This is set in my A New Life universe, which is set in Dot's M.Y.T.H. universe.

Wendy Jean made a comment on We Give Thanks that triggered this story, so I dedicate it to her.

This story actually occurs after the main part of Christmas Wishes Granted, but before the epilogue where they pick up the orphan kids and adopt them.

Fair warning: Suicide is attempted, but (spoiler alert) the attempt fails. And thus comes the real Christmas gift in this story.

The Christmas Eve midnight service was wonderful. I took my place in the soprano section of the choir and sang carols that I had literally known for decades. I had to pay attention to what I was doing, though. It would have been easy to slip into the baritone or tenor parts that I had learned years ago.

At the stroke of midnight, Pastor Dan placed the baby Jesus into the manger. We all wished each other a very merry Christmas, sharing hugs all around.

After the service itself was over, we all went to the fellowship hall and shared snacks and desserts.

It didn't take long before the baseline humans said their goodbyes and drove home. I remember doing that myself -- last year, in fact; though if feels like years ago.

Actually, it was years ago. At least, to me, it was years ago. Ever since I gained the ability to slow and speed time inside of a dimensional pocket, I used it to good advantage. I spent days or weeks at a time working on projects and learning new skills. If my schedule got harried, I would literally take time out to sleep for a few hours. It allowed me to have solitude when I needed it, and to come out and be around my family and other people when I wanted it. We introverts need our friends and loved ones just as much as anyone else, but we also have a deep need for solitude.

And all of the people in the know did the same thing. The church has entrances to the labyrinthine 'fey realm,' as many call it. Some, especially those with youngsters, sneaked off to take a nap or just decompress. The norms didn't notice because, to the rest of the world, they were back instantly.

But, once the last muggle left, we all repaired to the church's magical fellowship hall and closed the door for our annual three day Christmas celebration.

We partied and partied and partied some more. People went into the side rooms and rested or slept or celebrated with a lover or several. Food was plentiful. Fellowship was plentiful. Love was plentiful.

In ones and twos and families, the people trickled out.

For the brief time that the door was opened, time inside passed at its normal rate. To anyone standing outside of the room and watching, it would seem that people were walking out the door every few seconds.

Some went home via the realm, but most went out to their cars and drove home. While this was less convenient, it solved the problem of anyone wondering why so many people seemed to attend church without driving there.

We were driving home when Mom suddenly gasped. "Stop!" she said to Dad.

She burst out of the vehicle, shifted to her fox form, and ran. Our aura vision told us that nobody was watching.

Cindy and I burst out of the back doors, leaving Dad to drive the Jeep. We followed Mom to a house maybe a tenth of a mile from were we stopped and followed her inside.

We were met by the grisly sight of a man in a dress dangling from a rope, with a toppled chair underneath. His face was purple, and his tongue was hanging out.

I quickly shifted to my three quarters form and wrapped my arms around him, lifting him and taking the weight off of his neck. Mom shredded the rope with her claws, then created a dimensional pocket. I shoved him inside and Mom stopped time.

"You got her just in time," Mark Jenson said. "Her spirit was about to leave. I had to rebuild her entire body based solely on what her soul says she should be."

"It's amazing that she lived as long as she did with such a severe mismatch," Dad commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said, remembering my years of desperate unhappiness.

My family wrapped me in a group hug. "You're better now, sweetie," Mom said. "And so is she."

I turned to look at the girl laying on the bed -- her bed. The bed that we built for her as soon as Mark had healed her and we all got a good read on who she truly was inside.

On the princess style canopy bed lay a little girl in a diaphanous nightgown. With her candyfloss blond hair, we could just imagine the bright blue eyes that were behind her peacefully closed eyelids. And, indeed, Mark assured us that her eyes would be a bright and inquisitive blue.

Mark put his hand on her and carefully examined her one last time before leaving.

Cindy and I took turns shifting into a copy of her and manifesting clothes for her closet. We made everything from shorts sets for rough and tumble play to lacey and ribbony lolita style dresses to sun dresses to mini skirts. We also made plenty of princess clothing, anticipating her squeals of joy when she found herself living a dream that she could only have imagined in the past.

Cindy and I could feel her easing her way to consciousness.

It had taken her three days to reconnect with her new self. With none of her old body left, her soul had to seep into every bit of her new body and become one with it.

She yawned and opened her eyes. "Am I in Heaven?" she asked, looking at us. Her hand flew to her throat. Startled, she looked down at herself.

"Not quite, but it was a near thing," Cindy said.

"You gave us a scare, young missy," I said. "Welcome to your new life, and welcome to the family."

