Epilogue

It was Christmas morning at the Noceda residence. The witches had all spent the night, just like back during their brief time living with Camila. They had all gone to bed early the night before, much to Camila's surprise. She discovered the reason why when she awoke on Christmas morning, discovering they had all gotten up even earlier than her to prepare a huge breakfast for everyone.

The kitchen table was loaded with dishes, their aromas filling the room enticingly. Under the supervision of Luz and Vee, the kids had made everything from fresh squeezed orange juice to stacks of fluffy, golden pancakes. There was a nice selection of toppings for the pancakes as well, leaving Camila with plenty of tasty options to enjoy.

Everyone found a seat at the table and began loading their plates. The meal was spent with cheerful discussions about plans for later in the day and the upcoming new year. Eventually the food vanished from the table, leaving only dirty dishes behind.

Luz and Vee took care of cleaning the dishes, Willow giving the table a wipe down once the dishes were cleared. Hunter handled cleaning off the stove top and Amity prepared a cup of tea for Camila while Gus led her into the living room. He had her sit on the couch and then put on some music for them to enjoy while the others finished cleaning.

Once the dishes were done and the kitchen was left spotless, the rest of the kids joined Camila and Gus. They all settled down around Camila, all looking very excited. Luz, who had taken a seat close to the tree, retrieved the gift for Camila, which had been placed into a box and wrapped in candy cane striped paper.

"This is from all of us." She told her mother, handing the present to her. "Feliz Navidad, Mamá."

"Gracias, Mija." Camila replied, accepting the box. "Gracias to all of you."

Camila gently tore the paper off the box, which Willow took from her. She planned to keep pieces of the wrapping paper to pair with photos of everyone's gifts in a special scrapbook for their first Christmas together. As Camila opened the box, Willow readied her camera and managed to capture the perfect moment when the look of surprise came to Camila's face.

"Oh… Que bonita…" She said softly, holding up the portrait which was in an elegant silver frame. "Look at all of you, my beautiful kids…"

"And there are plenty more of those where that came from." Luz added. "We just wanted to make the best one your main gift."

She brought out the envelope with all the other pictures, which she had hidden under the couch. Camila went through them all, smiling fondly at each of them. After putting them away, Camila stood and turned her loving gaze to the six faces looking up at her, each smiling proudly.

"All of you come here, pronto. You're getting a big hug from Mamá."

Luz was first up and Camila pulled Amity in for the hug as well. After they got a big squeeze, Camila grabbed Vee, then Hunter, followed by Willow and lastly Gus. The kids each accepted the embraces with a smile and a laugh, hugging Camila back. Camila then sat back down and went back to admiring the photos while the witches brought out the next gifts.

Amity had an assortment of goodies in her bag, all shrunk down to conveniently pack them away. She and the others had worked to prepare a nice selection of treats found on the Boiling Isles. Each of which was known to be safe for human consumption. Fairy cookies, beetle jerky, and apple blood cakes were just a few of the tasty items gifted to the Nocedas in a festively decorated basket woven from synthetic keratin strands. Camila was just as fond of the basket as the food within, especially after learning that Hunter had woven it himself.

Camila was next to hand out gifts, retrieving them from beneath the tree and handing them out. She insisted that they all wait until everyone had gotten their present from her before opening them. Then Camila had them open their gifts all at once. Willow had let her take the camera so she could capture the moment they all started tearing into the wrapping paper, followed by the looks on their faces afterwards.

The gifts for each of the kids was a type of clothing, excluding the one meant for Luz and Amity. Their shared present was a warm blanket, customized with the image from the cover of the first Azura book. The couple let out a delighted squeal and thanked Camila before snuggling up together and wrapping their new blanket around themselves.

Willow's gift was customized as well, a dark green hoodie with the Emerald Entrails emblem on the front. Vee got a fluffy bathrobe, one size too big so she could nestle herself in it more easily. And for the boys, Camila had gotten them each a set of Cosmic Frontier pajamas with fleece sleeping pants. The two were so ecstatic to get their new nightwear, that they almost bolted from the room to change into them then and there.

"We're up next!" Luz declared, raising her and Amity's hands. "Vee, this one is yours."

She handed Vee a large gift bag, decorated with a snowflake pattern. Vee removed the gift tissue inside of the bag and extracted five bottles of body wash and a set of bath bombs. Each of the bottles was a different scent, including a seasonal sugarplum, which both she and Luz had been favoring lately. Particularly Vee, who went through a bottle of the stuff nearly three times faster than Luz could.

"Aw, thanks, sis." Vee said, putting the items back in the bag before cracking a smirk. "That might be enough to last me a week."

"Ha, ha, ha… you are hilarious." Luz deadpanned. "But you're welcome."

"Don't worry. I know you've been annoyed with how I've been using it all up." Vee said, grabbing a large box from beneath the tree. "You should open my gift for you next."

Luz tore the green paper off the box, discovering it was a box from a supermarket, one that had held packages of name brand cookies. Curious, she opened the cross-folded flaps and found six bottles of body wash inside. All of which were the sugarplum scented ones.

