When the phone rang, Grinch didn't hesitate to answer in his usual way. He thought it had to be Bricklebaum, who was the only Who that had his phone number.

"What do you want now?" he demanded into the line.

There was a pause then a tinkling, feminine laugh that he'd recognize anywhere. Grinch's face burned as he clutched the phone and listened to Prunella laugh at him.

"I want to get everybody together, Boss, that's what I want."

"Together?" Grinch asked blankly. "Like a party?"

"No. Like having dinner and playing games with a small group of friends. We want to catch up, Grinch. It's been over fifty years. We're curious as to what you've been up to."

"Who all will be there?"

"Just the gang and our spouses."

"No pets?" Grinch asked.

"Are pets allowed?"

Grinch frowned. "I wouldn't see why not."

"Great. We're all free tonight, so you'd better get ready. We'll be there by five."

Prunella, smart as ever, didn't give him a chance to speak and hung up the phone before a single noise left his throat. Here? They were coming here?! Grinch looked around hopelessly then quickly dialed Bricklebaum, his heart in his throat.

'Please be home,' he thought frantically.

"Hello? Bricklebaum here."

Grinch was relieved and let out a breath, along with a slew of words. "The whole gang is coming over tonight and my cave is a wreck and I don't know what to serve or what kinds of things happen at get togethers and they're all going to be here tonight at five!"

There was a pause. "Run that by me again."

Grinch took a breath and did so more slowly. He lifted a trembling hand to grasp the table. "I've never had anybody besides you and Mabel over, and I don't know what to do. Is there any way you can… can help me?"

"Sure thing, Grinchy. I'll be there in twenty and we can prepare everything."

"Oh, thank you," he murmured feverishly.

Bricklebaum was true to his word, and he and Grinch spent the day preparing. They put some roast beast in the oven then Bricklebaum shared some recipes for side dishes. Grinch was a nervous wreck all day, and as five approached, he grew even more frantic. It was only Bricklebaum, Mabel, and Max that kept him calm enough to function. When the clock struck 4:45, there was a knock at the door. Bricklebaum looked around.

"Looks good, Grinchy. You're all set."

"Am I?" Grinch asked dazedly.

"Yep. Call if you need anything, and I mean anything."

"Mmhm," he said faintly as he led Bricklebaum to the door. Max was there already, wagging his tail and sniffing excitedly. He opened it, and there stood Prunella and her husband with a dog sitting at their feet. At least one of them seemed happy to be there, he thought as Ignatius gave him a look that should have killed him and the dog stared at him mistrustfully.

"Hey, Bricklebaum," Prunella said pleasantly. "You staying?"

"Nope! Just helping," Bricklebaum said. "I'm heading out right now. You all have a good time."

Calling Mabel, they began their trek down the mountain. The trek up was the first thing Ignatius complained about.

"Why do you have to live way out here?"

Grinch narrowed his eyes. "Because I wasn't adopted like your wife was. I had to leave Whoville to find a place to live."

"You expected to be adopted with an attitude like that?" Ignatius demanded.

"I didn't have this attitude as a kid," Grinch retorted. "I was a naive idiot who trusted somebody bad to look after me. I had no choice in the matter."

"Well, your father left you for a reason, now didn't he?"

Everything in Grinch froze, but Prunella had had enough. She grabbed her husband's arm in a vice-like grip and spoke in a soft voice. "You lied to me. You did read it, didn't you?"

"I had to know what we're up against," Ignatius argued.

Grinch didn't stay to listen to the fight. His ears still ringing, he went to the kitchen and poured two cups of peppermint cocoa for them. He padded out and set the tray beside them then retreated into the kitchen again. He checked all the food, taking his time, then heard another knock. He didn't go to answer this time. More voices came to him, and he could pick out Silvanus and Brilla talking excitedly, but he didn't go to greet them. He wasn't welcome in his own home now, so why should he invite more people in?

There were two more knocks on the door over the next twenty minutes, but Grinch stayed where he was. The talk and laughter rang out, and Grinch felt so alone again.

"You know, Boss, we came here to see you."

