A/N: It is much too early for Christmastime, but the timing makes sense in this oneshot. Here is the answer to your questions about Rosa's last name and her relation to Nick! Enjoy!
Hermanita
"Almost there!" Dusty announced over his radio.
"Roger that, Dusty." Skipper replied. "Sure is beautiful up here, you two. I see why you like it so much."
"You should see it over the summer!" Sky said. She looked out over the landscape from her perch on Dusty's back. Dusty and Skipper flew over Piston Peak National Park, the land now covered in a blanket of December snow. As a way to sort of celebrate the one-year anniversary of getting certified, Dusty and Sky decided they wanted to spend Christmas up at Piston Peak. When they radioed Maru about how to get reservations, the mechanic proceeded to insist that they all stay up at the base since most of the team would be home for the holidays. But Sky reasoned that her and Dusty's friends and family were coming too, so she and Dusty agreed to stay at the base while everyone else got rooms down at the lodge.
It only took a few more minutes to find the Air Attack base, and Dusty and Skipper headed down for a landing. Patch saw them coming, even through the falling snow, and immediately announced their arrival. Cabbie, Windlifter, Maru, and Blade came out to greet their friends, an invisible Nick bouncing excitedly next to Blade. The Smokejumpers and Dipper generally went home for the holidays, and wouldn't be back on base until spring. Dusty and Skipper landed on the runway and began taxiing over to the firefighters. Sky dismounted from Dusty, blowing warm air into her cupped, gloved hands. She dressed considerably warmer: leggings under her jeans, about three pairs of socks under her snow boots, and a sweatshirt under her firefighting jacket. She also wore a beanie, and she moved her goggles to rest on top of the hat.
"Hey guys!" Sky waved.
"Hey Raven!" Maru greeted. "Hey Dusty! Nice to see you two again."
"Always a pleasure to see you too, Commander Riley." Blade nodded to the Jolly Wrench. "Welcome to Piston Peak Air Attack."
"Great to be here." Skipper said.
"So is it just you guys?" Cabbie asked.
"We got a couple stragglers coming in on the train tomorrow." Skipper said.
"Chug, Dottie, and Sparky decided to fly over and then take the train to the lodge. Mayday's back at home taking care of things." Dusty explained. "Sky's old foster mother Rosa is coming up too."
"Great!" Maru said with a smile. "The more the merrier. Things tend to get quiet around here during the winter."
"Well things will certainly get livelier when everyone else arrives." Sky assured, readjusting her backpack on her shoulders. "Sparky's got my suitcase, anyway." A gust of wind suddenly hit them, forcing a couple shivers.
"Come on. Let's get back into the main hanger." Maru suggested. "We got heat lamps and hot drinks." Everyone agreed, following the tug into the large hanger. A small circle of heat lamps rested in the middle of the space, and Maru passed around the drinks. Patch joined them a few minutes later.
"So you still keep in touch with your old foster mom?" Blade asked Sky amidst the conversations happening.
"Yeah." Sky nodded. "She's the closest thing I have to an actual mom, so I talk to her when I can. The orphans love it when Dusty and I come to visit. I think you'll like her."
"Can't wait to meet her." Blade agreed.
Sky swallowed another gulp of her cocoa. "I'm going to toss my bag in the hanger. Be right back." She stood, shouldering her backpack again as she slipped out the door to brave the falling snow. The wind picked up again, making the snowfall a borderline snowstorm, but Sky simply jogged through the flurries to Blade's hanger and slipped inside. She shut the door after her and brushed the snow off her jacket.
Nick materialized in front of her. "It really is good to see you again, Cuervo."
"It's good to see you too, Nick." Sky said with a smile. She climbed up to the platform next to her hammock, setting her backpack on top.
"Your dad seems really nice." Nick said. "Bet it must've been interesting being raised by a Navy plane."
"Interesting is certainly an appropriate word to use." Sky giggled.
"And this Rosa person." Nick said. "I remember you mentioning her. What's she like?"
"Really nice." Sky said. "She took me in after my parents abandoned me. Even on my worst days, she never ever gave up on me. I love her so much, and I'm so happy her second-in-command could take over for her so she could come up."
