Christmas at the Manor

Fara Phoenix muttered curses to herself as she slogged through the snow to reach the front door of her house. The house, situated just a few miles outside of Corneria City, stood two stories tall with a simple front and back yard on either side. Both she and her husband could have easily afforded a more luxurious and opulent home, but considering what Boniface would one day inherit it hardly seemed a necessary investment. Besides, after Star Fox had retired a few years ago everyone had slowly begun moving into the same neighborhood, in fact Fox and Krystal lived right next door, and Bill and Fay another two doors down after that. Neither Fara or Boniface minded living in middle class suburbia if it meant living close to friends.

At the moment of this Christmas Eve Fara was returning home from a short trip over to Bill and Fay's house to retrieve the presents she had hidden there for her son James. Bill and Fay remained for the moment childless, a state of being that Fara sometimes envied, especially when it came to the problem of hiding Christmas gifts. Fara's eight year old son James Whitefur was becoming increasingly clever about finding his gifts before they were wrapped. Last year he had stumbled upon a mix of wrapped and unwrapped packages and had learned the very hard way just where Santa's presents actually came from. After that he had moped around the house for the entirety of Christmas week. Fara had decided after that incident that she would have to hide presents somewhere other than the house that James lived in. Fox and Krystal hid their presents with Miyu and Panther, so Fara had decided to call on the only other people she knew who didn't have a kid old enough to be zeroing in on presents like a bloodhound.

Of course hiding the presents outside of the house always forced her to do the one thing she absolutely loathed doing during the winter, go outside. As a fennec Fara's coat of winter fur seemed barely worth mentioning, in fact it did virtually nothing to stave off the cold of a Corneria winter. Days like these often made her wish she could spend Christmas at the Sands Resort on Titania, it would be so much more pleasant. Today for the trip which would require perhaps ten minutes total outside she had wrapped herself in as much winter wear as she could, two sweaters, extra socks, a gigantic coat, a shawl, and two scarves. At the moment she felt just above frozen. It didn't seem to matter how much she wrapped herself in because the two large ears on her head, designed to let out accumulated heat from her body, did an admirable job of making sure she felt anything but warm. Fara shivered inside her protective assemblage of coats, she hated winter. She did know someone however who simply loved the cold season.

As she approached the door it opened to reveal her husband Boniface Whitefur, heir to the Whitefur earldom, wearing nothing but his bathrobe, a loose fitting cotton shirt, and his underwear. Smiling happily at her he wagged his tail and said, "Hello my dear, get the presents for our little terror?"

Fara glared at him, or more specifically at the thick soft layers of his winter fur. Her husband, an arctic fox, possessed a winter coat thicker than even red foxes, and from what Fara had observed in their many years of marriage it appeared that the idea of cold didn't even compute for her husband. Yesterday he had shoveled the driveway with about as much on as he wore now, even though there had been a cold wind blowing. He had then come back in the house and promptly mentioned that during winter the thermostat didn't have to be set at eighty. Fara had simply glared at him as he adjusted it. "Yes honey." As she walked through the door she shoved a bag full of packages into his arms instead of the hug he was about to give her.

Boniface, unbothered by the rejection of his hug, smiled and said, "Thank you dear."

Fara walked into the living room and looked around. "Aha!" She said and pointed to an open window. "Close that!"

Boniface set the bags down and adjusted his robe. "It was a little warm in here when you left."

Fara turned to him, her eyes would have been wild if they didn't feel like they were frozen. "Are you insane or am I having trouble understanding your accent again? I had the thermostat set at seventy for you and you think that's warm?"
Closing the window with a huff Boniface and replied, "The manor is usually kept at sixty during the winter months."

Fara growled at him as she removed her winter wear. "We don't go to the manor until tomorrow. I want it warm."

Boniface gave her his best tolerant smile. Considering that during the winter Fara's mood generally remained quite poor his current expression got quite a bit of practice. "Of course dear." He walked over to the kitchen and held up a pair of mugs. "Tea?"

Fara removed her large coat and scarves, but kept the shawl and extra sweaters on. Walking over she took a mug and sipped, it was burning hot. "Ah. Thank you."

Her husband kissed her on the forehead. "Think nothing of it."

"Where's James?"

"I sent him next door to play with Marcus, Krystal is watching them." Boniface answered. "I figured I'd keep him away until we get the presents arranged."

"Good idea. First though why don't we enjoy our tea?" Fara gave him a lick on the chin before turning back towards the living room.

"Of course." Boniface slipped an arm around her waist and the two walked over to the living room couch. Settling down he said, "I wonder what my parents are getting him."
Fara smiled, memories of the last Christmas coming to mind. "Well they gave him a flag with your family's coat of arms last year. I was a bit surprised to see how excited he got over that."

Boniface smiled, tail wagging against the leather cushions. "I wasn't. A flag is exciting when you're a child. It means you can lead the charge in the snowball fight. In fact James took it with him when he left, said he was going to plant it in his snow fort."

Laughing and cuddling closer to her husband Fara sought to leech off some of his heat. "Well then, I suppose your father will try and top that this year."

Boniface sipped his tea and rubbed her arm with his free hand. "Indeed. The manor should be beautiful this year, mother said they finally managed to get reindeer models and a sleigh up on the roof."

Relishing his warmth Fara snuggled further into her husband's body. "It'll still be cold."

"Will it?"

Fara took a sip of her tea and answered, "It always is. Sixty degrees you said."

Boniface chuckled and planted a kiss between her ears. "True. Of course that's comfortably warm for my kind this time of year, you never know though."

Fara thought about that for a moment, the idea that Lord and Lady Whitefur would turn up the heat seemed unthinkable. Fara put it out of her mind and said, "Bonny?"

"Yes?"

"You're very warm."

Boniface smiled and brought his mug to his lips. "Almost uncomfortably so."

A sparkle of desire tinged her eyes as Fara thought about just how wonderful that warm, fluffy coat of his would feel pressed against her right at that moment. "You said James is next door?"

"I did, yes."

Setting aside her tea Fara reached a hand into his robe and under his shirt, running her fingers through the soft, thick fur she whispered in his ear, "Warm me up."

Tail wagging and a smirk on his muzzle Boniface wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close. "Certainly."


