Chapter 99: V09 – Chapter 99 Christmas Evening

--- Mall ---

December 4^th, 2025 (1)

 

After everyone calmed down at the fact that there is a place on Earth they can live at, Sarah dragged them all to the nearby mall to do some quick shopping.

Right now, they are in this cloth shop, all looking at new types of cloths.

Tuka is standing there looking at a rack of these shirts.

Behind her, she hears Lelei asking Sarah questions.

"Why is everything different from last time?" Lelei asks.

"What do you mean? Oh, it is the holidays, Christmas." Sarah says

She turns around to face Sarah. "Is this another one of your holidays like that Thanksgiving?"

"That is correct. But Christmas is about a family coming together and sharing gifts. It is when we come together and have fun." Sarah explains. "And lots of food."

"Is that why everything is red and green?" Rory asks as she grabs this Lolita Christmas theme uniform.

"Yes, those are the colors of Christmas. Don't go crazy, we can come back. Just get some things that will last a few days." Sarah says.

"Sarah, do I have to hear this?" She asks, scratching her head.

Because she is an elf, Sharpe told her that for now, she has to wear a hat to cover her ears. He said until a more formal treaty is established and the presence of aliens in the States is more normal, it is best that people do not know that she is an elf from the other world.

"Yes. It is best not to attract unnecessary trouble. Just pick out something nice and anything you see you like for your room." Sarah said.

Hearing that she looks around. She sees dozens of people moving around grabbing clothes and other items. Bright lights coming from the ceiling above.

Her people live in wooden built houses that are around trees. Using the natural beauty of the forests. She thought it was strange and impress seeing the NATO military installations and how they were built. So far, she is amazed by how tall these man-made tree buildings.

The tall gray color of these buildings and the amount of glass is very impressive to her. Her people know how to make glass, it is a luxury item though. These people seem to make whatever they like with ease. Everything she grew up that seems like a complicated taste or project seems like they can just do.

"Hey, everyone! I have an idea. Let's all get matching Christmas clothes!" Rory says, gathering everyone.

She looks over and giggles, seeing Rory excitement. They told her that they came here before. That they loved the shopping part. Rory seemed to enjoy the clothes shopping the most but that Edras girl Selina keeps pointing out that she once hated it.

"I thought you…" Selina about to say something.

"Shut it you little brat!" Rory yells as Selina giggles.

"Rory, I am up for that." She says as she walks over.

She then looks at what Rory is looking at. The cloths Rory is looking at seem to be a bit more open, showing more skin then she usually sees them in. "Do you think Sharpe will approve of these?"

Sarah walks over. "Girls, no."

"No means yes! Come on." Rory says.

Sarah shrugs her shoulders and takes a defeated breath. "Alright. Hurry up, everyone. I like to go get some decorations."

 

---

 

Sharpe is outside the store, sitting in one of those chairs in the main inner area. He takes a yawn, bored as he waits for the girls shopping.

An hour ago, he had a self-debate, trying to understand why women love to shop. Right when he realized how much all this was going to cost; he ended the debate and accepted defeat.

As he looks at his phone, noticing that he has been waiting for two hours now. He hears some commotion to the right. He takes a look and sees Noriko with these two women.

At first, it looked like the typical girls 'awing' at the sight of a bay however something felt off.

He decides to get up and walk over, just wanting to be safe.

"Girl, if it was me, I would have had an abortion. Your way too young to have a child." He overhears one of the women say.

The other one finishes blowing up a bubble. "And what is wrong with the kid? If that is what kids look like, then I might never have one."

"Hey. That is mean." Noriko says.

"Is there a problem here?" He asks in his no-bullshit commanding tone.

The two women look at him and glared at him with disgust, noticing he is a soldier in the Army casual uniform. "What do you want soldier boy?"

"Wait, don't tell me you're the one who knocked her up? What are you a pedophile?" The one who blew the bubble asks in a cocky rebel tone.

"It is none of your business but just explained to her what she should have done. Being a proper woman. Now I see why she didn't get rid of the child. Not letting the man hold her down like this. Someone like you probably made her have the kid." She says.

He stands there and places his hands on his hips, looking directly at both of them. "Noriko. Go."

Noriko looks to the two women and then to him. She adjusts her baby bag and starts heading back to the seat he was at.

"That is right, listen to the man." One of the women says.

The other waves goodbye to her. "How dare you take advantage of her like that. You fascist pigs are the problem. Oppressing us and those people in that other world."

