Key: Bold = Authors note Italics = thoughts/dreams
Authors Note- Hello again everyone, Strykeruk here with a short wintery story in part to commemorate the freezing winter of 2013/4 for the USA and in part to simply celebrate a new year. Set after the events of my fanfic 'Birds of a feather', this is intended to be a slight bridge between it and any future tales that may or may not materialise ;) As such I recommend that you read my first story before this one. A quick thanks to anyone who reviewed or read my other fanfic. Hopefully this tale will be a feel good story and help show a bit of life for Nico and Janet, enjoy.
It was almost nine months since Nico had rescued Janet from the clutches of the smuggler Leandro and his vicious companion Bruno. The story of his daring rescue had managed somehow to get to the public (Nico blamed Pedro) and made Nico, Janet and Frankie minor celebrities for a while. What the stories tended to forget was the fact that it wasn't over. Nico and Janet had lived in panic for weeks upon learning that a strange black and white bird had been seen getting released from his cage outside the local bird clinic. However as the weeks turned into months they had relaxed and the terrible ordeal slipped from their minds as they learnt to enjoy life in Rio….
XXX
Nico woke with a slight start before remembering where he was and falling back into his nest which was stuffed with the insides of a pillow he and Janet had found thrown out. It was possibly the best material they could have found as it was both soft and good at keeping them warm without them overheating. Nico was just about to fall back to sleep when he heard a small scream coming from outside.
Instantly awake Nico jumped out of his nest. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was and for a second he almost believed he was back in New York at winter, this was also caused by the fact that he had found lots of things to decorate his nest similarly to his old home in New York. He'd even managed to scrounge another, albeit smaller battery powered Radio. The second thing he noticed was that despite his body clock telling him it was early morning, it was incredibly bright in his hollow. Before he could do anything further he heard a sudden flurry of wing beats and Janet flew into his home making him dodge to the left. She quickly landed at his side and grabbed his right wing.
"Oh my gosh Nico you have got to come outside" She blurted out at high speed whilst pulling on his wing.
"What is it?" Nico asked as he was dragged to his entrance.
"Come on!" Janet simply said still pulling strongly on his wing until they passed through his entrance where Nico was blinded by the bright light. Before he could regain his eyesight he heard Janet squeak and release his wing just as something hard hit him in the face disintegrating in the process but throwing Nico onto the ground which crunched beneath him. Wiping his eyes he slowly opened them whilst shielding them with his cap.
As his eyes adjusted Nico could make out the landscape around him that was intimately familiar and yet completely alien since everything was covered in a uniform layer of white. Not quite believing himself he bent down and scooped up some of what was on his branch. It was only when it started to melt in his wing that what had happened sunk in. It had snowed!
"Janet it's…" he went to call out but was interrupted by another ball of snow that smacked into his shoulder. Wheeling around he saw another snowball flying at him which he promptly ducked before glaring daggers at Frankie who stood sniggering on the branch of his hollow about 10 metres in front of him.
Before Nico could even think of getting revenge a massive drift of snow landed on Frankie flattening him against his branch. Looking above Frankie, Nico could see Janet standing on a branch higher up which was now devoid of snow. Upon Frankie's head popping out of the snow Nico couldn't help but laugh at his shocked and indignant expression. It was then that he realised which of the group was still missing and looked over to Pedro's hollow. Just as Frankie was extricating himself from the mound of snow and Janet was rolling about with laughter Nico called over to them.
"Janet, Frankie!" as they looked over he pointed at Pedro's hollow and flew over to it. As Frankie and Janet landed by him they could hear snoring coming from inside. Grinning slightly Nico gestured for Janet and Frankie to stay put while he filled his bottle cap with snow and carefully walked into Pedro's hollow. And up to Pedro's nest. Looking in Nico could see that Pedro was still fast asleep. With his inane grin still in place Nico upturned the capful of snow onto Pedro's head before flying out of the hollow at top speed. When he came to a stop outside the entrance he could hear Pedro thrashing about in surprise.
"Ack, what the?" Nico could hear Pedro spluttering and falling out of his nest. Looking next to him Nico nodded at Frankie and Janet who quickly threw two snowballs in through the entrance which Nico heard impact with soft thuds.
"ARGH okay who threw tha…" Pedro came charging out of his hollow but stopped in his tracks when he was blinded by the sudden light from the snow. Slowly he opened them again and started looking around with confusion written on his face.
"Erm Nico…. What's going on?" He took a step but froze when the ground beneath him crunched.
