(A/N): Sorry I've been missing in action on this story! For some reason, there's been this one scene that I've written over and over again, but I cannot get it right. I hope it doesn't sound weird here. Plus I've been working on my own published book (check out ending notes for more). And now, there goes that 'Christmas in July' thing because it's almost Christmas in real life. Oh well. At least I'm getting an update, right?
Thank you to these people for your reviews: Lucy Case (Less Katrina? But there wouldn't be a story without her! Then again, I do have planned quite a bit of scenes in the next chapter that don't have her. You'll see why late in this chapter.), Jenificent3007 (Sorry this update took so long. And now it's past the two year anniversary so, thank you! Oh, there might be some relationship drama with Natalie very soon… Let's just say that the triangle might start earlier than it's expected.), Dreamer1992 (Sorry this took so long! I've been working on it on and off for a while. Then, I realized it was almost Christmas and it wasn't up yet. Then, I hated myself for leaving all of you without something to read. But, it's here now!), Reinoiswriting (I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm still upset with myself for leaving all of you without the second half of the episode at least. AND for not updating so long. Please don't be mad.) and Witch Demigoddess (It's okay that you took a while to review! It took me a while to update! Real life gets in the way all the time. I checked out that song, I Want You Bad, and you are SO right! Like so right it's kind of freaky. Maybe I'll use it in a future chapter.)
Even though I haven't updated this in a while, it's not cause I figured out how to own Big Time Rush. Cause I still don't own the show or the band and especially not the episode, Big Time Christmas, which is used here. Wish I owned them, but I don't. I also don't own the songs All I Want For Christmas Is You (performed by Big Time Rush and Miranda Cosgrove), Mixtape for Christmas by Hey Monday and Stay In Our PJs by (the yard squirrel versions of) Big Time Rush. Now, without further ado, the chapter.
Chapter 83: California For Christmas
"You're all going to jail for Christmas," Miranda's producer announced to the group that had been caught in Miranda's dressing room.
"Oh no, don't call the police!" Kendall begged. "We're allergic to police!" The others nodded, agreeing with the blonde.
"We weren't Fabio-napping," Logan explained. "We were just hiding him so we could sing with Miranda." Miranda's eyebrows went up. "Sorry, Fabio."
"Look," Carlos continued. "If we don't record three Christmas songs by today, our grinchy CEO won't let us go home for Christmas."
"Actually, if you include Wolff Pack's songs, it's five," Katrina added.
"Yeah, but yours aren't celebrity duets," James pointed out. He looked desperately at Miranda. "We're Big Time Rush! We're a band!"
Miranda seemed to contemplate the predicament before leaning over to her producer, "They're really cute." The guys got excited at this. "And I've heard of this girl. She could really use a break with all the trouble she's been in lately." Katrina sighed in relief.
"They locked Fabio in a costume bin," the producer reminded Miranda.
"Yeah, but," Miranda stepped forward with a smile on her face. "The guys are really cute. And the girl will definitely bring some guy viewers." The guys and Katrina looked at each other, thinking this was good for their effort.
"My daughter does love their album," the producer admitted. The guys seemed happy about this. "And my son has a poster of her on his wall." Logan's smile disappeared as he looked over at his model girlfriend who had a smile of her own.
"And they did put some tasty snacks and a movie to watch for me," Fabio held up the items he was referring to. "And by the way, I'm a horrible singer."
"He's right," Miranda agreed. "He's a horrible singer."
"Ooh, um," Carlos cleared his throat. "And we can sing." The last word was sung. Kendall joined in at a higher pitch. Then James hopped in followed by Logan, each of them higher than the other. Katrina pointed at them with a smile on her face.
Once they stopped, Miranda looked at Katrina, "And you?"
"Um, I can sing too," Katrina revealed. "But they're the ones that need the duet, not me. I'm really only here cause I'm related to one of them." She pointed at Kendall.
"So," Kendall spoke to Miranda. "How are we doing?"
Miranda crossed her arms, "Honestly, it could go either way." The group was suddenly worried.
Evan watched his phone while Gustavo and Kelly worked on hooking up their recording equipment with the equipment for the set.
"I haven't heard from Kat yet," Evan mentioned. "Please let that be a good thing."
"Don't worry," Kelly assured him. "I'm sure she's got a perfectly good reason for not texting you."
"Yeah, like being in trouble," Evan looked up from his phone.
"Or she's helping the dogs get ready," Gustavo insisted, still working on the recording device in his hands.
"Okay," Kelly spoke. "The producer should be freaking out looking for a replacement for Fabio by now."
"Which means," Gustavo went on. "Either a miracle happened and the dogs are in wardrobe or they got caught and we're going to jail for Christmas!"
"I've had enough jail cells for one year," Evan mumbled, getting weird looks from Gustavo and Kelly.
The sound of a bell gained their attention. Evan, Gustavo and Kelly watched with baited breath as the show went back to filming.
"Welcome back to Have Yourself A Miranda Little Christmas," the announcer spoke.
A doorbell rang on the set and Miranda came down the stairs, giving the camera a smile, "Hey. I hope it's the Christmas pizza I ordered." Evan, Gustavo and Kelly crossed their fingers as Miranda opened the door.
Fabio was behind the door with a pizza, "Hey Miranda." Evan, Gustavo and Kelly threw their hands in the air, giving up on waiting for a miracle.
"That's probably why she hasn't texted me," Evan realized. "She and the guys are in jail."
"It's Fabio's Pizza Delivery," Miranda spoke into the camera.
