A/N - I wanted to write a fluffy Christmas one-shot for The Mainframe Saga, so here it is!

There were a few restrictions. Given the timing I'd be posting this, I couldn't use ANY of the potential suspects from the current arc. The main reason here is that Book 2 is set at the tail-end of summer. This one-shot is set during winter. So anything that could give away spoilers needed to be avoided like the plague.

Also, given Team Datastream's absence in the current arc, I wanted to use them. As such, this little fluffy heart-warmer was created.

I hope you enjoy it! =D

Thanks again everyone for the reads, reviews, faves and follows!

Christmas Special

Winter Warmers

One of the upsides to Pulse City was its heated dome at winter. That glass barrier provided more than just a means to stop people falling off the floating city, but when they closed the roof during winter and let that low heat radiate through it… bliss.

Mind you, there were some flaws. The docks remained wide open. And given the sheer number of ships the city had to cater for, it was a pretty large space. The cold wind whipped through it, peppering the docks and exposed ships with snow.

Tsunami often wondered how such a huge city remained airborne. It was at least the size of North and East Cipher and the Beatdrop Capital combined. It needed to be. Some of those ships were huge. Most of them were the size of small houses, like hers. Others were huge cargo ships that came, dropped off their shipments, then went again. Most were more like private jets with no sleeping accommodation, and those remained in the docks for days… or even weeks.

Tsunami let out a sigh as she leant against the metal barrier. The only thing between her and the warm glass. The last of the snow melted off her scales, vanishing over the edge into the unseen depths below. The rest of her crew were still aboard the Raptor, making the last of the repairs. It had been her job to touch up the paintwork. Her decision to do it during a blizzard. Well… the blizzard hadn't been a thing until shortly after she started, and she wasn't one to leave a job unfinished. Crash had insisted she go and get a hot chocolate and sit somewhere warm, given the ship's heating hadn't been fixed yet. Decode was on that, flat on his back beneath the control deck while he poked and pulled at various wires. His tail looking a little frazzled from what Tsunami had guessed was from a mistake he would likely never admit to.

Yep. Even geniuses made mistakes.

The pangolin sipped her hot cocoa, letting the warmth of it flow through her from the inside. She let her eyes drift shut and sank further against the barrier. At least from here she couldn't feel so much as a draft from the docks.

"Hey, Nami!"

Her eyes snapped back open and she looked up as a familiar skunk joined her side. He clutched a beer glass in his hands about which Tsunami guessed the bartender would have something to say. She glanced over her shoulder towards the run-down pub behind her. Situated only a block or two from the cafe.

"You're getting a little bit too comfortable around me, pirate," she said.

"Ah come on," said Rough. "You're not exactly pullin' out yer laser on me."

"I will if you give me a reason to." It was meant to be a warning, but the skunk clearly took it as a joke.

Once he'd done laughing, he settled himself on the barrier. "I thought you were away. I weren't expectin' you back just yet. Last I heard, you were on yer way to Server One."

The space station…

Tsunami sipped her drink again as she stared blankly at the frosted glass. "We ran into some trouble."

"Really?" The skunk grinned at that. "What kinda trouble? Space pirates?"

"I can handle space pirates," Tsunami grunted. "No. A flux wave. We got caught in it, and it messed up the electronics. It had also ripped away part of the meteorite belt. We're lucky the Raptor didn't get hammered."

Rough's ears drooped. "Yikes! Didn't anyone like forecast that?"

"You can't forecast flux waves. They can't be detected until they happen. This one just happened to be too close to the meteorite belt. We took out the worst of them, so they shouldn't be a problem to Mainframe. But we won't be fulfilling our request until the flux has faded."

He grunted and sipped his beer. "I've not been to a space station in years. Always were wary of flux waves."

"They're uncommon," said Tsunami. "We were just unlucky."

"I'd say you were pretty lucky to come outta it at all."

"My ship's top grade. If you went through it in a paper plane like yours, you'd be shredded to bits."

Rough flashed a canine at her. "Hey! Don't trash a man's ship, Nami. It ain't cool."

Tsunami chuckled and shook her head. "You space pirates are all the same."

"Yeah, well, I built that ship." He stared at her for a moment then took another swig of his drink. "So what's the damage? Anythin' I can help with?"

"No need. My crew's on it."

"An extra pair of hands don't hurt, Nami. I told ya. I built my own ship. I know what I'm doin'."

