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Christmas had always been a big to-do with his family - at least the celebration of family and love and closeness that the season was meant to show. And so when was allowed to return for shopping, it was with a very small list of people and a few vague ideas that meant Andy would be wandering about for some time before he found the appropriate gifts he wanted to give and got them back to Deus so he could put things together properly.

His gift to Gale was small and probably stupid, but he’d totally picked up a canister of special blend tea (high on the caffeine side)…as well as a smaller one of gunpowder tea. Both were wrapped (poorly) and left for the other Hunter along with a note that read: I hear the gunpowder one has on helluva kick! Merry Christmas dude.

Of the small pool of people he was purchasing for, Andy had the hardest time trying to come up with a proper gift for Peyton - what did you give the gal you were in love with (and he knew it by then, he was definitely head over heels in love with her) and that you wanted to stand by…but who had also been through one helluva year and likely didn't need the stress of some guy confessing his love just then?

Especially when it was going to be opened with him there.

Well, for starters, he got Peyton a trio of bangles in gold plate that fell into 'their' Neverland theme. He thought about getting her a ring as well, but…well, it could be construed poorly, so he held off in that department for the moment, instead opting for other things. Less potentially weighty things, like the bangles and a lovely antique-style pendant and earring set of emerald-hued glass in a cabochon stone-style setting of gold, as well as some Peter Pan themed leggings to round the gifts out.

Certainly there were other things that he knew Peyton liked, that he might have purchased for her - or even made for her - but there was a more playful connection with the Neverland set that would inject some levity into their holiday. Hopefully.

Her gifts were wrapped with exaggerated care (and likely far more tape than was necessary), decked out in ribbons and bearing gift tags that read “to: Tink, from: Your Boy”. Inside the box with the bangles, he did also include a personalized note that Andy agonized over. That was the only part that he asked her to read when he wasn’t around, mostly because he was a chicken.



He didn’t know if what he wrote would scare her off, or if it would please her…but once it was done, it was done and he felt simultaneously like he wanted to vomit and crow. Andy did neither, he simply thanked her effusively for his gifts, kissed her until he realized he’d be sticking around if he didn’t go (he had gifts to deliver yet, so…) and went back to his bunk to get working.

He had one last gift to "deliver" - his brother's. Probably he should have done Peyton's last, so he could stay with her, but...his present(s) for Jordan were slightly less durable than hers.

Most of the tiny pool of gifts Andy got could be wrapped, but not the one for his beloved brother. Instead of some sort of item picked up or ordered, Andy had instead had the brilliant idea of recreating some of the foods they'd loved back home. Which meant that while he'd been Christmas shopping for gifts, he'd also been grocery shopping so as to pick up the various ingredients that would be needed to replicate some of their Tia Rosa’s cooking: things he knew had been some of his older brother’s favorites - and that he felt he could actually make - and then presented the goods in person with a wide smile and bandaged hands.

He’d burnt his fingertips badly, being out of practice and working without their aunt’s guidance to keep him from forgetting just how hot the dishes could be to bared fingers…or had cut himself by being careless from either his excitement at seeing Jordan’s reaction to this gift...or thinking about Peyton's reaction to hers (he was nervous, he'd never purchased jewelry for a girl he liked before...at least, not one that wasn't family).

Still, the burnt fingers and stress was so very worth it in the end: just getting to see Jordy grinning and biting into some homemade chiles rellenos, honest-to-god carnitas tamales, pozole, and even a tin of Galletas de Navidad with blackberry jam. For desert. Andy could remember Tia Rosa making all of these things (and more) during holidays past, could remember what it had felt like when they were getting their knuckles rapped with Tia Rosa's wooden spoon for picking bits of the food before she said it was ready.

“Merry Christmas, big brother.” So maybe he choked up a little over it, so what. It didn't mean anything other than there were a lot of emotions there - including gratefulness. Because he got to have Jordy there...he wasn't alone.

The only thing that really mattered was that once again, Andrew Miller had family for the holiday...and they could light candles for the family that they'd left behind.