Disclaimer: This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

Happy New Year!

Weihnachtsgans Augustus

Chapter 3

"Good morning."

Treize Khushrenada looked up from his morning paper and gave Quatre a soft smile.

"Good morning to you, too."

"I smell coffee. Is there some left?"

"Help yourself." The professor gestured at the large pod steaming on the coffee maker. "I made plenty. And there are donuts and bagels in those bags on the counter."

"Thanks. You went into town?" the younger man asked as he peeked into said paper bags and helped himself to a fresh blueberry bagel

"Well, the paper boy doesn't come all the way up here, and I like to read the business page in the morning."

Quatre gave an understanding nod as he took a cup from the shelf above the sink, filled it with coffee and settled down at the breakfast bar next to the professor. From where they were sitting they could admire the fully lit Christmas tree outside the window.

"It does look nice, doesn't it?"

"It does." The older man nodded as he picked up his own coffee cup and took a long sip. "I have been enjoying it. And apparently I'm not the only one…" He thrust his chin toward the tree. "A good part of our popcorn chains was already gone when I came outside in the morning."

"Birds?" Quatre asked.

"I suppose. But I have my suspicions the little squirrel with the round belly I saw sitting in the neighboring tree had something to do with it too."

"Awww," the younger man smiled. "How cute. Well, we can always make more popcorn. By the way where is Alexander? Does he sleep in, too, on occasion?"

"Not as far as I know. He took Cabal for a walk. They should be back soon. Cabal's stomach works like clockwork; he knows it's almost time to feed him his breakfast."

"Speaking of feeding… Did someone bring something to eat to our goose?"

Treize nodded. "Heero did last night. We mixed pieces of bread and some rolled oats with water. And I think he also tossed in the leftover lettuce and vegetable pieces from last night's dinner."

"Good. I hate to think of it sitting all by itself in its crate hungry and freezing."

The older man chuckled quietly. "I'm quite sure, it is not freezing beneath those feathers. The garage is not that cold, you know…"

After some discussion the night before it had been decided to house their unusual 'guest' in the garage where it was better protected from the elements then in the shed out in the garden.

"…besides, it's only temporary."

Quatre gave a little undecipherable grunt but said no more. Treize turned his attention back at his newspaper, but before he had a chance to even find the paragraph he had been reading earlier, the front door opened and they could hear Cabal run into the house.

"Feet, Cabal, feet!" the professor called out before those wet and muddy paws met the carpet, and the large dog stopped cold in its tracks.

Wagging his long bushy tail he waited patiently for Alexander to remove the doggy boots, pick up the towel by the door and dry him off.

Meanwhile Treize had risen from his stool and was filling Cabal's bowls with fresh water and kibbles. Noises from upstairs indicated that the rest of the houseguests were slowly beginning to stir.

"Should we make some eggs and bacon?" Quatre suggested. "Maybe some omelets?"

"I'll go with omelet," Milliardo, coming down the stairs dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, replied. He stopped to greet his lover with a brief but affectionate 'good morning' kiss then moved on to grab a coffee cup from the shelf. His eyes fell onto the paper bags with the logo of the local bakery.

"Did you brink some plain bagels?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, Dear. And they even had your favorite cream cheese."

"Thanks." The young man smiled.

Quatre had risen to check the refrigerator and take out the things he needed to make breakfast.

"Cheese… bacon… eggs…chives…. milk… anything else?"

###

If the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hadn't woken the last sleepyhead; the delightful smell of Quatre's omelets had brought everyone into the kitchen.

"So," Duo asked around a mouthful of bacon and egg, as they were all sitting around the counter. "We are still going snowboarding today, aren't we?"

"That might be a problem." Heero replied.

"How so?" Milliardo threw his friend a questioning look.

"I was just looking at the website before coming down, to check the conditions on the slopes and it turns out that there was some kind of transformer problem last night that shut down all four ski lifts at Snowshoe. So far there is no indication when they will be functional again."

"Well, we could always head over to Silver Creek," Duo suggested. "It's a little further but they do have some nice trails there, too."

"You do realize that everyone else will have the same idea, don't you? Not only will the freeway be a mess, but the lines for the lifts will be enormous."

"Hmm…" Duo admitted. "I guess so."

"Why don't we change plans and stay home today?" Treize recommended. "We are still here for another 6 days so we are in no hurry. Considering how much the businesses depend on those ski lifts, I'm pretty sure they will have them fixed by tomorrow."

