"SIERRA!" someone screamed, bursting into my room. I opened my eyes blurrily as someone pounced on my bed. I was able to make out the form of Piers hovering above me, his eyes dancing with boyish delight. I groaned and tried to push him away, but I wasn't strong enough for that.

"Sierra! Wake up!" Piers said shaking my shoulders. "It's Christmas!"

"Piers, go away!" I grumbled, rolling over. I had caught a glimpse of the clock; it was nine o'clock in the morning. It was later than I would have suspected them to let me sleep in, but still earlier than I would have liked.

"Not until you get up!" Piers laughed. His hands found my sides and soon I found myself at his mercy as he tickled me. I spazzed out, trying to get away from him, only to end up falling off the bed on to the hardwood floor below. A deep laugh came from the doorway and when I looked up I found Chris leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his bare chest, and a bright smile across his face.

"Merry Christmas," Chris said in a jovial manner, holding out his hand to help me up. I took it and let him pull me up.

"Is he always this bouncy in the mornings?" I asked Chris with a smirk.

"Only on Christmas," Piers exclaimed, looking out my window to see the countryside had been layered in a soft fluffy layer of snow.

"Let's see what awaits us downstairs, then!" I replied. "I'll race you!" Piers and I pushed past Chris, running down the halls, using the banister near the stairs to propel myself ahead of Piers. Unfortunately Piers was still faster than I and he beat me to the tree.

Presents glistened in the sunlight that streamed in from the window, illuminating the entire room. Our stockings were filled with assortments of candies and such as they hung from the mantle of the fireplace. I don't know who had set up the stockings and filled them, they had not been there when I took my presents down to put them under the tree last night, but I was overjoyed to find all my favorite candies inside.

"Here, this one is for you," Piers said handing a package to me. I took it and sat it on the couch cushion, opposite of my brother. Piers handed another package to Chris who smiled brightly at the younger man. I felt the connection between them as their hands touched. It was like a crystalline silver thread that connected them, rooted in the very core of their souls.

I blinked and the moment had passed. Piers moved away from Chris and picked up another present. This was another one for me. I took it and set it next to the one he had given to me before. The next was one for himself. Piers went on like this, divvying out the gifts between the three of us, until each of us had a decent pile of presents.

We decided that we would open the first present together. So we each took a single package in our hands and counted down, "One, two, … three!" We ripped off the paper and tore into the boxes. Chris pulled out a sterling silver ring from Piers, it was like a lot like an old class ring. It was engraved with the symbol of the BSAA on one side and Chris' name on the opposite, a picture of a saluting captain underneath. In the center was a large sapphire. Chris was speechless when he saw it and I think I even saw the glistening of a tear gathering in his eyes. He stood and went over to where Piers was sitting and kissed him hard on the mouth. Piers was ultimately startled, but leaned into the kiss. It wasn't a passionate kiss, yet there was more emotion than I had seen demonstrated between lovers in a long time. Chris pulled away and Piers opened the package from me with the watch inside. He was so excited to see it that he jumped off the couch to hug me, his face still red from the kiss. I on the other hand receive a present from both men. It was a crystal necklace in the shape of a heart. Tears came to my own eyes, I felt like I didn't even deserve this present from them.

"Thank you," was all I could manage to squeak out. Piers and Chris chuckles and we ended up in a group hug with my arms around Chris' waist and Piers sandwiching me in the middle.

We finished opening the gifts, laughing and crying, and celebrating like a true family in the spirit of the season. The gifts I received from them are ones I would never trade since each held sentimental meaning, symbolic for the things we had each been through and attaching the new memories of such joy of this wonderful Christmas. Nothing made me happier than just seeing Chris sitting on the couch, Piers curled up next to him looking with such adoration, with a bow perched on the top of his head. Chris was whispering quietly, a smile lit up his battle-hardened face. It was the best Christmas present I could have received.

"What time is it?" I asked Piers with a grin.

"A quarter to noon," Piers replied looking down at his new watch.

