Me: Yea, I back. My update is here. Thanks everyone for the updates. I'll get Two Secrets Spilled finished, but I want to get this one done before Christmas if I'm lucky.

Nova: When has luck been with you? And what is Antauri planning?

Antauri: That is a secret you will find out soon enough.

(Nova pouts)

Me: Be patient, you'll be thankful if you do. Anyway, I don't own SRMTHFG, but I do own a Moshi microbead monkey, it is sooooooo cute:3 On with the story!

Suspisions and Christmas

December 15th

Another 2 weeks had gone by bringing with it more of SK's failed attempts to defeat the hyperforce. Like the team promised, they aided Antauri in his quest for the perfect date with Nova. And as he got ready for his date, the holidays were slowly approaching and Jinmay had come to visit, making Chiro very happy. She also agreed to help in Antauri's plan.

Nova, on the other hand, was slowly getting suspicious. Gibson, Sprx, and Otto had been asking her which kind of clothing styles she liked. They said Chiro wanted a female's opinion to get a Christmas gift for Jinmay. Awkward for them. Then there was Antauri, he had started to carry around a sketchpad of some sort. When she tried to see what was in it, he would close the pad and say that it was a secret or that it would be a surprise for later, then give her a kiss and walk off.

She decided to brush it off as one of those secrets Antauri won't tell anyone. After all, she had some secrets from him, like the gifts she was planning on getting eberyone. For Otto, she had gotten him a limited edition special machanics kit he had been eyeing for a while. Gibson would be getting an expert scientist chemistry kit with some chemicals he would enjoy experimenting with. She had gotten Sprx a polishing set because he always seems to be shining his magnets. Chiro would be getting a new video game he was eyeing and Nova was getting Jinmay the Jingle Jam Disney Cd that the girl had been drooling over.

As for Antauri, she was having trouble. She wanted something that would show the black monkey how much she loved him. (Me: Oh, major Christmas dilemma, hate it.) Right now, the female monkey was roaming the mall stores on a quest to find the perfect gift, because it was way to cold outside for her liking. While she walked, the same question replayed in her mind over and over, "What am I going to get him?" She was going to ask him because it would ruin the surprise of the gift. So she sat down on a bench to ponder. She looked up as a glimmer caught her eye.

Her breath was simply taken from her. It was what she had been searching for. Antauri would absolutely adore it. She jumped off the bench and crossed over to the said item. Sitting on display in the jewelry store window was a set of limited edition "Lover's Forever" (Me: I made that up.)gold and silverheart necklaces. It was two half-heart necklaces that, when put together, formed a whole heart with the symbol of unity, made from realauthentic Ranger-7 diamonds, in the center. The symbol's shape was like a heart with a line going through the center and a loop at the center of the line. The pinked-eyed monkey was dazzled by the pair.

"It's perfect." was her response as she released a breath she hadn't know she was holding. Rushing inside the store, she bought the necklaces and delighted that the ones in the window were the last pair they had. She asked if they would hold them for her and was happy when they said they could. She said she would pick them up on December 23rd. Waltzing out of the store, the yellow monkey was beaming and hugging herself. Nova then decided to head home, maybe bake some cookies ('Snowbound' rip-off) or snuggle with Antauri.

Unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was going and bumped into someone. Gift-wrapped boxes flew everywhere. "Oh, man. I am soooo sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?" she said frantically.

"I'm just fine, Nova."

Nova gaped. The person she had bumped into was...Antauri! He was surrounded by boxes of different colors, rubbing his head.

"Antauri?" "Yes?" "What are you doing here? And with all these... gifts, should I call them?"

Antauri stared at her for a few seconds before answering. "It's.. one of those pick-up and deliver orders?" he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. She gave him a suspicious look, then looked at the mess around her. Getting to her feet, she offered her hand to the black monkey, who took it gratefully. "Need any help?" When she said this, she could have swore she saw Antauri tense up, but brushed it off when he said, "Sure, I could use the help."

