When Brooklyn awoke again, he woke up to a snowstorm going on. Heavy snow was falling around him. His bag was covered at this point. He felt the chilly air. It was in the teens out. Still not cold enough to deter him. Visibility was slim at this point.

"I'm not going to let this stupid snow stop me from making it home tonight." Brooklyn told himself. He had to find that highway and follow it.

Brooklyn knew that snow was really water. He could eat snow for his water too. He took a handful of snow to his mouth. He had checked on his water and it was frozen now. Lot of good that was. At least there was the snow to get some liquid into his body. He also ate his last apple and he was on his way home again.

He searched carefully through the city and he followed it out of town. He was determined to get home, tonight. What he wouldn't give for his brother's cooking right now.

…

The clan and their friends and allies were still celebrating Christmas even without Brooklyn here to be with them.

There was a dinner prepared by Broadway and Angela. She sometimes helped him.

Broadway knew this holiday was going to be hard too without his eldest brother there. He made one of Brooklyn's favorite foods too: roast beef. Angela prepared some fruit salad and veggies. She was also making dessert. There would be some chocolate and carrot cake for dessert.

Everyone did their own thing until 8 pm. That was when guests were due to be there. Despite the snowstorm that was here in the city, it would mean there was a white Christmas.

Matt, Elisa's family, and the Labyrinth Clan came. The Xanatos' were there. Lex held baby Alex. And again, everyone didn't see Brooklyn there. Another holiday without him.

Malibu was still the biggest reminder of him, making the clan feel sad about Brooklyn. He looked like him, though being green with black hair instead of white hair and red skin, the beak, his voice. Everything.

After dinner and a togetherness thing, Angela would also plan to visit Demona tonight too. There was no reason why she shouldn't spend some time with her mother too. Demona deserved someone to care about her as well.

Dinner was soon ready and the food was on the table and the friends and family all got their plates and collected what they wanted before sitting down in their seats to enjoy the great Christmas dinner.

When everyone was sitting down, Goliath stood up and they all looked up at him.

"Everyone, I would just like to say that this is a fine dinner made up and looks good. We are to be grateful for what we do have and that is each other and a great home. Especially on a night like tonight. We still do miss Brooklyn, but we shouldn't let his absence ruin our night. We will miss him and wish he was here with us tonight. He will always be in our hearts." Goliath made this special toast.

"I think he would have liked that speech, Goliath," Elisa said from beside him.

The clan all raised their glasses and gently bumped them together in fellowship. They then enjoyed their food as much as they could. Brooklyn would be there in spirit with them. Though little did they know that he was closer than they thought.

Everyone was invited to stay the night so they didn't have to go out into that snowstorm if they felt like it. But a good many just wanted to get home after the dinner and presents. Brooklyn's presents were saved for him by putting them in his room, never knowing when he would return.

…..

Brooklyn was really pushing himself to get home this night, snow or no snow. His hair was soaked to the skin from it being wet from the snow and the winds were not helping any. They were blowing pretty good at about 30 mph. Brooklyn was trying to use the up and down drafts the best he could. He had to flap his wings a lot too to keep himself aloft. He couldn't see a highway from up here, but he could see a snow line through the trees in the landscape below.

He knew he probably should just find a place to rest and wait it out to travel, but he really wanted to get home tonight. He was so close. He had made it through halfway of Pennsylvania by now. He had made it past Harrisburg by now.

Brooklyn was both exhausted and hungry. He kept pushing onward. His wings were cold and he was starting to feel it in his bones. He crossed his arms to try to keep himself warm while gliding. He shivered but he was keeping it up.

A few hours later, the storm lightened up but it kept snowing and it was easier to see. The winds were still blowing. Brooklyn was risking everything to get home tonight. He thought about what his clan would be doing tonight. Likely they would be joining their best friends in toasts around the dinner table tonight and opening gifts. He longed to do that too.

A big gust of cold air suddenly hit him and it nearly knocked him out of the air. He had to flap his wings to get out of the downdraft. He rose above it and kept going.

He was soon in Philadelphia. It too was a big city. Here, the storm had really lightened up. The worst was probably behind him. It would likely hit New York later. He was trying to beat it again.

Brooklyn eventually had to come to a stop and rest himself on a high-rise building. He was super tired. The wind was making gliding exhausting. He ate some more snow to get something into his body. That was all he was getting until he got home.

He wanted so much to get out of the snow and wind. He wrapped his wings around himself to try to warm himself up more. He sat down and let the snow fall on him. He used the lower parts of his wings to wrap around his legs too while also curling his tail up. He was just using his body heat to soak up warmth as best he could at the moment. His hair still blew in the wind.

"I can't give up. I have to get started again soon." He told himself out loud.

He let himself rest for half an hour then he got up and jumped into the air again. He felt a little warmer and he wasn't going to give up. Not when he was so close. Something was giving him the strength to get home tonight.

