Chapter Five

Aimes and Pawson made their way back to the stairs on the other side of The Back. Pawson didn't even think to ask about the doll until both of them were pushing their way past the Employees Only door and into the department store. As they rounded the corner, Aimes nearly bumped into the same woman a second time.

"Oh, I was just looking for you," the same woman said. "Sorry it took so long. I can look for your toy now if you'd like."

"Actually, I found one," Aimes said with a smile, holding up the doll in her hands.

The woman looked at Aimes, at the Employee's Only door just a few feet away, and slowly nodded her head.

"Well... if that's all for you, I can ring you up?" the woman asked.

"That would be wonderful." Aimes rummaged through her backpack to find her wallet and paid for the doll.

Pawson sat by the front door on the bench, still rubbing gooey green slime off his paws. When Aimes finished checking out, she met up with Pawson - a box in her arms - and the two headed outside.

It was then, under the light snowfall, that she handed him a box. This box was about the same size as the doll box, but it was wrapped in beautiful magenta paper and a large silver bow. Pawson took it, but his face was full of confusion.

"What's this?"

"It's a gift," Aimes said simply. "For you."

"For me?" Realization dawned on Pawson and the whole picture came together. The trip into The Back. The effort Aimes went through to get this particular toy. Even the fact that she wouldn't tell him what they were looking for. "This was all for me?"

"Of course, you silly bear!"

Pawson looked at the gorgeously wrapped gift and then up at Aimes, and then down at the gift again.

"Well, come on!" Aimes said impatiently. "Open it!"

The sun had gone down quite a while ago and the lights from the harbor lanterns reflected off the snow, covering the harbor in a warm glow. It was like a postcard, or a picture on a puzzle. Even though Aimes was in just her short-sleeved shirt and her diaper, she wasn't even the least bit cold in that moment.

Pawson started pulling the beautifully wrapped paper off his gift. Sure enough, what he found wrapped up was indeed a small doll, but this doll was dressed in a short-sleeved cargo shirt and a safari hat. It looked a lot like Aimes, if Aimes had brown hair and it wasn't so frizzy. And if Aimes ever wore pants.

Pawson stared at the package for a while, at the doll inside, and felt warm. He held the box close to his chest and smiled up at his best friend.

"I love it, Aimes," he said. "Thank you so much."

"It wasn't any trouble," Aimes lied cheerfully.

"Oh, I should have gotten you something though," Pawson realized. But Aimes said:

"No need. Remember our first Christmas together? I wasn't even a year old. I actually don't remember anything else from when I was that young, but I remember opening up my favorite gift. You. Every year, as long as you're with me, then I get that gift all over again."

"Aimes..." Pawson didn't know what to say.

"I know I can't give you a gift as good as me," Aimes laughed, "so I hope this one comes close."

"It does," Pawson stuttered, trying not to get too choked up. "It's perfect."

The two of them were quiet for a moment, together in the warm light and the cold snow. Then Aimes got goosebumps on her thighs and felt the urge to move onward, as she always did.

"Ready for our next adventure?" Aimes asked, taking Pawson by the hand.

"With you, Aimes? Always."