Where Are You Christmas
Chapter 13: Red Gets A White Christmas Present
By: Pink-Green-white-4ever
Last Revised: December 12, 2010

Summary: For the first time since they met and became teammates, this Red is spending Christmas without his White, and wishing for her terribly
Rating: T
Ship: Red/White
Disclaimer: Don't own the Rangers (SABAN DOES!) and I don't own the song, that's Faith Hill's.

CACACA

He waved the last of his clients out of his office, smiling until he closed the door and sagged against it. Generally, he was more than happy to spend plenty of office time with those who brought their animals to him, but for once, he just wanted to get out of the office and brood at home. He wasn't a moody person by nature; that was generally Taylor's lot in life, and that thought did make him smile a little. No, he was normally the optimistic one, the take each day as it comes one. But this holiday season, he just didn't feel like it.

His reason for being cheery was on the East Coast for an undetermined amount of time, taking classes at Harvard and caring for her ailing father. While he couldn't begrudge her time with her father that was so very precious, or the education she was furthering, this was the first Christmas since he'd met her that he'd be without her. Even when they'd both been in school and living hours apart, they'd still managed to get together for Christmas Eve and Christmas. This year, it just wasn't going to be the same. Their apartment was decked out in all the decorations they'd had before they'd moved in together and with all the ones they'd bought in the four years since they'd been living there.

He just wasn't in the mood to celebrate, which was sad because the holiday season was his favorite time of the year. It was generally filled with wonder, innocence, peace, and most of all love. He thought of the ring box that was sitting in the top drawer of his dresser. He'd been hoping to give it to her this year, but now he knew it would have to wait.

With a shake of his head, he locked the front door to his office and headed back to finish up some paperwork, his mind wandering to what he was going to have for dinner and deciding he may just go out and eat. He'd cooked enough meals for one in the last couple of weeks.

CACACA

A heavy sigh escaped him as he walked into their empty apartment and kicked the door shut behind him. He carried his backpack and a large paper bag filled with dinner. He was kind of mad at himself because the one time he finally decided to go out for dinner, he chose her favorite restaurant and her favorite meal – a hearty helping of minestrone soup and vegetarian stuffed shells. Closing his eyes a minute, he struggled with his subconscious trying to sabotage his feeble attempt to forget that she wasn't with him. When he felt a warm, wet nose brush against his hand, his eyes snapped open and he looked down at the dogs. Lion was sitting in front of him, his adoring eyes sad as can be as he looked up at Cole's face. Tiger was a few feet away, her head resting on her front paws, looking as lonely and defeated as Cole felt. "Hey you two," he greeted, leaning down to rub a hand over Lion's head before he moved passed the dog and toward the kitchen. He stopped next to Tiger, crouched down, and gave her a long, loving rub. "I know, you miss your mom as much as I do. Maybe we'll call her later and I'll let you talk to her." When Tiger didn't move, Cole shook his head and moved around her into the kitchen. He set the bag with his diner on the counter, moved to get the food for the dogs out of the cupboard and got busy feeding them.

Task done, he headed for his and Alyssa's bedroom and stripped off his clothes from the day, pulling on a pair of black and red sweat pants before heading for the kitchen. Grabbing his dinner, he moved to the dining room table and sat down to eat. He liked his solitude once in a while, but overall, he was a social animal, he needed people and noise. The tomb-like silence of the apartment was driving him insane. Frustrated, he pushed back from the table and was going to go turn the television on but the phone started ringing. It gave him a start, but he headed over and snatched the cordless headset from its stand and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey buddy!" Max's enthusiastic voice echoed through the receiver.

"Max, what's up?"

"Well, see, Danny and I were just thinking, we haven't hung out with you in forever and since Kendall is going to be with her friends for the evening, we figured we call and see if you were up to a night on the town," the former Blue Ranger rushed on and on. Cole knew his young friend was trying to make sure he couldn't say no, and while he appreciated the effort, he just really didn't feel like going out.