Tsunami gave him a sideways glance. "Are you looking for a job?"

He spread a hand in a shrug. "Gotta pay my rent, and I'm still flyin' solo."

Great. Tug the heart strings. She closed her eyes and sighed. "All right. If you know what you're doing. I'll pay by the hour. But I'd wait until the blizzard's over."

"Got caught in it, eh?" He chuckled again, sending some of his drink sloshing over into the dome.

"Well, I'd rather be caught in a blizzard than a flux wave."

"You're still lookin' a bit damp."

"I'll dry."

The pair stood in silence for a moment, gazing out at what little they could see beyond the dome. Snow piled up on it, drifting away as it rapidly melted against the warm glass and trailed off as slush. What was left of the frosty coating blurred the night-cloaked world beyond. Not a single star twinkled, hidden away behind a mass of clouds as the sky dropped its fluffy present onto Mainframe's surface.

"Once we've got your ship repaired," said Rough, "I kinda wanna see what the suburbs around Node City look like. Been a long time since I've romped around in the snow."

"That could be quite nice, actually," said Tsunami. "It'd probably cheer up Crash and Decode, too. That journey back was a rocky one."

Rough glanced up at her. "What damage are we lookin' at exactly?"

She rubbed a hand over her head scales. "One of the engines was ripped right off. All power to the control deck was severed, including the central heating. Decode's working on that, while Crash sources us a new engine. A few scuffs along the sides, which I've painted along the left flank. Some dents still need hammering out on the right side, along with more paintwork."

"Yikes." Rough grimaced. "All your power's out?"

"Fortunately it didn't take out the auto pilot."

"Yeah, otherwise you'd still be hoverin' around up there waitin' for a pick up."

Tsunami bit back the urge to tell him that would have been the best case scenario. Instead she took a good drink of her now luke-warm cocoa.

"We'll get it sorted out," he continued. "You'll be airborne again in no time."

Tsunami nodded once and bit her lip. Why couldn't she actually thank this pirate?

He fixed her with one red eye. "You cold?"

"No."

"Dang it." He sighed into his glass.

Tsunami looked back up at the dome. The snow was beginning to ease. No longer whipped up in a flurry, plastering thick coats of snow onto the heated glass.

"It looks like it's starting to ease off," she said. "I'm gonna head back to my ship and see how my crew's getting on."

"I'll come with ya." Rough pushed himself back from the barrier.

"Return that beer glass first," she said.

"I was gonna."

She watched him swagger back towards the bar. Could she lose him? No… she'd offered him the job, and she did need her ship repairing. But was that the real reason she'd done it? She clenched her jaw and shook her head hard. Of course it was the real reason.

Right?

Before she could continue her mental warfare, the grinning skunk was back at her side.

"All right," he said. "Let's take a look at that damage."

She nodded and turned back towards the docks, striding through the busy street. Space pirates, mercenaries, Phantom Thieves… no one gave either her or Rough the time of day. All too busy with their own lives.

Snow still drifted down over the docks with thick, heavy flakes. What lay on the ground was trodden down into slush, but fluffy piles of it collected by the bollards and against the exposed walls of the storehouses. Mounds of snow lay heavy on the golden wings of the Raptor. Crash perched on its back, frowning at a huge gash on its tail fin where one of the twin engines used to be.

"Any joy?" she called up to the pangolin.

He fixed his blue eyes on her and one of his playful grins graced his muzzle. He nodded and made his way to the ship's hooked nose, sliding down it to land in a crouch on the docks.

"What's he doing here?" He inclined his head at Rough as he rose to his feet.

"I'm paying him to help us," Tsunami explained. Before Crash could protest, she raised a hand. "We need all the help we can get. I'm not going to turn my nose up at his offer if it'll help us get the Raptor back in the sky."

Crash closed his mouth and shrugged. "Fine. Maybe he can start by hammering out the dents?"

He pulled a hammer from his tool belt and offered it to the space pirate. Rough took it and juggled it in one hand.

"Don't make a mess," Crash warned.

"I know what I'm doin'," Rough muttered as he strutted over towards the ship's right flank.

Crash kept one eye on him as he asked, "What are you doing, Nami?"

"I told you." Tsunami turned from her twin to head into her ship. "Keep a watch on him. I'm going to see how Decode is doing."