"Second-in-command?" Nick repeated, sounding confused.
"Oh yeah." Sky nodded. "Rosa runs a foster house. She recently hired another foster mother to help out and look after the place while she's gone."
Nick suddenly froze, his eyes going a bit wide. "A foster house? What's the name? Of the orphanage, I mean."
Sky's eyes narrowed a little in confusion. "Uh, the Lopez Foster House. Rosa's full name is Rosalinda Lopez."
Nick's jaw dropped. "Qué?! Por qué no me lo dijiste?!"
Sky blinked. "Huh?"
Nick sighed impatiently. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Sky asked, still confused.
"That your foster mother was Rosalinda Lopez!" Nick said.
"So what?" Sky shrugged.
"Sky, I think I know her! She's my little sister!" Nick said, sounding shocked and excited at the same time.
"Nick, just because you two have the same last name doesn't mean you are related." Sky protested.
"Then I want to meet her!" Nick declared.
"One, you might scare her half to death." Sky pointed out. "Two, there is no way you are related because you two are different species."
"Irrelevant. I want to meet her." Nick insisted.
"Nick, it's not going to happen." Sky countered, making her way outside and back towards the main hanger. "Maybe you do have a sister named Rosalinda, but it's not my Rosa."
"You don't know that for sure." Nick protested.
"But I do know that you might frighten her, and I can't allow that." Sky said. "I want this trip to be enjoyable for her."
"Come on, Cuervo." Nick begged. "Please? I have to know for sure."
"I'm sorry, Nick." Sky said sincerely. "But we can't exactly advertise your presence to the entire world and I don't want to scare Rosa. I have to meet her and everyone else at the train station tomorrow. You can join us if you'd like."
Nick sighed sadly. He stopped and stared at the ground, and Sky turned to face him. Nick stared at Sky with pleading amber eyes. "Please, Sky. If it really is my hermanita, I want to see her again."
Sky was still doubtful. No way could Rosa actually be related to Nick. Rosa once told her that she was born in New Mexico, and Nick was born in southern Mexico. But that look he gave her….
"Let me ask Rosa about her family first." Sky requested. "You can still come to the station with me if you want."
Nick stared at Sky for a moment before sighing again. "All right."
Nick decided to not join in the trip to the lodge to meet everyone, so Dusty and Blade joined Sky in their trek to the lodge and to the station. The lodge looked better than new after the inferno from Dusty and Sky's training. Jammer kept many of the decorations and workings that Cad installed, but the atmosphere was much quieter now. It was definitely calmer since winter set in over the park. Skipper met them down in the lobby and they made their way to the station to wait for Muir to come in. Once the train finally arrived, Sky jumped up onto Dusty's wing to search for the Propwash Residents. After a minute, she saw Chug waving his fuel nozzle arm. He, Dottie, Sparky, and Rosa made their way over. Rosa was also bundled up in winter gear, complete with a matching set of gloves, scarf, and earmuffs.
"So glad you could all make it." Sky said. "Especially you, Rosa." She hugged her foster mother, who returned the embrace and kissed Sky's head.
"It is so good to see you again, Skylar dear." Rosa said.
"Well come on inside!" Dusty encouraged. "Blade and Skipper are waiting for us!" He led the way as everyone started inside the warmth of the lodge. Skipper and Blade greeted them as they approached.
"Glad you all made it safely." Skipper said.
"Rosa, I want you to meet the fire chief who trained me and Dusty." Sky said, gesturing to Blade.
Blade did a near-perfect double-take, and he stared at Rosa in shock. "Rosie?"
"Rosie?" Sky repeated in confusion.
Rosa's jaw dropped. "Blade Ranger, as I live and breathe!" She laughed as she came over to hug Blade, the helicopter chuckling and nuzzling the woman. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"I work here." Blade chuckled.
Rosa looked to Sky. "And you didn't tell me?"
Sky shook her head to get rid of the shock. "Uh, didn't exactly come up in conversation. I'm sorry, you two know each other?"
"Blade and I are good friends." Rosa confirmed. "My goodness, it's been so long since we saw each other."
"Much too long." Blade agreed.
