Spectrans, as a rule, were not cold-weather creatures. Their world circled a twin star and was therefore warmer than Earth. On this day in December, one Spectran sat shivering as he watched the comings and going from Jill's Snack Shop. He believed that he had found the five members of G-Force and was only waiting to follow the last one to his home. Then it would be his joy to give Zoltar a gift befitting this season on Earth. It was fully dark when the last of the suspected G-Force members left the shop and went to his car. The Spectran followed him all the way to where his trailer was parked near the local racetrack. As soon as he had this last address, he contacted Zoltar. Now all the private lives of his enemies were his to toy with as well as their public personas. **** As Princess washed the last of the hot chocolate mugs, she thought back to the discussion of the evening. They had been planning what they wanted to do for Christmas. They had, in the end, decided to do what they had done every year since the war started. They'd spend the day at Center Neptune on standby just in case Zoltar attacked. He had never yet done so on Christmas Day, but there was a first time for everything, and they didn't want to be taken by surprise. Keyop sat down on one of the barstools and watched Princess work. He was thankful that she hadn't had him doing the washing-up. She usually did. "So," he finally said, folding his arms on the counter and leaning his chin on them. "...This means another Christmas...that feels like just another day?" He sighed. "You miss the way it was before the war, don't you?" she said as she placed the last mug in the drainer. He nodded. "...Yeah. Miss the excitement and...getting up early to see...what we got from Santa. ...Miss the dinner and curling...up afterward to watch...old movies or football or...whatever. Even miss...going to Midnight Mass with...Jason." "I wish it didn't have to be this way. You know that don't you? We all wish we could have Christmases like we did when we were kids. I especially miss it for you. You were still so young when the war started. You still had a child's wonder and curiosity and excitement about the holiday that the rest of us were beginning to lose." "...Never young," Keyop sighed. Princess shook her head. She didn't say anything but her heart broke every time she thought about Keyop's lost childhood. **** Zoltar stood before the Great Spirit. "Oh, Luminous One," he said, "I come to you with wonderful news. We now not only know the civilian identities of G-Force, we know where each of them lives. We now have the capability of wiping them out one by one before they can even unite against us." "That is very interesting news," the Great Spirit replied. "However, the time is not yet right for us to do that. Keep the information but do not use it against G-Force. Do with it what you will, so long as no harm comes to them just yet." "As you wish, Sire." The communication was cut. Zoltar stood thinking for a long moment. How could he use this information to further his own aims without upsetting the Great Spirit's plans? Confusion. That was the answer. If you confuse your enemy, it is easier to keep them off-ballance. Now he just needed to figure out what would confuse G-Force and make them second-guess what they suspected about Zoltar and Spectra. **** A week before Christmas, Chief Anderson called G-Force into his office. He seemed as solum as usual as they entered and took seats on the sofas around the room. "The holidays are coming," he said, "and I have a change in plans for all of you." They looked at him with varying expressions, but mostly they seems unsure and a little disappointed. They didn't necessarily like the way they spent their Christmases, but it was what they had become used to. It was normally a quiet day with only the barest staff at Center Neptune and they did enjoy the peace that provided. They always had a simple gift exchange and a nice, but basic, Christmas dinner consisting of a small turkey or ham and various boxed side-dishes. Cooking was not something that any of them excelled at. The least likely to burn down the kitchen were Tiny and Keyop. The others were simply encouraged to keep their distance. "I want all of you to pack a bag for ten days," Anderson said. Mark looked concerned. "That's a long time for us to be away, Chief," Mark stated. He had summed up the thoughts of the whole team. "I would normally agree with you, Mark, but you will not be going that far. I have decided that we will be spending an old-fashioned Christmas at Camp Parker. On December 23rd, you'll fly the Phoenix out to her berth at the camp. All of us will then be there till the second of January." Princess looked over at Keyop. Neither one of them could hide their smiles. This had been what both of them had been longing for. Keyop's smile was tempered by his doubt that something this good could really be happening to them. "...Christmas like before?" he asked. "Yes, Keyop," Anderson reassured him. "I'm talking about a Christmas like before the war started. One where all of us are together and all any of you have to do is enjoy the day and each other's company." ----- On December 21, envelopes arrived in the mailboxes of each of the G-Force members. On the back flap of each the following sentence was scrawled: Do not open until December 25. When they gathered for their departure for Camp Parker, Princess asked Mark about her envelope. "Did you get one?" she asked. Mark nodded. "I did," he said. "I thought, at first, that it was a joke one of you was playing on me, but, knowing that you got one also, I'm starting to think this is something else, possibly much more serious and sinister. They all compared envelopes until Anderson arrived, at which point the envelopes were quickly hidden back in bags and all five attempted to look innocent. "Well" he said, sounding more like a father-figure than the chief of galactic security, "are we all packed and ready to go?" Hearing no negative comments, he led them onto the Phoenix and they all prepared for departure. **** The trip to Camp Parker was incredibly short on a ship as powerful and fast as the Phoenix was. Soon they were unloading their gear into the rooms each of them used whenever they visited the GalSec retreat. When they were settled and began to look around, they were amazed at how much work the full-time staff had put into making the house look like any other home at the holiday season. There was a large Christmas tree in the main room and other decorations scattered throughout the house. As they were sitting down to eat dinner, for the first time as a "family" in a long time, Keyop gave Tiny a nudge. When he had the big pilot's attention, he pointed to the doorway leading into the room. Tiny gave a quick glance but didn't immediately notice anything. He turned to the boy and asked, "What?" Keyop made a kissing sound and pointed again. "...Look," he finally said. "Mistletoe." Tiny's face split into a grin. "Oh, I see. You're waiting to see how long it takes for Mark to catch Princess under it." Keyop grinned and nodded.