Fabio winked, "I got you some candy cane peppermint pizza." He opened the box to reveal the pizza.
"Yum!" Miranda acted with enthusiasm. "What took you so long?"
"Oh, I got stuck in the snow," Fabio responded.
"Well, how'd you get out?" Miranda asked.
"Well, you know, some people came around and helped me," Fabio opened the other door, revealing Big Time Rush and Katrina walking up to the door with smiles. They greeted Miranda happily. Evan, Gustavo and Kelly had joy back on their faces.
"Big Time Rush and Katrina Wolff," Miranda introduced them to the camera.
"Press record!" Kelly told Gustavo. "Press record!"
"Fiji, here I come!" Gustavo pressed the button.
"Why is Kat with them?" Evan seemed confused.
"Shh!" Kelly insisted. "Recording!" The sound for the song, All I Want For Christmas began.
"Do you guys wanna join me for a song?" Miranda offered the boys. They agreed happily.
After a quick change, the guys and Miranda sang as they roamed the stage, dancing. While Big Time Rush and Miranda were singing, Katrina and Fabio would pop in every now and then, dressed as Christmasy as the singers. Fabio kept making appearances as Santa Claus with Katrina dressed as an elf. After getting bored with watching, Evan had left Gustavo and Kelly, found a bear costume and joined the group on set wearing it. Big Time Rush was not thrilled to find a bear chasing them. Of course, in the end, the boys did make peace with the 'bear' by giving him some gifts. At the end of the song, Gustavo and Kelly cheered, getting up and unplugging their equipment to the surprise of the crew.
On stage, Big Time Rush, Katrina, Evan in the bear suit, Miranda and Fabio clapped along with the sound of the fake audience. Miranda spoke to the camera, "Thanks to everyone for watching. Thanks to Vice President Biden, to Fabio, to Katrina Wolff and to Big Time Rush!" Evan faked a roar. "And to the bear, of course."
"Happy Holidays," Big Time Rush and Katrina wished as they waved to the camera.
"That's a wrap, folks," the director announced. The crew cheered.
"Thank you so much," the boys told Miranda.
"Thank you guys!" Miranda replied. "Thanks for being on. You guys were great!"
Evan took the bear head off, "Whew, it's hot in there." He pushed away some of his sweaty hair.
"I thought you were supposed to be with Gustavo and Kelly," Katrina couldn't help but to smile at her brother.
"I thought you were supposed to text me," Evan retorted. Katrina went silent at this.
"Your brother's just as hot as the other guys," Miranda whispered to Katrina. The model ended up with a look of disgust. Miranda turned back to the boy band, "Oh, and good luck with your EP and getting back to Minnesota."
"You can come too, Miranda," James offered. The others looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah, it'll be cold, but you and I can –" He wrapped his arm around Miranda's shoulder. "Cuddle together to stay warm."
"No!" Kelly walked onto the set to break up the conversation. "We have to leave, now!" She herded the boys away from Miranda while Katrina and Gustavo followed them. Miranda and Fabio waved goodbye.
Cheering, the group left the studio, heading into the parking lot. Hope was on their faces that they might actually get out of California for Christmas.
"Why are you so happy?!" Gustavo broke up the party. "We still need to write a third song. Find another superstar to sing it with. Write another song for Wolff Pack. Oh yeah, and do it in time to catch our flights."
"Wait, everybody close your eyes," Carlos suggested. "And wish for another Christmas miracle." Immediately, everyone but Logan and Gustavo closed their eyes and wished for their next Christmas miracle.
"That's ridiculous," Logan insisted. "There's never gonna be a - Oh, what the heck." Logan joined in with the others whispering for a Christmas miracle. Gustavo stared at the group with disbelief.
"I hate to break it to you dogs," Gustavo began. "But I think we're fresh out of Christmas miracles."
Suddenly, the sound of a car horn grabbed everyone's attention. Gustavo turned his head just in time to see a limo hit him.
"This isn't the miracle I was hoping for," Katrina mumbled. The group watched in disbelief as the long limo drove in front of them, seeming to never end. When the limo finally skidded to a stop, the window rolled down and Snoop Dogg poked his head out.
Snoop took off his sunglasses before speaking to the group, "Please tell me I didn't just hit a reindeer."
"Snoop Dogg?!" the group exclaimed.
"It's a Christmas miracle!" Carlos yelled into the sky.
Back at Rocque Records, Big Time Rush and the Wolff siblings stared at Snoop Dogg in awe. The rapper drank his hot chocolate while clutching a present under his arm.
"That's some good cocoa," Snoop told them.
"I can't believe we're recording a song with Snoop Dogg!" James exclaimed. The others in the boy band were just as excited.
"So jealous," Evan muttered.
"Hey, it's the least I could do after running Gustavo Rocque over with a limo," Snoop responded. The group turned to see Gustavo working on the piano, arm in a sling and wounds all over.
"Now I just have to write the song," Gustavo strained his words.
"Don't worry," Kelly assured Snoop. "You won't be here long. He writes songs really fast." The others nodded.
"I got it!" Gustavo exclaimed. "I got it!" He turned to the piano. Suddenly, he burst into tears. "I don't got it. I'm never going to Fiji." He played depressing notes on the piano.
"You know what, Snoop?" Kendall spoke to the celebrity. "This is all a part of his process. He gets it, he doesn't get it, then he cries. Hey, who's the present for?"
"Grandma," Snoop revealed.
"Oh, cool," Logan replied. "Is it diamond encrusted dentures?"