"You got these just for me?" Luz asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yeah, I figured I'd get you some to make up for always hogging it. And don't worry, I marked each of them so I'll know to not touch them."

She picked up one of the bottles and turned it over, showing what looked like a glyph on the underside. Luz squinted as she looked closely at the marking. It almost looked like a…

"Is that supposed to be a heart?" She asked.

Vee nodded. "Yup. I figured it was appropriate since you mainly use that because Amity likes it." She commented with a smirk. "After all, that is the reason you got upset that I used it all in the first place, right? Because you wanted to keep using it for your girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't say that…" Luz replied with a mild blush and sheepish grin. "I mean, it's definitely a bonus, but I like how it smells too." She added, then moving in to give Vee a hug. "But anyways, thanks for getting me these. You're such a good little sister."

"Your welcome." Vee said, returning the hug. "Also, I'm older than you."

"Are you ever going to give that up?"

"Only when you finally accept it, little sis."

The girls shared a laugh, ending their embrace. Luz went back to Amity's side and they passed out the rest of the gifts they had for everyone. For Gus, they had gotten a gift bag with an assortment of little knickknacks to add to his collection of human objects. They had found a men's grooming kit for Hunter, so he could always look his best for special occasions, Luz had explained while gesturing to Willow with a tilt of her head.

Lastly, for Willow they had gotten a few pairs of socks. Each pair had a different floral pattern, all of which Willow adored. She smiled in delight and turned to her two besties to give them a quick hug.

"Thank you, these are so cute! I love them!"

Her words struck a chord with Hunter, whose eye twitched slightly. He looked to Gus, forcing a smile as the younger boy met his gaze. Gus quirked a brow at him in response, not sure why he was getting the look.

"What?"

"Did you hear that, Gus?" He asked, speaking through clenched teeth in a low voice. "Willow loves the socks she got. She loves them!"

"Well, it's still a good thing you didn't buy the ones you found." Gus quietly countered. "Then you would've given her the same gift as Luz and Amity!"

"How is that a bad thing?" Hunter whispered back. "What do you have against socks anyways?"

Gus let out an exasperated sigh. "Dude, please let it go."

"What are you two arguing about?" Camila inquired.

"Nothing!" Both boys said simultaneously, sitting upright.

"Mmm-hmm, well then maybe one of you would like to go next?" Camila suggested.

"I'll do it!" Gus offered, scrambling over to the tree. "Willow, here's yours."

He handed a small box wrapped in green and white striped paper to Willow. As she began ripping open the wrapping, Gus gave Hunter a smug smirk. Hunter gave him a glance and then turned his attention to his girlfriend. The gift she had gotten from Gus was a stylish beret, one adorned with an artificial holly on the side.

"Aw, Gus… this is so cute!" Willow cooed. "Thank you so much!"

"Would you say that you 'love' it?" Gus asked, still smirking at Hunter.

"Yes, I love it." Willow giggled, putting her new beret on. "You've always had a nice sense of style."

"Why thank you. I'm happy you think so." Gus replied. "Hey, Hunter, why don't you give Willow her gift next?"

"That's a great idea, Gus!" Luz chimed in. "Go on, Hunter. Give Willow your gift!"

Hunter got up. "Okay… I uh, just need to get it from the basement. Be right back."

He left in a slight hurry, descending the stairs to fetch what he needed. A minute later, he returned, carrying a tote bag. In his other hand, he had and envelope which he held out for Willow. Gus shook his head slowly, internally groaning at the sight.

Willow took the envelope from Hunter, scooting over and patting the spot beside her on the floor. Hunter followed her cue and sat by her side, watching nervously as she opened the envelope and pulled out the card. She took a moment to admire the scene on the front before reading, leaning on Hunter as she began.

"Captain, words cannot fully express how I feel about you, but I want to try anyway. Ever since we met, I have come to realize little by little what an amazing person you are. My life has changed so much, for the better, and it's all thanks to you. Because of you, I have felt emotions and done things I never experienced before.

You have made so many days special for me and have become very special to me too. That is why I wanted to get something to show you how much you mean to me, but I couldn't find anything good enough. But I think that is because I cannot show you how much you mean to me with something someone else made.

I want to make something for you and make it with you. I want us to make something as special as you are for your gift. Because spending time with you is more special to me than anything else and I know it is for you too. So let's work on making whatever you want and make our first holiday together into a special memory together."

As Willow finished reading her card, all the other ladies in the room let out an 'awww!' in response. Hunter, who was already feeling embarrassed enough while Willow was reading aloud, felt his face heat up even more from their sounds of adoration. His face was red enough to rival Amity's when she blushed and he could hear a tiny voice in the back of his mind, calling him out for being completely corny. He started kicking himself extra hard when Willow turned to look at him and said nothing, she just stared at him.

Suddenly, Hunter felt someone's hand touching his own and after flinching a little, he saw it was Willow's. His eyes met hers and she moved in, placing her other hand onto his shoulder. Their lips touched and Hunter felt his tension vanish all at once. When Willow pulled away, their eyes met again and she smiled softly at him.