Christmas eve was supposed to be a low-key day, but all five members of G-Force decided that some last-minute shopping was in order. With Anderson's permission, they all headed together to the nearest mall. By the time they had all found the gifts they were looking for, it was almost time for the stores to close so that the sales people could go home and spend the holiday with their own families. As they drove back to Camp Parker the kids discussed what they were going to do for the evening. "No one needs to guess what I'm doing," said Jason. "Midnight Mass starts at 11:30. Anyone coming with me?" "...Me!" Keyop called from the back seat of the car. "...Want to go. ...Told Princess that the...other day." "Anyone else?" Jason's question was met with utter silence. "Well, looks like it's just the two of us, kid." Keyop just smiled and nodded. **** Once they were back at Camp Parker, they all dispersed to their own rooms to quickly wrap the presents they had bought. After that, They all met back to watch some classic Christmas movies. Since Keyop and Jason would be leaving at about 10:45 in order to get to the church and find seats before mass started, they decided to watch a movie of Keyop's choosing. He picked A Christmas Story. "...Can relate to Ralphy," he told them. They all enjoyed the movie and laughed a lot. When it was over, Tiny looked at them and said, "You know, that bit with the dogs stealing the turkey is gonna give me nightmares. I'm probably going to dream that a pack of wild animals takes off with our dinner tomorrow or something like that." Princess patted the big pilot on his stomach. "I don't think you need to worry, Tiny," she said. "There's enough security around here that a few dogs don't stand a chance of getting to the food. What we need to worry more about is Spectra launching an attack just about the time we sit down to eat. Now that would be a nightmare." "Not going there," said Mark. All of them shook their heads in agreement. As Jason and Keyop left to get ready for Christmas Eve service, the others began debating which movie they wanted to watch next. **** When Jason and Keyop left for the evening, they noticed that Princess had won the debate and the remaining two guys were being forced to once again watch that ages-old Christmas standard, It's a Wonderful Life. When they walked into the large, old church, they were both instantly transported back in their memories to Christmases of their childhoods. The smells of incense and pine, the sounds of old familiar carols and the sight of the traditional nativity all took them back to a time when things were safe and secure, and normal. Neither of them had fully appreciated how much they had missed that until now. As the service drew to a close and each person lit their candles from those of others as they sang Silent Night, Jason looked over at Keyop. He had been very quiet throughout the whole service and this struck Jason as odd since he was usually not the best behaved in these types of situations. The boy had a look of total awe and reverence on his face that Jason could not recall ever seeing there before. When the service was over and they were in the car headed home, Jason finally asked him about it. "What were you thinking about back there during the candle lighting? You seemed to be in another world." "...Kinda was," Keyop answered him. "Thinking about...Christmas and the...sym--symbolism of it. ...Don't know how much...I believe of the...whole story,...but it takes on a...whole lot more...meaning when you...think about it in...terms of what we're trying to...do to protect...sort of save...the world. ...Makes you app--appreciate it more. Thanks,...Jason for letting me...come with you." "Your welcome," After that they were silent and each was lost in his own thoughts. By the time they got back to the Camp, Keyop was sound asleep. Jason gathered him into his arms and carried him to his room. The boy never even woke up when Jason changed him out of his good clothes and tucked him into bed. When he was done tucking Keyop into bed, Jason headed in search of the others. He found them watching the last few minutes of a Christmas movie he hadn't seen before. He joined them on the sofa. "So, how was the service?" asked Mark. "Same as always," answered Jason. "And welcome to Christmas present Mr Scrooge," quipped Tiny. "Ah, Ba humbug," Jason tried to snarl, but his smile spoiled the affect. "Did Keyop behave himself?" Princess asked. "Yeah," answered Jason, "he did. You know, he's really starting to grow up. It catches me by surprise sometimes." "We'll see how grown-up he acts in the morning," said Mark. And speaking of the morning, it's already 0200 on Christmas morning. We should probably try and get some sleep before the whirling dervish wakes us up at the break of dawn." Very soon it was totally quiet in the house. ----- At last, the moment Chief Anderson had been waiting for. He had begun to think those kids were going to stay up all night. After all, Mark and Jason had made a vow when they were about eight that they were going to stay up and watch till Santa came. They had made it to about 3:00 before finally giving up and falling asleep on the couch. It had been very difficult to get their gifts under the tree with them sleeping right there. Now, he slipped into the main room where the large Christmas tree stood. The lights were off and there was only a small bit of light to cause a faint shine on the ornaments. Quickly and quietly he arranged the gifts that he and the staff at Camp Parker had purchased for all five young people. He hoped they liked each and every one of them as much as they had liked their presents when they were all small children. Once his task was done, he silently returned to his room. He figured, if he was lucky, he'd have about three hours till Keyop woke everyone up. **** Anderson came slowly awake. He could clearly see light through the window. What time is it? He looked at the clock. It read 8:30 AM. How had he managed to sleep through the insanity that was Christmas with the five G-Force kids? He got quickly out of bed and dressed. He was becoming a bit concerned about the quiet that still reigned in the house. He came into the kitchen to find Mark, Jason and Princess sitting at the table with cups of coffee in front of them. "Where'd you get that and can I get some?" he asked. Jason pointed at the pot and cups on the counter. "Someone was obviously looking out for us," he said. "They must have known that coffee was the only thing that was going to get us through this day." Mark and Princess nodded. Princess added, "At least we had a chance to fortify ourselves before chaos was unleashed upon us." "Speaking of which," Anderson asked, "where is Keyop?" "Still asleep!" three voices answered. "Thankfully," added Jason. Anderson thought for a long moment before making his next comment. "Okay, who drugged him?" All of them laughed. At this point, Tiny entered the room and headed straight for the refrigerator. As soon as he'd snagged the makings for an omelet, he went to the counter, grabbed a cup of coffee and began making himself some breakfast. "You gonna share?" asked Jason. "Oh," gasped Tiny. He'd been so focused on what he was doing, he'd never even noticed that anyone else was in the room, let alone most of the team. "Um, yeah, sure." He went back to the fridge and grabbed more eggs and omelet makings. Soon they were all enjoying a Christmas breakfast and talking about the day ahead. **** Chief Anderson came slowly awake. The first thing to register on his consciousness was that it was daylight outside. The second was that it was Christmas morning. The third was that he hadn't been awaked at oh-dark-thirty by and over-excited Keyop bouncing on his bed and demanding that it was time to go open presents. Anderson decided to enjoy this Christmas peace and take his time in getting himself ready to face the madness he was sure was about to descend on the house.