The lights were back on. That was a start. Decode sat at the control deck, tapping away at the various buttons. The air inside the bridge was still bitter cold, and from the bush baby's mutterings, the heating wasn't co-operating as well as he'd hoped.

Omochao hovered by the primate's head, offering his own expert advise.

"I can see you're making progress," said Tsunami.

"Not fast progress," said Decode. "I think the radiator has well and truly had it."

Great… another setback. Tsunami hugged her arms around herself and grimaced.

"We might have to sleep in a huge cozy pile tonight," said Decode. "Either that, or find a hotel at the last minute."

Tsunami pursed her lips as something Rough said echoed in her mind.

'I kinda wanna see what the suburbs around Node City look like.'

Node City…

Tsunami rushed from the bridge.

Decode raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Was it something I said?"

"I wouldn't take it personally," said Omochao. "She probably has a chill."

Tsunami skidded to a halt, clutching a bollard to stop herself. Rough was busy on the hull, hammer clanging away and poking his tongue between his lips in concentration.

"How many people can fit on your ship?" she asked.

He jerked his head around with a start, his eyes wide. "Huh?"

"How many?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Three? Any more'n that, it gets pretty cozy."

"Cozy it is." She turned towards the Raptor's nose.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we're going to Node City," she said. "Put the hammer away and warm your engines up."

"Singular."

"Eh?"

"My ship only has one engine," he said. "It ain't some fancy long-haul like yours, Nami."

She waved him off and clambered up the nose of the Raptor. Crash was once again perched by the damaged tail, tugging off the frayed and ragged ends with a pair of pliers.

"Crash!"

He didn't look up. "Yeah?"

"Come on. We're calling it a night."

He did look up then, his muzzle twisting with confusion. "We've got a lot of work to do, Nami. The engine's arriving tomorrow evening."

"Then that's even more reason," she said. "We're cold, exhausted… So I'm suggesting we take a break. I'm gonna book us a hotel in Node City. Rough will take us."

The pliers clattered to the roof, leaving a scuff. "A space pirate? What's gotten into you, Nami?"

"I'm too tired to think straight. Are you coming?"

He stood up and dusted himself down. "Sure. I'm not complaining about a break. Why Node, exactly?"

A small smile tugged at Tsunami's lips. "I thought it might be fun to see the snow."

Crash laughed at that. "There's plenty of it here."

"There's also a lot of space pirates. The suburbs around Node City are quiet."

"All right." Crash placed a hand on her shoulder and steered her back towards the docks. "But we might need to work together to pull Decode away from the control deck. He's pretty desperate to get the heating working again."

Tsunami chuckled and shook her head. "Then lure him away with games."

...

It certainly was rather cozy.

Tsunami sat upfront with Rough, which Crash insisted on. The larger pangolin sat behind his twin on the floor, huddled against the wall. Decode was opposite him with his legs crossed, playing some game on his pocket computer. Omochao flitted back and forth watching the bush baby. The chao-droid had wanted to stay behind and watch the ship, but Tsunami had told him that wasn't an option. Sure, the little robot could take care of himself. But he was every bit a part of her crew as her flesh and blood members.

Rough was oddly quiet, his full attention on getting his ship safely through the snow storm. It had started up again shortly after they left Pulse City, and fluffy white flakes whipped up in the wind, hammering the hull with a deceptive amount of force. The ship's lights reflected off the flakes, making it look more like they were traveling through a swirling galaxy.

Node City's lights twinkled through the darkness as it emerged through the blizzard. Tsunami had barely noticed it, too lost in her own thoughts. It was only an hour away from Pulse City… well, an hour below it. But they weren't aiming for the city. The ship leveled out over the southern suburbs, right above the bare canopy of a little almond grove.

Rough pushed himself from his seat and stretched. "All right, we're here. All in one piece, yeah?"

Decode looked up at his friends, blinking his large pink eyes. "What, already? Yikes, I thought I'd make it at least to level ten."

He tucked his computer away in his belt pouch and took Crash's offered hand. The pangolin tugged him to his feet and ushered him off ahead of them.

Omochao flitted before Tsunami's face. "Permission to stay aboard the ship, ma'am? I'm afraid snow does not agree with my circuits."

She looked to Rough and raised an eyebrow. The skunk's muzzle creased and he bared a canine.

