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My contribution for the week. I used gift, instead of gifts. (Hope that it counts! LOL) *************************** Joe sighed contentedly, comfortably ensconced in the overstuffed armchair in the corner of Jun's apartment above the Snack. A small Christmas tree sat in the in far corner, strung with blinking colored lights and sparkling ornaments--not to mention a shining star at the very top. They had all helped Jun drag it out of storage and set it up a few weeks ago, after Thanksgiving. He bit back a yawn, it was only late morning and he was beat. It was sleeting outside, the ice rasping eerily against the window pane next to him. However, it was warm inside, the mood jolly and light. He could hear Jun puttering around in the small galley kitchen, where surprisingly good smells seemed to originate. Joe watched with amusement as Jinpei, wearing a red and white Santa hat with his hair sticking out wildly from under it, excitedly tore open the box to his new video game system. The lot of them had pooled their money and bought him the system and a few games for Christmas. Ryu helped Jinpei clear away the remains of the wrapping paper that littered the carpeting, smooshing it all up into a large ball and stuffing it onto a garbage bag Jun had left there for that purpose. Ken emerged from the kitchen with a large tray of almond crescent cookies, gingerbread and mint chocolate chip cookies. Ken eyed the two of them, trying not to step on hands or trip over their feet, and to his surprise walked over to him and offered him the tray. He had white sugar or something similar smeared across one cheek. Joe reached out to take a piece of the gingerbread, then paused, his fingers hovering above a square, eyes wary. "Did Jun make this?" he questioned, whispering to Ken. "No, Aniki and I did, yesterday afternoon!" Jinpei exclaimed as Ryu helped him run cables to the back of the television. Joe raised an eyebrow at Ken, who flushed a little. "Yeah, we made them yesterday." he confirmed in a somewhat sheepish voice. Joe snickered, earning him a punch in the arm from Ken. But it was all in good fun. Ken slid the tray onto the small coffee table they had shoved out of the way, dusting off his hands on his jeans and flopped onto the couch. Joe chewed thoughtfully on the confection, and bit back another yawn. He could feel sleep calling out to him. Maybe if he shut his eyes for a few minutes........ A scream split the air. His eyes suddenly snapped open, body tensed for action, when he realized he must have dozed off for a moment or two. That shout came from Jinpei, he could see the kids fist pumping the air, apparently winning whatever game they had been playing . "I want a rematch!" Ryu joked, poking the kid in the arm. "You're still gonna lose!" Jinpei laughed, sticking out his tongue. Ryu and Jinpei began playing a new game, graphics flashing across the TV. Ken was stretched out on Jun's small couch, crumbs of almond cookies, scattered across his shirt. In true Gatchaman form, he shouted out instructions to Ryu, that Jinpei was whipping his butt; then grew frustrated when Ryu told him he wasn't being helpful. With lightening speed Ken grabbed the controller out of Ryu's hand, almost sliding off the couch in the process. "You're gonna get it now kid!" Ryu laughed, as Jinepi concentrated on fending off Ken's virtual attack. "Ken? I could use a hand in here!" Jun called from the kitchen. "I'm a bit busy right now Jun!" he called back to her, brows knit together, concentrating on the video game. Joe slowly levered himself out of the armchair, as Ryu started to rise from the floor. He made a motion indicating he should stay and enjoy the game, that he would go instead. He quickly sidestepped the wires from the game console, and growled at Jinpei when he told him he was blocking his view of the TV. "Yeah, yeah...." Joe drawled, ruffling Jinpei's hair as he passed, because he knew it annoyed the kid. Rolling his shoulders, and scratching his head absently, he entered the kitchen to find Jun on a step stool, apparently searching for a bag of hidden marshmallows. "Need a hand Junie?" "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, laughing. She