"Is it a platinum and emerald bracelet that says 'number one grammy'?" James guessed.
"Is it a helicopter?" Carlos asked.
"Is it plane tickets for an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii?" Katrina threw her guess in.
"It's even better," Snoop told them. The group watched with anticipation as Snoop opened the gift. He reached in and pulled out the gift. "It's a homemade scented candle holder. And I made it myself." The five boys stared at the homemade gift in disbelief.
"Where are the emeralds?" James asked.
"Man, Christmas ain't about expensive gifts," Snoop insisted. "It's about giving from the heart."
"Aw!" Katrina smiled. "That's so sweet!" The boys agreed.
"Very Christmas messagy," Logan added.
"Now, if only we could make a SONG OUT OF IT!" Gustavo yelled.
Suddenly, Logan had a look of realization on his face, "A song. That's it!" The group watched as he ran into Gustavo's office, closing the door after him.
"What was that about?" Katrina asked the guys. They shrugged.
"Somebody get him," Kelly instructed. "We need him for whatever song Gustavo's going to write."
Kendall, Carlos and James got up from the couch and went up to Gustavo's office door. Kendall knocked on the door, "Logan, can't whatever you're doing wait until AFTER we record a song with Snoop?"
The door opened and Logan poked his head out, "I gotta get this done now before I forget! It'll soften the blow when I tell Kat that her gift is actually from James."
Katrina stepped out from behind Kendall, "What?" She stared at Logan in disbelief. "That perfect gift is from JAMES?!" The boys stared at her in surprise before glancing over to the couch where she had been. Evan waved from his spot on the couch, but Katrina was obviously not there any more. "Why? Why would you pass it off as your gift?
"Because I didn't get you anything really special," Logan responded. "And you didn't like the cookie jar and James offered an easy way out. Are you mad?"
"Damn right, I'm mad," Katrina crossed her arms. "But not for getting me nothing. I'm mad at you for making me think that you got me that gift. It's an awesome gift, but I didn't expect anything special this year. At best, I expected a gift card. This is only our first Christmas together. You don't have to get anything big. That gift was so big that it made me feel stupid for getting you what I got you. It made me feel like I didn't put enough thought into my gift for you." She suddenly turned to James, "And as for you, that gift was inappropriate. I am your best friend's girlfriend. That is not the type of gift you get someone else's girlfriend. That's the type of gift you get a long term girlfriend. This needs to stop, James." She glared at both of the boys.
"Ooh," Carlos smirked. "Somebody's in trouble." Katrina turned her glare on Carlos.
"I don't think that was the right thing to say," Kendall whispered to Carlos. He nodded.
Evan popped up right next to Katrina, "Hey, little sis. Christmas is the time for forgiveness. Why don't you just give them this one?"
After a quick glance, Katrina sighed, "Okay, I forgive you, Logan." James gave her a hopeful smile. "And James, but I meant what I said to you."
"That worked out better than I thought it would," James admitted.
"Now, wait here," Logan instructed her. "And I'll be right out with your true gift."
"You don't have to-" Katrina's words were lost as Gustavo's office door slammed shut. "Get me anything. Wonder what he could get me that's in there."
"So, Kat," Evan spoke to his sister, scratching his head nervously. "Since you're in a forgiving mood, there's something I have to tell you. About the girl I'm dating-"
Suddenly, Kendall leaned in to whisper to Evan, "Probably not the best time for that." Katrina raised her eyebrows.
"Right," Evan agreed. "I'll tell her later."
"What's going on?" Katrina looked back and forth between the two blondes. "Who's Evan dating?"
Kendall and Evan shared a glance before responding together, "No one." Katrina narrowed her eyes.
She didn't get a chance to question them because the door to Gustavo's office opened up and Logan came out, holding a CD. He held it out for Katrina, "Here. Your gift."
"Is this a CD of your music?" Katrina assumed.
"Sort of," Logan told her. "And some songs from Wolff Pack, All Time Low and other bands that you like. It's a mixtape of some of your favorite songs, including our song, Collide by Howie Day."
Suddenly, Katrina wrapped her arms and planted a kiss on Logan's lips, not caring who was watching. The other guys looked away, giving them a slight bit of privacy. Evan didn't even separate them, deciding to let them have that moment instead of being the protective older brother.
Pulling away, Katrina spoke to her boyfriend, "This gift is you."
"So, it's perfect?" Logan checked.
"Better than perfect," Katrina assured him. "That other gift could have been given to me by anyone that knows I love animals. So, basically, everyone that hears about me. This only means something to us." The two were oblivious to those around them as they let their foreheads touch, nothing but each other on their minds.
"As touching as that is," Gustavo broke up the moment. "It still doesn't get us a SONG!"
"Let them have the moment," Kelly insisted. "It's adorable."
"A mixtape for Christmas is a good, homemade gift," Snoop mentioned. "It can bring magic to a perfect night."
"THAT'S IT!" Gustavo screamed, getting to his feet. "Wolff Pack, we've got our last song!" He pointed to Katrina. "You. Studio. Now!" The group didn't even dare to question him as they rushed out of the room.
Katrina stood in the practice room, microphone stand in front of her, looking over the song that Gustavo had written. She mouthed the lyrics silently, getting herself ready for recording. The others watched her impatiently from the control room.
Griffin came into the room with the others, his assistant following him in, "Okay, let's make this song fast. And it better be good or I'll fire the Santa in front of this building."
"He works for you?" Carlos assumed.
