I usually buy maybe two Christmas presents per year; hospital secret santa and the chalet girl. Think I'm starting to understand why. I feel like I just went ten rounds with Tyson, and he got the novelty reindeer dropping chocolates at the end. Who buys those?

Anyway, there's going to be a buffet in the staff lounge at City General tomorrow. Considering the lack of us able to beg off shifts for family or religious reasons I thought something might as well be laid on. Don't know what caterers do to make the day special, but they charge a hell of a lot to do it for anyone else. Got special requirements? Bring your own snacks.

I just thought it would be something.


[Private to House + Wilson, Viewable to Cameron + Eden;]

House, got you incurable space cancer for Christmas. Enjoy. Notes attached.

Patient's name is Inara Serra. She's 24. Cancer seems to be some kind of 'superbug' style leukemia, evolved to be resistant to radiation therapy and chemo drugs. Her bloods are in the lab now and I've booked her in for CT scans, so we'll have a better idea when those come back. The medicine she described to me sounds like high level immunotherapy; don't know what's in it, but my first guess would be that trying scary levels of CLL and AML agents, maybe Fludarabine, Alemtuzumab plus Gleevec might give us similar results. Don't have a second guess, so I hope it's close.

( Private to Cameron; )

( gift deliveries; )


[ooc: tags will be slow because... xmas. And I'm happy to backdate forever because.... xmas. Happy xmas!]

Hmm~, it's nice having the best family in the world. And the oldest~. We are the oldest.

Every other person in the world comes from us, we started humanity again after it had been wiped away. And soon we'll end it again.

It doesn't even matter what happens to us, because we'll always come back, over and over again. All twelve of us, and the Earl of course, but he doesn't even need to go through that. Forever, until everything ends. Oh, things change a bit sometimes, but not really, never completely.

[giggling in the background] I can't wait till it's all of us together again. We're almost all~ awake now. I hated having to wait.

But I guess I had Papa - Cyril, in the meantime, and Tyki. Even if you're always running off on us, Tyki. Sometimes I have to leave my homework till the very last minute just to give the Earl an excuse to go and bring you back for a while to help me.

[still sounding amused, even if really she's annoyed] The City's really playing games this time, isn't it? Oh well, it's not like anyone knowing here makes a difference.

I wonder if Lero will ever stop screaming if he sees this. [another rather shrill laugh before the feed cuts]

The Gray family was always a little wrong. Okay, a lot wrong. My father, Samson Gray, was a murderer. He was afflicted with the 'gift' of knowing only a little, having only a little, and being aware of how much he was missing. He'd kill people for their abilities. When I was five, he sold me for cash to my aunt and uncle, then walked outside and murdered my mother. He used telekinesis, opening her head up like a ripe orange before he pushed her out of the car, leaving her in that dusty parking lot. It's the only time I can remember seeing my mother's face, that shocked expression...

My uncle had never wanted a child, so he left two weeks later. The old out-for-a-cigarette routine. He never came back. My aunt raised me as her own, never telling me the truth. I wonder sometimes if she always expected me to become a monster, like my dad. But she was still always there for me, up until the end.

All I'd ever really wanted when I was a kid was for my father-- my uncle-- to come back. I wanted a real family. I wanted him to be proud of me. I miss that hope, small as it was.


...thanks so very much, City.

I have my memories back. Not only that, but I'm me again- however better or worse that might be. It was a hell of a time, back home. Thankfully, that's all over now, even if I'm never going to get that popcorn grease out from under my nails.

Thank you to everyone who was willing to help me out when I was last here. I appreciated the effort, I know I was tough to talk to.

The watch shop is, once again, closed for repairs. I made a mess of things when I was pulled out before. That's okay, it'll give me time to take care of a few things.

( Private to Peter )

Nice
Rebuilding New York City.

Naughty
Not saying hello.

Gentlemen.

( private | unhackable )

I need to get this out of the way before this place lets me say anything else, since apparently letters to Santa that'll never even get delivered are all the rage these days. Does anyone here actually even still believe in Santa?

Naughty →

✳ I probably shouldn't have crashed that plane, even if it was for the greater good
✳ Traveled back in time with Hiro: you shouldn't really screw around in the past
✳ Brody
✳ That thing with West, back in Costa Verde
✳ Left Sylar in that building
✳ Punched Jackie in the face - like two years ago - even if she deserved it
✳ Lied to my dad about a boy
✳ Lied to my dad about a boy to the extent that it really, really screwed things up
✳ Probably caused my parents to separate
✳ Stole money from Lyle's drawer he doesn't think I know about
✳ Beat up Elle
✳ Kissed people I shouldn't have, even if, technically, I don't feel like that's my fault or anyone's fault

Nice →

✳ Helped Doyle get away from the government. Actually, everyone I helped get away from the government.
✳ Got Elle help, never mind the consequences, and stopped a plane from coming down. All in the same trip
✳ Offered Ginny a place to stay
✳ Good Christmas intentions
✳ Left Sylar in that building
✳ Told Chase I would try to make nice with Eden
✳ Didn't pound on the ceiling with a broom for a week
✳ Bought Mr. Muggles a sweater. Because it's cold
✳ Made coffee deliveries a new Thing
✳ Mexico
✳ Protected Angela
✳ Boxed up everyone's things for safe-keeping, just in case they come back

A few of those feel a little out of place, all things considered, but whatever. They're out there. It's done. Let's move on. Please, let's move on.

