Back again! OMG it is so close to Christmas now, I am so excited! Okay, I'd better calm down so I hope you like the chapter! Oh and yes, the Dark Ace does have a soft side or is it something more? Just a hint so I hope you enjoy!
Aerrow felt hesitant for a second in case this was a trick but something inside him told him to trust the man so he slowly walked over to the chair and sat next to him. "Now tell me" Aerrow said firmly.
"Where to start? Ah yes. The day you were born was the best day of my life" Ace started which caused Aerrow to flinch. This was coming from the guy who tried to kill him every week! Ace saw his stare, "Yes it was. Your father made me your Godfather" he said which caused Aerrow to flinch again. Seriously?! The man who had tried to kill him ever since they had met was his GODFATHER?! "Here. This might trigger a memory or two" Ace said, handing Aerrow an old photo. Aerrow took it and looked at it.
It showed a picture of Lightning Strike with Aurora standing next to him and the old Storm Hawks around them; all pulling funny faces and poses at the camera. She really was beautiful. She had urban red hair like Aerrow and the same emerald green eyes. She had her hair plated into a single braid that stretched down to her slim waist and she wore a long white dress. On Lighting's shoulder was a little boy about the age of three and he had a dazzling smile and a mop of red hair who Aerrow saw as himself. Next Lightning Strike was a teenage boy in a blue uniform and he had a huge smile on his face. Aerrow saw him as Ace and he looked so happy.
"Mommy, mommy!" a three year old Aerrow shouted running into the garden. Aurora turned to face him as she pegged out some white sheets on the line. "What is it Aerrow?" she asked in a silvery voice.
"Daddy taught me a new move!" Aerrow declared then performing a number of somersaults and Lightning came behind watching him.
"That's my boy!" he said proudly, then scooping up Aerrow and putting him on his shoulders. "Come on dad!" Aerrow said laughing and Aurora laughed and she pulled a sheet over her head. Lightning pretend to be scared, "Oh no, a ghost!" he shouted and Aerrow clambered off his shoulders.
"I know it's you mom, you can't scare me!" Aerrow boasted.
"Maybe I can!" a voice behind Aerrow said which caused him to cry out in fright. Aerrow turned around to see a teenage boy with black hair and brown eyes looking at him.
"Hey Ace!" Aerrow greeted and Ace ruffled his hair.
"Nice to see you too kiddo!" Ace replied.
The memory rushed back into Aerrow head and he almost dropped the photo and clutched the side of his head. Ace chuckled, "That brought something back didn't it?" he asked and Aerrow nodded. He lowered his hand and handed back the photo with a shaky hand.
"It's a nice feeling. Revisiting your past" Ace said smiling.
Aerrow raised an eyebrow, "Why are you being so nice? Usually you try to kill me" Aerrow said and Ace went silent.
"I always take out my anger out on you because of Cyclonis" Ace confessed which caused Aerrow to gasp.
"What do you mean? She hurts you?" Aerrow asked. He found that rather hard to believe since he was Cyclonis's most trusted officer.
Ace shivered and nodded, "Yes. Whenever I try and come to this Terra, she always catches me and punishes me" he replied and he rubbed his wrist and Aerrow could make out the red burns on it causing him to shiver. "You're lucky. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?" Ace asked and Aerrow's expression softened.
"I celebrate it with my family" Aerrow said with a smile and Ace frowned.
"Your family is dead and I should know that" Ace reminded him.
Aerrow felt a wave of anger sweep over him but then he remembered the memory. "Look, the truth is, I can't really remember much of my parents even when I try. But that is in the past now and I look ahead because I know that you can't go back. My parents will always be in my heart but now I have friends who are my new family" he told Ace who looked away in deep thought.
"Your family and the old Storm Hawks were my only family and I always celebrated Christmas with them. My parents disowned me and they were the first people I killed" Ace said sadly.
"So for ten years, you haven't celebrated Christmas?" Aerrow asked in shock.
Back on the Condor, the team were frantically trying to find a way to save their leader. "How could I have let this happen?" Piper shouted as she scanned the maps but Finn held her shoulder.
