"Yeah," Nick said, "now she's just much bigger." It was easy to pick up a wriggly little puppy when she was misbehaving. That wasn't quite so easy anymore.

"It's sure been a hell of a year, though," he said, before taking a long sip of his champagne. It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good, either. It wasn't every year that saw them get attacked in their own homes by evil toys. "At least the place has made up for it by giving you that dress," Nick added with a bit of sly grin. He couldn't help it, she did look beautiful.