"You're special to me too…" She said, her cheeks burning red.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Hunter wrapped his arms around her, still a bit stiff and still blushing like crazy. Eventually he relaxed, nuzzling Willow's hair, and savoring every moment of the embrace. The others looked on fondly, save for Gus who was seeming a touch annoyed.

"Guess that means you won our bet." He admitted with a defeated sigh. "And you did it with a card of all things."

"A bet? What bet?" Willow asked, sitting up and looking to Gus. "What were the two of you up to?"

"It was… to see who could get you the best gift." Hunter confessed with a hint of shame. "We may have argued a bit when looking around at the mall."

"We agreed the winner could get anything he wanted from the loser as a gift." Gus added. "It was Hunter's idea."

Willow frowned a little at her boyfriend, as did Camila. Hunter let his gaze drift down to the floor, a remorseful look on his face. He felt Willow give him a pinch, making him wince and return his eyes to her.

"Sorry…"

"I'd hope so." Willow replied. "You two shouldn't be arguing over things like that." She told him, allowing herself a smile a moment later. "But it is kinda sweet how badly you wanted to get me the best gift you could. I just hope you put that much thought into everyone else's gifts."

"I didn't really have a choice." Hunter told her with a wry smile. "I spent so much time trying to find something for you that I never even looked for anyone else's presents. So, I made something for each of them instead. I did have more than enough fabric to work with."

He began passing out the contents of the tote bag to the other teens. For each of them, he had made a scarf and winter hat, customizing them for the recipient. Luz's were blue, purple, and pink, Amity's a lovely shade of lilac, a light blue for Gus and Vee's were orange with green accents. Willow smiled at Hunter, pulling him in to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Good boyfriend." She commented, then turning to Gus and giving him a reproachful look. "And what about you, Gus? Did you make sure to put in just as much effort for everyone else's gifts as you did with mine?"

Gus gave a sheepish grin and nervous laugh. "Well… I did try to get everyone something I knew they'd like."

He grabbed a bunch of little gifts from under the tree and passed them out. Hunter, Vee, Luz and Amity all opened them up, finding candy within. Each of them got chocolates, aside of Amity, who got a big bag of conical confections that were normally associated with a different holiday.

"Oh yum!" She exclaimed, holding up her bag of sweets. "You got me sugar fangs! Thank you so much, Gus!"

"Don't you mean candy corn?" Vee asked.

"I call them sugar fangs." Amity replied. "Let's be realistic, these look nothing like corn."

Luz giggled. "You are so cute I can barely stand it."

She gave Amity a big hug, Amity uncharacteristically shying away while possessively holding her bag of sugar fangs. Luz was slightly confused at first, but after realizing what her girlfriend was doing, she began making playful pretend grabs for the candy. The others resumed handing out gifts, Vee giving Gus his gift which turned out to be a small lava lamp. For Hunter she had gotten a holiday themed cross-stitching kit and for Willow, a thriller-romance novel. And for Amity a headband with a set of violet cat ears.

The last of the gifts were for Hunter, one of which was a shared gift for him and Gus. Luz and Amity had managed to find a Cosmic Frontier board game to gift to them, leaving both boys stunned. It was almost enough for Hunter to nearly forget about his final present, were it not for the fact that it was the one from Willow. When she picked it up to hold it out to him, he quickly lost interest in the game.

Hunter accepted the gift, a small box wrapped in golden paper with a red ribbon, from Willow. He removed the ribbon and slowly took off the paper, taking care to avoid ripping it even a little. After setting the paper aside, he opened the box and found something that left him in awe.

It was a multi-tool, one meant for wood carving. It came with a faux leather holster with a belt loop and the holster was decorated with the image of a howling wolf. Hunter took the tool out, unfolding all the different wood carving components and traced his fingertips over them slowly. Then he folded it back up and returned it to the holster which he placed back into the box.

"Thank you. It's amazing…" He told her, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. "Just like you."

He leaned closer to her, letting their foreheads touch. Willow giggled and nuzzled the tip of her nose against his. Just as Willow was about to close the distance between them to start a little snuggle time, the moment was interrupted by the sound of Gus ripping the plastic off the board game and opening the box to go through the contents.

"Hey, do you want to play this or not?" Gus asked, opening the rule book.

"I would like to play!" Camila interjected. "You boys are going down."

"Go ahead. I don't mind." Willow told Hunter. "We can spend time together later."

Reluctantly, Hunter separated from his girlfriend and went to join Gus as he started to set things up. Camila let them get started, excusing herself to take care of one little thing first. She picked up the portrait of the kids and stepped out of the room, heading for the stairs.

She slowly made her way up to the second floor of her home, looking lovingly again at the photo. For a moment, she considered finding a spot on the wall with all the other photos taken over the years, going back to her own childhood. But as tempting as it was, Camila knew that there was a much more special place for such a wonderful gift. It belonged beside the picture of her late husband on their last Christmas together.

Camila stepped into her bedroom and went to her bedside table. She placed the frame down next to the photo of Manny and Luz, smiling a little sadly as she did so. It always made her feel a little depressed to look at the reminder of that day. But now, she had just the thing to remedy that sadness, all thanks to her amazing, wonderful, and incredibly thoughtful kids.

The end.