"Dammit!" I exclaimed. I jumped up from my spot on the couch and scurried into the kitchen. I heated up the ovens before popping in the multitudes of food I had cooked the day before. I ran around crazily, but soon Chris came in and maneuvered me into the living room with an order to stay there until the food had finished heating up. I started to protest, but he shot me a stern look that shut me up immediately.

Piers and I sat together, talking about life here before either Chris or I had joined the BSAA. I edited out several key parts, but other than that I ended up tell him the truth, mostly. Piers listened to my stories, enraptured with how differently we had grown up compared to his own childhood. He occasionally would tell me about his life back in Wisconsin.

Piers told me about how his mother and father had been married for ten years, not quite as unhappily as one would imagine. His parents had stayed in good standing in their relationship; they had just woken up one morning and realized that their marriage had not been right for a while. His father had remarried exactly three months later to a woman he could not stand. His mother had remained single. His father had never been a positive figure in Piers' life, and that was the reason Piers had joined the BSAA-to prove to his father that he could accomplish something. His father was another reason that Chris' drinking problem had been such a big issue for him. Piers' father had been an alcoholic for most of his life and he did not want to see Chris follow that same path.

I hugged Piers tightly. His story was one that struck close to home. He had come from a different, yet equally as difficult background and that was something I could wholeheartedly respect.

"Dinner is served!" Chris sang, waltzing through the doorway. I couldn't help but to let out a laugh. Chris was wearing a white apron, tied behind his back. I quickly tried to cover it up with a cough, but that only made things worse. Chris shot me a disapproving look, but there was no wayI could take him seriously with the apron on. Chris ripped the apron off with a roll of his eyes, throwing it into the chair beside him.

"I love you!" I replied in the same kind of singy-songy voice he had used to announce dinner. He rolled his eyes at me again and turned to go into the dining room. Piers and I followed him, sitting down at the table. We had decided to serve tea at this dinner, just because we all agreed it was too early to drink wine, well Piers and I did.

"It all looks so good," Piers said, dishing out little portions of all the food on to his plate. "You two are going to make me fat by the time the season is over." His latter comment caused Chris and I to laugh aloud.

"Don't thank me," Chris replied. "Sierra was the ultimate cook." I felt the color rise to my cheeks and I muttered a thanks.

Dinner passed quickly, much more so than I could have thought possible. We feasted like lords, eating the many different kinds of foods I had prepared. Though halfway through the meal the doorbell rang. I looked to Chris curiously, but he only shrugged in response, we had not anticipated any newcomers. I stood, placing my napkin on the table beside my plate, and went to investigate.

I saw a figure through the glass in the door and I smiled when I realized who it was. I opened the door and threw my arms around the man on the porch. He touched his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I leaned up to deepen it, but I heard Chris clear his throat deliberately from behind me. I pulled away with a smile and looked into the face that I loved.

"Merry Christmas Jake," I whispered.

"Merry Christmas Sierra," Jake replied, kissing me chastely. I led him inside, hanging his coat up on the rack.

"Please, have something to eat, we have plenty," I said, motioning to the food on the table. I giggled when I noticed his eyes widen at the sight of so much food, their aromas mixing together to create the smell of home.

"Who made all this?" he asked, taking a small plate.

"Sierra," Piers replied, stuffing his mouth with a bit of ham and croissant. "She is one of the best cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!"

"You did all this?!" Jake asked looking to me in surprise. I nodded sheepishly, taking a bite of my own croissant.

Dinner soon turned to talk about military tactics-used or otherwise and I sort of zoned out. I loved what I do, but this was not a subject that I necessarily wanted to talk about during my holiday dinner. I pushed my food around on my plate lazily, too full to take another bite.

"Sierra!" Chris shouted, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked, shaking my head, and looked up at him.

"What?" I asked, coming out of my reverie.

"Are you going to get ready for the ball this evening?" Chris asked, frowning at me.

"What time is it?" I asked looking around. The table had been cleared and the men-folk were getting up to get ready. The sun had sunk father into the west; apparently I had been daydreaming for several hours, how many I couldn't be sure of.

