Hello all! Welcome back to those of you who have stuck with this story despite the fact that it has been 15 months since I last updated it - you all rock! Thank you so much for sticking with it!

Welcome to those of you who are reading this story for the first time! (You rock, too!)

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to continue the story, but real life and a full-time job have this annoying tendency to make demands on my time...and rightfully so, truth be told. That said, I truly never intended to leave the story hanging for as long as I did.

(Sadly, it is not even a record for me - I once unintentionally left my other story hanging for about 4 years. I'm not proud of this. *Shame Face*)

I will try to do better, but I can make no promises...other than to promise to try - which I do. I mean that I promise...to try, not to do. I mean I DO promise to TRY to do better...yeah. Ah, my eloquence astounds you, does it not? ;)

Thank you also to all of you who are following/have favorited this story! It makes me happy that you like it enough to ensure that you are able to keep reading it! A big thank you definitely goes to those of you who have reviewed and encouraged me to update, as well!

As always, nothing but the plot and any original characters belong to me!

And now, without further ado:

5.

Sawyer and Kyle tossed their bags into the back of Lorraine's SUV, then piled into it with the typical grace of men in their teens and twenties. Kyle took the front passenger seat next to his aunt, while Sawyer hopped into the back passenger side seat next to Hazel.

The young woman grinned at Sawyer as he clicked his seat belt into place. "So…Christmas shopping was a part of your grand adventure, huh?"

Sawyer rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist returning the grin. "I guess you could say that. Really, though, it's more like I actually took a break from my 'grand adventure' so that I could get my shopping done. I knew I wouldn't have enough time once I got back."

"Oh, come on! You mean to tell me it wasn't an adventure shopping in a foreign country?"

Sawyer sat back into his seat as his mother skillfully maneuvered the car back out of its parking spot. "Well, yeah. I mean, it was definitely different. But I've gotta admit, it was pretty cool too."

Hazel's grin instantly transitioned from teasing to enthusiastic, as she unconsciously leaned almost imperceptibly towards him. "I bet it was! It would be SO cool to be able to do that! I'm actually kind of jealous."

Straightening up, she readjusted her position so that she could more directly face him, turning her body and pulling her right knee up onto the seat until she was sitting sort of half Indian style. "Was it hard figuring out the difference in currency? Was it fun hearing the accents? Do they barter there, or do they have set prices? Do they have sales tax? Were things expensive? Do they have the same kind of stuff there as we have here, or was stuff there totally different? What did you get me?"

The rush of words abruptly ceased as Hazel suddenly realized how far her excited curiosity had taken her. The enthusiasm disappeared from her eyes as they widened in dismay at her verbal faux pas. Her face blossomed in color as she sputtered on in uncharacteristic embarrassment. "I didn't mean…I just thought, you know, if you had gotten me something…but it's totally okay, if not! It's not like I expect you to get me gifts or anything. I just…um…"

Sawyer held up his hand. "Hazel, relax. It's okay. I've given you a gift every Christmas since we've met. Why would this year be any different?"

Relieved and pleased by her friend's unaffected response to her atypical self-conscious prattling, Hazel smiled sheepishly. "Okay."

Sawyer crossed his arms and threw her an impish smirk. "I'm not telling you what I got for you, though. You'll just have to wait until tonight." He hesitated, then glanced from Hazel to his mother and back. "I mean, if you guys are still coming to our house tonight. That's still the plan, right?"

Hazel's face took on an impish smirk of her own. "Sawyer, relax. We've come to your house every Christmas Eve since we've met. Why would this year be any different?"

He laughed and replied just as she had. "Okay."

Kyle, who had not so subtly been eavesdropping on the teens, turned a bit towards the backseat. "Hey, Hazel?"

"Yeah, Kyle?"

"I know what Sawyer got for you."

She glanced slyly at her best friend before replying with interest. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, he showed it to me." Kyle looked to his left. "I know what he got for you, too, Aunt Lorraine. You know, just in case you were wondering."

Sawyer bristled immediately. "Kyle! Don't you dare!"

Kyle plastered on the most innocent expression he could manage, but the effect was rather ruined by his complete inability to keep the puckish mirth from showing on his face. "How do you girls feel about poetry?"

