So, I had this idea when I was driving home from school for winter break.

Also; I know that not everyone who read my stories practice Christianity, so I hope not to offend those of you who don't, as I am going to be mentioning it.

As the tan curtains were pulled back, it revealed a landscape covered in snow. The ground was completely white, the trees and bushes were given a fairytale appearance because of the snow. The person holding back the curtains let out a high scream. "Yipee!"

"What is it Paige?" A woman's voice called.

"SNOW! We have a white Christmas!" The girl now identified as Paige responded. She rushed out of the room she was in, red-brown hair flying behind her as she raced down the steps.

"Yes dear, now calm down." Her father smiled from behind his coffee mug.

"Let's hurry and open presents!" She exclaimed as she sat in her chair with a glass of hot chocolate.

"Ok dear, let your mother get in here first." She nodded and picked up the cat that was walking on the floor.

"Hey pretty kitty. How is my Mafdet?" She cooed as she pet the cat in her arms.

"I don't know why you named her so oddly." Her mother stated as she sat next to her husband.

"I want it to mean something. Now presents!" The excited 19-year old said.

"Very well, open the candy cane wrapped one last." Her father said as she picked up the small box.

"Why?"

"The person who it is from said too, that is why. Why don't you start with the marbled one?" He suggested. She nodded and carefully opened it to reveal two large research books.

"These are gorgeous!" She gushed as she flipped through the giant book, each easily weighing 20 pounds.

"Thought you would like them. Now give one to your mother." And the presents were passed in that fashion, one at a time to each.

"Now! I get to open this one!" Paige said holding up the box.

"Story first. It was your great-great grandfather's wish that when you turn 19, at Christmas, to give these to you. They are very precious, and very expensive." He gestured to her to open the box, which she unwrapped with awe. Inside was what looked like at jewelry box. She opened it to reveal two perfect spheres, one black, one white, that looked like pearls.

"According to your great-great grandfather, if you make a wish, one heartfelt wish, then the black one will grant it. Whenever you want it to end you break the white one and everything will be as it once was. You will have the memories but no one else will. The rules are it cannot be used to get more of them, to revive the dead, or for love."

"So one wish, whatever I want besides resurrection, love and more wishes? Is this for real?"

"Well according to your grandfather, people have searched for these for centuries, there are stories about what some people who find them do. Like Columbus? He wished for fame and that obviously worked. Very few break the white one. It gets passed down and saved, or else very well hidden."

"Thank you." She folded the box up and put it down carefully. She took her new books, 7 in all, up to her room. It took her several trips due to the weight of the books. She also received a new sweater that and the box of two spheres. She put them by her bed and went back downstairs to help with breakfast. Tradition was that after presents they made breakfast burritos. She went down and started on the potatoes. She washed them and started cutting them into squares and put them in the skillet with seasonings. Her mother did the sausage while her father made eggs and got the peppers and onions ready. Within half an hour the food was ready and they all made their own while watching a Christmas movie.

"What time are we doing the family Christmas this afternoon?" Paige asked her parents.

"We are doing your fathers tomorrow afternoon and mine is going to be tonight. You want to make your pie?" Her mother answered.

"Yeah, you have everything?"

"Of course. We will work on cleaning while you get your books put away. Then you can come down and make it."

"Ok!" She ran back upstairs to her room and looked over the new books, research material for some, but for her they were a part of her and her major. Nature studies. She added them to the desk of her research; the new books were about invertebrates, Limnology, Oceanography, Forests, Mountains and Valleys, Ichthyology, and then a Plants book. With the rest of her collection, she had books on about every natural science there was, totally well over 250,000 pages and several hundred pounds. She then hung up her new sweater which she would wear this evening and looked at the spheres again before returning downstairs. She kept thinking about if they would work. Yeah she wanted to do well in school, but she would prefer to work hard to do it. A job was the same way.

She decided to not think about it too much as she made the chocolate hazelnut pie that took a lot of concentration. She made the pie crust and put it in a cake pan as it would make more than a pie pan would. 45 minutes later the dessert was in the over for an hour.

"Food is in!" She called to the house. She was acknowledged by her parents in the living room. She went up and got on her computer to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. When one of her friends signed on they started talking about their favorite anime, Fullmetal Alchemist. Her friend, Esther Wendell, completely fancied Ed, the main character while Paige loved Jean Havoc, the underdog in relationships who she thought was better than Roy, the womanizer, as well as Envy, the selfish and completely misunderstood Homunculus. The fight continued for around an hour before Paige realized that she needed to start getting ready.

She ended the conversation with, Jean and Envy are so much better, I will prove it to you somehow. And signed off, locking her door before heading to the bathroom and showering. After her shower, she pulled on her undergarments before pulling on a white tank top then the black sweater with a embroidered leaf pattern down the left arm. She pulled on a pair of nice jeans and boots before fixing her hair into a braid down her back, its end reaching her lower back. She went downstairs to see her parents ready and waiting.

"Ready Paige?" She nodded and left the house with her parents to go to the family car, nothing fancy just a Saturn that was for her mom. Her dad had a F-150 and she had an Impala. They drove the 20 minutes to her mom's parents house and greeted the rest of their relatives. They ate a ham dinner with the various side dishes everyone made before opening presents here. It was several hours before people started to leave, with Paige and her family getting home at 11. She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth and hair before pulling her laptop into bed with her. She went through her mail and talked to a few people before going to bed, falling asleep dreaming about Fullmetal Alchemist.

She awoke the next morning to her cat on her bed. "Hey kitty. You want food, don't cha?" The cat purred its answer and she got out of bed, heading down to wear her cat's food was. She opened a can and put it on the plate as well as a handful of dry food.

"There you go, eat up." She yawned at the cat. She was happy she took today off work at the coffee shop she worked at, it would defiantly be busy. She looked at the clock and decided to make breakfast for her parents. She pulled out eggs, bread and milk to make French toast. After cooking a few pieces she went up and told her parents to wake up. They were downstairs a few minutes later and got their coffee before getting food.

"What time are we leaving?" Paige asked her parents, knowing the drive took a while.

"Around 1 or so. We only have 2 and a half hours, so let's hurry up." Her father said excited, having not seen some of his family in a while. They all went upstairs, Paige to her room to shower and change into another pair of dress slacks and a long sleeved silver blouse. She lightly curled her hair before putting a movie on. She decided on the Fullmetal Alchemist Movie, Conqueror of Shambala. She was watching it, almost quoting it as it went on. She barely noticed when Mafdet jumped on her bed, wanting to be petted. The movie ended and within seconds her door opened.

"Ready?" The teenager nodded and jumped off her bed, pulled on boots and grabbed a coat before following her father out the room down to the kitchen where the food and presents were gathered and taken to the car. During the drive, Paige read one of the books in one of her favorite series; Vampire Earth, while still partaking in the conversation with her parents.

"Paige, we're here." Her mother said as they parked in a long driveway. They climbed out and walked up the snowy slope to a mini-mansion. Upon opening the door, they walked down the beautiful hallway towards the living room where the rest of her dad's family was gathered. After presents and food, the men went to the basement while the women went to the patio. Paige decided to be with her cousins that were a few years older than herself and talked about school. Until it came to the unfortunate topic.

"Paige, when are you going to find a boyfriend?" Her eldest near-aged cousin asked. At 23, she was in graduate school and was heading on to 2 and a half years with her boyfriend.

"Joelle, I don't want a boyfriend right now. My classes are hard and I wouldn't be able to spend time with him."

"If a guy asked, would you say yes though?" Her 20 year old cousin asked, thinking that since she had a promise ring that she was all that.

"Hanna, if I was interested in the guy I would."

"Girls, leave her alone." Her favorite cousin and closest to her own age supplied.

"Dave is right, she is doing amazing in school and if she wants a guy she will get one."

"Thank you Dave and Charlie." She smiled gratefully at her male cousins, less than a year older than her. "And you guys need to stop telling me to get a boyfriend. I have had bad guys in the past, if something is meant to be it will happen." They enjoyed the rest of their afternoon with meaningless conversations of actors, singers and family.

"Dave, Joelle, time to leave." Their mother said from the staircase. They both waved to show they heard before running around giving hugs goodbye. Hanna was called to leave not much later. Charlie took them up to his room to tell her something.

"Paige, I can trust you, right?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"And you won't say anything to anyone?"

"Char, I promise I won't. You are starting to scare me now though."

He took a deep breath and for the only time in her life she was uncomfortable being around her brown haired, blue eyed, lady's man cousin that was 5'10. He said in a voice so soft she barely heard it, "I'm gay."

"What?" She asked not sure if she heard him correctly.

"I'm…gay." He said with no courage left in his voice. She was quiet for a minute before hugging him.

"It is nothing to be ashamed of."

"You're not upset?" He asked shocked.

"Not at all. Some of my closest friends are, you are family. I still love you."

"Love you too cuz." They separated and she gathered her parents as they headed home.

After her shower, she went to lay on her bed, being too tired to do much else. She opened the box of the two spheres she got the previous day. She just looked at them for a while before eventually falling asleep.

If one could look into her dreams, they would see that she was dreaming of FMA, a battle ensuing that she was the "prize" of, between the military including her Havoc, as well as the rest of his team and the Homunculi, the green haired Envy leading them. It was in a semi-conscious state that she said her words, "I wish I was in the Fullmetal Alchemist world." And no one in the house was aware that the black ball had started to glow a bright white with flashes in every shade of blue and black.

Please Review;

I'll love you more than Alphonse loves kitties!

Also-this is early Christmas/Kwanza present, late Hanukah one.