The rest of the night was quiet. I can't imagine anyone got much sleep, but it was quiet. It was twenty minutes exactly, I know because I counted then, James snuck into Mia's room. They stayed up all night talking. Even though they only spent about two hours in total going over the plan, James only left her room after three the next morning. They talked about Mia's mom. The months leading up to her death when her huntinsons was at its worst. They talked about Jame's dad and how not having him around this time of year was it hardest, especially on his mom. She already had so much to do around Christmas, running a bakery. James shared his view on how Mia's dad is a jerk. They spun theories about where Mia's dad could be. They spoke about why Mia had come home for Christmas when it's clear she doesn't like anything about it. Mia told him that she believes family is important, and that's why she made sure she always came back home from university. James told her how ever since he had joined the army he had done his best to be home this time of year for the same reason. Mia asked why he had tricked the aliens into doing fun family Christmas activities. He told her it was worth saving at least one person's Christmas. It was better than spending every moment in terror. That and she looked like her Christmas needed some saving. And so two people who seemed to be opposites, have a lot more in common than they would have thought at first. It's something that happens more often than mathematicians, or scientists would like to admit. 

In the morning the sun rises up just like the day before, and every day that came before it. This day however is far from being the same as any day that came before it. For one thing there are two groups of people standing up to their ankles in snow that was shoveled and moved the night before by two aliens. The two aliens in question were trying to decide which of the two groups live based on who wins a snowball fight. In some regards, isolated from the rest of the world, it's going to be one to the most important snowball fights in all of history

"Jeff, you take the group on the left. I'll lead the group on the right." Dave says looking out at the two groups of humans. All shivering both from the cold, and out of fear of what might happen once the fight is over.

"That's not fair," Jeff complains. "You always get the right."

"That's because I'm always right." Dave says walking over to the chosen group. Holding some otherworldly looking weapon he goes over the line of people. "In war if you lose, you die. Today this is war."

A short, and yet somehow overly dramatic speech for what in any other situation would be nothing more good fun. Those who are there will tell you that this is far from being just fun when you're staring down the barrel of a gun. So with all their might, on comman, they bend down and start forming snow into tightly packed grenades. They throw then harder than they might have if they were simply having fun playing outside in the snow. Family Members trying not to avoid hitting each other if they were put into different groups. Dave and Jeff getting far too excited, are running around like toddlers on their first day out in the snow. They're throwing snowballs at each other where every third snowball hits someone on their side. Out of every fighting style on Earth, snowball fighting is the hardest to tell who is winning and who is losing.

James is doing his best to look like he's fully participating. He hasn't failed to notice that in all of the excitement Jeff has dropped his strange gun-like weapon. He dodges in and out of people and flying ammunition. It was a little strange for a warzone, but that doesn't mean it's not a warzone. Looking left, and right making sure that no one is watching him. He's lucky since just about everyone is only focused on winning.

He then tries to spot Mia, but he can't seem to see her anywhere. She's meant to be meeting him on the far side of the dug out battlefield. She's nowhere to be seen. James has every right to worry, he's remembering everything from the last sixteen hours that point's to Dave being the smart one. She's on Dave's side. 'Dammit, this was the bad idea. We should have planned better.' James curses in his head.

Mia however is on the other side of the odd battlefield trying to find where exactly Dave dropped his weapon. Scratching through the snow on her hands and knees, she figures she looks a little suspicious. She's right. She does look suspicious and Dave notices. "What do you think you are doing?"

She looks up at the origin of the voice. There's Dave standing over her, and slightly to the left behind him she notices something shine in the snow. It's his weapon. She knows what she has to do. Standing up slowly she begins to by herself some time, "I'm sorry. I got hit and I fell."

Dave ponders the validity of her words. He pauses for a moment, but it's enough for Mia to take her chance. Standing now she dives to the left past him. Scrambling she somehow manages to grab a hold of one end of the gun. Fumbling she swaps it to her right hand, holding it with her finger on the trigger. Now pointing it at Dave, it's time to possibly skip steps three to five, and jump straight to step six of the plan. "James!"

Her voice carries across the snowcapped area. James turning around starts looking around for her. There are people who look sore and tired, but he can't seem to see her. He does however see Jeff looking very worried as he runs off. So he runs after him, as one does. What he sees under any other circumstances would make him laugh hard enough that his sides hurt. There stands a little purple man, half covered in fragments of thrown snow, being held at what I guess could be called at gunpoint by a short girl who's dark hair is half coming out of her ponytail.

