Author's Note: Oi, this chapter took way longer to finish then I'd wanted. That's what I get for starting something right before college finals. Oh, well. Here it is now. I hope all of my loyal readers – thanks so much for your ongoing support – enjoy reading this most recent installment in Operation Christmas Lloyd.

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/\/\/\/\

"And then, you just unfold it, and voila! Your very own paper snowflake!" Nya explained as she held up the completed example. Her adoptive brother stared at his own creation in fascination.

"Woah. Where'd you learn how to do that?" He asked excitedly. The samurai shrugged.

"Hm... Good question. I think our old neighbor back in Ignacia taught me when I was about your age, Lloyd. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Definitely," Lloyd replied, "How many of these do you think we can get away with making before Zane lectures us about killing trees?" They looked at each other for a moment, giggling.

"Oh, probably at least a couple dozen... But he'll have to catch us first. Let's see how much of the Bounty we can cover with snowflakes before someone tries to stop us." Nya proposed, reaching for another sheet of paper. She'd probably regret this suggestion later, when someone complained that they were completely out of paper to use for grocery lists or writing passive aggressive notes to each other – an increasingly common occurrence these days – or anything else paper related, but for now, it was way more fun to see the small boy's face light up while they continued their folding and cutting. Little bits of paper flew everywhere - on the floor, on Lloyd's head (Okay, she might've sprinkled some there on purpose) - they'd have to vacuum later. The introduction of glitter glue (Nya couldn't resist) made the kitchen table even messier. Soon, they had accumulated an impressive pile of sparkly snowflakes. Intent on making room for more, Nya began hanging them from the rafters with random bits of string she had found lying around. This was a slight challenge for her at first, considering that she was not the tallest person in the world, but her experience as Samurai X prevented her from having any qualms about climbing on top of various pieces of furniture in order to reach the ceiling. Thus, when Jay entered the room to find his girlfriend standing on the counter, asking,

"How's our stash looking, Lloyd? Do I need to start helping cut some more?", he was far more concerned than she was.

"Nya? What one earth are you doing up there?" Jay couldn't help but wonder. Nya turned around carefully and stared down at him.

"Hanging snowflakes. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Okaaay." He decided not to question it further. If that's really what Nya wanted to do with her spare time, who was he to interfere?

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, why not. But why are you back so early? I thought you were checking out that Serpentine sighting near the mall." Commented Nya as she accepted another stack of snowflakes from Lloyd.

"It was a false alarm. Turns out somebody thought today would be a good time to try out the cosplay outfit they'd gotten as an early present." Jay seated himself next to Lloyd and began fiddling with some paper, "So, yeah, it looks like we get to head out a little earlier than expected." He explained. The group planned on visiting Ed and Edna to look for extra Christmas decorations to put up around the Bounty later that day – when the older couple had found out that the group lacked Christmas decorations, they had immediately invited them to take whatever they needed from the junkyard. However, most of their teammates had been (unwillingly) called away for a mission before they could do so. Nya smiled. She always enjoyed getting to see the hyperactive ninja's parents. And the group had spent so little time just hanging out together lately that she was quite excited for the short trip. A few more snowflakes found their way onto the rafters.

"You know, it would be really nice if a certain group of someones would just take an extended hiatus from trying to take over the world. I'd love to have a peaceful Christmas."

"I know what you mean. Everything's been so crazy lately. It would be nice to just slow down for awhile." Agreed Jay, still cutting away at his paper. Lloyd smirked at him.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that, Jay." He shrugged.

"It's true. Even I need a break sometimes... What do you think?" Jay showed him his handiwork.

"Awe… C'mon that's not even fair!" The small boy exclaimed when he saw the very detailed snowflake complete with a design that featured leaping reindeer and Christmas trees.

"You know what, I'm not even gonna ask how you did that." Having finished hanging the most recent batch of snowflakes, Nya was now staring wide eyed at the object in Jay's hand.

"In all honesty, I have no explanation for this… It just sorta… Happened? Really. I wasn't trying to do this."