Sky blinked. She blinked again. Dusty chuckled at the sight. "Well this turned out to be an interesting trip. Sky, why don't you, Rosa, and Blade go catch up at the café? Chug, Dottie, Sparky, I'll show you guys to your rooms."
"Wait, what?" Sky turned, but the Propwash residents already rolled off. She groaned, face-palming.
Rosa giggled. "It's all right, Skylar. I suppose I owe you an explanation. Come, let's get something to drink. Something hot sounds absolutely divine right now."
Sky finally shrugged and followed Rosa and Blade over to the lodge café. The minute they sat down, Sky requested the story of how Blade and Rosa knew each other. Rosa laughed and she pulled a small photo album from her backpack. She flipped open the denim cover and show Sky a picture. Sky's jaw nearly dropped when she saw it. A little girl version of Rosa sat amongst a group of Hughes MD helicopters. One of the helicopters looked only a few years older than the little girl Rosa, colored red, green, and white; the second helicopter looked like a young adult, colored beige and black; the third helicopter was a female white and maroon, younger than middle-aged but certainly looking like the mother. The smallest helicopter had familiar amber eyes.
That's Nick. Sky realized. She subtly shook off her shock. "So, who are they?"
"My family." Rosa explained. "I was an orphan, like you, only I had lost my parents to muggers. I was adopted by this lovely family who recently moved to America from Mexico. That there is my mother—" She pointed to the maroon and white female helicopter. "—and that's my oldest brother, Juan." She pointed to the beige and black helicopter.
"Juan?" Blade asked. "I thought his name was Ben."
"Does he still go by that ridiculous name?" Rosa laughed.
"You're saying he changed his name?" Blade asked.
"Oh yes." Rosa nodded.
"Why would he do that?" Sky asked.
"Unfortunately, because he was ashamed." Rosa explained. "Like many children from Mexico, Juan and the entire Lopez family faced discrimination when they came to America. I've heard that Juan was often teased by his schoolmates. This was before I came into the family, but Mamá told me that things changed after they moved from Texas to New Mexico. Juan went into his middle school classroom and gave his teacher the name 'Ben' instead of his own. After that, Juan insisted that we call him by his 'new American name.'"
"How silly." Sky giggled.
"Well, Mamá and Nick knew how to face discrimination with bravery and dignity, and they never let it bother them. Juan was another story." Rosa said. "Which reminds me, that's my second brother's name." She pointed to the smallest helicopter in the picture. "Nick Enrique Lopez. Always proud of his name, always knew how to make people laugh, especially me." She flipped to another picture, this one showing an older Rosa standing with Nick and Blade. The two helicopters were in their "CHoPs" paintjobs. "That's how I met Blade, you see. He and Nick worked as actors on a show back in the seventies."
"Now that is something I managed to find out about Blade." Sky said, laughing as Blade rolled his eyes at her. "Didn't know this Nick guy was your brother, though." She stared at the picture for a moment. "So…..is Nick still an actor or is he a real police officer now?"
Blade stared at the table. He knew Sky was covering up the fact that Nick's ghost pretty much haunted the Piston Peak Air Attack base, but it didn't make the question any less painful. He hated thinking about Nick's death. He may still be around, but it didn't change that he wasn't exactly all there.
"No, Skylar dear." Rosa sighed, some sorrow coming to her tone. "Nick was killed in a work accident a long time ago." She grinned to Blade. "Which must be why we haven't seen each other for so long. What with you disappearing to follow your firefighting dreams."
Blade chuckled. "It's a good job. That's for sure."
Sky felt like her brain spun like a top in her skull. She needed answers, and she couldn't ask Rosa the questions she had. "Well, I can see you two need some time to catch up. So why don't you just hang out here and I'm going to jog back up to the base. I just remembered that Maru wanted my help with…Christmas decorations."
"All right. Have fun." Rosa gave Sky a hug. "We'll see you later." Sky jogged to the door, waiting until she was out of sight from Blade and Rosa before breaking into a sprint.
"It's so good to see you again, Blade." Rosa said. "Come to think of it, when did we see each other last?"
Blade thought for a moment. "Not since after Nick's funeral, I think. Or was it at the funeral?"
"No, it must've been after." Rosa corrected. "I couldn't make it to Nick's funeral."