"Nope, but he'll be fired anyway," Griffin responded. The group looked at each other, not knowing what to make of it. "Now, let's hear my lovey-dovey, Christmas song." Gustavo pressed a button on the control board, making music play. Deciding to make the song even better, the boys went into the practice room and began to jiggle some bells for the recording. Katrina gave them a grateful smile before she burst into song.
You make the holidays so lovely, darlin'
You give me butterflies like when we started
Our lovin' feels so precious
It's like a winter wonderland
There's nothing more I could ask for this year
Than our mixtape for Christmas
With all our favorite songs
I'd stay here forever
If you'll sing along
Just us and the fire
We're swaying to the beat
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here listening to our mixtape
We keep each other warm when winter kicks in
This is my favorite season just because
The magic turns up loud
And I just don't get how
I could ever spend the twenty-fifth without
Our mixtape for Christmas
With all our favorite songs
I'd stay here forever
If you'll sing along
Just us and the fire
We're swaying to the beat
There's no place I'd rather be
I'm a brand new me
And all of the lights are shining
I can't stop smiling
With you by my side
Our mixtape for Christmas
With all our favorite songs
I'd stay here forever
If you'll sing along
Our mixtape for Christmas
With all our favorite songs
I'd stay here forever
If you'll sing along
Just us and the fire
We're swaying to the beat
There's no place I'd rather be, yeah
No place I'd rather be
There's no place I'd rather be
Katrina finished the song, laughing slightly as the guys shook the bells in front of her face. Once the music had stopped, everyone turned to see Griffin's reaction.
Griffin smiled, "Wolff Pack is done." Everyone cheered. "And, if Big Time Rush doesn't have a song yet, I guess I'll be going."
"Wait!" Kendall held out his hands. "I've got an idea. Logan, give us a beat."
"Okay," Logan agreed, starting to beat box.
"I can work with that," Snoop declared, joining the group in the practice room.
Kendall started freestyle rapping, "On the first day of Christmas, Snoop gave to me-"
"A song for your Christmas EP," Snoop finished the line. The boys enjoyed that improvisation.
"We better get out of your way," Katrina told them as she and Evan ducked out of the room, heading into the control room with the adults.
All four members of Big Time Rush rapped the next line, "On the second day of Christmas, Snoop gave to me-"
"Two fractured femurs," Gustavo spoke into the microphone, carrying his voice into the other room. The group stared at him for a couple seconds. The producer did not seem to be enjoying their improvisation.
Deciding to just roll with it, Snoop went on, "And a song for your Christmas EP." Everyone laughed, thinking it was going well.
"Why aren't you recording?" Kelly asked Gustavo. "They're right there, creating a song and you're not doing anything about it."
"It's a stupid, repetitive song!" Gustavo exclaimed. "No one will like it!"
"It's still a song!" Evan pointed out.
"Plus, people like repetition in songs nowadays," Katrina added.
"Fine!" Gustavo screamed, pressing the record button. The guys and Snoop rapped their own version of the 12 Days of Christmas.
After many verses, the boys started the last verse, "On the twelfth day of Christmas, Snoop gave to me-"
"Twelve rinkside tickets," Kendall held up twelve hockey tickets.
"Eleven books on physics," Logan struggled with the eleven physics textbooks in his arms.
"Ten juicy corndogs," Carlos excitedly showed off ten corndogs.
"Nine lucky combs," James used one of the combs on his hair.
"Eight wooly beanies," Kendall had put all eight beanies on his head.
"Seven sweater vests," Logan wore only one of them, holding the other six. He twirled in his spot. "Woo!"
"Six hockey helmets," Carlos stacked the helmets all on top of each other, the bottom helmet protecting his head.
"Five municipal bonds with a compound interest three percent accruing monthly," Snoop held up five pieces of paper, documenting the bonds. The guys gave Snoop a questioning look. Katrina and Evan each raised an eyebrow at this one, tilting their heads as they waited for an explanation for that line. "What? Gotta make your money work for you."
"Oh," the guys nodded, understanding the line. They ducked out of sight, coming back completely dressed up in their pajamas. "Four comfy PJs."
"Three canned hams," Snoop gave the next one while Kendall, James and Logan pulled out three canned hams from behind their backs. "Two broken femurs.
"And a song for the Christmas EP," the four boys sang. "And a song for the Christmas EP."
Kelly clapped and pressed a button to tell them over the intercom, "Guys, that was awesome."
"And just as odd as the original," Katrina mumbled.
"And that makes five new Christmas songs," Gustavo added. He twirled in his seat, holding up his suitcase. "Fiji, here we come!"
"Except," Griffin spoke up. "Justin Bieber just released Fifty Days of Christmas with 50 Cent." The smiles disappeared. "It's over eight hours long. And it's a masterpiece."
"Why didn't you tell us this before they started the song?!" Evan exclaimed.
"Cause I wanted to see where they'd go with it," Griffin admitted. Katrina and Evan facepalmed.
"Hey, man, sorry about Bieber," Snoop told the guys. "But I gotta get to Grandma's house. There's two things that Grandma don't tolerate: that's elbows on the table and tardiness."
"Don't worry, Snoop," Kendall assured him. "I'm sure Gustavo will get this figured out."
"You'll be over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house in a couple hours," James added.
"Yeah, but I gotta be at Grandma's house in fifteen minutes," Snoop revealed.
"What?!" the guys screamed.
"What?!" Gustavo yelled.
"What?!" Kelly screeched.
"What?!" Katrina and Evan continued the pattern.
"What?!" Snoop exclaimed. "Yeah, I gotta be there in fifteen minutes."
