A.N.— Happy New Years everyone! I know this is a little late for Christmas, but here it is anyhow ^^ You can also consider this a preview of things to come in my fanfic series. I hope you all enjoy!

"Pass me the lights, Trixy."

"Yes, sir." She smiles and holds a bundle of lights up to Skipper who is standing on a step ladder by the tree.

Skipper nods and starts draping the lights. "Get Rico over here on the other side. Any sign of Skippsy?"

"No, sir." She says and looks around for Rico. She sees him helping Rachel hang garlands and lights along the wall. She moves over to the other side of the tree.

"Did she say what she was going to do that was going to take her so long?" He asks, passing the light strand around.

"No...But Marissa may know."

"And where is she?"

"I think she and Kowalski went to take holiday pictures of Atlas." She says and passes the lights back to him.

"Skipper, here are the ornaments." Private says as he precariously carries a heavy cardboard box over from the elevator.

"Sit'em on the floor over there, Private." Skipper nods and then glances at the door as he hears a knock. "Check that."

Private waddles over and opens the door to let Skippsy and Marlene in. "It's Marlene and Skipper Skippsy, sir!"

"I just can't believe he isn't here yet!" Skippsy exclaims as she waddles to Skipper's chair and slouches into it.

"I'm sure he's just running late. He told you he was going to try to come, have a little trust." Marlene smiles at her.

"He said try, Marlene! Something might have come up and he failed!" Skippsy groans and puts her head in her flippers.

"Who's this 'he'?" Skipper glances over at them.

Marlene looks at Skippsy and then at him. "Someone Skippsy knows and has invited to our Christmas party."

Skipper raises a nonexistent eyebrow and looks over at the ladder as he hears the hatch fly open.

"We found the mistletoe, sir!" Manfredi shouts as he jumps down.

"You did bring Johnson back with you, right?"

Manfredi rolls his grass green eyes. "Of course I did. He decided to go help Kowalski and fam with their picture."

Skipper sighs and nods. "Fine. Now go find somewhere to hang it."

"There isn't anywhere I can jump high enough to reach myself." He snorts and crosses his flippers.

"See if Rachel will let you borrow Rico in a moment then or see if you can find another ladder." Skipper sighs. "Private, pass me the ornament box then go do the stockings. Skippsy! Stop moping and get your tail over here and help out!"

"I don't take orders." Skippsy snorts. "At least none from you anyhow. If this outfit is turning co-led, that's one thing. But I ain't your lieutenant, Skips, and you ain't going to order me 'round like one." She growls as she marches over and grabs an ornament from the box. "Now move! I might be an inch taller, but I still need a step stool!"

Skipper smirks as he moves. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am." He chuckles as he gets down and heads over to his seat.

"Get your keister over here! If I can't just sit, you can't either!"

Marlene watches them as she goes and opens the door that neither skippers heard over themselves. "Ah, you must be Skippsy's special guest. Welcome...Erm, I think you're okay to come in." She looks over at the skipper twins who are now arguing over what to put at the top of the tree.

The tall chinstrap penguin steps in. "Does it really matter which is put at the top, eh?" he says, waddling quietly up behind Skippsy. "I tend to use a star personally, but I don't see the harm in putting an angel or a fish at the top either."

Skippsy turns with wide eyes. "Ethan! You made it!" She exclaims and jump hugs him, leaving her brother standing there, staring suspiciously at him.

"Of course I made it. How could you think I wasn't?" He looks at her.

"I don't know..." She shrugs, dropping down off of him.

"Crazy American." He sighs with a smile.

Skipper looks at him. "Skippsy, explain why the hover dam there is a Canadian in my HQ."

Skippsy turns and opens her beak, but then closes it as she hears the hatch open.

"Johnson, you really should have gone into photography. Those were excellent shots." Kowalski says as he hops down with Atlas in his flippers.

Johnson, as he hops down next, "No, no, you and your family are just very patient and good posers. The pictures are only good from pure luck." He helps Marissa down the ladder with a smile. "But for it all to look bleary to me still, I agree they came out better than I expected." He chuckles.

"We really need to get your vision checked for you some updated glasses, Jonny." Kowalski says, passing his chick to Marissa as he gets a cup of hot cocoa.

"Scary thought that...I have the rising suspicion that I'm going to need bifocals next." He frowns.

"Or maybe your far-sightedness has just gotten that much worse." He shrugs and looks over at the others. "Oh, did we—ahem, did we interrupt something?" He asks as he sees Ethan and takes another sip.

Skippsy rolls her eyes and looks at Skipper again. "As I was saying, this is Ethan, my boyfriend."

Marissa coughs and spits her hot chocolate on Johnson and looks at Skippsy in shock. "How is it that I didn't know this!?"

"You've been busy with your own personal life to snoop on mine." She chuckles and and stands close to Ethan.

Skipper rubs under his beak. "More intel?"

