- It's been a long time since I've last written something for Our Precious Moments. I haven't forgotten about it. This story as well as the prequel to it is near and dear to my heart. Unlike most authors on this site though, I'm not very good at writing multiple stories at once.

- I figured it'd be nice to finally write about Peter celebrating Christmas with his loved ones in this. I doubt it's as good as the previous chapters I've written back then but I did my best regardless.

Enjoy.

...

Spider-Man made sure not to drop the brown sack in his hand as he landed on the side of the Symkarian Embassy. Within it were a few special presents for the love of his life and his two precious students. Crawling over to the window of Sable's bedroom, he raised it open with his fingers on the glass and climbed inside.

The lights weren't on and she was nowhere to be found in here. Sable, Hope, and Anya were probably in the living room right now. The two teenagers had mentioned beforehand they would be coming over to the Embassy early today. Peter shut the window before he left his girlfriend's room and headed downstairs. As he walked down the steps, his ears picked up the distinct sound of a healthy fire crackling in the fireplace. The voices of Anya and Hope could also be heard speaking to each other.

It seems the two of them were very excited about being able to celebrate Christmas here with him and Sable, which was only a week away.

When Peter finally arrived in the living room, he couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Sable was decorating a beautiful Christmas tree with some bright coloured ornaments. The fact that some of the decorations were Spider-Man themed did not escape his notice. Anya had fake reindeer antlers adorning her head as she strung some Christmas lights on the walls. Her wall crawling ability made it a lot easier to complete the task. Hope was assisting the young Spider-Girl by handing her fresh strings of bulbs along the way.

The holiday sweater she wore made him quietly chuckle. Decorated on the back was a funny picture of Santa Claus, trying to get out of a chimney he got stuck in thanks to his portly gut.

The red-haired mutant turned around at the sudden sound of his laughter. "Spider-Man!"

With a bright smile on her face, Hope stepped forward to give Peter a big hug. He pulled off his mask and wrapped his arm around her. "Hey, kiddo. I see you're all getting the place ready for Christmas."

"Ms. Sablinova asked us to help her decorate the Embassy after we ate lunch. Anya and I spent most of the afternoon putting up the Christmas lights around the outside of the building."

"I saw them on my way here. It looks beautiful, especially with the classic red and green lights around the roof. You two did a great job."

She pulled her arms back and moved to the side. Her best friend quickly embraced Peter too, holding him close by the waist. "Thanks, Spidey. What's with the sack you're carrying?"

"Oh, this?" Peter grinned a bit as he held up the brown bag. "It just has the presents I've made for the three of you inside it."

The young heroines immediately grew excited, much to the amusement of both their mentors. The childlike wonder in their eyes as they stared at the brown bag was rather endearing. For a brief moment, Anya and Hope were acting like the carefree teenagers they deserved to be.

"What are they?"

"Sorry but I don't want to ruin the surprise. It takes the fun out of getting presents if you know what to expect. You'll both just have to wait till Christmas morning to find out."

Anya jokingly pouted in response. Spider-Man reached out to quickly ruffle her hair before he walked towards the decorated tree. Pulling the gift-wrapped presents out of the sack, he knelt down and placed them with the other gifts stacked beneath the tree. Sable approached her beloved once he stood back up and raised her hand to caress the side of his face.

"Welcome home." She whispered, giving Peter a loving kiss on the lips. "...I don't suppose I could get a hint about what my present is?"

Peter quickly kissed Sable again. "My lips are sealed on this. All I can say is that it's something that can help you out quite a bit in the field...well, at least I hope it will."

"Now you've just made me more curious about it. Nevertheless, we will be patient and open our presents on Christmas. Won't we, girls?"

Hope and Anya nodded the heads...though they couldn't help but glance at the stack of gifts with intrigue once more. Sable reached for Peter's hand and began to pull him along with her. "Let's get you warmed up. Aurelie made some hot chocolate for everyone earlier."

On cold snowy days like this, it was always nice to have some hot beverages. He eagerly followed her to the kitchen. Their pupils stayed behind to finish putting up the Christmas lights in the living room. There were still a couple mugs of hot chocolate left on the table when they arrived. The Queen grabbed them first and was pleased to find that the beverages were still hot.

"Here you are. She already took the liberty of mixing some marshmallows into the hot chocolate."

"Thank you. I haven't seen her or Sofia yet. Did they go out?"

Sable raised the mug to her lips and carefully drank some of the hot chocolate. "They left about an hour ago to buy some groceries. Apparently, they're planning to make quite the grand feast for everyone on Christmas day."

Peter took a slow sip from his own mug. "I can't wait to enjoy their food. Their cooking is amazing. Hard to believe the holiday season is already here though."

"Indeed. With you being busy fighting supervillains almost everyday and I handling my duties as Queen of Symkaria, I guess time just flew by without us noticing."

"That makes sense. I think it's safe to say we've earned ourselves a good long break."

She couldn't help but agree. After working so hard in the past few months, they all deserved to take some time off to rest and relax. There was no better way to do so than to enjoy this festive holiday together with her loved ones. Just the thought of that was enough to make her heart practically glow with warmth and joy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Peter asked, noticing the happy expression on her face.

"Just thinking about the holidays." Sable said before she smiled and held out her cup. "I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas with you, Anya, and Hope."

"So am I, Sable. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Clinking their mugs together, the Queen of Symkaria and Spider-Man tossed back some more of their hot chocolate. They took care not to drink too fast to avoid the risk of burning the roofs of their mouths or tongues. He looked out the window for a second. The snow was now falling in such a flurry, it almost seemed like there was a blizzard outside.

Peter was just glad he got here before the heavy snowfall started. "Should we go back to check on Hope and Anya? Make sure the two of them aren't trying to open their presents early?"

"Hmm...good idea. I doubt they'd attempt such a thing but best to be safe than sorry."

...

- I hope you liked it, friends. I might write another chapter for this in the near future. Merry Christmas and have a wonderful new year.