Hazel blinked. "Poetry?"

"Kyle! Seriously! You know I did not write poetry!"

"Okay, settle down, boys." Lorraine dutifully gave her nephew a stern, albeit amused, look. "Kyle, you will not say what gifts Sawyer has for anyone. We'll all find out when we open them. No sooner. Understand?"

He laughed and gave her a cheeky salute. "Yes, ma'am! "

"Thanks, Mom."

Lorraine very briefly glanced back over her shoulder to give her son a warm and loving smile. However, being the responsible driver that she was, she wasted no time in returning her attention to the road before her. "For the record, though, I wouldn't have minded if you had written me a poem, honey."

Sawyer sighed dramatically, "Thanks a lot, Kyle."

Kyle swiveled back to face his cousin. "Come on, Sawyer. You know I was just joking, right? It was just a little misdirection; that's all. I'd never really tell them anything! It'd break the guy code of honor. I mean, they are girls, after all."

The younger man laughed as both women simultaneously exclaimed in protest. "Yeah Kyle, I know."

Kyle grinned and winked at his cousin. He nodded subtly (but meaningfully) towards the female half of the car, then resumed his forward facing position. The grin never left his face, even when his aunt flashed him a raised eyebrow. If anything, it grew wider. Lorraine was pretty sure she heard him chuckling to himself as he turned his head to glance out of the window. She shook her head with a roll of her eyes. Boys.

Sawyer relaxed back into his seat, sporting a grin of his own. Hazel was shooting him some serious looks, but he knew her well enough to know that it was just an act - she wasn't really upset at all. In fact, he could sense her amusement (admittedly mixed with a touch of exasperation) bubbling just under the surface. No one could ever say that Hazel Haskett wasn't a good sport – it was part of what made teasing her so much fun. He knew his mom also took the antics of her son and nephew in stride, and was not in the least offended by the pseudo-snub. Nevertheless, he made a show of smoothing over their mock outrage by regaling them with amusing stories of his Christmas shopping adventures in New Zealand. Kyle had heard the stories on the plane already, but was glad for the opportunity to hear them again without the obnoxious and incessant interruptions of an unruly urchin who was the epitome of a holy terror.

Time flew by as the young 'adventurer' was peppered with a steady flow of questions and comments from each of his traveling companions. He was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't pay any attention to the world outside of the car, until Lorraine pulled to a stop in a certain parking lot. She backed into an empty spot, then shifted the car into park and shut off the ignition. She turned to her son with a huge smile on her face and said, "I thought you might want to stop here for a bit before heading back to the house."

Hazel piped in, "Yeah, and she needed to drop me off here anyway, so…"

Sawyer blinked, then ducked his head to glance through the windshield. With effort, he managed to shift his focus from where he had been to where he actually was. A huge smile of his own broke out on his face as his eyes lit upon the oh so familiar façade of his most favorite place in the world - Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

"All right!" Sawyer had his belt off in record speed and jumped out of the car, taking off at a run for the employee entrance.

"Hey, wait for me!" To her extreme aggravation, Hazel's seat belt was not quite as accommodating as Sawyer's had been and she had to wrestle with it to get it to release. Come on! Finally the obstinate thing grudgingly freed her and she flew out of the car. Sawyer was already out of sight, so she pumped her legs all the harder to catch up. Reaching the building quickly, she barely pulled the glass door open before darting through it.

Lorraine and Kyle both just laughed and shook their heads, following behind the teens at a more leisurely pace.

Sawyer ran at a breakneck speed, excitement overtaking him. He flew up the stairs and around to the dolphin pens. His incredible familiarity with the building allowed him to maintain his rapid pace all the way to his desired destination. Nevertheless, it was still a miracle that he made it there without any collisions. He'd barely managed to dodge Rufus (and was pretty sure that the twinge at the side of his lower back meant he'd pulled a muscle doing so), but he couldn't find it in him to be annoyed. Not today. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the pool that was practically a second home to him, his eyes scanning the water before he had even come to a complete stop. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only seconds, his eyes found what they were searching for. "Winter!"

TBC