"I ain't gonna steal him," he said. "It's technically kidnappin'. I don't deal in that trade."

Tsunami sighed and closed her eyes. "I was actually going to ask if you minded."

"Oh, sorry." Rough chuckled. "Sure I don't mind. Thing is, Nami, you so often think the worst o' me, you can't blame me for leapin' to conclusions."

"You might be a pirate, but I don't exactly take you for an android-napper." Tsunami swung herself onto the ladder and dropped the short distance to the ground.

The thick snow cushioned her fall and she rose to search for her friends. Crash had already situated himself behind one of the trees. He wore a silly grin on his face as he attempted to snipe Decode with snowballs.

The bush baby ducked and ran while grabbing snow in his hands. It went soaring towards Crash, sending him ducking back behind the tree.

Tsunami shook her head and smiled. "Typical boys."

Then her spine stiffened as something cold spread over her head scales. Rough doubled over with raucous laughter, clutching his snowy hands to his stomach. She swiped off the frosty snow and turned her narrowed eyes onto him.

"Seriously?!" She flicked the snow at him, making him flinch slightly.

"Come on," he said. "Lighten up a bit. It's fun."

"I thought you wanted to come here to see the snow, not play in it."

He grinned as he stooped to gather up a massive mound of snow in his hands, not taking his eyes off her. Tsunami backed away from him, lifting her hands before her chest.

"No no no…"

Rough smoothed the snow into a large ball and juggled it. "Better run then, Nami!"

The pangolin didn't need telling twice. She took off through the grove, racing past Crash and Decode. The large snowball soared after her. She swung her tail, cleaving it and sending one half splatting up the side of a tree. The branches swayed, sending down a flurry of flakes and ice.

Rough scooped up another snowball as he raced after her. The grin turned into shock as snow struck his left ear.

"Got your back, sis!"

Crash ducked behind his tree again as Rough changed his target. The snowball missed the pangolin by a mile.

Decode joined Rough's side as the pirate flicked melting snow from his mohawk. Decode nodded towards Crash who was arming himself with a small pile of snowballs.

"I'll take Crash," said the bush baby. "You go after Nami."

"Seriously?" Tsunami rolled her eyes as she resigned herself to grabbing her own frosty weapon. "I guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

"No." Rough sent his newly formed snowball right into her shoulder.

Tsunami leapt aside, curling into a ball as she rolled to safety. She leapt back up just outside the grove. Using her tail, she cleaved away at the snow, creating a little trench for herself. Beyond it, snowballs were flying back and forth. Five limbs against two. Decode was pretty handy with his tail when he needed to be.

Tsunami busied herself by building up a supply of snowballs. Once she was stocked up, she'd be in good form to aid her brother in this silly war.

Outnumbered, Crash curled up and barreled his way towards his sister. He popped back up in her trench and swiped slush from his muzzle.

"Whew!" He gave his sister a playful grin. "Those guys are tough!"

Tsunami grunted and added another ball to her pile. "I might have to have a word with Decode about a little thing called 'mutiny'."

Crash laughed and helped himself to her ammo. He tossed it up and down a couple of times, then punted it towards their two foes. Decode and Rough scattered, letting the snowball soar between them. Right where the little bush baby had been standing.

"Drat." Crash helped himself to another ball.

"He's nimble," Tsunami reminded him. "If we're going to hit Decode at all, we need to be sneaky."

Squeals filled the air, drawing the pangolin twins' attention to the bush Decode had hidden behind. He scurried out of it, arms over his head, as snowballs rained down on him from above. Rough poked his head out from behind a tree and raised an eyebrow at the canopy. Tsunami and Crash followed his gaze, but Decode's assailant was well hidden. The branches bucked and swayed as something invisible scrambled through them.

Crash juggled another snowball, watching the branches with a calculating intensity. Then he tossed it with full force. It exploded against a solid body, gaining a grunt in return. Decode's assailant dropped from the tree, landing spread-eagled in the snow.

The two pangolins climbed from their trench and crouched on either side of the hole - a perfect splayed-out shape in the thick snow. A purple chameleon blinked up at them with a stunned expression on his face.

"Way to go, Espio." Vector stood behind Crash with his arms crossed.

Rough and Decode joined them, the former leering up at the crocodile. Charmy buzzed around Vector's head, clutching a snowball much too large for him.

"What are you guys doin' here?" Rough scoffed.

