And just a few short hours later, rather remarkably well rested.

At least by her own standards.

Riley was in no rush to get going anywhere, sighing as she huddled under the covers, rolling onto her side and reaching for her phone, getting better and better at operating the device left handed- at least in that it only took her a couple tries to get past the lock screen anymore, as opposed to so many she'd inadvertently end up locking herself out and had to sit there waiting like a dummy afterwards.

Much to her despair, the internet did not fill itself with completely new content in the time overnight, and so she wasn't able to get more than a couple minutes of enjoyment out of it, though only being half awake sure didn't help either. Right as she was about to call it for the time being and try to get some more shut eye in, wanting to skip from the sun's presence in name only to the actual daylight, she felt the phone buzz while she was putting it back onto the bedside table-

'''
Madeline Johnson: Morning Riley!
'''

Now that was a very good reason to not snooze.

It presented itself with a bit of an issue though- Riley's typing abilities were... not quite there at the best of times, and in her current state it felt like her best option for chatting back was to literally peck the letters one at the time and get carried by the autocorrect as much as possible.

So that's what she did.

'''
Riley Asher: Hi Maddy, how r u
Madeline Johnson: I'm great, though I'd be even better with you around :*
Madeline Johnson: Over at my grandparents in the UK
Riley Asher: o
Riley Asher: How is it there
Madeline Johnson: [1 attachment]
'''

After waiting a couple moments for the image to be downloaded, Riley was treated to the sight of a very grey view out the window, the sky looking uniformly bleh as the rain blanketed the entirety of the rural looking outside, with nothing but a couple other houses and fields in the distance.

'''
Madeline Johnson: About as expected
Madeline Johnson: We're hoping it clears up a bit before midnight, but so far it's not looking particularly likely, oh well
Madeline Johnson: How are you feeling Riley?
'''

Riley was about to start slowly typing back a response before realizing that she could show and not just tell, chuckling at the opportunity before trying to work the app's UI to let her take and attach a photo of herself, looking around for a moment before seeming to finally find it-

'''
Riley Asher: [1 attachment]
'''

And sending a photo of her room's ceiling.

'''
Riley Asher: wait fuck
Riley Asher: [1 attachment]
'''

Second time's the charm, the photo now correctly included her half awake bedhead, staring up at the screen of an arm's length away phone through half open eyes, the rest of her similarly messy.

'''
Madeline Johnson: good GOD you're cute, omg
Riley Asher: naah just sleepy
Madeline Johnson: [1 attachment]
'''

Maddy seemed keen to respond in kind, though her own selfie was much less haphazard, taken with a wink and a V gesture in her free paw, a smile involuntarily creeping up onto Riley's face in response.

'''
Riley Asher: u look great
Madeline Johnson: I could say much the same :wink:
Madeline Johnson: Shoot, seems there's a change of plans and we're gonna be spending the New Year in Manchester, watch the celebrations there and so on
Madeline Johnson: The internet on the road here is god awful so it's gonna be a while before I can chat back
Madeline Johnson: Take care Riley <3
Riley Asher: you too maddy < 4
'''

Well she gave that heart a good ol' attempt.

She sure wasn't getting any more sleep after all that, that's for sure, might as well finally get up- especially since it already was much, much brighter outside than it was the when she initially woke up and for once she felt more than down to seize the day.

Or, y'know, just have breakfast.

As cozy as her yesterday's outfit was, she'd rather have something more normal this time- not like she was planning on going out any more than she did yesterday, but since they were gonna have a fancy very belated Christmas dinner today, she might as well put on something fancy.

She didn't have anything fancy.

Or at least, nothing ordinarily considered fancy. Anything more formal than 'none at all' she used to hold a large amount of distrust towards- and she still did to an extent, sure wasn't about to not spit at the sight of some three piece suit wearing bureaucrat, but probably a dress shirt of some sort would've been appropriate here. And who knows, it might've even looked passable on her.

But alas, she would have to satisfy herself with just a tee and track pants, preemptively avoiding the issue of a goofy appearance in case she decided to put on the oversized hoodie later. She looked the best she was gonna look in her current state, or at least the best she was able to make herself look.