"Let's do that." Trowa agreed. "One day to relax. We can play some games inside..."

"…maybe have a pool tournament," Quatre added.

"I like the idea." Heero nodded. "That way I can also get a few things prepared for brunch and dinner tomorrow. The cake needs to be baked and…" he sighed inwardly. "I really need to get that goose brined."

##

"Six ball into the left center pocket!" Treize Khushrenada announced as he leaned forward and calmly lined up his cue with the balls. After a moment however he straightened up again, shooting a glare to his left.

"Alexander, do you mind backing off a little?...No, I can still feel you breathing down my back. Not only is it against the rules, but also very un-gentleman like to crowd your opponent to throw him off his mark. Quatre, tell him!"

His friend, who had been appointed the official score keeper and referee for their little pool tournament, gave a little nod. "He is right, Alexander. Stand back or I will have to disqualify you."

If it was possible the Ghost probably would have snorted as he stepped away, his own pool cue hovering mid-air as he did so.

"Thank you."

Treize lined up again, shot and sank the little green ball into the called pocket. He reached for the chalk as he walked around the table to find the best position for his next, and probably final shot. Only the black and the white ball were left on the table at that moment.

"Eight ball, top left corner."

It was an easy shot. The professor threw his great-grandfather a triumphant look and bowed slightly as the black ball disappeared into the pocket.

"Win goes to Treize!" Quatre announced, marking the result of the match on his score-sheets. "Next up will be… "Wufei vs. Heero."

They had started their little tournament right after breakfast. In the first match Trowa had won over Milliardo.

"They are both still in the shower." Duo replied.

"Not together, I hope," Milliardo smirked, earning himself a glare from the braided young man.

"Well then, Duo… we will go next."

Quatre put down the pen and paper and nodded at Alexander who handed him his cue. "Thanks."

"Fine." Duo had already picked a stick from the cue rack earlier. As he started to rack up the balls he looked up and around the room.

"By the way, does anyone of you know how to properly kill a goose?"

Milliardo frowned. "Is it just me or do the words 'properly' and 'kill' just don't seem to go together? But as far as I know you snap it's neck or chop of the head or something, right? Treize?!"

"Why do you ask me? Do I look like the goose slayer of Marymount or something?"

"Why do you want to know? Didn't Heero say he was going to take care of that?" Trowa asked.

"He did," Duo confirmed. "But I think it's bothering him. I thought if I could figure out how to do it… but then I'm not sure if I could."

"I know what you mean," Quatre nodded sympathetically. "Besides, I think my father would never forgive me if he found out that I killed an animal."

"Probably not much different here." Milliardo nodded, then threw a look at his lover.

"I told you already, don't look at me."

"How about Wufei?" Quatre suggested carefully. " I mean… maybe he could… like knock it out first…"

"Wufei?" Duo laughed. "Are you kidding me? He believes in reincarnation and stuff. He won't even crush a cockroach because it could be his Uncle Chien or someone else he knew."

"Oh, for god sake!" Trowa exclaimed as he rose from his chair by the fireplace. "Alexander, if you don't mind giving me a hand? I'll need someone to help me hold the goose."

Without another word the young man left the room, followed by the ghost who didn't seem to mind helping out.

Heading down into the garage without delay, and before he could change his mind Trowa opened the crate and removed the goose from its confinement. The bird was heavy. It struggled and honked in protest. The young man wrapped his arms around the animal tightly as he headed for the shed in the garden.

"Alexander?!" he moved a few pieces of wood with his foot. "Will you hold her?"

As he handed the goose off to the ghost, he placed its neck onto the tree trunk that was used to split wood, holding it down with one hand.

"Hold her tight now," the young man urged as he reached for the axe with his other hand.

"Don't worry, this is going to be quick," he mumbled, more to his own reassurance than for Alexander's or the Goose's benefit, and raised the heavy tool over his shoulder.

##

A uncomfortable silence had fallen over the room after Trowa had left, and when the front door opened and the young man walked into the house a good ten minutes later, all head's turned toward him in expectation.

"She is gone," Trowa announced quietly from the door to the game room.

"Gone… as in dead?" Milliardo wanted to know.

"No!" His friend shook his head. "Gone as in… got away, took off and ran into the woods. We forgot to close the door to shed behind us. It just didn't seem necessary," he admitted sheepishly.

