A/N: I think I have said it before, but I will say it again. I am NOT giving up on this story. It just takes me more time with six stories and a busy life.

Kenny had to pop his ears when they reached a high altitude. He couldn't help but gasp in wonder as they passed over the Atlantic Ocean. The boys spent some of the time watching more shows. They bought snacks and sodas as they chatted about the shows and vacation. Private warned Kenny that it would be very cold in England and that there would be a five hour time change, not that Kenny was dissuaded.

Both boys also fell asleep and woke up to find that the plane was descending. They chattered excitedly again and got their items ready. Kenny couldn't stop staring at the beautiful British countryside.

"By the way, who do you think gave Barry the puffin toy?" Private whispered.

"I don't know, but I saw Hans bringing Rikki outside and I was wondering why no one else was with her."

"So it was Hans?"

"Maybe."

"I'll let Skipper know."

They exited the plane and attempted to find Private's family through the crowd. Unfortunately, most of the people were taller than them and it was harder to see. The woman who had been on the plane with them tapped Private's shoulder.

"Try over there." She said before disappearing into the crowd.

Kenny and Private dragged their bags towards the other side where they saw several people hugging and chatting.

"Dad!" Private said, spotting a familiar face.

"Andre, my boy!" Andrew hugged his son. "Or, I hear your name is Private now, right?"

"Yeah. This is my friend Kenny; you've seen him on the first day."

"Hello, Kenny."

Kenny turned pink and mumbled something.

"No need to be shy around me, I don't bite."

"Hello, sir." Kenny said.

"None of this sir stuff, my boy. You are a guest at my home and may call me Mr. Davis or if you prefer, Andrew."

"Thank you, Mr. Davis." Kenny said.

"No problem, always a pleasure to meet Andre's friends. Oops, I mean, Private's friends."

Private grinned widely while Kenny attempted to give a weak smile.

"Alright, well, no sense in staying around here all day." Andrew said as he picked up Private's suitcase and Kenny's bag.

"I can do that." Kenny said.

"Well, it looks like your backpack and your smaller bag are already heavy enough. Plus, it's good exercise for me."

"Just go with it" Private said as Kenny opened his mouth.

Kenny dropped the subject and followed the others outside. He immediately began shivering.

"Do you have a bigger jacket?" Andrew asked.

"N-no sir." Kenny said. "I d-didn't think it w-would be c-colder than N-New York."

"Ah, well I have a heater in my car."

The three of them reached the car and piled the kids' things in it.

Both boys hurried into the car. Kenny felt better when the heater was turned on.

Kenny was initially startled to see that they were driving on the left side, but calmed once Private had explained it to him. They went further into the countryside until they reached a small town.

Andrew parked the car in what looked like a garage for ten cars. The boys walked down the street until they came to a bakery.

"Are those sweet rolls?" Kenny asked as he sniffed the air. "They smell fresh."

"Everything is freshly made at my house."

Kenny smiled.

The building looked two stories high and had a delicious aroma to it. The window was full of baked goods displayed for people passing by.

The boys entered and a small bell sounded. Kenny looked up to see a tiny silver bell at the doorway. The restaurant was even better smelling inside and warmer. A few tables were full of chattering customers.

"Where did your dad go?" Kenny asked.

"He's taking our things around the back." Private said. "Are you hungry?"

"A little" Kenny said.

"Follow me."

Private led Kenny to the kitchen.

"First, wash your hands please. Mum will freak out if we don't."

They washed their hands and ventured further into the kitchen.

"Ah, here are the extras." Private said as he spotted some bread. "Homemade English muffins."

"These are muffins?" Kenny asked, looking at the tray.

"Yep." Private said. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the jelly. "Would you like some jam?"

"Yes, please."

Private put on a mitten and used a spatula to pick the muffin off. He put it into Kenny's hand.

"Wow, it's so warm."

Kenny put the jelly on and took a bite. "This is so good." He said.

"Oi! Children are not allowed back here!" A gruff voice shouted.

Kenny nearly dropped his food. Private turned around and raised a brow. A large man came towards them.