With that said, Nova and Antauri collected the gifts and set off for home. Once outside in the snow, Antauri was quick to notice that Nova was shivering terribly, even though she was trying, but failing, to cover it up. Shifting in his step, he walked so that he was right next to his love and wrapped histail around her waist. He felt the yellow female flinch slightly, but then wrapped her own tail around his waist and pressed herself against his body. They stayed like that all the way back to the robot.

Back at the Robot

Walkign into the Foot Cruiser, they heard voices from the command room. Loud voices. Looking at the other in confusion, the 2nd and 3rd in-commands went to investigate. Their discovery... Sprx and Gibson fighting...again, while Otto, Chiro & Jinmay have their ears plugged. The ear-plugged trio noticed the two and went to them.

"They've been at this ever since Jinmay & Chiro brought the tree home." Otto said. "What are they fighting about this time?" Antauri sighed, rubbing his temples. (Chiro had taken the boxes from him and Jinmay had taken the ones from Nova.) "Popcorn string or candy canes for almost 2 hours." Chiro and Jinmay replied simutaniously. Nova's eye twiched, "Let me handle this." The others heard the irritated voice and shifted as far away from the two fighting monkeys. Nova strolled over to her chair and pulled something out from under the cushion... a blow horn.

The red and blue monkeys were oblivious to their yellow companions intentions. They didn't notice when she was standing right next to them, slowly raising the hand with the blow horn. The others plugged their ears, waiting for what was to come. Nova's finger arched over the trigger button, getting ready.

Then it happened.

The two monkeys' eyes went as wide as dinner plates and their hands shot to their ears, trying to block out the shrilling sound of Nova's infamous blow horn. The female monkey finally let up on the torture of her teammates, believing they had enough. "Good grief Nova, what was that for?" complained Gibson. "Yea, my ears are still ringing." whined Sprx. "Then maybe you two would learn not to fight over unneeded items." replied Nova. They looked at her in confusion. She sighed, "Last week, we said that when Chiro and Jinmay got the tree, we would be decorating it with garlin and multi-colored lights, remember?" The two faces lit up with realization, "Oops."

Nova smiled and turned to the four standing on the opposite side of the room. "Now that that is taken care of, how about we take care of the tree?" They smiled and they set to work getting the tree up. Antauri pulled Nova aside and asked, "How did you know that would work?" She just smiled and replied, "They stop when something louder and more obnoxious is played in their ear." The black monkey looked at her in surprise, then smirked, "You know how much I love you?" She smirked then heard something above her. Looking up, she saw a green tail hanging over one of the chairs... with misletoe hanging on the end. "Otto?" She said. The green monkey's head poked over the top of the chair, he smiled, "Misletoe for your moment?" Antauri smiled, "As tempting as that sounds right now, maybe later. Thanks anyway, Otto." Otto glanced at Nova and he caught her eye. She nodded and he left. Antauri looked at her, "What was that about?" Nova giggled, "Otto was just reminding me of 'The Rule of the Misletoe'." "'Rule of the Misletoe'?" "Yea. At the beginning of December, Otto told me about it. He said that if you don't kiss someone when you're under the misletoe, then you will owe them something later." "Then how about a kiss right now?" He said and pulled her in. She smiled as they let go. "That's better. Now lets go help with that tree."

The team spent the next two hours dercorating the tree, without the arguments. (Nova: Thank goodness for that.) "Well team, that tree looks pretty darn good." Chiro said, looking at the almost-finished tree. Jinmay stood next to him, "Yes, it does, but something's missing. I can't quite put my finger on it." Gibson questioned, "We have everything to calibrate the holiday spirit, don't we?" "I agree with Big Brain. We have everything." Sprx said. "No, we don't." came a voice from the boxes. They all looked over to see Otto digging in one of the smaller boxes. "What is it, Otto?" quizzed Antauri. Otto emerged with the most important part of the tree... the star. Otto smiled, "I believe Nova should put the star on top." Nova gently took the star, holding it gently in her hands. "That's really sweet and an honor, Otto. Hey, Antauri? Can you give me a lift?" Antauri smiled and concentrated, lifted Nova up to the top of the tree. She hesitated, until Antauri floated up next to her and placed his hands on hers, guiding them into position and placing the star in its rightful spot on the top of the tree.