"Oh right!" Blade nodded. "You had school."
"Entrance tests and a summer internship." Rosa added. "And Nick was always so proud of my work. I had wanted to come out, but he'd be turning in his grave if I did."
"And now you run an orphanage?" Blade asked.
Rosa nodded proudly. "I studied child development and then moved out to a small Minnesota town to open an orphanage. I wanted to take care of children until they could find proper families while making adoption easier for families in rural areas."
"I remember you saying that once." Blade thought about it. "Right! Your graduation from college. I managed to make it out to that."
"Of course!" Rosa sighed. "My memory is certainly not what it used to be. Of course, being around children all the time can take a lot out of you."
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Blade noted. "I haven't really been visiting much."
"Not at all." Rosa assured. "I don't get to do much traveling while I'm taking care of the children." She patted Blade's muzzle. "I'm very happy I could come out this time. It's nice to catch up."
Blade smiled. "Yeah."
By the time Sky reached the base, she panted like a dog and her breath came out in clouds in the cold air. She didn't stop, however, and hurried into the warmth of Blade's hanger and shut the door after her.
"Nick?" Sky panted. "Nick! We gotta talk!"
Nick soon appeared, looking concerned. "You all right?"
Sky took a minute to catch her breath. "She's your sister. My foster mother is your sister."
Nick stared. "Really? I was right?"
"Rosa told me about being adopted by your family." Sky explained. "I can't believe it! What are the odds that, as a little girl, I would be taken in by the sister of the guy who's the best friend of my Soul Connect partner?!"
Nick chuckled. "Fate can be strange that way."
"But how?" Sky asked. "I mean, what happened?"
"Well, that's kind of an interesting story." Nick said, sighing with a nostalgic look in his eyes. "See, my dad died before I was born, and after I was born Mamá moved us all up to Texas. I started elementary school in New Mexico, and when I was ten Mamá brought home Rosalinda." Nick sighed again. "Oh she was so beautiful. This little girl, full of life and love even given her circumstances, was my little sister. She and I loved each other, and we spent almost every waking moment together."
Sky felt touched, awed by such a story. "So why did your mom adopt her?"
"Mamá had talked about adoption after Papá died." Nick said. "She always wanted a little girl of her own. Besides, my brother was moving out and Mamá wanted an American-born Mexican to help us ease into the American life. She found Rosalinda."
Sky sighed in awe. "That's incredible."
Nick chuckled. "I wouldn't say incredible. We were just taking a little girl into our home and hearts."
"Tell that to the girl who wasn't adopted until she was eleven." Sky scoffed softly.
Nick cringed slightly. "Right. Sorry."
"It's okay." Sky assured. "I'm happy things worked out the way they did."
Nick nodded. "So, now that you know she's my sister, can I talk to her?"
"Of course." Sky nodded. "But we have to be gentle about it. We don't want to startle her. And she just arrived today."
Nick thought about it for a moment. "Then how about Christmas Eve? That's in two days. She'll be all settled by then."
"You sure you can wait that long?" Sky asked.
"Absolutely." Nick nodded. "It'll give me time to think of what I'm going to say to her."
For the next two days, Dusty and Sky showed their friends around Piston Peak. They introduced them to the Air Attack team currently on base, took them on a winter hike, and they had dinner in the lodge. Cad had gotten rid of several old Christmas traditions of the park, so Jammer made it his goal to bring them back for the enjoyment of the staff and the campers who came. One of these traditions was a party on the evening of the twenty-third. It took a lot of encouragement from Maru, Sky, and eventually Nick to force Blade into going, and in the end the fire chief claimed he only went to spend more time with Rosa.
"That's only half a lie, I hope you know." Nick told Sky as she got ready for the party. "He's just not big on crowds. Usually he likes to be alone."
"Christmas is a time to be with family and the people that care about you." Sky said. "Blade could use a little family time. Speaking of which, have you figured out what you're going to tell Rosa tomorrow?"
"I think so." Nick nodded. "I have a plan and I'm going to need your help to do it."
"Whatever you need." Sky agreed.
"Thanks." Nick said. "I really do appreciate it. But you guys go enjoy the party for now."
"We will." Sky nodded, assuring. "Thanks."