Two hours later, he made it to Trenton. Brooklyn was wearing out his energy flying in this snowstorm. He took another rest and ate some more snow on a rooftop. He wasn't going to give up. It had to be about two in the morning the way he had to keep backtracking at times, getting hit with powerful winds and such on a night like tonight.

After his little rest for a half hour, he took to the air again. His stomach growled but he ignored it. He could eat when he got home. His energy reserves were getting so low, but he kept on fighting to keep going. He would be home soon.

After an hour and a half of fighting more cold winds and snow in the air, Brooklyn finally made out the lights of New York City on the horizon through the snow haze. It had been a long and exhausting journey for him. He had made it back to his hometown on Christmas night!

Brooklyn stopped at the Empire State Building to rest before he would continue to the Eyrie Building. It was all lit up in green and red lights. It was beautiful. It made Brooklyn smile. "I thought I'd never see this place again." He said, shivering. He held himself. He wrapped his wings around himself to keep warm for a brief time.

He could barely make out the Eyrie Building in the blizzard. He knew the way to the castle from here. This was the last length of his journey. Once back, he probably wouldn't want to leave the castle for some time, after having been away for so long. Brooklyn thought he would never miss the castle as long as he did. Sure, he had missed it once before, but it meant even more now. His clan had still been there while he had been gone.

After four and a half months of being away, Brooklyn was going to be home momentarily. He wanted to get there before sunrise. He took a long enough break but his deep exhaustion was starting to set in.

Brooklyn took a deep breath and leapt off the side of the building. He was headed to Castle Wyvern for the first time in a long time.

…

At the castle, all of the guests had gone home. The Labyrinth Clan had gone to the sewers again where they lived. The Mazas had gone home too, and so had Matt. No one had been convinced they wanted to stay. Elisa was still here though, wanting to spend her night with Goliath.

Broadway and Angela were in the library enjoying each other's company. Lex was in with Alex and Owen. David and Fox were in their bedroom, asleep. Hudson and Bronx were in the tv room.

Suddenly, there was a sound of the doors opening in the Great Hall. Brooklyn hoped someone was in there. Nope. It had a Christmas tree there though. Everyone was obviously off doing their own thing.

Brooklyn began wandering off to find anyone. It felt good to be out of the cold but he was soaked to the bone and exhausted.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" Brooklyn called out.

From the library that was closest to where he was wandering the hallway, Broadway and Angela suddenly heard a voice that sounded familiar and hadn't heard in so long. It got their attention.

"Could that be who I think it is?" asked Angela.

"Let's go see, my Love." Broadway said. They both bolted up and went to see who it was.

"Is anyone home?" Brooklyn called again.

The doors to the library were slammed open and the couple stepped out. Brooklyn saw his bigger brother and Angela standing before him.

"Brooklyn?" Angela asked.

"Is it really you, bro?" Broadway asked. The two of them saw that Brooklyn's hair was drenched down and his wings were wrapped around him. He had a travel bag on his front.

"Yeah, it's me. Broadway, Angela?" Brooklyn said. Then his voice slurred and dizziness and exhaustion won out. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

"BROOKLYN!" The couple cried out and ran to him. Angela immediately taking him into her arms.

"He's cold, Broadway." Angela exclaimed, looking into her mate's eyes.

"Quick, let's get him into the library." Broadway declared and he helped pick his brother up. His mate was right. He was cold. He carried him into the library and set him on the couch in front of the fire. Angela quickly got the blanket and put it over him, then she ran to find her father while Broadway stayed with Brooklyn.

Broadway saw that his brother didn't look good at all. He was clearly exhausted other than cold. He tried massaging his arms and wings together to get warmth circulating in them. "Stay with us, Brooklyn. And here we wonder though, where have you been all this time?" he asked.

Angela found Goliath and Elisa and told them that Brooklyn was back. They both perked up.

"Where is he, Angela?" Goliath demanded.

"He's in the library, Father." Angela replied. Goliath instantly bounded out of the room in a rush. The girls got out of his way. Goliath had much to say to his Second but he would welcome him back first.

When the big lavender male arrived in the library, he saw Broadway leaning over the couch and when he got there, he saw his red Second laying on the couch, covered and unconscious.

"Is he alright, Broadway?" Goliath asked in concern.

"I don't know, Goliath. He just fell down like this in the hallway when he was calling for us. We went out to see him and didn't get to say much before he collapsed." Broadway explained.

Elisa then came into the library to see Brooklyn too. She wanted answers as well. She saw that he wasn't awake at the moment. She went up and felt Brooklyn's skin. "He's quite cold. He must have been gliding in the snowstorm." She said in concern.

"We have glided in snowstorms before and don't look half that bad." Goliath declared.

It wasn't long before Lexington, Hudson and Bronx joined them. Angela was behind them. She had gotten them. Their clan was complete once more, but Brooklyn was totally out of it.

