim, and suddenly everyone was surrounded by what appeared to be the night sky with stars glowing around them.
"Wow." Was all dorothy managed to say.
"We took scarecrows rainbow mover concept and used it to make this, ace helped with design behind the scenes, and Glinda and Ozma provided some magic." Lion said.
"Neat." Alex said
"It's so pretty." Annabella and trot said.
"Agreed." Betsy, the China princess, and Marshall mallow said.
"It's amazing." Eliza, Em, Henry, Mr. And Mrs. Teak, and Eliza's parents all said.
"I've seen it in action." Madeline said.
Dorothy smiled and twisted it shut. The lighting in the room returned to normal.
"That was, quite a sight." Dorothy said.
"oh, right, dorothy, I found a small box in your room, it's from Roquat." Madeline said walking it over to her.
"What no hat from you Maddie?" dorothy asked chuckling.
"It's in your wardrobe." Madeline said.
"Wait, why am I opening all my gifts first?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"We voted." Annabella said cheerily
Dorothy sighed and sat down on the floor. Opening the box, she found a rock with what appeared to be crystals set in it.
"Oh, it's a geode, odd looking one though." Alex said picking up a box from a large pile of gifts that dorothy had failed to notice
"um, that's a bigger pile than any of the gifts we could have all gotten each other." Dorothy said.
"Gifts from admirers, I threw mine on the pile, though, I think I'm more than an admirer." Alex said.
"wow…" was all dorothy could say before alex handed her a box.
"Where are the girls by the way?" alex asked.
"Home with their families, except Alyssa, Elena, and Terrance, they went to Locasta's with their families." Glinda said sounding a bit bitter.
Dorothy smiled and opened the present alex had given her. inside was a new locket, with a little picture of a kitten inscribed on it. as well as a journal with a kitten making a walking motion on the front cover, and a small pink stuffed kitten. She couldn't help but smile, however, opening the locket, she found a picture of herself, and her parents.
"I got the picture from your aunt and uncle." Alex said sitting down next to her.
Dorothy said nothing. She simply held the stuffed kitten up to him and meowed.
"Awe." Everyone said in unison.
Dorothy laughed and then hugged alex tightly.
"Alex, I want you to open my present to you." Dorothy said motioning for her aunt.
Immediately Em came over with a large bag, dorothy smiled and went through it, pulling out a box around the same size as the one alex had given her. alex chuckled and opened it, immediately the first thing he pulled out was a stuffed wolf, similar to the one his sister had given him. Setting it down on the floor next to Dorothy's kitten, he then pulled out a wooden box.
"Oh, this one I had a bit of help in son." Mr. Teak said.
"I can tell, Dorothy's not a carpenter, and I don't think dorothy would use our logo on the bottom." Alex said
"Open it." Dorothy said.
Alex sighed and opened it revealing a new pocket watch, with a running wolf inscribed on the front. Opening it revealed his name inscribed on the inside.
"I thought it'd be best to replace the watch the lightning burnt." Dorothy said.
Alex smiled and kissed Dorothy's cheek. he then looked back into the box and found another box. Picking it up he opened it, he found a porcelain wolf inside.
"I had Maddie enchant it so that it can't break, just don't throw it, because it can't break, it will bounce and it can hurt someone." Dorothy said.
"You tested it, didn't you?" Alex asked.
"No…Maddie did…first from a few inches off the desk, then against the floor, magic, it can be dangerous." Dorothy said.
"I thought we established this already?" Alex asked.
"Yes, did that stop us? nope." Dorothy said going a bit red in the face.
Alex chuckled and kissed her. dorothy blushed an even deeper red.
"Well you might want to take a little look on the inside of that journal I gave you." Alex said taking a journal with running wolf on the cover from his box.
"Who would have guessed that they would have gotten each other similar gifts?" Henry asked.
Immediately Madeline raised her hand only to have it forced down by jack. Ozma then got up and walked over to them. Waving her wand over dorothy and alex, immediately a golden tiara with rubies set in it and a similar crown for alex.
"Okay, that's a little much." Glinda said.
"I know, but I've always wanted to do that." Ozma said.
"Maddie, do we have a place for this in the closet?" dorothy asked.
"Not sure, I wasn't looking, I was placing." Madeline said.
"it's just another thing I'll spend most of my time polishing." Alex said taking it off his head and polishing it.
"Okay brother, lay off on the polishing." Annabella said.
"hey when you have as many things as I do, and always have the mad impulse to keep them shiny and in good condition, you'll understand." Alex said.
"Daddy, do me a favor?" Annabella asked.
"what is it dear?" Mr. Teak asked.
"If I ever become like my brother, take all my things and lock them somewhere." Annabella said.
"Um, no." Mrs. Teak said covering her husband's mouth before he could say anything.
Everyone laughed at this. Until trot came up to dorothy with her present, followed by Betsy.
"We both chipped in for this." Betsy said.
"oh, you two didn't need to get me anything." Dorothy said causing Betsy to take out a note book and put a tally in it.
"okay you're the seventh person to say that." Betsy said.
"how many people did you tell?" alex asked.
"Me" Madeline said raising her hand.
"me as well." Jack said.
"and me." Ozma said.
"and us." Scarecrow said.
"All we got from your aunt, uncle, cousins, who appear to have fallen asleep, and several others, was a, 'that's nice of you'." Betsy said
Dorothy smiled and opened the box. Inside was a bracelet, it was an odd-looking bracelet, made in a chain. But each link of the chain was a different color.
"We found that at the jewelry store in town, mommy was looking to buy something special for dad when he and captain bill return home." Trot said.
"thank you, both of you." Dorothy said.