"But I li-"

"No buts! Both of you get out of here." The man said as he approached the boys.

"Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't care if you're a famous celebrity or whatever, you and your little friend are NOT allowed back here. I started working here in October and I already had a few cheeky teenagers think they can pull the wool over my eyes." The man glared at them. "I'll let you go with a warning and allow you to keep that since you already touched it."

Kenny shrunk behind Private.

"I live here." Private said. "I'm Andrew's son, Andre."

"Huh? Impossible, I think I would have seen a child coming here every day."

"Actually, I've been at school in America."

"What's with all the shouting?" Another voice called. "We have orders to fill and- Andre, is that you?"

"Hi!" Private said as a woman came around the corner.

"I'm so happy to see you." She put down a square of dough and hugged him. "Oh, who's your friend?"

"This is Kenny."

"Aw, that's a cute name. Hi Kenny, do you like the muffin?"

Kenny nodded.

"Not very talkative, but that's okay. We could sure use your help around here." She gave him a wink and continued her work.

Private led Kenny upstairs once they had discarded their shoes in a box by the bottom. Private muttered something that sounded like 'mum'.

They entered the door upstairs and came to a hallway. On one side was the bathroom and a bedroom, and the other side had one room. Private went straight ahead to his room which was on the end of the hallway.

"Sorry about the room change." Andrew said as his son entered. "Your mum kept me busy while she worked up here."

Private's jaw dropped and Kenny's eyes widened.

The entire room was brightly painted with smiling animal faces.

"That is not what a monkey looks like." Kenny said. "It's actually kind of creepy."

"Sorry, kiddo. I tried to change it, but there wasn't enough time." Andrew looked apologetic. "However, I do know that this is wallpaper and I might have some wallpaper remover in the back." He tried to look innocent as he left the room. "It won't harm a thing under it."

"Did he just invite you to tear down your wallpaper?" Kenny asked.

Private grinned. "Yes."

Kenny smiled back.

"We also have a guest room."

"Do any of your friends do interior decorating?"

"Only two. One went to Germany for the holidays and the other is Ginger."

"Ginger as in the hair color or as in the person?"

"The person, though it doesn't really matter that she's not actually a ginger."

"I might be able to help."

The boys high-fived.

"I'm surprised Mum isn't here, refusing to let go of my hand."

Kenny stifled a snicker.

The boys went back downstairs and looked around. Private took Kenny to the storage room in the very back. Kenny gasped, the storage room was huge.

On one side was a refrigerated section and there were boxes for different dry ingredients held on racks. The other side of the room contained some tools for fixing countertops or putting a new coating of paint up.

Andrew came out of the refrigerator with a box.

"Dad, where's Mum?"

"She's visiting a friend in Ireland at the moment." Andrew said. "She'll be back on Sunday."

"That's two days before Christmas." Kenny said.

"Does she hate me?" Private asked.

Andrew put the box down. "Now son, neither of us could ever hate you." He put a hand on Private's shoulder. "Nothing you could ever do would make us stop loving you. Mum's just a bit…er…emotional…and it takes her a bit of time to calm herself and move forward."

"She's upset with me." Private said. "She's not talking to either of us."

"I think she's still in shock from the last bit of news you told your cousin and friend."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you tell Ginger and Daniel that your roommates thought it would be fun to see if they could make a toilet explode?"

"No." Private said, startled. "That never happened." He didn't think Kowalski or Rico was up for toilet experiments.

"I thought you emailed her last Monday?"

"No, the last thing I emailed her was on Sunday night, telling her I had finals to study for and that I'd see her at the break. And I haven't emailed Daniel since I found out he was the one telling Mum everything I was doing."

"Ah." Andrew picked up the box again. "Well, I don't know what to say. You boys could help me around here while we figure out what to say to her. Or you could try to find Ginger."

"Knowing her, she'll turn up bright and early tomorrow morning." Private said. "We'll help you a bit. Is that alright, Kenny?"

"Yeah." Kenny said. He gave the refrigerator an odd look before going back into the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Private asked.

"Nothing." Kenny said, his ears turning pink. "I-er…Barry's always saying that these restaurants like to lock up children in the fridge and never let them out."