He holds up a figure, implying them to wait. "Look. How dare you pick on her like that. If you are jealous that she is stronger than both of you, go complain on twitter where you belong so you can pretend to accomplish something. Life is important and she is brave being forced to be a single mom after losing her family in the attack. Show some respect next time."

Right when he finished, one of them spits in his uniform.

"Fascist." One of them says, clearly not listening or caring.

Then someone yells. "Knock it off!"

To his right he sees this man walks up, who is missing an arm.

"Pay some respect to our troops you ladies. Where you there during the attack?" The man asks.

The two women look to him with this smug attitude. "No, we're just visiting to protest. We thought the attack was funny from what the West has done to our planet."

"Yeah, karma." The other women say.

The other man seems frustrated. He points at them with his cut off arm. "I was there, part of the first line. I was in the Philadelphia SWAT first response. We were slaughtered as thousands charged at us. Hundreds of dead bodies everywhere, people being attacked and slaughtered. I lost five of my teammates protecting people like you."

He then points to him with that same cut off arm. "And you know what. More people would have been murdered if it wasn't for people like him. They are on another planet, missing Christmas, and their love ones. Fighting so you can be assholes."

"If it wasn't for our troops coming in as swiftly as they did, hundreds of thousands more would have been murdered or taken. They could have been you! So, show some respect!"

Both women give him a smug attitude but before they could respond, all around are people watching and clapping.

He looks around, did not notice a large crowd that has been forming around them. Almost everyone has stopped what they were doing and hated how these two were disrespecting a soldier.

The two women, seeing that the crowd has turned against them started walking off.

He watches them leave and then turns back to the man. "Thank you, good sir."

"No need to thank. I had to deal with them all the time. Good for nothing study grads. It is I should be thanking you. You can call me Davis sir." Davis says.

He then handshakes the SWAT officer. "Major Sharpe. Nice to meet you, Davis."

"Did you come from the other world?" Davis asks.

"Yes, sir. Just recently went on leave with family." He replies.

"Wow. We used to complain about rioting college students. I can't imagine what it must be like other there." Davis says, amazed by the fact he came from Falmart.

"I can't explain what it is like over there." He responds.

"I understand. Regulations."

"So, you were there during the invasion?"

Davis glances down, remembering that day. "Yes. I remember talking to a few of my buddies while we were behind this barricade. Civilians running pass us while we got ready to fight off the attackers. It was something. Seeing this large horde of troops marching towards us. It was like no matter how many bullets we had; it was not enough."

"We were armed with MP5s, not really long-range weapons. We never stood a chance. Only me and Kan got out. I would be dead if Kan didn't carry me away at the last minute. We tried to save others, but we just couldn't. All we could have done was hold until the Army arrived."

"You did your duty and now your all safe. Don't worry." He says. "I need to get going."

"Nice to meet you, Sharpe. Hey, I might not be on the field anymore but let me shoot you my number. If you need anything." Davis says.

For a moment, he found it strange interacting with a civilian like this. He has dealt with civilians in other countries before with no issues but here, it feels nice.

As he exchanges numbers, he reinforces the fact that while there are assholes out there, the average citizen is good and honest people.

After that situation, he walks back and sits down. Across him is Noriko, holding her baby.

"Thank you, Sharpe. I am sorry that I was a bother." Noriko says, a little depressed about the situation.

"It is nothing. Just two selfish pricks. Don't think anything of it." He responds.

He looks at her, seeing how hard it must be being a young mother. He wanted her to remember her connection to this world which clearly hasn't started off well. He also wants to make sure the child is raised with American values, regardless of who his father is.

"Hey Noriko, go have fun. I will watch the kid." He says.

She looks at him surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He says as he takes the child.

"Thank you, sir," Noriko says with a smile. And then she heads off.

As he holds up the child and watches as his mom leaves, he then looks at the kid. "So. You are a baby. Now, what do I do?"

 

***

--- Back at Condo ---

 

Selina is in her room, putting on her new Christmas dress. It has this little man called Santa all around it. The lower dress part has red and silver stripes. Just like with most of her dresses, it is sleeveless.

She walks over to the long mirror she now has in her room. She looks at it. "I don't know."

"Hurry up Selina. We are all waiting for you! It is your turn." Sarah yells.

She leaves her room and walks down the stairs. "Ok, ok."

Once she arrives, she sees Rory moving around and putting up Christmas decorations they bought. She stops to look at her. She is wearing a Christmas theme dress to. She has this red and white short skirt with this upper cover that is covering the top of her dress. She also has these long red and green socks stocking.