"I am an agent of Base C-35 and an environmentalist." Ethan smiles.

"A hippy!" Skipper gasps. "Of all penguins, my OWN SISTER dating a HIPPY!"

Skippsy sighs and shakes her head. "He's a tree-hugger, not a hippy, Skips."

"Same difference." Skipper snorts. "I don't support this relationship."

"Don't care. Didn't need your opinion. He ain't your boy-toy. He's mine."

Ethan watches them with interest. "Skipper, I am one of the elites of my base. I hate being compared to a hippy. I just appreciate our environment and do what I can to help it stay green and healthy."

Skipper still looks suspicious. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, hippy."

Both Skippsy and Ethan roll their eyes. "Well, Skipper, agree with my choice of boyfriend or not, I think I'm sticking with him. And I ain't taking any chances this time. He doesn't take any orders from you for sure." She has a vicious glimmer in her eyes.

"Kipper! You still haven't gotten over that accident with Benjamin? It was an accident! He wasn't supposed to die, Skippsy! If I had known he was, I wouldn't have sent him in!"

"Like you didn't trip Benny into that snake pit either that time, mmh?" She narrows her eyes.

"I was young and overprotective! He was dating my little sister, he should have thought I was going to give him a hard time!" He growls.

Skippsy glares at him. "Yet it was my life, not yours to decide!" She balls up her flippers at her side.

Ethan lays his flippers on her shoulders. "Skippsy, calm down. Remember your blood pressure?"

Skippsy grumbles a little but nods and takes a step back with a sigh. "I want to strangle him sometimes, I really do..." She mumbles.

"Well, you've done well so far in not doing so. Why don't you get a drink?" He smiles at her. "I'll help him finish up the tree."

"Alright..." She sighs. "Alright."

Ethan watches her go before getting some ornaments. "I don't see why you're so protective of her, I've seen her hold her own against a bear."

Skipper glances down at him. "She's my sister. I'm the only family she's got around here. Someone has to be protective of her. Kipper knows she isn't protective of herself." He looks over at her. "She's dated my frenemy, my private—not this one, that Benny—" he says seeing Ethan's look. "And I've seen her at her worst and turned my back. I wasn't a good brother. It took years for me to realize and to do a better job with her." He then blinks and looks at him. "Which none of this was your business!"

"Technically, it is since your sister is my business." Ethan says. "Wait, that came out weird."

"I think I get what you mean." Skipper rolls his eyes and puts an ornament near the top. "Just be good to her, alright? But know I'll be watching!"

"I'm not worried." He chuckles. "She's a wonder, but I try my best to understand her." He passes him a candycane. "Something I don't think your teammate is doing currently." He motions over at Manfredi.

"Come on! One little peck! It's mistletoe! Tradition!" Manfredi whines as he is on the step stool on his tiptoes, holding it above Rachel's head.

"Not interested." She snorts and gets out her iPod.

"But, come onnnnn! Just a quick smooch!"

Rachel puts in headphones and ignores him. Rico waddles over and licks the top of Manfredi's head.

"Uwgh! Rico, not you!" He exclaims.

Rico giggles and gets the little penguin. "Got my l'il bu'y."

Manfredi sighs and puts his head on his flipper. "Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, Rico." He sighs and smiles at him.

"Show 'oo!"

"Show me what?" He looks around as Rico quickly carries him over to the corner.

"MINE!" Rico proudly gets out his Ms. Perky doll and purrs at her.

Manfredi looks at them with a slightly weirded out smile. "Ehm...She's nice, Rico. Good, um, good catch."

Rico nods and holds her away from him. "She MINE!"

"No worries there, amigo. She's all yours." He chuckles. Rico nods and nuzzles his doll, satisfied that he's made his point clear.

Skipper sighs and shakes his head. "Manfredi's always been a flipper-full. He doesn't get that he comes on too strong for most women."

"Poor kid." Ethan shakes his head.

"But at least he tries. Johnson there seems to think you just stare and sigh about a gal long enough and she'll fall for him." He jerks his head towards the tall megellanic penguin who is cleaning his glasses. "But I don't think he's got a lady in mind currently anyhow."

"I see." He nods. "And that set there?"

Skipper looks to where he points. "Kowalski and Marissa, not a big surprise there...Just surprising that two geniuses forgot to use protection."

"What about you?"

"I always remember protection."

Ethan shakes his head. "No, not what I meant."

"My private life is classified, but nice try."

Skippsy looks at them from the table and at Marlene. "Aww, is Skips bashful to talk 'bout the two of you?"

Marlene shrugs with a small smile. "It's nothing big."

"You're dating an otter but you're judging your sister on dating an environmentalist?" Ethan looks at him with a smirk.

Kowalski and Marissa both spit their cocoa on Johnson.

"That's it, no more cocoa for either of you." Johnson says with grossed out look and takes their cups. "I am not a sink."