Nico was shocked at the panic on Pedro's face "Don't tell me you've never seen snow before?"
"You mean you have?!" Pedro was slowly lifting his foot and looking at the print he had left behind.
"Yeah we all saw it every winter in New York" Janet said just as surprised by Pedro's reaction as Nico.
"It's just frozen water… sort of." Frankie interjected.
"No that's ice, this is not ice" Pedro said stubbornly. Deciding to prove the point Nico took some snow and rubbed it between his wings and showed Pedro as it slowly started to melt.
"Okay so it is water, but why is it so cold today." Pedro shivered a little and puffed out his feathers.
"It's not that cold" said Nico, his opinion quickly matched by Frankie and Janet although they agreed it was a little nippy.
"Okay you guys are just acting weird today." Pedro said before deciding to pick up a bit of snow himself. With a mischievous look he threw it at Nico only to get disappointed as it disintegrated in mid-air.
Chuckling Nico picked up a large clump of snow. "Like this" he said showing Pedro as he compacted it into a tight ball before turning and throwing it at a tree across the clearing where it splatted and stuck. Pedro quickly copied him but missed his target completely and ended up throwing it into the ground to everyone's amusement. Whilst he continued practicing with Janet's help Frankie walked up to Nico.
"Hey Nico, what if everyone reacts the same way that Pedro did?"
Nico thought for a second and realised what Frankie meant which made him start to worry. Pedro on his own would have been bad enough and he was a pretty confident and sometimes stupidly impetuous bird but if no one in Rio had seen snow before then there might be a lot of confused and possibly scared birds out there. Nico turned to Frankie and told him what he'd just thought.
"We should check on Rafael, he'll know what people are likely to do." Frankie said slowly
"I thought you'd built up your own little web by now." Nico said, half teasingly.
"Hey it ain't easy starting from scratch whilst also having to learn a new language. Besides Rafael has had years to get to know everyone, I'm not sure I'll ever have that kind of insider knowledge." Frankie seemed slightly despondent for a moment.
"Hey Frankie I was kidding, you're doing great and I bet you'll catch Rafael soon." Whilst he was talking Janet flew over to Nico and Frankie.
"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" She looked back at Pedro whose throws were getting slightly more accurate as he practiced.
"We were thinking that we should check up on Rafael and get advice. This jungle is full of birds who have probably never seen snow before." Nico could tell by Janet's expression that she hadn't thought about that either. She turned towards Pedro who was winding back for another throw.
"Pedro" she called just as he threw the snowball and managed to hit what he was aiming for.
"Whoo, this is mega dope!" he shouted before turning to face Janet "What?"
"We're going to check on Rafael, you coming?"
"Sure thing, hold up" Pedro flew over to them as they all took off and headed towards Rafael. Whilst everything looked slightly different covered in snow Janet, Nico and Frankie had plenty of experience recognising things through snow although they still had to fly above the tree tops to get their bearings a couple of times. Along the way they saw none of the usual life that would be permeating the jungle by this time. Occasionally they spotted a few enterprising souls but on the whole It was both sobering and beautiful in a way as the silence was of a kind that none of them had experienced before.
XXX
It took nearly fifteen minutes to find their way to Rafael's as they got lost a couple of times. When they finally got there saw Rafael standing perfectly still on top of the boulder in the middle of his clearing and staring at the snow.
"Hey Ralfi!" Pedro called, making Rafael jump slightly before gesturing frantically at them.
"Shhhhh…" he hissed before pointing for them to come closer.
"What is it?" Janet asked hovering in the air.
"Eva asked me to watch the kids whilst she went to see if she could find any food."
"What kids?" Frankie asked looking around the empty clearing in confusion. In response Rafael pointed at a small hole in the snow. When they looked they noticed a small pair of eyes that quickly disappeared back into the snow. Looking around they saw dozens of similar holes.
"The kids refuse to come inside. Whenever I go to get one of them I get pelted by balls of whatever this stuff is."
"Snow" Nico quickly interjected. Seeing Rafael look at him in confusion Nico added "We got it all the time in New York.
"Alright well I've never seen 'snow' in Rio before and it's starting to creep me out. Eva took some persuading to get out of the hollow and this Jungle is far too quiet. Did you guys see anyone on the way here?
Nico shook his head.
"That's why we came here. We thought you'd know how birds are likely to react to this."
"Duck!" shouted Janet just as a small ball of snow went whizzing through the air near to their heads. Rafael whirled around but the chick in question had hidden again. Sighing he turned back.