"AH!" Gustavo collapsed into his seat. "FIJI!"
"Buh-bye snow," Katrina mumbled.
Later, Gustavo was in the practice room, screaming and destroying stuff, while Carlos, Logan, Kendall, James, Katrina, Evan, Kelly and Snoop watched from the control room. They winced as Gustavo threw around the instruments, causing the speakers to blow from the sound.
"So, this is how he writes his joyous holiday songs?" Snoop asked the group.
"Yep," the others answered. Gustavo smashed a giant ornament on the drum set's cymbal.
"And this is how we make it hilarious," Kendall pushed up a couple switches on the control panel.
Suddenly, Gustavo's voice was of a higher pitch, "You want a Christmas EP?" He smashed a guitar against the drum set. "Fiji!" Katrina held her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing, but the guys, Evan and Snoop didn't hold back.
Kelly pulled the switches back down, "No pitch fader. Let's remind our celebrity guest that Gustavo works very well under pressure." That was when Gustavo ran through the room with a running chainsaw. "Oh, he's bringing out the Christmas chainsaw. He's almost done." She looked away from Snoop, hiding her wincing face.
Sitting in a lounge chair, Gustavo sipped from a coconut drink with the sounds of seagulls hitting his ears, "Ah, I can't believe I finished the song and I'm finally relaxing in Fiji." Except, he wasn't in Fiji. He had set up a fake Fiji in the practice room and was hallucinating that he was there. "Oh, garcon. Just something, something delicious please." The group in the control room watched in disbelief.
"Yep," Snoop spoke to the others. "He's lost it."
"Wow," Katrina mumbled. "This is worse than my episode after the tragedy." The others turned to look at her. "Don't ask. It wasn't pretty."
"I gotta go," Snoop started to get up. The others tried to stop him.
"Wait, Snoop," Kelly stood up too. "We still have five minutes."
"Just tell your Grandma that you hit a producer with your limo and you're gonna be a little late," Kendall insisted.
"I can't tell my Grandma I hit somebody," Snoop responded. "She'd kill me. And it was her limo." This took the group by surprise.
"We just need one more Christmas miracle," Carlos begged. "Please."
"We've never missed a Minnesota Christmas," James added. "It's got real snow."
"And this would be the first time that Evan and I get to see real snow!" Katrina exclaimed.
"We need a nice family Christmas," Evan went on. "After a couple Christmases alone, we're finally together for Christmas and we need it perfect! Perfect includes Minnesota."
"Forget it," Logan advised them. "No one can write a song in five minutes."
"Gustavo did," Kelly replied. "Once. And it was his biggest hit ever."
"Yard Squirrel Christmas!" the others realized.
Suddenly, Gustavo pressed his face up against the window, "Don't mention that song."
"That was you?" Snoop asked. "Man, that song cracked me up. I've been dying to make one of those silly Christmas songs."
"Well, you can FORGET IT!" Gustavo screeched. "Cause I am DONE with SILLY CHRISTMAS SONGS!" Right in front of the window, he smashed another giant ornament.
Kendall pushed up the switches for the pitch fader, "Come on, Gustavo!" Kendall's voice was of a higher pitch, making Gustavo turn around in a circle, searching for the source of the sound. "It's Christmas!" Gustavo picked up a cymbal and its stand to protect himself.
"We all wanna go away for the holidays!" Logan chipped in, also a higher pitch.
"Oh, come on, Gustavo," Carlos added. "You can wear your PJs!"
"You can do it, Gustavo!" James encouraged. "Do it for Fiji-wiji!"
"Think of the beach!" Katrina's voice was of an obviously higher pitch than even the guys' voices.
"Oh no," Gustavo mumbled. "Not the Squirrelinas too!" Katrina seemed oddly pleased with this one, giving the guys a smile.
Snoop pulled down the pitch fader switches, "And I gotta get to Grandma's house." He pushed it back up, allowing the others to continue to speak at a higher pitch as they begged Gustavo to create another Yard Squirrel song.
Gustavo seemed overwhelmed as he smashed one of the drums on another before screaming, "YARD SQUIRRELS!" Everyone in the control room shut up. Suddenly, Gustavo looked at them, "Get in the booth. I've got the song." The group cheered.
While the guys and Snoop stood in the recording booth, Katrina and Evan watched from the outside, smiles on their faces. Kelly began going over her checklist, "Snoop Dogg?"
"Check," Snoop responded.
"Big Time Rush in their PJs," Kelly went on.
"Check!" the guys exclaimed.
"Stroke of Christmas genius," Kelly continued.
"Double check!" Gustavo spoke with confidence, turning to the group in the recording booth. "Okay, here's how I see it. The music starts playing." He pressed a button on the control board and the music started. "It's Christmas morning and Snoop is in a big time rush to get to Grandma's house."
"Snowflakes are falling like crazy here," Snoop continued, waving his hands in the air. Suddenly, snowflakes started to fall. The guys seemed surprised as the snowflakes hit their bodies.
"Um, was that supposed to happen?" Katrina asked Gustavo as the producer took off his sunglasses.
"No," Gustavo admitted.
As the group in the booth began recording their song, an animated video played in the minds of the people in the studio of Big Time Rush as squirrels playing with toys and insisting that they stay in their PJs for all of Christmas. At the end, the boys/squirrels won the battle and the entire group left for Grandma's house wearing their PJs, even though Grandma wouldn't like it.
By the end of the song, and back in the real world, somehow Snoop had changed into his PJs. While the guys didn't seem to get confused by this, Katrina and Evan turned to each other with their eyebrows raised. Their eyebrows went even higher once they realized something.