Fara Phoenix shivered in bed. Outside the bedroom window she could see snowflakes falling, it only made her curse whoever decided not to put a climate control centre on Corneria so they never had to deal with this blasted winter weather. Looking at the clock she read five in the morning. She kicked Boniface gently under the covers. Her husband grunted and said groggily, "What?"

"It's five and James isn't in here begging to open his presents, something is wrong."

"No, he said he would let us sleep in."

"Really?"

Suddenly the door flew open and James Whitefur, with a winter coat about half as thick as his father's, though still significantly thicker than that of a purebred fennec, and ears as big as his mother's jumped onto the bed and yelled, "Presents!"

"James you said we could sleep in this year." Boniface grumbled, pulling the blankets over his head in an attempt to hide from his son.

Fara smiled as she glanced back at the clock. "We did. It's one minute past five. We got exactly a minute."

"Technicality."

Fara watched as James cocked his head to one side and said, "Foxes embrace technicalities."

Sliding reluctantly out of the covers Fara reached for her thickest robe to put on over her pajamas, shivering as she did so. "I knew we shouldn't have let him watch that movie."

James's smile never faltered as his tail thumped against the mattress. "Can we open our presents? PLEASE!"

"Yes. Why don't you go turn on the tree lights and daddy and I will be down in a minute." Fara answered as her teeth chattered. She didn't want to even think about how cold it must have been at the moment, such a number would only serve to make her even more angry at the weather.

James bounded off the bed and out of the room. Fara finished wrapping the robe around herself and looked to see Boniface still in bed. "Bonny get up."

"I protest his definition of sleep in." Boniface said, his voice muffled beneath the blankets.

Fara walked around to his side of the bed and glared at the lump her husband's body made beneath the covers. "Get up or else."

"Or else what?"

Fara grinned malevolently. "Or else I'll turn up the thermostat to ninety, and we still have hours before we have to leave. I will burn you out of that bed."

Peeking out from beneath the covers Boniface stared at her in horror. "You wouldn't."

Her grin widened and her tail wagged. "Watch me."

Not willing to test his wife's resolve, something he knew would be a losing battle, Boniface reluctantly got out of bed and stretched as he stood up. "Should I put on a robe?"

Fara tossed him his bathrobe from where it lay on the floor. Even after all these years it seemed her husband hadn't quite gotten used to not having servants to clean up after him. "I don't think your son needs to see you in your underwear on Christmas day dear."

"Very well."

A few moments later Fara and her husband walked downstairs to the tree to see James practically foaming at the mouth to get at the mound of presents beneath it. Boniface looked at her. "Little more than usual this year don't you think?"

Fara shrugged and pressed herself closer to him, determined to try and use him for warmth. "He found out about Santa in a pretty tragic way last year, I mean no kid wants to find Santa's presents. I thought we should try and make it up to him."

"When I was a child I only got one or two presents." Boniface thought to mention.

Fara smiled at James and said, "Have at them honey."

As James dove into his presents Fara and Boniface sat down on the couch to watch. Fara snuggled into the arctic fox who promptly wrapped his arms around her. "You always neglect to mention that your one present usually ended up being worth more than everyone else presents combined."

Boniface snorted. "This from the woman whose father is worth half the planet."

"Everyone exaggerates that, and I know you only married me for the inheritance."

"My family approved of you for the inheritance, I however love you." Boniface said, his voice and expression indignant.

"I know." Fara replied, kissing him on the cheek and wagging her tail.

"Mom!"

"Yes dear?" Fara looked and saw that James had just opened one rather large present.

"Is this what I think it is?" James looked at her with an over the moon expression.

Fara smiled at what he held in his hands. "A scale replica of CSS Corneria's Pride? Yes dear, your father found you that one."

James looked from the box to his father and then back again. "Best gift ever."

"Let's see my parents top that this year." Boniface said smugly.

Fara glanced at him. "Is that rivalry I sense?"

Boniface's eyes widened. "Rivalry, amongst the aristocracy? Perish the thought my dear. Honestly the belief that nobles are always trying to one up each other is..."

"Completely justified." Fara finished for him.

Boniface chuckled. "Perhaps."

"What did you get me by the way?" Fara asked.

"You'll see later, it's at the estate along with all the other gifts."

Fara quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really."

"Well then I can't wait to get there. For once. Now why don't you open your presents?"

"Of course dear."


Pulling up to the Whitefur manor Fara stepped out into the cold morning air and did her best not to spit out a stream of invectives when a snowflake landed on her muzzle. Looking up at the house Fara did her best to admire her and Boniface's future home even as the snow tumbled down. Whitefur manor stood as a testament to the way Old Money aristocrats lived, massive, made of brown stone, with a turret at every corner and tall, narrow windows lining it. The house had stood for nearly four hundred years and had been the home of the Whitefur family for just as long. Fara dreaded the idea of just how much of her money, because it would be her money, would eventually be sunk into maintaining the place, not to mention the grounds around it. It did look pretty though, and she knew how important it was to Boniface that the Whitefurs keep the house, the money would be a small price to pay for his happiness and, of course, family pride.

Looking around Fara saw that theirs was not the only car parked in the driveway. This year the Lord and Lady Whitefur had been generous enough to invite not only Fara and Boniface, but all the close friends that had, over the years, become like a second family. In accordance cars belonging to Fox and Krystal, Miyu and Panther, Bill and Fay, Katt and Falco, Peppy Hare and the former general Pepper, as well a car that could only belong to Fara's parents, sat parked one behind the other.

"Quite the gathering isn't it?" Boniface mentioned as they walked up towards the manor.

"I don't know how you're parents manage it." Fara took James's hand as they walked, the little vulpine stared up in awe at the massive house as they approached.

"Oh this is nothing." Boniface said. "I remember one Christmas we entertained over fifty guests all at once."

Fara cringed. "That sounds like a nightmare."

"It was. But I managed to smile through it."

Reaching the doorway Boniface walked up and knocked twice on the door with the brass knocker. The door opened and a female arctic fox approached the door being held open by a tall and broad timber wolf.

"Fara! Boniface! Merry Christmas!" Lady Miriam Whitefur smiled as Fara, Boniface, and James walked through the doors to Whitefur Manor. "Oh and little James!"

James looked up at Miriam and said, "I saw Santa's sleigh on the roof, you know he isn't real right?"