"Anyway… if guess right then most birds will be nervous about the whole, it's not too unnerving so we should be alright. My concern is actually that this will never happen again."
"Why's that" Nico asked.
"I've never seen this before, and I've never heard of this before. It seems like such a wasted opportunity if we do nothing to remember it." Rafael said.
As he was talking, Nico, Frankie and Janet looked at each other and nodded conspiratorially.
"Ralfi, I want you to tell everyone you know that there is going to be a performance at the club tonight." Nico said suddenly
Rafael and Pedro both looked at the three of them in surprise.
"Who by, you?" Pedro asked
"Together?" Rafael said.
"Yes, us, together. Well maybe not Frankie but he will definitely help" Nico said seeing Rafael and Pedro's slightly dubious expressions.
"Don't worry Ralfi we did it all the time back in New York. Sort of" Janet interjected trying to ease their suspicions.
"Uh huh… well alright then since you three seem to be the experts." Raphael conceded
"Awesome!" Nico said
"We don't exactly have much time to get ready guys so we should probably get started" Frankie said.
"Sure, hey Pedro you stay here and help Ralfi. Catch you later!" Nico said as the three of them sped off towards Rio.
Pedro stood next to Rafael for a moment. "Wait, what?" he said before looking at one of the toucan chicks peeping at him. "Oh boy".
XXX
As Nico, Janet and Frankie flew over the jungle and then the city they were stunned by the difference in both. The jungle was quiet and still with only the occasional disturbance from the more hardy or inquisitive inhabitants. The city was just as dramatic a difference if not more so for the three of them who had never thought of the city as anything but bustling. Whilst the city was still teeming with activity it was with an entirely different vibe to usual.
Unlike New York where there was plenty of knowledge on how to deal with snow Rio was unprepared and so people stayed at home whilst children played in the streets dressed in whatever warm clothing could be found and throwing snow at each other and likely copying activities they'd heard of. The comparison was startling but not unpleasant as the city felt relaxed.
It took them nearly half an hour to find the club as it had been covered in snow making it blend in with its surroundings. When they managed to get inside they found Victor and Felipe cleaning the place. They both spotted them as soon as they arrived.
"Hey what are you three doing here?" Victor called looking up from wiping the bar counter.
"I'd ask you the same thing. Do you too always stay here? And aren't you scared of the snow?" Nico replied
"Huh, so that's what it is." Victor said "Hey Felipe, the white stuff outside is called snow!" Felipe gave a thumbs up from the stage before carrying on moving crates around. Victor looked back to Nico.
"To answer your question we aren't always here but when we realised the snow would keep everyone indoors we decided it would be a perfect opportunity to clean up the club, thanks to you guys it's more popular than ever and besides we quickly realised the snow wasn't dangerous. Now I think it's time you answer my question." Victor folded his wings and waited for a response.
"Well we all had a similar thought to you guys, except we decided we should take advantage of this in another way; I mean when is it likely to snow in Rio again?" Janet asked rhetorically.
"Let me guess" Felipe said since he'd been listening in on the conversation "you want to hold a performance." Seeing the surprised look on their faces he grinned. "I mean what else would you guys come here for when there are no scheduled performances."
"Well you guessed right" Frankie said. "We'll need some help if we are going to pull this off properly. Are you two in?" Frankie looked back at Felipe who looked at Victor who simply shrugged and said,
"Sure I mean that's what the clubs for, and we can always do cleaning later."
"Sweet!" Nico said before gesturing for everyone to gather round.
"Right guys, this is what we're gonna need…."
XXX
For the next dozen hours the five of them spent their time either rehearsing or getting the club ready for action again. Felipe was able to find a couple of the usual backstage crew and band to come along although not having a full complement limited them all as to what they could do and Nico and Janet resolved that they wouldn't try anything like the pyrotechnics of the last time they'd performed together. Frankie was hard at work gathering decorations and helping with the set-up, as well as spreading the word to the immediate community although for the most part he stayed in the club. It was just beginning to darken when they all had a break to check their progress.
The Bar had been polished and all the drinks restocked, the crates that made up the stage had been checked for damage and the stage had new objects placed including several platforms with links between them. The tarpaulin covering the club had been checked for tears of which the few found had been repaired. The backstage area had been slightly enlarged by the stage adjustments and now had access to both sides of the club. However the finishing touch had been provided by Frankie who, given the occasion had found not only a relatively new instrument set for the band but also decorations for the entire club which was now bedecked with tinsel, coloured lights and even somehow a mini Christmas tree which Frankie refused to explain how he'd found in the middle of Rio.