As the star was placed, the whole room lit up, spreading a warm feeling throughout the team. Nova and Antauri shared a kiss and Chiro and Jinmay did the same. Then they went to sleep for the night, with the urge that they can't wait for the next day.

December 24th

Christmas Eve was finally upon the hyper force. Everyone was happy and joyful and, much to the team's surprise, Sprx and Gibson hadn't fought since the 20th.(oGaspo) In fact, the two of them, along with Otto, Chiro, and Jinmay, would spend the afternoon having snowball fights. Nova, on-the-other-hand, had practically stayed inside the Super Robot since the first snowflake hit the ground. The others accepted this, knowing her hate of the cold. Antauri could only smirk at this, because what he had gotten her would change all that.

Right now, Nova was placing her gifts under the tree with the others, trying her damnest to keep her urge to peek at bay. Looking at all the colorful gifts caused her to groan, until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and a voice in her ear, "It's a pain in the ass, isn't it?" Her face turned to meet Antauri's smiling one. "It's as hard as getting Sparky to shut his big trap for more than two minutes."

"Hey, I heard that and I told you not to call me that anymore." The couple turned to see Sprx entering the room with the other in tow. "8:00 already?" questioned Antauri, looking at the clock. "Yea, and besides, we do want to get up early to open presents and join Shugazoom in the Christmas Festival." answered Chiro. "That is true. So, off to bed with everyone." said Antauri shooing them away. As everyone headed up to bed, Antauri noticed that Nova was still standing where she had been earlier. Walking up behind her, he gently placed a hand on her shouder and asked, "Nova, are you alright?" She didn't respond and her face held a scared expression. "Nova?" "He said the Christmas Festival..." she said quietly. Antauri looked at her and replied, "Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"The festival is o-outside...in the snow." By this time, the yellow monkey was shaking something terrible. Antauri embraced her tightly and rubbed her back, which seemed to have a calming effect. She relaxed in his arms, almost to the point of falling asleep. One of her hands gripped his upper arm just tight enough so that Antauri couldn't get it off.

In her current state, she faintly felt herself being swept off her feet, but the grip she had remained. She heard Antauri carry her up to the bedroom floor and then heard Chiro's voice. "Antauri, something was troubling Nova, wasn't there?" "Yes there was and still is. When you said 'The Christmas Festival' her thoughts automatically went to the snow outside and her fear of it."

"Oh, I'm guessing that you calmed her down though. You gonna put her to bed then?" asked Chiro. Antauri sighed, "I would, but she has an impressive grip on my arm. I don't think she is letting go anytime soon." The gold monkey felt Chiro's gaze on her hand before he chuckled and replied with, "It looks like it, too. Hey, I know. Since it's Christmas, why don't you have her sleep with you in your room." The black monkey flinched rather noticable. "And when she wakes up sleeping next to me, I'll probably get slapped and my Christmas surprise will go down the drain." Nova heard Chiro chuckle again. "No, that would be if it was Sprx and not you. Nova loves you and trusts you. It's the holidays, Antauri, she'll understand. Besides, she looks rather comfy right where she is." Nova smiled inwardly at the boy's understanding.

Chiro closed the door to his room, leaving a completely dazed Antauri. Coming back to reality, the black monkey walked into his room and gently laid the 'sleeping' monkey on the bed and laid down, pulling up the covers as he did so. When he laid down, his love almost immediately snuggled up with him, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. In return, the 2nd-in-command wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Before he drifted off to sleep, he heard, "I love you, Antauri." He retuened it with, "I love you, too, Nova."

Christmas Day

Morning broke, and bathed its light across the two lovers. Neither stirred, until a few rays hit the hot pink eyes of a certain golden-yellow monkey. Her eyes flickered open and gazed up at her love's face in the morning sun. She gently slid up and planted a kiss on a ticklish spot she had found on his neck a while back. The black monkey shifted and opened his olive-yellow eyes, which were greeted by a pair of pink ones. He smiled, "That would be a wonderful sight to wake up to every morning." Nova chuckled, "Same here." They shared a kiss and Nova glanced at the clock, which read 7:29:55am. She began to countdown, "5...4...3...2...1..."

