Neil and OPEN!
So Neil was already feeling rather badly about the gift under the tree in their flat that was addressed to him - for he didn't really feel like he knew Rachel well enough to make any sort of good guess as to what she might like. Although, he had liked the idea Mrs Hemingway had suggested, of picking up a cast album from the 80s - albeit an actual album, as in with the needle on the record, because the CD player wasn't invented until the year after the Door to London was open... At any rate, Neil still felt horribly guilty for spending Mrs Hemingway's money, even if she was entirely willing to give her gold away - as well as even more guilt for actually not thinking of a bloody CAST ALBUM himself!
And so it was he awoke on Christmas Morning with a pit in the seat of his stomach, which - quickly vanished, for some strange reason... To be replaced by an - almost happy sort of anticipation for the day: something he had not experienced since he was five and realised that Santa wasn't real; after all, his father had left them that year, and thus it was that Santa had disappeared, as well, for the gifts under the tree that year were much more meagre, to match his mother's reduced income.
At any rate, he found himself wandering around outside, almost whistling a tune, in fact, a Christmas carol - or at least, he would have been whistling if he'd had the breath for it; clearly the cancer which had previously bypassed his heart and lungs, had made its way back down now...! But he wasn't terribly fussed about that today, at least; he was too happy, again, for some strange reason...
And then he realised just why that magical feeling of glee had overcome him; he saw all the presents under the tree that had once been the Spire... From... Santa? Really, now? Well- he supposed that there was something to be said for living in a world full of fictional characters; Santa too was fictional, wasn't he? At any rate, he quickly dove onto the pile, looking for his own name on any of the tags - and soon found it: on three boxes, held together by a ribbon and with a rather large envelope on the bottom!
He opened the envelope first, expecting naught more than a delightful card and a good Christmas cheer wish, and what he got out of said envelope fairly took his breath away, again: it was a picture of Alison Parker, his first (and so far, only!) real love...
And then, he opened the boxes to find... well... a frame for the photo, of course, and then- his crucifix, the one he'd left on the Man... And his emerald ring...
"My G-d," he whispered, once he'd opened the last box, with the crucifix...