Just a warning, Ginny Weasley moved in with me. Which means a lot for both the two of us and for everyone around us. I've never really gotten to live with another girl my age, so I kind of... apologize to anyone in Building 12 who's been bothered by all the thumping and banging around while she was moving in, but I'm pretty sure everything's settled now. I think after the holidays are over, we're going to be looking for a couple more roommates, though, since this place has four bedrooms and between the two of us, that's a lot of rent to cover. So if anyone is looking for a new place to stay it's... something to keep in mind, I guess?

Anyway, other than that, I'm getting kind of a late start on Christmas shopping, so everyone should feel free to leave me some sort of clue or hint or treasure map with an X on it so I can have some idea of what to get people this year. Seriously, or you're just going to end up getting a bunch of cookies and cupcakes like last year. Baking might be a hobby, but I get the whole Baking Overdrive Thing Around the Holidays from my mom, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon.

It's hard to believe that this'll be my second Christmas here. And the second one away from family.

Nice:
-- Forgiving a lot of people
-- Going to jail for Brennan's father's sake
-- Visiting Zack at the center every week
-- No longer fighting with Cameron
-- Decorating the hallway to cheer everybody else up
-- Feeding Faith when she was a kid
-- Talking to Faith when she needed somebody
-- Giving Suou a photography job
-- Taking care of Brennan's cat
-- Helping Penny with her center
-- Donating all of Booth's socks that he left behind
-- Not quitting my hospital job like I quit all my other jobs

Naughty:
-- Dumping Roxie the night before her finals
-- Flashing that airport guy
-- Having sex in the storage room, the broom closet, and in my car in the parking lot of the Jeffersonian
-- Getting married while drunk
-- Forgetting I was married to begin with
-- Kissing my ex-husband right before asking him for a divorce
-- Dumping Hodgins in public
-- Having sex with people other than my fiance.
-- Kissing the following people: Wilson, Cameron, Faith, Robert, Debra
-- Getting drunk one too many times
-- Hacking into those websites
-- Talking to Arguing with House
-- Grabbing Peter Pevensies' ass
-- Thinking about sex all day now that I'm not getting any
-- Attempting to skip town. Again.
-- Renewing my subscription to Playboy


Wait, Roxie? Is this thing serious? That was at least ten years ago. And Hodgins and I had a mutual break-up. Don't put it all on me.

[The scene is dark, save for a sprinkling of dots that turn out to be a string of lights wrapped around an elaborately decorated Christmas tree as an overhead light is switched on. An arrangement of Christmas stockings line the wall, names handwritten on them: Dad, Brennan, Zack, Booth, Hodgins, Cam, Sweets. All names of people who are no longer in the City or have never been, but Angela's a sentimental sap and she's not going to forget her family this holiday season.

Well, that and the wall looked pretty pathetic with only three stockings for her and the pets.

She stands in front of the tree, hands on hips, obviously pleased with her work both inside and outside her apartment.]

A little early, but who cares? It's perfect.

[In the corner, a grey and white cat appears, gearing up to bat at one of the lower hung ornaments on the tree. And without even turning to look down...]

Don't even think about it, cat. I'll cut you down to eight lives.

[This video feed seems to be coming from one of the Hospital's many security cameras, and my doesn't the place look festive. Garlands of evergreens twined with red ribbons and twinkling lights line the corridors, making it impossible for a busy doctor to notice anything out of place.

And the doctor coming into view now does look busy, trying to balance more files and folders than two arms should be able to carry. His surroundings may be seasonal, but he does not look full of good cheer.]

Yeah, being buried under paperwork is a huge improvement.



[ooc: voice or action replies are fine~ Chase will be wandering the hospital and heading out for a coffee, so feel free to get him wherever you'd like. Any hospital action tags will be fully publicly viewable thanks to the very handy security camera. EDIT: back after I shake this headache ;_; + backtagging is fiiine.]

Cake and cider, churros and cocoa. If those do not entice you then I do not know what will.

Our party begins tonight at half past the fifth hour. Friends and acquaintances, please join us in warming our new home.

You will not regret it--

[ooc: Voice post cut off by kissing stuff |D Come get him if you please. And party log is here!]

Are we finally done with the torture and the suffering? I guess that makes it true: the end of the year is indeed special.

Well, not to dwell on that! To the Curse Brigade: Would setting up shelters in the buildings make sense? As far as I can tell, as much as anywhere - at least they never get destroyed, though things invade them, certainly. Is there even any place in the City that's completely safe from curse effects? Because I'm thinking about setting one up in Building Three, where I live. It would be close and thus easy for me to maintain. But I would need helpers.

And... dare I ask what's up with all the mistletoe? It's a bit... sudden, so I don't know if I trust it.

(OOC: Currently out and about, doing the usual grocery shopping/library/whatever, and so available for kissing!)