"When did you change into your PJs?!" Katrina and Evan exclaimed together. The two of them looked down at their outfits. Evan had a pair of white PJ pants and a diagonally-striped of varying blue colors long sleeved shirt on. Katrina's PJs consisted of cheetah print PJ pants and a pink fuzzy sweater.
"How did this happen?" Evan asked.
"That song is powerful," Katrina realized.
"Welp," Griffin's voice made everyone turn around to find him standing there. "Grandma may not like it, but I love it!" As everyone cheered, Kelly pulled out the CD with the recording and gave it to Griffin who then passed it to his assistant. "Upload this immediately so kids can enjoy a rocking Christmas all over the world." The guys and Snoop left the recording booth, joining the others in the control room. "And I will enjoy big time profits."
"I had fun, boys," Snoop informed them. "But I got to get to my Grandma's house."
"And we gotta get to Minnesota!" Carlos, James, Kendall, Logan, Katrina and Evan exclaimed.
"Well, you can all make your flights if you leave right now!" Kelly told them.
Gustavo got to his feet, holding up his suitcases, "Happy Holidays!"
"Run!" Logan started.
"Run!" Kendall continued.
"Run!" Snoop went on.
"Run!" James kept the chain going.
"Run!" Carlos added.
"Run!" Katrina exclaimed.
"Run!" Evan yelled.
"RUN!" all seven of them screeched. That's when they ran out of the studio.
Arriving in apartment 2J, James, Logan, Carlos, Kendall, Katrina and Evan stared at the news on the television, "And finally, nobody is getting in or out of Minnesota or most of the Midwest tonight. A snowstorm has completely shut down all the airports. Merry Christmas." James gave off a mini scream.
"There's my snow," Katrina looked at the television with a sad expression on her face. Kendall pulled the beanie off his head and threw it to the ground.
"Sorry, guys," Mrs. Knight came over to them, just as upset.
"I guess we ran out of Christmas miracles," Carlos realized.
"Yet another depressing Christmas," Evan commented. "Great."
"And after everything we went through," Logan added.
"How about we make a Christmas miracle happen ourselves?" Katie suggested. "Spread some, you know, Christmas joy."
"We're listening," the group responded.
Before Katie could go on, the door to the apartment burst open. Looking over there, the group found Natalie standing in the doorway. She rolled her suitcase over to them, almost stomping her feet as she headed their way.
"Uh, didn't your flight leave an hour ago?" Katrina asked. "Why are you still here?"
"It had a layover in Wisconsin which is now covered in snow," Natalie spoke. "So, I'm here while my family is interrogating my boyfriend in England. And I won't be able to stop their craziness. I guessed that you guys were stuck here too because of Minnesota's snow storm. What are you doing for Christmas now?"
"Making a Christmas miracle," Katie responded.
"Does anyone know where Kat and Evan went?" Carlos asked the group as he held up Natalie. The smart girl was hanging some garland over a doorway. "They should be helping."
"Not sure," Katie admitted as she and Kendall hung ornaments on a tree. "They just kind of left."
"Katrina and Evan have their reasons and they don't need to tell you everything," Mrs. Knight insisted. Her words made everyone else look at her.
"You know where they went," Logan realized. Mrs. Knight nodded. "Where did they go?"
With a sigh, Mrs. Knight told them, "They went to see their family."
"But we're their family," Kendall insisted.
"Their immediate family," Mrs. Knight clarified. The mood in the room suddenly went south.
"I can't even imagine what they must be going through," Natalie mentioned. "Christmas is about being with family and they'll never have a chance to truly have a full family Christmas again."
"Yeah, we can at least call our families in Minnesota," James added. "They'd have to get a psychic to contact theirs."
"Uh, James," Logan responded. "Psychics aren't-" The look on James's face made Logan change his mind. "You know what, nevermind. We should do something for them. Something that helps them feel like they have a family."
Kendall smirked, "I have just the thing."
Mr. Bitters left his office, still dressed in his PJs, "Another Christmas morning. Just like any other morning." He put on his glasses and looked around the decorated lobby in shock.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Bitters," the group on the couches told the hotel manager. Kendall, Katrina, Evan, Katie and Mrs. Knight took up one of the couches while Logan, Carlos, James and Natalie were on the other. All of them were in their PJs.
"What's all this?" Mr. Bitters asked.
"Christmas morning," Katie responded. "With friends."
"I-I don't know what to say," Mr. Bitters continued to look around the room in shock.
"Say 'Merry Christmas'," Mrs. Knight suggested.
A smile spread across Mr. Bitters' face as he exclaimed, "Merry Christmas!"
It was then gift giving time as the guys and Evan got to their feet and began overloading Mr. Bitters with gifts, gifts that no one else would seem to like but Mr. Bitters truly enjoyed.
Katrina got up next and went up to him with a box covered by a gigantic bow, "I don't really have anything to give that you could want. So, instead, I dedicated my time. When everyone went to sleep last night, I stayed up and made these." She opened the box. A dozen cupcakes sat inside, each of them with a different Christmasy design in frosting on the top. Half the cupcakes were red velvet with the other half vanilla with food coloring to make it green. "It took most of the night, but it was worth it."
Mr. Bitters' mouth was slightly ajar as he took one of the cupcakes. With everyone watching, he took a bite and sighed in delight. After swallowing, with a couple crumbs still on his face, he spoke, "It's like biting into a cloud. Where did you get this recipe?"
