-?- Christmas Rush -?-

"I can't believe Bit and Leena made such a mess! I mean, look at this!" Jamie held up a hand full of tinsel and pointed at the glitter that clung to the floor.

"So? Why do you care?"

"Because it will take me hours to clean all of this up!" Jamie yelled. Brad opened his mouth to say something, but Jamie cut him off. "You know they're just going to leave the room like this! That's why I have to do it."

"If you say so." Brad jumped down from the crate he had been sitting on. "Have fun."

"Wait! Aren't you going to help me!" Jamie called out. Brad waved his and dismissively and left the room. 'This is so unfair…'

"I feel a little bad about leaving such a big mess in the hangar."

"So? We can clean it when we get back."

"Leena, we both know that Jamie will have already cleaned by that time." Leena smiled mischievously.

"I know, that's why I decided to go Christmas shopping now."

"You're evil, you know that?"

"Yup. I've been told many times. So, where do we go first?" She stopped and looked around at some of the shops the small town had to offer.

"Well, I would say the mall, but I don't think there is one in this area. I guess that shop down there would be a good place to start." Bit pointed to a small building at the very end of the street. "We can work our way up and visit all the shops."

"Sounds good to me. C'mon!"

The sidewalk was crowded with holiday shoppers. Everywhere Bit and Leena turned, there seemed to be someone doing some last minute shopping. A few times they got separated and had to walk out onto the street to find the other; calling out a name didn't help because anyone that wasn't standing within a few feet of the person talking wouldn't be able to hear over the sounds of crying children and the chatter of men and women. After about the fourth time of getting separated, Bit began to get frustrated. He stepped off the sidewalk and waited until Leena did the same. A minute later he saw her push her way trough a crowd of women to get to the street.

"There you are!" She trotted up to Bit and pulled her coat tight around her. "Wow, it's a lot colder when there isn't anyone to block the wind." Bit nodded in agreement. "I guess that's why everyone is on the sidewalk." She sighed at looked back at the crowded pathway. "Shall we?"

"Well, it's better than freezing our butts off. But…" Bit paused and looked down at the ground. "Maybe we should hold hands so we don't get separated again." He glanced back up at Leena.

"Alright." Bit took her hand and they stepped back onto the sidewalk. They didn't speak or look at the other until they reached their destination. Bit dropped Leena's hand rather quickly.

"We're here. Let's go inside." He held the door open for her and she whispered a thanks as she passed. He noticed that she looked flushed, but he couldn't tell if it was because she was blushing or if her skin had just gone pink from the cold.

"Wow." Bit heard Leena say in awe. He entered the sore and closed the door behind him.

"What?"

"Look at all this cool stuff!" She ran over to one of the displays and picked up a communicator helmet. "These haven't been used for ages."

"I think this is an antique zoid store." Bit said. "Look." He pointed to some kind of body suit. Leena put the helmet down and walked over to it.

"What is it?"

"It's a thermo-suit. They were used back when zoids didn't have temperature regulated cockpits." He fingered the material for a moment. "It's in pretty good condition, too."

"I think my dad used to own one. He looked ridiculous in it."

"I can imagine." Bit said with a smile. "Well, I guess we should look around."

"Nah, I don't think I'd find anything in this store. Besides, I hardly know what anything is!"

"I could tell you."

"You?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Do you even know anything about old zoids?"

"I knew about the suit."

"That was one thing." Leena said with a sigh.

"You're forgetting that I used to sell zoid parts for a living."

"I—oh yeah. I forgot about that. Okay, so teach me."

"Um…alright. What do you want to know?" Leena looked around the store. She spotted something in the back that caught her eye.

"What…is…this?" she asked while heaving up a small, black box. "It's heavier than it looks."

"That is an attachment that pilots used to put on their zoids to enhance targeting capability. Companies stopped manufacturing them when zoids started being built with target lock. I think there are some old zoid fans that meet once a year and put on tournaments. They probably still use the target box."