She sees Lelei sitting at the dining room table working on what looks like a cracker house. She is wearing this blue skirt with white snowflakes on it. Over that is this sweatshirt with snow people on it. She seems super focus on that house she is building.

She sees Noriko sitting at the other side of the table as she nurses Tenchi. She is in a similar two-piece set. The top part is blue with white snowflakes and her shorts are green and black. Baby Tenchi is dressed like a worker elf, like the ones they saw at the mall.

She then sees Tuka working on this tree. She is putting in those small lights in the tree. She is wearing two-piece clothing. She has this red with while fluffy lace around her upper part while she has a similar short-shorts on. The middle body is showing through. Like Rory, she has these long socks on with little elves on them.

"So, there are elves in the far north that makes toys for children?" Tuka asks.

"I thought Sharpe said there are only Humans on Earth." Lelei comments.

Sarah walks out if the kitchen as she sets down a platter with meats and cheese.

Sarah is wearing something special as well. She got ganged up by the other girls to wear something. She has on this solid red one-piece dress that is short. She has this big black belt around it. Unlike hers, the sleeves go to halfway down her upper arm.

"It is just a story. But some think there are elves up there hidden with magic." Sarah replies.

"Hi, Selina. You look so cute!" Sarah says.

She blushes from embarrassment as they all look at her. "Stop."

"Ok. Do you mind taking over for Rory? I need her help in the kitchen." Sarah asks.

"Don't do it." Lelei interrupts.

"Why not?" Sarah asks, looking confused.

"Lelei… don't you fare." Rory says as she leans over glaring at her.

"Rory nearly burnt down Sharpe apartment when making French toast." Lelei bluntly points out as she carefully puts on white frosting around a big cracker.

Rory then points to her with much furry. "Hey, who was it who blew up the bathroom?"

Seeing the two arguing like always, she giggles at the sight. She then looks around and sees this place feel more like a real home.

"Girls, be nice," Sarah says and looks back to her. "Ok Selina, just help with the tree."

"Ok." She responds and walks over to the tree.

As she walks to the tree, she looks around. While still somewhat plain, there are many more colorful pictures and Christmas items around.

She sees the fireplace that's on. It looks strange to her as it is fire but it does not act like fire. "Sarah, is it wise to have a tree this close to the fire?"

"Tuka asked the very same question. It is ok Selina. That is not a real fire. It is decorative." Sarah explains.

"But I feel the heat." She asks, feeling how warm it is in the room.

Tuka looks down at her. "She explained that it is some kind of gas that warms up the place. That it is safe."

"Oh. Ok." She says, just trusting Sarah.

She then walks over to the window door. She looks out and sees snow falling down. Being seven stories high, she can see a good portion of the city. "Wow. This city goes on forever. So many tall buildings."

"Hey Sarah, is this your world's biggest city?" Rory suddenly asks as she stands on a latter, putting up a wraith.

"No, Philadelphia might be big in the US but it is pretty small by world standards," Sarah says.

"Oh." She replies as she thinks about how big the city is. She looks down and sees the cars and people walking around. They all look so small.

She then walks away and grabs some ornaments. It is this red with snowflakes designed around it. She takes it and puts it on the tree.

"Why do we put these things on trees?" She asks.

"Because they look pretty. And besides, that is where your gifts go. We want it to look nice." Sarah comments as she pulls out.

"Ok." She responds.

"Also, girls. Some families use a Christmas tree as a memory tree. Each year they get something to hang up on there. As a way to collect memories. When we go back out shopping, we can go find something you like to hang up for next year."

"I like that idea. My tribe had something similar. While not for an event like Christmas, we place special flower seeds on trees. The color singles an important memory we like the village to remember." Tuka says with a big joyful tone.

"My family did something similar to Tuka. We planet flowers in our backyard each milestone in my sister and my life. That was before them all…" Noriko says but stops.

Rory jumps down and looks to her. "It is ok Noriko."

"Yes, we are here." She says to her.

"Ok, so now what do I do with this guy?" Rory says as she takes this small Santa guy out of a box.

"Who is Santa?" She asks.

Seeing Rory take Santa out of a box, she walks over to Rory to see what that is.

"Set it anywhere Rory. Press the button, it will dance." Sarah says from the kitchen.

"Set it there." She says, pointing to a small lamp table.

Both of them walk over to the table and Rory sets it down.

"That looks good," Rory says with much pride.

"What is this black thing?" She asks, seeing this black button on there. She reaches out to it and presses it.