"The dance is in two hours," Piers replied. I jumped up, almost knocking my plate off the table. How had the time passed so quickly?! There was almost no way I could get ready in that amount of time! Cursing I pushed past the guys and ran upstairs to my room. I took a quick, thirty-minute shower before hurrying to change. My wet auburn hair was wrapped in a turban on the top of my head to help the drying process. I took the purple gown out of the closet and stared at it with pride. I took it off the hook and stepped into it, zipping it with only a little bit of difficulty to speak of.

Next thing I had to deal with was my hair. I dried it and curled it to the best of my abilities. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely passable. I let them hang down and frame my face, softening my porcelain features. Satisfied with my hair, I began to apply a little bit of mascara, eye liner, and eye-shadow to my face to accent my eyes and my dress. I had never been much of a make-up type of person so I wasn't going to cry if it wasn't perfect.

The last thing I had to do before I could present myself was accessorize. I decided that the crystal necklace that Chris and Piers had given to me this morning would accent the sweetheart neckline perfectly. I clipped it shut and admired myself in the mirror. The only thing I could recognize in my reflection was the ice blue eyes that stared back at me.

"Sierra! Are you ready yet?!" Chris shouted up the stairs. I scurried to put my heels on before flying down the stairs to meet them.

"You look gorgeous!" Jake said as I took his arm. I smiled up at him, for the first time I actually believed him. I feltgorgeous.

The chauffeur opened the door for us outside of the gallery. I stepped out, following Jake. Chris and Piers were right behind us. There were many people milling about outside, most of them civilians, but some were part of the festivities that were to take place tonight.

Inside the grand hall had been transformed from a simply art gallery to ball room. The lights had been dimmed whilst icicle lights hung from the ceiling. Two large, elegant Christmas trees stood in opposite corners. A long table sat at the front of the hall, that's where the top commanders would sit. Nearly forty smaller, round tables were situated near the back of the room. A DJ was set up in the corner, spitting out pop track after pop track and a large space was open in the center of the room as a dance floor. In the opposite corner was an open bar, much to my dismay.

We arrived just in time to hear the head of the BSAA's speech. We stood respectively at the back of the hall, amidst several other party goers. He talked about our mission, what we do, how we protect the good of the common people, etc. I can't say I was all that impressed with his speech, but it seemed like the civilians in attendance were in awe of the words he spoke to them. I looked at Chris who simply rolled his eyes; I could tell he had the same opinion as me. If Piers or Jake had an opinion they kept it to themselves.

After the initial toast, we were free to mingle. I found that many of the young men found me very intriguing. I kept getting swept away from Jake as they asked for a dance, which I could tell was putting not only myself and Jake on edge but Chris and Piers as well, so soon I started declining their invitations. I had come with Jake and I wanted to spend time with my new boyfriend. I let loose, letting the pounding music take over my body, it had been years since I had danced like that.

I had lost sight of my brother and Piers after the first few songs. I think I saw Chris heading to the open bar, but after that I could not find them amongst the crowd at all. I knew I shouldn't be too worried, Chris was a grown man, he could take care of himself. Besides, Piers was there to talk some common sense into that thick head of my brother's.

After almost three hours the crowd began to thin out. There were only a few people left, most had decided that they supported our cause, paid their dues, and had left. Though a few operatives had stayed behind to enjoy the ball put on by our employers for our enjoyment, something we were bereft of when we were working. It was a nice change to our everyday lives.

The DJ was playing a slow song and I had my arms wrapped around Jake's neck lazily as he clutched to my waist. We tried to waltz to the music, even though it was not really a traditional ballroom dancing song, but that didn't really turn out well. I did however catch a glimpse or two of Chris and Piers. They were huddled in the back corner in the lowlights. Chris' hand were around Piers' waist and they swayed languidly to the slow music, gazing into the eyes of each other. As I looked on Chris leaned his head down, resting his forehead on his fellow soldiers'. Piers pulled his captain closer to him, lending his comfort and strength.

As the beat changed, so did their dancing. A more upbeat song began to play Chris raised their arms and twirled Piers once before pulling him back close. I noticed above them was a sprig of mistletoe and apparently Chris noticed this as well. He leaned down and pecked Piers upon the cheek. Piers chuckled and closed the distance between them, taking Chris' face into his hands, and kissed him properly.