Grinch glanced at Prunella and shrugged. She pushed off the wall.

"He's mad at you because he planned a big surprise for me for Christmas, and you ruined it."

"Yep. That's what I do. Ruin things. Ever since I was born," Grinch said tightly. "Seems to be the reason I was born."

"Don't be like that," Prunella said. "You're a good Who, Grinch, and a great man. You can do the impossible."

"Not this time," Grinch said.

There was a bang against the front door, and Prunella turned to peer toward it. "What was that?"

Several dogs started barking, and there were hisses from a couple cats. Grinch frowned and wiped his hands on a towel. He heard the front door open and there was a sudden scream.

"Hey! Hey, what are you doing?!"

There was a bang, and thuds as Grinch ran out to see what was going on. Three unknown dogs and two cats were going crazy, while Max was trying to calm them down. Nobody was listening, probably because of the giant reindeer grunting and calling and dodging the dogs. The Whos were in chaos, and even Prunella gaped at the scene. Grinch placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled loud and long.

"Everybody shut up!" he boomed, his voice magnified by his cave.

The Whos stopped panicking at the authoritative command, but the dogs and cats continued to growl and hiss at Fred, who lowed and tried to get to Grinch. Grinch walked right up to the animals and glared at them.

"If you're not going to shut up, you can wait outside in the snow," he said coolly.

The animals all immediately stopped and stared at him. One of the cats mewled.

"Yes, I can talk to animals. No, I'm not Clarice. And I won't put up with this. This is not your house, nor is it a zoo. Now behave. I know Fred's here. You don't have to keep going on about him. Go sit by your masters. Now."

The Whos watched as the animals all obeyed. Those who had not been in the gang were especially stunned by this turn of events. Grinch ignored their shocked, curious gazes and turned to Fred.

"Sorry about that. Now what's going on? I thought you were migrating."

Fred lowed again, stomping his front hooves.

Grinch frowned. "How far away?"

Another low moan and Fred shook his head.

"Well, I could help." He turned to Prunella. "Watch over things. I'm going somewhere."

"Not without us you're not!" Timonius exclaimed.

"What do we need to do?" Elena asked.

"I need to pull Fred's son out of a ravine," Grinch said sternly.

"And we are going with you, Boss," Prunella said primly.

"It's not a short trip," Grinch said. "You all came to enjoy yourselves, and you might as well."

"We can't without you," Silvanus said.

"I told you, Boss, it's you we're here to see," Prunella said.

"Boss?" a female Who asked. "Why are you calling him that, Pruny?"

"Because he's the Boss."

The gang said it all at once, not missing a beat despite over five decades of growth and change. The female Who stared at Grinch then shrugged.

"If you say so."

"So, what do we do?" Brilla asked.

Grinch turned to Fred. "You catch all that?"

Fred shook his head and stomped his front hooves, lowing again.

"They want to help, too. But you'll have to pull the sleigh again. Max can help if he needs to."

Max barked and hurried over, wagging his tail as he gazed up at the enormous reindeer. Fred nodded and lowed.

"Just need the sleigh now," Grinch muttered and went to the phone. He dialed the only number he knew and waited.

"Hello! Bricklebaum here."

"I need to borrow your sleigh again. If I send Max down there, can you hook him up and send it back?"

"Sure thing, Grinchy. Send him down. I'll get it ready."

"Thanks," Grinch said and hung up. He turned to Max. "Okay, go and get the sleigh. Let me get your harness."

After sending Max off, he headed down to the workshop, the others following since he didn't say they couldn't. When they saw the huge cavern and all the benches and tools, they began to murmur to each other. The cave echoed back some of the louder comments.

"What is this?"

"How?"

"Nifty."

"The Boss sure has settled in, hasn't he?"

Grinch ignored them and grabbed a second pair of accordion shoes he'd made at Bricklebaum's insistence and tossed them into a bag. He also grabbed sturdy rope, a hammer, and a big spike, tossing them in the bag, too. Then he took a small box from a shelf and stuffed it in. Slinging the satchel over his shoulder, he thought for a moment before nodding. He turned and left without a word. The others followed him back upstairs, where he grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around his neck. The rest shrugged into their winter gear, the gang's spouses reluctant but too curious to stay behind.

"You're going to get cold," Elena scolded. "Put on more."

"I don't have any more," Grinch said. "Besides, I live on the top of a mountain. I'm used to it. Now come on. And don't start, El. I'm fine."

"And I have just decided that I am taking you to buy proper clothes," Elena retorted. "You're a fashion disaster, G."

"Believe it or not, I still don't care," Grinch said. "Come on. And you all had better behave!" he warned the pets.

He turned and held open the door as they grouped outside. Fred sniffed all of them as they passed, grunting to Grinch between sniffs. His mouth twitched at every comment, but he didn't tell them what Fred was saying. There was a bark as Max came easily bounding over the snow, the sleigh bouncing behind him. He stopped beside them and yipped, his tongue lolling out.

"Good boy," Grinch said, unhooking him. "Alright, Fred. Come here. Stay."

Grinch hooked him up then gestured for everybody to get in the sleigh. They did, squeezing in like a ride on a crowded bus. Grinch lifted Max into the sleigh and grabbed the reins.

"Everybody in?"

"Yes," Ignatius grumbled.

"Better hold on then," Grinch said, glancing at his passengers with a sly smirk on his face. "Because I've never technically gotten my license."

"Wait, what?!" several voices cried, but Grinch had started them off.

"Take us there!" Grinch commanded.

Fred took off with a cry that echoed through the still air, moving forward at an astounding speed. Grinch held the reins lightly in his hands, whipping them around hairpin turns and across a lake of ice that spun them in two full circles before Grinch righted them and flicked them forward. His passengers were torn between screaming and laughing as they flew across the snow, and Grinch couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. Max barked, hopping in Grinch's lap.

"Almost there, Fred?" Grinch called after ten minutes.

Fred lowed and Grinch nodded. After another couple minutes, Fred began to slow, and Grinch reined him in and drew the sleigh to the side of a ravine. Grinch got up and walked over to pull the harness off of Fred. A smaller female reindeer bounded over, lowing and nudging Grinch.

"That's why I'm here, Liza," he said. "Where's Frankie?"

She led him over to the ravine as the other Whos shakily got out of the sleigh. Grinch peered down and nodded.

"Let me get down there and talk with him."

He shrugged out of his satchel and dug out his shoes. He slipped them on and adjusted the straps before he grabbed his bag and headed for the ravine. Prunella looked up and gasped.

"Hey! Boss!"

They all straightened up as he took a strange rocking step then walked right over the edge. He heard them stutter as the shoe hit the bottom of the ravine and he bounced hard as he went downward. They scrambled forward to watch as he landed in the icy ravine, but he ignored them as he knelt beside Frankie.

"You okay?" he asked.

Frankie lowed and wiggled his front leg, looking up at him with big eyes.

"I thought so," Grinch murmured. "Lay still. I'll get this bandaged."

He unpacked his medical kit and cleaned the wound. Frankie didn't like it and let out a disapproving bellow. Liza echoed it and stomped, clearly agitated. Fred pulled her back and called down.

"He's injured. I'm helping," Grinch called distractedly. He settled the bandage into place then patted Frankie's head. "Good boy. Ready to get out of here?"

Frankie nodded, and Grinch pulled out the rope, unwinding it and wrapping it around Frankie. He used several knots to make a type of harness.

"Now, you wait right here. You'll be out in a flash."

Grinch rocked back on his heels again and shot upward. The Whos jumped back and watched with glee as he walked right back onto the ledge with the rope. He took out his hammer and the spike.

"Still wanna help?" he asked, holding out the spike.

Silvanus sighed. "Sure, why not? It's been nice having all my fingers though."

"My aim has improved," Grinch said, grinning. "Now hurry up, Sil. Frankie wants to be with his parents again."

Silvanus walked over and grabbed the spike then knelt down and held it steady. Grinch hefted up the hammer and measured carefully with his eyes. "A bit to the left," he said. "There. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be, Boss," Silvanus said, his voice shaking a little.

