Author: TammyC
Title: Home Alone: Lost In Trenton - chapter 1
Rating: PG - these are kids, but oh, what kids!
Spoilers: Possible up to Twelve Sharp
Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing characters and having fun. Not making any money. Characters belong to JE.
A/N: This follows the basics of Home Alone, with a few other Christmas movie treats thrown in, as well as parts of my diary/blog (as usual)

Home Alone
Lost In Trenton

Chapter 1

"You kids stop fighting back there!" Mom yelled.

"She started it," Carlos said.

"Did not," Celia said.

"Did too," Carlos said.

"Enough back there!" Dad said.

"Dad, I have to pee," Celia whined.

"You can go when we stop," Dad said.

Carlos laid a finger on Celia's arm and grinned.

"Mom, he's touching me," Celia complained.

"Carlos, you are seven years old. Act your age."

"I always get blamed," Carlos said.

Celia huffed. "That's because you always start stuff."

"No, I do not. You do. I wish you would all just disappear. I don't need a family," Carlos said.

"One more word out of either of you, and I'll take back both of your allowances, plus your Christmas shopping money," Dad warned.

Carlos slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes. Darn families, anyway. He always got blamed. Ok, so he usually started it, but that was beside the point. But who needed families? If he didn't have them around, he could do whatever he wanted to. Say whatever he wanted to. Eat whatever he wanted to. Lots and lots of salad. He sighed and drifted off to sleep.

Carlos opened his eyes. The car had stopped at a gas station with a mini-mart. They weren't getting gas, though; they were parked near the front door. He got out of the car and stepped carefully onto the snowy ground.

Inside the store was not much warmer. He walked up and down the short aisles. No Mom. No Dad. No Celia. Setting his skim milk on the counter, he dug into his pockets for money. Beside the checkout stand was a display of toys. Sling shots, yo-yo's, jacks. And a neat looking doll dressed up as Wonder Woman. His grandma would love that for Christmas. He hoped. He put the doll on the counter and paid for that, too.

The wind was picking up outside. Carlos tightened the scarf around his neck as he walked back to the car. On the ground beside the car door was a wallet. Inside was a driver's license with his dad's picture on it. He climbed into the back seat of the car and stuffed the Wonder Woman doll into his backpack.

We aren't getting gas. They aren't in the store. Where are they?

"I made my family disappear," Carlos thought.

Memories of yelling, fighting, pinching, and blaming floated through his mind. A grin spread across his face.

"I made my family disappear," Carlos said.

Two men stepped out of the store into the frigid air. A tall skinny man with a moustache and a shorter man with a gold colored tooth. They both wore winter caps. And they were eating candy bars.

"Hey, I know those guys," Carlos thought. "They robbed our neighborhood last Christmas, and they are supposed to be in jail."

The men looked at his car and slipped and slid toward it. Carlos ducked down on the floor behind the front seats.

The front car doors opened, and the men got inside.

"You know how to hot wire this thing?" the taller man asked.

"Don't need to," the shorter man answered. "Look, some idiot left the keys in the ignition."

The engine revved and the car started moving. After a few minutes, the men started talking again.

"So, we have a car now. Where are we going? Mexico? Canada? The airport?"

"No. Trenton," the shorter man answered.

"Trenton?"

"Yea. To the Quakerbridge Mall."

"We going Christmas shopping? We going to rob a mall in daylight?"

"No," the driver said. Santa is working there."

"Oh goodie! We can tell him what we want for Christmas!"

"We aren't going to talk to Santa. We are going to kidnap him."

Carlos gasped, and slapped his hand over his mouth.

"But wouldn't that ruin Christmas?" the taller man asked.

"Exactly," the driver said. "He ruined our Christmas last year, remember? He left us nothing but coal in our stockings," the driver said.

"Yea, I remember. Now we're going to kidnap him and hold him for ransom. For what, a million dollars?"

"No," the shorter man said as he drove. "A million toys. All the toys at the North Pole."

"Hey, and then we can open our own toy store. The Bandits Toy Store. We'll be rich."

"Yea," the driver said. "Rich and famous. Hey! You're getting chocolate all over the seat."

"So? It can be our new signature. The Chocolate Bandits."

The car turned in to a parking lot. A car horn blared, and the bandit driver honked back. "Hey, same to you, pal!" he said. "You snooze, you lose."

When the car stopped, the bandits got out, still talking about their plan. Carlos waited for a couple of minutes before peeking out the window.

They were going to kidnap Santa! And ruin Christmas for everyone. Unless Carlos could stop them.

To Be Continued...