Hello everyone! Believe it or not, this is the fifth Christmas season that this story has been updated. Wow, it's as if it's becoming its own tradition… now there's a funny thought! I'm not sure yet whether I'll post more chapters this year; I'll have to wait and see how much free time I have before school starts up again in January. Oh, just so you all know, this chapter was actually completed on December 16th, but my internet connection where I was staying leading up to Christmas was way too unpredictable (As in it wasn't working in general, except for random moments, and by the time I realized I was connected to the world I would get cut off again… oh well).

Alright, so, for those of you who waited for a full year in anticipation of knowing what the chocolate for December the 15th was… it was a Santa boot! Poor Radarr got himself stuck headfirst in a boot….

A fun fact before we start: This chapter gives a reference to a previous chapter in this story, and a previous story of mine as well. Let me know if you can figure out which one!

I do not own the Storm Hawks. They are the property of Nerd Corps.

December 16th

Moonlit Midnight Memories

I woke up feeling cold. My toes curled and I drew my legs up closer to my stomach out of instinct, trying to make use of the warmth already captured by my blanket. The nights on the Condor were always frigid in the winter, but I'd never had a problem keeping my feet warm ever since finding Radarr on Amazonia years ago.

'I found Piper on Amazonia all those years ago, too…' I thought groggily to myself, a small smile forming as I recalled the bittersweet memory of finding both Piper and Radarr on the outskirts of the ruined Amazonian village. 'Wait, Radarr!'

I bolted awake, my eyes desperately searching the familiar nighttime shadows and shapes of my room, looking for my furry friend that I shared it with. 'If I moved my legs, did I disturb Radarr so much that he left?' Sitting up, my blankets pooled around my waist and I shivered as the cool air hit my bare arms. "That'll teach me for wearing a t-shirt to bed in the dead of winter…." I muttered, rubbing my arms as I took another look around the room.

'Now where in the Atmos did Radarr get to in the middle of the night?' Turning my attention to the foot of the bed where Radarr usually slept, I again noticed the absence of my co-pilot. Frowning, I reached forward and placed my hand where Radarr should have been, only to find that the blankets were cool to the touch.

"I guess I didn't disturb him after all, he's been gone for a while it seems." I whispered into the silence. 'No wonder my feet were cold.' I thought as I turned to check my alarm clock. "It's almost midnight? What is Radarr up to, anyway?"

Curiosity took a hold of me and won out over my desire to stay in bed and fall asleep. I threw back my covers and slipped on a thick pair of socks – cold air was one thing, but the metal floors of the airship in winter? That was a whole different level of freezing altogether. Being careful not to make too much noise and wake the rest of my squadron up, I stood up and walked gingerly towards my door, hoping Radarr hadn't left anything for me to trip over.

Making it to the other side of the room without incident, I grabbed my sweater from its spot hanging on the wall as I slipped out the door and into the hallway. I paused for a moment to throw on my sweater and took the opportunity to listen for any sound that would indicate I had woken the others up.

Satisfied with my stealth thus far, I made my way towards the bridge. 'Even if Radarr isn't there I can at least head to the kitchen after that and grab a glass of water while I'm up.'

A few moments later, I stood in front of the doors to the bridge. Stork tended to turn off the automatic doors at night, so I reached to the right and used the door's keypad to gain access. Upon entering, I closed the doors from the inside and began to scan the room for my small friend.

It didn't take long for my eyes to pick out Radarr's blue, fur-covered ears that were sticking up over the back of the couch. "Radarr?" I called quietly, but the only response I received from my co-pilot was a delayed twitch of his ears. Confused, I moved towards the couch and noticed as I got closer that Radarr had a candle with him that was in the centre of the table, casting a small ring of light onto the tabletop.

I walked around the couch and looked down at Radarr, his mouth slightly open as he snored quietly away. Smirking, I thought about waking him up, but then decided against it. As much as my feet depended on him to stay warm, Radarr also curled up at my feet for warmth as well, so there had to be some reason why he left to come here in the middle of the night. 'Rather, I'm going to assume that there is some sort of logical explanation why he's here in the middle of the night.'