had a blue Christmas bow stuck to her shirt, right above her heart. "Joe! Can you get me a bunch of those really tall mugs from that cabinet?" He followed her pointing finger, and reached deep inside it and pulled out the large red and green striped mugs. Thinking they were a little dusty, he wiped them out with a damp paper towel, and left them on the counter. Jun had come down from the stool and left the open bag on mini-marshmallows there, and he grabbed a few. "Hey!" she laughed, turning around and rapping his hand lightly with a large spoon. "Save some of those for the hot chocolate!" "Yes, ma'am." Joe told her in mock seriousness, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He watched as Jun poured out steaming hot chocolate into each mug, and stuck a peppermint stick in each one. Jun poured a dollop of milk into a mug, then lifted it to her lips carefully, taste-testing it. A thoughtful look crossed her face, and she licked her lips, declaring it perfect. It was then that he caught Jun looking at him with an odd glint to her eye. Why did he suddenly feel as if he was standing in front of her stark naked? She cleared her throat, and leaned close to him. He could smell her perfume, mixing with spices from the kitchen. It was a heady combination, to say the least. "You do realize where you're standing right now, don't you?" A frantic, puzzled look crossed his features. "I'm in your kitc...." He stopped in mid sentence, then slowly glanced up at the ceiling. Yup. Mistletoe. Before he knew it, Jun stood up on her toes, and pressed herself against him. Her hands snaked into his tousled hair, and he felt her warm lips against his. Gently pressing at the corner of his mouth, sucking at his bottom lip. He couldn't help but wrap his arms about her in turn, not thinking of the others just steps away in the living room. She was warm and alive in his embrace, and she tasted of chocolate and mint. It was too soon when Jun gently disengaged herself, but stopped to cup his face in her hands. "Joe" she said quietly, a serious tone to her voice, green eyes gazing into his grey ones. "Merry Christmas." Still in a daze, he watched as she gathered the tray of hot chocolate, marshmallows and whipped cream, balancing it on the crook of her elbow. As she passed him, she shoved a mug at him and walked out of the kitchen without a backward glance. "Hey! Who wants hot chocolate with marshmallows!" Joe could hear her shout over the din. Joe stood in the doorway to the kitchen, leaning against the frame, just observing the antics in the living room. The mug of hot chocolate Jun had shoved at him, warming his hands. Ryu shoved Jinpei away from him, the youngster sprawled out on the floor, arms and legs akimbo, laughing so hard he was snorting. Ken hanging half off the couch, a mug in one hand, and rolling his eyes at the other two, as Jun passed him the tray of cookies again. Jun who was setting the tray back down again, telling them if they spilled anything on the carpet that they were cleaning it up themselves. A pillow from the couch suddenly smacked him in the face, bringing him back to the present. He could hear a cackle of laughter, and picked up the offending throw pillow to see Jun laughing at him from behind her hand. "You are gonna get it!" he told her, a grin spreading across his face as he set his mug down on a bookcase and stalked across the room. "PILLOW FIGHT!" Jinpei yelled, grabbing another pillow and smacking Ken across the head with it. Ryu held an round orange neck pillow in both hands and was trying to beat Jinpei senseless with it. Ken shouted out when Jun tried to hide behind him, as Joe snacked her across the butt with the pillow that had been thrown at him. Ken wound up falling off the couch and onto the floor, Joe almost stepping on his face. Jun snatched Jinpei's pillow from him, and tried to beat Joe off but it wasn't working. Laughter, shouting and thinly veiled threats of bodily harm filled the room. While all this was going on, in the back of his mind, Joe realized he was fortunate. He had a place to sleep, good food, and friends. No that wasn't right. He had family. People who cared about him. It was a gift.