"This isn't your fault!" he told her firmly. "
That's right!" Junko agreed and Radarr chirped in agreement. Her friend's comments gave her courage inside. She couldn't feel sorry for herself; she had to find Aerrow before the sun went down! Then it hit her.
"Stork!" Piper shouted loudly, almost causing the merb to fall over.
"Easy! You could have made me have a heart attack and I would have gone to my doom!" Stork said with a twitchy eye.
Piper shook her head, "Forget that! Didn't you put a tracking device on each of our weapons?" she asked which mad Stork's eyes widen in excitement and realization.
"Yes I did!" he said walking over to the meeting pulling out a sonar scanner. He looked at it and it started to beep and he smiled hugely at the others, "I've got him! Piper come and get the coordinates!" Stork said and Piper immediately dashed over.
Her eyes ran over the scanner and then she turned to Stork, "Set course for…" she said turning to the scanner again and Stork ran to the wheel at the ready. Piper raised her eyebrow as she realized where Aerrow was, "Terra Nimbus?" she finished.
Junko scratched the side of his head, "Isn't that Terra just an abandoned one?" he asked and Piper nodded her head.
"Yes it is, ten years ago, Snipe conquered it and that was apparently the Dark Ace's first mission as a Cyclonian. He killed and enslaved every person on it" Piper commented causing the other to flinch in fear.
"I'll set a course anyway" Stork said and he pushed the gear down on the helm.
As the Condor started to move Finn spoke up, "Okay when did you put tracking devices on our weapons? Without my permission too" Finn said crossly.
Stork glared at him, "Okay, the next time you get stranded on a deserted Terra with Talons surrounding you, don't come crying to me!" the pilot snapped.
Finn then giggled nervously and raised his hands, "Never mind" he said causing Piper to laugh. Piper only hoped in her heart that Aerrow would be okay.
Back on the Terra, Aerrow was getting more shocked and curious at Ace's statement and the weird thing was that he believed him. "Cyclonis does celebrate Christmas but Ravess and Snipe are distant cousins of Cyclonia so she sort of has family. I often celebrate with them too but it isn't the same" Ace confessed. Aerrow felt sympathy for Ace; he couldn't stand being alone. If it wasn't for his team then he would probably be dead by now. Then, Ace started crying. He really did. A shiny tear slipped out from the corner of his eye and rolled down his cheek. "I can't stand it anymore. I don't have anything to live for anymore! I have no one!" Ace burst out and he got up from his chair and walked into the middle of the room away from Aerrow and held his face in his hands. Suddenly, Ace felt hands take hold of him by the shoulders and he looked into the green eyes of Aerrow.
"Hey, come on. No need for tears" Aerrow said kindly as if he was talking to a young child. Ace sniffed gratefully and then to Aerrow's surprise, Ace pulled him into a hug. Aerrow hesitated at first because this was a little awkward but he hugged Ace back.
The Condor finally arrived at Terra Nimbus and Piper looked through the periscope and she could clearly see the Dark Ace's skimmer and the hut. "Okay guys, you wait here at the cannons and I'll go down and get him" Piper ordered. The boy's saluted her and ran off to their positions and Radarr hopped off to get the first aid kit in case Aerrow had any injures. Piper ran to the hanger bay with her staff and leapt onto her Heliscooter and soared out into the evening sky.
The sky was a milky orange with a luscious tinge of pink of red added to the clouds. It was a magical evening for a magical new year. This boosted Piper's confidence as she flew on down to the Terra with her staff at the ready. I'm coming Aerrow, she thought. She twirled her staff and then fired a multiple shot of blue bolts at the hut.
Inside the hut, Aerrow and Ace had now stepped away from each other and they said nothing for a moment until a big bang that came from the roof with made them jump in shock. "That would be your family" Ace said smirking as he tossed Aerrow his blades and Aerrow rolled his eyes.
"Yes it would appear so" he replied, "What do we do?" Aerrow added.
As another crash came from above, Ace's smile faded, "I'm not going to make you suffer any more so just run out of here and I'll pretend to chase you and then I'll run away myself" Ace told him.
Aerrow looked at him, "I don't want you to celebrate Christmas alone" he said but Ace placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you forgive me?" he asked. Aerrow thought hard. Ace had destroyed his family and that had left him homeless for many years. Yet once, he had been a good friend to his parents and himself.