"Oh." Leena said, dumbfounded; she was impressed with Bit's knowledge of zoids. "Fine. But I bet you can't tell me what this is!"

They continued to explore the shop in much the same fashion; Leena would pick out the oddest thing she could find and see if Bit could recognize it. About ten minutes later she began to tire of the game.

"C'mon, Bit, let's go check out another store. I really don't know anyone who would need a thermo-suit anyway."

"In a minute." he said while looking toward a corner of the shop. "Let me just see what's over there."

"It looks kinda dusty over there. I'll just wait over here. Be fast, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Bit said half-heartedly. Leena rolled her eyes and watched him rummage through a bin of miscellaneous things. She couldn't help but smile; despite being in a store filled with ancient zoid parts, she was actually having a decent time with Bit—a good time even! However, a few minutes later her good mood began to wear off. 'Where is he?'

"Bit?" she called out. No answer. "Bit?" she tried again. Still no answer. 'That's strange…I saw him disappear behind that bookcase just a minute ago…'

"You rang?" Bit asked while popping out from behind the very bookcase Leena was just about to investigate. Leena jumped.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Aw, I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time."

"Bit! I swear, one more word and I'll...urg! You can be really annoying sometimes!" 'And really cute, too. Wait…did I just think that?' A light blush appeared on Leena's cheeks. She shook her head. "Where did you go to, anyway?"

"Oh, I was just looking at some mechanics' watches."

"What?"

"Here, I'll show you." He grabbed her forearm and pulled her over to a glass display case. There were a bunch of what looked like old fashioned pocket watches. They came in various shapes and sizes. They were in different conditions, too; some looked brand new, while others were old and dented and some were even patched up with a cheaper metal. Bit smiled down at the lit up case.

"Mechanics used to use these watches to time zoids on test runs or just to time how fast a certain part of the zoid was going. They may look simple, but they're actually pretty advanced. Each watch stops at a one hundredth of a second and includes a scanner that displays how fast a zoid is going. My grandfather used to have one just like that." He pointed to the most beautiful out of the bunch. It was medium in size and made of silver. There was an engraving of a Liger standing on its hind legs. Its mouth was wide open in mid roar. Besides a few minor scratches, the watch was in perfect condition. Bit sighed and took his hand off the case. He seemed almost sad.

"Well, let's get going."

"Okay." She followed him out of the tiny shop. She glanced back once and smiled; she finally knew what to get Bit for Christmas.

"My feet hurt. Can we go yet?"

"Quit complaining. We only have one more shop to visit."

"But the last one was so boring." Bit whined. They had just exited a scented candle shop. Leena hadn't thought much of it either, but she wouldn't admit that to Bit.

"C'mon. I'll buy you a cookie." Leena proposed in a sing-song voice.

"What kind of cookie?" Leena rolled her eyes.

"Whatever kind you want. Now come on!" She tightened her grip on Bit's hand and dragged him into the last shop. It was a jewelry store. They were met with an annoyingly familiar cry.

"Leena, my love!" Leena froze in the entranceway.

"Quick, Bit, let's get out of here." she whispered eagerly. They couldn't even get turned around before Harry was at Leena's feet and kissing her hand. "Harry, stop. This is embarrassing." she said through gritted teeth.

"But, Leena, I'm only expressing my love for you. Let the public know!"

"Harry, I mean it." Leena said murderously. He continued to talk nonsense and began kissing her up her arm. Bit was snickering beside her. "That's it!" Leena grabbed Harry by his collar and tossed him into the wall. Bit laughed harder. "And you…" She turned to him and hit him hard in the arm with her purse. He yelped.

"What was that for!"

"For laughing at my misfortune, that's what!"

"But I didn't—"

"Never mind. Let's get out of here. I think Harry's starting to regain consciousness."