Miriam looked shocked, placing a hand on her chest. "My what a dreadful idea! What makes you think that?"

Fara frowned and tried not to roll her eyes at her mother-in-law. "He found out last year Miriam, no need to put on an act."

Miriam looked at her and said, "Oh. Well then I shan't act in front of the boy." Looking towards the manor butler, a middle aged timber wolf, as he closed the door, Miriam said, "If you would just take our guest's coats that will be all for now Donald."

"Yes milady." Donald extended his arms and Fara, Boniface, and James deposited their coats with him. The wolf smiled at James and said, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn but the young master gets taller every year Lady Fara."

Fara blushed a bit at the title in front of her name, she had never truly gotten used to the idea that she was in fact a lady of the aristocracy now. "The benefit of my ears Donald."

Miriam smiled, her tail wagging as she rubbed James's ears and got a giggle out of him. "Indeed, his ears seem to be growing up quite nicely. Now come along, there are tea and biscuits in the sitting room."

Fara snaked her arms around Boniface's as they followed Miriam. She noticed that the awe on her son's face grew even more pronounced as they walked through the interior of the house. Whitefur manor could impress by sheer size alone, though the decorations were no less ornate. Mistletoe hung above the doors and wreaths hung along the stairways. The hard floors were covered in an assortment of rugs, all reds and greens in keeping with the holiday spirit and all of them handmade. Light streamed down into the main hall from beautiful crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. "I'm glad they're using the sitting room this year and not one of the upstairs rooms." Boniface said softly.

"Why?" Asked Fara, keeping her own voice hushed.

"Have you forgotten the endless miles of stairs in this house?" He reminded her.

"Oh." Fara replied. "Bonny?"

"Yes?"

"Does it feel warmer in here to you?"

Boniface quirked his eyebrows, obviously noticing the same thing now that she had mentioned it. "It does. Mother?"
Miriam looked back at him. "Yes dear? What are you muttering about back there?"

"Fara was just mentioning it seemed a bit warmer in the manor than usual. Is this true?"

Miriam stopped in front of the doors to the sitting room. "Yes, we have the temperature at sixty eight at the moment. Bit warmer than I like it in the winter, but still we had company and it seemed rude to have it at sixty."

"Sixty-eight. How gracious." Fara responded.

"Isn't it?" Miriam replied, either not noticing Fara's sarcasm or deciding to let it slide as she opened the doors to the sitting room.

The moment the doors were open Fara's ears were assaulted by the sound of multiple conversations going on at once. Folding them back just slightly she did her best not to allow herself to listen in on all of them at once, that would be a nightmare she would never sort through.

"Marcus! Aaron!"

Fara smiled as James ran off to be with his friends, the blue falcon and blue and orange fox running to meet him halfway. She watched for a moment as the three children began to talk animatedly, no doubt comparing Christmas gifts, before turning her gaze to the room. She spotted Fox and Krystal drinking tea on one of the couches, Bill and Fay sitting across from them. Huddling in a group near the fireplace she spotted her father, Argus Phoenix, along with Peppy and general Pepper, the old hound dog appearing healthier than he did last year, looking like they were discussing designs for some sort of ship judging by the way they kept looking at her father. Falco, with his arm around Katt, stood near the window admiring the view of the snow falling outside. Miriam and her husband, earl Paul Whitefur, stood towards the front of the room with Fara's mother Melissa. And, finally, she spied Panther and Miyu in one of the corners standing a bit closer than likely would have been considered proper, though Fara would admit that Boniface's parents were not quite as stiff and prudish as most aristocrats. Not quite. Wolf stood with Panther and Miyu, and Fara noted to her amusement that he actually grasped a cup of tea in his hand. Wolf really has changed over the years. She thought to herself. And, of course, almost as an after thought she noticed the servants standing quietly and stiffly throughout the room, ready to refill tea pots and replace biscuit trays the moment it might be needed. Fara felt a bit ashamed that they ended up being the last people she noticed, she didn't want to start taking services like theirs for granted, especially not on Christmas.

"Where should we start dear?" Boniface asked.

"We should probably start with your mother and father. It seems rude not to thank them for doing all of this." Fara suggested.

"Probably." Boniface agreed as the two of them walked over. "Father."

"Boniface!" Paul Whitefur, whose son was the spitting image of him, turned and smiled widely. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well father." Boniface replied as he gave his father a hug. "Fara and I wanted to thank you and mother for putting all of this together."

"Nonsense." Paul waved away the thanks. "It was high time we had everyone here. Why you and Fox have been friends for decades. I say it's about time we stepped forward and invited everyone here to the manor."

Fara wagged her tail a bit at that. "It does mean a lot. Just about everyone in this room is family in some way."

Paul smiled and wagged his own tail. "Indeed. But please, you mustn't thank us, I think we've been thanked enough by now."

"Yes." Miriam said, a small smile on her muzzle. "I think everyone in the room has said something along those lines."

"Even my mother?" Fara inquired, scrutinizing the older fennec vixen.

Melissa, to her credit, managed to look a bit taken aback. "Why of course I have. Fara I would never forget to thank someone for anything."

Fara's eyebrows arched. "Mother, you are notorious for not thanking anyone for anything."

"Such as?"

Her mother had that challenging note in her voice that Fara knew so well. "Waiters, waitresses, people who give you birthday gifts, well wishers, visitors..."

"Oh alright, so I slip and forget every once in awhile. I'm very busy." Melissa's ears tipped back and she looked embarrassed.

"Sorry mother, I'm only teasing." Fara replied. "So is this everyone?"

Miriam shook her head. "We are expecting a few more guests. The Toad's couldn't make it, they said they had plans for celebrating Christmas at their new home on Zoness."

Boniface chuckled. "That's Slippy. He doesn't want to come within a million miles of snow."

"Neither do I frankly." Fara retorted, her gaze on her husband. "I'm with Slippy, let's go to Zoness. No better make that Titania, the heat is dryer and there's sand." Boniface looked horrified at the notion, then relieved when Fara said, "Oh I'm just kidding. I can live with the snow. But you really can't blame someone who's cold blood for not wanting to be out here right now."

"Oh hardly." Miriam agreed. "A few other parents are due to arrive, I believe the Lynxes and Mr. Caroso are coming. Was there anyone else?" Miriam looked to her husband.