She departed the hanger, catching Blade before he could bail out at the last minute. She and Dusty led the way as the team made their way to the lodge. The building was all aglow with Christmas lights and modest decorations, and a couple of the staff members stood at the door to greet everyone. Inside, more lights were strung about the rafters and beams of the lobby, wreaths hung in seemingly random places along the walls, and a large Christmas tree stood in the corner. The fire team quickly found the Propwash folks over by one of the fireplaces.
"Hey folks!" Jammer greeted as he came up. "Glad you all could make it."
"Well it's nice to finally come down and see a quieter party." Blade admitted, glancing around the room.
"Don't get too excited." Jammer chuckled. "Some of the staff insisted on dancing in the larger dining hall."
"Sounds fun!" Sky said. "Come on, Dusty!"
"Hey, wait up!" Dusty called, hurrying after Sky as she darted off.
"How old is she again?" Blade asked Skipper.
"Hard to say anymore." Skipper chuckled.
Everyone dispersed to enjoy themselves. Cabbie parked himself at the outdoor fire pits, chatting with Skipper about their war days. Maru stuck around with Sparky, Chug, and Dottie, all of them talking about things happening in Propwash Junction. Windlifter drifted around, never staying in the one place for more than a few minutes before moving to observe everything from a different angle. Rosa and Blade spent most of the evening together, talking until they basically outlined their entire pasts to each other.
"What exactly was going through your canopy that you thought it was a good idea to fly after being injured?" Rosa demanded.
Blade still remembered the searing pain from his burns and the harsh impact with the ground that sent his senses into complete chaos. It almost made him cringe. "It's a chief thing, I suppose."
"A chief thing, he says." Rosa rolled her eyes. "Blade Ranger, you are something else."
Blade chuckled. "I'm not exactly who I used to be, that's for sure."
Rosa noticed the light sorrow coming to Blade's tone. "You know, I remember the day we first met. Nick invited me out to see where he worked, and he said he wanted me to meet his best friend. I couldn't believe how excited he was. Then I met you, and I realized why he was so excited."
"What do you mean?" Blade asked.
"Nick never got along with Juan, as I'm sure he mentioned once or twice." Rosa explained. "Always a difference in opinions, especially when it came to their heritage and where they were born. There were times when even I couldn't get Nick to talk about what he was feeling. But then he met you. You, who could get him to talk about whatever is going wrong in his day, who always offered advice, who could just be there. You made a difference in Nick's life."
Blade cracked a smile. "He certainly made a difference in mine. Never had any siblings myself, and Nick was the closest thing I had to a brother."
Rosa sighed softly. "I miss him."
Blade cast a look to Rosa. "Yeah…..yeah, me too."
Rosa cleared her throat. "Well, I think I'm going to get some dinner. Would you like anything?"
"Uh, no, thank you." Blade said. "I'm going outside for a while. It's getting stuffy in here."
"Now don't you go sneaking back to that base when we're not looking." Rosa scolded, laughing as she and Blade parted ways. Blade chuckled softly, making his way out the door and towards a quiet section of the cobblestone area. Nobody else was around, so Blade let himself relax.
"Hey Nick." He called softly.
After a minute, Nick appeared beside Blade. "Hey partner."
The two of them sat in silence for a while.
"Sometimes I forget that everyone else can't see you." Blade finally said. "Raven and I are the only ones who know you're here."
Nick sighed. "Yeah. I mean, I check in on my mom now and then, but I didn't even know where Rosa went after I died. I wasn't worried about them. I was worried about you. But after this…" He sighed again. "I don't know."
"Nick, I know you're scared to hurt the people you care about." Blade said. "It's understandable. You decide who you want to reveal yourself to. I really don't have a say in the matter."
Nick stared at the ground. "I'm going to show myself to Rosa. I want to talk to her again. But Mamá and my brother…they don't need to see me."
Blade nodded. "Sounds good."