Private grinned. "Yeah, because my father is so nice he would let me freeze in there all winter instead of outside." He said sarcastically.

Kenny snorted.

"Don't worry so much."

"Alright, let's get down and doughy."

Private laughed. "Really? Down and doughy?"

Kenny found an open bag of flour and scooped it out. Private laughed again and looked at his friend to see white powder flying at his face.

Private tried to cough it out. "Did you really just do that?"

"No, it was the wind."

"Oh, then I suppose-" Private got a spoonful of jelly and flung it at Kenny. "-that was an accident, right?"

Kenny licked his lips. "Mm, peach."

"This is why we don't allow children in here." The man from earlier huffed.

"Aw come on, they're just having a bit of fun." Andrew said. "And it's not like we can't just go get more flour and jelly."

The boys laughed and proceeded to help out. Kenny, it turned out, was very good at kneading the dough into a soft fluffy thing. Private would then help him make different shapes and decorate the holiday treats.

Both of them enjoyed making different shapes and colors for the cookies and treats. Private's dad even let them try some sweets.

"Mum would kill you if she found out." Private said.

"Yeah, but she's not going to find out."

Kenny grinned. "That is awesome! Dude, can I have your dad?"

Andrew chuckled. "I think your parents would miss you too much."

Kenny laughed halfheartedly. "Right…"

"Everything alright?"

"Yes." Kenny said softly. He returned to mixing brownie batter.

Private pushed his dad into the other room before any more questions could be asked.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked. "Have I said something wrong? Surely his mother and father would miss-"

"He doesn't have a mum."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Does he not have a father either?"

Private felt awkward. "Er, he does. His dad is…well…not-uh… Dad, I think there's something going on with that family, but I don't want to ask because that would be prying into his business. He has a big brother, my roommate, who decided to stay in New York by himself for the holidays and he told me to make sure Kenny has a good Christmas. Kowalski said it was because he couldn't afford to get both of them there, but I don't think that's the case because Kenny got to come all the way across the Atlantic."

Andrew contemplated this. "Well, It'll do no good to question him. If anything out of the ordinary happens, then we can step in. As long as there aren't signs of abuse, it just may be that his father is just strict and not much of a holiday man. And for now, we just have to accept Kowalski's explanation. Now, this is hardly holiday conversation. Let's get baking!"

Private inhaled deeply and tried not to let it out too forcefully. He put on a smile and began helping Kenny shape the cookies.

Both of them together made thirty different shape and color combinations of Christmas cookies. They went into the main restaurant area to help a few customers.

A rather large man came in to order his daily bagel, which somehow caused Kenny to retreat to the kitchens and not come out until the man had left. The man questioned if he had done something wrong, but was assured by Private that Kenny was just shy.

Both boys were tired by the end of the day and literally dragged each other to bed by the end of the night. Andrew had somehow gotten Kenny to eat all of his dinner, an extra roll of bread and about half of his dessert, something that neither Private nor Barry had been able to successfully do.

Kenny plopped himself on the bed in the guest room, not bothering to change into his pajamas.

In his own room, Private did the same.

He was having a rather pleasant dream when a loud noise brought him back to earth. He groaned and rubbed his eyes as the noise sounded again. He opened his door and looked down the hall. His father peeked out of his room a minute later.

"Wasn't me." Private said.

Kenny's door was wide open and the bathroom light was on.

The noise sounded again.

"I think he's sick." Andrew said. The noise had been muffled by the closed doors, but now it was clear that it was a retching noise.

The toilet flushed as Kenny coughed.

Private knocked on the door. "Hey, it's me." He said. "Are you alright?"

Kenny didn't respond.

Andrew twisted the knob to find the door unlocked. The two of them entered.

"I'll get a cold compress." Andrew said. He exited.

Kenny's pale face looked at them fearfully. "I-I'm sorry…" he rasped, sounding like Rico. "I-I-"

"Why are you sorry?" Private asked. "Loads of people get sick; it's not your fault."

"Not sick…"

"Did you eat too much?"

