Shuichi wiped the sweat off his face and smiled. They had just finished rehearsing their last song for the show and so far it was going great.

"Good job you guys!" Shuichi yelled to Hiro and Suguru.

Hiro gave a thumb's up.

"You sounded really hot Shuichi!" Hiro said slipping his guitar off. "I'm impressed after everything you have been through."

Shuichi blushed.

"Well, you know me, I can resist a stage. He scratched his hand behind head. Besides we gotta sound good for the kids right!?"

And it was true. Music was definitely food for his hurting soul, though that pain was easing nicely. He had decided to stop focusing on Yuki and focus on the kids they would be performing for tomorrow night. It was also Christmas in the Big Apple, who wouldn't be excited!?

"God dammit!" A voice bellowed out and a mass of jet black hair poked out underneath some pine.

The band turned to see a very pissed off Dee Laytner struggle his way out of a Christmas tree just as Nittle Grasper appeared to start their set.


"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Marie yelled.

"Shh…not so loud!" Lynn whispered. "Positive."

"Oh man, Shuichi is gonna freak!" Nicole murmured. "You think Shuichi saw him?"

Lynn poked her head out of the bathroom door.

"Well, I don't hear screams or see Shuichi charging around the place. So I guess not."

They laughed.

The girls were perched on the sinks in one of ladies rooms in the lobby. Lynn upon her discovery that a certain special someone was sitting in the chairs immediately called Marie on her cell and told them to get to the bathroom ASAP. Marie thought it was weird, but the two obliged anyway leaving Ricky oblivious. After all, girls always went to the bathroom in groups and always spent way too much time in there. Once Lynn told the news, it was all to keep them from yelling.

"I knew that hottie wouldn't miss out on Christmas with his pink fuzz!" Marie said happily.

Lynn wasn't too sure.

"But Yuki said he didn't want to spend Christmas in New York." She said. "What do you think could have changed his mind?"

"Maybe it was just a Christmas prank?" Nicole suggested. "Maybe he actually does have something in mind that Shuichi doesn't know about?"

"Mmmm. I don't know." Lynn said.

"Well there HAS to be a reason." Marie said.

The girls were deep in thought when they were interrupted by a loud banging noise.

"HEY YOU GUYS FALL IN OR WHAT!?" Ricky yelled. The girls rolled their eyes.

"God don't you have any class?" Lynn yelled as she opened the bathroom door to where their impatient friend was waiting.

"Pfft Ricky and class?" Marie smirked. "That's like mixing water and oil!"

Ricky stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yeah, whatever. Come on you guys gotta get back." He said. "It's almost your turn to go on. Nittle Grasper is finishing up."

The girls left the ladies room and headed back to the theater where Ryuichi Sakuma was crooning a beautiful version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Kumagoro (his pink stuffed bunny) was not too far behind having been clipped to his belt. Tohma was sitting at a piano skillfully playing the music with Noriko adding a slight electronic beat to it with her synthesizer.

Shuichi stood in the backstage with glassy, full eyes as he watched his idol sing. Fallen Angels couldn't help but stop in their tracks as Ryuichi sang the lyrics beautifully. J.J., who had helped pull Dee out of the fallen Christmas tree, stared romantically at Dee as the beautiful song, the beautiful detective, and a long kiss filling his mind.

"Don't even think about it." Dee said as he pulled his arm away from the smaller cop. Secretly he wished he could be enjoying this moment with Ryo.

Ryuichi held out the last note of the song and let it fade. Everyone applauded.

"YEAH RYUICHI!" Lynn yelled out.

"Sakuma-san that was wonderful!" Shuichi said.

Ryuichi bowed and smiled widely.

"Ya hear that Kuma?" He said to the bunny on his belt. "They like us!"

Dee rolled his eyes. That had to be the topper to this crazy day. A guy…talking to a stuffed bunny? Okay, yeah, it was smoking time, maybe he could grab that Yuki guy and bum some more off him. He could use some talking. He quietly slipped away from J.J. who was complimenting Ryuichi on his singing talent, past Fallen Angels who were gathering their equipment from the backstage area, and was so close to the front door when…

"Leaving so soon Laytner?" A voice said.

Dee recognized it and cringed.

"Just grabbing a smoke, sir, what are you doing here?" He said turning to the sly eyes of Berkely Rose looking right back at him.

"On duty myself, just waiting for another volunteer." The blonde commissioner said.

"Oh." Dee said.

But he really was thinking…

'Shouldn't you be hanging out with the Ghost of Christmas Past and Future and shit like that Scrooge?'

Just then Bad Luck emerged happily chatting just as Yuki Eiri emerged from the back door after having gone on another cigarette break. The band and the author stopped dead in their tracks just as the back door opened once more and a certain honey blonde arrived with his foster son as everyone spoke at once.

"YUKI!?"

"Brat."

"Dee?!"

"RYO!?"

"Pervert."

"Randy."

And the thought going through everyone's mind...

'Aw shit.'