Hey, Readers! Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate, here's a story about Christmas (since they seem to be starting that season earlier and earlier each year)!
Also, since I had a lot of time this past weekend, and because you all are amazing, I'm posting TWO chapters at once! Yes, today, on November 27th, I'm posting Chapters 13 AND 14 for Swat Kats: Worlds Collide!
Quick story: being in Austria for study abroad, we don't get to celebrate Thanksgiving here (Austrians have their own Thanksgiving, but it's on a different day). I even have a full day of classes tomorrow, which is why I'm posting this the day before. So, in a way, my Thanksgiving's kinda gonna be like Max's, in a way, but at least I'm with 230 other students and staff to keep me company!
Anyway, even though I don't get to be home for Thanksgiving, I hope that you all enjoy your Thanksgivings, and safe travels to those that are traveling! Of course, it being Christmas, and it being four months (in the story) since Max hasn't been home or called his family, there will obvious be some parts that are sadder than others, but it has a happy ending, so don't despair!
Also, I know this is kinda late, but since I technically finished this on November 22nd (I waited until now to post it since I wanted people to catch up on the story over the weekend), I wanted to celebrate the TWO-MONTH ANNIVERSARY of me starting this story! I started it on September 23rd, and two months later, I am continued to be overwhelmed by the number of those that read the story, follow it, favorite it, and leave reviews! I know I probably say this too much, but you are all AMAZING, and I thank you for your continued support as I continue to write! This chapter is dedicated to you all!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next one, and make sure to favorite and follow this FanFic if you don't already, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! See you all after Thanksgiving Break, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
-aggiefrogger
Christmas:
As the 25th of December drew closer, Max's mind started working overtime, trying to come up with suitable gifts to give Chance, Jake and Johnny. Since he couldn't go out shopping (even if he could, he didn't have any kat currency), he had to get creative, using his brain along with other stuff he found in the apartment and garage to make his gifts. He knew that he could never really make up for all the two kats had done for him the past four months, but he figured he'd do his best to try.
Meanwhile, the two mechanics and the kamerakat were busy trying to figure out what to get their human friend. Max had told them not to give him anything, since they've already done enough for him, but they figured that since the teen couldn't go home for Christmas, they might as well make his more enjoyable, despite his request. Besides, they liked Max, and after saving their tails from Dark Kat, they wanted to do something nice for him. So the human wouldn't get suspicious, Jake and Chance gave Johnny some money, along with a list of what they wanted the tan kat to buy for the; Johnny would be buying Max his own gift out of his own pocket. So, unbeknownst to each other, the four friends started making preparations for the big day.
Nearly two weeks before Christmas, it came time to decorate the apartment. In past years, Jake and Chance hadn't really decorated where they lived for Christmas; they were in their twenties, and working kats, so they never really got into the whole "decoration" aspect of the holiday. However, Max changed that when the two kats woke up one morning to find him making paper chains and snowflakes at the kitchen table, since they didn't have any lights to hang. The teen made enough to hang on most of the walls, giving the living room a somewhat festive cheer. He also made enough to hang on the old tree that the two mechanics had managed to get for cheap at a nearby tree farm. Sure, they weren't the fanciest decorations, but just seeing them was enough to put the trio in a good mood, especially with the Christmas music playlist that the teen played out loud from his phone while they worked in the garage (Jake had created a special cord that allowed the smart phone to connect to most speakers of the current kat era).
Whether it was the holidays or the weather that only seemed to grow colder, the amount of crime seemed to drop to almost nonexistent levels; there wasn't even a super villain attacking the city after the 11th of December. Chance joked that even bad kats had to go home for the holidays, but Jake explained that most of where they got their supplies for their plans were unavailable during the holidays, since honest, hard-working kats were at home with their families; the teen had noticed this around Thanksgiving, but it made more sense in the context of Christmas. Besides that, most kats left the city for the holidays, and those that stayed stayed inside with family and friends, so there was no use attacking the city with so little to threaten.
Around the twentieth, Johnny stopped by to say goodbye, since he was going home for the holidays, and wanted to drop off the trio's gifts before he left. He had a long flight back to West Fur-ginia, so he was there early in the morning, driving the news van since his presents wouldn't fit on his bike. So Max wouldn't notice the ones from Jake and Chance, the tan feline distracted him with his own gift while Chance moved the gifts into the garage, hiding them underneath a tarp.
