Nothing was more insulting to a dog than a treat being directly in front of them that they couldn't eat. Not because their owner said they weren't allowed to, that rarely stopped them, but the fact that if they were to eat it, it would quite literally kill them. Thankfully, they all knew better than to try and consume such a delicacy, as tempting as it may have been. The downside, however, was the youngest among them who hadn't been taught what was safe to eat and what wasn't.

Marshall had to physically hold the pup back, keeping her away from the chocolate chip cookies resting on a plate by the fireplace. They assumed it would be harmless for them to be within her reach, and for a while, they were right. However, the second she had seen Katie eat one, her small mind had come to the conclusion that she was more than welcome to join in.

"Listen, these are for Santa, not for you. You can't eat chocolate, but I will give you some pup treats if you stop," he tried to tell her, though she still had yet to figure out what he was saying. He wasn't the biggest fan of constantly trying to tell her no, but especially as a doctor, he knew how bad it would be if chocolate got into her paws. Unintentionally, of course, she was really starting to stress him out.

"Here, let me get it," Katie interjected, grabbing the plate and setting it high up on the mantle, far out of any of the dogs' reach. The Dally finally freed the pup, who only looked up at the cookies and then back at him with a disappointed look on her face. He let out a small sigh of relief, digging a treat out of the box and tossing it in her direction as he had promised.

Surprisingly, the idea of setting out cookies and acting as if Santa was a real person—they had all grown out of that phase years ago—wasn't Marshall's idea. It was Everest's, actually, claiming that she refused to allow the pup's first Christmas to be one without spirit and the typical celebrations.

Well, she had also previously dragged her mate aside and explained that she couldn't bear the thought of the Border Collie missing out on her youth while she had it. As someone who missed out on her own childhood, including the experience of celebrating Christmas, she refused to beat around the bush and let the pup lose that chance the way she did.

But thankfully, the others had bought her more simplified explanation. They all had to admit, it was nice to once again put on the show for someone who would believe it all. They hadn't been able to after Rubble finally figured it out, so it was a breath of fresh air, and also sorta an excuse to be immature.

"You gotta behave, or else Santa isn't gonna bring you any presents," Everest instructed the pup, though she knew she wasn't gonna understand much of it, if any. Immediately after hearing herself, she had to turn over to Katie just to confirm the obvious. "You did get her presents, right?"

"Yep, don't worry, I got her some...stuff."  The husky nodded, assuming she was catching onto her hidden language. Talking from experience, the Border Collie tended to get pretty hyper when hearing words like "toys" or "treats". A pretty standard vocabulary set for a pup, though she did seem to be learning a few other words, including some names.

"Eve, did we used to do anything else for Christmas?" Upon hearing his voice, the pup went from curiously listening to her owner and Everest to bouncing at his side with his paw ruffling her head in return. The snow dog had to stop and think, mentally replaying everything they'd usually do as traditions.

"Uh...not that I can think of. We've kinda done everything, and it's probably too late for her to start a movie. I would say decorate cookies but..." Everest looked in the pup's general direction, and that was all that was necessary. Anything regarding possibly dangerous foods wasn't really a great idea, seeing how she attempted to lay destruction on the treats earlier.

They kept their minds working and trying to find something they could all do, but when it all came down to it, it was mainly an excuse to just stay awake. With the night nearing its end, they both subconsciously knew it was probably in their best interest to get to bed sooner than later, but neither was ready to let it end. No one could blame them, it was Christmas Eve after all, but some tended to be more generous than others.

"Hey, guys, I really hate to do this to you two, but...it's getting kinda late, you need to take your sleep medications." Katie already had a look of guilt spreading onto her face. The Dalmatian and husky both sighed, it was inevitable, and they couldn't deny fate any longer now that they had doctor's orders.

Tonight was their distraction from life, and after this, they'd have to go back to normal. It was all part of the contract they signed with each other, that this time of year they would try and set the negatives behind them. All that was left was to sleep and then open presents, though admittedly both of them were pretty excited for that, they'd soon be left to deal with the usual pains of everyday life.