"This is so sweet!" Nico said when they'd finished.
"I can't believe how awesome it looks" Janet replied, a sentiment that everyone else agreed with.
"I reckon people will be appearing any minute now." Felipe said before turning to his brother "we should get to our places" he said as victor headed over to the bar and the other backstage birds went over and started warming up for playing. Frankie went outside to fetch the few birds who'd arrived early whilst Nico and Janet relaxed at the bar and sipped on flavoured water. They weren't performing till later when more people had arrived. Nico looked over at Janet for a moment and thought for a moment just how different their lives had become since arriving in Rio.
"Hey Janet?" He asked
"Hmm?" Janet stopped mid-sip and looked over at him.
"Do you ever regret it? Staying in Rio I mean." His mind wondered back to the kind of life they'd had in New York.
Janet seemed a little surprised at the question but after thinking for a minute she seemed to make her mind up.
"No. I mean at the time it was a bit hectic and in some ways frightening, what with an entirely different city and surrounded by strangers. I probably would have gone home if it weren't for you and Frankie. However once I got past the worst of the language barrier (Janet's Brazilian was nearly fluent now) and started to feel the rhythm of the city I realised I was actual having more fun here than I'd ever had in my life. Everything here is just so… fresh and colourful. You and I were always a little too bright for New York but here everyone is so full of energy and it's every day. I think that if I went back to New York now I'd be bored stiff." Janet lapsed back into silence for a moment whilst Nico digested what she'd said.
"What about you?" Janet said snapping Nico back to the present "It's just that you've changed so much since we came here."
"What do you mean?" Nico asked. He knew he was different but wanted to see what his sister thought.
"Well for one you might as well be a local with the ease you've fit in. I still stick out like a missing feather but most of the time you seem like you've lived in Rio for years. I'd have to guess that the biggest change is your confidence. Do you remember what you were like back in New York?" Janet chuckled slightly at her memories. "You refused to go into the limelight unless you had no choice; it was always me first, now nothing seems to faze you. I don't completely know why Nico but you seem to have grown up more in one year than you have your entire life."
Janet seemed to shake herself out of her reflective mood before grinning at Nico "And yet you still manage to be the craziest person I know. Looks like your plan is working" She gestured behind Nico where dozens of birds were starting to enter and find places to sit and listen to the calm music that was being played, it was less than usual and Nico doubted the club would fill like it usually did but it was more than he'd worried would turn up. The arriving birds including Pedro and Rafael who quickly flew over to them.
"Man this place is popping!" Pedro said high-fiving Nico. "But you owe me big, those chicks are killer" He turned around showing an area where his feathers were only at half length, the sight made Nico wince.
"I'll pay you back amigo" Rafael said patting Pedro on the back. "but it's time you two tell us your plan. And I also agree that this place is looking nice, not sure about the decorations though." He flicked a piece of tinsel that was strung under the bar.
"Don't worry Rafael, it's just for today" Janet said.
"Yeah, we decided that since we New Yorkers know plenty about snow we should put on a winter show for everyone in Rio. Don't worry guys, it'll be awesome" Nico looked over at Frankie who was flying over.
"Hey Nico, Janet, the number of birds arriving is slowing quickly, I doubt many more are coming." He gestured behind him to where the stream of birds had turned into a trickle of one or two.
"Well, I guess that's our queue." Nico said hopping off the seat he was on.
"Wish us luck" Janet said as they quickly walked off-stage to where Felipe was waiting for them. As they got close they made sure that all the backstage singers and the band were all ready to go. When they'd all given the all clear Nico looked back at Felipe who was waiting expectantly.
"You think they'll enjoy it?" He asked, indicating the crowd with a nod of the head.
"I know the song is a little unusual for Rio but hey, this entire day is unusual for Rio. And I doubt anyone out there is in the mood for jumping around" Nico responded.
"Besides what's a little more oddness for a memorable day?" Janet added with a shrug that hid her pre-performance nerves.
"Ha! Well put you two. Since you're all set I'll go and announce you. Best of luck guys." With that he walked onto the stage to address the crowd who hushed down to hear what he said.
"Hello everyone ,it is wonderful to see how many of you managed to get here on this strange day. First off we should all thank Rafael and Pedro for getting us all here and telling us what was going on." At his words the club burst into applause as a spotlight shone on Rafael and Pedro who grinned. As the applause wound down Felipe lifted his voice to speak again. "Now some of may not now but two of our resident performers extraordinaire are ex-New Yorkers who claim that this is not the first time they have seen this kind of weather but that it is common where they come from." A small murmur went through the crowd but didn't' last long.