"Oh, dorothy, here's one from the girls and me." Ellie said handing her a flat box.
Dorothy smiled and opened the box, inside was an album. Opening it revealed pictures of various activities that dorothy had done with each of them. She found it odd since no one that she could remember had a camera at any point when she was with them.
"I helped the girls with that a little." Glinda said.
"So, you used magic?" Alex asked before dorothy could get a word in.
"yep." Glinda replied.
Dorothy smiled and thanked them both. Then Mr. Foreman got up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope which he handed to dorothy.
"Your mother, she asked me to give you this when I thought you were ready, I had to write it for her, she was too weak at the time, I found it while I was going through some of my old supplies." He said.
Dorothy took the envelope and looked at it. it had her name written in her mother's hand writing on the envelope, but it looked as though she didn't have much strength left at the time. She placed it in her pocket, she didn't want to read it in front of everyone. She knew she would most likely be upset by it.]
"Smart choice." Madeline said.
"now, for one from your uncle and I." Em said bringing another flat package over to her.
Dorothy smiled and opened it. revealing another album. Opening it revealed a series of pictures. Dorothy as a baby with her parents. And all the pictures that her aunt and uncle had taken over the years. She smiled and got up, she then hugged her aunt and uncle. The china princess then walked over and handed dorothy a bag of candy.
"Marshal and I spent a day or so in candy county receiving messages from Madeline about all the type of candy you liked, it wasn't easy finding it all either." She said.
"Oh, you two didn't have to go through all that for me." Dorothy said.
"We know, we wanted to." She replied.
"The bonbon mountain isn't an easy climb." Marshal mallow said.
"of course, it wasn't, it's a round mountain, made of bonbons." Glinda said conjuring up a picture.
"Maddie, why did you give them all my favorites?" Dorothy asked.
"I didn't give them all your favorites, I left out quite a few otherwise, knowing the size of candy county, we'd be waiting till next Christmas, though I'm sure the candy county candy maker, or candy man as he's known, would have been happy to make you something." Madeline said.
"How many candies does she like?" The princess asked.
"All the ones I like, and a lot more." Madeline replied.
"Oh," Was all she could say.
Dorothy chuckled and hugged her and Marshall mallow. Thanking them both for their gifts. Glinda then walked over and handed dorothy a book.
"It's a few basic spells if you ever want to practice, and yes, I know you don't have any interest in sorcery, but I figured I may as well, since you are Oz's protector." Glinda said kissing Dorothy's forehead.
"Glinda, it's not that I don't have an interest in sorcery, I find it quite interesting, I just don't think it's something I could live by, it's too dangerous, I've seen what it can do, and I've felt it's affects." Dorothy replied.
"She's not lying," Madeline said taking out her wand and twirling it between her fingers.
Glinda smiled and then patted Dorothy's head before walking over to Ellie and whispering something to her. dorothy then smiled and walked over to her aunt.
Going through the bag she handed out her gifts to everyone. To Betsy and trot, she gave matching charm bracelets. For Ellie, a new make-up compact. Aislynn, she gave some books too, much against her better judgement. To Annabella she gave a stuffed lion. To Eliza, she gave a journal to chronicle her own adventures and thoughts in. to Glinda, she gave a little pink stuffed rabbit.
"Ellie helped me pick that out." Dorothy said.
Glinda smiled at her and went to the bag where she hugged it tightly. Out of sight of everyone except ellie.
Ozma's gift was a journal with a crown on it that she had found at a stationary store. Dorothy had also written a short note on the inside of the front cover asking her to write her thoughts in it. for scarecrow, tin man, and lion, she got a chess set for each of them, one made of wood, the others made of metal.
"ugh, I hate chess, the strawman always beats me." Lion said.
"you expect him to let you win?" Ozma asked.
This resulted in everyone laughing.
To Mr. Foreman, she gave a pair of binoculars, since she saw a pair in his kitchen that seemed a little worse for wear. And for Madeline, she got a new sewing kit.
When dorothy had finished, and received her thanks from everyone, she went to her room to check out the hat that Madeline had made her. when she got to the room and walked into the closet, she saw it set on the table. An emerald green hat, in the shape of a crown that looked similar to a chess piece. Trying it on and walking over to the full mirror she found that when she wore it, she had an even scarier resemblance to Madeline.
"So, how do you like it?" Madeline asked.
"It's scary how it makes me look even more like you." Dorothy said taking it off and setting it on the table again.
"I know, that was sort of the point." Madeline said.
"Why?" dorothy asked.
"Who said presents had to be fun?" Madeline asked.
"Fair point." Dorothy said.
"Also, jack is glad you didn't try to get him anything." Madeline said.
"Why's that?" Dorothy asked.
"Because all he ever wants is to be with me, but unlike alex, when he gets bored, he doesn't just lay there." Madeline said.
Dorothy shook her head and rolled her eyes. Alex then walked in with the scepter.
"oh, dorothy Brianna made everyone a tin of cookies as a gift, yours is on the bed." Alex said walking over.
"Thanks, you know, there is still one thing I wish." Dorothy said.
"That Glinda would eventually merge yours and Alex's rooms?" Madeline asked.
"Yes, I mean, on the off chance he does use that room, it's when one of us forces him to." Dorothy said.
"I think Glinda just doesn't really feel up to it." Madeline said.
"I think she's more worried that we'll find some way to make the situation unbearable for each other." Alex said.
"Fat chance of that, you two, even when she does get mad at you, you two always talk it, which is an ability that seems to be lacking in this world." Madeline said.
Dorothy sighed and kissed Alex's cheek.
"Any objections to staying in Oz a few days?" Dorothy asked.
"Only if you don't object." Alex said.
"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." Dorothy said smiling.