"Right. Let's go." They ran out of the shop as fast as they could. They could just make out Harry's saddened cry of "But I bought you a ring!" as they turned the corner onto a different street. Bit gave Leena an 'I told you so' look. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, so maybe the jewelry shop wasn't such a good idea after all. But how was I supposed to know that…" She paused and scrunched up her nose. Her voice took on a more disgusted tone. "Harry would be in there? I mean, what are the odds?"

"Dunno, don't really care. Right now all I'm interested in is putting down these bags and getting something to eat."

"All you ever think about is food!"

"It's almost dinner time! We skipped right over lunch! You can't really blame me for being hungry…"

"I can, and I will." Leena said with her nose turned up. Unfortunately for her, her stomach chose that moment to emit a huge growl. She smiled and rubbed the back of her head, a trait of Bit's when someone or something proved him to be wrong. "Well, I guess we could eat." This time it was Bit's turn to roll his eyes.

They walked into the center of the town and had dinner in a small restaurant. It was dark by the time they finished eating.

"I'm s-so tired!" Leena yawned.

"Me, too. But at least we got most of our shopping done." Leena's eyes snapped open.

"My bag!" she exclaimed. "I think left it in that stationary shop!"

"Aw, Leena! That shop is all the way near that Zoid shop we first went to!" Leena pouted.

"But my bag…" she whined. Bit sighed.

"Fine, let's go back."

"No!" she said a little too loudly; she quickly lowered her voice back down to a normal volume. "How about you go get the car and I'll go back and get my bag? That way it won't look so long."

"It's kinda dark, Leena…"

"So!"

"Well, you know, there could be muggers out there or—"

"Bit! That's so lame! I can take care of myself just fine! You saw what I did to Harry."

"All right, I guess." he said, though he still looked uncomfortable about her walking around by herself. Leena gave him a big smile.

"Thanks! Just bring the car around to the corner of the street, okay?"

"No problem." He took Leena's bags from her, despite her protesting, and walked off in the opposite direction. As soon as Leena was sure that he was out of site, she began to run back to the zoid shop. 'I've got to hurry if I'm going to pull this off.'

Bit pulled the car up to the sidewalk and let Leena in.

"Did you get your bag?" She held up a small, blue shopping bag. Bit looked at it curiously. "I don't remember you having that. What's in it?" He reached for it, but Leena quickly snatched it out of the way.

"Sorry, for my eyes only." she said innocently.

"C'mon! Why not?" Bit grabbed for it again, but Leena was too fast. She shook her finger at him and made a 'tsk' noise.

"Now, now, I said you couldn't see it."

"Fine." Bit huffed. "I'll just sneak a peak when you least expect it."

"You wouldn't." she said with a glare. He raised his eyebrow and smirked at her. Leena let her jaw drop. "You would!" Thinking fast, Leena held the bag out to him. "If you really must know, it's feminine things. You can check if you want." Bit, who had just taken his prize, dropped it as though it burned him.

"No, that's all right. I believe you." Leena took the bag back and smirked. 'Works every time.'

Leena must have fallen asleep on the way home, because before she knew it, she was being shaken awake by Bit. She mumbled groggily and turned over in her seat.

"Come…on…Leena!" He shook her a little harder.

"Okay! I'm up!" She shot up out of her seat suddenly, her skull meeting with Bit's. It gave off a sickening thud. "Ungh…watch where you put your head, Bit."

"You watch where you put yours." he replied while rubbing his forehead gingerly.

"I'm not the one with a head as hard as a rock."

"Whatever. Let's just go inside; it's getting cold out."

"Yeah, fine."

"Leave your stuff in the car. We can get it tomorrow."

"Mmmhmmm…" Leena replied sleepily. Bit sighed and lifted her out of the car and stood her upright.

"Let's go, sleepy." She followed Bit with half-closed eyes as he led her to her room. "Goodnight, Leena." he whispered as she climbed into bed. She was asleep before she could even respond.