How true, RB!

Very nice, RB! And I love the little moment there between Joe and Jun under the mistletoe! That certainly wasn't a 'peck on the cheek'!

This ficlet was inspired by my son, who was practicing his part for the Christmas Pageant at our church. ***** "It's Christmas morning!" Jinpei jumped out of bed, pounding on the door to Jun's room. "It's Christmas!" He ran down the hallway, slamming his fists at every doorway, making a racket to wake the dead. "Come on, it's Christmas!" he called, over and over, until four bleary-eyed teenagers stumbled from their rooms. "What time is it, Jinpei?" Ryu moaned. "It had better be time for the kid to shut up, so I can go back to sleep." Joe growled threateningly. "I think it's six am." Ken mumbled, looking the worse for wear. "Come on!" Jinpei tugged at their arms. "Let's get going!" "Uh, Jinpei..." Jun appeared to be uncomfortable. "You know that we were called to spend the night on base last minute, right? I don't think Santa had enough notice..." "What? You're kidding me, right?" Jinpei appeared indignant. "Santa knows everything! He can find us, no matter where we are!" "Maybe not underwater." Ryu pointed out, glancing over at the nervous Jun. "In a moveable base." Ken added, picking up the thread. "Maybe he won't come until a decent hour." Joe stated, turning around to go back into his room. "No, he has to have come!" Jinpei insisted. "I know it!" He ran off down the corridor, this time not waiting for any of them. He moved as quickly as he could, heading toward the break room where a small Christmas tree had been set up. When he arrived he yanked open the door, practically jumping through the entrance. The small, plastic tree still sat there, lopsided on its warped frame, a few scratched ornaments scattered amongst its ragged branches. And underneath it was... "Nothing." Jinpei couldn't believe it. Santa hadn't come. But why? He had been good this year. Well, okay, sometimes he played tricks on Ryu, or the others, and sometimes he ducked out of the chores Jun assigned. Sometimes. But no one could be good all of the time. He turned to find the others staring at him through the open door, their faces running the gamut from pity (Ken) to embarrassment (Jun) to sadness (Ryu) to mild disgust (Joe). "It's because there's no fireplace, see?" Jun attempted to explain. "And no windows that open, either." Ryu agreed. "Santa has no way to get in here!" "He visited every kid in the world, except me." Jinpei said quietly. "What's wrong with me?" Jun moved forward to give him a hug, just as their bracelets began to beep. 88888 Six hours later, Jinpei stared across the broken and battered remnants of what had been a thriving city, up until that morning. Galactor had set off a bomb in the downtown area, decimating anything within four kilometers of the area. While the Science Ninja Team had been able to catch the culprits and destroy their nearby base of operations, they had been too late to do anything to prevent the loss of life and livelihood for thousands of innocent civilians. A tent city had begun to emerge, as the Red Cross came to assist in sheltering those who had survived. The team had transformed back to their civilian clothes, moving amongst the crowd and volunteering as best they could. Yet for the moment, their work was done. Jinpei was about to turn and depart when he heard the sound of children singing. Curiously, he walked across to a large tent that had been set up. It was a professional job, with interior heaters and room to house at least a hundred people. As Jinpei pulled open the flap and stepped inside, he realized that there was some kind of performance going on. Weary, disheveled people sat upon the floor, watching a small group of children singing at one end of the tent. "I can offer precious myrrh." "I bring gold you might prefer." "Each of us a shiny thing." "These are the gifts we bring." Although the children were dressed in everyday clothing, some even in pajamas, Jinpei realized that they were putting on a Christmas pageant, as the three boys who had been singing placed imaginary boxes in front of a woman with a baby in her arms. Another group of children stepped forward to sing the next lines. "A manger for your tiny bed." "Some precious wool to rest your head." "An angel watching everything." "These are the gifts we bring." "Aren't they wonderful?" A woman standing nearby whispered to Jinpei, her eyes filled with tears. "The church is gone, their costumes are gone, their presents are gone, but they wanted to perform anyway. They've been practicing for weeks." "You can tell." Jinpei nodded. "They're good." He watched for a few moments longer, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Jun stood at his side, motioning quietly to Ken, Joe and Ryu, who were waiting in the entryway. When he looked at them, his family, Jinpei felt his eyes filling with tears that he hurriedly blinked back. Perhaps Santa hadn't come to the Crescent Coral Base that morning, but that didn't mean that Jinpei didn't have any gifts. He nodded slowly, following Jun to the exit as the children finished their song. "These are the gifts." "These are the gifts." "These are the gifts we bring."