Without another word, Grinch swung back then slammed the hammer onto the spike. The ground cracked open with an ear-splitting noise, but Grinch hammered twice more to make sure it was good and stable.

"Okay, we're good," Grinch said, tossing the hammer aside. He quickly slipped the rope over a tree branch then through a loop at the top of the spike and tightened it. "The rest of you, come grab the rope. He's a heavy little fella."

The gang did, but the three spouses that were there hung back, fascinated to see these people work together. Sure, they knew them all in their social circles, but they had never quite gotten along. Grinch's very presence changed the dynamics enough that they worked together flawlessly.

Grinch walked to the edge, ready to pull Frankie over. "All set?" he called.

"You bet!" the gang echoed, as if they'd practiced a thousand times.

"Heave!" Grinch commanded.

They did so, and there was a startled cry from the little reindeer. Fred and Liza lowed back, watching anxiously.

"One, two, three, heave!" Prunella boomed, and the others took up the chant. They hauled Frankie up until he was visible, and he began wriggling as he saw his mother.

"Stop squirming," Grinch ordered. "We're almost there." He rocked back onto his heels then stepped into the ravine to get behind Frankie. "One more!"

"One, two, three, heave!" Prunella shouted, and they jerked the reindeer up one last time. Using the momentum, Grinch scooped his arms under Frankie and rocked him forward until his little hooves found purchase on the ground. He bellowed with relief as Liza trotted over and began licking him. Fred joined her for a moment then waddled over to Grinch. Grinch untied the harness then pulled off the boots before he tossed them in his bag again.

Fred lowed at him, nuzzling him so that he almost fell over.

"Hey! You're welcome," he chuckled. "But you tell him to be more careful. He probably won't be able to migrate with the herd at the same pace. His leg is injured."

Fred lowed.

"Not quite time, eh? I guess the weather hasn't started changing yet. Well, if you think it's not healing, you all come right over. I'll fix him up."

Fred licked Grinch's face then trotted over to his son and licked his head. Frankie lowed and held out his leg, showing off the bandage. Prunella came over.

"We all done here, Boss?"

"Yep."

"Good." She moved fast and smashed a snowball into his face. Grinch spluttered in shock, turning to stare her. Her own blue eyes twinkled with mischief and a challenge. His eyes began to gleam as a smile grew on his face.

"Tim, Sil, this means war!" he boomed. "Ten minutes until the battle begins!"

Prunella squealed and ran over to grab Brilla and Elena. "Girls are gonna win this time!"

"Ha!" Silvanus scoffed. "We let you girlies win! It's only polite."

"You, polite?" Brilla challenged as they began making ammo and a defensive wall. "Since when? It's been forty years of marriage, and you haven't shown it once!"

"Have so!" Silvanus argued.

The three Whos that weren't in the game watched as both teams expertly built defenses. Two built the fort while one made ammo. When a short, sharp whistle sounded out from Grinch, everybody dove behind the forts and gathered ammunition. Off to the side, Ignatius hesitated then knelt down and began to make snowballs.

"What are you doing?" Timonius's wife Wyndella asked.

"You think they're gonna keep us out of this?" Ignatius challenged. "I'm just getting ready."

Wyndella considered this then joined in. "Come on, Darian," she said to Elena's husband. "He's got a point. Besides," she added with a grin, "this looks fun."

By the time they had their own ammo pile, the snowball war had escalated. Ignatius picked up a couple good-sized snowballs and watched carefully for an opportunity. There was nothing Prunella could say about it anyway. Every Who knew that all was fair in love and snowball wars.

"Are you sure about this?" Wyndella asked.

Darian and Ignatius glanced at each other and grinned. Darian picked up a snowball, patting it carefully.

"He stole Christmas, he can lose this war," Ignatius said.

Then he threw a snowball at Grinch's face. It struck, and he stumbled back with a gasp. He turned and looked at Ignatius in surprise. Then a wicked grin spread across his face, and he pointed at them.

"Interference!" he boomed.