"Yes I forgive you" Aerrow said smiling and Ace smiled back.
"That was the one Christmas wish that I needed" he replied with a grin.
Aerrow only then noticed that Ace's eyes had gone back to a soft brown and all the coldness had vanished. "One more thing" Ace said quickly as he saw that the roof was on the verge of collapsing. Ace pressed a piece of paper into Aerrow's hand who looked at it curiously. Before he could look at it, Ace pushed him out the door and he remembered the plan. He pretended to look as if he had been terrified as he saw Piper flying towards him.
"You won't get away from me boy!" Ace shouted running after him with his blazing sword. Aerrow knew that he was faking so he went along with it and started to pant. Piper held out a hand to Aerrow and the sky knight leapt up and grabbed her hand and was quickly hoisted onto the back of the Heliscooter. Ace saw him get away and he secretly smiled to himself but he had to quickly run before more blue shots were fired at him from the Condor.
Finn and Junko were both in the seats behind the cannons and were crying out manically as they fired at the Dark Ace. "You'd better run!" Finn shouted.
"Yeah!" Junko agreed whilst firing three more blasts from his cannon. When Ace heard that, he felt like running back and cutting their heads off but he remembered what he had told Aerrow so he kept running until he reached his skimmer and leapt onto it.
He revved the engine and drove off and Piper was close behind him. Aerrow had a look of worry on his face; he didn't want Piper to hurt Ace, not after what he had learned. Piper had her staff out and aimed it at Ace who was now flying away but he was open for a perfect shot. Piper was about to make the shot until Aerrow took hold of her staff and held it tight which prevented her from firing. Piper looked him with confused eyes, "Aerrow what are you doing?" she asked and Aerrow looked at her.
"Let him go" he whispered. Piper still looked confused but when she looked back at the Dark Ace, he was too far away to shoot at. "Don't tell the others" he told her and she nodded.
"Okay I won't but… what did he tell you down there?" she asked. Aerrow looked at the clouds in Ace's direction.
"That inside, he is a good guy after all" Aerrow answered with a small smile which confused Piper even more but she was glad that he was safe. In the distance, Ace watched Aerrow and Piper ride back to the Condor and his heart felt healed. For the first time in his life in ten years, he felt warm inside. Piper and Aerrow landed on the hanger bay and the others were waiting there patiently. When they landed there, Finn, Junko and Radarr let out cheers as they ran forward to greet their friends. Radarr instantly leapt onto his shoulders once he stepped off the Heliscooter.
Aerrow smiled as Finn and Junko hugged him, "Aerrow, you're okay!" Finn said happily and he pulled Junko away because he was starting to make him and Aerrow go blue with lack of oxygen.
"Thank Atmos, the Dark Ace didn't hurt you" Junko said and Aerrow put on a fake smile.
"Yeah you showed him whose boss" Aerrow said and Junko and Finn slapped each other a high five. Piper looked closely at Aerrow's head and he saw the dark bruise that had formed there.
"Aerrow, go to the infirmary so you can fix that bruise" Piper said and Aerrow only just remembered he had that and the piece of paper that Ace had given him.
"Sure" Aerrow replied and he walked off to the infirmary. Now seeing that their sky knight alive and well, Finn and Junko went to their rooms to finish doing their presents and Radarr leapt into a crate where Piper guessed that was where his presents were hidden. Piper still wondered about Aerrow but he was okay and that was all that mattered.
In the infirmary, Aerrow made sure that the door was tightly. Sitting on the bed, he pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that Ace had given him. His hands trembled as he opened it and when he saw what it was, it made a tear come to his eye. It was a photo but it wasn't the same on that Ace had showed him. It was a picture of Lightning Strike, Aurora and Aerrow who was in the middle and he was holding a teenager's hand that stood behind him. That teenager was Ace himself. He was wearing a blue uniform with a little Storm Hawks badge on the front of his uniform. His hair was a messy coal black and his eyes were the gentlest of brown.
Aerrow smiled to himself; even though it wasn't Christmas Day yet, this was one of the most heart-warming presents he had been given. He folded it carefully and he put it back in his pocket and he went to find a bandage for his head with a happy feeling within him.