"It was my mom's," Katrina admitted. "She taught it to me when I was thirteen. I've only made it for family before now." At that moment, the group realized exactly what she had given: a piece of her family. She usually kept those close to the heart and rarely let them out when not necessary. Even then, it was only to the guys. Katrina set the box down on the front desk for Mr. Bitters to have later before she joined her family on the couch. Evan wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled up close to her brother.
Once they were done, Katie got up and selflessly gave Mr. Bitters the gift she was supposed to receive that day, Snoop Dogg Jamphonic Headphones, along with a hug. This made everyone feel the Christmas love filling the room. She went back over to her family to sit down while the guys and Natalie held up some more presents that they had for Mr. Bitters.
While Mr. Bitters unwrapped gifts, Mrs. Knight spoke, "This might be the nicest Christmas we've ever had."
Kendall glanced over at his cousins. The joy had disappeared from their faces replaced by a sense of loneliness, even though they still had each other. With a smile, Kendall reached down and pulled a camera out from under the couch, "This will make it the nicest Christmas. Kat! Evan!" The two of them snapped out of whatever thought they had to look over at their cousin. "Wanna join us in a family photo?"
"In our pajamas?" Katrina looked utterly confused.
"I think it's time to blend our traditions together," Kendall explained. "We're your family just as much as you're ours. So, we'll take your Christmas photo in our Christmas pajamas."
Slowly, grins grew on Katrina's and Evan's faces and Kendall knew he had done the right thing. The family squeezed closer together as Kendall passed the camera over to Logan. Kendall sat in the middle, somehow uniting the two parts of his family with Katrina and Evan to his right and his mom and Katie to his left. The others looked on with smiles as Logan snapped the picture, freezing the memory for all time.
"Now, if only Santa would come," Katie announced once the picture was over. "Then, it would be the perfect Christmas. But he's not going to be here because we're not in Minnesota."
"Ho ho ho!" The words made everyone turn to the entrance. Gustavo and Kelly were walking in, dressed in their pajamas as well.
"Close enough!" Katie decided.
"I missed my flight to Fiji," Gustavo explained. "So, I figured I'd spend the holidays with my dogs. In my PJs!"
"And," Kelly went on, "We brought a little holiday feast." The group got to their feet, watching as chef after chef brought in pieces of a Christmas buffet. Comfort food of all shapes and sizes passed them, all to eventually be put on the table coming in with it.
Once the group had settled in, they began to eat, enjoying the gift that Gustavo and Kelly had brought. Conversation started up and joy filled the hearts of the people around the table.
Evan leaned over to tell Katrina, "This is the best Christmas we've had in a long time."
Katrina gave her older brother a quick one-armed hug, "That's because we're together. Let's agree to never spend the holidays without each other again."
"Or without the rest of our family," Evan took a quick glance over at Kendall, Katie and Mrs. Knight. "Now that we have them, we can't lose them."
"Evan, I think we've found home," Katrina replied.
"When you're done having your brother/sister moment," Kendall spoke up. "Could one of you pass the rolls over?" Katrina picked up one of the rolls and threw it at him, but he caught it. Somehow, it caused laughter to emanate from the table.
The group was so absorbed in their holiday feast that they didn't realize they were being watched. Peeking in at them from the outside was Emily. She watched silently, no emotions could be read on her face.
Chase poked his head in, "So, are we going to ruin their Christmas or what? They look too happy, especially Logan and Katrina. Katrina should only be happy with me."
Emily sighed, "You know what? Let's give them a gift by leaving them alone for this holiday. They'd probably expect us to ruin it anyway and we need to stay unexpected." She took one last look before disappearing back outside. Chase furrowed his eyebrows, but followed her quickly.
"Hey, Kendall," Evan called over to his cousin. Kendall looked up. "Catch." Evan threw over something that Kendall caught. Looking it over, Kendall figured out that Evan had tossed over a rock.
"A rock?" Kendall questioned out loud. It took a second before he had a look of realization. "Wait a second. This is the same rock that I found in the safety deposit box! How did you get it back from the Zizi?!"
"I didn't," Evan revealed. "That's an exact copy; it's actually one of a hundred. That's why they didn't want me to pick up the rock because I'd recognize it immediately."
"Why would your dad keep it in a safety deposit box?" Logan asked. "Even if it's a copy, why would someone want to save a rock?"
"My dad gave that to me," Evan started a story. "One day, I was home sick from school and my dad got this huge package. I was bored, so I watched him open the box to find it filled with those rocks. My dad gave me one, saying he didn't need all hundred, but told me that I couldn't tell anyone. It was a secret between the two of us. I wasn't even allowed to tell my mom. I remember wondering what the big deal was about some rocks when my dad grabbed the rock from me and twisted it. Go on, try it." Kendall raised an eyebrow as he twisted the rock.
Everyone watched in amazement as the rock split in two. Kendall opened it up to look at the two halves, finding a hollow space within the rock. Evan had hidden some keys, a couple photos and a note inside.
"It's a fake rock," Evan explained. "It's a great place to hide things because it's lined with a sound-proof barrier, keeping the loose items inside from jingling, like my keys for instance."
"So, your dad had a fake rock in the safety deposit box," Natalie realized.
"But what was in the fake rock?" Carlos asked. The people around the table were quiet, none of them having a response.
The next day, James, Logan, Kendall, Carlos and Evan hung out in the no longer decorated lobby. They were trying to come up with something interesting to do, but were coming up with nothing. Right when they were thinking about going to bug Gustavo over at Rocque Records, the elevator doors binged. They turned to watch Katrina leave the elevators and walk right past them, rolling a suitcase behind her. The boys immediately got to their feet.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kendall asked his cousin.