Paul shook his head. "No, that's everyone. I believe everyone whose parents couldn't make it spent Christmas eve with family instead. Shame though, we could stand to have a few more."

Fara's eyes widened at that and she looked at Boniface. "You weren't kidding about your parents entertaining fifty people at once were you?"

"No." Boniface replied flatly. "They would entertain a thousand guests if they could."

Paul chuckled. "We do enjoy a good social function." Paul's gaze drifted over to the doors to the sitting room. "Ah I believe that's Donald with another one of our guests."

Fara looked over and saw a black furred panther entering. He looked to be about in his late forties or early fifties, certainly old enough to be Panther Caroso's father. "You know I don't think I've ever met Panther's dad."

"No, I don't think I have either." Boniface shrugged. "Then again Panther and Miyu only got married recently. He was at the wedding, though I don't think I managed to speak with him."

"Well then," said Paul. "Shall we go and greet our new guest?"

"Yes. Of course."

Fara smiled a bit as she watched Paul and Boniface move off together. They really were spitting images of each other, even their mannerisms were similar. Turning back to her mother and Miriam she said, "So, how has everything been going?" And braced herself for a night of small talk. She would have to get over to see Krystal at some point, Krystal always talked about the fun things.


"Oh no." Panther grimaced as he looked over at the doors to the sitting room.

"What?" Asked his currently pregnant and beginning to show a bulge wife Miyu Lynx Caroso.

"Papa is here." Panther explained, watching as Paul and his son Boniface moved to greet him.

"Did you think he wouldn't come?" Miyu looked up at him curiously.

"I was hoping." Panther admitted.

Wolf grinned, his tail wagging as he glanced over at Panther's father. "What's the matter Panther? Afraid pops will embarrass you?"

"He always does." Panther felt his tail wrap around his leg, wondering what his father, Carlos Caroso, would end up doing this time. Panther's relationship with his father had always been a bit rocky, though since marrying Miyu the two of them had managed to have something approaching a healthy father-son relationship. Still, sometimes his father acted a bit too much like his son did, made worse by the fact that he had long since entered middle age. "I just hope he doesn't try hitting on anyone while he's here."

"Why not?" Wolf shrugged. "Even papa Caroso has needs. Not like he's married."

Panther tried not to gag. Prude he was not, but some things were too much even for him. "Please Wolf, I know all about my father's needs. How do you think I ended up the way I was?"

Wolf smirked, obviously enjoying just how uncomfortable this subject made his friend. "So the old man likes putting notches on his bedpost. Who cares?"

Miyu snorted and tried not to laugh at the somewhat queasy look on her husband's face. "Wolf, please, I don't want Panther to lose his breakfast."

"Fine." Wolf sipped at his tea and made an appreciative face. "This is actually pretty good."

"Boss, I never thought I would live to see the day when you were drinking tea in a fancy room." Panther observed, tail wrapping a little tighter around his leg as his father broke away from Paul and Boniface and began moving over towards them. Then it happened.

Raising his arms and grinning broadly his father called out the worst thing Panther could imagine him saying in a crowded room. "Comet!"

All the conversation in the room went dead. Silence reigned as every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at Panther and his father. Panther, for quite possibly one of the only times in his life, began to blush like mad as he said softly, "Papa."

His father, completely oblivious to the fact that his words were embarrassing his son came up and wrapped Panther in a hug. "Comet, so good to see you. How have you been son?"

Standing stiffly Panther just managed to say, "Fine papa."

Pulling away a bit, though his arms remained wrapped around his son, Carlos looked closely at the other felid. "What?"

Miyu's voice spoke before Panther could reply. "Comet?"

Panther looked sheepishly in Miyu's direction. "Yes dear?"

"Your name is Comet?" Miyu looked shocked, not surprising considering Panther had never told her. In fact no one in the room, Wolf included, actually knew his real name.

"That's me. And Papa? Can you let go now?" Panther's embarrassment was only being magnified by the fact that his father continued to hug him. It felt as if the ambient temperature in the room might have jumped up fifteen or so degrees since his father walked in.

Stepping back Carlos looked around and then said in a hushed tone, "Did they not know?" Panther shook his head. His father responded with a, "Woops."

Looking out at the room, the blush on his face clearly evident, Panther said, "Yes. My name is not actually Panther, that's my middle name. My full name is Comet Panther Caroso."

Panther watched as everyone smiled and then slowly began to go back to their conversations. A much better reaction than he had been expecting. When he looked back at Wolf he sighed, "Go ahead and laugh."

"I'm not laughing...Comet." Wolf replied, looking a bit confused. "But, really? You never thought about telling us? I mean you and I were pretty...close at one point."

A small smile split Panther muzzle as memories of his and Wolf's first mission together came back to him. They were warm memories indeed."I never liked the name."

"Why not?" Carlos asked, touching his son on the arm. "Your mother loved it."

Panther frowned. "My kindergarten class didn't."

"What?" Carlos looked truly shocked. "They thought it was amazing."

"Amazingly funny papa." Panther replied, ears flicking as he tried to get them to stand up straight again. Looking back at Miyu he said, "Sorry."

"Comet Caroso." Miyu breathed. "Wow. And don't worry, I won't start calling you that if you don't want me to."

"Thank you."

Carlos frowned this time. "You should have told me they didn't all know. I wouldn't have said it. I know you hate it. He got the name on his ID changed at one point."

"Really?" Wolf asked, looking interested. "When?"

"Just before I registered for flight school." Panther answered, pinching the bridge of his muzzle. "But can we please talk about something else? I think I've been embarrassed enough for one day."

Everyone agreed and the conversation began to meander to different topics, for which Panther felt grateful. He lit up with pride when his father asked them about the baby. He also felt relieved when his father didn't use any offensive terminology for Miyu being pregnant. Though even as they discussed potential baby names, Sebastian being a favorite, he heard Miyu whisper to herself, "Comet Caroso." He got the feeling that despite her promise he would be hearing her say that a lot more than she said he would.


"How have you been Fox?" Peppy asked once he and Fox managed to get a moment in private.

"Pretty good." Fox replied as he leaned against the mantle of the fireplace. "How about you old timer? Holding up alright?"

Peppy chuckled and sipped at his tea, doing his best not to wet his considerable mustache. "Well enough. Being commandant of the Academy suits me a bit better than general of the Cornerian Army did."