Let's go get it.

Even the crutch felt more cooperative today, Riley finally feeling like she was actually using the device instead of actively wrangling with it and just coming out on top more often than not. It'd definitely come in handy when dealing with the stairs, for once the girl finding herself with nobody around to aid her with them, but also feeling like, for once, she could handle it herself.

Hopefully.

Her right hand could only hold the handrail so hard as she stared down the by now oh so familiar steps, taking one last breath and making her first step, bending the leg that felt less weak and bringing the crutch down onto the last step in one swift motion, holding onto her stability as she stepped down afterwards. One step down, couple dozen or so to go.

It was far from a blazing fast process, but she was managing on her own, step after step, trembling a bit at the increased effort it took to do it all on her own, and at a lack of anyone nearby to hold onto in case she did end up slipping, but that just meant that she had to take it slow and steady, taking a breath after each step and making sure she was as stable as possible-

"Kids, breakfast!"

At least while she still had the entirety of the staircase to herself.

Fortunately, she'd managed to make it to the halfway point by the time the Ella's call resonated through the house, creaks of the doors opening upstairs making her huddle over in the corner of the stairwell, waiting for everyone to pass by before she'd continue.

"Hi Riley!"

At least Timmy didn't catch onto the direness of her situation, letting her just wave him by as he ran downstairs, with the greetings he'd exchanged after making his way over to his chair, out of sight, indicating that both parents were already downstairs-

"Hi mom, hi dad!"

"Riley?"

In Timmy's... Timmyness, she didn't hear Lily walk up to her at all, the skunkette looking up at her somewhat dumbfounded as she just stood there in the stairwell.

"Hey Lily. Uh, was on my way downstairs before mom called out, so I'm just waiting for everyone to pass by." Sometimes, the true state of things was all that needed to be said.

"Oh. Do you need help?"

Riley chuckled weakly at the mental image of her leaning on her even smaller sister, and the inevitable collapse of them both should she slip.

"Nah, don't think so at least- I'm trying to make it on my own, have to get used to it sooner or later."

Lily nodded in response, thinking through her words for a moment before gently hugging her big sis, making her just chuckle in return and gently stroke her hair.

"Alrighty! But you're gonna call for help if you need it right?"

"Well, it's just a few steps, I imagine if I need help mom or dad are gonna see it, heh."

"Teehee, that's fair. OOohhh, that smells nice..." The scent of breakfast having finally reached the staircase was the push Lily needed to get going, smelling some fried meat, and after glancing over at the table, also found it to be paired with toast and some sunny side up eggs.

Riley would've called it downright picturesque if she was able to see it.

But before that, she needed to actually get down there herself. Andrew didn't seem to be coming quite yet, hopefully she'd manage to squeak by before he would catch up.

Couple determined steps to make it to the second flight of stairs later, Riley was ready to descend once more, the very soft time requirement motivating her to not waste any more time, getting down one step, then another, and then-

Whoops.

She felt her leg buckle underneath her as she was stepping down, holding onto the handrail for her dear life so that she wouldn't just completely crumble on the stairs- unlikely she'd flat out fall anymore, but she'd still like to preserve at least some dignity-

"Riley!"

Time's up.

Andrew's immediate support helped Riley right herself back up, the girl sighing out in relief as she leaned on her brother, looking up at him with gratidude.

"T-thanks Andrew. Went a bit too fast there, heh..."

"Want me to help you the rest of the way?"

"Yeah, for sure, thanks..."

Riley slowly caught her breath as they cleared the rest of the staircase together, needing to take a deep breath after they were done, finally letting her catch onto the choice of the breakfast meal.

Downright picturesque.

And much, much yummier looking than some cereal, that's for sure.

"Morning Riley!"

She nodded back at Rick, too occupied at the moment by sitting down to be able to answer right away, wincing a bit at feeling the aftermath of yesterday's bathroom struggle, but that was put aside quickly as she dove into the treats on the plate in front of her, the salty grease reinvigorating even if its overdose had the exact opposite effect.

"Are we gonna go play in the snow dad?"