"How is the lad?" Hudson asked in concern.

Elisa felt for a pulse. "He's alive, but he looks so exhausted and cold." Elisa replied.

After a bit, Brooklyn began to warm up and he began shivering. "It might be best to get another blanket on him." Elisa said.

Broadway ran out and got another blanket. A flannel blanket. It was put over Brooklyn's body. Brooklyn was moaning and groaning in his sleep. The clan was most concerned for him. They all wanted to know where he had been, but the questions and any lectures could wait.

Elisa figured out that he had hypothermia. They had to get him warm. The fire's heat and blankets seemed to be helping. Massaging his arms and legs helped too.

It took up to two hours of keeping him warm before he finally started to stir awake again. He moaned.

"Broadway, go make Brooklyn some soup. He sure could use it right now." Elisa ordered.

"Right away." Broadway replied and scampered off.

"Brooklyn? Can you hear me, bro?" Lex asked.

"Lex?" Brook's eyes were opening and it took a moment for his vision to focus.

"Yes, it's me. You're home now." Lex stated.

"How are you feeling?" Goliath asked.

"Goliath?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Don't… feel… good… Tired." Brook groaned.

Broadway came in not long after. "Here, Brooklyn, this should help ya too." He declared.

Brooklyn was shocked when a bowl was shoved in his face suddenly. But he could smell the chicken noodle soup. He jumped. His breathing huffed a moment and he suddenly grabbed the bowl and began to down the soup in a hurry.

"Hey, hey! Slow down, Brooklyn. You can make yourself sick doing that." Elisa declared.

Brooklyn lowered the bowl for a brief moment before continuing to down it. He was starving. He hadn't eaten all night.

The clan let him eat in peace. They would let him relax for the rest of tonight. Tomorrow would come the talk of what happened to him.

"Can I just ask what happened?" Goliath asked him.

"Kidnapped… Nevada taken…" Brooklyn managed before giving the bowl to Angela. He then fell back to sleep.

"Let him sleep for now. He could use the rest." Elisa declared.

The clan was glad he was back with them and on Christmas day too. The best gift of all despite his shape. But they were worried about him with the way he looked right now.

Brooklyn didn't wake up again that night but he was monitored carefully. The clan wouldn't leave his side. Bronx had missed the red one and he licked his left hand that was sitting out to the air before it was tucked under the blanket too.

"Easy, Bronx. The lad needs to rest." Hudson petted the gar dog. Bronx whined.

While they were waiting for sunrise, Elisa called Dr. Sato and told him that Brooklyn was back home finally. "He's not in good shape, Dr. Sato." Elisa said.

"Okay. I'll be over first thing tomorrow evening. Will he make it to sunrise?" Sato asked.

"I think so. We're keeping him warm and he's warming up again, but he's just unconscious." Elisa explained.

"I'll be there tomorrow night. It's not too long till morning. I have a feeling I won't get there in time to help right now. Not in this weather." Sato declared.

"Agreed. We're doing what we can for him." Elisa said.

"Keep him warm and just watch him." Sato said. "Goodnight." Then hung up.

Elisa went back into the library to tell the clan. "Dr. Sato will be here first thing tomorrow night after you all wake up to examine him. Perhaps we should move him to the medical ward?" Elisa suggested.

"She's right. They have more supplies there to be able to help him." Goliath stated. He went over to pick the Second in Command off the couch. Brooklyn groaned but didn't wake up. The blankets were still over him.

The clan took Brooklyn to the medical ward. Goliath placed him in one of the recovery beds and they all worked on keeping him covered up. His hair was drying. His loincloth was still wet.

"Maybe his loincloth should be taken off so it can dry?" Angela asked.

"Probably needs washing too." Lex stated.

"Yeah. We need to get wet clothing off of him." Elisa agreed.

With the blankets covering Brooklyn from the sight of the females in the room, the blankets were lifted and the loincloth was undone and would be taken to the washing area. It might be better this way. Brook was covered up again.

Sunrise soon came and the clan turned to stone. Elisa on the other hand, she went to go tell the Xanatos' that Brooklyn was back at home again.

"What? Where is he?" David demanded.

"He's stone like the rest of them. He came home drenched and lethargic. He's in the medical ward now but was in the library to get him warm by the fire." Elisa explained.

"Good." Fox said.

"Dr. Sato is coming tonight to see him."

"He'll probably be better after a good day's sleep." David declared.

"Let's hope so." Elisa said.

"Did he say anything of where he was?" Fox asked.

"He said something about Nevada, but we'll get the full story when he wakes up again." Elisa stated.

Fox and David would be shocked if Brooklyn had been taken clear out there. So would the clan. It would answer why they couldn't find him looking here in New York.

I wanted Brooklyn to get home Christmas night and gliding in dramatic weather.