Leena woke up late the next morning and found anther present waiting for her outside her bedroom door. She opened it up and found three Snow Pens inside. At first Leena didn't know what they were, so she had to read the instructions that came in the box. Apparently Snow Pens weren't the kind of pens that wrote on paper, or contained ink for that matter; they were special heat pens that contained dye in the tip. All she had to do was click the end, and she could write colored messages in the snow. Leena couldn't wait to try them out.

Unfortunately, the box didn't give her any clue as to who her secret admirer was. All that was inside was a slip of paper that read: "On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me: three snow pens, two woolen gloves, and a carving made just for me." She couldn't help but laugh at the poor rhyming skills her admirer had; it was still very thoughtful though, and she loved the gifts very much. Leena placed her new gift inside her desk drawer and pulled on her slippers before heading out into the hallway. She found everyone in the recreation room putting up decorations.

"Leena, so nice of you to join the living." Brad said with a smirk.

"Good morning." she said back cheerfully with her own smile. Brad looked puzzled.

"What? No 'shove it, Brad'? No knock across the head? What has gotten you in such a good mood?"

"Nothing." Leena replied; no need in telling Brad about her mystery person. He'd probably just make fun of her. "I just had a good night's sleep, that's all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have some breakfast." And with that she skipped into the kitchen. Brad and Doc raised their eyebrows at her.

"Was she just…skipping?" Doc asked.

"I think so." Brad replied while searching for his coffee. He found it on the counter. "What's up with her, anyway?" he said once he had taken a sip of his drink. Jamie shrugged.

"Who knows? She's Leena; she's entitled to her mood swings once in awhile. Although…" he paused and looked deliberately at Bit, "It could have something to do with that secret admirer who's been sending her presents for the past few days."

"Secret admirer?" Doc and Brad echoed. Bit just stood there with his mouth partially opened.

"Yup. I think he really likes her, too. Well, I'm going to start making breakfast before Leena eats anything. She'll be mad if she misses out on my pancakes." He headed toward the kitchen and only paused to whisper something to Bit. "That's for the hangar."

"Jamie!" Bit yelled. Brad and Doc looked over at the two. Bit laughed nervously and pointed at Jamie. "Eh…he…tangled the strand of lights I was almost done freeing from the box?" Brad shook his head and returned to his coffee. Doc's gaze lingered for a little longer, but soon he was busy putting up decorations again. 'I'll kill him when I get the chance.' Bit thought while angrily twisting the lights in his hands. 'At least Leena seems happy with the pens. I'm glad I found those; I don't think I could rhyme hen with anything else.'

"I wonder who Leena's secret admirer could be?" Doc asked. Bit stayed quiet. "She doesn't know very many boys. Unless there's someone she hasn't told me about." He frowned.

"It's probably that dope, Harry." Brad interjected. "He's always trying to get her attention with some flashy gift." Bit rolled his eyes.

"Harry isn't smart enough to think of doing something like this for Leena."

"You never know, Bit. It could be him."

"I don't think so."

"I think someone's jealous." Brad said in a sly tone. Bit scoffed.

"Oh, please! Me, jealous of Harry? What world do you live in?"

"Whatever you say, Bit."

"Fine, don't believe me. You'll see later that you're wrong."

"You seem to be very sure of yourself." Doc said. "Do you know who the secret admirer is?" Bit blushed.

"N-no! Of course I don't!" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Hey, do you smell that? The pancakes are almost done! I'm gonna go help Jamie set the table." He was out of the room even before he finished his sentence. Brad and Doc looked at each other.

"It's definitely him." they said at the same time.

-UNTIL NEXT TIME-

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank the Gods that Bit has no talent for rhyme. I can't really think of anything else that rhymes with pens and can be made into an inexpensive gift. But feel free to laugh at the silly things I come up with. I know I find it amusing.

-Madam Midnight-