To say that a missing Martin was devastating would be an understatement. Koki received several calls while working at her computer from strangers reporting a hyperventilating Kratt on the sidewalk. Koki, Aviva, & Jimmy immediately rushed to the given location to find Chris-and one lone beanie belonging to the other vanished Kratt. The moment Aviva grasped the tear-stained hat in her hands, her own tears fell upon it as she collapsed in utter horror and grief. The inventor had already been informed by Martin before about the "talk" he was going to have with his sibling. She did not need any more of an indication than an abandoned Chris and hat to prove the point further.

Martin was gone.

Now they had to get him back.

They had no choice but to inform the directors of the Frozen Campaign along with their fellow campaigners they would have to call things off. The Wild Kratts were uncertain of how long it would take to find an emotionally charged and heartbroken Martin. Not a chance they could continue raising money for the campaign with only one Kratt brother. So they were let go with many condolences on their sudden loss. With a promise that if Martin was found before the fifth week of the event, the Wild Kratts could join them again.

It was a kind offer but for once, the animals of the Poles were far from the wildlife explorers' minds. The remaining crewmates of the Tortuga immediately sprang into action. Chris contacted Mikaya and his grandmother in case Martin would show up where they were at. Jimmy and Koki surveyed all of Charlotte from the Tortuga, the redhead carefully flying low enough for Koki's tracking system to scan the entire city. No luck there. No luck on Chris' end either except for promises from both Mikaya and the Kratts' grandmother to keep an eye out for him.

Aviva called her own family in case the missing blonde had somehow turned up to see them. He had not, but her father and the rest of the Corcovados promised to search as well. It was heavily debated what the next step would be. Alerting the public of their situation was a huge risk. Not only would it likely reap a huge PR disaster for the Frozen Campaign. It could also bring more harm than good to the search. Martin, as popular as he was, was unfortunately a favorite target of the internet. A fact Chris and Mikaya knew all too well.

It would not be too far-fetched for social media to take the entire disappearing act as a stunt on Martin's part or start spreading nasty rumors that the Wild Kratts were breaking up. Even worse, the news would most likely reach their villains and other unsavory characters' ears. Who would not hesitate to hunt Martin down for their own ends or strike to take down the wildlife team once and for all. It was eventually decided alerting the public would be too risky. The next suggested tactic was alerting all Wild Kratt Kids in the eastern coast states of America. Martin did have his creature power suit with him, but none of the Kratts' main means of transportation. He would generally still be in the area to be spotted.

One good point was that the kids would be more than willing to help. The one bad point was that they were bound to tell their parents, who would undoubtedly tell other people, and a good majority of those people would blabber on social media…Still as much of a risk as just announcing point blank to the public. The option of tracking the MIA leader down via his creature pod was also brought up. Yet the moment they tried it-the signal was dead. So, either something had happened to the blue Kratt's device or more disturbingly he decided to turn the tracker off. Considering it had been more than 48 hours since he went missing, with not a single message sent on whether he would be returning or if he was okay.

With not many choices, the team agreed to alert the police force of the East Coast so that at least some people were keeping an eye out for Martin. While the rest of the Wild Kratts backtracked from where they started. Combing every last mile from North Carolina to New York in hopes their missing member would be found on radar. Jimmy and Koki piloted the Tortuga to search by air. While Aviva and Chris took to the ground, the inventor taking the Createrra and the biologist using his creature power suit to easily adapt himself to the needs of their hunt.

Dec. 15th was the night he went missing. By the time the wildlife crew had finally reached New York City, it was Dec. 21th. Martin had been missing for six whole days. Not a single message from the team's leader had been received. The local police of the areas they alerted did send in a few reports spotting a man close to the description or a bizarre blue creature. Which would be good news if ANY of the authorities that saw him were able to catch up to him. Sadly they failed to do so. As for Martin's family, they had managed to scrap a few clues on where he had been. Alas, not one of them led to the lovable ball of sunshine they were missing so much…

A new game plan was needed, so the Wild Kratts agreed to stay in New York for a couple of Tortuga was parked in the same lot at the same apartment building owned by Mikaya's cousin. Hugo did invite Jimmy to stay with him, but the redhead declined to be with his teammates in the same apartment complex instead. No one knew what to do. Each crewmate thoroughly spent all their energy on the manhunt for their lost member. As wrong as it felt to just stop and rest while their leader was who-knew-where. They had hit a dead end, thus needing a new angle, hopefully sooner than later.