"I know, I know, but staying with your body's schedule is the best thing you can do for it," she insisted. As much as they hated the fact, they both knew she was right. Marshall would've said the same thing to any of his patients, if he actually worked with medicine, that is. There was no point in arguing when she was the one who prescribed their meds to begin with.

With equally heavy hearts, they silently snuck away from the others, dug into their bags, and pulled out their bottles of pills. After filling their bowls of water, and exchanging a very unenthusiastic "cheers", they did as their vet had instructed, with Everest double-checking to make sure she was completely out of view from the others.

"Welp, Marshy, we got about thirty minutes left until I'm passed out, now what?" Marshall already yawned as he shook himself to try and stay awake, and that was enough to tell her they might not even last that long. The Dally still knew he could probably make it for another hour if he really wanted to, but Everest was fairly new to her medicine, hence why it worked quicker for her.

"I dunno, I'm already kinda tired, I guess we'll just hang out with the others until they go to bed. Sound good?" The husky nodded, licked his cheek, and brought them back over to the rest. Without even giving him a chance to socialize as he had suggested, the pup appeared at the base of his leg whilst nuzzling him with her head. At this rate, he wasn't even surprised as he put his foreleg around her.

Despite the fact that they were the ones with the sleep medications, the others were already one step ahead. Some—specifically Rubble and Zuma—were already asleep on their dog beds. Rocky was still dragging his into the room, and Chase and Skye were settling down on their own, with plenty of cuddles going around for both of them.

"Or...I guess we could just call it a night now," he muttered, not too against the idea himself. Everest was starting to yawn and stretch a bit as well, and that was without her medicine kicking in. The Border Collie at the base of his paws looked wide awake, though chances were she wouldn't be lasting much longer, especially once she actually got in bed.

Their dog bed was already in a convenient enough location, so they climbed in and snuggled close. Jake passed them by, bending down and scratching the Husky behind the ear before walking down the hallway to his own bedroom.

"Goodnight, guys, Merry Christmas. Also, Ryder, Katie, decide who gets the couch sooner or later. You two sound like an old married couple." Before even bothering to explain what he meant, the man shut his door, leaving them both with unanswered questions. But as the two dogs brought their ears closer to their owner, that question was answered as quickly as it had appeared.

"Katie, for the last time I said you could take the guest bed," Ryder argued, barely even acknowledging Jake. Marshall looked at the German Shepherd in confusion as to why the two humans were causing such a big deal over this, but he only shrugged as he laid his head back down.

"Fine, you know what, we'll do rock, paper, scissors. Loser takes the guest bed, deal?" The girl held her first up above the palm of her hand, and reluctantly, the boy did the same. They both brought their fists up and down three times, revealing the positions. To her own despair, she had chosen rock, while he had chosen paper.

Katie let out a few choice words under her breath, ones thankfully the pup didn't hear, but she knew she had to stick to her end of the deal. She bitterly said her goodnight to him as he laid down on the couch, one that was comfortable, but no doubtedly not as much as the guest bed she was stealing from him.

Ryder laughed to himself and brushed it off, bidding farewell to her in return. The girl sighed in defeat, but walked next to the furry couple's bed and sat down on her knees. She gave them both quick pets on the head before scooping the pup off the floor and into her arms.

"Alright, girlie, time for bed." However, even if the pup likely enjoyed being able to sleep in her human's comfy bed, as any dog would, she let out small whines once they began to walk to her room. At first, Katie thought she was just being pouty again and didn't want to admit that she was tired, which by now had happened more times than she could count. But as a second option came to mind, she carefully set the black and white pup on the floor to test her hypothesis.

And just as she expected—and silently hoped for—the Border Collie sprinted across the floor and leaped onto the Dalmatian and husky's bed, forcing herself under the fire dog's front leg. Marshall smiled lightly, more honored than anything to have her choose to stay with him.

"Welp, Marshall, Everest, do you two mind if she sleeps with y'all?" Both of them slightly shook their heads, which was a good thing too, seeing as the pup's eyelids were already starting to flutter in an attempt to take her off to the land of dreams.

"I-I don't know if she'd move if I tried," the Dally stuttered out, though still embracing the pup in his grasp. She was making herself at home as she scooted in, basically using his leg as a blanket. Everest said nothing as she watched the two, but she mentally took notes as she rested her own head on his fur.