Jeff then stops and looks around for his weapon. When he can't find it on himself he quickly looks around for his slightly smaller firearm. He points it at Mia. James struck by instinct over rational thought pulls Jeff's weapon on him. The four of them are stuck in a classic standoff. The rest of the people stop and look around. A dangerous silence falls over the makeshift battlefield.

"We seem to be at an impasse." Dave says looking each of them in turn in the eye. "Why don't we all go inside and see if we can't work something out."

"Lower your weapons first." James' voice calm and filled with authority seems to have an effect on them because Dave nods and Jeff lowers his weapon. Mia lowers hers as well, but not all the way. "Let's see if we can't talk about this inside now."

The four being overly careful around each other, leave the rest standing outside not sure what's going, as they walk back into the lodge. They end up in the dining room sitting at a table.

What happens next no one really knows the details of. A little frustrating trust me. It is known however that some sort of treaty was signed. Since Mia and James couldn't sign for the whole world though, they did the best they could. They convinced Dave and Jeff that the lodge and the mountains around it are the whole of the civilised world, and believe it or not it worked. There is however a small clause about allowing them to come back to Earth once a year. Something about enjoying human customs in winter. The extent of the treaty they were tricked into signing didn't give them any real power over anything on Earth.

Another hour later and everyone is inside checking out. The heat from the relaunching of their ship, paired with the dug out warzone, had taken care of the piles of snow that trapped them. Turns out it just needed to charge. There wasn't anything really wrong with the ship, other than it had been running out of power after it had saved itself from being crashed. Like I told you before Dave and Jeff can be described as smart idiots. So they fly off under the impression that they'll have better luck on Pluto, one of 'Eather's smaller colonies' they were offering up as a gift of peace. 

The sun is already setting. The kind dark night of winter is covering the sky. Mia standing outside is met by the lighting of the Christmas lights. There really is light despite the darkness she's seen for so long. As she ponders everything that's happened in the past forty-eight hours, James walks up to her.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" He asks standing in the snow next to her.

"I doubt it."

"How about you? Will I see you again?"

Mia smiles at him and takes out a notebook, she always carries with her, from her bag. "Maybe."

She holds the book up in one hand and opens it to a blank page. While flicking through it James notices a few familiure words like offworlders, aliens, and snowball fight. He smiles knowingly as he pieces together that idea that she might have written down everything about their weekend. Mia scratches down something and tears the page out. She folds it once, twice, and hands it to him. "Call me in the new year?"

"Maybe." His voice is playful as he accepts the folded piece of paper.

"Mia." Alice calls her from near the door. It's later and it's clear that they're ready to go home and find a change of clothes. Possibly take a nap and recover from their unplanned weekend away.

Mia turns in her direction and calls back, "I'm coming."

"You should go," He says and then looks around relieved to see Molly also standing over there ready to go. He leans down a bit and kisses her on the cheek, "There's mistletoe."

Mia looks up at the red berries while her face tries to match their tone, "That's holly not mistletoe. Mistletoe is white." 

"Know-it-all." He laughs. She sticks her tongue out at him. He pulls her into a hug, her body freezes but quickly recovers from the shock. She hugs him back and smiles. He gives her a quick squeeze before relaxing his grip, "Merry Christmas, Snow-Angle."

"Merry Christmas, Christmas Cookie." She drops her arms and steps back.

"I still have no idea why you call me that." He starts to walk her to where her family is waiting by the car.

She strolls on, not really ready to say goodbye. Not without the promise that this isn't where they say goodbye forever. "Ask me after Christmas and I might tell you."

"Nope. If I'm going to ask you I need to know that you'll answer."

Since they're standing right by the car Mia decided to agree. "Okay, if you ask me after Christmas I promise I'll answer."

"Mia, come on. We're hungry." Malaika whines from inside the car.

"I have to go." Mia says pointing to the open car door.

James bends down and hugs her again, "Until next time. Goodbye Mia.

"Goodbye James."

She hops into the car and they drive off. 'It's going to be a good Christmas this year.' She thinks, 'One without needing to only remember the bad things about this time of year. There's still good around, and she can choose to see that instead. Where I saw darkness, I can choose to see the light he saw there.'

Molly then hoots from the passenger seat.

"I'm coming." James says and hops in. 'It's going to be a good Christmas this year.' He thinks, 'One without strained smiles and the need to push to make it amazing for everyone else. It's okay to admit that things aren't awesome all the time, but that's what makes the times when they are awesome so much better. There might be darkness, but I can still choose to see the light.'