When he finally arrived downstairs it was to see the oldest four members of G-Force enjoying the last of their Christmas morning breakfast. As he entered the kitchen and got his own cup of coffee they greeted him cheerily. "Merry Christmas, Chief," said Princess. "Yeah, Chief, Merry Christmas," agreed Mark. "What they said," said Jason. "Can I make you an omelet?" asked Tiny. "Thanks," Anderson answered. "Yes, that would be nice," he said to Tiny. "Something tells me I'm going to need all the fortification I can get here shortly. "Where would our youngest member be, by any chance?" he added. "Haven't seen him since I put him to bed last night," said Jason. "Can't believe he's still asleep." "Aw, give him a little credit," Princess told them. "He's starting to grow up, and he's outgrowing some of the childishness too." **** Once the Chief had finished his breakfast, they all took their coffee and went to sit by the Christmas tree. "Can't believe it still looks this nice this late in the morning," commented Mark. "Usually it looks like a war zone by now." "It's kind of nice to see it this way," said Princess. "But, I have to confess that I'm getting a little anxious to open presents myself." "Maybe someone should go wake the twerp up," suggested Jason. He was coming up with some good wake-up pranks even as he spoke. "...No need! Here...I am," Keyop exclaimed as he jumped down the last three steps. "So what...are we waiting for,...Christmas? Cause it's...here." "You're such a brat," said Jason. "Yeah," agreed Keyop, "...but you love me for it." They all laughed. Then Anderson reached for the first of the gifts and began handing them out. **** An hour later, they sat contented among the discarded wrapping and opened boxes. "This was a very good Christmas morning," said Princess. "Chief, If you wanted to give us an old-fashioned Christmas, I think you succeeded." "It's not over yet," he said. "I seem to remember someone saying something about a traditional Christmas dinner and spending the day watching old movies of football or something like that." All their faces brightened even further at that. **** Before they gathered for dinner, Mark managed to corral all of them. "We have an issue we need to deal with," he said, bringing out an envelop. "You all got one of these, I'm sure." They all nodded. "Go get them and meet me in my room. We'll open them together." Within a couple of minutes all five sat in Marks room with their envelops. "I'll go first," said Mark. "Shouldn't we all open them together?" asked Princess. "No," said Mark. "I want time to consider the contents of each." There was no more discussion. Mark tore open the envelop and pulled a note and a small card from it. He read the note aloud. Eagle. Please accept this small gift. I hope you enjoy it while you can. I have kept my honor by never challenging you on this most important of your earth holidays. Know this. Beginning in the new year, I plan to step up my efforts and now that I know who each of you is and where you live, you do not stand a chance against me. Merry Christmas Zoltar. Mark looked at the small plastic card he held. It was a gift card. A gift card to his favorite store. "Okay," he said and looked at each of them. "Jason, open yours." Jason did. His contained a similar note and a gift card to a store that specialized in racing related things. Next was Princess who, along with a note, received a six-month spa membership, to one she'd wanted to join. Tiny got a card to a sporting goods store so that he could get more fishing equipment, or so the note had said. Lastly, Keyop opened his envelop. Keyop. Christmas is the time for children and so I give you the best gift I have: the chance to grow up. Know that when I take over, you will live to see my triumph. You are the only one in G-Force I see as redeemable. Enjoy your video games and live with the knowledge that I have plans for you. Season's greetings Zoltar. Keyop dropped both the note and the gift card. "...Won't happen," he said and he was close to tears. He ran to Princess for reassurance. "No, it won't," said Mark commandingly. "We know that he knows who we are, but that can actually give us more freedom. We don't have to hide anymore. We also know that he's planning something big in the new year. We can and will be ready. "Don't tell the Chief about this. I need to let him know, but not today. Give me time to figure out the best way to inform him. Don't let this ruin the day, for us or him. Remember we have this battle half won because knowing is half of it." When they left Mark's room, there were five cut up gift cards in his waste basket. By the time they saw the Chief, they were all smiles again. **** Dinner had been all they could have hoped for. There was turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans and much more besides. It was all delicious, and by the time they left the table, there was very little left of any of it. Stuffed and content, they settled in to watch a football game or two, and to please Princess, they ended the evening with a Christmas movie. **** The next week passed all too quickly for all of them. Before they realized it, New Year's Eve was upon them. They spent the evening reminiscing, playing games and watching the New Year's Eve show from Time Square. At midnight, they watched the ball drop, shared a toast with sparkling grape juice and wish each other a Happy New Year. Mark and Princess even slipped in a kiss. They knew that there would never truly be a happy year for them till their mission was complete, but they could begin each one with a hope that this would be that year. **** Mid January found them back to their regular lives. Keyop sat watching Princess getting ready to open Jill's Snack Shop for the day. "...Do you think...it's going to happen soon?" he asked. "What?" she asked right back. "...Zoltar's threat. ...Soon?" "Who knows," she said. "We've made it two three weeks since we opened those cards. Maybe it was an empty threat." Keyop shook his head. Something told him there was nothing empty about it. **** Three hours later, just as the lunch rush was ending, their bracelets chimed. There was a scramble and once again duty called.