"Yeah, I figured it would eventually." Fox smiled as he glanced over at Boniface. "I hear Boniface is probably going to end up replacing you once everything is settled. That true?"

Peppy nodded and followed Fox's gaze. "The big chair is his if he wants it."

Fox returned his gaze to the hare. "You think he won't sit down?"

"It depends. He has a family now, that changes things." Peppy replied, bringing his teacup back to his lips.

"Tell me about it." Fox answered, eyes moving to look first at Krystal as she was joined by Fara, then finally settling on where Marcus sat with James and Aaron. "Never thought I'd have a family."

"Your father never doubted it for a minute." Peppy thought to point out.

Fox chuckled and watched Marcus playfully bop Aaron on the beak when the falcon stuck his tongue out at him. The two fell to the floor giggling as they wrestled. James remained apart, simply watching the two with a touch of his father's old nobility aloofness. Of course that didn't fool Fox for a minute, he knew the three of them were all equally inseparable. "I don't doubt. Still, Krystal and I didn't exactly plan on having Marcus. Not as soon as it ended up happening at least."

"Maybe I should have had that safety during mating season discussion with you after all." Peppy chortled, watching Fox blush. "Oh don't worry, I'm only joking."

"Yeah I know." Fox answered, sipping his own tea. "Sometimes I worry though that I robbed Krystal of some of her younger years when it happened. I may have been old enough to start having kids but...well she's a lot younger." He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Am I being crazy Peppy? I mean what would Krystal say?"

"I'll tell you. She would tell you to shut up, stop worrying, and enjoy what life gives you. Especially around Christmas time." Peppy replied, a look of wry amusement on his face. "Don't beat yourself up Fox. It was an accident sure, but she loves you and she loves Marcus. I know she doesn't regret anything."

"Do you?" Fox looked at his mentor curiously.

"Don't you?" Peppy riposted.

Fox looked back at Krystal, smiling as he saw her talking with Fara. "Yeah, I guess I do. She talks to you doesn't she?"

"Never before she talks to you Fox. Never." Peppy answered, a soft smile curving his mustache. He felt lucky, he always got the best Christmas gift, getting to feel happy for Fox and Krystal when James and Vixy couldn't. He knew though, knew without a shadow of a doubt that if the two of them had lived they would have loved Krystal, and they would have adored Marcus.

"You alright Peppy?"

Peppy looked up at Fox and let his smile turn into a grin. "Just fine Fox. Just fine."


Krystal smiled as she sat next to Fara, the two of them sipping at their tea. The Whitefurs really knew how to pick good tea, this one, though bitter, possessed just the slightest hint of orange. "So, how has your Christmas been Fara?"

"Oh I can't complain. We spoiled James rotten this year." Fara leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch.

"Well you do that every year." Krystal mentioned, setting her teacup back down in the saucer.

"True." Fara agreed, a smile on her face. "He's worth it though."

"What about you? Have you done anything to spoil yourself?" Krystal asked, shifting herself a bit closer to the fennec.

Fara blushed a bit, which Krystal found encouraging, before saying, "Promise you won't tell anyone about this? At least not until someone besides Bonny notices."

Now the fennec had Krystal's interest. "Fara, what have you bought yourself?"

Bringing her muzzle to the other vixen's ear Fara said in a whisper, "I got a little work done."

Krystal quirked an eyebrow and asked in the same soft tone,"What do you mean? What kind of..." Realization dawned on her then and she smiled. "Where?"

Letting her voice raise just a bit Fara explained, "Butt."

"Oh. Really?" Krystal smiled a bit more as she drank from her teacup. "I always wondered how you kept it looking so utterly fantastic."

That made Fara blush even more, though she returned the blue vixen's grin. "Mmm. I've been told it's my sexiest feature. And besides that, I've always taken a bit of pride in my...oh what does Fay always enjoy calling it?"

"Bubble butt?" Krystal supplied, remembering how the white furred spaniel often referred to Fara's rear end in conversation. The term wasn't something the spaniel made up herself, though Krystal would agree that if it applied to anyone it applied to Fara.

"That's it." Fara nodded, tail wagging a bit. "I got it done about a month and a half ago. Just a little bit of a touch up, nothing major."

"Well good for you girl, and I'm sure Bonny didn't mind."

"Oh no." Fara giggled. "He practically drooled when he got to see it."

Krystal giggled herself, she could well imagine the look on Fara's husband's face when he got to see the end result. In fact if she were to be completely honest with herself, which she always made sure to be, she probably would have had a similar reaction in Boniface's place. "Well like I said good for you, nothing wrong with wanting to keep yourself looking beautiful."

Standing up for a moment Fara walked over to the biscuit tray, winking at Krystal she then bent over a bit further than might have been necessary to examine the selection. Krystal put a hand to her muzzle to hide the smile, and she tried not to laugh when she saw Boniface cast a lingering look the fennec's way. When Fara returned Krystal swatted her on the arm and said, "That was naughty."

"Maybe. But don't try and tell me you didn't enjoy the view. I know all about you and Katt." Fara replied, taking a bite of a gingerbread biscuit.

Not blushing for a moment Krystal smiled and cast a glance over towards the pink feline. "Doesn't everyone? And yes, whoever you go to for your touch ups does beautiful work."

"She does. She's a wonderful surgeon. Now what about you? What's Fox done for you this year?"

"Oh nothing too scandalous." Krystal shrugged as she picked up her teacup and took a sip. "He got me some jewelry as he does every year. A few other things as well."

"Come on, I know Fox, he always gets you something special." Fara looked at the other vixen incredulously.

Krystal smiled and swished her tail. "Well he did get something rather fun."

"What? Don't keep me in suspense girl." Fara's own tail began to sway as her ears cupped forward, whenever Krystal decided to be coy it usually meant something big.

Reaching over to where her purse sat just behind her Krystal rummaged around for a few moments before pulling out two large slips of paper. "Two tickets for the most luxurious space pleasure cruise in Lylat. One week, not including stops, with nothing but the most comfortable beds, the best food, the hottest music, and...well you get the idea."

"Wow." Fara breathed as she took a look at the tickets. "Damn. I hope you two actually bother to leave the cabin."

