The next few hours were extremely busy. The girls dashed around the city, dropping presents at every location Ulla had planned.

The Sky Skimmer allowed Alicia to move across the city at amazing, if slightly nauseating, speeds. However, she was able to grit her teeth and push through nausea. She focused her mind on how happy Ulla would be when all of the presents were delivered.

The other girls drove around the city at high speed. The early hour meant that very few people were on the roads allowing them to ignore most of the posted speed limits.

Eventually, the girls all met up in the city center to help Ulla deliver the last set of presents. “What a night,” sighed Alicia as she leaned up against the side of the van, waiting for Ulla to emerge from the building.

“Good or bad?” Asked Sharon as she held a mesmerized security guard. “It’s okay, you’re just having a happy daydream,” she said gently as the guard let out a soft sigh.

“Good.” Replied Alica. “I got to hang out with you guys.”

“And nearly get shot.” Interjected Mara.

“Worth it!” Grinned Alicia. “I meant to thank you for these things!” She said as she pointed to her new gloves. “I was so confused when you threw them up.”

“They were meant to be your Christmas present.” Blushed Mara. “Kitty helped me with them. They contain little genetic samples, so you don’t need to touch people. So you can use powers from people even when they’re not around.”

“You picked it up really quickly!” Smiled Sharon.

“Dragon and Eagle is not a common combo. The second I saw them, I knew it was referring to the girls.” Nodded Alicia. “But thank you, it means a lot to me!”

“You are welcome!” Replied Sharon and Mara in unison.

“I would hug you, but my ribs sting,” added Sharon as Alicia giggled.

“Plenty of holiday left for hugging.” Nodded Alicia as she saw two figures moving towards them. She quickly realized that it had to be Ulla and Kitty as their suits gave them a very distinctive silhouette.

“Done!” Smiled Ulla.

“Yay!” Cheered Alicia and Kitty.

“Okay,” grinned Sharon as she turned to face the guard. “Look me in the eyes,” she said softly. “You don’t remember any of this. You went outside for a moment and got distracted by all the pretty Christmas decorations! It happens! Nothing special!” She giggled as she nodded her head.

“Nothing special,” mumbled the guard as she nodded her head in time with Sharon’s.

“But, you did find some money! You must have left it in your pants last time you did laundry.” Continued Sharon as she slipped a note into the guard’s pocket. “You should get yourself something nice.”

“Something nice,” chuckled the guard.

“Now, walk back inside and act normally. But in your head count back from two hundred. When you get to zero, you’ll wake up and have a Merry Christmas!” Explained Sharon as she patted the guard on the back.

The guard started to stumble towards the building’s front door, their posture becoming more awake and their movements less lethargic with every step.

“Thank you so much.” Interjected Ulla, her voice wavering.

“We can be emotional later,” grinned Sharon as she watched the guard walk back into the building. “The sun is coming up. If we don’t move quickly we’re going to get spotted.”

“Right, right,” nodded Ulla as she walked towards one of the vans.

“Meet you back at the house!” Waved Sharon. “Hitomi, you too.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude,” mumbled Hitomi.

“Look,” sighed Sharon as she put her hands on her hips. “You can act shy, but we both know I’ll just hypnotize you. So why don’t we save five minutes?”

“Oh fine,” chuckled Hitomi. “I’ll tag along.”

“Good!” Grinned Sharon. “See you there then.” She added as she clambered into the van.

As the vans rolled down the street Alica let out a sigh. She was suddenly very aware of how sore she was. She hadn’t planned to spend the night running, teleporting, and fighting. But she couldn’t deny it was one of the most exciting Christmases she had experienced.

As they all pulled up at the house the sun was starting to rise. The girls all climbed out of their vehicles and wandered inside. One by one each girl walked into the living room and collapsed on the nearest bit of soft furniture.

“I’ll do breakfast in a few moments,” yawned Sharon. “But I need a nap.”

“Me too,” nodded Ulla.

“Same,” groaned Hitomi.

The girls all squirmed on the furniture, their bodies getting comfortable as their eyes started to flutter. One by one they all fell asleep. And within minutes the living room was filled with the sound of snoring.

Alica curled up on the floor, a smile forming on her lips. However, just before she fell asleep, she saw her phone vibrating on the table. She picked it up and saw that Beth, her friend from college, was calling her.

“Hey Beth,” smiled Alicia as she answered the call. “Merry Christmas to you too, are you having fun at home? Awesome! Me?” Said Alicia, her thoughts suddenly grinding to a halt.

Alicia looked around the room for a few moments. Kitty was stretched out on the floor, with Hitomi snoring in the chair next to her. Mara, Sharon, and Ulla had all formed a big pile on the couch. Their limbs all tangled and intertwined.

A feeling of contentment filled Alicia as she chuckled. “Me?” She said into the phone. “Yeah, this is a pretty great Christmas. Nothing special, but pretty great.” She said as her smile grew wider. “But I’ll get back to you, Mom needs help with Turkey,” she added as she lay back down and closed her eyes.