Wow, what a setup! Zoltar certainly did plant the seed of confusion in them! I'm hoping that this gets finished!

So nice to see them all together, getting to enjoy all their own traditions and rituals for a proper family Christmas and New Years. It sure sounds like this is a "calm before the storm," though -I too would like to know more about Zoltar's plans, and especiallly for Keyop!

I enjoyed a lot seeing them sharing such special moments all together, as a family, with Anderson behaving in such a paternal way! I too would like to read more about what could happen next! Zoltar's words, especially regarding Keyop, have a lot upon which to ponder about! They might have been said as an "empty threat", but they also could indicate a lot of potential occurrences!

I just got around to reading this. I discovered that it needs some editing in the middle. One scene got told twice in two different ways. The author may want to fix that before posting anywhere else. Nothing to detract from the story which I liked. Just an observation.

I thought that was done on purpose... that perhaps the first Anderson wasn't the *right* Anderson,. but a disguise/imposter ?

Awww...how sweet! I could picture them all enjoying Christmas at Camp Parker! I'd love to know what happens next! Great story!

Great Story. Love the open ending leading to possible doom and gloom. Great potential for a follow-up.

Another great story. I love seeing how the team interacts outside of missions and training. Showing them as relaxed and acting as real "teens" or young adults instead of the soldiers they are trained as. I hope the author will continue this story.

Maddy Prompt: BotP Fanfic/Fanart: 1. The team receives a gift from a most unexpected source 2. Zoltar uncovers information that he could use to reveal the true identities of the team, including their current residences. What does he choose to do and why. 3. Anderson decides to try to give back some of their childhood to the team. Gift: In the Spirit of the Season