Timmy's question, innocent as it was, seemed to have stilled the table, everyone's gaze shifting over to Riley, whose own looked back at her little brother, the girl not quite down for that for... several reasons.

The awkward silence lasted for just barely long enough for even Timmy himself to catch onto it, though Rick soon intervened-

"Only out in the back yard. I was thinking though..." Skunk dad trailed off as he stalled for time, trying to come up with a possible replacement activity before they'd get the Christmas dinner underway, glancing around the room before spotting the TV.

Something so nice, they'd do it twice.

"-I was thinking we could watch some more movies if you want~"

"But we watched the Owl-Man yesterday, right?"

"We diiiid, but- there are some older Owl-Man movies we could watch too!" It was Andrew's turn to step in, the offer of more of his younger brother's favourite superhero enough to sway the tyke's opinion.

"Really!?"

"Yep! A few in fact!"

The detail that a good few of them outdated everyone present except the parents was neither mentioned nor particularly important, fortunately- even if Timmy would end up being put off by the more dated appearance, he was still firmly at an age where just the sight of his favourite hero was enough to keep his attention occupied. And while the parents felt just a bit dirty at taking advantage of that... it was a price of making sure the New Year's Eve turned Christmas Eve would go off without any further hitches or accidents.

God knew that they all needed that certainty more than ever now.

"Yeah! Ooooh, can we have popcorn too?"

***

They did indeed have popcorn too.

And soda, and even some hot chocolate- the parents most definitely did not spare any snack the youngun ended up asking for, sighing in relief deep inside at the fact that he did not end up catching onto the fact that they were more than willing to please him on that particular day. Though, knowing him, even if he did realize that, he would be much too innocent to try pushing his boundaries like that.

And by now, much too preoccupied with some cinema.

Lily excused herself for some more practice, with the rest of the family coming and going intermittently- aside from Riley, willing to perform the duty of chief Timmywatcher, doubling as his personal cuddling machine for the next few hours, an arrangement that both of them enjoyed greatly, even if the recipient was at times too enthralled to appreciate the affection on the spot.

He always came back to it as soon as some of the tension dropped in the movie though.

Also, Riley got to finally taste popcorn.

It tasted exactly like she thought it would. And just like the movies themselves, perfectly facilitated some casual brainless entertainment.

Fortunately, Timmy wasn't particularly insistent on everyone else following the movie together with him, just that there was someone else there, leaving Riley to space out every once in a while, scrolling through whatever new mildly amusing content was posted since the last time she'd checked her phone- and just like the last time, fortune would have it that she would get distracted by something much more interesting still.

'''
Madeline Johnson: Happy New Year Riley!
Madeline Johnson: [1 attachment]
'''

Riley's eyes went wide at the photo of the fireworks- she'd heard of them of course, remembered *some* from when she was much younger, and it was impossible not to hear their echoes, even in someplace as backwoods as the orphanage once they did go off- but she'd no idea they were as big or as bright.

Quite cool.

'''
Riley Asher: oh wow it looks great
Riley Asher: happy new year
Riley Asher: is it already midnight there
Madeline Johnson: Yep, six past and it hasn't stopped going off yet
'''

"Whattcha doing Riley?"

She didn't expect Timmy of all people to get distracted away from the movie, but at the very least she had something concrete to show him-

"Looking at the photo Maddy sent me-" She slid her phone in front of the tyke, making him go 'waaaaoww' at the sight before excitedly looking back up at her, before seeming to get briefly saddened.

"Did we miss the New Year?"

A quick check of the clock, displaying 6:07PM decidedly proved that they hadn't missed anything- though it didn't take Riley long to realize the source of the confusion, chuckling as she ruffled her brother's hair, scritching him a bit behind his ears.

"Oh no no, Maddy is in the UK and it's already midnight there."

"Oh? Why is it midnight there?"

You're asking the wrong person kid, I don't get timezones myself either.

"They're in the future."

"Can I go to the future too?"

"Well, you sure will in not too long-"

"OH OH are we gonna fire the fireworks?"