"You didn't have to," the teen said, hesitantly taking the wrapped box from the tan kat.
"I figured you'd like them since you said they were the epitome of the Nineties," Johnny said, smiling a little as Max opened the present and pulling out a pair of single-lens sunglasses, not unlike the tabby's, but these were tinted silver and green, since the latter was the teen's favorite color. "Don't worry; I had them modified so they'd fit your face, though it earned me a few odd looks at the store!"
"These are lit," the young man exclaimed, smiling as he tried them on. He looked like Cyclops from the X-Men, but he didn't care; he loved them. "Thanks, man! I've got something for you too!" He pulled out his gift, which was a small model of an old-timey movie camera made out of spare metal bits he'd found around the garage. It actually was pretty accurate, down to the tiny crank on the side of the machine, and the ratio of the lens; it was pretty creative from someone that had limited resources.
"Th… Thank you," Johnny said gratefully, staring at the statue in awe; he wasn't expecting a big present, but he wasn't expecting something as nice as this. "I can't take it with me on the plane, though."
"I can keep it here until after New Years, if you'd like," the boy offered, taking the camera back and setting it on a nearby shelf.
"Thanks."
"Did ya buy a gift for Ann," the teen asked, raising an eyebrow at the tan feline.
"Uhh..." he started, unsure of how to explain that he'd already given Ann a gift without receiving a few more katcalls.
"So," Jake spoke up, seeing that his pal had hidden their gifts and sensing the kamerakat's distress, "when will you be back?"
Johnny broke into a relieved grin. "January 7th."
"Good! We'll have a movie night then."
"Yeah, Max mentioned this movie called The Hunger Games that I've been dying to see," the tan feline replied.
"Hey," Chance spoke up, "isn't it that movie where those kids kill one another for entertainment?"
"Yeah," the teen smirked.
"He tricked us into thinking that it was a real event that happened in his world every year when we first met him," the large kat explained while the young man chuckled at the memory. "It took us a few days to figure out he was lyin'! But safe flight, dude! And Merry Christmas!"
"Thanks," the kamerakat replied, climbing back into the van, waving out the window as he pulled out of the garage. "Merry Christmas!" The trio waved back at him, wishing him a Merry Christmas as well.
Christmas Eve was a nice cold day, with an overcast sky, but no sign of rain or snow in the morning forecast, though tomorrow promised weather cold enough to freeze water. Kats all over the globe were preparing to celebrate the big day. The salvage yard and garage were closed, so the Swat Kat trio had the day to themselves. However, it was not one for relaxation.
"Why do we have to do this," Max groaned as he did another crunch, hanging by his legs from the horizontal bar. "I get every other day, but tomorrow's Christmas! Shouldn't we be relaxing or something?"
"Better to be prepared now than caught off guard," Chance said good-naturedly, spotting Jake as the smaller kat lifted weights nearby.
"He's right," Jake gasped, breathing as he continued to raise and lower the weight. "Besides, we don't have anything better to do!"
The teen sighed dramatically, doing a few more crunches before swinging off the bar, landing on his feet. "Y'all need social lives."
"Says the guy who stays inside 24/7."
"I have an excuse to be an introvert! Y'all don't."
"Then at least be a strong one," Jake said, getting up off the bench. "Your turn."
"Fine," the teen groaned, lying down on the bench as Chance handed him another weight, standing behind him as the human started his set. "Still can't believe I have to do this."
"Look on the bright side," Chance spoke up, "you'll probably end up super swole by the end of the year!"
The teen nearly dropped the weight on his chest, but the kat prevented it from killing him.
"What, did he say that wrong," Jake asked jokingly.
"No," Max said. "It's the fact he said it right that's scary!"
.. .. ..
Later that day the two kats finally relented and the three of them went back upstairs to relax. They watched a few Christmas Specials on TV, including Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, and A Very Scaredy Kat Christmas (you can probably guess how well that went). The teen only had one Christmas movie saved on his laptop, The Polar Express, so they watched it later that night. It was an interesting movie to the tabby's and they enjoyed it just as much as the human had.