Shaking my head in disbelief, I leaned down and gave Radarr a gentle pat on the head before turning around to head towards the kitchen. As I turned, an odd shadow outside on the bridge balcony caught my attention. Squinting through the windows to the darkness outside, I realized that it wasn't a shadow I had seen, but a person.

Taking a few steps closer, I froze as I realized just who it was outside. 'Piper? Why is she up so late, and outside in just her pajamas, no less?' Sighing, I wondered how such a bright girl could manage to willingly leave herself open to catching a cold. Returning to Radarr on the couch, I reached over his head and grabbed a spare blanket that was draped over the back of the couch before striding towards the balcony door.

I grasped the handle and was about the fling the door open and give Piper what-for for being so thoughtless about her health when I saw her shudder. I thought it was from the cold at first, but then I saw her shoulders move again, and again.

'Could Piper really be-' my thoughts were cut short as the clouds parted for a moment to allow the light from the crescent moon overhead to shine down on the navigator on the other side of the glass. I was distracted for a moment with the way Piper's blue hair gained halo-like silver highlights, but then I finally noticed the way the light reflected off of her cheeks. It was as though they were wet. The clouds began to cover the moon again, but not before I saw a tear trek from Piper's downcast eyes, over her cheek, and then drop to the snow below.

Frowning, I gently opened the door and stepped into the cold air outside, ignoring the snow that clung to my socks – now wasn't the time to worry about getting cold feet, not when my dearest friend was obviously hurting.

I stepped closer to Piper, unfolding the blanket as I went; surprised that she hadn't noticed me yet. She was usually so observant, yet she didn't seem to be in the right state of mind for such things. I felt my frown soften as I came closer to her and could hear the sobs that still wracked her petite frame.

I felt my heart break for my squadmate. I could count the number of times I had seen her like this using only one hand. With a final step towards my hurting friend, I stretched my arms out while holding onto the blanket's corners and hugged her from behind to effectively wrap her in what I hoped would be a warm and comforting embrace.

Piper gasped quietly in surprise, but I whispered in her ear, "It's okay, Piper, it's only me."

Her stiff posture loosened as she rasped out, "Aerrow…." I tightened my grip around her and rested my chin on her shoulder, her sobbing slowly turning into silent hiccups as she tried to bring her tears under control. Waiting for Piper to be ready to speak, I kept my arms around her and spent my time looking up at the clouds trying to block out the light of the moon and stars.

Through my chin on her shoulder, I could feel each shaky and ragged breath she took, and I couldn't help but wonder how long she had been out here. I tilted my head to the right to rest my head lightly against hers, surprised at how cold her ear felt against mine. With that simple touch the soft blue glow of the crystal that hung around her neck brightened. I could only hope that the warmth I felt spreading through my chest was being experienced by Piper as well.

Piper's left arm shifted under the blanket and her hand slipped out to rest over the small crystal. She let out a small sigh and whispered, "Thank you, Aerrow. You always seem to find me when I need you the most."

Finally looking up to see Piper's face, I saw that she had her eyes closed and that tears were no longer falling along her cheeks. As if sensing I was staring at her, Piper shifted slightly and turned her head to the side as her eyes opened to look at me.

They were red from crying, but Piper's amber eyes locked onto my green ones and held my gaze. I offered a gentle grin and cheered inwardly when she gave a small, albeit sad, smile in return. Breaking eye contact, she looked beyond me towards the bridge before turning around to face the sky again. We stood there for a few minutes, the winter wind nipping at our noses as we observed the world beyond the Condor.

I was beginning to feel my lack of sleep weigh down on my eyelids when I noticed Piper loosen her hold around her crystal. Her arm dropped down to hide beneath the blanket once more, and I soon felt her hand find mine and wrap her cool fingers around my hand in search of warmth.