Chris Kratt stared at his creature pod, refusing to tear his eyes away despite staring at it for nearly three-or four, maybe five hours? He honestly did not bother to keep track of something like his screen time for once. Mikaya had been coordinating with the NYC police department to see if his older brother could be located in the city. She had yet to send an update since helping them get situated a few hours earlier. The exhausted brunette gazed intently at his pod as he sat at the table of his apartment room. All the lights dim except for the one at the front door. A full mug of black coffee stood next to him, long gone ice cold. The upper edge of his screen read 11:47 PM yet he paid no mind to how late it was.

Ping! With a sharp gasp his creature pod was flung into the air by shock. He clumsily fumbled with his device until he could finally get the shaking to stop. He instantly hopped over to his messages for Mikaya's update.

Mikaya: Still nothing Chris, I'm sorry. The most we scrounge up was a sighting of an oddly behaving bluejay and a man with a blue jacket. When we reached the location of the sighting it turned out the blue jay was just a blue jay trying to fend itself from some guy's pet monkey. Also said owner of the monkey is the guy with the blue jacket and the most ridiculous yellow hat that has ever graced fashion. Blue Boi would have LOVED that monkey… We will keep searching but I will have to retire for the night. I'll rejoin the hunt tomorrow, get some sleep ok? ):

Oh, of course….

Still nothing.

Chris let out a strangled cry of anguish as he thrust his device onto the table. He stood up so quickly he inadvertently knocked over his coffee. The mug clattering to the floor as its liquid splashed everywhere, some of it even staining Chris' favorite lime green sweater. The brunette just massaged the taunt area between his eyes as he walked away. Maybe a walk outside might clear his headspace. He grabbed his jacket, somehow opened the front door, slammed it shut, and started down the hallway. The lights were dim in the hallway just like his room. Only the cheery and colorful glow of fairy lights and glow in the dark snowflakes present in the hallway contrasted sharply with his subdued room and mood.

Except for one bright stream of light trailing from a slightly opened doorway. It came from the girls' designated room. It wasn't like them to leave anything carelessly unlocked. That was usually Martin's job. A flash of emotional pain clawed at his heart; he could hear the voices creeping him to remind him of his failure. Or worse, try to convince him that his loss was a good thing. Desperately shaking himself loose from the shackles of his mind, he walked over to the open door. He gave a few light knocks on it. No answer. He was about to knock again when-

"DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY! FAH-LALLALALALALALALA!" Chris nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun around to meet a rather large man. Obviously having a hard time standing up thanks to the contents of the nearly finished bottle in his hand. "TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY-" The brunette did not hesitate to immediately dart into the girls' room, firmly shut the door, and lock it tight. He waited as the disoriented man kept hollering about mistletoe and figging pudding until he heard rapid footsteps approach. "STANTON! I DO NOT CARE IF YOU MEET RENT REGULARLY, IF YOU GET YOURSELF MORE THAN DAMN DRUNK AGAIN-I AM KICKING YOU OUT!" The exasperated voice of the much sober landlord angrily admonished.

"Stanton", gave a sheepish apology followed by a few hiccups as the echoing of a door opening and closing signaled the end of his impromptu caroling. Chris let out a sigh of relief as he leaned heavily against the door. "Stanton's singing is not as good as Martin's." The younger Kratt jolted upwards to register the familiar voice. He looked up to see Aviva sitting across the room from him. She sat ensconced in an armchair near one of the windows. The moonlight streamed through the window, lighting up her haggard features and the blue beanie in her grasp. Apparently, Chris was not the only one unable to sleep tonight.

Chris coughed as his mind scrambled for a decent response, "Um, I can make us some coffee if you like?" Aviva chuckled dryly as she smiled sadly, "Not sure if caffeine would be any great help to us now CK. I don't mind if you sat down with me. Koki is with Jimmy right now, I'm not sure if it's about the Tortuga or something else…" The Latina's gaze lowered back upon the sky-blue hat clutched in her grasp like a lifeline. Feeling just as lost as she was, the biologist took the remaining armchair right next to her.