Suddenly that little Santa guy in black sunglasses starts shaking its booty and starts singing in a half and half rap Christmas song. "Jingle Bells, Jingles Bell, Jingle all the way…"

Seeing the little man suddenly come to life, she jumps up into Rory's arms from the sudden shock the toy coming to life. Rory then runs away and hides behind the couch.

"WHAT IS THAT!" Rory yells.

Both of them slowly look up pass the couch, looking at the Santa raping.

Noriko saw everything and behinds laughing from the sight. "It is just a toy. It won't attack you… ouch… baby." She adjusts herself from the baby as it nurses from her.

"A toy?" Rory says.

"Is Santa a singer?" She asks, just watching it rap.

"No girls. Santa is a special man." Sarah says.

"I can't tell them, Sarah," Noriko says.

"Ok."

She looks over to her friend Noriko. She notices everyone else is looking to, all wanting to know the story of this Santa man.

"Santa is a man from the North Pole. Every year on Christmas eve, he flies around the world with his nine reindeer. They go home to home and give good children presents. He then leaves bad kids' coal. You leave cookies and milk for him. Then you wake up in the morning and see that he left gifts for you." Noriko says with a smile.

As she listens to the story, she is confused by it. She was told that there is no magic in this world, but this is magical. But the idea that each year you are given something if you are good.

"I don't like this Santa guy," Rory says.

"Is that because you are never a good girl?" Lelei points out. Rory just shoots her a glare.

She giggles hearing that. "How can he deliver all those toys around the world?"

"That is his secret Selina." Noriko answers.

"Is that real?" Tuka asks.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Noriko says with her chin high up, intently not telling them the full truth. "Tuka, you will like this. He relies on Elf up in the North Pole. We should watch Elf sometime. Can we put it on, Sarah?"

"Yes, for now. When Sharpe gets back it is dinner though." Sarah says.

She then hears Lelei asking Sarah a question.

"Why are you putting up that flower like that?" Lelei asks.

She walks away from the couch, avoiding that dancing Santa and walks to the kitchen. She looks up and sees Sarah putting up this strange looking flower upon the ceiling. She looks at it, baffled on why she would put a flower like that.

"It is a Christmas special. It is called a mistletoe." Sarah says.

"What is that?" She asks, looking up.

"Well, it is a special flower. When a man or women walk below it, you have to kiss. It is a romantic flare for the holidays." Sarah says, humming to herself.

"You people have strange traditions," Lelei says.

"Well, I like it." She says with a big smile.

"Don't get any ideas, Selina. You are too young." Sarah says, looking down at her.

"You are no fun." She responds.

"Maybe not. But can you go get your father? Dinner ready." Sarah asks.

 

--- Dinner ---

 

Sharpe sits down at the dinner table, at the head of the table.

He looks up and sees them all having a fun argument, enjoying themselves.

He looks over to Tuka, remembering that this is her first time on Earth. "Tuka, I know it has only been a day but what are your first impressions of Earth?"

Tuka stops and then thinks. "Well. It is so different. Back at my old home, I liked being high in the trees. You get the best views. So, I guess I like how tall your buildings are. It reminds me of home."

"That is an interesting point of view." He says, thinking on that.

"Hey, Father. Tuka needs an Earth god." Selina says.

"An Earth God? I thought you people didn't have gods." Tuka says, confused.

"Their gods are not like ours. Sharpe explained it once that it is a faith-based system. They believe in a one power god. But their history does show many different kinds of gods." Lelei explains.

"Oh, that is interesting," Tuka says.

"Yes! Last time Sharpe gave us all a god that matches us. I Earth goddess is Astraea, the god of purity." Selina says with excitement.

"Yes. Mine is Athena, the goddess of wisdom." Lelei says.

"And mine is the best one. Aphrodite, the goddess of love." Rory says with pride.

"Father is Apollo, the one about protection," Selina says.

"What about Melpomene, the goddess of music and literature. That is like the one you worship in Falmart. She helps inspire others around her and brings the beauty of art and inspiration." Sarah proposes.

"I like that one," Tuka says, thinking on it. "Are these gods real."

He looks at her. "No. They are stories." As he says that, he notices Rory roll her eyes.

"What is Sarah's? I heard no one mention her." Tuka asks.

They all look at each other and then look at him.

He thinks about it. Since that night at the resort, the first time they came here. He has done some research on this topic, seeing that they have taken an interested in it. Even though he does not believe in these gods, they seem to enjoy the topic, so he wants to be able to engage in the topic.