"Ethan, don't you go knocking what they've got. I've worked my tail off to get them hooked up!" Skippsy exclaims.

"Americans, you all are crazy." Ethan just shakes his head and goes to get a cup of cocoa himself. "But somehow, I guess the craziness works."

Skippsy sticks her tongue out at him. "If we were average, you know you wouldn't be here."

"Of course we aren't average." Skipper chuckles. "We're awesome."

"And loud." Marissa sighs as Atlas starts crying from the lab.

"I've got him!" Private exclaims and slides in after the chick.

Trixy watches him go with a smile. "He'll be a good dad."

Skippsy glances at her. "Not for a long, long, long time. You hear me, private? You're seventeen, much too young to even consider. You wait til you're thirty-two and married."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, ma'am." Trixy huffs and rolls her eyes. "I just said he'll be a good father."

"Mhm hmm." She looks at her sternly.

"Permission to go home, Skippsy?" Rachel sighs. "Or I'm going to light this idiota up like Christmas tree."

"You can light me up any night, babe." Manfredi says, leaning on the chair with the mistletoe yet again.

"Manfredi! Stop harassing her!" Johnson says. "Did you not learn anything from the chinstrap sisters?"

Manfredi sighs. "But..."

"Manfredi." Skipper says lowly.

He pouts and looks at the floor.

"Better. Now leave Rachel alone or I'll let her light your tail up with a paintball gun."

"I was thinking about using a stick of dynamite...But paintball could work if you want him still living..." She grumbles and pours herself a glass of eggnog.

Manfredi sighs and slumps near Rico. "She's a feisty one...I like them feisty."

Rico pats his head. "It o'ay."

"On that note, I think it's time for presents." Skippsy smiles.

Skipper glances at her. "I thought we agreed on not doing presents this year?" He murmurs.

"Not for the adults, presents for the kids." She mutters back. "It's Atlas's first Christmas!"

"Alright." He nods slowly but still looks at her.

Skippsy rolls her eyes. "Oh stop staring at me like that, I've got it covered. Figured you would misunderstand me." She motions to Rachel.

Rachel looks at Ethan and clears her throat. "I'll be back..."

"Don't be bashful, Rachel, I'm sure Ethan has seen stranger things." Skippsy smiles but then sighs as her sergeant nevertheless waddles into the lab. She returns, wiping her beak with the back of her flipper and carrying a large bag. "Great, thank you. Trixy, why don't you pass them out between the three of you?"

Private gives Atlas to Kowalski and helps Trixy sort the presents.

"He-ey, hey, no." Johnson stutters and leans his head away as Atlas grabs hold of his glasses.

Kowalski chuckles and repositions the chick. "He's curious."

"I think more he's hungry." Johnson says, watching as the chick chews on its own flipper.

"I'll feed him after the presents. Then we can try to get him to take another nap." Marissa sighs.

Johnson shakes his head. "If you put him for a nap now, I would think he'd be up all night...But then, he's your chick."

Kowalski sighs. "Presents, food, then maybe Private and Trixy can tire him out for bed."

Marissa nods and tickles her son under his beak with a smile. "Sounds good to me."

Kowalski nods and softly sits Atlas on the floor by his small pile and sits next to him. He waits while Trixy and Private open their fish, lunacorns, mechanical parts, and Trixy collected the present ribbons for her use as well. Then he and Marissa help the chick open his presents. Mostly Atlas flaps at he paper and tries to eat it, but with his parents' help he gets them open to reveal a couple fluffy toys, some winter clothes, diapers, and a thicker blanket.

"Should be nice and toasty now." Skippsy smiles at them. "It about broke my heart to see him shivering during some of the cold nights we've had."

Marissa nods and folds the blanket. "Thank you." She smiles back. "Now to wait till winter starts feeling wintery again to use them. But it should all come really handy to have."

Atlas chirps and starts chewing on the rattley ear of his new dog plushie.

"Probably should have checked about him a teething ring, too. No telling when his egg tooth will start bothering him."

"This is all wonderful, Skippsy, it's more than plenty."

Skippsy smiles. "Only the best for my team."

"Our team." Skipper gives her a glance.

"Yeah, yeah, my team, your team, our team, it's a work in progress." She waves him off. "It's going to be a transition when the teams get combined. We're going to have enough to figure out with co-leadership."

"Or...We could stick with individual teams and we can find you a nice zoo in Connecticut ." He smirks. He then looks at the lieutenants who look at him with mournful expressions as they move a little closer to their son. "Kidding. I'm kidding." He drops his flippers in defeat. "We'll just have to do some renovating for us all to fit."

Skippsy pats his shoulder with a smile. "We'll all have to adjust...And when the merge starts, we'll get them all good headphones for when our screaming matches begin." She laughs.

"Merry Christmas to us." Manfredi groans. "It's going to be like old times..."

"But with new members, more teammates for better missions." Johnson smiles.

"And a happy new year!" Trixy chimes in.