Sky inhaled, then exhaled slowly. This was it. She didn't think she'd be nervous about showing Nick to Rosa. She wasn't nearly this worried when she tried to get Nick to show himself to Blade. But things were different now that her foster mother was involved. Who knows how Rosa would react seeing her surrogate brother's ghost? Still, she couldn't turn back now. So Sky approached Rosa during lunch and invited her out on a hike when they finished eating. Rosa happily accepted, seeming excited to spend some quality time with Sky. The two women bundled up and began their hike. Blade followed a short distance behind them, having been roped into the plan by Sky.
Rosa and Sky didn't talk much for a while, just enjoying the beautiful winter scenery. All the trees had nice thick layers of snow on them, and the snow at their feet crunched with every step.
After a minute, Sky looked to Rosa. "Say, doesn't it seem a little ironic that an orphan would start an orphanage?"
Rosa laughed. "I suppose some might think that. But when I was made an orphan as a little girl, I was given a second chance at a family. I was so thankful, and from my experience I knew the psychological damage that happens to orphans. So, when I received my second chance, I knew I wanted to help other orphans get the same opportunity."
"Why?" Sky asked. "I mean, how could you help by being a foster mother?"
"I helped by always letting the children know they were loved." Rosa said. "You ought to know that being an orphan isn't easy. Sometimes children come in who were abandoned, had their family killed, or were even taken from their previous families by Child Protection Services. More often than not, these kids go through life believing they did something wrong or that they don't deserve a good family. Many of them were like you, who believed they'd never be adopted. Remember how angry you always got as a child?"
Sky chuckled softly. "Yeah. I was a real pain, huh?"
"No different than quite a few other orphans your age." Rosa assured. "But that's why I never gave up on you. I knew that if I could assure those kids that they were special and loved, they'd never give up hope of finding a family."
Sky smiled broadly, and she suddenly pulled Rosa into a hug. Rosa giggled and returned the embrace. "I love you, Rosa."
"I love you too, Skylar dear." Rosa kissed the young woman's head. "I don't always like to get so attached to the children in the foster house, but I am so happy to have met you."
Sky blinked to keep her tears away and she pulled back. "I'm really happy I met you too. I'm thankful that you never gave up on me. And, as a way to thank you, I have something I want to show you."
"Oh?" Rosa asked.
"It's something a friend of mine wanted to do, and at first I wasn't sure. But a few days ago, when you showed me the picture of your family, I realized this is the right thing to do." Sky explained. "To be honest, I knew about your brother Nick before you even mentioned him."
Rosa blinked in surprise. "You did? How?"
"Blade told me." Sky said. "And then…something happened. So I need you to do me a favor and wait here, okay?" She began walking off.
"You aren't really going to leave me out here alone, chica?" Rosa asked.
"You won't be alone." Sky said, disappearing through the trees.
Rosa looked around for a moment before starting to follow her. "Skylar—"
"Rosalinda, wait!"
Rosa froze, her eyes going wide. She didn't move for a long moment, and then she turned around to the source of the voice. Her cocoa-colored eyes met the familiar amber orbs of someone she never thought she'd see again. Nick stared back at her, fully visible but with a faint blue aura around him. For the longest moment, the two of them only stared at each other, and Nick feared he may have inadvertently scared Rosa. Then, she stepped forward until she stood right in front of him. Rosa's stare became more focused.
"Hermano?" she breathed.
Nick swallowed and smiled. "Hey hermanita. Long time, no see."
Rosa's hands flew to her mouth. "Dios Mío." She laughed and suddenly threw herself forward to hug him. Nick chuckled, struggling to keep back his tears, and he nuzzled her lovingly. The two of them stayed like that for a moment, unable to pull away. "Hermano." Rosa sighed. "So this is where you've been?"
Nick sighed. "Yeah. Decided to follow Blade after I died. I would've visited you too, but I had no idea where you went and I just—"
Rosa shushed him. "It's okay, hermano. I'm just so happy to see you again." She hugged the ghost once more, sighing happily. Nick gave her another loving nuzzle.
In the trees and out of their sight, Blade and Sky watched the tender scene with twin smiles. "Come on." Blade encouraged quietly. "Let's give them some time alone."
"Yeah." Sky nodded, following Blade through the trees to find a clear place to take off.