"As such" Felipe continued "they have decided to put on a performance for us. I now hand you over to the two performers in question who are of course Nico and Janet!" As he finished he hurried off the stage, taking advantage of the closer exit. As he did so the lights went down so as to only softly illuminate the stage whilst snow was sprinkled on to the stage by some of the back stage crew to make it appear as if it was snowing.
XXX
(Authors note- sorry for the immersion breaker but in case you haven't read my previous fanfic I am going to explain how my songs tend to work. During the verses of the song each line will have a letter in front of it that denotes which character is singing. For example N: la, la, la would be Nico singing whilst J: la, la, la would be Janet singing NJ would be both of them singing the same line, N(J) would be Nico singing the part out of brackets and Janet the part in brackets. If there are several characters with the same first letter I will say before the song what letter(s) represent what character. Between the verses I tend to put actions or character thoughts, you'll probably have to use your imaginations to put them in the right place according to the song as I don't want to put the actions/thoughts between every line of the song as it becomes hard to follow that song that way. Authors note over. Back to Rio! :D )
XXX
Slow and tranquil music started playing making Nico grin at Janet with associated memories before he prepared to step onto the stage. He might be a lot more confident than he used to but he still got a little hyped before a performance and had to take a few deep breaths and was surprised to see Janet do exactly the same. It was then that he realised this was the first time they had performed together since New York and the first time where they were both fronting singers rather than Nico acting as a support. Before he could comment he heard his queue quickly approaching and slowly slid onto the stage without rush and started to sing clearly and calmly.
N: sleighbells ring, are you list'nin?
N: in the lane snow is glist'nin
N: a beautiful sight
N: we're happy tonight
N: flying through a winter wonderland!
Finishing his first verse Nico could tell Janet's entrance was coming so he walked slowly towards one side so as not to obstruct her. Nico knew the second she walked on stage as the heads of all the birds in the room turned to look at her right before she started to sing.
N: gone away is the bluebird
J: here to stay is the new bird
J: we sing a love song
J: while we stroll along
NJ: flying through a winter wonderland!
As they sang they changed their tunes and positions to complement each other. It was something they'd learnt in New York but now it was mutual.
NJ: in the meadow we can build a snowman
NJ: then pretend that he is Parson Brown
N: he'll say, "are you married?"
J: we'll say, "no, man!
NJ: but you can do the job when you're in town!"
It was easy for Nico to tell when a person or even a crowd was enthralled by a song. It wasn't just if they started dancing to it but also the looks on their faces as their mood started to match the type of song. As it was he could see some of the birds smiling, especially older ones. All of them however were calm and listening intently.
NJ: later on we'll conspire
NJ: as we dream by the fire
NJ: to face unafraid
NJ: the plans that we've made
NJ: flying through a winter wonderland!
As the instruments began to play louder in their part Nico and Janet stopped singing and danced together in a slow rhythm. It was at times like this that Janet totally eclipsed him. Whilst he was a good dancer Janet was exceptional and it was only when she slowed right down that you began to appreciate it. It was relatively easy for someone to dance quickly and look good as the speed let them get away with the little flaws, when you went slowly however everyone could see what was going on. Despite this when they were dancing Nico felt more like a prop as everyone's gaze was focused on his sister whose every action was perfectly measured and elegant yet seemed to waste no energy even when twirling around. Eventually though the instrumental part came to an end and they separated to start singing again.
NJ: in the meadow we can build a snowman
NJ: then pretend that he is parson brown
N: he'll say, "are you married?"
J: we'll say, "no, man!
NJ: but you can do the job when you're in town!"
NJ: later on we'll conspire
NJ: as we dream by the fire
NJ: to face unafraid
NJ: the plans that we've made
NJ: flying through a winter wonderland!
When Nico stopped singing he reached behind the stage and wheeled on a small snowman they had quickly made before the show with Frankie's help since he'd realised no one would know what a snowman actually was. This grabbed many of the audience's attention and elicited a few chuckles.
J: in the meadow we can build a snowman
J: We'll pretend that he's a circus clown
J: we'll have lots of fun with mr. snowman
J: until the other birds knock him down!
At that the snowman was pulled back behind the stage by a rope attached to its small cart by Frankie and Felipe.
N: when it snows, ain't it thrillin'
J: though your beak gets a chillin'?