There was a brief instant of stunned silence before Treize let out a deep and bubbling laugh. Within moments the other young men fell in, and by the time Heero walked downstairs, attracted by the curious sounds, he found his friends in a frenzy of laughter.

"Umm… Did I miss something?" he wanted to know.

"I think…" Milliardo had to catch his breath before he could continue. "I think we have a little problem."

"Oh?" Heero didn't seem too concerned. How big of a problem could it really be, if the others found it that amusing, he figured.

##

"So, what are we going to do now?" Wufei looked around from one of his friends to the other.

Sitting around the fireplace in the upstairs den he and Heero had just learned what had happened while they were in the shower.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Quatre replied firmly. "We will have to find her. We can't just leave her out there to starve, or freeze to death, can we?"

Treize's gaze went to the window. It had begun to snow again. "Quatre is right. It would be cruel to leave her to the elements."

"Him."

"I beg your pardon?" the professor gave Heero a slightly puzzled look.

"You guys keep calling the goose she. But it is actually a he."

Duo's brows knitted slightly "And how exactly would you know that? You didn't check, did you?"

His lover nearly rolled his eyes.

"It said so on the packing slip attached to the box the goose came in '1 young goose - male…'"

"In any case, male or female," Milliardo pointed out. "It's a bird. Birds fly from what I remember about biology. It could be half way to Canada by now."

"Actually," Wufei rectified "I don't think those geese can fly. They clip their wings I believe when they are little."

"That's just cruel." Quatre added.

"Alright. I am the one who let it get away, so I should be the one trying to find it," Trowa declared.

"Technically it was Alexander who let him get away," Treize pointed out. "Only fair that he should help."

"I'm going too," Quatre announced firmly.

"Well, I suppose Cabal is ready for another walk anyway, so why don't we join you guys?" Milliardo offered.

"Oh what the heck." Duo shrugged. "We have no real plans for the day anyway. The pool table will still be here when we get back. So, what are you guys waiting for let's get going."

"I agree," Treize nodded. "The longer we wait the more snow will be covering any tracks left by the goose. Let's meet out in front in let's say 10 minutes."

###

"Let's form small groups and split up," Treize Khushrenada suggested as everyone stood bundled up outside the cabin, ready to launch their 'search and rescue' mission. "That will let us cover more ground."

Trowa nodded. "I'll pair up with Quatre, obviously."

"And we are taking Alexander," his friend added.

Treize shrugged. "Milliardo and I will take Cabal."

"Then we are getting Wufei," Duo called out quickly.

The young Chinese man huffed in amusement. "I'm not sure if I feel insulted or honored to be put in the same 'class' as the dog and the ghost."

The professor checked his watch. "It's almost 1pm now. Let's head out. Don't stray too far from one another, and stay in contact. Last thing we want is for one of us to get lost up here. Quatre, Trowa…and Alexander take the left. Heero, Duo and Wufei to the right and Milliardo and I will check around the main road. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Milliardo asked with a grin. "Who died and made you boss?"

"Alexander did," Treize shot back in the same good natured tone. "After him, I'm the oldest here. Respect and listen to your elders, remember."

"Well then, Sensei. Will you be alright without your walking cane?"

"I'll manage," Treize smirked. "If need be I can lean on you for support, can't I? Let's go."

Without any further ado the groups finally separated and headed off into their respective directions.

Within the last couple of days Cabal had nearly mastered the deep snow around them. He had also gotten used to wearing his coat and protective boots, and wasn't trying to rip them off anymore.

Milliardo had let the dog off the leash, knowing the Borzoi never ran off too far. He figured Cabal might pick up the scent of the goose long before they could even see it. Considering that the white bird would be able to blend perfectly into its surroundings, especially amidst the slowly falling snowflakes, it was possible for them to walk right past it without even realizing.

The two man had searched for a good 15 minutes or so when Cabal suddenly froze and raised his head. For a moment Treize thought the dog had picked up a scent, but then the large borzoi turned and ran back to Milliardo. Sitting down between the two men the dog gave a little whimpering sound of fear they had never heard before.

For a moment the professor wondered if Cabal had gotten hurt somehow.

"Cabal, are you alright?" he asked bending down to check the dog over.

But at that instant he heard another sound, something akin to a long and ominous rumbling in the distance. For a few moments there he could have sworn the ground beneath him was shaking.

Cabal's whimpering turned into a growl. Milliardo exchanged a surprised and alarmed look with his lover.

"What in the world was that?!"

TBC

Author's note: