Merry Christmas, everyone! As a special treat, tomorrow I will upload two chapters!

Alicia—I know! He so needs love…from ME! I have some great material planned out ahead, I think you're going to love it!

Hearts Aglow—Thank you for your help! Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Ten

The day was scorching hot, and Alicia was relieved to be near the ocean and looking for food. "This is the best spot to get crabs!" Nigel announced when they landed by a group of rocks surrounded by water. "My sister Maria comes here all the time!"

"I didn't know you had a sister!" Alicia said, surprised.

"Yeah, she's the runt," Nigel joked.

"But I got the brains and the beauty!" A voice cried out from overhead, and they looked up and found two female pelicans descending to join them. This was Maria, who playfully stuck her tongue out at her brother. "The only reason why I hang out with you is because Nicole here likes your friend Gerald!"

"I do not!" Her friend protested, playfully swatting Maria's wing. Nigel just groaned and rolled his eyes, flying away from the trio to hunt on a different rock. "But speaking of Gerald, here he is now!" The one called Nicole whispered when the annoying third wheel Alicia had met a few nights ago joined Nigel on a rock.

"Sweet! You got a crab already!" Nigel complimented, noticing the crustacean in his friend's bill.

"Here, Nigel! You can have it!" Gerald squeaked, flying away to hunt for other food in a different place.

"You should stay and talk with us sometime," Nicole yelled after him, but Gerald didn't seem to hear her, and if he did, he ignored what she told him.

"Is Nigel usually this…demanding?" Alicia asked, lowering her voice.

"He's never demanding," Maria giggled. "But if he ever seems like there's nothing in his head but air, it's probably because our mum dragged him around by the head too much when he was a baby."

"But try telling all of this to Gerald," Nicole snickered. "He's constantly kicking Nigel's feathery butt. I don't know if he's afraid of the guy or obsessed with him."

"The only one who Gerald loves more than Nigel is you, Nicole," Maria teased, causing the other pelican to pout mockingly. They stopped talking for a moment or two when some seagulls flying overhead noticed Nigel's meal and swooped down, perched on a rock opposite him, and started chanting, "Mine? Mine? Mine? Mine? Mine?"

"Will you just SHUT UP?" Nigel groaned, addressing the loud seagulls. "You're rats with wings!"

"You can say that again!" A pelican flying overhead called down, gracefully descending to join the others on the rock. He grinned at everyone, even Alicia, seeming unfazed by the presence

"Alicia, this is Hubert," Maria smiled, a tiny blush creeping into her cheeks. Nicole, however, did not smile.

"You almost never stop to chat…unless there's something wrong! What is it?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"It's nothing serious, but I heard it through the grapevine about something that's been going on under the sea, and…" He paused, shooting the seagulls a contemptuous glare. "Nigel, shut them up!"

"I'm trying!" He whined, dangling the crab over his bill mockingly, teasing the gulls with the potential meal.

"Anyway, did you hear about this Marlin bloke that's been looking for his boy Nemo? He was taken out of the water by divers and this…"

"Hey, Nigel!" Alicia interrupted, shouting at Nigel. "I think you should here this! It's about Nemo!"

"What about him?" He called back, but he didn't hear her response over the squawks of the gulls. "There, just take it!" Nigel shouted, tossing the crab away. "Are you all happy?" The gulls did not answer. They only watched the crab stand before them, moving his claws around before it jumped into the water. "Mine?" One of them asked despondently.

"You said something about Nemo! What was it?" Nigel asked, taking advantage of the silence. He was filled in by everyone about the latest developments in the case involving a father hunting down his kidnapped son.

"Last I heard, the dad was heading for the harbor," Hubert concluded.

"That's brilliant!" He shouted, taking off and heading away from the harbor.

"I'll go see what he's up to, but I think I know what it is," Alicia announced, flying after him.

"Make sure he doesn't crash into anymore windows! He does that too much! People will wonder if—"

Alicia didn't hear the rest of what Maria was telling her. She had already flown away.

Review, please! :)