"It's my favorite Christmas movie," he explained as the credits rolled across the screen. "Ever since I was a kid."
"We only have one in our collection," Jake spoke up. "It's a Wonderful Life."
"Wait, that exists in this universe," the teen asked. "That's my mom's favorite Christmas movie! We always watch it on Christmas Eve!
"Really?"
"Yeah. We always watch it right before going to bed, and we would always eat the sugar cookies we made earlier that day; Bernadette always used to-"
He suddenly cut off, a dark look crossing his face. The two mechanics quickly realized what was happening and exchanged sad looks; every once in a while, the human would remember his life back in the 21st century, and the life he no longer had, and the family that he may never see again. They hadn't made any progress with finding somekat that could help him, and it was something that ate at them every day, but even more so when the teen went down memory lane. They only hoped that their Christmas gift was enough to cheer him up.
"We don't have to watch it," Chance said quickly. "We could see if there's another special on TV-"
"N-No," the young man stammered, managing to give them a weak smile. "I'm fine… I wanna watch it… for old time's sake and all; it'd almost feel wrong to not watch it. Besides, no sense being sad on Christmas Eve." The two felines gave him another worried look, but popped the tape into the VCR.
Max managed to keep a calm expression throughout the movie, even commenting a few times about how similar the kat version was to his, but as they were getting ready for bed later that night, the blond kat thought he heard a few sniffles coming from the living room.
The next morning, however, was much brighter. No matter where or when one was, Christmas was still Christmas, and when Max woke up, he couldn't help but grin at the thought. Jake and Chance had promised him that today would be free of workouts and training, and that they'd go for another flight around the city so he could see the lights around the buildings, as well as the giant Christmas Tree in the middle of the Megakat Park.
Turning onto his side, the teen froze as he noticed a few extra presents underneath the tree. He distinctly remembered putting the two he'd made for Jake and Chance under it a few days prior, but now he counted at least nine. Squinting at the tags, he saw that some of them had his name on them.
"Guys," he muttered, falling back onto the couch. He was touched, of course, that his friends had gotten him something, but he was slightly annoyed that they hadn't respected his request; it was already bad enough that Johnny had gotten him a gift, but this was ridiculous. Just because he was younger than them and another species it still didn't give them the right to treat them like a child. But, he decided to wait until his friends woke up before saying anything.
"Y'all really shouldn't have," the teen commented as Chance and Jake walked in, their fur matted and flattened in places.
"Merry Christmas to you too, buddy," the large feline replied, flopping down on the couch as Max pulled his legs out of the way at the last second.
"Y'all've already done so much for me; you didn't need to get me all these gifts!"
"Some of them are for us," Jake explained, walking over to the tree and grabbing a gift. "From our families. Though you can't have really expected us to not get you anything!" He tossed a small box to the human, who caught it.
"I had a feeling you might," the teen admitted, feeling himself starting to crack.
"Besides, you saved our tails a few weeks ago," Chance added. "Think of this as our way of sayin' thanks!"
Max gave a small smile as he opened the first gift, which was from Jake. It was a small box full of blue and red marbles, each of them made of some sort of plastic material. Picking one up, he felt something shift inside them. He gave the cinnamon feline a confused look, eyebrows raised.
"They're smoke bombs," the tabby explained. "The red ones last for ten seconds, the blue for twenty. But there's something else underneath them." The young man carefully moved the small orbs aside to find a small, round and flat device laying on the bottom of the box; it reminded the teen of a wireless charging pad.
"Your stunt with the music inspired me to make this," Jake spoke up. "Basically, this baby'll emit a strong pulse of sound that can incapacitate enemies for a few seconds. I can show you how it works later."
"Woah," the teen murmured, picking up the flat item; it was light and small enough to not be cumbersome, and could easily be clipped to his belt or even attached to his Glovatrix. And the smoke bombs would definitely come in handy in the future. " … Th-Thank you."
"No problem! Glad you like it!"
"My turn," Chance spoke up, catching the gift his friend tossed to him before handing it to the teen. "Merry Christmas, pal!"
Max opened the gift to reveal a small stack of comics. At first, Max was slightly confused, but upon recognizing the name on the cover, his mouth dropped open with shock.
