Chapter IX: Bright Horizon

The city slumbered under a blanket of freshly falling snow. The velvety night darkness wrapped itself around dwellings like a scarf, as the frozen precipitation continued to fall. In the Ranger tree, all was peaceful. Not a creature was stirring, to quote the old poem, especially not a mouse.

Chip and Gadget slept peacefully, huddled together under a thick comforter, as the temperature had dropped significantly the night before. In the living room, Foxglove had stayed the night for Christmas, and had foregone a rafter perch to wrap herself in blankets on the couch. Even Dale was deep in dreams, the latest Kablammo Man comic sticking out from under his mattress.

Late that night, while all were in the blissful state of sleep, a jingling sound rose outside in the park, and got louder, and louder, until it was accompanied by a slight crunch of snow. Inside, Gadget opened one eye, and then sat up, yawning but curious. Easing out of bed and grabbing her thick terrycloth robe from the nightstand, she scurried toward the front door.

Stepping out onto the hangar branch, she looked down, and nearly fell out of the tree in surprise.

Sitting below, perched in the thickening snow, was a brightly appointed sleigh, it's mounts pawing the ground anxiously, ready to be off again.

"Patience, boys," a merry voice said, "you'll wake our little friends. You would have to throw a shoe now, Comet."
Gadget gazed at the scene in wonder.

"Golly," she breathed softly.

The familiar human looked up into the tree, and a wide smile crossed his jolly features.
"Well, hello there, little one. Sorry if we disturbed your rest."
"Oh, it's no trouble," she said with a wave of her hand, and then she jumped.

"Wait just a…you can understand me?"
He laughed, a rich, deep sound.

"Why of course. I make it a point to learn to understand everyone."

She looked down at his work.

"What's the problem? Maybe I can help."
"Oh I know your qualifications, young Gadget. But replacing a reindeer shoe is a human sized job. We wouldn't want you to get stepped on. It would be a blemish on my records if I let anything happen to one of the Rescue Rangers. I'll only be a few moments here. Now go back inside to bed, you'll catch your death out here!"
She nodded, wrapping her robe a little tighter. As she turned sleepily to go back inside, she looked back.

"Would you like some coffee? We keep the percolator going all night."
"It's tempting," he said, "but I haven't the time. I'll make it a point to stop by and visit next year."

"Dale will be pleased," she grinned. She started back inside, when the human called out.
"Gadget?"
"Yes?"
"Merry Christmas, my dear."

"Merry Christmas, San.."

"Nicholas, please, child. The saint bit makes me feel older than I already am."

"Merry Christmas, Nicholas."

As the door of Ranger Headquarters closed, the smiling old man went back to his work with a chuckle.

"A grand soul, that one, no matter how small."

Morning dawned gray and cold, but the weather couldn't dampen the city's spirits. As light streaked across the morning sky, church bells began ringing across the great metropolis, waking it's citizens to the fulfillment of the season. Cab drivers shouted season's greetings to each other at stoplights, and even the trash collectors were whistling as they went about their work.

"Wowie zowie, it's Christmas, everybody!"

Dale's voice bellowed inside the Rangers' home.

A sharp knock sounded on the wall.

"Dale, it's five o'clock in the morning. Go back to sleep!"

"Oh come on, Chip, be a sport," Gadget said gently. "We might as well go ahead and get up."

"I guess you're right," he said, cooling off a bit. "With what we deal with in this tree, we sound like parents already."
If you just knew, she thought happily.

All over headquarters, bedcovers were thrown back, and sleepy faces began to trickle into the kitchen.

"Mornin' there, mates!" Monty bellowed. "Merry Christmas! Who's up for some three cheese flapjacks with Brie sauce?"

At the mention of the food, Gadget felt a familiar knotting in her midsection, and she clenched her teeth.

"Oh not now…" she mourned softly, and took off at a run.

Sparky and Foxglove looked after her receding figure with interest.

"What's with her?"

"Probably just nerves," Monty said affably. "She was always 'igh strung Christmas mornin' when she was little."