Katrina stopped in her tracks, gave off a loud sigh and turned back to the boys, "I'm covering for Tim at Penny's Pet Care for the week while he goes to meet up with Brandon. Tim's Jewish, so he gladly watched it for Christmas, but I still feel bad for making him work the holiday. So, I'm giving him a vacation. I'll see you in a week." She turned back around and continued toward the exit.
"Hold up," Carlos spoke as the boys somehow popped up in front of her, blocking her way. "You can't go alone. The Zizi will make quick work of you."
"I'll go with her," James volunteered. "I'm sure she'd love the company." Katrina glared at him.
"Or maybe her actual boyfriend could go with her," Logan wrapped an arm around Katrina's shoulder. "I don't want you two alone for an entire week. Who knows what you'll do to her?" Katrina sighed, letting the boys debate on who should go.
"I don't want you two alone for an entire week," Evan declared. "Spending nights together with no one else around is a bad idea for a teen couple, especially when it's my little sister and her boyfriend."
"It's not like we'd do anything that we wouldn't want to do," Logan responded.
"It's what you WANT to do that I'm afraid of," Evan admitted. "I'll protect her." He grabbed her suitcase from her. "Come on, Kat. Let's go."
"Before we go, Logan, I have something for you," Katrina pulled out an envelope from her back pocket. "I didn't get a chance to give it to you yesterday in all the commotion of putting together the perfect Christmas for Mr. Bitters."
Logan took the envelope and opened it, revealing two tickets inside, "Tickets for a pre-medical conference at UCLA? Wow."
"One of my teachers at my old private school had connections," Katrina explained. "It was either this or a kit with a bunch of chemicals in it. This conference is for high school and college students that want to get into medical school. There are lectures there about different topics in medicine and the different types of doctors you could be."
"Why two tickets?" Logan asked.
"Because I'm going with you," Katrina revealed. "I wanted to be there for you as you learn more about this field, someone that you could talk to even if I don't really understand what you're saying."
"Thanks," Logan gave her a quick kiss. "This is a great gift. I love it."
"Be sure to visit me some time this week," Katrina told him, pressing her forehead up against his. "I don't think I could go a week without you."
"I'll definitely do that," Logan assured her. She gave him one more kiss before following her brother out of the Palm Woods. Carlos, Logan, Kendall and James watched the retreating siblings until they were out of sight.
"So," James spoke to his friends. "Now, what do we do for the week?"
The elevators dinged again, making the boys turn around. Natalie came out, carrying a towel and wearing a bathing suit. She waved to the boys before heading through the doors to the pool area.
"Well," Carlos smiled. "We could hang out with Natalie."
Before the boys could do that, someone rang the bell at the front desk. They turned back around to find a man leaning up against the desk. He had shaggy black hair, crystal blue eyes and a little stubble around his chin. Looking over at the guys, he gave them a friendly smile. His teeth were so white they would have put newly fallen snow to shame. The man was tall and his tight shirt emphasized just how muscular he really was. Mr. Bitters came out of his office and looked at the man uncomfortably. The man spoke so low that none of the guys could hear what he said. Mr. Bitters just pointed out to the pool area. The man nodded his thanks and headed past the boys and into the pool area.
After looking at each other, the guys followed him in, standing in the doorway. The man went up to Natalie, tanning and reading from a science journal. She looked up and smiled.
"Cedric!" Natalie exclaimed in surprise, getting to her feet. "You're here!"
"I couldn't bear to be without you," Cedric's British accent carried all the way to the boys' ears. "So, I got on the first plane here that I could." Natalie jumped on him, but Cedric caught her. She wrapped her legs around him and he coiled his arms around her. Their lips met in a fiery passion, clearly having missed each other.
"Didn't see that coming," Kendall mentioned. The boys continued to stare, unable to look away from the reunion.
(A/N): I bet you agree with Kendall that you didn't see that coming. So, Cedric is not only in the US, but he's also at the Palm Woods! And with Katrina and Evan gone for the week, it looks like the guys might be learning more about Natalie and Cedric. Who knows what relationship drama might come from that? Maybe something that could send her into the arms of one of the guys? Hmm? So, Evan's figured out the mystery behind the rock in the safety deposit box. It's not really a rock. Which makes you think, just like Carlos, what was in the fake rock? What could the Zizi need so badly? Guess you'll just have to wait to find out! Hopefully not as long as it took to get this one up.
Now, you might be wondering why it took so long to get this chapter up. Well, I've been working on other stories (Big Time Rush and the Marauders and Virtual Vs. Reality), but the biggest eater of my time is now my original series, The Hunters and Vampires Chronicles. It's a book series that has one of its books already published, Unnatural Alliances, but it's only available as an ebook. If you're interested, you as my fanfiction readers can get it for free! Just check out the details on my profile. I only ask that you tell people about it. Share the book with your friends, family, acquaintances, random people. I really don't care who, just share it! You people are my network, so I ask you to share it if you like it.
Another thing I'd like to share: the results of the poll. I was going to wait one more chapter, but it doesn't look like the results are going to change in any way. Carlos is in front with James a far second. So, that means there will be a love triangle in this story between Carlos, Natalie and James with Carlos getting the girl. Poor James. Always getting tied in these love triangles, but never getting the girl… But it seems that that's what you readers want so that's how I'm going to write it. So, until the next chapter, happy reading!