"Not sure what I just walked into – I'm probably better off not knowing – But, I'm supposed to let you know that we'll be ready to leave in about 15 minutes." Kai said from the doorway, looking mildly confused. Jay set his snowflake in the pile with the rest and moved to help Nya down from her lofty perch. She accepted his outstretched hand and hopped gracefully off of the counter – landing, perhaps, a bit closer to him than she'd intended. They looked at each other for a second, blushing, before stepping apart, very aware of the resident fire ninja's presence. Her brother cleared his throat awkwardly. She tore her eyes away from Jay reluctantly before finally replying.

"Uh… Sounds like a plan."

/\/\/\/

Kai was relieved when the vehicle Nya had procured for them pulled into the junkyard. As much as he loved his siblings – really, he did - he would have preferred they do something other than teach Lloyd every Christmas song they could come up with. Was it endearing the first few times? Yes, absolutely – it might've even qualified as adorable – but it had gotten annoying very quickly. Though, Kai had to admit that the boy's knowledge of such things left a lot to be desired. It hadn't taken long for them to discover that his holiday repertoire was strictly limited to, "Skiing through the snow, on a pair of stolen skis. Over the hills we go, crashing into trees." Which prompted a mortified Nya to hastily inform him that, while entertaining (?), his song choice didn't really fit with the spirit of the season. And so, Kai had been subjected to the mixed vocal talents of his family for the majority of the drive.

Ed and Edna were already waiting to greet them when the group exited the car. Immediately, Jay found himself being smothered with hugs and kisses.

"Oh, Jay! We're so happy to see you! Have you been eating breakfast? It's the most important meal of the day! Do you need any spare pairs of underwear?" His mother asked anxiously.

"Can't breath, Ma…" He wheezed. She released her tight grip, holding him at arms length and examining him carefully. Had he grown a bit? She swore her sweet little boy seemed taller…

"Oh! It's just so nice to see you!"

"The rest of your little group, too!" Ed added.

"And it's wonderful to see you, as well." Commented Nya as she gently pried her boyfriend from his mother's grasp, "I… Really love all the extra lights you've put up. It's very... festive…" Jay sent her a silent thank you while his parents beamed enthusiastically.

"Thanks, sweetie. You can never have too many decorations. Hm… Maybe we should make a note of that for next year… I bet we could get a few more strings of lights up without the generator going kerflooey." The old man told his wife. She quickly wrote it down for him. Having recovered sufficiently from lack of oxygen, Jay commented,

"I'm sure that will be great and all, but we do kinda have a lot to do while we're here, so, if you don't mind…." Edna looked like she was about to ask her son a few more embarrassing questions, but restrained herself, instead saying,

"Of course, of course. You kids have fun. There'll be hot coco and cookies waiting in the trailer whenever you're ready. Come along dear, I'm sure we have plenty of things to keep us busy inside…" The ninja of lightning watched his parents go, relieved to have escaped from their embarrassing displays of affection – if only temporarily.

"First thing's first," he said, turning to his brothers (and Nya), "We' got to find ourselves some decorations and a decent tree." Nya had attempted to convince the others that the nostalgia of a live tree would make the holidays even more magnificent than usual, but the idea had ultimately been shot down. Zane had cited the endless mess of fallen needles, and then there was the issue of the various small critters that happened to live in trees, and the fact that none of themactually knew much about properly selecting (or chopping down) trees –although Cole did mention that he'd always wanted to try lumberjackery. So, in the end, it had been decided that it would be best to stick with a plastic tree. Oh well, there was always next year.

"And you're absolutely certain we'll actually be able to find one here?" Questioned Kai. Jay rolled his eyes at him.

"Like I already told you, this place is a wellspring of treasures. I found all sorts of crazy stuff growing up here. Like that time I found an authentically autographed Cliff Gordon poster – that was pretty sweet. Or the time I found the entire original first season of Star-Crossed Lovers on VHS – still not sure why someone would get rid of so much amazing content – Or -"

"Okay, Jay. We get it. You have obnoxiously good luck and we should all start searching before you talk our ears off." Cole jested, wandering towards the nearest pile of junk.

"Although hearing tales of your exploits is indeed fascinating," Zane commented politely, "Your brother has a point. We'd best not waste what little daylight we have left. I will begin my search in the eastern corner of the junkyard if anyone wishes to join me."