"We could ask you the same thing," Vector retorted.

"We're playing snowballs!" said Charmy.

The oversized ammo slipped from his hands with a 'whoops!' just as Espio sat up, rubbing his head. The snowball exploded over him, burying the chameleon completely and splattering Tsunami and Crash in the process.

"Now look what you did!" Vector laughed, shaking his head.

He bent over and thrust his large hand into the snow. Espio dangled from it by the tail, his mouth pulled down in a frown.

"I am seriously off my game today," he said.

"Hey, I've got an idea," said Decode. "Now that there's more of us, why don't we do teams?"

"We were already doin' teams!" said Rough. "You were on mine!"

"Calm down, Rough." Crash tucked his arms behind his head and smiled at the skunk. "This could be fun. A little 'Pirates Versus Mercenaries' action."

"Yes," said Espio, still hanging upside down. "Except without the bloodshed."

"Aye!" said Vector. "A little PG action that's perfectly safe, and fun for all the family!"

Espio folded his arms and frowned up at the crocodile. "Stop breaking the fourth wall, Vector!"

"What, so if we're doin' this, I have to be on your side?" Rough pointed a claw at the Chaotix. "Four against three hardly seems fair, does it?"

"At least you'll be on the winnin' side," said Vector.

Rough slumped slightly, bristling, and a low growl rose in his throat.

Crash slapped a huge hand on his back, almost bowling the skunk over. "Come on, Rough! It'll be fun!"

"We'll toss some rules in as well," said Decode. "You get hit three times, you're out. First team down to zero members loses."

Charmy threw his arms in the air. "Yeah!"

"That makes this whole 'four against three' thing even more unfair!" said Rough.

Tsunami met Rough's eyes and stood up straight, tossing a snowball up and down in one hand. "Sounds fun to me. Mercs Versus Pirates? I'm game."

"Then game on!" Vector grinned down at the bristling skunk. "What's it gonna be, Rough? You joinin' us, or sulkin' on the sidelines?"

"Come on, Rough," said Decode. "It was your idea to come here in the first place."

Rough leered at the Chaotix silently. Then he sighed. "Fine." He joined Vector's side and fixed Team Datastream in a grin. "You guys are goin' down."

"That's the spirit!" Vector struck Rough on the back, sending him face-first into the snow. "Oops! My bad!"

Charmy buzzed by the skunk's head, laughing like a lunatic.

Espio quirked an eyebrow at Vector. "You did that on purpose."

Tsunami grimaced and exchanged glances with her allies. "If these guys are our opponents, then I think we're going to win this."

"With bells on." Crash grinned.

...

The grove was split into two, with Datastream's trench on one side and the space pirates scheming away on the other. Tsunami and Crash piled up snowballs while Decode devised a plan of action. Tsunami and Decode had taken a hit already, while Crash had taken two in quick succession thanks to Espio's sneaky camouflage. Decode had dealt with the chameleon swiftly before Crash was taken out altogether. It hadn't taken the space pirates long to work out Crash's aim was top-notch. As an explosives expert, he needed good aim. Otherwise things could take a rather nasty turn.

Tsunami peered over the edge of the trench towards the space pirates, and her heart sank. Only three. Where had that sneaky chameleon gone?

"Eyes above, guys," she whispered.

"I've already noticed," said Decode. He trailed a twig through the snow, sketching out his plan ideas. He'd scrubbed two already. "If I've worked it out, he's in the low branches of the second tree on our right."

Crash nailed the branch with a snowball, hitting nothing but air. He sighed and sank back in the trench.

"Remember days without snowballs?" he said. "Warm… safe… dry…"

"Hang in there, soldier," said Tsunami. "The war will be over soon."

"I miss my family," said Crash. "I can't even remember what Omochao looks like."

"What are you plans after this?" Decode asked. "Once the war is over?"

Crash blinked his bleary eyes. "I was thinking of hitting Rave City. Catching a concert. Letting myself get lost in the music."

"Sounds like bliss."

"You?"

"I'm gonna eat something other than snow," said Decode. "Maybe a pizza."

"Ahh, pizza." Crash rolled his head back against the ditch. "Oh, I remember pizza. Little Darcy loved pizza."

Tsunami's eyes widened and she ducked behind the trench. "Bee at ten-o-clock!"

Crash rose up and punted a snowball. Charmy spiraled from the sky with a squeal, landing head first in the snow.