NJ: we'll frolic and play
NJ: the Brazilian way
NJ: flying through a winter wonderland!
NJ: flying through a winter wonderland!
As they went into the final chorus Janet jumped into the air whilst two helpers carried small bags of snow and dropped it over the crowd in a circuit.
N(J): flying through a winter wonderland!(we're flying!)
N: flying through a winter wonderland!
N(J): flying through a winter wonderland! (We're flying!)
N: flying through a winter wonderland!
On the last beat Janet landed next to Nico and the posed together. After a second the crowd snapped back to life and stared clapping furiously while Nico and Janet bowed. After a couple of minutes Felipe walked back on stage giving them an excuse to slip off.
"Well that was something. I'm not sure how we're going to carry on now but the stage is open to anyone who wants to have a go. Also I believe the erm… snowman is going to be wheeled out in a moment along with its maker for you to have a look at. But everyone lets have another round of applause for Janet and Nico!" He gestured back stage causing them to walk back on and wave for the applause before just as quickly walking back off soon after.
xxx
"Damn girl you were super-mega uber dope! Nico was on fire too." Pedro said as Janet managed to wade her way over to the bar after shaking wings with dozens of birds. Nico was still trapped back in the crowd. As Janet looked back she saw him wink at a group female birds who promptly swooned and she swore she saw one faint, which made Janet grin before turning back to Pedro.
"Thanks Pedro, looks like the ladies share your enthusiasm." She gestured over her shoulder.
"What you think he's the only one drawing in the fans? Girl how many guys did you have to shake wings with or dodge round to get here?" Pedro looked at her expectantly. Thinking back Janet realised he was right, whilst a few girls had congratulated her there were plenty of guys trying to get her attention too, in particular a pair of very persistent parakeets who'd taken quite a bit of persuading since they considered them ladies men but Janet just found them obnoxious . Looking up she saw Pedro's smug expression.
"Okay so maybe your right." Janet said grudgingly. "but I'm really not interested. Nico's more the flirter."
At this point Rafael, who'd been watching Nico's slow progress jumped into the conversation. "I think you'd be surprised at Nico. Flirt he may but it's no more sincere than your shaking wings. Trust me Janet, I know the signs and your brother isn't interested in any of these birds. He just seems to enjoy making them swoon a little. I reckon he's picked it up from Pedro here"
"Ain't nothin wrong with showing the ladies some love" Pedro said defensively
Before the conversation could carry on Nico finally reached the bar with a sigh.
"I'm not sure what's harder. The performance or the meet and greet afterwards." He said wearily.
"Just be glad you're not in Frankie's position." Janet said, pointing over to where Frankie was busy showing people how he had made the snowman.
"True enough, but I am beat." Nico said.
"I reckon it's time for you two to rescue your friend and make a hasty retreat. You both look wiped out. Don't worry, we'll cover for you." Rafael explained whilst nudging a reluctant Nico off his seat.
"Sure thing Ralfi, thank you." Janet responded, taking Nico's wing and dragging him through the crowd.
XXX
What seemed like an hour later the three of them were out of the club and flying through the jungle towards their home. Along the way they saw a few attempts at snowmen, although they tended to resemble large boulders more than actual figures they did provide a good chuckle and show that at least some birds were comfortable with the snow now.
When they finally reached home they settled on the highest tree branches and looked towards Rio which could be seen with its lights on across the Horizon with the ocean just beyond. Sitting there they all thought about the day and what tomorrow would bring.
"You think the snow will stay?" Nico asked
"I doubt it, it already feels a little warmer and it's at night." Frankie's guess seemed a good one as they saw a clump of snow fall from a tree onto the ground leaving a wet but bare branch behind.
"Shame, but it was good while it lasted, a little taste of home." Nico said.
"Not home. Just New York. This is our home now." Janet said gesturing to the glowing city with the jungle before it and the ocean beyond. Nico and Frankie just nodded and kept watching the city.
Authors Note- well everyone that is that and I hope you liked my little melancholic acceptance at the end. I tried to make this story the point at which the three of them finally accept Rio as their home. Once again a shout out to Jixstun and his story 'Fantasy can happen in Rio', but also to Rob the Ara Macaw whose first fanfic 'The Fantasy begins in Rio' is a prequel for Jixstun's story. The song was winter wonderland and I used the Michael Bouble and Leona Lewis versions for inspiration. As always reviews or PMs are welcomed and I will try to answer any questions you have J
Strykeruk out.