Later that evening, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" screamed Val.
She threw open the front door, coming face-to-face with Sam and Twister. Both were carrying backpacks and sleeping bags. She guessed Otto had probably invited them to spend the night. Reggie was at her friend Trish's house. She had called from there a few minutes ago, asking Val to come over. She'd politely declined, saying she'd rather get settled into her new surroundings.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Twister asked, his voice cracking badly in midsentence.
Val giggled. "Aw. You still haven't grown into your voice?"
Twister sighed heavily. "No, and Lars never lets me forget it."
"Well, I think it's cute."
Otto made a gagging face behind Val's back, then attempted to drag his lovesick friend upstairs so they could escape from her.
Val suddenly snapped her fingers, exclaiming, "I've got a great idea!"
Otto poked his head into the kitchen to see what she was up to. Val was humming Christmas songs as she began to prepare some microwave popcorn. He knew Twister and Sam would want to remain downstairs once they smelled the popcorn and grudgingly admitted defeat.
A short time later, Val and the boys had gathered in the living room. Sitting on the floor was a stack of Christmas movies Val had brought: Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Christmas Vacation, and a few others. To give the room a movie theater feel, Sam turned off the lights.
By the time Christmas Vacation ended, Otto and Sam were asleep, giving Val a chance to talk privately with Twister.
"I've really missed you," said Twister.
"I've missed you too," she replied.
She crawled over to the VCR and slipped in a copy of The Chipmunks' Christmas Carol, which Twister thought was an odd choice for her. Val said she'd always liked the Chipmunks, especially Theodore.
"Maybe we could spend tomorrow together," she suggested. "You know, just the two of us."
Twister hesitated. He knew Otto would completely lose his temper if he found out. Val must've guessed what was on his mind because she added, "We'll just get up really early and come back before he has a chance to miss us. What could go wrong?"
Twister could think of several things that might go wrong. For instance, if they made too much noise while leaving, they would get caught. But he didn't want to hurt Val's feelings, so he agreed.