"Cool beans. Just holler if you need help unearthing anything..." Jay replied before happily bounding off to search his favorite nooks and crannies. Being adept at climbing over the unstable piles of 'treasure'(junk), the teen quickly accumulated an assortment of Christmas decorations that were in surprisingly good condition. His finds included 4 brand new silk poinsettias, 3 strings of lights, 2 strands of garland, and one Christmas tree topper. Huh. That was almost like that one song… the Twelve Days of Christmas? Yeah, Jay was a genius. Coming here was a great idea – just look at all the stuff they'd already found! The others should really listen to him more often.

"Hey, guys – think I found something, but can't tell for sure... It's, uh, buried under a lot of junk… I could use some help getting it out without killing myself…" Surprisingly, it was Lloyd that discovered their Christmas tree. His affinity for the color green must have played some role, for it was covered by so much random stuff (objects that even Jay would likely consider worthless) that it was a miracle that the small boy had even spotted it. A good half an hour passed before the combined efforts of the entire group liberated their prize from beneath the debris. In the excitement of finding their main objective, they had all failed to notice one key detail.

"Oh… it's crooked…" Lloyd stated dejectedly. The tree was, in fact, quite crooked. It looked like something out of a movie some of them had once seen about a hairy monster who hated Christmas. The main support frame clearly had some major issues. Nya and Jay looked at each other, coming to a mutual decision. They would find a way to make the tree their little brother had found usable. He deserved it.

"Don't worry, Lloyd. It's nothing Jay and I can't fix with a few tools and a little holiday magic…" The samurai assured him. Jay nodded encouragingly. Together, they hauled their project off, promising Lloyd that they'd come get him as soon as it was ready.

Although the small boy definitely did not want to miss out on the location of more treasures, he was also rather invested in making sure the Christmas tree he'd discovered all by himself (thank you very much) was salvaged. Every so often, he'd slip away from Kai's watchful eye – someone had better make sure the kid didn't get impaled by overhanging wires or something if Nya was going to be busy – and demand a status update. The pair of mechanics patiently put up with his endless questions until Kai lured him away with the promise of hot chocolate. Finally finishing their project, the duo appeared in the living room of the oversized trailer, where they found Lloyd sipping a mug topped with an unhealthy amount of whipped cream.

"Prepare yourselves for a massive sugar rush. We tried to stop him but…" Cole shrugged. It was notoriously difficult to keep Lloyd away from sugar.

"Did you fix it? Can I see?" The future Green Ninja asked, sloshing his drink as he leapt up from the couch.

"Hold on just one second... Don't you think we deserve some coco for all our hard work?" Jay cautioned him. He groaned.

"Here you are, dears." Edna handed them each a steaming mug, which they accepted gratefully. Lloyd stood by the door impatiently. Were they purposefully taking forever? It seamed like an eternity before the samurai and the ninja of lightning set their cups down on the coffee table and motioned for the others to follow them. Outside, stood a much straighter than before, and in Lloyd's opinion, totally majestic, 7 foot tall Christmas tree. They'd reinforced the support frame, also taking care to fluff out all the branches, and even add a little bit of glitter (neither could deny the urge to make things extra festive). It was hard to believe that this was the same tree they had pulled out of a pile of junk just a few hours ago. But, there was still one surprise in store for Lloyd. Jay handed him a cord.

"Uh… what's this for?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Plug it into the generator for us and find out. We figured you'd want to do the honors." Nya told him. So, he did as he was told. And then, he nearly squealed with joy. Somehow, his siblings had managed to make it light up in every color imaginable. This was SO much better than the ones at the store. Those only had one or two colors of lights – not dozens... Also, he'd gotten to rescue this one from being homeless – kinda like him and his brothers and Nya and Uncle Wu -which made it way more cool and special than any brand new tree could ever hope to be.

"It's perfect!" He said quietly. His older siblings smiled. Phase 1 of Operation Christmas Lloyd had been a success.

/\/\/\/\/

And thus ends the second part of Operation Christmas Lloyd. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Feedback and suggestions are always welcome! Thank you for reading!

~GwenBrightly