Nick and Rosa spent the rest of the day talking. Nick didn't have a lot to tell since he spent all his time with Blade, but he wanted to hear every detail about Rosa's life as a foster mother. He even got to hear the story of Sky's adoption. Rosa was just happy to speak to Nick again. When the sun began to set, she became a bit sad because she knew she would have to return to the base soon so no one would worry. But Nick reassured her with the promise that they would talk again before she returned home, and he would make an effort to check in with her more often at the foster house.
Sky met up with Rosa on the way back to base so nobody would ask questions. The second they got close enough, Rosa pulled Sky into a tight hug.
"Muchas gracias, Skylar dear." Rosa sighed. "Best Christmas gift ever."
Sky smiled broadly. "I was happy to give it. And I think it made Nick happy too."
Rosa laughed as they continued to the base. "No need to wonder about that."
"Hey girls!" Chug called as Rosa and Sky emerged from the trees. He stood with Dottie, Sparky, and Skipper at the entrance to the base. "We were wondering where you went!"
"Just on a nice, relaxing walk." Sky shrugged.
"Well we're heading back to the lodge for the night, if you'd like to join us, Rosa." Skipper said.
"I think I will." Rosa nodded. She hugged Sky again. "Goodnight, Skylar. Merry Christmas." She walked off with the Propwash Junction folks, all of them descending down the path towards the lodge.
Sky couldn't keep the smile off her lips. "Merry Christmas, Mom."
"Cuervo! Hermano! Hey Blade and Sky! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
Sky and Blade both moaned sleepily, and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't block out Nick's excited voice. Nor could they really ignore him nudging them incessantly. So they forced themselves to open their eyes, and they gave the bouncy ghost mildly withering glares. Nick looked more wide-awake than usual, his eyes alert and shining with energy.
"What do you want, Nick?" Blade demanded.
"Wake up, sleepy-heads!" Nick shouted. "It's Christmas! Ya gotta get up!"
Sky checked Blade's clock. "It's like six in the morning. The sun isn't even up yet."
"So what?" Nick asked. "It's Christmas! You can wake up any time of the morning! Oh! I'm gonna go wake up Rosa!" He disappeared.
Sky rubbed her face. "Did he always do this when he was alive?"
"You kidding?" Blade yawned. "Every Christmas morning, after he was done waking his family, he would call me at the same ungodly hour. Always did love the holidays." He yawned again. "But, I will admit, that wake-up call wasn't exactly something I missed."
Sky sighed. "Well, he woke me up. Now I can't fall asleep again." She sat up, crawling out of her hammock and grabbing her jacket. She climbed down to the ground and pulled on her socks and boots, stepping outside the hanger. Seeing the freshly fallen snow all around her, Sky couldn't help but smile. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly and watching the cloud of her breath disperse in the air. After a minute, Blade came out to rest beside her. He smiled a little.
"I always did like the view from my hanger." Blade admitted.
"It's a great view." Sky agreed. She leaned against him. "Merry Christmas."
Blade nuzzled her. "Merry Christmas."
Skipper, Sparky, Dottie, Chug, and Rosa came up to the base at a much more reasonable hour. Rosa looked perky as ever, especially after her brother's wake-up call. Though she had been somewhat annoyed, she actually kind of missed the Christmas greeting from Nick. Everyone gathered in the main hanger to chat and exchange gifts, but at one point Rosa slipped away with the excuse that she was going out for fresh air. When Sky secretly investigated, she discovered Rosa and Nick chatting away once more. Sky could only smile at the sight, and she left them alone.
"I still can't believe you're here." Rosa sighed. "It's so good to see you again."
"It's great to talk to you too, hermanita." Nick said. "I promise I'll come out and see you when I can."
"Oh, don't you worry too much about that." Rosa assured. "You need to keep an eye on Blade. He's family too."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, he is." He looked out towards Sky, currently building a snowman near the runway. "And so is Sky. She's such a good kid. So full of happiness and energy." He sighed, his smile shrinking. "Why did her parents abandon her?"
"Because they couldn't see the beautiful little girl I saw when I took her in." Rosa said. "They saw her powers as a birth defect, not a gift. I always hate thinking about that time, because she used to be so angry and bitter at everything and everyone around her. But I look at her now, and I almost have a hard time believing she used to be that way."
"Yeah." Nick agreed. "She sure is lucky."