Riley just blinked idly in response, not even aware there were any fireworks to speak of, putting on a quiet 'ummm' before redirecting him in the most obvious way-

"Go ask mom-"

And just like that, he was gone, fireworks seeming to have been the one activity that was even more exciting for him than watching more of his favourite superhero.

'''
Riley Asher: still some time left here
Madeline Johnson: You think you're gonna be staying up until midnight?
Riley Asher: dunno if I manage but I'll try
Madeline Johnson: That's the spirit!
Madeline Johnson: Wonder how close you and Timmy will get
Riley Asher: oh come on I can stay up longer than him
Madeline Johnson: Wanna bet?
'''

Game on.

'''
Riley Asher: deal
'''

"Mom says we'll be able to fire some yaaaaaaaay!" Timmy's return heralded good news, and it heralded them at the absolute highest volume, Riley cringing a bit as he ran down the stairs and back up to their couch.

"Yep, after we have dinner. Speaking of, I thiiink it's probably the high time to start preparing for that, day flew by faster than I thought it would huh." Ella stretched a bit after she finished making it down the staircase, taking a look around the place and making a mental plan of what to do first.

"Can I help anyhow?" Riley spoke up, a part of her a bit annoyed at how little she could still do even after having gotten out of the hospital.

Ella was slightly taken aback at that, thinking through it for a moment, getting Riley's frustration but not sure what to do.

"Well... telling everyone it's about to be dinner time would help, just so they have the time to change into something fancier. Though that'd also have you walking back up on your own-"

"I-I can manage, have to get used to it sooner or later."

"True, but you gotta do it safely. Don't be afraid to call for help if you start faltering and all that jazz."

Riley nodded as she picked herself off the couch, waltzing over to the stairs with a sense of purpose, even if a tenuous one at best.

"Unless you wanna try some of my very old shirts guess there aren't too many options that would fit you for that, hmm... ah well, we can deal with that in the new year- just put on something comfy, it's all just about being homely anyway."

The teen couldn't help chuckling a bit at that as she began her ascent, glad her mom had arrived to a similar conclusion, and now also wondering what the rest of the family was gonna dress like. The only thing she really hoped for were no suits on Rick, but knowing how similar they were beneath the skin... no way in hell would he ever put one on.

At least not without playing Richard.

The mental image of *that* was amusing enough to let Riley climb up the stairs mostly without even having to think anymore, distracting her until she'd suddenly realized she was already halfway up without even having to focus particularly hard.

She got it.

And this time, the second flight of stairs wouldn't immediately debunk that assertion, taking a decent bit more effort than the first one did, but becoming conquered regardless.

Taking Xtreme Walking to new heights, gonna start adding obstacles soon to keep it interesting.

After a moment to catch her breath, she could start making her rounds around the upper floor, a knock and a couple words on Lily's door letting her know everything there was to know, the tween shutting the door before Riley could even finish her sentence, stunning her for a couple moments afterwards.

Guess she's been waiting for this for a while.

Trying to catch Andrew's attention had nowhere near as much success tho, making his sister wonder whether he was really busy, in the bathroom, or... otherwise busy, before she finally heard him- grunting loudly in frustration over from the game room.

And indeed, him and Rick seemed to be having the time of their life racing against each other, focused more than she'd seen either of them be before, the sight so transfixing she just stood in the doorframe for a while, trying to hold in an amused smile as she observed.

It only took them a couple minutes to finally notice, when Rick's car spun out on the dirt, the ordinarily stoic dad looking like he was about to throw his controller for a moment with a loud groan, briefly spotting Riley in his peripheral vision as he did so.

"Oh, what's up Riley?"

"Mom says to start preparing for dinner."

Neither boy needed to be told twice, clearing out of the room in less time than it took their daughter and sister to just walk over, Rick lagging behind enough to connect the dots together about Riley's appearance here-

"Did you walk up the stairs on your own sweetie?"

She just put on a proud smirk and got to hobbling, leaving him chuckling as he looked at her with pride as she made her way to her own room, her own change of outfit as straightforward as possible.

Step 1: Put on the big hoodie.
Step 2: Realize she'd probably not be able to use utensils in the big hoodie.
Step 3: Change from big hoodie to a normal hoodie.
Step 4: Comfy.