"You're probably right. In that case, goodnight." Within seconds, the girl had disappeared into her own room. The rest of them quietly said their goodnights and Merry Christmases, and Ryder shut the lights off. All that was left now was darkness and silence, aside from the small flickering crackles from the fireplace.

"Night, Marshy," the husky whispered, shutting her eyes and letting herself sink into his spotted coat. Marshall smiled as he let himself relax, the tension in his muscles melting away by the second.

"Night, Eve, love you. And you too, pup." His eyelids slowly started to close, and with Everest already half asleep, he still tried to keep an eye on the pup. The Border Collie yawned and continued to search for the most comfortable spot she could find, that apparently being the small space in between his neck and the dog bed. Thankfully, she was tiny enough to not be touching his scar. She curled into a ball, and faster than he had ever seen, passed out, finally giving him permission to do the same.

The last thing any one of them could remember until the peaceful darkness took them was Everest peeping open one eye, taking a good look at her mate and the pup resting together.

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Despite the fact that tonight was often seen as one of the happiest nights of the year, that wasn't a good enough reason to be spared from nighttime's wrath. Following his irritatingly consistent schedule, Marshall's eyes shot open as he sprang out of his bed. His heart was beating out of his chest as the same repeated images flashed in and out of his mind. His entire body was shaking, it was a relief that the pup had rolled out of them, or else he would have easily woken her up.

Even though he was in no state to complain, he subconsciously wished that out of all nights, this was the one where these stupid nightmares wouldn't do this to him. That they wouldn't turn him into this stressed-out mess who could barely move out of pure fear, left to wait with only his thoughts for company until it finally ended. Then again, after the incident from a couple of weeks ago, they seemed to be more common by the night, hence why he almost expected this.

Hoping that he wasn't waking her up—he knew how much the husky enjoyed her sleep, it was one of the few times she felt fully at peace—he buried his muzzle into her fur. All he could do was silently plead that the water leaking out of his eyes wouldn't be enough to disturb her, that plus how desperately he was clinging to her as he waited for the memories to subside.

Unfortunately, even though he needed it whether he liked it or not, Everest shifted in their dog bed, rolling over and landing her nose on top of his. At first, he thought she was just doing this in her sleep, but that reality disappeared once he noticed the sympathetic blue eyes staring back at him. As disappointed as he was in himself, the Siberian Husky didn't seem to care.

"Another nightmare?" she quietly asked, running her paw through his fur. The Dally silently nodded, he couldn't have forced out many words if he tried. Everest needed no further explanation as she wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him closer. She had to admit, she was partially resisting the urge to fall back asleep in his coat.

"I-I'm sorry, I...I-I didn't m-mean to..." Everest placed her paw over his mouth, shushing him. Droplets ended up falling from his face onto her, and she hated that she was so used to it. Understandably, he still hadn't gotten over what he went through a few weeks ago, and although therapy was very much trying to work on it, it was still just that; a work in progress.

"It's okay, honey, I know you didn't. You don't have to be sorry, you were hurting," she whispered, keeping her voice down to an almost inaudible level, knowing that waking the others up would be far from helpful. The spotted dog tried as hard as he could to believe her, though he couldn't bring himself to make any further eye contact with her or the outside world, so he looked down at the bed as he continued to drown in his own sea of sorrow.

With the husky's persistent comfort and reassurance, it didn't take too long for him to calm down. There was rarely a set amount of time it would take for that to happen, sometimes just a minute or two, others it would take closer to thirty, and considering where they were, she was glad that it was on the shorter side.

"Better?" Marshall nodded slowly, his breaths slowing back down to their normal speed. The guilt in his eyes had yet to go, and he shielded his expression by rolling over and facing away from her, the warm fire taking up most of his sight. It didn't matter if she always said she forgave him, or that she had come close to doing the same thing multiple times, it was never going to take away the pain he inflicted on her.

"Y-yeah, thanks, sorry for waking you up," he apologized, as she once again wrapped him up and pulled his body closer to be perfectly curled up in her larger size, his back against her stomach. There really was no point in trying to get away from her, it was still the most comfortable option no matter how bad he felt for dragging her into this.