After a moment I barely heard her whisper, "Do you ever find that you miss them more during the holidays?" Piper was focused on a terra below us. It was almost hidden completely by the low-lying storm clouds, but over the past few years I've found it easier to recognize Terra Amazonia regardless of the weather.

"I always miss my family, but you're right, Piper. The loss seems to hurt anew during the holidays. It's a time when families are meant to be together."

"Yet all of ours are torn apart." At Piper's reply, I simply squeezed her hand and held her tighter. I knew from my own experience that while words from friends helped, they never seemed to completely chase away the emptiness that I felt from the loss of my family.

A gust of wind whipped by us and swept Piper's hair into my face. Moving my head off of her shoulder, I felt a shiver run through her as cool air replaced my touch. Using my hand that wasn't holding Piper's, I positioned the blanket more snuggly around her shoulders as I told her, "You know, when you gather enough discarded pieces, you can make something really special with them."

"What are you talking about?" Piper moved slightly so that she could see me again.

"Well," I ran my free hand through my hair, sorting out my thoughts before continuing, "Each member of our squadron comes from a different background, but we all carry scars of the past with us. We've been broken by the world, but together we were able to create something new from those fragile pieces."

Piper nodded slowly at my words and added, "We're not so fragile anymore though, are we? We've really come together over the years and will be a force to be reckoned with if anyone ever tries to tear us apart." She looked to the terra below once more before turning around completely in order to hug me.

"Thank you, Aerrow." Piper murmured into my chest.

Chuckling, I wrapped my arms around my friend again and told her, "No problem, I'd come outside to freeze for you anytime."

"No, silly," Piper laughed lightly as she looked up at me, a genuine grin on her face this time as she told me, "Although I appreciate you coming out here, I'm even more thankful that you brought us all together as Storm Hawks." I was at a loss for words when Piper looked straight into my eyes as she whispered, "Thank you for giving me a new family, Aerrow." She flashed me a bright smile before ducking her head to hide in our embrace.

I stood still for a moment while processing what Piper had just said before drawing her as close to me as I could, smiling into her hair as I replied, "Thank you for being a part of it, Piper."

We stayed on the balcony together for a while longer, and I could feel heat spread through me in time with the gentle pulse of light that Piper's crystal was emitting. It didn't take me long to realize that the crystal's pulse was keeping time with Piper's heartbeat. 'There's still so much that the two of us need to learn together, but I'm beyond thankful to have her by my side for yet another Christmas season. I'm not sure what I'd ever do without her here.'

I did my best to memorize the feelings swirling through me in that special moment with Piper before I drew away from her. Looking down, I gave her a reassuring smile before guiding her back towards the door that lead into the Condor. Once Piper and I were inside, I closed the door behind us and took one last glance outside.

The clouds above us were thinning out, allowing for the crescent moon to cast its silver light on the Atmos below and reflect off of the snow to illuminate the night.

I turned away from the bridge windows and made my way towards where Piper was waiting by the couch. Taking a moment to blow out the candle on the table, I gingerly gathered Radarr in my arms. The three of us left the bridge and headed towards our rooms, ready for a good night's rest.

'Radarr, I still don't know why you were on the bridge, but thank you for in a roundabout way causing me to wake up tonight. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found Piper.' I glanced at the blue-haired girl walking next to me and our entwined hands before I focused on the small co-pilot resting in the crook of my arm. 'This time, I won't bother asking what you were doing up. All that matters is that we're all safe and warm tonight. Well, at least as warm as I can get with snow-soaked socks, anyway.'

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this newest installment of Adventures, Atmos, and Advent! It was a little longer than some of the other chapters, but I figured I owed you that much considering how often this story gets updated!

Also, I will keep on tallying up the score of those who have guessed the chocolate correctly for a given day, and how many total days they are up to. This time around, in the spirit of Christmas and all, I will offer out a bonus point to those who recognize which story of mine this chapter gives a nod to. I don`t think I made it too hard, but I guess I`ll find out! I hope I can bring you more chapters yet this year, but we'll have to wait and see.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas everyone, and enjoy the rest of the holidays!

~Crimson Fox4