Krystal laughed and looked over to where Fox stood talking with Peppy. Her gaze lingered on him for awhile before she turned back to Fara. "No guarantees."

Fara just wagged her tail and rolled her eyes. "You two. What are you going to do with Marcus?"

"Oh he's going to stay with Katt and Falco while we're away." Krystal's eyes did a quick survey of the room to locate her son before she said softly, "And thank the goddesses too. I love him but I can't get a minute alone with Fox when he's around."

Fara nodded, her expression all sympathy. "I know what you mean. It's the same way with James. There are days I go absolutely stir crazy not being able to so much as kiss Bonny without hearing someone making noises or breaking something."

"Well, at least I have something to look forward to." Krystal smirked then as she said, "Fox isn't going to know what hit him."

Fara cackled and wagged her tail. "Atta girl."

Krystal really did always talk about the fun stuff in life. Maybe because the vixen remained the youngest of her friends, or maybe just because Krystal herself always seemed to have an insatiable appetite for adventure, fun, and all the little pleasures life had to offer, but Fara could quite confidently say she didn't know a single person who knew quite how to have or give a good time like the blue vixen did. And that included Katt. Thanks goodness there isn't any eggnog, she'd be plastered by now. Memories of Krystal's drunken antics at last years Christmas party brought a smile to the fennec's muzzle.

"What?" Krystal looked at her friend suspiciously. "Are you thinking about last year's Christmas party."

Fara's eyes widened. "You must have read my mind."

"No." Krystal replied, looking amused. "It's just whenever we have a Christmas party that doesn't involve alcohol and someone starts smiling randomly they're usually remembering what I did in times when the eggnog flowed freely."

Fara could see the other vixen's tail wagging behind her. "Sorry, it's just you get so..."

"Wasted?" Krystal supplied, not looking the slightest bit embarrassed.

"I was going to say plastered." Fara replied.

"I agree that works too." Krystal nodded, tail still wagging. "Want to talk about it?"

"Yes. Please." Fara said, tail wagging as the two of them began to recount Krystal's past Christmas celebratory antics, the blue vixen remaining for the most part unabashed. As they talked Fara actually found herself wishing the Whitefurs were serving eggnog instead of tea, things would be so much more interesting. Then again eggnog in the morning didn't sound all that appealing, perhaps later. For now though she would settle for the next best thing: memories of Krystal trying to drive off in a car while Fox still held the keys, then calling Fox a stalker when he came to retrieve her and subsequently attempting to swerve the unmoving car, and, of course, the timeless classic that happened almost every year, dangling mistletoe above Katt's head and then kissing her while pawing at the pink feline's shirt, Fox usually coming to Katt's rescue. Krystal. Fara thought briefly to herself, a smirk on her muzzle. The girl knows how to party.


"Miyu, you look so cute with a baby bump."

Miyu blushed slightly and replied, "Thanks Fay."

Fay wagged her tail and lightly ran a hand across Miyu's rounded stomach. "Boy or girl?"

"I told you we don't know." Miyu answered, brushing the spaniel's hand off her belly. "We want it to be a surprise."

"Oh. I remember now. You know I think it's more surprising that Panther wanted a cub." Fay said, glancing over at to where the big cat stood talking with his father and Wolf.

Miyu followed her best friend's gaze and smiled. "Well, people change."

"That much though?"

Returning her gaze to the spaniel Miyu shrugged. "Seems so. Are you and Bill planning to have puppies?"

"I don't know." Fay glanced over at her husband. "I'm not so sure about it, and neither is Bill. Puppies are expensive and we don't exactly make a geneticist's salary."

"Hey don't sell yourselves short." Miyu put a hand on Fay's shoulder. "My parents only managed to move out of subsidized housing a few years ago. You don't have to be rich to have babies."

Fay began to look a little uncomfortable. "You know Miyu did it cross your mind that maybe we just don't want to?"

Miyu pulled back a bit, feeling a bit ashamed. She hadn't meant to pressure Fay. "Sorry Fay. I didn't mean to..."

"Shush." Fay said, giving the lynx a reassuring gaze. "It's fine. Speaking of your parents did they say they were coming?"

As if on cue Donald the butler opened the doors and announced, "Mr. and Mrs. Lynx."

Miyu looked over and tried not to laugh at just how out of place her parents looked. They glanced around nervously, and their fur looked just a bit poofier than usual. "Oh gosh. I better go get them."

Fay tried to restrain a giggle as Miyu moved off. "Well they did only move out of subsidized housing a few years ago. This must be a shock."

Making her way over to her parents Miyu smiled and wrapped each of them in a hug. "Hi mom. Hi dad. I'm so glad you could make it."

Her father Archer Lynx, and her mother Kira Lynx both smiled and returned her hugs. Her father looked around and said, "You certainly have friends in high places."

"I guess so." Miyu replied. "I hope this doesn't feel awkward. The Whitefurs are really nice people."

"Nonsense." Kira smiled. "We're honored that they invited us. Do we get to meet them?"

"Oh of course. I'll show you to the throne room." Miyu laughed as her parents looked at her expectantly. "I'm kidding they don't have a throne room. I think. But come on, I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

Taking her father by the arm Miyu led her parents to the corner where Paul and Miriam Whitefur were speaking with Fara's father Argus as well as Pepper. Argus noticed them first, calling out, "Archer! Kira! Merry Christmas." The fennec held out his hand.

Archer smiled and shook Argus's hand."Merry Christmas sir."

"No sirs Archer. Not on Christmas, and not off the clock." Argus said with a shake of his head.

"Sorry...Argus."

Miyu noticed her father stop himself from using the honorific again. "I didn't realize you had met."

"We met a few months ago." Argus explained. "I inspected the plant a few weeks after your father got promoted."

Miyu nodded her comprehension. She didn't find it surprising that her father had neglected to mention it, her father generally didn't say much of anything, mother always did the talking. "Mom, dad, these are the Lord and Lady Whitefur. And of course general Pepper."

"Milord, Milady." Archer said.

Kira parroted her husband and, much to Miyu's embarrassment, actually curtsied.

Paul and Miriam both smiled, Paul held out a hand and said, "Please, just Paul and Miriam. We have never been too much for titles among friends."

Archer shook it, then Kira did the same. Miyu noted that both her parents were blushing a bit at being called friends. Hopefully they would loosen up as the night progressed, shame the Whitefurs weren't serving anything stronger than tea at the moment.

