A/N: Woot! Christmas time again! This one is filled to the brim with special surprises, and the most unexpected thing happens, but you'll see what I mean in the end... Anyway, merry Christmas to everyone!
Chapter 1: An Evening Meeting
"CHRISTMAS TIME AGAAAIN!" the Ham-Hams screamed excitedly as they danced around to Christmas carols playing on a tape player. Caitlin watched them as she stirred a pot of burlee on the stove in the kitchen. Boss stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist and looked over her shoulder.
"Whatcha cookin'?" Boss inquired.
"Burlee."
"Never heard of it, never will have it. It sounds too French."
"Shut up, Boss..."
"When are we gonna get the tree?" Hamtaro inquired as he walked over.
"I don't know... I suppose we'll get it tomorrow so they don't run out of trees," Boss responded as he turned around toward him. "Have you guys picked out the decorations?"
"The girls are supposed to pick them out later, possibly when CC isn't busy over the stove."
"Hey!" Caitlin retorted as she turned around. "My cooking is WAY better than Boss's, and I hope you know that. And where's Bossy?"
"Pashmina and Penelope are playing with him... I think he likes watching us singing Christmas carols."
Caitlin's eyes turned into sapphire gems. "Oh, baby's first Christmas!" She sighed poetically. "This year, Christmas will be so much more special... I hope, unless Boss decides to go on some expedition to Hamster City-"
"Hey, that was for a construction project!" Boss riposted.
Caitlin nodded unsurely. "Sure, you were gone for about a week... Remind us again what you were building."
Boss turned pale. "I can't remember..."
"Oh wellys." Caitlin kissed him on the cheek. "That doesn't matter now."
"HIII," Natsu shouted as she walked into the clubhouse with Kayla and Megan following her. She was holding Kay and Jay in her arms. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
"Hey gallies," Caitlin responded. "They're complaining that I cook too much."
"Well, I'm going out for a while," Boss declared. He kissed Caitlin on the cheek as he walked out the door.
"Bye, Boss!" Caitlin called after him as the door closed shut behind him. "...I can tell he's up to something."
"He most likely is," Howdy remarked as he walked over. "Maybe he's got you a mighty fine Christmas present, heh heh heh..."
Meanwhile, Boss walked along the river. The winter evening was coming with its cool breeze and freezing night. The river was partially frozen and was a dark blue ice block. He walked in the darkness of dusk as he traveled along the river.
"Hashaa! Why are you out here?" the oh-so-familiar voice of Mike rang in his ears.
Boss sighed. "Why are you out here?"
Mike walked into sight, but he was still really hard to see since his fur was pitch black, a black that blended in with the night. "Well, I was...uh... thinking about Plan B of Plan C... I forgot about it-"
"You can shut up now."
"How about you shut up now? I forgot about it, and I really wanted to do it last Christmas, but I hadn't the chance since I forgot about it... But this year I'm going to do it."
"As long as it doesn't involve any of the others, okay?"
"Sure thing." Mike winked slyly and looked the other way with his bold, chocolate brown eyes. "I was just thinking... You and I have a lot in common. Why don't we try to befriend each other? You know, join forces or sign a treaty or something?"
Boss glanced down at the ground. "That sounds good..."
"We didn't really get off on a good foot that year and a half ago... I was just thinking if you'd like to come walk with me in the morning for my morning walk. You know, everyone has to get out of their place in the morning or they'd go insane..."
Boss nodded. "Sure, what time do you start?"
"Five. Sometimes four thirty."
"...Okay... I'll do that. Where-"
"The bench down there... I'll call you on your cellphone when I'm down there tomorrow... We can do this for a while until I get sick of you or you get sick of me."
"Alright."
"Well, I'll be down there around five tomorrow morning... Hashaa-sha!" Mike walked away into the pitch black darkness.
Boss shrugged as he walked back to the clubhouse. The Ham-Hams had already left for home, and Caitlin was now putting her burlee into the refrigerator. He walked over and whispered in her ear, "I'm going on a walk in the morning around five. I might be back around six or seven... I'm not sure. Maybe eight at the latest. If I'm not back by then, just get the others to go ahead and get the tree without me."
"Again this year?" Caitlin inquired. "They got it without you last year... You've gotta get it this year, or they'll feel outcast."
"Buh, if I let them get it without me?"
"...Never mind, I don't know what I'm talking about." Caitlin walked out of the kitchen and into the main room. Boss sighed as he followed her. She turned around toward him and whispered, "Look, this is Bossy's first Christmas. Take him on that walk with you, will you?"
Boss's eyes went wide. "I don't know... I think he should stay inside-"
"Bossy isn't going to grow much if he doesn't get any sunlight."
"There won't be any sunlight until eight, and I prob'ly will be in by then..."
"I can get everyone to stay here until you come back to get the tree. I really wanna go get it this year since I didn't last year, and you didn't either. Bossy needs to come, too."
Boss sighed. "Alrighteh. I'll be back by seven thirty. Bossy comes first."
"Oh, yes, you do remember we got the family pictures tomorrow night, right?"
"Sha... I forgot all about that... Do we have to wear anything special?"
"Don't worry, I got it all planned out. Just make sure you look nice for it."
"Oh, yeah...peh..."
Caitlin walked over to a play pen where Bossy was lying underneath a red and green blanket asleep. She picked him up and whispered, "Time for a bath, wittle Bossy Wossy!"
Bossy giggled as he kicked his little feet around in the air and flapped his ears. Caitlin spun him around in the air and whispered different remarks to him. Boss watched them spin jovially with his sparkling baby blue eyes.
CC's so beautiful when she's so happy..., he thought as he watched her. So beautiful...