AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This short story is based on the fanfic All I Want for Christmas, which is authored by measuremesky and can be found on this website. The story All I Want for Christmas focuses on a Christmas shopping excursion taken by the five ninja brothers and the girlfriends of three of them. My story narrates a dream that Cole might have had later that night, in which he imagines shopping with his girlfriend Brooke at Hayward's, a fancy department store in downtown Ninjago City. Measuremesky, who is a family member of mine, gave me permission to use her material.

Chapter 1

Cole fell asleep that night with a smile on his face, happy that he got to spend some time with his girlfriend Brooke today on a Christmas shopping adventure which included his ninja brothers and Nya and Sam. He began to dream...

Browsing in the furniture department of Hayward's, one of Ninjago City's fanciest department stores, was not Cole's first choice in spending his time. However, he was doing it because his girlfriend, Brooke, wanted to search for a suitable end table as a possible Christmas gift for her parents. The Dawsons lived in a town about three hours away from Ninjago City, and their furniture stores did not have the wide variety of styles that stores in the big metropolis did. Brooke, a student at Ninjago University, was taking advantage of her proximity to Hayward's to examine their table offerings.

Cole checked the watch he wore on his left arm as he held onto the silky smooth hand of the lovely willowy brunette on his right. "We have twenty minutes till we meet the rest of the team at the food court," he informed her.

All five ninja brothers and the girlfriends of three of them - Nya, Sam, and Brooke - had come to visit Hayward's today for the purpose of browsing for ideas about what they could give as Christmas gifts to the people they wanted to shop for. For a while they had walked around the store as one whole group, but then they decided to split up, arranging to reconvene at a predetermined time. Cole and Brooke went up to the eighth floor of the store.

"I know you think furniture shopping is boring," Brooke replied, squeezing her boyfriend's hand. "You wanna go sit down on that recliner in front of that TV while I see what they have here?" She pointed to a oversize luxurious leather recliner.

Cole looked to where she was pointing. "Not a bad idea," he grinned.

"Hello, may I help you find something today?" a pleasant voice interrupted them. It belonged to the saleswoman, who appeared to be in her late 20s.

"Hi! Yeah, I'm looking for an end table for my parents," Brooke answered.

The saleswoman smiled. "End tables are generally with living room furniture, which is over beyond the beds. Let me walk you over there."

Cole let go of Brooke's hand so she could follow the woman while he walked over to the inviting brown chair and sat in it. It was the kind of chair which came with an electronic controller that activated the power reclining mechanism, an internal seat heater, and a built-in massager.

"Sweet!" the earth ninja said out loud as he tested the capabilities of the recliner. The furniture department was quickly becoming his favorite one at Hayward's. Not only did it have high-tech furniture, but its location - on the eighth floor of the building, far away from the frantic crowds on the lower levels - made it seem like an oasis in the middle of the city.

There were no other customers around, so Cole picked up the nearby remote control to the TV and flipped channels until he found a sports program that looked interesting.

"How are we doing here?" the saleswoman said, surprising him as she walked up to where he sat.

"Oh, uh, fine. Just waiting for my girlfriend over there," he replied, gesturing toward Brooke, who he could see was browsing about thirty yards away.

"Well, if you have any questions about this recliner or the TV, my name is Anne, so please feel free to ask."

"Uh, OK. Thanks, Anne."

Anne walked over to her nearby desk and sat down to take care of some paperwork. Cole began to get absorbed in the sports program on the TV in front of him.

However, because the furniture department was so quiet, Cole's attention was drawn away from the TV when a new customer approached. Actually, Cole wondered if the guy was actually a customer. A scruffy looking man - dressed in faded jeans, a dusty leather jacket, and a T-shirt with holes - approached the saleswoman. He looked to be in his late 20s.

Anne quickly stood up from her desk when she spotted him. "What are you doing here, Jerry?" she tersely asked him.

"Annie, baby, I came to talk to you here at your work, since I don't know how to reach you at that new apartment you moved to," he said.

"Don't call me Annie, Jerry. And you need to leave now. My supervisor will be back from her break any minute."

Jerry placed his hand on her desk. "Anne, please come back to me. I'll be a better boyfriend. I promise."

"Too late, Jerry. I've had it with you."

Cole became uncomfortable with having to overhear this private conversation. He pushed the electronic controller of the recliner to force the leg rest down, then he got up and went in search of Brooke.

He found her. "You about ready to go, babe? 'Cause I am," he announced. "The saleswoman over there is having an argument with her ex-boyfriend."

Brooke looked over at the arguing ex-couple. "I can see why he's an ex," she commented.

Then she sighed. "I guess we can go now, anyway. I think I'm going to have to ask my mom for some more details about what kind of end table she wants. But first," she said, ruefully smiling, "I have to use the ladies' room."

The women's restroom was not far from Anne's desk. Cole rolled his eyes. He'd have to pass by the couple again.

"OK, I'll wait by the recliner I was in," he grumbled.

They walked back and Cole sat on the edge of the recliner while Brooke entered the ladies' room. The argument was getting more heated.

"So why'd you pick the time right before Christmas to leave?" Jerry whined to Anne. "I'll be alone."

Anne crossed her arms. "Shoulda thought of that before you became such a jerk!"

Just then, an older woman in her 40s arrived. Cole could tell she was Anne's supervisor. "Everything OK here?" she asked.

"Hi, Betty. Yeah, he was just leaving. I'll be back in a minute after I use the restroom." Anne turned and purposefully strode toward the restroom door, past the seated Cole.

Jerry followed her. "Anne, Anne, wait. Anne, listen to me. I need you. Anne, listen!" Anne kept going.

Cole decided it was time to intervene. He got up to follow Jerry.

When Anne reached the entrance of the multi-stall facility for ladies, she grasped the handle and opened the door, planning to seek refuge from the man who was bothering her.

But to the horror of Cole and Betty, Jerry suddenly pulled out a small handgun from his jeans pocket and pushed her in front of him as they both went in.

Jerry, his voice echoing from inside the bathroom, yelled, "NOW you're gonna listen to me!" Then a gunshot rang out.