With that detailed plan fulfilled to the letter, she was more than down to repeat her athletic feat from shortly before, the descent proving to be harder than the ascent, but now that she knew that she could take one of them on and come out victorious, she sure as hell was more than willing to do the same to the other.

And just a couple minutes later, she did. Not without a couple smaller stumbles- but the awareness that help was just a call away made her push through them, taking a deep breath, correcting her stance, and just going for it again, and again, however long it took.

By the time she had made her way down, the table was already mostly ready, the fish meal already waiting at the center of it, surrounded by cake and a bowl of cookies, with the big pot of veggie salad slowly defrosting in the corner. The rest of the preparations went by quickly, the utensils being laid out, then napkins, and even a couple candlesticks flanking the fish, giving the whole meal a much more magical, significant vibe by themselves.

Which it absolutely, wholeheartedly deserved.

With not much left to do, Riley simply waited for everyone else to get ready, quick check on her phone finding Maddy having sent a couple last messages in the meantime-

'''
Madeline Johnson: Oh man, it took almost half an hour for the bulk of it to finish
Madeline Johnson: Gonna be going to bed, tried some wine and it knocked me out, have a Happy New Year Riley <3
'''

Sleep well Maddy.

Andrew showed up first, his usual plaid shirt replaced with a slightly more formal black one, paired with a white clip-on tie and black dress pants, the sight overall a bit amusing, and more than a bit dorky, but Riley absolutely wouldn't have it any other way.

"Heh, nice color coordination."

Her big brother chuckled a bit awkwardly in response before taking his seat, explaining shortly afterwards-

"Had a white shirt I wanted to use, and then I realized I haven't put it on in a while and that it's gotten a couple sizes too small in the meantime, so I borrowed one of dad's."

"Well, you're most definitely rocking the look either way."

She could swear she saw him blush a bit as she smiled.

"Thanks sis."

"You got it."

"Good god everyone is taking forever aren't they." Ella's words got both her kids to look up at the stairway, their mom making her way down in... sweater and sweat pants- a much more festive sweater, with christmas trees and stars and so on, but not that far removed from her usual look.

"Heh, when you said you had shirts I thought you were gonna wear one." Riley admitted, Ella laughing softly in response.

"Oh, I said I had *old* shirts, from ages long past- never getting myself another one if I can avoid it."

"Guess that's more than fair, hah."

Before she sat down, Ella made her way over to the TV, setting it to radio mode and putting on some pleasant, inoffensive Christmas music that still dominated the airways- even if she knew that she would have to mute it in not that long.

Timmy's excitable dash down the stairs was heard before it was seen, even despite the background tunes, the tyke mimicking his mom in the choice of a sweater- which fit, since Rick that followed right behind him was quite close to Andrew, though perhaps the usual Andrew rather than a festive one, the red and green pattern on his plaid shirt fitting the theme beautifully even if it somewhat hurt the eyes to look at.

Which left just Lily.

Nobody spoke much as they waited in excitement, Riley probably most of all, glancing over at the stairs every once in a while in hope she would spot Lily approaching- and eventually, she did.

Or at least, Lily's head, poking out from behind the corner, the tween hiding right afterwards as she was spotted, leaving her big sister dumbfounded as to why she'd shy away like that for a couple moments before she made her actual appearance, putting everyone else to shame outfit-wise. Or at least, she would've if anyone was seriously paying attention to that.

Her dress was gorgeous, navy blue with several bright accents, combining with long white socks and a white cardigan underneath the dress to give her a downright distinguished appearance, her outfit as a whole looking so stunning it took Riley a couple moments to notice she was holding a violin, visibly trying to keep composure as she looked back at her big sister, Riley's smile encouraging her more than anything else in the world right now.

She stopped in front of the table, taking a deep breath before moving the instrument to the right position, her bow-holding paw fidgeting a bit as she prepared to finally give her recital-

"You've got this Lily."

Riley's words broke the almost silence the room was shrouded in, while also reminding Ella to turn off the radio, Lily just nodding in response-

And beginning to play.