Rosa smiled warmly. It's so good to have my family whole again.
Rosa and Nick jumped when Sky let out a girly shriek, and they saw her jumping around trying to get snow out of the back of her jacket. She whipped around, and Rosa and Nick followed her gaze to Chug and Dusty a short distance away.
"Chug did it!" Dusty said.
"Tattletale!" Chug pouted.
"Guys…." Sky growled.
"We were just having a snowball fight." Chug said innocently. "Why don't you join us?"
"I'm an unfair advantage." Sky said, going back to her snowman. But she paused when another snowball hit her, this time on the shoulder. "Chug, I'm warning you…"
"Come on, Sky!" Chug encouraged.
"What's the matter?" Dusty teased in a friendly manner. "Chicken?"
"That is in inappropriate slur, as you know, because chickens are not timid by nature." Sky said matter-of-factly. "And no, I'm not chicken." Dusty and Chug shared a look and then proceeded to make clucking noises. Sky glared, and she scooped up some snow and threw it. The snowball hit Chug squarely in his windshield, and he laughed as he wiped the glass clear. He scooped up more snow and threw it at Sky, but she ducked away in time and returned fire. Dusty and Chug ducked out of the way, and the snowball sailed through the air and hit Maru as the tug came out to investigate the ruckus.
"Hey!" Maru snapped, snow dusting his roof.
"Oops." Sky said. "Sorry!"
"Oh, 'sorry' ain't gonna help ya here!" Maru called, scooping up a snowball and chucking it. This snowball hit Sky's knee as she tried to dodge it.
"Free-for-all!" Dusty called, throwing snow at Chug.
The snowball fight only escalated from there, quickly joined in by Rosa, Patch, Sparky, Dottie, and even Skipper. When Sky ended up under a tree, Nick took the opportunity to knock snow loose from the branches and douse her. But she couldn't exactly throw a snowball back at him, so she only glowered/pouted while Nick stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry. Instead of going after Nick, Sky decapitated her would-be snowman and hurled the large snowball at Dusty. The snow-dusted plane smirked and darted towards her, lifting another part of the snowman onto his wing. Sky ran, but Dusty gave a mighty throw and sent the giant snowball flying. Sky dove, landing in the snow and the snowball soaring over her head.
SPLAT!
Everyone froze, staring in shock when they realized the snowball found a new target: Blade, who had parked outside the main hanger with Windlifter and Cabbie to watch the show. Snow fell from Blade's roof visor and dusted his muzzle. He gave a deadpan stare, then locked an irritated glare onto Dusty.
"Oooohhhhh." Sky moaned. "You're in trouble."
Dusty gulped, wondering how Blade would react. For a while, Blade didn't say nor move. Then he turned and rolled off, disappearing into the forest. Everyone stared after him, rather confused.
"I'm dead, aren't I?" Dusty asked no one in particular.
"Not quite sure anymore." Maru admitted.
Out in the forest, Blade found a place to start up his rotors and hover in the air. He looked around for a moment and found the perfect weapon just nearby. Flying over, he opened his hoist hatch and threw the hook and cable to loop it around the top of a tree covered completely in a thick layer of snow. Blade pulled back, dipping his tail down to get the extra leverage. The tree creaked in protest, and then let out a satisfying snap when Blade let go.
Back on the base, the snowball fight started up again soon after Blade's departure. But as Sky prepared to throw another snowball at Dusty, she noticed something above him and her eyes widened.
"Oh Chevy!" She yelped, scurrying away with most everyone else following suit. Dusty stared at them curiously when he noticed a faint shadow coming over him. Turning around, he had just enough time to see the blanket of snow flying through the air right before it covered him. He immediately began shivering as biting cold slithered across his hide. Nobody bothered to hide nor stop their laughter. Sky actually collapsed to the ground, holding her stomach. Blade touched down with a wry smirk on his lips.
"Hey Champ." Blade said as he rolled past the plane. "You seem to be covered in snow."
"Y-y-y-you're s-s-s-s-s-s-so e-e-e-ev-v-v-vil-l-l-l-l." Dusty shivered terribly.
"Have we not met?" Blade said nonchalantly.
"Evil." Dusty sneezed.