Kenny nodded weakly. "Wasn't…supposed to…wake anyone…"

"It's fine that you woke me, I'm not mad." Private said. "I'm just worried about you."

"I'll leave-"

"No way, you can't leave." Private said.

"Don't wanna…burden y-"

"Now that's not true." Andrew said as he entered. "I've raised my son and I know what he was like when he was ill. I didn't think he's a burden, and I don't think you're a burden either."

"Am I in trouble?" Kenny said as he began to tremble.

"Why would you think that?"

"You went…to get…get something…"

"This is for your head." Andrew said, holding up the cold pack. "If you need it. I should take your temperature."

"No, he just ate too much." Private said.

Andrew sighed.

After a few minutes, Kenny was moved back to his bed. Andrew wrapped the pack in a small towel and placed it on Kenny's head. A cup of water was on the night stand next to Kenny.

Private sat on a chair next to the bed and Andrew sat on the bed.

"How do you feel now?" Andrew asked.

Kenny studied the man for a minute. "Fine." He responded.

"Are you certain?"

"My throat hurts a little, but the water helped. I'm sorry."

Andrew gave a small smile. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

Kenny looked solemnly at the other two.

Private tried to think about what he had learned so far about Kenny and Kowalski, not liking what his brain was telling him.

"Hey, you know what always cheered up my son when he was sick?" Andrew asked.

"When his mom left the room because she babied him too much." Kenny blurted out. He immediately put his hand over his mouth, eyes wide open with fear. He was confused when Private and Andrew began laughing.

"That is a little true." Private said.

"I can see that happening. I did see that happen." Andrew said. "No, he liked to hear about the adventures of his amazing uncle."

"Oh, Uncle Nigel!"

Kenny looked perplexed.

"Uncle Nigel is a world traveler and he used to work with dad and Johnny doing secret missions."

"I thought-"

"Now Kenny, just because something gets past my wife, doesn't mean I'm out of the loop as well. My brother can't help sharing things with me, thought sometimes I really wish he wouldn't. One example would be when he was in secondary school and he had a rash-"

"Dad!" Private interrupted. "Let's tell a different story."

Kenny laughed.

"Alright." Andrew said. "Uncle Nigel found a lost city once."

"Really?" Kenny asked, shocked.

"I love this story." Private said.

"So, Nigel found himself hiking somewhere in northern Russia. It was mid-winter and he was in the middle of snow covered mountains. His team had disappeared ahead and he was determined to find them. I believe he was nineteen at the time.

He traveled for days in freezing weather. His clothes were starting to get wetter and colder. He almost ran out of food and water. He thought he had seen smoke and started heading towards it. Slowly, visions started appearing in his head as result of dehydration. Pressing on, he never stopped. These crazy hallucinations started getting worse and he tried to melt some snow to drink, but it only kept him sane for a little while longer until the hunger pains kicked in. He thought he heard our dad's voice, talking to him. He thought he nearly died because our dad had been dead two years before the mission.

Nigel had tripped on a rock and tumbled downhill. He recalled hitting several rocks before he was able to stop himself. There were few trees around and the one he grabbed onto saved his life because there was a lake of water that hadn't completely frozen over yet. He climbed the tree and looked around. The smoke had come from across the lake."

"Then what happened?"

"He did something extremely insane…he jumped across the unstable ice."

Kenny and Private gasped.

"Yup. He was terrified, but determined. He was able to get across halfway before something happened.

The ice cracked even further and began separating. He tried his best to jump on the most stable pieces, but one of them was giving away before he landed. He jumped and splashed into the water."

"WHAT?!"

"He doesn't recall how he got out, but he thinks he was able to swim until he reached shallow bank and pulled himself up. He quickly checked everything in his bag with freezing, trembling hands, and found that he hadn't zipped it all the way. Everything was soaked."

"He had no way to communicate with the outside…" Kenny said softly. "So what happened?"