"Hestia. The god of home and family. Always watching outback and getting mad when we do fun stuff." He says and then takes a bit of his meal.

"Wow. Never meant to take away your fun." Sarah says with a chuckle and eye roll. "But I like that one. It fits well how I feel."

"Well, girls. What you like about Earth?" He asks.

Rory jumps up, arm in the air.

"Sit down, you don't get to speak." He responds as he takes another bit.

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Rory looks at him in disbelief. "What?"

"We all know what you are going to say, Rory. Donuts don't count." He responds.

"But…. They're tasty. Fine." Rory sits down.

"I thought it was that dirty store," Selina says as she looks at Rory, confused.

"What?" He says, looking directly at Rory.

Rory's eyes widen and she 'shh' Selina, not wanting her to speak about that. Her face slightly gets red as she tries very hard not to look towards him.

However, she cannot help it and slowly look at him. "What? Don't judge me, your people are dirty!" Rory states as she stands up and points to him.

He just looks directly at her, unfazed. He can see Rory starting to sweat, unable to beat his stare.

Rory then points to Sarah. "Besides, it was her idea. She wanted to go inside."

"Rory! I am not going to be nice to you anymore. You keep throwing me under the bus." Sarah says, shocked and annoyed by her.

"Why would she throw you under a bus? That seems like an extreme response. Besides, I thought murder is illegal in your country." Lelei asks, confused about why Sarah would try to murder Rory like that. "Unless you know that won't kill her so would it be murder then?"

He breaks his star at Rory and looks at Lelei after hearing that. He can't believe he just heard her say that, showing that the situation completely went over her head. He sees Sarah, Selina, Tuka, Noriko, and Rory burst out laughing from what. He even has to admit, that was funny.

Lelei looks around, confused about why they are laughing. "What did I say?"

"You are adorable Lelei," Sarah says.

"Can I speak!" Selina raises her hand.

"Go ahead, Selina." He says.

"I like all the options of stuff you people have. I can pick from many designs and colors. But I like all the different shows you have. They are fun to watch." Selina says.

He knows what she means. She enjoys that bonding time as they watch something together. That is what's important to her, anything to do together.

"Lelei?" He asks.

"I bet it is the books," Rory says and then gets a knock on the head by Lelei staff.

"Yes, I like all the knowledge you people have. But I really like those sweaters. They are warm and comfortable." Lelei says.

"Wow. Everything you all know about our civilization and it all boils down to Selina liking cartoons. Lelei likes cloths. The most cultural one is Tuka here." Sarah points out with a chuckle.

Alright, then he sees them all burst out laughing.

 

---

 

As dinner is winding down. Sarah stands up and grabs some plates.

She sees the four girls all laughing and giggling, talking about all different kinds of things. She already had to stop two food fights between them all.

As she gathers a few plates, she glances over to Sharpe. She is impressed by how well he is fitting in, but she can see in his eyes he is struggling a little to fit in the flow of the moment. That will be fixed once he gets used to events like this.

"Let me get this sir." She says to Sharpe as she reaches for his plate.

He looks up at her, just noticing. He then glances down and grabs the plate. "Oh no. I got it. You did a good job with the meal."

He then stands up and helps with the dishes. "I got it."

"Alright, bring them into the kitchen then." She says and heads in.

As she walks into the kitchen, she sets everything down. Today has been exhausting, going shopping, then cooking and making this place livable. Then dinner and there still gifts for the girls to open.

Sharpe walks upright beside her and sets some dishes down.

"Thank you." She says and looks up at him. That is when she noticed that he has shaved.

For as long as she has known him, he always has a beard. Not an ugly messy one. He always maintained it. It was a byproduct from his Delta days as Special Forces get special treatment to help blend into the local population.

She always thought he looked good in a beard but now he looks far better without one. "You shaved."

"Yeah. I did it right before dinner. Thought it would be appropriate." He says.

"Looks good Sharpe." She says with a smile.

"Really? I can't remember the last time I didn't have one." He says, suddenly rubbing his chin. "I feel naked without it."

"That will pass but you do look good. More professional. It is like you're not hiding anything." She says.

"Hey! Rory wondering when the sweets are coming." Tuka yells.

"My lord she is a pain. Lovable but a pain." She says, rolling her eyes.

Sharpe chuckles. "You should be on the field with her. My lord, I want to put a leash on her sometimes."

She thinks about that, picturing how that would work. She then laughs at the image. "Funny."