"IT"S CHRISTMAS!" came a yell from a certain green monkey's room. There was a whole lot of shuffling, then silence. The two monkeys lokked at each other and mouthed yet another countdown, "5,4,3,2,1..." The door burst open, revealing three monkeys (colored red, green, and blue) and two humans (one with pink hair the other with black) all dressed up in the holiday spirit. Otto bounced over to the foot of the bed, "Come on, sleepy heads, it's timeto open presents!"

The two smiled and followed the others, hand-in-hand,to the main room, where the others were already sorting gifts, which were placed by the owner's corresponding chair (Jinmay's were placed by Chiro's). When the sorting was done, Nova pulled her stack over by Antauri's and sat down with him on the floor. Otto, Sprx, and Chiro had already torn through half their gifts. Antauri had gotten through three, them being a hand-made meditation pillow from Chiro, a 'First Christmas Together' ornament from Jinmay, and a new book from Gibson. He also got two movie passes from Sprx and a miniature waterfall from Otto. Nova was still a little afraid to open hers, until she felt Antauri's hand on hers.

"I'm not opening this last gift until you're done with yours." She smiled and tore the wrapping paper off. Her jaw dropped at her gifts. Chiro had gotten her a new CD/MP3 player. Jinmay had gotten hersoftware to create her own training programs. From Gibson, she got the book on dragons she had been eyeing and Sprx had gotten her a new punching bag. Otto, much to her surprise, had gotten her a dragon made from Ranger-7 rubies, emeralds, sapphires, opals, and amethysts. It even had a ribbon with every color of the team on its neck. When she asked how he knew, he said Antauri had told him.

After all the mayhem, only two presents remained, the ones Antauri and Nova had gotten for each other. They debated who should open theirs first. In the end, Chiro flipped a coin and it landed on Antauri. He opened the small box, revealing the two glimmering diamond necklaces. His eyes widen, as did everyone else's, and liftted the two out of the box. He smiled as he placed the left half around his neck and the right half around his lover's. Nova was blushing until she heard a ringing above them. There, over their heads once again, was Otto's tail, holding some misletoe on the end. Sprx smirked, "Uh-oh, miseltoe, you know the rule, ya gotta kiss the girl underneath it." Antauri simply smiled and kissed the lips of his drop-dead sexy lover. They released and Antauri stated, "Your turn."

Nova turned to the last remaining gift. With trembling hands, she opened it. What she found inside was...

Me: Cliffy... never mind, just ahot chocolatebreak and boy did I need it.

A pair of black-laced, fire-patterned ice skates and a snow jacket with the same flame designs and a black collar. There was also a scarf, a pair of boots, and a pair of snow pants that held flame designs and black cuffs/edges as well. She was absolutely speechless. Antauri felt the silence meant she didn't like it, but that thought was swept away when Nova whipped around and crushed his lips with hers. The others cheered as the two shared a passionate kiss.

As Christmas Day progressed, Nova not only found out the others had also gotten snow outfits (Sprx's having lightning patterns, Otto's having various shades of green, Gibson's with various shades of blue, and Antauri's was black with fire-designed cuffs, edges, and collars), but both Nova and Antauri had been nominated for 'The Best Couple of the Holidays'(Chiro's idea). And as their necklaces shined in the sunlight, both monkeys were happy about their first Christmas together.

Me: Finally, it's done. And before Christmas too. Sweetness.

Nova (rubbing her eyes): Hey guys, wake up, Fire's finally done.

Me: Haha, very funny.

Sprx: So, is it finished yet.

Antauri: I'm guessing not, since she hasn't written out Nova's and my date.

Otto: Yea, I wanna know what happens.

Me: Ok, ok. Hey where's Chiro, Gibson, and Jinmay.

(They walk in with loads of chocolate.)

Nova & Me: Is that what I think it is?

Chiro, Gibson, Jinmay: Oh no

Nova & Me: CHOCOLATE!

(The trio run off with Nova and I chasing them.)

Antauri: Anyway, please read and review. FireNovaLover will update soon...when she and Nova stop chasing the others due to their overwelming love of chocolate.

In the distance: CHOCOLATE! (Antauri sweatdrops.)