Akali liked Wham's original version of `Last Christmas`, but after hearing one particular cover years ago, she could no longer enjoy it the way she used to. The simultaneously soft and powerful feminine vocal was accompanied by expressive and intriguing guitar play, distinguishable bass, and clear yet steady drums, making the melody incredibly intoxicating. So much so that it became a tradition of sorts for the snowy-haired woman; each year, a night preceding Christmas, she would lock herself up in her spacious home recording studio to jam alongside the melody for hours to no end. With her trusted headphones on and favourite guitar in hand, it was a time for relaxation, a moment to forget about the broader, outer world.

As always, a few days before Christmas, all hell let loose, rendering all of the carefully considered plans obsolete and forcing Akali and her girlfriends to improvise. To make matters worse, the snowing was heavily intensified, making it nearly impossible to drive a car, let alone travel via a plane. Initially, they had planned on spending this year's holidays in a smallish cottage in the Alps, but as soon as the weather worsened, their flight was cancelled.

With nothing prepared, they were forced to come up with something, making the last couple of days hectic, chaotic even. Thankfully, Evelynn remained level-headed, willingly taking the mantel of responsibility upon herself, starting with assigning chores between them as the diva was their best driver; she would go in and out of the apartment for all necessities. A few moments later, Ahri volunteered to accompany her, seeing an opportunity to venture into some shops, buying Christmas gifts she – like always – had forgotten to purchase beforehand. Hence, cooking and cleaning were left for Akali and Kai'sa to deal with, but they did not mind. However, the optimistic aura only lasted about a day before the reality check crushed it mercilessly.

Picking up her Stratocaster, the white-haired woman wanted to vent off and clear her mind. Each of them usually worked flawlessly under stress, somewhat stimulated by the feeling, giving more than anticipated. However, given the circumstances and how tensed and exhausting their schedule had been this year, it started leaving its marks on them, inch by inch. Akali reminded herself that she still had two more rooms to clean, but it was a problem she would deal with tomorrow morning, even if it meant she needed to get up earlier. For now, she quickly warmed up her hands before checking whether the instrument was still in tune. Thankfully, it was the case, allowing the young woman to start her session.

With the opening notes blasting through her headphones, Rogue allowed herself to be lost in the feelings, focusing solely on the instrument in her hands. As her eyelids were closed, she failed to notice an arrival of unexpected observer.

Author's notes section:

Ok, first of all, it was meant as Christmas special, but I could not finish due to my free time being severely limited recently. Anyway, I will try to conclude it as soon as possible; I would want to promise that tomorrow you will get a preview of the next `My home is where my heart lies` chapter, but I can't really do that. What I can say is that you will have it by the end of this year. Merry Christmas to all of you.

Please, note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-12-25]: A preview has been released.

References:
- Last Christmas - Wham
- Last Christmas - ROCK COVER by Sershen&Zaritskaya

End of the author's notes section.