RB: Love this slice of normal life ... TJ: That was really touching. Nice juxtaposition to make Jinpei realize what he has.

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A wonderful Christmas scene, RB Love it! Humbling indeed TJ, It certainly put Jinpei's disappointment into perspective.

Aww, thanks guys!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun And I love the little moment there between Joe and Jun under the mistletoe! That certainly wasn't a 'peck on the cheek'!

I just *had* to include a Christmas lip-lock. Joe'll be thinking about it for a while. TJ: That was very poignant. There are always people who have it worse off than we do. Sometimes a gentle reminder helps us to remember that. KT: Hatched?! Ummm, did I miss something? (It's quite possible believe me) *laughs* Ooh, countdown time!

RB and TJ -- these set me in a Christmas mood. RB -- the mistletoe will stay in my head TJ -- I think we can call this "The Bst Christmas Pageant Ever -- Gatch Version" KT -- oh boy, Condorgeddon is on the way!

KT, it sounds like Katse is wising up just as the KNT are about to act!

RB and TJ - They all have learned the true meaning of Christmas. It's who you're with, not what you get. KT - I want to know what's going to hatch, too.

Everyone was laughing at Keyop's expression as he tried the mincemeat pie. To some it was an acquired taste, but everyone had sworn they'd at least try it. Princess handed out the next round of presents. This was the first Christmas since the end of the war. She had brought her boyfriend, Thad. Tiny had brought his long-time girlfriend Alice. Mark was still trying ti figure out how to remove the Eagle from his life and Jason had brought new his wife Maggie. The Chief was watching all of them, a happy smile on his face. It was wonderful to see them all so relaxed, living the lives they were meant to have. Maggie finally took pity on Keyop and got up to take the remnants of the pie from him out to the kitchen. Jason opened his present. He stared into the box, dumbfounded. "What is it?" Mark asked, pulling out the new leather jacket Tiny had gotten him. His mouth hanging open, Jason lifted two small objects from the box: a pink booty and a blue booty. His eyes found Maggie as she stood at the entrance to the kitchen, a wide small on her lips. He slowly rose, the booties still in his hands. walking over to her. "Merry Christmas, Daddy," she whispered as he took her into his arms. A baby. The greatest gift of all.

KT: Thank goodness there's an antidote! Becky! I love this! Two booties of different colors? Could there possibly be two little Condors on the way?

What a great gift, Becky! I think Jason will be a great Dad!

Becky - a lovely story indeed, it's good to see them all building 'normal' lives after the war. I can't help thinking this seems to be a part of a longer fic though... will there be more to come?

BR: Possible twins? The Condor's been busy!

The two booties are because at this stage Maggie would have no idea if they're going to have a boy or girl. This was a one-shot just to get some juices flowing.

Originally posted by Becky Rock The two booties are because at this stage Maggie would have no idea if they're going to have a boy or girl.

...Or she's carrying a hermaphrodite! (A little Katse, anyone?) Now, how evil is THAT thought?

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock The two booties are because at this stage Maggie would have no idea if they're going to have a boy or girl.

...Or she's carrying a hermaphrodite! (A little Katse, anyone?) Now, how evil is THAT thought?

VERY, EW!!

Originally posted by KT1972

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock The two booties are because at this stage Maggie would have no idea if they're going to have a boy or girl.

...Or she's carrying a hermaphrodite! (A little Katse, anyone?) Now, how evil is THAT thought?

VERY, EW!!

Originally posted by KT1972

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock The two booties are because at this stage Maggie would have no idea if they're going to have a boy or girl.

...Or she's carrying a hermaphrodite! (A little Katse, anyone?) Now, how evil is THAT thought?