"It's fine, I would always rather you wake me up instead of trying to deal with it yourself. Now go back to bed, you need rest." Both were aware that it would take a while for either of them to fall asleep, so with him already trying, Everest avoided her mind going to unfriendly places by looking out the windows at the snowflakes falling from the air.

It could've been days or years since she had seen them, it never mattered, they were always beautiful to watch. However, those weren't what caught her attention. It was the greenish light shining in her eyes, ones that after some closer looks, she knew the source of. Something she hadn't seen in years, but almost welcomed as an old friend.

"Marshy, honey, are you still awake?" she asked eagerly, gently shaking him like a child trying to pry their parents out of bed. The Dalmatian opened his eyes and looked just slightly up, seeing her head above him and her tongue dropping out of her mouth from excitement.

"Yeah, what's up?" Everest slowly stood up from their bed, desperately looking outside as she hoped they wouldn't miss their chance. Part of her wanted to drag him outside before even giving the option, but with his fear in the back of her head, she knew she had to keep her cool.

"Can we please go outside? I promise you we will be safe out there, a-and we don't have to if it's too stressful, but trust me you will love this." Under most circumstances, he would have been a bit hesitant. But seeing how obviously jumpy she was, he didn't dare take that joy from her, it wasn't every day she was that excited. Besides, he managed to do fine out there earlier, he should be more than capable to do it again with her.

"Well...if you insist," he joked, tiredly standing up alongside her and shaking himself awake. The husky's face lit up even more and she nuzzled his neck, soon after pulling him to the door now that she had permission. The number of times she was repeating "thank you" had to be higher than the number of seconds it had taken to get outside.

"So, what is it we're looking for...woah," he muttered, his jaw dropping as Everest limped closer to the edge of the lawn. Marshall was frozen in his tracks as he looked up into the sky, a mix of blue and green covered the air and reflected off the white powder below them. "Are...are those...?"

"The northern lights," she confirmed, turning around to face him with her tail wagging rapidly, along with slight pants from the energy spent running outside. The Dalmatian was blown away, this was the first time he had ever seen such a phenomenon. But regardless, he walked beside her and laid down, his eyes still glued to the spectacle above him.

"T-they're beautiful." He had been curious about them before, mainly from Everest gushing about how amazing they were. But nothing could truly compare to being able to get a taste of the experience for himself, somehow that was the second time tonight he could say that.

"You know, this was my one good memory from when I was younger," she recalled, the lights in the sky shining off her already colorful eyes. "Whenever the day was too much for me to handle, I'd sneak outside when everyone was asleep, and almost more times than not, the northern lights would be out. I spent hours looking at them, daydreaming of a better life, with someone who I knew I could trust and be safe near."

The Dally pulled her closer, allowing her to fully rest in his fur. For once when discussing those earlier years, he could still see the small smile on her face. Beautiful and peaceful, just as it always was. He himself didn't even feel uncomfortable with the topic, seeing her act so calm and open was contagious, especially with her pressing her cheek on his shoulder.

"And it paid off too, I finally found that someone." Honestly, he should've seen this coming a mile away, but her words didn't fail to bring a spark to his heart. It was rare that they didn't have that effect on him, she was very good when it came to encouragement or any of the sort. "You know I love you more than anything, right, Marshy?"

"I know, and I love you too. You mean everything to me." The husky silently cheered in her head, not only happy about what he had said, but also how relaxed he was despite the circumstances. Usually when it came to being in the mountains or discussing pretty much anything regarding her past would understandably end badly, and especially after a nightmare, but for now, he seemed calm. Maybe he was just distracting himself, but that was still more than enough to make her proud.

Assuming they had both stated everything that needed to be said—and she wasn't wrong either—she leaned over and planted a rather heartfelt kiss on his lips. Unlike most times where she tended to catch him off guard when attacking his face, this one was far from a surprise, and he didn't mind it in the slightest.

Although she wasn't really giving him the chance to do otherwise, Marshall shut his eyes as the reality around him seemed to fade away. She was working her magic on him yet again, practically stealing his consciousness away from the broken world he was forced to live in. It was a more than welcome act, evidenced by how they both simultaneously hugged at its peak. As much as they both loved to hang out with the others, moments like these where all they had was each other and the warmth of their fur up so close to one another were nothing short of magical.