The inventor idly traced her fingers around the paw-shaped badge pinned to the beanie. She cracked a grin as she asked aloud, "Remember the time a certain someone started and ended his extreme skateboarding career on the same day?" Her companion blinked in surprise before the distant memory suddenly attacked his throat, causing him to give a startled laugh. "OH! You don't mean you still remember-" He let out a few shuddering chuckles before continuing, "The first day me and Martin met you? Well, more like crashing into you considering what my lovable but crazy brother did!"

Aviva let out laughter as she recalled the outrageous way Martin had more or less introduced himself to her. "If I recall correctly, I was minding my own business. Obviously having the worst day ever after losing a couple of best friends and a botched science project to show for it. Just hurrying home to sulk the weekend away by holing myself in my room to watch Sherlock and drown myself in strawberry frozen custard. I was only a few feet away from picking up a pint of my dessert at Cold Cabin's when suddenly, I…" She halted in her storytelling to release a few more hearty guffaws. "I heard someone screaming MAYDAY before being smashed into by the human equivalent of the Blue Blur himself!"

The two of them collapse into helpless laughter once more as they reminisce that one moment from their shared past. After taking a few deep breaths to collect themselves Chris spoke up, "It was the last time I allowed my brother to take bets with absolute strangers. Some dudes with skateboards were daring each other to do this insanely impossible stunt. The stunt involves skating down a stair railing, making a huge leap, and landing on the other side of the street. Which of course is so reckless it's just stupid. Now don't ask me why he decided it was a wonderful idea to attempt it-" Aviva answered for him, "He just wanted to see if it could be done."

The younger Kratt grinned as he leaned forward, propping his chin up thoughtfully with his hands. He said, "That was one of the best things about my bro. What many would not dare to do or what was considered not possible. He would be the man to attempt what could be done. Whether something as revolutionary as starting the Wild Kratts or finding a way to help the creatures or somehow making each day worth waking up for. He always found a way…"

Silence was shared between them, each of them mulling over what had to be said. Finally, Aviva opened the conversation, "We talked a bit, the night you had that meltdown." Chris cringed from the unpleasant memories, definitely not one of his proudest moments. His equally downcast friend elaborated, "No one ever saw you explode like this before. You definitely scared me, Koki, and Jimmy but Martin? From what Jimmy told me, it seemed he had dealt with something similar to that incident before. This piqued my curiosity, so I confronted your brother about it. Why he did not seem as terrified or even deeply disturbed by that night. And before I explain his side of the story, I forgive you for that night Chris. Even if you scared the heck out of me." Said aggressor rubbed the back of his head, feeling grateful but still ashamed of his actions no matter how brief. "Yeah, I promise to not let it happen again. Or at least I hope so but…" He pulled at the collar of his sweater nervously. Aviva knew what he meant, "It is ok if you have problems with your mental health. But it was probably not the best course of action to hide them. Considering, Martin was afraid of this happening."

Chris was completely languid before she said that. Now he shot up completely caught off-guard, almost falling out of his seat. "I beg your PARDON?! What do you mean he knew this would happen?! I didn't even tell him I-" His companion, sensing a sleep-deprived, deeply depressed, and overstressing Chris would be prone to another meltdown or a collapse at the very least. Immediately got up from her chair to walk towards the younger Kratt brother. She gently but firmly settled both of her warm hands on his tensed-up shoulders. Speaking in a reassuring tone she told him, "Please calm down, he did not have the full story of what you were keeping under lock and key. However, I think it is only fair you knew what he believed before finding out what was going on with you. Ok?"

Her anguished friend took in a few shuddering breaths. Breathing in and out until he had finally calmed down again. "Sorry…" He sighed. "No, it's ok CK." She reassured him again. The inventor returned to her armchair, picking up the blue beanie again, holding it as she went on to explain what happened after Chris locked himself away that night. She resumed, "Martin was always hesitant in sharing his home life. Something you both share understandably. Sometimes he would tell me bits and pieces, I did not dare to pry further than that.