She looked at us. "Cindy? Vicky? But how?" She held out her hand and looked at it, then looked at her own slight body. "Why am I so calm?"

Cindy and I got on the bed with her and wrapped her into a sandwich hug.

"Mark saved your life. He rebuilt your body to match your soul. He left a calming spell in place so that you won't freak out. Try to stay unfreaked when the spell starts to fade," I said

She shook a little. "I... I tried to kill myself..."

"It's OK sweetie," I soothed.

She smiled. "Sweetie? I can't remember anyone ever calling me that."

"Get used to it," Cindy chuckled. "We always wanted a little sister to spoil."

"Little sister? How can that be? I'm older than both of you"

I chuckled at her. "Actually, no. I'm a Vietnam vet, just like you. Cindy here, however, hasn't been around for that long."

"Longer than you think!" she huffed.

I snickered at her, which made our new girl smile.

What do we call you? Your old name doesn't fit anymore.

"Penelope!" she said without hesitation. "You can call me Penny."

Cindy and I both smiled. "Welcome to the family, Penny!"

"I second that!" Mom said as she came into the room.

"I third that!" Dad said with a smile.

He walked over, picked Penny up, kissed her on the forehead, and set her back down. "Welcome to the family, my daughter!"

She looked like she was going to tear up. "I... I don't know what say. I don't know what happened!"

Dad picked her back up and held her to him. "What happened is that you lost hope just days before we were going to approach you. We didn't realize that you were so close to ending it all."

Mom continued. "We knew that you were getting more and more depressed, and we were discussing ways of helping you. I think it got worse when John stopped showing up to church."

Penny looked thoughtful. "Whatever happened to John? I haven't seen him in months."

"I'm right here," I told her.

"But..."

"Don't look so surprised. If you have any doubts, just take a look in the mirror." I pointed to a full length mirror next to her closet.

Dad set her down and she ran over. There was a look of wonder on her face as she stared at her reflection, then twirled and posed.

She got a thoughtful look. "What now?"

"That depends a lot on you," Mom said. "How much of your old life do you want back? We can make it look like you succeeded and just leave everything behind. We can grab whatever you might want from your old house. We can arrange it so that you leave everything to your previously unknown grand daughter. You can even have a facsimile of your old body back."

"No!" She shuddered. "I don't want to go back to being a man. But who is this grand daughter?"

"Her name is Penelope," Cindy chuckled. "You can keep all of your old stuff, but you will need to live with us until you grow up. And you can keep an eye on your old home, no problem."

Mom and Dad walked out, saying that they needed to get everything ready for Christmas morning. They were really just giving us some girl time.

Cindy took her by the hand and led her to her new closet -- a huge walk-in closet. I threw the doors open and she gasped, then squealed in delight.

Cindy grabbed a red and green Christmas party dress and held it up. "Try it on!"

Penny started to take off her gown, then hesitated.

"It's all right, Penny. It's just us girls here."

She grinned, then stripped out of her nightgown in a flash. Cindy and I helped her into her new dress. She grinned and twirled, just like she had dreamed of doing for all those years.

After about twenty dresses, and twenty trips out to the main room to show Mom and Dad, Penny noticed that Cindy and I had somehow grown fox ears and a tail. We had both shifted to our quarter form during the clothing marathon and silently wondered when she would notice.

She noticed Cindy first. She ran over and gave her a hug. "You're so cute!" she squealed.

After that, we had to show her our half and three quarter forms. Then, Cindy shifted to her fox form and I shifted to a fluffy leopard spotted cat. We both hopped up on to her lap.

"Let me get this straight. I was out for three days, then we spent most of a day setting up my room and trying on clothes, and it's still only about three in the morning on Christmas day?"

"That's about it." Cindy said. "Time can go slower or faster in our pocket universes."

"That means that my house is just as I left it."

"Yes. Have you decided what you want to do? Do you want to keep it for later? Do you have some heirs that could use it? Do you want to give it to charity? You have a forever home here; and I do mean 'forever.'"

She thought for a minute. "I have some old pictures and mementos that I would like to keep, but the rest of my old life can just go to... whatever."

I grinned. "Nice save there, young lady. We wouldn't want you talking like a salty old sailor."

She grinned back. "Not anymore."

She contemplated her situation for a bit. "Not that I'm complaining, but why am I so young? I'm what? Ten or so?"

"Nine," said Cindy. "Once Mark got you stabilized, we could all feel who you are -- a girl that had gone through the wringer, but had never really got the chance to experience life as a girl; to grow up as a girl."

"Kinda like Maggie the Kitten," she mused.

Cindy looked confused, but I understood. "Yes, just like Maggie the Kitten. Maybe a bit older, but yeah, you have that joy and spark that has been denied for so long and needs to be exercised."