When he'd first come to this kat world, he and the two mechanics had spent a lot of time, mainly while they worked in the garage or salvage yard, about similarities between the two worlds, as well as seeing if they had any similar interests. Something that the teen had mentioned was that his favorite comic book heroes were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; it was also the only 90's cartoon that the human ever seen, which was why he knew so much about the decade. The teen had mentioned that he had a collection back at home, but he hadn't had any luck in getting any original comics, since they were super expensive. It was so long ago, he was surprised that Chance even remembered.
In the box were the first eight comics of the Mutant Turtle Ninja Teens by Kevin Eastkat and Peterbald Laird. Of course, being part kat, they didn't look much like the mutant reptiles that the human was accustomed to, but they still had the same plot, the same weapons, and, based on the covers, the same art style as the human series. Taking the first one out of the box, he opened the front cover, and was shocked to find that it was a first edition. Quickly checking the other ones, he saw that they were all first editions; they would probably be worthless in the human world, but here, they would be worth quite a penny in the future. Even now, since they first came out in 1984, they probably cost the kat some serious cash. Between this and the device, Max had no idea how he was supposed to compete with his own crappy gifts.
He looked up at the burly kat. "Man, you shouldn't have-" he started to say.
"I know," the tabby said simply, shrugging. "But I figured you'd like it, since your collection's in another dimension!" He gave him a slightly worried look. "You do like it, do ya?"
"I do; it's amazing! But… this couldn't have been cheap, and I don't have any way to pay you ba-"
"Hey," Chance said sharply, shocking the teen into silence. "Whether you like it or not, you're our friend, and we ain't gonna pity ya because you're unable to help us more. You already help us in the garage and yard, not to mention you're a cruddy good Swat Kat! Stop with the whole 'Woe is me' routine and be grateful! Friends don't pay each other back for gifts, and we damn well don't expect you to!"
An awkward silence followed this, Jake and Max giving him wary looks, the latter looking a little scared. The blond kat quickly realized he'd probably gone too far and quickly looked away, embarrassed, silently cursing himself for letting his temper get the better of him; and on Christmas of all days. But the memory of what he'd heard last night was fresh in his mind, and he was determined to put the holiday back on the right track. Max was acting like a depressed seal, and it didn't make sense that he should be upset on Christmas.
"Sorry," he muttered. "Just… stop acting like you're a burden to us. You deserve a happy Christmas, too."
Max hesitated before speaking up. "I… I'm not trying to be a whiner or anything like that. And I'm not acting like a burden. It's just… I figured that if you two got me gifts, they wouldn't be anything like these; I wasn't expecting gifts this nice. I know we're friends and that it should be fine, but-" He cut off, getting up and going over to the tree, pulling out the small gifts for the two mechanics and silently handing his presents to each of them before resuming his seat.
"Sorry they're not much," the teen muttered as the two kats started to open them. "I didn't have much to work with, and…" His voice cut off again as he waited to see how his pathetic gifts held up against theirs; compared to what they'd given him, his were like a kindergarten kid's pathetic art projects.
Chance opened his first, pulling out a framed picture; the frame was made out of different pieces of wood of various sizes, held together by glue and nails and covered with tons of mini gears and washers. In the center was a hand-drawn picture of Scaredy Kat, surrounded by smaller images of the kat, showing various scenes from different episodes. Each one was from an episode that the blond tabby had mentioned were his favorite, and all were very detailed and accurate; it must've taken hours to draw the whole thing. The teen had also drawn the logo of the show, taking the time to get the shading of the letters perfect.
Jake, meanwhile, pulled out something to hang on his wall; it was a large wooden board with nails and screws sticking out of it. A thick sort of twine was wrapped around them, revealing the shape of his home state. Max had even figured out where his hometown was located, marking it with a nail he'd spray painted red. The rest of the board was painted with images of things from the state; fields of corn, a root beer float, and even the world's largest ball of yarn. The small feline had told the young man about his home when he'd gotten back after Thanksgiving, but he didn't think that the human had remembered all those random facts.