The rest of the world felt at standstill as the chipper tones filled the room, sounding so much more vibrant, so much more uplifting than anything she could've overheard through multiple walls, and while some of her worried whether she'd enjoy the show as much considering she'd heard her sister practice it dozens of times by now, nothing could've compared to the real thing.

With the real, captive, loving, quiet audience, with the actual atmosphere of Christmas cheer and hard earned celebration, with the whole family together after all, any past spite or disappointment long since forgotten.

Now there was only time for one thing- Joy.

Joy, felt in excess around the room- joy, pride, love, satisfaction, most of the gathered eyes welling up with an errant teardrop or seven, Riley not excluded, something deep inside her feeling so much warmer at Lily's amazing showing.

And then, once Lily had finished the final note and bowed towards her audience, the applause overshadowed the one she would've gotten at her actual recital- especially since this one also came with hugs from her entire family, including Riley- though in time it took her older sister to pick her self off the chair Lily had already made her way over and hugged her as close as she could, the two holding their embrace for a long time.

It was, finally, truly Christmas.

Which also meant Christmas dinner.

***

Once everyone had finished drying their eyes, the family could descend upon all the mouthwatering meals on display- Riley's expectations getting surpassed time and time again as she got a taste for everything, sure wouldn't have thought that fish could ever taste that good.

By the time everyone had a chance to taste all the various goodness, the flavors not wearing out their welcome even after many, many years, their stomachs were already mostly full- which meant that, yes Timmy, it was finally time for fireworks.

Or rather, a firework each, each kid getting their own rocket to fire from the front lawn, Timmy thankfully not minding since one was a massive upgrade from last year's zero and he still had a blast, and Riley deciding after the fact that one was plenty. For the rest of her life no less, especially after she'd stuck it in too weakly and it fired the wrong way, fortunately at least managing to clear the road in front of their house before exploding in the middle of the field on its other side.

Sparklers though, sparklers were the shit.

Riley even took a selfie with one, with a bit of help from Lily, the end result only barely not blurry enough to make her out.

With the supply of pyrotechnics burned through, the family could gather on the couch, get the fireplace going and try enduring until the midnight together, watching the New Year's celebrations from elsewhere in the world to pass time, the exhaustion soon beginning to set on them, with Lily and Andrew being crowned the obvious champions of staying up before the competition had even really started.

That didn't mean it wasn't a close fight still, at least not between Riley and Timmy specifically, the tyke soon catching onto the fact that his big sis really, really wanted to stay up for longer than him- and he sure as heck wasn't gonna give up easily. The older of the two might have had an advantage due to her age, but the playing field was about to be evened as Ella pulled out the champagne, pouring herself, Rick, and Andrew a full glass- and then a half full one for Riley, curious eyes earning her that one indulgence.

And with how it ended up tasting, it seemed like alcohol would be another pleasure like fireworks for her- best enjoyed once ever and then never again, good god how can people actually drink that stuff. Despite her lack of enjoyment of the forbidden drink though, it had its effect on her, especially with her already being on the smaller side, the buzz sufficient to make her drowsy without any of the more fun effects.

An offer to help get her to bed while she was still awake was rejected- she was winning this little contest, or she was falling asleep where she sat, the parents arriving at a conclusion that the most likely outcome was both of these happening at the same time, bringing her a blanket to swaddle herself in once she did inevitably doze off.

To nobody's surprise, the determined teen did manage to outlast an equally determined four year old, though only for about long as it took for her to take pic proving her victory and their parents to carry the snoozing tyke out, the day's celebrations managing to wear her out at just shy of 11PM.

The rest of the family enduring until midnight so they could wish each other a Happy New Year before the parents immediately beelined towards bed, grumbling quietly under their breaths at their bodies not being what they used to be, and kids retracted to their rooms, enjoying actually staying up overnight, even if they spent it doing basically the same things they already did every day.

It was still cool though.

***

The celebrations might have been the once a year kind, but as it turned out, nobody was exempt from the every day annoyances even during these special occasions.