The pangolin fist-pumped the air. "That's three, Charmy! You're out!"

The little bee fluttered into the air and hung his head. "Aww, man!"

Crash sank back down in the ditch, and Decode stared at him.

"Who on earth is Darcy?" Decode asked. "Five minutes ago, your daughter was called Glitch."

"Oh yeah." Crash rubbed his head. "I should probably write this stuff down."

"Nah, you'll lose the immersion." Decode jerked his head up and tossed a snowball. It narrowly skimmed Espio's tail before he vanished into thin air. "We've got a chameleon, guys!"

Tsunami spun on the spot, grabbing a snowball in each hand. Crash scrambled from the ditch, twisting to avoid an aerial assault. He fired off his ammo into the trees, aiming for any branch that dipped. But Espio had worked out his strategy. He used his camouflage to his advantage, mixing up his pattern.

Crash tried to follow the invisible reptile with his eyes, but each snowball missed its mark.

The bushes rustled behind them, and Tsunami jerked her head towards it. The snowball took her by surprise, smashing against Crash's scales.

"No!" she yelled.

Crash turned to see the snow coating his back, then he slumped forwards, keeling over.

Decode rushed to his side, but Tsunami's eyes were on the bush. A fluffy tail vanished beyond it. Laughter.

Crash blinked his bleary eyes. "It's over for me, guys."

"Don't be silly!" said Decode. "You'll be fine!"

"No… No… It's over." Crash faked a grimace and dug his fingers into the trampled snow. "Tell Glitch I… I…" Then his eyes closed and his arms went limp.

"Tell her what?" Decode shook him, his voice turning frantic. "Tell her what?!" Then he screwed his eyes shut. "No! Come back to me, Crash!"

Tsunami shook her head and took off after Rough's tail. His fresh footprints blended with the old ones, making tracking him near impossible. Then she spotted it. A trail leading out of the grove.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily!"

She picked up pace, racing over the snow. A thick patch of ferns rustled ahead of her. She bounced a snowball in her right hand and sent it flying towards it.

A grunt.

Rough shook the snow off his head then scampered into another bush. Two hits so far. One more and he was out.

She saw him vanish behind a blackberry bush. She curled into a ball to avoid the prickles and barreled through it, uncurling in time to see his startled face. He dodged out of the way, sending her face-first into the snow.

She reached up and grabbed his tail, dragging him flat onto his back. Gathering up her dropped snowball, she scrambled over to the fallen skunk.

"Game over, pirate," she said.

He widened his eyes. "Nami… you wouldn't hit me while I'm down, would ya?"

She laughed. "You don't know me at all."

Rough stared back at her, almost pleading. Then something sparkled in his eyes. He reached out and Tsunami jerked forwards as he tugged her scarf. She threw her hand up before her muzzle, and her nose bounced off her knuckles.

Rough spluttered and released her. She keeled back from him, trying to work out what had just happened. The skunk, still lying on his back, swiped snow from his face.

Tsunami smirked and smoothed out her scarf. "That's three."

"That weren't fair! I weren't prepared!"

"All right." Tsunami grabbed an armful of snow. "How about this?"

She dumped it over Rough's head.

He sat bolt upright, scattering it and wiping it from his eyes. Then he laughed.

"All right, Nami," he said. "I give. You win this one."

...

Tsunami left the bathroom after drying off her fur and scales, wrapped in her snuggly pyjamas and a blanket warmed from the heated rail. Crash, Decode, Rough and Omochao were all gathered in the hotel's communal lounge watching a colourful movie. No one else was up.

"Vector got you good, there, huh?" Crash grinned at her from the sofa.

Tsunami plopped down beside him, causing Decode to bounce slightly. "At least he didn't turn me into a snowman like Decode."

The bush baby looked up from his phone and smiled. "He caught me off-guard. I'll get him next year."

"I do not believe snow falls are annual," said Omochao. "In theory, you could-"

Decode lifted a hand. "It's okay, Omochao. I just don't think we'll be having another snow ball fight with the Chaotix any time soon. Today was unexpected."

"Ah, I see." The robot rubbed a hand on his metal head. "Please forgive me for not understanding."

"There's nothing to forgive." Decode returned to his computer, completely ignoring the movie playing out on the holoscreen opposite them. "You're fine, Omochao."