Instantly, both sides of the fight turned to them and cocked back their arms to throw. Wyndella shrieked and dashed away, but Darian and Ignatius held ammunition. That was the old signal, so they all began to pelt them with snowballs, laughing and running over to chase them. Darian and Ignatius were outnumbered and outmatched by the gang, and they found themselves being buried in a mound of snowballs.

"Mercy?" Grinch teased, standing off to the side.

It took another minute before they conceded. "Mercy!" they cried.

Instantly, the gang stopped throwing snowballs, and silence reigned. Grinch walked over to the two Whos, mounded with snow.

"I am sorry I ruined Christmas," he said solemnly, peering at Ignatius. Then he reached over and tugged him out of the pile of snow. Ignatius shook off the rest as Grinch helped Darian out.

"I just don't understand why you would want to," Ignatius said. "Just because that Who was your father? He was bad, but how bad could he be?"

The gang went silent and suddenly looked like frightened children. The rest of the snow fell out of their hands, and they stared at the ground. Ignatius grew worried as Prunella wouldn't look at him.

Grinch leaned forward. "Did you know your wife was not born with a slur?" he asked.

Ignatius blinked once. Twice. Then he turned to Prunella. "Is that true?"

Prunella stood very still then nodded.

"What happened?"

"Illicure got mad that she talked back," Grinch said softly. "There was a lot of blood. We had to burn the rug so nobody would find out."

Prunella began to shiver. "Grinch…"

"We need to talk about it. Your spouses need to know, at the very least. That's one reason you came over, right?"

They all nodded reluctantly. Grinch sighed and nodded to himself then turned to Fred, Liza, and Frankie, who had been watching on the sidelines with Max.

"We're going to head out. Max can take us back to the cave. You're good?"

Fred nodded and lowed, and Frankie and Liza nuzzled him gratefully.

"Good. We need to leave. Max? You'll pull the sleigh?"

He barked and trotted over to stand in front of the giant sleigh. The Whos stared at him as Grinch hooked him up.

"This is not going to work," Darian said.

"It will," Grinch said confidently.

"But Boss, it's impossible for him to pull all of us," Brilla said.

"Oh, like that's stopped me before?" Grinch challenged.

The gang glanced at Max then shrugged and loaded into the sleigh, pulling the others with them. Grinch got into the sleigh then waved at Fred and his family.

"Ready Max?"

Max barked.

"Go!"

Max shook himself out then strained against the harness. At first, nothing happened, then the sleigh began to move forward. As soon as it got some momentum, Max took off like a shot, tugging the sleigh behind him. The gang laughed in wonder as Max pulled them even faster than Fred had.

"You've still got it, Boss," Silvanus said, leaning forward.

"I hope you don't mean a license," Ignatius muttered. "Because he said he doesn't have one."

Grinch glanced at him then shifted the reins and slid them around a hairpin turn. "I've been driving just fine for years. I just don't do it in Whoville, so I don't technically need a license. Besides, standing in line to get something that supposedly proves you can do something is stupid when you can already do it. Same reason I don't have any other licenses despite the fact I could probably have several."

"Like what?" Timonius asked.

"Mm, well I modified this sleigh," Grinch said, and showcased a few of his improvements.

"So mechanical license," Timonius said. "What else?"

"I invented the accordion shoes," Grinch said.

"Inventing license," Timonius listed.

"I invented the star winders, and the chemical that broke down the Cyllikum Plaster."

"Add a chemical license then." Timonius gazed at him. "If you want to get any of those, I'll help you. I've got some connections that'll make it easier."

"Gee, thanks," Grinch grumbled, but he smiled a little before guiding them across the frozen lake.

"I mean it, Grinch. You've got a lot of ideas that have potential. You should patent them and start building them for Whos. A lot of people would pay good money for some of the stuff you've made. Like those shoes! I can see it now. No more need for scaffolds when you have shoes that will elevate you!"

Grinch scoffed. "Same old Timonius. I'm not surprised you ended up rich. You could sell snow in a blizzard."

Timonius grinned. "And what I don't sell for ammo, I can eat with a bit of syrup."

Elena laughed. "Cindy-Lou told me your grandson was doing the same thing this year."