She then looks over and grabs the box of donuts Sharpe got. At first, she was annoyed that he got this but after some thought and already tired from just making dinner, the lazy option seems the best option. Besides, they all seem to enjoy this item.

"Coming." She says.

She walks first as Sharpe is right behind her, heading back to the table.

She looks forward and sees Rory's eyes glued to the box, already knowing what is in the box. Lelei sits there, smiling. She hates to admit it, but she has a big sweet tooth just like Rory. Tuka there, wondering what this famous donut Rory is always talking about.

"Stop!" Selina yells, holding up her hand.

She smiles, seeing that Selina told them both to stop. The kid doesn't know it, but she is part of the evil plan.

"Everything on Selina?" She asks.

"You are at the flower that's above you. The toe flowers." Selina says as she stands up from her chair.

She smiles and looks up, seeing that mistletoe that she set up hours before.

She then glances at Sharpe as he looks up it. He just notices it and probably wondering what the meaning of it is.

Right then, in his eyes, she sees that he figured out that is mistletoe and the meaning behind it.

"You two have to kiss now. Those are the rules!" Selina says, smiling.

She looks over to Selina, thinking that it is just some cute game. She is such an adorable kid, a blessing in Sharpe's life. She has seen that both equal each other out.

She gives Selina a wink and then turns around. Once around she looks up at the man. "Well, it is the rules."

He looks down at her, clearly a bit uncomfortable. She figured that as he closed off all areas of his life just to be a soldier.

"Well…" He mumbles, debating on what to do.

"Well, you did say you own me one. And besides, I never thought you were afraid of a challenge." She says, intently trying to trick him.

She knows that they all are watching at this point, but she doesn't care. Before what happens in Havcristen and Combat Outpost Serenity, she never would have done something like this. But knowing that he cared enough to walk into enemy control territory just to get her back, she knows he feels something for her.

And besides, she knows how his mind works. He never backs down from a direct challenge. Now he has no choice but to commit.

He takes a short breath and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips.

She closes her eyes and returns the kiss, enjoying the moment. All the crap, all the drama, and the wounds she has been dealt with all seem worth it right now. Just for this moment.

Behind her, she hears the girls doing the typical 'aww' and the giggles at the sight. She doesn't care though.

Once they finish, she turns around and sees Rory storms up on the table, pointing at her. "Hey! You never said that is what happens when you are under one of those things!"

"Wait. Did you plan this?" Sharpe asks, confused.

She stands there and closes her eyes. "God damnit Rory…" She mumbles to herself.

She then raises up the box. "I got donuts!" Hopping that would end the drama.

 

---

 

After dinner, they all head to the living room.

Sharpe walks in behind them all, scratching the sweatshirt that they all forced him to wear. He did end up wearing it to make them happy.

As he walks in, he looks around and sees the final product of their work. The room looks very homey with all the different decorations they put up. He then looks to the tree. It is light up with ribbons and ornaments all over it.

"Not bad for a last-minute setup. You all did great." He says, impressed.

"Thank you," Rory says.

Selina walks over. "I put up the star, see."

He looks up at the star that she put up.

"Hey, don't forget about me. I lifted you up." Rory says as she crosses her arms. She is still a little upset and jealous.

"Both of you did great. All of you did great. Now, there is a gift for you all. There is one for each of you." He says.

He sits down on the couch and sees Sarah sit down next to him. There still this little awkwardness between the two after the kiss. It was an interesting moment and wonders if she was just toying with him or if there was something else. Either way, Rory's reaction was hysterical.

He looks back to all the girls as they each grab a present that's under the tree.

"I still wish to file a complaint," Lelei says as she walks up.

"Yes Lelei, you may file it." He responds chuckling on how she framed it.

Lelei holds up a finger. "I must say, it was not fair that you gave us a last-minute warning. How could we get gifts if we had no time to."

"You know she has a point," Rory says as she sits there.

"Yeah. It was stressful." Tuka adds.

"Girls, it is ok. I don't need anything. This is all for you." He says.

"Now…" He says and then stops, noticing that Lelei has something else to say.

"I have another complaint to file," Lelei says.

"Ok… what is up." He answers with a chuckle.

"If the point is to open presents, then why did you wrap them in duct tape? That only makes it harder." Lelei asks.

"Men in their duct tape." Sarah comments, rolling her eyes.

Selina walks up and sits down next to him, holding her gift. She then looks up at him. "Is it true you make duck tape out of ducks?"