A small smile graced Tsunami's muzzle. She sat back in her seat, then, noticing one voice hadn't been joining in, leant forward again to look over Crash. The larger pangolin cocked an eyebrow at her then followed her gaze to the skunk beside him.

Rough lay against the arm of the sofa, sprawled over a small pile of scatter pillows. His ear twitched periodically as if swatting away a fly, but the only sounds coming from him were a few soft snores.

"He conked out shortly after we got down here," said Crash. "Must've worn himself out."

Tsunami let out a chuckle and settled back in her seat. "He's clearly run himself ragged."

"He's not a pet dog," said Decode.

Tsunami gave the bush baby a small smile, but he didn't look up from his game. She leant her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I had fun today," she said. "It was a good idea."

"I agree." Crash stretched and yawned. "But man am I ready for bed. The thought of fixing that engine tomorrow seems a lot less daunting now."

"Oh yeah." Tsunami stared across at the wall. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"Dreading it?" Crash asked.

"No. You're right." She turned her head towards the window. "It does seem a lot less daunting. I mean, sure, the repairs will take a while. But pretty soon, the Raptor will be up to scratch again."

"Hopefully there'll be no scratch on it when we're done," joked Decode.

Tsunami barely heard the bush baby. Something beyond the window caught her eye, glinting in the lights from the hotel windows. Something yellow, poking out from the snow beneath an apple tree. A flower?

She leant forward on her knees and squinted at it, trying to make it out through the frosty window. Surely it was too early for flowers? Was it a daffodil? No, it wasn't possible. They weren't due to emerge for at least another two months.

She pushed herself up and moved over to the window, keeping the flower in her sights. Crash's voice trailed off and she became aware he'd been talking to her.

"Nami?" He leant forward on his knees. "You okay?"

Tsunami stared aghast at the flower beneath the tree. It definitely was a daffodil. What was it doing there?

"I'm fine." She looked over her shoulder at her friends. All three were staring at her, questioning. "It's just… there's a daffodil there."

"At this time of year?" Crash asked.

"Seems implausible," said Omochao. "A quick run-down states there are very few flowers that can grow at this present time. None of which are the daffodil."

"Then come and see for yourself. It's right-" She turned back towards the window, her words trailing off.

Where the daffodil had been sitting was now bare snow. Not so much as a blemish on it that suggested it had been plucked from the ground.

Crash stopped behind her and frowned at the window. "I don't see anything, Nami."

"It was right there," she said. "Unless I'm going mad?"

Decode let out a snort. "That ship sailed a long time ago."

Crash chuckled and steered his sister from the window. "I think you're just tired. Get some rest."

Tsunami gave a lone laugh. "Maybe. I'll make us some cocoa and call it a night."

"I'm on it!" Omochao rose into the air. "It's your vacation, ma'am. Let your trusty Omochao do the work."

...

The next morning, fresh snow had fallen, hiding all evidence from the previous day's fun and games. Rough's ship was still parked over the almond grove, hidden behind its trusty cloak. It wasn't a long trip back to Pulse City, but the ship felt a lot less tense.

Tsunami relaxed beside the skunk, gazing from the window at the blue sky. The odd fluffy cloud wrapped around them, wisping away into little tufts as the ship cut through it.

"It looks like it's going to be a nice day," she said.

"I'm glad," said Crash. "It'll make repairing our ship a lot easier. Omochao might even be able to give a helping hand."

"I shall do what I can, Master Crash," said Omochao.

Crash grinned at the robot, then turned to Decode. "What about you?"

"I still have to get the heating sorted," said the bush baby. "I dread to think how cold it's gonna be in there right now."

"I can lend a hand," said Rough. "Heatin's failed on my craft several times."

"That doesn't bode well," Tsunami told him. She turned to look over her shoulder at Decode. "Don't let him touch it."

"Wasn't gonna," he replied.

Rough snorted. "Suit yerself. I'll just help Spike with the engine, then."

"You'll hammer out the shell," said Crash. "Don't want the engine falling off during flight."

"It won't," said Rough. "But fine. If you need a hand, ya'll know where I am."

Tsunami gave him a sideways smile and chuckled. The skunk caught her staring and flashed his canines in a grin. But neither said anything.

Pretty soon, the ship was pulling in at the far end of Pulse City's expansive docks.

Crash let out a long whistle. "Busy today!"