Everyone was eating when Gadget returned to the kitchen, and she sat down at her place beside Chip.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Never better! I'm just excited, that's all."
"Oho, eager to get to the tree, huh?"
"Well, I'm more eager to give you your present. You're gonna be really surprised!"

"What'd you get him, Gadge?" Dale asked with a wink. She just put on a bright smile.

"Be patient. You'll find out when everybody else does."

Breakfast went fairly quickly, ending as Monty started picking up plates and Dale dashed for the tree. Martha and Bink arrived to spend the holiday, and the little squirrelbabe nearly beat Dale to the presents.

"Oh boy! Lookit all the stuff!"
Everybody had to laugh at two's childlike expressions. They felt it too. Christmas always tended to bring out the best in them.

"Here Monty," Gadget said, handing him a small box, "this is from Chip and me. Well, I built it, but Chip got the parts."

The big Aussie opened the package, and whistled as he pulled out a miniature pocket-watch.

"Too rah loo, luv, this'll look just too roight with me good suit!"
"Here Dale." Sparky handed the red-nosed chipmunk a gift. "I found this in the mouse bookshop down the street."
"Woww! The Kablammo Man Compendium!"

This kind of conversation continued on for the rest of that hour. Presents were given and received with great relish, until everyone was sitting around and admiring what they'd gotten, and what had been given.

"This is beautiful, Gadget," Tammy said, fingering a length of gold chain that lay in a small, blue velvet box. "Chip has good taste."
"Speaking of good taste, you didn't do too bad yourself," the blonde mechanic replied, fingering the wool-lined leather flight jacket that rested around Tammy's shoulders.

"I know, isn't it great? But um, didn't you have a present for Chip?"
Gadget's expression turned to shock.

"Golly, I almost forgot," she whispered.

"Then go to it."
Nervously, Gadget got up, and walked over to the couch, where Chip was sitting, looking resplendent in a new fedora. She sat down beside him. Everyone knew something was up, and stopped what they were doing to watch.

"Chip, I wanted to get you something special for this first Christmas. I'm a little inexperienced on that respect, but I wanted to make it memorable. I didn't really know what to do. But I found out yesterday that the something special I hoped for had gotten here."
"Really?" Chip asked.

"Yes. Well, it hasn't gotten here yet," she said, her eyes sparkling. "It won't be delivered for about another eight months."

"What? I don't…"

Then, as the realization of what she was saying sank in, Chip's jaw hung open.

"Do you mean you're…that we…?"
She took his hand, and gently placed it on her stomach.

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

A roar of cheers and happy congratulations rose up in the room.

"Strike me starkers!" Monty yelled, twirling Zipper around in a circle. "Oi'm gonna be an uncle again!"

Sparky and Tammy were both bawling, sharing a box of Kleenex.

Chip took Gadget's other hand, and looked into her happy eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as sure can be. Tammy ran the test for me yesterday."

"I had to drag her down to first aid to do it, but I'm glad I did," the squirrel Ranger sniffed, drying her eyes. "You guys are going to make a great mom and dad."

Something started nudging at the back of Gadget's memory, but she couldn't place what it was. She started to say something, but then there was a knock at the door. The memory clicked into place.

"Thanks Tammy," she said. "But I just remembered. There's a present coming for you, too. And I think he just got here."
"He?"

Gadget walked over to the door, and pulled it open with a flourish.

Reguba walked in, shaking snow from his brushy tail, and grinning as he whipped his scarf off.

"Well, the snowstorm kept me at the airport for a while, but I made it!"

Tammy gave a little cry and jumped into the tall, handsome squirrel's arms. She kissed him and then looked up at him, trying not to tear up.

"I wasn't sure when I was going to see you again."
"You knew you would though. How could I leave someone like you behind me?"

Gadget put her arms around Chip, and watched the scene with a happy heart. Tammy and Reguba embraced in the melting snow that fell from his fur, Dale was playing with the clockwork train she had built for him, and Monterey Jack was still bouncing with happiness about the new arrival. This was the best Christmas of her life.

"Merry Christmas, everybody," she shouted.

"And God bless us, every one!" Bink chimed in.

The End

To Be Continued in

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Generations