Sarah leans forward and looks at her. "Where did you hear that?"

He looks at Sarah and then all the girls. He sees all of them are pointing to him. He shakes his head no, denying the truth.

Sarah looks at him and leans back. "Why did I even ask, of course, it was you." She looks past him to look at Selina. "And Selina, its Duct, not Duck."

He looks to his daughter and sees her looking up at him. Without saying it out loud, he tells her that Sarah wrong and that it is 'duck'.

"He says your wrong Sarah," Selina says

He then feels a slap on the head. "Stop lying to them all the time."

He looks to Sarah chuckling. "your no fun. Alright, Tuka why don6you go first."

Tuka is sitting down legs crossed. She has a long present. "Ok."

She starts to open it, topping add part the wrapping around it. After that, she sees the black duct tape around this box. At first, she struggles to undo the tape but when she finally opens the box.

She pulls out this wooden lute. "what is this, wow?"

"Didn't you say you use to play music?" Sarah asks.

Tuka looks at it, all excited by it. "Yes. I worship the god Lunaryur. He enhances the music to bring joy to its listeners. Depending on the song, you can do many different things. Mine was destroyed by the Empire. I was going to make a new one but I have not had time. Plus I don't know if the wood in Alnus would have worked."

He sits there and watches Tuka enjoying her new instrument. He looks to Lelei and gives her a nod to go.

Lelei nods and looks down at her present. She usually acts very reserved, every motion, every word is intentional and well thought of. Right now she has these big sparkle eyes, full of excitement. He thinks this must be one of the few times she had a chance to be a child right now.

Lelei carefully takes apart the wrapping, trying not to damage it.

"Just rip it Lelei," Rory says

 Lelei looks to Rory and back to her gift. She rips the wrapping off and tosses it away. She then opens up the box. "It is a laptop." She says as she lifts up the big laptop.

"It is a very powerful laptop, combat grade. You will be able to bring that along and do whatever you want." He says.

She looks at us, analyzing it. "I can't wait to try it."

"Yeah, there's a lot you can do with it." He says.

"Rory. Your next." He says.

Rory smiles and then shreds the wrapping paper. The Duck tape around it did not affect her Apostle strength. It is a smaller box for everyone else. She opens it and pulls out this heart-shaped necklace. The heart has this crystal-like pink color.

He sits there watching Rory. While she is known as the reaper if death and war, he knows she does not like that label. That she prefers to be known as the Apostle of love. He Hope's this helps her know that is how he sees her.

Rory holds it up to get a closer look at it.

"That is very cute Rory." Sarah points out.

As Rory puts it around her neck, he puts his arm around Selina. "Alright kid, your turn."

Selina looks up at him, smiling. She then looks back down and opens her gift. What she sees in it is this brown teddy bear with this heart on its chest.

"I don't know, I thought it might keep you company while we are gone." He forces himself to say it.

She looks up at him and then gives him a warm hug. She then lays down and rests her head onto his side, hugging the bear.

He just keeps his arm around her. He then looks to Noriko who has been sitting there.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Noriko says as she sits down Tenchi down in her lap

He waves what she said off. "Just open."

Noriko then opens the small present and pulls out a cell phone.

"Just in case of emergencies. You should have one while in Alnus. If you ever need help, just give a call. You don't have to worry about a bill." He says.

She lowers the phone and then holds it close. "Thank you. I don't feel like I deserve it."

"None sense!" Rory states. "We girls need to stick together."

"Yeah, Noriko. What Rory said. We are friends after all." Selina adds.

"Just accept it, kid. It would make a lot of people back in Alnus feel better. You have all of Vanguard-7 and a few others in there. In return, I get to corrupt the kid." As he finishes saying that, he feels Sarah wake him on the head. "Ouch… what was that for?"

"You know why." Sarah states.

He hears Selina giggle at that. He looks down at her. "Traitor. Alright, Sarah, I guess it is your go."

"No, I am not," Selina responds.

He smirks and messes up her hair. He then looks over to Sarah. "Alright, I think there is one for you."

"You didn't," Sarah says, with a little surprise in her voice.

Rory pulls out this small gift and holds it up. "Lelei, hover it!"

"Rory, I told you. Magic must be used responsibly." Lelei says.

Rory looks to her." You say that but you always do it in the end." She says in a cheeky tone.

Lelei looks at her and thinks about what she said. He watches her reaction and finds it hysterical how she slowly realizes that fact.

Lelei looks back at her. "I… fine…"

As everyone laughs, she uses her magic to slowly hover the gift to Sarah.