"Groupert's a good kid," Timonius said. "And he's got a good business sense, just like me."

"Hopefully, he'll avoid some of your mistakes," Wyndella said. "I wouldn't want him to go through everything you have."

"He already hasn't," Timonius replied.

"What do you mean?"

Timonius glanced at her then looked at Max as he answered. "I had to learn business to get us some money to buy food sometimes. Illicure liked to withhold meals as punishment."

Grinch pulled up to his cave as everybody went quiet. Wyndella, Darian, and Ignatius gazed at their spouses with growing concern. They all piled out of the sleigh and headed inside as Grinch sent Max back down to Bricklebaum's to return the sleigh. He went inside, shivering as he realized how cold he was, and pulled off his scarf. The others were stroking their pets, huddled around the fire. Grinch went into the kitchen to check things then began carrying the food to his dining room table. He poured mugs of cocoa and added a bit of whiskey. They'd need all the help they could get to make it through the journals.

By the time Max pawed at the door, dinner was ready, and Grinch let him in then announced it was time to eat. They were all much warmer now, but there was no pleasant chatter as they filed into the dining room. Everybody sat down and Ignatius and Darian helped Grinch serve the food then they ate. It was a subdued dinner, and Grinch could sense the tension in the air. He knew they couldn't put it off any longer after they ate. So Grinch brought them back to sit in front of the fireplace then went to retrieve the box of journals.

"Those are them then?" Ignatius asked, staring as Grinch came in with the box. "Illicure's personal journals?"

"Yep," Grinch said. He set the box down then sat down. "Seven of them. Every book is a year, starting with the year he started the orphanage to the day he left."

There was silence. Then Ignatius leaned forward and picked up the one on top. He held it then looked seriously at Prunella. "Do you want me to read this? I won't if you don't."

"Grinch is right," Prunella whispered. "You need to know. But it is so very bad, and I'm afraid you'll look at me differently."

"We'll get through it, Pruny," Ignatius said.

"It feels impossible," she admitted.

"Then I guess it's good Grinch is here."

Prunella looked up, stunned. "What?"

"You've said he can do the impossible, right?"

Prunella relaxed a little and smiled. The rest of the gang looked a bit better, too.

"I assume you've read them all, Boss?" Silvanus asked, running his fingers through his hair.

"Every last word," Grinch said. "And it's going to be hard. But not impossible. After we read them tonight, we'll decide what to do with them. We all have to agree."

"All for one," Brilla said softly.

"And one for all," Grinch finished. He passed around the journals and watched them settle in to read as he thought about things.

Everything was changing for the first time in decades, but Grinch found that he was okay with it. He'd been doing a lot of reflecting on Illicure's journal entries, and he'd finally begun to heal the old wounds with Bricklebaum's help. Now it was his turn to help, and he was glad to do it. They had all been hiding from what had happened to them long enough. Those early years had formed Grinch into a Who that was so traumatized that he had turned into the very person he'd hated for so many years. If he was marked like that, the others had scars, too. He determined that whatever came out, he'd be there to help them through it. He wasn't going to let them suffer alone like he had.

Sipping his cocoa, he watched their faces, familiar and unfamiliar, and felt a warm rush pass over him as his heart ached with love. In that moment, he realized that one day, he might be able to forgive Illicure for what he'd done for the simple fact that he had brought them together. Eventually, maybe, but not now.

As they began flipping through the journals, he thought to himself that maybe, just maybe he'd take Timonius up on his offer to get those licenses. He had a lot of inventions, and if Timonius thought other Whos would like them, then it was practically guaranteed. Maybe it was time to stop being alone all the time. Maybe he could have friends again. He looked around for a moment then smiled as he realized that he already did. His heart was so full that he had to blink away tears. He'd have to tell Bricklebaum about what he'd just realized. The old Who would love it, and Grinch would moan and complain but be secretly glad to be listened to. Between him and the Whos in front of him, Grinch had a pretty full heart.

'Maybe,' he thought, 'Christmas won't be so bad next year.'

And that's when he finally knew things would be okay.

This wraps up this little story. I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think. God bless.