They both looked up at Max, who sat on the couch, his face full of anxiety. They tried to put themselves in his mindset; trapped in another dimension, forced to stay in hiding, vulnerable and unable to do more than just be needy. Not in a selfish way, but because he had no choice. Letting himself be taken care of for months on end, knowing that he couldn't do anything else to help them. No wonder he'd wanted nothing for Christmas; it wasn't him being modest, but rather him feeling guilty about him not being able to do more. They looked around at the decorations around them; was that another effort of his, trying to repay their kindness? And after the gifts they'd gotten him, no wonder the human was embarrassed.
Jake finally spoke up. "Max… these… they're amazing." The teen quickly looked up at that, but said nothing.
"How… how'd ya even make this," Chance asked, observing one particular image of Scaredy Kat being chased by the Dentist of Doom. "This is… radical."
" … Really," Max spoke up, still looking worried, but less so.
"Yeah," the cinnamon tabby replied. "They're really creative, and I'm amazed you remembered all of those facts I told you about South Dakata!"
"And how come you never told us you could draw," the burly mechanic added, holding up the picture. "It looks like a real poster; you've captured the fear in his eyes perfectly!"
"You guys better not be joking," the teen started.
"We're not joking, but if you're still worried it's not enough, there is one more thing you could give us," Jake cut in.
"What," the young man asked quickly, desperate for how he could make things even between the three of them.
"Stop stressing about trying to pay us back for all we've done for you. You don't owe us anything, and anything we get for you is because you're our friend and partner, not because we pity you or expect you to pay us back someday."
"But-"
"No buts," Chance cut in. "And you don't have to apologize. This gifts are amazing, and we weren't expecting some fancy, expensive gift. And if you for some reason think that you owe us for anything, you don't. You saved our lives; if anything, we owe you!"
Max was taken aback by this sudden request from the two of them. It was as if they'd somehow peered into his mind, and he wondered how transparent he was. But, listening to what they said, the teen felt a sort of weight lift off his chest that he didn't even know was there. He then realized how melancholy he'd been; it's Christmas, and he was worrying about something that wasn't worth worrying about. He looked back up at the two Swat Kats, smiling at him and waiting for him to respond. Looking at them, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed of how stupid he'd been; if roles were reversed, he wouldn't expect them to pay him back, so why did he think they would do that to him?
"I… I'm sorry," he finally said. "For not thinking better of you two. Way for me to make Christmas awkward, huh?"
"Well, it's still better than my parent's house," Jake joked, cracking a small smile.
"Besides," Chance added. "We would've been more worried if something didn't go wrong today!"
Max grinned, relief finally crashing over him. "Fine! But let's try to make sure that the rest of the day doesn't get any more depressing, shall we?"
"Of course," the large kat said, getting up from the couch. "C'mon; we gotta get dressed."
"Wait, are we going for the flight now," the human queried.
"Yep," the cinnamon feline said, picking up two more bundles and tossing them to the teen. "You might need these, though!"
"Why?"
"You'll see!"
..
After half an hour of flying around the city, the trio had parked the Turbojet in a hidden location before heading towards the middle of the city, looking at the Christmas window displays, and admiring the decorations on the buildings. Even though most of the businesses were closed for the holidays, one place that was still open was the large, outdoor ice skating rink in front of the Ragamuffin Center (Max said it looked like some Rock-something center in New York). It being Christmas, there weren't many kats outside, but there were still enough for the place to stay open that day.
Max couldn't believe it as he skated around, kats of all ages skating with him, oblivious of the alien creature among them. He'd opened his final gifts and had found a woolly scarf, a thick coat, and a pair of mittens. Apparently, Jake and Chance had called their families, telling them that they were sponsoring a youth in need (which was partly true) and was wondering if they could send any used warm clothes to them. The Clawson and Furlong families came through, and the teen was glad that the clothes fit him. While the scarf was large and wide, it wasn't enough to cover his face, so he also wore his ski mask, just to be safe. The rest of him was so bundled up, no kat could tell that he wasn't one of them, and he was able to skate in peace, especially since some kats tucked their tails into their pants to keep them warm in the winter. It felt amazing being able to be out in public, even if he was still hidden a sense, and he skated several laps around the rink before heading back towards his friends.
"Why'd it have to be skatin'," Chance groaned, getting up for the twelfth time after falling on his tail. Max, meanwhile, skated like a pro; there was an indoor ice skating rink in his hometown, so he was familiar with the sport, despite the warm temperatures of where he lived.