That evening, we actually had quite a long talk about it. He told me that similar incidents happened like this before. Not explosive as that incident, but apparently when you were kids…He told me that whenever he saw your mother lashing out against someone or feel as if someone you cared for was threatened. You would kind of shut down, hide yourself away, or run away in some cases. I'm sure you remember Martin searching for you or taking you outside to get away in your childhood woods?"

Chris gave a nod, "He's not wrong. Staying out of the house and away from mom for as humanly long as possible kinda pushed us to preferring wildlife over civilized life. Although, that's just my thoughts on it. I…I don't want to speak for my brother." The Latina took that as her cue to continue the narrative, "He…He could only do his best to shield you. However, by now we both know he couldn't protect you entirely. From what he observed, he started to see your personality start to diverge into almost two separate sides of you. There was the little brother he knew, and I quote, "the sassy, smart aleck of a tiny gremlin hiding a heart of gold~" The ravenette giggled as she relished said gremlin's face souring. "If I ever see my bro again, I'm calling him "blue puppy boy" for the next two weeks!" He snapped.

Aviva snickered before moving on as she became serious again, " Then there was this other side. A quiet one. A little brother that hardly spoke, hardly played, crushed or kicked anything he could break. He did not show his anger, but his actions surely did…Martin, was starting to fear that you were becoming-""Like my mother." Chris answered with an exasperated sigh. "Chris! Please don't take this the wrong way…" "No Aviva, I know…it's fine. Why do you think I'm taking meds and seeing a doctor? I…. Continue on. I'll tell you afterwards." "Chris, please." The brunette threw up his hands, "Okay, okay! Well, Koki probably already told you the gist of why I agreed to Martin's idea. A chance to get away with just us, right?

I was not in the best of places when I agreed to it. Not exactly…the best of people. Then I met you guys." He sat up a little straighter as he clasped his hands together. "Aviva. I would have never considered getting myself help. I did not believe in getting help, especially if the only type of people I knew were the ones that couldn't care less. However, you guys changed that. Aviva, I am honestly surprised you stuck around as long as you did. As for Jimmy and Koki, anyone else would have backed off after what I did that night. But, they haven't. You guys were the first genuine friends me and Martin ever had, for that I'm grateful for."

The biologist stopped talking, having said his piece. Back to the inventor across from him to keep going, "Martin was afraid, you would end up as you know who. Miserable, offensive and paranoid about everyone, unable to simply live life or be happy. Constantly struggling between feeling fine to suddenly wanting to flay the whole world alive. Your guys' mother was that way before she got help right? MK did not want that to happen to you. You were all he had. He gave it his all to ensure that you would not suffer as she did. So, you can imagine how Martin felt when he found out that you kept your health problems a secret from him. He must have thought he failed you…"

A few tears slid down the Latina's cheek, Martin's hat gripped tighter in her grasp. Exhaling deeply, she said, "I really wished you didn't keep your health problems a secret. Martin must have thought his worst fears were realized. If you were trying not to burden or protect him, I understand, however. The fact you kept it from him, when he had so far been doing everything, he could take care of you… Martin is a transparent person, the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. If the people, he cares about won't let him help them or refuse to say what's really hurting them to their face. Then it's like you don't trust him enough to be vulnerable or allow him to step in."

Trust…

There was that word, trust.

Deceitfully simple yet somehow one of the most difficult virtues humans still had to master. Even if it was not his intention, the fact that Chris kept his secrets from the most trustworthy person he knew. Someone who loved him deeply, someone who feared that he would suffer like another close to them. It was similar to his own fear of leaving Martin alone to be rejected and betrayed over and over again. Chris got up, "I'll be right back…" Aviva was left in silence for about five minutes. Staring helplessly at the sky-blue beanie in her lap. The blue wool is as bright as his eyes….

Suddenly, she felt something warm and soft draped across her shoulders. It smelled of sea salt, berries, and chocolate. She realized it was a very familiar cerulean jacket belonging to the one person she hoped to Heaven above was somehow alive and safe. Or at least warm on a winter night like this. She felt a pair of green sleeved arms embrace her. She collapsed into them so she could sob her heart out.