"He kept going. He pushed himself even though his legs were numb and he was practically turning blue. This is where it gets a little fuzzy. He doesn't recall much of the arrival to the village. He just remembers feeling very cold and dizzy. I assume he fainted somewhere farther north of the lake. He knows he was trying to get to the smoke to see if it was fire.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up somewhere warm with multiple layers of blankets on him. His clothes were folded and next to him. He figured that he was in a house, but he didn't know whose it was. He was able to sit up, but he felt very weak. He managed to put his clothes on and opened his pack. Most of the things that got wet were destroyed. He found a communication device and sent out what he thought were his coordinates along with an SOS message. The place he was in was a small, wooden cabin. There was a fire going in the grate and no one around to tend to it."

"That's scary…" Kenny said.

"He looked around and found a plate of old fish and a cup of water. He ate the food and drank the water, planning on apologizing to whoever was going to eat it. He took the pack and went outside to explore. There were a few houses around and what looked like it used to be a shop. There were no people to be seen. He knocked on doors to have them fall with an echoing bang.

He didn't see any remains of life, as if everyone just packed up and left. There were no signs of struggle or battle.

He returned to the first cabin to see the fire still going and no one around."

"So he was stuck there?"

"Yep. He took off layers and fell asleep again, planning on sending out another SOS the next day. When he woke up, he smelled fresh cooked fish and saw a young girl stoking the fire. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen."

"Huh? Where'd she come from?"

"That's what Nigel asked. She told him that she had gone fishing for food and that's why he didn't see her. She never gave her name, but she cared for him for a while. Nigel sent out another SOS that day and had conversations with the girl. She told him that everyone had left years ago and she was the only one who stayed. She said she forgot her age, but she was eight when the village was abandoned. She never said why or how she was forgotten or how she kept herself alive."

"That's crazy."

"He was there for two more days until a plane passed. He decided to set a different cabin on fire so he could get a bigger signal. He checked to make sure it was clear and set one of the neighboring cabins of fire to the horror of the girl. She tried to put it out, but Nigel said that he had to escape and she could come with him. Soon enough, a rescue helicopter had responded to the plane followed it out to where Nigel was. Unfortunately, here's where it gets fuzzy again."

"What?"

"He felt immense pain in his head and collapsed into the snow. He awoke in a hospital in France several hours later. He immediately began talking about the girl he saw and that someone needed to go after her. There had been a crew there exploring the town after Nigel was rescued and they were alerted. They searched the entire proximity, but no one was there. They hadn't found a sign of her anywhere."

"Did she knock him out?"

"That's what Nigel's theory is. He explained what she looked like and Russian authorities were told, but no one came for her or came out that they were that person."

"That's creepy. Did he ever find out anything later?"

"Nope, to this day he still wonders what happened to her."

"What about his team?"

"Good question, Kenny. Apparently, they had left to look for civilization or a source of food as they were running out. The two of them left Nigel in the middle of the night with a hastily scribbled note saying 'gone for food' and disappeared."

"Only three of them were on that mission, right?" Private asked.

"Correct." Andrew said. "When they couldn't find any food or people, they headed back to find Nigel. However, it was already very late the next day and Nigel had gone looking for his missing teammates, believing they had gotten themselves in danger. He took a different path than they did and ended up far away by the time they got back to the cave they had rested in."

"Did they get in trouble?" Kenny asked.

"Oh yes." Andrew said gravely. "They were demoted and suspended. Leaving your teammate behind is not an option. Nigel thought his friends were in trouble and nearly died because of their actions."

"Where are they now?"

"They were separated and put into different teams and I believe that they carried on as usual, but their teams know of their past actions and watch them very carefully."

"Wow." Kenny said.

"That is one of my favorite stories because it's so mysterious." Private said.

Andrew smiled and left the boys in the room.

Private and Kenny chatted about the story until Private felt tired. He headed to bed and fell asleep quickly.

Andrew checked on the boys a while later. Both of them were deep asleep. Kenny moved around restlessly, but stayed sleeping.

Private woke up to the smell of fresh food. He smiled and changed into his clothes for the day. He went to check on Kenny, but found both the bedroom and the bathroom empty. Feeling a little worried, he went downstairs to look for his friend.

Kenny was chatting with Andrew as he ate breakfast.

Private joined them with his own food and smiled.

"You really ran twenty miles?" Kenny asked.