VERY, EW!!

Talk about unsettling!

LOL. I can tell you're loving this EW!

Actually, there is a precedent. For some reason, there are a number of Joe/female Katse fics out there. And we don't really know who this Maggie is.... Of course, this is BOTP, so Zoltar was 100% boy, and he had a sister who was 100% girl. Right?

Vivid imaginations, here! There is a fic - Aite, I think, where Joe and Katse have a child born a hermaphrodite that Nambu says can be influenced to one sex or the other by the parents, so Joe decide the child will be a boy and they named him Jason.

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Well you've certainly upped the ante! I had to snort when I saw Nambu going off on brain implants... just a little dig at BOTP, no?

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Well you've certainly upped the ante! I had to snort when I saw Nambu going off on brain implants... just a little dig at BOTP, no?

Ditto!

That's some horrible news, CW. Poor Ken. I'm curious to see what happens when Ken and Adam meet.

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Redbird: Aaaaw, I bet it was Ken helping Jinpei (the experienced one) bake and not vice versa. This is such a sweet scene. They so deserved a chance to just be kids/young adults on Christmas, and all of them I think would understand Joe's sentiment of what a gift it was that they had each other. TJ: Another sweet one. Jinpei finds perspective and those kids will never know just whose hearts they managed to touch that day. KT: As the team delivers a very special gift to their favourite purple villain Becky: I really liked the mention of Mark still trying to figure out how to un-Eagle himself. And oh boy, Jason's really in for it now! The funny thing is that I wasn't really thinking of BOTP when I wrote that bit! That might have been my subconscious at work. I do tend to think, though, that in BOTP they must have had some nasty failures before they got the carbonic implants working right, and there had to be people who suffered from those failures. I hadn't decided Ken's mom was a cyborg until this bit. I had a few versions of what might be up with her in my head, somehow this one crawled out and went "me! me!"

Originally posted by ChrisWI had a few versions of what might be up with her in my head, somehow this one crawled out and went "me! me!"

Somehow I find that image to be a wee bit unsettling, CW...

That's how our writing minds work sometimes. The characters take over.

Originally posted by Becky Rock That's how our writing minds work sometimes. The characters take over.

I was thinking more along the lines of some creepy-crawly erupting from her head...sort of like the baby alien erupting from that guy's chest...

TJ -- a story that could've been picked from today's headlines...and a great way to show the spirit of Christmas! KT -- ummm this is getting worrying. At least there's an antidote! Becky -- I love the way you show Princess with someone other than Mark, and how everyone is settling in!

With my overthinking nature, an alien bug burrowing out of my head might explain some things ...

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock That's how our writing minds work sometimes. The characters take over.

I was thinking more along the lines of some creepy-crawly erupting from her head...sort of like the baby alien erupting from that guy's chest...

In Alien or Spaceballs?

Originally posted by Becky Rock

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock That's how our writing minds work sometimes. The characters take over.

I was thinking more along the lines of some creepy-crawly erupting from her head...sort of like the baby alien erupting from that guy's chest...

In Alien or Spaceballs?

Well, Spaceballs was spoofing Alien....and we're talking about Chris here...you know, it could go either way!

Hmm knowing me, Spaceballs ...

I saw Alien when I was sixteen - it was my first R rated movie - and we had to all lie about our age to get in. Luckily, they didn't card us. So when I saw that scene in Spaceballs, I about peed my pants laughing.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I saw Alien when I was sixteen - it was my first R rated movie - and we had to all lie about our age to get in. Luckily, they didn't card us. So when I saw that scene in Spaceballs, I about peed my pants laughing.

Ah, but that was also during the days when you could go to multiscreen cinemas and watch movies all day for the price of one. I only did that a few times though, it was a long drive to the multiscreen cinema, and there is only one in the county.

This theater was single screen and within walking distance of my house. It closed about ten years later and has since been remodeled into offices.