Sarah reaches up to grab it find misses. Lelei suddenly moved it up, just out of range.

"Hey," Sarah says, baffled.

"Sorry Sarah. That was a mistake." Lelei responds.

The present slowly lowers. As Sarah reaches for it again, it suddenly moves out of reach again.

Sarah stops and looks at Lelei. "Wow. I had no idea you had an evil side."

Lelei sits there and ahs this sadistic smile. Rory sits by her side, holding back a chuckle.

"Ok fine," Lelei says.

Sarah grabs the gift and looks at it. She opens it and pulls out this red rose Heidi Daus Swarovski Crystal neckless.  She lifts it. "It looks like someone likes neckless. Very interesting."

"You can get return it." He says.

"Oh no. I am totally going to embarrass you. It is lovely. Thank you." Sarah says with a big smile.

He nods at her and looks at them all, looking at their new gadgets. "Well girls, Merry Christmas. We can watch a movie before bed."

"But what about your gifts?" Selina asks, confuse.

He looks to her confused. "What do you mean?"

"While you were playing babysitter, the girls got you some stuff too," Sarah says.

He looks to her, a little annoyed by that. One of the reasons he didn't tell them in advance is because he didn't want them to get him anything. He thinks the day is for them, not for him.

Tuka walks up carrying a large number of presents. "Here you go!" She then drops it on him.

Feeling four gifts fall on his lap and seeing them all staring at him. He takes a breath and grabs one.

This one is perfectly wrapped, meaning it has to be from Lelei. He opens it and pulls out these nice-looking slippers. "They look very nice. Thank you Lelei."

Lelei sits there and smiles, blushing a little bit. "The Masters at the Academy wear slippers so these seem respectable."

"Do me next!" Rory yells, her arms fly into the air. Being very impatient.

He waves down Rory to calm her down. He then grabs her present. There is like three different kind of wrapping with a thousand scotch tape all around it. It looks like a mess. "I wonder who this is."

Seeing Rory giggle, he opens it and pulls out this red and black silk boxer shorts. He looks past them to see Rory. Of course, she would do something like this.

"What, it is a women's tradition!" Rory says as she crosses her arms giggling. He looks around and sees them all giggling a bit. "Besides, Sarah recommended it."

"Not supposed to mention that part," Sarah says.

He is about to say something and then releases that is true. "Holy shit it is. Well, thank you, Rory." He says, a bit embarrassed.

"Well, you sleep in boxers so there something nice to wear." Rory states.

"Now did you know that?" He asks, confused.

"We all do," Tuka says with a big smile.

He looks at Tuka and is about to respond but decides that is a door he does not want to open. He sits them down and grabs Tuka's gift.

Sarah leans forward and whispers in his ear. "You really know nothing about woman." She says with a chuckle.

He unwraps Tuka's gift and holds up this stone.

"It is a talisman. You can enchant it to bring peace and tranquility to your room." Tuka says.

He understands what she means by that. They all know that he has been under stressed recently and has trouble sleeping at times. He tries to keep that stuff hidden from them, but it does feel nice that they care.

"Thank you all very much." He says as he feels a tug from Selina.

He looks at her and then grabs the one from Selina. It has a very nice ribbon around it, probably one of her religion ribbons. He nicely opens it, not wanting to damage that and unwraps it. He then pulls out this novelty transformers blue jean jacket. It has Optimus Prime head on the back of it.

"It is like when we first met," Selina says, looking up at him from his side.

He looks down at her and smiles. "Thank you, kid."

Selina smiles and then grabs the last gift. "Let us see what Sarah has."

He looks down and takes the gift from Selina's hands. He then unwraps it and he freezes as he looks at it. It is a framed picture of them altogether during Thanksgiving.

It has him sitting down at a both with Selina to his left, cuddling up with him. Rory is on his lap, looking at the camera while holding a mug. Lelei is on the right of him, holding her staff while wearing this baseball cap. Tuka is sitting above Lelei while waving towards the camera.

Seeing the picture went right home with him. In a simple picture, it really showed everything good that has been happening in his life. What is current and important.

He looks over to Sarah. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. I figured you would like that with your collection." Sarah says with a smile.

She then looks to everyone. "Alright. Let's put on Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, the 1964 edition. That was is always cute and a classic."

 

 

Reference:

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(1)Holiday Note: Holidays will not match the story calendar. They are considered holiday specials. The events in the chapters are cannon, just the real-life dates are not. It is for fun and the special moment.

 

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