"C'mon, pal," the cinnamon tabby spoke up, skating over and helping him up. "It was either this or skiing, and this is something Max's good at."
"I'm not that good," the teen replied, quickly stopping in front of the large kat, a small spray of ice hitting the kat's shins. "My dad made me take a few lessons to help with my balance. Though I'm surprised that you two aren't as good at this; I thought you were supposed to be more agile than this!"
"If I weren't worried about breakin' an arm I'd get ya for that," Chance growled.
"Don't worry, buddy," Jake said kindly. "We'll teach ya to skate!"
"I'm built for the air," the blond mechanic muttered. "Not for a broken leg waitin' to happen!"
"I wasn't built for either," the human spoke up. "Yet I adapted!" He quickly skated away after that, feeling the cool rush of the wind as Chance attempted to skate after him.
Later that night (after a full day of skating, hot chocolate, and flying), after Jake and Chance had fallen asleep, Max climbed onto the roof, wrapped in the warm coat he had just received. While today had been awesome and amazing, a Christmas to remember, he had one last thing he needed to do before going to bed.
He'd left it up on the roof, because what he was about to do was something he didn't want the kats to see. Going over to the AC unit, he pulled out the box, brought it over to the center of the roof, and opened it, pulling out figure after figure, setting them on the ground near him. When he'd finished, he set the box aside, rearranged the figures, then stared at the scene.
It had been hard, creating a Nativity scene out of old scraps of metal, wood, and spare parts, especially so the two Swat Kats wouldn't notice, but he had to do it. He'd found a golden piece of metal that he'd cleaned and fashioned into the Baby Jesus, and had spray painted the rest of them for the different figures; blue for Mary, green for Joseph. The Shepherds and Wise men sat nearby, bent in silent adoration towards the empty center of the scene; there was a missing piece there, but he didn't put it there. Not yet.
Every year, his mom always bought a new Nativity scene; she'd started that tradition when she'd first gotten married, so she had well over 24 Nativity scenes around the house. Of course, after a few years, she had to get smaller and smaller scenes so she had room for all of them. Every year, though, she would keep the Baby Jesus' in a small box, and then on Christmas Day, the family (even when they were older) would walk around the house, singing hymns as they placed the smallest figurines in their respective spots.
"Hey God," Max whispered, as if scared that someone besides the Man Himself might hear him. "I… I know I haven't talked to you in a while, and that I probably look like an idiot right now, but I was wondering… I don't know how much time's passed back home, or if anytime has passed, but... Could You please make sure my mom and sisters are fine? If they're upset, could You make sure that they don't give up on me coming home? Maybe have Bernadette pray for me? Or if I somehow get back at a time where it's so short they haven't even realized I was missing…"
He took a shaky breath, wiping away a stray tear, still kneeling in front of the impromptu scene as he continued to humble himself. "Just… just let me come home... please. If… if You want me to come back, I will; I've already been thinking of going back for a while now, but if this isn't some sign from You that I should come back, I don't know what it is!
"Anyway," he continued, "just… just help me, though I probably don't deserve it. And… thank You, for Chance and Jake; they're good kats, and great friends... I don't deserve them or the kindness they've shown me... And thanks for Johnny as well. Help him with Ann; he obviously needs it!" He gave a small chuckle before reaching back for the box. "Well, thank You for Your time… And… I'm sorry for not going to Mass for the past couple years and all that. I... I promise I'll go when I get home."
Finished with his prayer, he reached into the box next to him, grabbing the small figurine. It'd seemed like forever since he'd last sung the song, but he still remembered the words as he placed the golden Jesus figure in the bare spot.
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel…"
The wind carried his voice across the roof, unheard by the kats, but heard by someone else.
Hope you all enjoyed it! Favorite, follow, and leave a review!
Wanted a sweet/bittersweet ending for this chapter, as well as a kinda happy-feel chapter, and the whole thing with the ice skating rink was a last minute idea. Hope you liked it!
Anyone recognize the original names I've replaced with kat puns? Not trying to brag; just wondering if anyone noticed.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cyclops, X-Men, Marvel, Eastman and Laird, Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, It's a Wonderful Life, or The Hunger Games in ANY way, shape or form.