We curled up together on her bed, spooning and sandwiching her between our furry three quarters forms. She sighed and fell asleep, surrounded by fur.

I could feel Mom and Dad peeking in on us just as I was drifting off. Their love always made me feel warm and safe.

It had been a long time since I went to sleep at night with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. The last several Christmas mornings had been pretty much the same as any other morning. Before that, for a couple decades, I was Santa Claus. Before that, there were times when I woke up in a barracks room or in the jungle.

But this time, I was with my foxy little sister and a brand new sister that we had spent a day playing with.

We felt Penny wake up, and gave her a sandwich hug. "Let's see what Santa got us!"

I laid a hand on her and pushed a little magic. All of the night sweat left her. "There ya go, little sis. All clean!"

We had done that for her just before bed time, so she wasn't at all surprised.

She walked to the closet and pulled out a Christmas dress made of very light red and green fabric.

"You can wear that if you want, but we are going in our fur," Cindy said.

"I don't have fur, so I guess I'll have to wear this," she grinned, holding up her dress.

I grinned and changed to my three quarters kitty form, but colored my long silky fur a festive red, white, and green. I tapped Penny on the shoulder. "I'll race you to the Christmas tree!"

We all ran out of her room and to the Christmas room with its brightly lit Christmas tree -- not a cut tree, but an actual live and growing Douglas Fir.

Penny looked at it in wonder. It was decorated with glowing ornaments, old fashioned candles that produced no heat, and classic wood, ceramic, and metal ornaments that the family had collected over the years. It was topped with a large crystalline glowing seven pointed star.

Under the tree were numerous presents.

Since we live an essentially post scarcity lifestyle, the presents are mostly fruits of our creativeness. Calling them knick-knacks doesn't give them credit. They are gifts from the heart -- items of beauty that we all lovingly crafted or magically manifested.

Penny looked at the pile of presents with wonder, but a little sadness. "I didn't get anything for anyone," she said.

I gave her a hug. "You are our present. I have always wanted a little sister! Besides, how many presents does a nine year old girl give out, anyhow?"

Cindy joined us. "We have all of the material stuff we want. The real treasures in life are our loved ones."

Cindy and I went over to the snack table. I grabbed a dark coffee with plenty of cream, and Cindy grabbed an amaretto mocha. The wonderful aromas mixed when we pressed the buttons that released the time stasis of the cups.

Penny, having already experienced our handy instant food and drink containers, chose a festive candy cane mocha and pushed the button. Her eyes closed and a look of bliss came upon her face as she breathed in the aroma.

We were just settling ourselves in front of the crackling fire when Mom and Dad came out.

We exchanged gifts. I gave Cindy a long furred kitty plushie that was colored like my current form. I gave Mom and Dad hand made coffee mugs with family portraits on them. We all pretty much wanted for nothing, so we gave things that make our lives more beautiful.

The first thing Mom gave to Penny was a lot more practical. It was a birth certificate, school ID, and a whole new identity. Penelope Caitlin Lupo was the name on the adoption papers.

Cindy gave her a purse and belt just like the ones that she had given to me after I first transformed. I gave her what looked like an ordinary cell phone, tablet, and computer. They were the same machines that we all had -- where the electronics and power supply were all in a dimensional pocket. The cell phone went into a special pocket on her belt or purse that would let it receive signal. It was preloaded with all of our contact information.

Dad placed a pendant around her neck and showed her how she could make it disappear by touching it and wishing so. Once he sent his magic through it, nobody could take it off but her.

Dad and Mark had infused their magic into the coin.

Mark spelled it so that it would guard and heal her body, and also keep its apparent age in sync with the real world. She could spend as many years as she liked in a dimensional pocket, and still come out looking the same as when she went in.

Dad had added some glamor magic. He added the powerful type that could change her form such that it was indistinguishable from reality. In fact, there was some debate among the experts about whether or not it was technically reality. "A difference that makes no difference, is no difference," some of them like to quote.

While Penny is not were or fey, she does have some cat characteristics in her soul. Because of this, we felt that she would enjoy the same forms that we were enjoy. In her case, deep within her soul, lies a leopard spotted house cat -- very much like a Bengal.

We helped her change into her various forms, including a small winged cat and a few different human forms for emergency use. Most of the human forms came pre clothed.

She decided to shuck off her dress and change into her three quarters kitty form.

Then, the family, consisting of the Michigan Dogman, two foxes, one festive red, white, and green long haired kitty, and one very cute spotted kitty girl, sat around the table and enjoyed their Christmas breakfast.

Penny gave us all a hug. "This is the best Christmas EVER!"