"Thank you for inviting us." Kira said, addressing both Paul and Miriam. "It was quite the thrill when we received your invitation in the mail. I don't think my husband and I ever thought we would set foot in a manor house, especially one as beautiful as this one."

Miriam wagged her tail and replied, "Oh think nothing of it. My husband and I have been meaning to invite everyone here at some point, we're just happy you could come."

Looking at Argus Kira said, "We wanted to thank you as well. For the Christmas bonuses we received. They were a lot bigger than last years."

"Space Dynamics had a very good year this year. Only right that I gave back as much as I could." Argus replied, a smile on his face. Miyu thought he actually looked quite happy about being thanked. Of course the job of CEO often ended up being a thankless one.

Miyu looked at Pepper and said, "General, I don't think you've met my parents."

Pepper shook his head and once again the handshakes began. At least this time Kira didn't curtsy. "Pleasure to meet you. Though please, don't call me general, I've long since retired."

"What should we call you then?" Miyu asked, she'd never actually called him anything else.

"Well, seeing as your husband has had his first name revealed I suppose you should all learn to call me Cornelius." Pepper explained, his tail swaying behind him.

Miyu smiled and shook her head. "I help separate Aparoid nanoprobes from your DNA and you only just now tell me your first name. Cornelius it is then."

Cornelius Pepper chuckled and replied, "I suppose it just never came up."

Miyu and her parents spent the next few minutes in idle conversation with their hosts before Miyu managed to steer them away so she could talk to them in private. Settling down on the couch across from Krystal and Fara, the two vixens chatting animatedly about something or other, Miyu said, "How are you guys doing?"

"Fine." Her father answered.

Deciding then that there really wouldn't be any way to put what she had on her mind gently Miyu asked, "Are you guys going to be able to make the mortgage on your new house this month? I know you had trouble the past couple payments. I just want you to know if you need help I'm here."

Archer pursed his lips and looked in another direction. Her mother looked at her and shook her head. "Miyu, we aren't taking money from you."

"Do you need it though?" Miyu pressed. Her parents didn't like the idea of charity, she remembered how stupidly embarrassed they sometimes got when they told people they lived in publicly funded housing.

Her father looked back at her and, being unusually verbose, said, "No. We don't. The bonus your mother thanked...Argus for," Miyu noted just how much trouble her father had remembering he was now apparently on a first name basis with the owner of the company he worked for, "it came with raises as well."

That interested her. "Big ones?" Her parents both nodded. "That's great!" Miyu exclaimed. In truth she felt relieved, hopefully now her parents wouldn't be living paycheck to paycheck as they had for most of their lives.

"It is." Her father answered as he put an arm around Kira."Now please, let's not talk about money. Your mother and I are doing just fine."

"Ok." Miyu said, looking down at her feet. "It's just I know you guys have trouble sometimes, and I would feel bad getting the kind of paychecks I do if you guys are barely making it."

Her mother put an arm around her daughter and nuzzled her ear. "Oh honey. If it makes you feel better you can take us on a nice vacation sometime. Or do something else expensive for us."

Miyu perked up at that and, with a sly smile on her face she said, "Payoff your mortgage for you?"

"No." Her father grunted, looking agitated at the suggestion. "A vacation will be just fine."

"Fine." Miyu nuzzled her mother back. "I promise it'll be worth it." Already in her mind she was thinking of places to take her parents. She would have to ask Panther about good resorts, he always knew the hottest locations. This would be fun.


A few hours and a light lunch later Miriam announced, "Now, I believe it's about time we do presents."

Fara's ears perked up at that as she saw the servants march into the room bearing armloads of gifts. Aaron, Marcus, and James immediately began bouncing on their heels at the sight. Fara had to give them credit, they had been unusually patient as the grownups sat around and socialized, due in no small part to the patience of the servants in keeping them entertained. For a moment Fara imagined what it would be like to have a virtual army of babysitters at her disposal. The things she would be able to get away with during the day.

"Can we do the pink ones first?" Katt asked from where she stood near the window.

The expression on her face, full of feline mischief, told Fara all she needed to know. "What sort of scandalous gifts did you get everyone this year Katt?"

The pink feline smiled and swished her tail. "You'll see."

Fara and Krystal traded glances as the servants began to distribute the packages wrapped in pink paper. Tearing into hers Fara's eyes widened as she saw what was inside. "Katt..."

Next to her Krystal seemed to have no inhibition about revealing the contents of her present. Smiling and holding up the stringy underwear for all to see the blue vixen grinned and said, "Thanks Katt. I can't wait to try these on."

Most of the room sniggered at the sight. Lord Paul Whitefur gave the most entertaining reaction though. "Good God! They barely leave anything to the imagination."

Next to Miriam rolled her eyes. "Oh Paul don't be a prude. I think they're lovely. Scandalous yes, but good nonetheless. One must know to enjoy life."

"Thanks Katt. This was a wonderful gift to give me in front of my in-laws." Fara said dryly as she looked at the pink feline's grinning face.

"I tried to stop her this year Fara." Falco said, doing an admirable job of looking apologetic.

"Oh hush." Katt shushed her husband. "Nothing wrong with the presents I get."

Falco cawed. "Yeah. Right. This from the girl who bought herself a..."

Katt elbowed her husband sharply in the ribs. Looking at him with fire in her eyes she said, "Don't you say another word." Having silenced her husband she looked back out at her friends and checked to make sure that the children were sufficiently distracted. One of the servants, a jackal, gave her a nod when he noticed her looking in his direction. Nodding back she said, "Now boys open yours up."

"I'm afraid to." Fox muttered as he sat down next to Krystal and unwrapped his own present. "Jeez."

"Ooo what is it?" Krystal leaned over to peer into the remnants of the wrapping paper and the box it contained. Cackling Krystal said, "Oh that's beautiful."

Blushing like mad Fox said, "I am not wearing that."

"What's wrong with it?" Krystal demanded, tail wagging.

"It's a speedo." Fox explained, his blush intensifying.

"Hey so's mine!" Wolf exclaimed. "Nice."

"I think she got us all speedos." Panther added. Fara could see both him and Miyu grinning. "And in leopard print. I can't wait to try this on."

"That'll look good on you son." Carlos observed. When Panther gave him a look he smirked and said, "What? I speak the truth."