Riley slowly grumbled awake, the sofa being markedly less comfortable than her bed making that feat relatively easier, the teen rubbing her eyes as she looked around the now abandoned living room, only lit by the Christmas tree lights and the fireplace embers anymore, the sight no less homely despite being much more lonely.

Brief pondering as to why she was even awake in the middle of the night were answered right away, Riley grumbling as she picked herself back to the standing position and took aim towards the bathroom, though right as she was about to press down on the doorhandle, she heard... something outside. She might've been groggy, but the sound made her jump back to full alertness, the crunching of snow not what she expected to hear at this time of the hour.

Riley waited in silence, quietly following the outside sounds as they made their way around the house before finally making their way over to the front door. The tension she felt reminding her of the old times in the most unpleasant way, having no idea why would someone be walking outside at this hour, but really hoping it was just Rick or something and that he had a reason-

The sound of the letter box opening made her jump slightly- mail at this late of an hour made no sense, who could've even delivered it...

Fuck it, she was going for it.

Not wasting any more time, she quietly hobbled up to the front door and opened it, hoping to catch the perpetrator red handed-

And indeed, she did.

The skunk standing outside, illuminated by the small light that flicked on above the door outside, could only stare at her in shock, definitely not expecting anyone to catch him on the late night act- and definitely not her of all people.

He was scraggy, rather visibly unkempt in places, hair kept so short it was barely any longer than the fur that surrounded it and some of the clothes torn in places. There was a smell of booze to him- but only a distant, long faded one, replaced by the sobering cold of the outside air that began to seep in as Riley held the door open.

The two stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity, Riley's eyes going wider as she realized who it was she was looking at. Eventually, he made the first move, crouching to pick up the letter he'd just delivered and handed it to Riley directly, the girl taking it, briefly looking around the envelope only to see her name written on its back before tearing it open, pulling out a folded sheet of paper with a handwritten message on it.

'''
Riley,

There's no excuse or justification
for the things I've done to you. No
reason for you to have forgiven me
the way you have. I can only
promise to use the second chance
you've given me to the fullest, to
try to make it up to the world, and
especially to my son.

I hope the rest of your life is full
of peace and prosperity.

Happy New Year,

James.
'''

"I haven't forgiven you." She spoke quietly, barely a whisper as she looked up at him, seeing him shake where he stood in front of her, the man slowly freezing, shocked expression trying to process what was said before she continued-

"I just don't want your son to have to suffer, suffer so horribly, for what you have done. He'll be the only one that'll care whether you get better or not- but if you won't, if you end up behind bars or in a cask he will NEVER forgive you. And likely even share your fate once he grows older."

The man outside was unsuccessfully holding back tears at this point, Riley's expression as stern and stoic as possible, voice as the winter as the air that surrounded her interlocutor.

"Do it for him. Save your son. Understood?"

He nodded firmly, still shaking but visibly trying to gather his bearings now.

"I-I will. I-I-I promise."

"He'll hold you to that, James. Don't fail him."

She reached out to hand him his letter back, her assailant taking it back as he continued to nod, distraught expression turning determined.

"I won't."

It was Riley's turn to nod, the girl staring up at him for a few more moments before nodding herself.

"I hope so too. Happy New Year."

"H-Happy N-New Year."

And with that, she slowly closed the front door, leaning on the handle as she waited for him to leave, the sounds of departing steps in the snow making breathe out a sigh of relief and turn the key, the lock springing to life.

It was over now.

Without the adrenaline and with the cold letting go of her, she suddenly felt so much more tired than before, exhaling heavily as she leaned on her crutch, her own breathing masking the sounds of muffled steps approaching from behind, making her jump a bit once she'd finally noticed them-

And then immediately relax as she was hugged from behind, Rick's frame holding her oh so, so tightly, his arms shaking as he gently pressed her closer.

"I-I'm so proud of you sweetie." His words shook as he muttered them out, trying to calm himself down as he spoke, relaxing heartbeat by heartbeat as his daughter squirmed around to hold him back, the crutch poking both their sides-

-but it didn't matter.

"I love you dad."

"I-I love you too Riley."

None of that mattered anymore.

"Happy New Year sweetie."

"Happy New Year."

Now, there was only peace.