"Must be last night's weather." Tsunami pushed herself from her seat. "No one wanted to fly in it."

"Aye." Crash folded his arms behind his head and followed her out onto the docks. "Given how quickly it hid our game, I dread to think what it was like."

"I slept right through it," said Decode.

"Likewise." Rough yawned and hopped out beside them.

The ship locked up tight and the group moved from it onto the busy street.

Omochao flitted before them, flying backwards. "I shall make haste in getting the kettle on. That way, the ship won't feel so cold!"

"Great idea, Omochao!" said Tsunami.

Omochao turned towards Rough. "How do you take your tea, sir?"

"Sweet'n'black," said the skunk.

"Roger!" The little chao-droid saluted then took off over the roofs of the ships.

"Just what we need," said Decode. "I approve."

Crash poked his tongue out in disgust. "I don't. Sweet and black? Seriously?"

"What?" Rough lifted his arms. "I don't want no cow juice in my tea, thank you very much."

"I've seen you drink a milk shake," said Decode.

"Milk shake ain't tea!"

Omochao whizzed back over the ships towards them, almost bumping into Crash's snout. Tsunami did a double-take at the android's sudden presence, blinking her blue eyes.

"Omochao?"

"There appears to be a set back in our plans, ma'am."

"Really?" Tsunami's heart thudded in her chest. "What kind of set back?"

"Well, those repairs you were listing?" Omochao shook his head. "They will no longer be necessary."

Tsunami frowned at him then slipped past him towards the Raptor. Its golden hull emerged from behind the neon green shell of the Chaotix' ship. Pristine. Glistening. Not a scratch in sight. She trailed her eyes over the hull towards the tail fins. There, set neatly in place as if it had always been there, was its second engine.

Crash stood beside her, matching her stunned and gobsmacked expression.

"What in the world?" Rough gasped. "It din't look like that yesterday."

Tsunami turned and dashed towards the door of the Chaotix' ship. She hammered on it with her fist frantically until it finally hissed open. Espio wiped a gloved hand across his bleary eyes.

"Nami?" He yawned, long, dragging out the silence. "What is it?"

"Did you guys do this?" She pointed towards her ship.

"Do what?"

"Fix our ship? The Raptor?"

He blinked, staring down at her. "Fix your ship? Why would we do that?"

Vector poked his head around the door to their bridge. "What's goin' on, Espio?"

"They think we fixed their ship," Espio replied.

Vector shook his head at Team Datastream. "We have boundaries, yanno. Don't go around fixin' up peoples' ships."

"Then if you didn't…" Tsunami turned from the neon green ship and stared back up at the Raptor. A soft, faint glow reflected off the tail fin, spreading out like the petals of a flower. "Then who did?"

The petals span and vanished as the sun ducked behind a cloud. Whoever had fixed it, Tsunami was eternally grateful.

"It sure were nice of 'em," said Rough.

"Definitely," said Crash.

Decode poked his head from the door. "The heating's working, too! This is amazing!"

She smiled and tucked her hands behind her back. "Whoever did this did a fantastic job. I only wish we could thank them personally."

Crash chuckled and placed an arm around his sister's shoulders. "Maybe we'll meet them one day?"

He steered his sister towards the ship, and she joined Decode and Rough on the bridge.

Omochao fluttered in, carrying a tea tray. "Tea is ready! Here you go, sir. Black, sweet, not a drop of milk in sight."

Rough took it, glancing up at Crash's crinkled muzzle. "What?"

"No milk?" Crash asked. "Really?"

"No."

Crash picked up the milk jug and inched it towards Rough. The skunk clutched his teacup protectively and turned it away from the pangolin.

"It's nice!" said Crash.

"I like it as I like it, Spike. Keep that cow juice away."

Tsunami laughed and shook her head, settling back in her seat. As she gazed out at Pulse City's busy docks, she sipped her tea, wondering who it was who'd fixed their ship, and feeling increasingly thankful. With the joyful voices behind her, the whole situation had shed its dark cloak, instead filling her ship and Pulse City with the feeling of peace.

...

A/N - Merry Christmas, everyone!

The next chapter will be posted Saturday as usual. I just wanted to get this special out this week.

Decode and Crash's silliness in the 'snowball war' was inspired by the paintball episodes in Community XD Kudos if anyone spotted that. It's such a great show.

As always, please R&R! =D