"Yep, it's true." Andrew said. "I had some breaks, but I pushed myself to the end."

"If only Barry could be that motivated." Private said.

Kenny laughed. "Just provoke Ramona and tell her Barry did it."

Private snickered. "Sure, right after I tell Julien he's cool."

"Sorry to interrupt, boys," Andrew said, "but I spy an anxious girl who can't wait to see her childhood friend."

The boys looked to the door as it opened.

"Cold, cold…I swear these winters keep getting bloody colder." The girl muttered, shaking off snow. "Why does my hair curl, it makes it so much harder to get the snow out." She tried to rake a gloved hand through her brown hair.

"That's one of the side effects of living so far from the equator." Private said. "And you might want to take the glove off for better measure."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him with an expression that clearly said she was not amused.

"Well, are you going to stand around all day or give me a hug?"

"It was debatable."

"Get over here you cheeky little-"

"Now, Ginger, you don't want to give my guest the wrong idea, do you?" Private said, giving Ginger a hug.

"I suppose I don't." Ginger said. "And who might you be?"

Kenny shrunk behind Andrew.

"The magical disappearing boy, fantastic." Ginger said sarcastically. "I finally get to meet one of Andre's friends in the flesh and he vanishes on me."

Andrew left the room as he had to start working.

Kenny's eyes widened, he was completely visible and stared a Ginger. He felt like she could smell his fear.

"I'm guessing he's not the charming one you told me about."

"No, that's his brother." Private said.

"No, I meant the boy who hangs out with you."

"Barry?"

"Yeah, him."

Kenny smiled slightly. "Are you sure?" He asked softly. "Charming? Maybe it looked more like the word 'hyperactive' or 'loud'."

"Ah, he speaks!"

Kenny blushed.

"He's a bit shy and he had a bit of a rough night last night."

"We'll fix that." Ginger said confidently. "What did you do to your hair?" She turned her attention to Private.

"Er…well, it was an accident." Private said. "I wanted to try a darker shade of blond and Kenny grabbed the black by mistake, we never checked it."

"How was it a mistake?"

"He has Dyslexia and he read it wrong."

"You do realize that several children that I have babysat have been Dyslexic, right?" Ginger said, "And I can tell you now that-"

"He never got help until recently." Private said. "He's hoping that he passed his English final so he can be in my class next term."

"And we'll make SURE you get back next term." Ginger said. She had sensed the uneasiness in Private's voice. "Have you ever been ice skating, Kenny?"

Kenny jumped and shook his head.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Now?" Kenny asked.

"No better time than the present."

"Maybe the future?"

"Funny, now come on. Get your warm clothes on and let's go to the lake."

Private mumbled something about no use arguing with Ginger, while Kenny remarked that she seemed a lot like Ramona.

Both boys got dressed, Kenny borrowed a heavy jacket from Private, and they met Ginger downstairs.

Private told his dad where he was going and the three of them set off. Ginger and Private chatted happily while Kenny trailed behind. They tried to include him, but he said he was just fine.

Kenny was in deep thought, wondering what his brother was up to, when he felt the back of his jacket being tugged. He wanted to yell, but kept his mouth shut.

"What's wrong?" A voice said in his ear. "Don't you know how to speak?"

Kenny kept silent and the voice laughed, followed by two more.

He was spun around to face three boys. One of whom still had a firm grip on his jacket.

"You don't look familiar." One of the boys said. "But you look like an easy target."

Kenny looked back to see the other two had gone ahead, unaware of his predicament.

"Why don't you yell for them?" His captor asked. "Come on, be a good victim."

Kenny began to shake.

"Oi! I think we made him cry." The boy sneered.

The other two chuckled.

"HEY!"

"Oh finally."

Private had turned to see Kenny gone and saw the three boys. He and Ginger marched furiously towards them.

"Leave him alone!" Private said. "Bullies like you have no place in a nice town like this. Who do you think you are?"

The boy pushed Kenny into the snow and smirked at Private. Kenny scrambled to his feet and hid behind Ginger.

"Don't you recognize your own cousin?"

Private's face turned to one of shock.

"Daniel?"