"Not everyone got speedos." Peppy mentioned, holding up a multicolored tie. "I got a tie."

"As did I." Pepper added.

All eyes turned to Katt. "What?" She said. "I have some decency."

"Sure Katt." Fara replied. "Bonny, what did you get?"

Clearing his throat Boniface simply said, "Same as Fox and the others. What about you father?"

Paul bit his lip and looked down at the pink box. "I hesitate to find out. Perhaps we should think of the children."

"Oh don't worry sir." One of the servants said, the same jackal who had nodded to Katt. "We have them distracted."

All eyes turned toward where the servant stood, and Fara smiled at the sight of Marcus, James, and Aaron as they sat in a circle tearing open presents and paying absolutely no attention to their surroundings.

Paul breathed a sigh of relief and wagged his tail a bit. "Well done Branson. I suppose we should take the plunge dear."

Fara tried not to laugh at the way Miriam rolled her eyes at her husband's continued prudish behavior. The two of them opened their gifts and Miriam's eyes lit up. "Oh these are lovely." She held up a pair of pink arm length gloves. "Lovely." She repeated.

Holding up his gift, a white silk shirt Paul wagged his tail. "Well this is nice. Very good for the spring when all this white hair starts to fall off. I tell you I can't wear half the things in my wardrobe during that season."

Katt smiled and her tail swished in satisfaction. "You see, like I said I do have some decency."

"What did you two get?" Miyu asked, looking over at her parents. "Or do I not want to know?"

Kira laughed and replied, "You don't want to know. It'll be good for the vacation though."

"Great." Archer grunted, though a small smile came to his muzzle at the horrified look on his daughter's face.

With the last of Katt's scandalous and not so scandalous presents finally unwrapped the servants began distributing the rest of the gifts. The room filled with the sounds of tearing paper and utterances of "thank you" and "oh how wonderful", as well as the occasional gasp of delight. Fara found herself inundated with new clothes, boxes of gourmet canine-safe chocolate, and a pile of smutty novels from Krystal.

For the most part the others got largely the same array of gifts, when shopping for the number of people that they all found themselves shopping for in this season creativity often went out the window. The Whitefurs, much to Fara's satisfaction, actually got each and every one of their guests a gift. For the most part they were the generic sort of party gifts that one always received at gatherings such as this, but everyone seemed to appreciate the effort, after all the Whitefurs were meeting most of the people here for the first time.

The general murmur of appreciation was broken when James ran over to hug Paul yelling, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Fara looked over toward Boniface and saw her husband's face contort in a grimace. This could only mean one thing, Paul had one upped his son once again. Fara tried not to smile, she knew Boniface would be annoyed with her, but honestly she couldn't help but find the childish rivalry between Boniface and his father amusing.

"What is it young James?" Paul inquired, leaning down and patting the little vulpine on the head.

"Thank you for getting me the new best present ever!" James answered, bouncing up and down.

"Whatever do you mean?" Paul did an admirable job of feigning ignorance.

"I'll tell you what he means." Bill interjected. All eyes turned to the greyhound as he held up a massive box with a picture of a huge, triangular shaped starship on it. "This the Devastator from the second Stellar Bellum movie. I always wanted this one."

"It's too expensive dear." Fay reminded him from where she stood with Miyu.

"Yeah I know. Pretty cool though."

Fara noticed that Bill actually appeared to look longingly at the model. Boys and their toys. Looking over at Boniface she sighed when she saw his expression. "Bonny, restrain yourself."

Paul looked over at his son with a smile that wasn't quite smug. "You'll of course help him build it."

"Of course. After I..."

"Bonny!" Fara snapped, she knew how that sentence would end.

Boniface took a breath and then said, "Yes, of course. I will help him build it."

Fara just shook her head, she would have to have a talk with the two of them about this ridiculous one upmanship with James's presents. That would be later though, she didn't want to spoil the Christmas mood anymore than the two of them already had.

The room went back to unwrapping presents until, eventually, there were no more presents left to be opened. Fara found herself becoming a bit worried, one of her presents remained conspicuously absent.

"What is it girl?" Krystal asked, looking at Fara with an expression that told the fennec her emotions were broadcasting.

"I didn't get anything from Bonny." Fara answered. "He said that he had gotten me something, and that it would be here but..." The fennec saw Krystal's eyes widen. "What?"

Krystal pointed past the fennec and said, "Look behind you."

Curious Fara turned around and, upon seeing what the servants were bringing in on a display dummy, broke the hush that had settled on the room with a squeal. A beige satin dress stood before her, shining just a bit as it caught the light in the room. The servants rotated it in a circle to show off all sides, the back diving to right above her tail, just the way she liked. Matching arm length gloves came with it, and a pearl necklace hung around the neck.

Walking over with a smug smile on his muzzle Boniface looked down at Fara. "Do you like it?"

Standing up Fara flung her arms around him and wagged her tail furiously. "I love it!"

Boniface wrapped his arms around her waist and replied, "I'm glad. Handmade you know. It'll fit you and only you."

Pulling back a bit Fara bumped her nose to his. "You are the most wonderful husband a girl could have. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas my dear."


A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I actually managed to get my seasonal one shot done this year. Honestly I thought this one would never end. My one shots seem to get longer every time I write them. This one was fun though, lots of throwback pairings, and Bonny is back! Plus, if you are eagle eyed you might spot some future story seeds mixed in there. Hooray, more Star Fox fanfiction!

Two things I should give credit for, Panther's real name of Comet came from a story by Jeevestheroo over on Furaffinity called Dark as Night. (Warning it's smutty). And Krystal's antics are from another Star Fox Christmas story called Star Fox: Last Minute Christmas Shopping by XxSanitariumxX. Thanks to GrimlockX4 for the title and author. And thanks to XxSanitariumxX or writing it!

Now I apologize to anyone who feels like their favorite character in the story didn't get enough screen time, but I thought it best to cut this one off before it grew anymore. Ten thousand words of Christmas goodness should be enough for everyone. If not then hopefully a few other people have written Christmas one shots for you as well.

Finally don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed reading, though if you didn't like something such as the references to Katt/Krystal from Pink and Blue I would ask you to keep the negativity to a minimum, it's Christmas after all. Until next time...

-general whitefur