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Author's Note - OMGlastchapter! Gee, almost sort of right in time for the holidays? Anyway, this is the last bit... hope you enjoy it! I might have a new story that I'll start posting by the end of the month... I want to finish it before I start posting though. That seems to work better, because it doesn't take me as long to get it up... ANYWAY, enjoy!

"What do you think about some pancakes for a late breakfast?" Mom asked. We'd just finished opening our Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. Trent was already playing his new video game on the television, and I was sitting with Taylor on the couch.

"That sounds good," Taylor said, and I nodded in agreement. Trent was too busy killing bad guys on the video game to respond, but Mom seemed to think that our response was enough for her to get up and go into the kitchen to cook pancakes for breakfast.

Taylor had her feet in my lap, wiggling them in the new socks that my mom had made for her - knitted out of blue and green wool, soft and striped. She seemed to like them, and in design, they matched the red and orange ones my mom had made for me. I always liked the clothes that my mother had made for me better than anything she could buy me. At least it meant that she took into account what I liked and took the time to make something that she knew I would like.

"I think this is the best Christmas I've had in a while," Taylor told me closing her eyes as she relaxed against the back of the couch. She folded her hands behind her head and kept her eyes closed.

"You think so?" I asked, because I think I might have agreed with her, except for the fact that I had lost my two best friends because they couldn't accept differences. Spending Christmaas with Taylor was nice, especially now that Trent had decided to be a nice little brother for once in his life.

"I do think so, don't you?" she asked, still not opening her eyes. I shrugged, but she obviously couldn't see that because her eyes were closed.

"I guess so," I replied. She didn't reply to this, and I wondered if she was sleeping again - or trying to. I wasn't sure how that would be possible with the constant shooting sound coming from Trent's video game, as well as the cries of the bad guys as they died. She kept her feet in my lap and I decided to close my eyes and relax as well, at least until breakfast was ready.

It was easy, in the dark with my eyes closed, to ignore the sounds of the video game, of the griddle in the other room ... of anything, really, and I'm sure that I managed to fall asleep - though I didn't know it until my mom's voice came into the living room, telling us that the pancakes were done. Taylor stretched, and clearly she had been sleeping, too. I guess that's what happens when your little brother wakes you up at five on Christmas morning because he wants to open his presents. Especially since we hadn't gone to bed until eleven or something the night before, having stayed up to watch the cheesy cartoon Christmas specials on television.

We stood up and sat down at the table with the plate of pancakes in the center, with the jug of maple syrup right next to them. We all served ourselves, and sat down to enjoy our breakfast together.

"I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Mrs. Lyman, you make the best pancakes I've ever eating," Taylor said, before forking another piece into her mouth. My mom smiled and looked over at me.

"Thank you, Taylor," she said, "it's nice to know that someone appreciates my cooking," she added, looking specifically at Trent and me.

"I appreciate your cooking!" I exclaimed. Mom and Taylor both laughed, though Trent seemed to intent on drowning his poor pancakes in way too much maple syrup. No wonder the kid had issues concentrating - all that sugar in his system was bound to do something to him.

"I was just kidding, Emily," Mom said. I rolled my eyes but accepted this. Along with everyone else, I ate my breakfast. When we finished, it was getting closer to lunch time - almost eleven, actually, and I decided that it was probably a good time to take a shower and get dressed. So I did that, and dressed in my weekend-hanging-around-the-house clothes, consisting of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and my sneakers. When I went back downstairs, Trent had turned his video game off, and was now playing a card game with Taylor on the floor of the living room. I sat down near them and watched what the game for a while, since they were in the middle of the game and I couldn't join in yet.

Then Mom decided to put some Christmas music in, and she sat in the corner of the couch, knitting something else, probably for next Christmas or something. A knock came at the door and we all kind of looked at each other, since we weren't really expecting anyone. Since I was the only one not doing anything, I got up to answer it. When I opened the door, Gretchen was standing right there, all decked out with gold tinsel in her hair. I wondered if she was going to wear that tinsel in her hair until Valentines Day or something.

"What do you want?" I asked, not really meaning for my voice to sound that rude, but it did come out that way, and I guess I wasn't really sorry, considering how mad I was with her for what she and Portia had done.

"I have a present for you, and I was wondering if I could come in?" she asked, obviously trying to ignore my rude tone. I sighed and let her in, because no matter how rude she had been to me by not saying anything, I wasn't going to be rude back to her by shutting the door in her face.

"Come in," I said, gesturing. She walked into the front hall, and I led her into the living room where Mom, Taylor, and Trent were. She sat down on the edge of the couch, perched somewhat awkwardly. She handed me the box in her hand. It was kind of small, and wrapped in gold paper. I took it, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to open it or not, but she looked at me encouragingly, and Taylor looked at me as well. I unwrapped the package, and inside was a small white box. I opened that, to find a small gold chained necklace, with a charm in the center in the shape of two people holding hands. Inscribed in the center in script handwriting was Best Friends Forever. I didn't pick the necklace up, just left it in the box and closed the top.

"Is this supposed to make up for the fact that you just let Portia sit there and act like a jerk?" I asked, setting the box down on the arm of the couch. Gretchen looked down at her folded hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry," Gretchen said, "I mean, I don't share Portia's views. I don't have a problem with Taylor, and she seems really nice," she said this with a nod at my girlfriend, "I just ... I don't like getting into the middle of arguments between you two. I want to stay friends with you and with Portia. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything, but can we still be friends?" she asked. Everyone seemed to go quiet in the room, and even the music from the CD player had gone quiet at the end of the song. I looked at Taylor, who was giving me an encouraging look.

"I think so," I said, "I mean ... don't expect me to forgive Portia, though," I added. Gretchen shrugged.

"I can understand why you wouldn't," she said. I picked up the jewelry box again and opened it up, unlocking the necklace to put it on.

"Want to play rummy with us, Gretchen?" Taylor asked, as she gathered the cards together and shuffled them. Gretchen nodded, and the two of us joined Taylor and Trent on the floor to play cards. The music played and we played cards and the lingering smell of the maple syrup from breakfast and the pine of the Christmas tree surrounded us.

"I love Christmas," Trent said, grinning. I smiled back, glancing over at Taylor, and then at Gretchen. Yeah, I love Christmas, too.

The End