A/N: Oh. My. God. I am so sorry! Okay, excuse time. I've been adjusting to the new year of high school, as I'm starting Year 11 in the IB diploma program, which is one tough mother when it comes to homework. My subjects are freaking crazy too – Chemistry is compulsory because of low numbers and it's harder than Physics! I mean, Physics is my easiest subject, which is just messed up. Unfortunately the longer time periods in between chapters are probably here to stay (although they won't be this bad, considering my chapters are awfully short – so more like two weeks, instead of days like before) until May – my class is doing a musical and participation in some form is mandatory, despite my lack of ability, so… yeah. Disclaimer: Don't own, as usual. Basically, if you've seen it before, it ain't mine.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this incredibly late chapter, dedicated to all my reviewers. Everyone else, share the love and review? And forgive me? Please?

Amy opened the door cautiously, leaving the safety chain on – she'd had enough freaks in her apartment already.

Well, I guess this freak is okay.

She removed the chain and swung the door open, admitting Kai into her apartment. He bounced into the main room, giving Amy the sudden mental image of a rather hyperactive puppy begging to play. She closed and securely locked the door, following Kai into the kitchenette where he had already started raiding her fridge.

"Make yourself at home." Amy said with a hint of sarcasm – the forensics expert hardly needed an invitation. She didn't really mind though. Despite the late hour, Kai appeared wide awake, and his energy was somewhat infectious. Only in small doses, though, after while he became exhausting. Amy smirked. Kai was becoming somewhat of a full-time occupation for her while in the lab. Whenever they weren't busy, he always had some form of apparently useful invention, that usually ended up backfiring terribly. Almost like a certain favourite childhood character of hers… Except she didn't see Kai's inventions actually being useful anytime soon.

A few minutes later, the two relaxed in front of Amy's mini TV, warming their hands around cups of hot chocolate. Kai had been ecstatic when he found a bag of chocolate sprinkles, and had produced mini marshmallows from… somewhere, and now had more of them than hot chocolate. Amy couldn't be bothered trying to work out where the marshmallows came from – probably some freaky experiment in the back of his van. Or Kai just really liked sugar. Probably the latter.

Kai was sprawled across her couch, while Amy sat on the floor with her head resting against the armchair, idly channel surfing. Romantic comedy, westerns, cartoons, countdown and fireworks. She was about to switch again when Kai pawed at her head.

"What the hell, Kai!?"

"Leave it on the cartoons, okay?"

She rolled her eyes and flipped back to the cartoons, sighing as she relaxed back against the chair. Kai rolled onto his stomach, resting his head in his hands, kicking his feet and humming along with the Avengers theme. Amy smirked as she realised how much Kai looked like a little kid sometimes. Acted like it, too. But she wasn't about to refuse the company, enjoying the feeling of an apartment that wasn't empty and lonely. When was the last time she invited anyone over? She couldn't even remember – on the rare occasions that she hung out with the gang from the precinct, they went to the Drunk Tank. This was really only Mal's favourite custom, but it had somehow expanded to include everyone. Most evenings you would find someone from work there – one of the couples on a relaxed date, the boys drinking, sometime just friends hanging out. "Friends" was the best term that could be used to describe their group. They were all so different – families, background, love life. But they were friends, if that aptly describes a group of people who are practically your life. Most of them had saved each other's lives, and returned the favours, yet no one acted like they owed each other. As if saving their friends was just another task in the day, which would be appreciated but not referenced again. As Amy reflected on her year, she realised that she couldn't think of any major event in her life they hadn't been a part of. No matter what happened, whether it be something as important as Ken's funeral, to helping Kai redecorate Nigel, they were all there. Sad times, when they cried together as Ken's body was lowered into the earth, to fun times when they duct taped Kai to Nigel's interior wall while covering him in fake fur. They were all there.

Amy was shaken from her reverie by the obnoxiously loud sound of yet another cartoon theme. She stretched and checked her clock – 11:50 already! Time had certainly flown, but the fun was debatable. But really, it's still been better than anything she would've done if home alone. Namely, overeat and oversleep. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, moving towards the kitchen. To be more specific, the tub of ice-cream in the mini freezer. Overeating was a New Year's tradition, after all, and you can't just break that kind of tradition. That delicious, chocolaty tradition. Once in the kitchen, Amy removed the tub from the freezer, contemplating a bowl before shrugging and grabbing a spoon. She returned to the lounge, nudging Kai aside so she could sit on the couch.

Kai yawned, noticing the ice-cream.

"That cookies and cream? With fudge sauce?"

Amy briefly considered lying about the flavour, as Kai couldn't see the label, then thought better of it. Kai had some kind of crazy sense enabling him to tell whenever anyone was eating his favourite ice-cream. She returned to the kitchen, then re-entered the lounge, tossing Kai a spoon.

"Wanna watch the fireworks now? I mean, your cartoons are over, and there's ten minutes to go until midnight," Amy suggested, picking up the remote. Kai acquiesced with a nod, mouth crammed full of ice-cream.

"You wanna give me any of that?" Amy coaxed the tub out of Kai's grip, giggling at his childish resistance.

She relocated to the chair, allowing them both to relax with a little more room, the ice-cream settled between them. By 11:59, the tub was empty. Amy yawned lightly as the numbers began to appear on the screen, counting down from ten.

Ten.

Natara crying over Oscar.

Nine.

Mal joking about Anders.

Eight.

Maria's bittersweet goodbye party.

Seven.

Patching up Kai after the jetpack experiment went wrong.

Six.

Working frantically to save the city.

Five.

Out with the girls, feeling like one of the group for the first time.

Four.

All the ones they couldn't save.

Three.

Kai declaring cupcake day at the precinct for Amy's birthday.

Two.

Ken.

One.

The future.

Fireworks bloomed on screen as the year came to end. And to a new beginning.

Amy looked over at Kai, a small smile creeping onto her face as she realised he'd fallen asleep on the couch. She covered him with a blanket, before sneaking to her bedroom, quietly as not to wake him.

A/N: Well, glad that's done. Cookies to anyone who knows which "childhood character" I'm referring to (I know, that could be like anyone, so the one I'm thinking of is from an awesome 80's adventure movie – released in 1985, I believe, the year Amy was born). Also, about Ken's funeral – I know not all the characters were there. Just changing it up a bit for the purpose of Amy's musings. Thanks for reading.