Sighing, he shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm just going to hang out around the house…"

"Danny told me to tell you that if you decline, he's calling Taylor for back up."

Cole let out a string of silent curses when the former Yellow Ranger was mentioned. Taylor was often very detached from anything personal when it came to the team, unless she really saw the need to poke her nose in someone's business. Knowing Danny and Max, they'd tell her he was hiding in his apartment, away from the world, brooding over his girlfriend being absent. That meant Taylor would be honor bound to come pull him out of his funk. "Damn it, I hate it when you two do that," he sighed, shaking his head when he heard Max snickering. "What time do you want to come get me?"

"We'll be there by nine thirty!" Max all but sang before he hung up the phone. Jabbing the power button, Cole almost slammed the phone back on its cradle, thought otherwise, and then stormed off toward the table. He had forty minutes to eat, shower and get ready before his friends came to get him.

CACACA

Muttering about the cold, he pulled his jacket around him tighter. He hated the bitter coldness of winter, especially since he'd grown up in the tropical climate of the South American jungle. Grumbling, he bowed his head and walked up the street toward his apartment building. When he got to the steps that led into the main hallway, he found a familiar figure sitting on the steps. She was dressed in a leather bomber jacket that he knew was about three sizes too big and had to have been stole from Eric. "Taylor, what the heck are you sitting out here at two thirty in the morning for?" he demanded, stopping in front of her.

"Delivering your Christmas present," she replied, snarky as ever. "It's already inside your apartment getting warm."

"How'd you get into the apartment?" he countered.

Taylor smirked at him. "I have my ways, Jungle Boy, I have my ways. Merry Christmas," she said as she stood. In a moment of sheer awkwardness she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I'll call you Christmas night to see how you like it." And with that, she jogged down the steps and disappeared down the street to wherever her car presumably was.

Baffled, as he usually was whenever Taylor acted completely out of character, Cole just shook his head and trudged inside. His intent at this point was to crawl into bed and sleep for the next two days until Christmas was over. He had no plans to answer the phone tomorrow or the day after. He was going to feed the dogs, avoid the television or the phone, and just tune the world out in general.

Those plans flew out the window the second he walked into his apartment.

The tree was lit, the lights twinkling. The stereo was on, turned to one Alyssa's favorite stations, and one of their favorite holiday songs, Where Are You Christmas, was playing softly. Most startling of all, the house smelled like fresh baked cookies. Frowning, he undid his scarf, shrugged out of his jacket and headed for the kitchen.

Shock and a joy so fierce squeezed his heart when he got a good look at his present, who was currently sitting on the counter in a pair of gray sweat pants, nibbling on a sugar cookie, and happily watching the dogs chomp down on dog bones. "You're home!" he grinned, causing her head to whip up and a smile to light her eyes. Before he had time to think, she was diving off the counter and right into his open arms.

"Hi!" she laughed, leaning up to kiss him softly on the lips as he held her tightly. "Miss me?"

With a strangled sound, he buried his face in the side of her neck, his lips seeking the warm, softly scented skin that tasted so good to him. She shivered in his arms, her own tightening around him. "I thought you weren't going to make it back for Christmas?" he asked, pulling back to frame her face.

"Dad's feeling tons better so the doctor suggested he take a week and go someplace warm and tropical. I told him he needed to go alone because I had something I really needed to do for Christmas. He told me to tell you that you'd better take good care of me," she laughed.

"Danny, Max, Kendall and Taylor were in on this, weren't they?" he asked, watching her grin and nod.

"Don't be mad…"

He shook his head and merely tugged her against his chest. "You have no idea how much I wanted you to be here and how much I wasn't looking forward to being here without you."

"Cole…" she murmured, kissing him softly. "I love you, so much, and this is exactly where I need and want to be – at home, with you."

"I love you too, Merry Christmas." As they kissed again there in the kitchen, he grinned against her lips, his mind thinking that the box in his dresser was going to actually be taken out sometime in the next two days, and hopefully would start the next phase of their life together.