Slowly, though neither really wanted it to end, they simultaneously pulled away with equally big smiles on their face, and Everest rubbing her nose against his before fully letting it stop. They both ended up in opposite positions, the Dally laying on her side instead of the other way around. That didn't mean she was letting up on the affection though, with her still softly stroking his cheek as they both let their eyes focus on the sky, the multicolored lights reflecting off both the snow and the white sections on their fur.

It was all calming and peaceful until a rustle in the snow piqued both their attention, mainly Marshall, whose mind was already going into fight or flight mode. Apparently, he had decided on the third unspoken option, freeze. His eyes had widened as he desperately looked around the yard, but as much as he may have wanted to, no further movement was possible. He was frozen solid, stuck by the sudden rush of emotions.

Everest didn't take long to notice what was going on, the situation being an obvious trigger for her mate. She instinctively hugged him, throwing one leg in front of him with fully protective intentions. She mostly doubted there was any actual danger, but she also doubted she'd ever forgive herself if she allowed something to happen to him.

Her nose was the first tool she used, sniffing the air for any familiar scents. To her relief, it didn't take one long at all to pick up on one, but by then it was already too late. Any quick explanation and reassurance were interrupted by someone who didn't have a clue as to what they were doing.

Considering how stressed he already was, it was no shock that the sudden feeling of pressure stepping up the Dalmatian's back got a reaction. His head darted to the source's direction, a sharp yelp slipping out of his mouth from panic.

However, despite the circumstances, Everest giggled as she watched him slowly put the pieces together. The reality was the polar opposite of a threat, only a small Border Collie standing on her mate's back, one paw in the air as if she was about to take a step. She seemed just as surprised as he did.

"O-oh...it's you," he breathlessly stuttered, with the pup almost instantly getting over her initial shock. She slowly set her front paws upon his head, stretching herself from right above his ears, down his neck, and her back paws at the beginning on his back. Her eyes were glued to the sky above them, she barely paid attention to the position she was in. "Jeez, do you ever sleep?"

"She took a nap earlier, remember? She probably woke up when we got up and wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep." As much sense as her explanation made, the Dalmatian was obliged to shake his head—gently, so he wouldn't toss the pup off—at her unknowingly flawed reason.

"Oh no, she wasn't asleep. She was faking being asleep so she could cheat Katie out of getting extra food." Everest had to squeeze her lips shut, suppressing her burst of laughter so as to not interrupt the wonder the pup was experiencing.

"D-did she really?" Marshall nodded, confirming her question as she only gripped his paw. As bad she felt for laughing at the pup, she was having a very hard time not. She had pulled plenty of stunts to get an extra treat or two, but definitely not at her age. "Why am I not surprised, she seems like the sneaky type. Katie's gonna have quite the experience with her."

"Heh, yeah, hopefully she finds a good home for her," he proclaimed, slowly getting back into the comfortable stage he was moments ago. His body was getting less tense by the second, and the two warm coats of fur on him were quite helpful in that process.

"I'm sure she will, Katie definitely wouldn't be the type to give her away to someone untrustworthy. I trust her when it comes to that." The Dally was completely aware that she happened to be speaking from experience—she barely remembered being given to the family she was raised in, but she still knew it happened. He knew better than to mention it, it still remained their unspoken rule.

Besides, he was too distracted by finally being in his previous position with her caressing his fur. She wasn't the only one either, with the Border Collie nuzzling her head into his neck, hopefully falling back asleep. Very little movement came from her afterward, so it was a fair conclusion to draw, although when it came to her, he could never tell.

"Merry Christmas, Marshy," the husky whispered, feeling her eyes getting heavier as spoke. She gently licked his face, which was still on her side, before fully shutting down and giving in to her tiredness. Snores were the only following sound, ones that he had thankfully learned to sleep with.

"Merry Christmas, Eve." He could tell that soon he'd be in a similar state as the other two. It was a miracle that they had the amount of fur they did, acting as a warm blanket with the snow around them, plus they had each other for warmth. The Dalmatian looked around, taking one final look at the sky and the ones embracing him with their love before his eyes slowly shut.