Chris woke up, his body feeling too warm from the thick blankets and the building's central heating. While his heart felt empty and cold, it felt even more desolate as he acknowledged the vacant bed beside him. He checked his Creature Pod and sighed deeply. 6:30 AM December 25th, it was Christmas Day. He briefly thought back to the few Christmases Martin missed out on because of college. Chris had missed a few of them himself when he was pulled into the working world. Considering recent events, he might have to force himself to adapt to more Martin-less Christmases, holidays, birthdays, creature adventures-

He shoved those defeatist thoughts aside as he forced himself to get ready for the day. As he took a quick hot shower and got dressed for the day, his ears caught on to some of the music next door. Sounded like the latest cheesy Christmas pop song, which of course sung heartlessly about the same thing that the hottest songs have sung for years.

*~Last Christmas, you were missing again. Just like the year before, so why am I surprised? They say this year, to save me from tears, to let my heart completely forget ya~*

The biologist hunted for coffee, only to find tea bags and a container of hot cocoa next to a bag of marshmallows. Struck by a rare whim, he took out the biggest mug and spooned out several generous portions of the cocoa powder.

*~I admit that the fault was more or less mine. I try so hard to forget, but you never leave my mind. I cannot help but recall the last time I ever saw you. Me? I must have taken for granted the shoulder I cried on.~*

The younger Kratt sat down in an armchair with his large mug filled to the brim with steaming chocolate. He glanced at it to realize he may have added one too many marshmallows. Martin would have been more than willing to polish off any extra sweets.

*~If only I could find your latest address, I'll wrap up my heart and send it, with a note to say I am sorry. Oh I so damn mean it! Now looking back I realized what a fool I've been. But if I ever got you back, I won't lose you again!~*

He somehow finished the entire mug of hefty sugar. With a sigh he got up to don his boots and jacket to meet up with the others. They still had to find Martin, he just hoped that they would… He double-checked to make sure he had everything on him. His wallet, creature pod, creature power suit underneath his clothes, room keys, a blue pen decorated with sea turtles that probably belonged to his brother…

*~Last Christmas, you were missing again. Just like the year before, so why am I surprised? They say this year, to save me from tears, to let my heart completely forget ya.~*

He double-checked the hallway in case Stanton would return for an encore of his spontaneous performance last night. Seeing he was safe for the time being, he left his room. He would meet up with the others in the lobby. He heard the music of that cheesy pop song fade away.

*~How could I just bring myself to forget someone like ya?~*

Waiting in the festive lobby were Koki, Aviva, Jimmy and Mikaya. "Oh hey Chris! Koki and I have an idea!" The redhead called out. Curiosity piqued, the brunette strolled over to them. "Ok Jimmy Z, shoot." The younger Kratt asked. The pilot shared a look with Koki before explaining, "You know how Martin loves arts and crafts right? So Koki looked up what was happening for today and she found a lot of artsy fairs and events going on in the city." He turned to Koki who finished for him, "So Jimmy and I thought it might be worth a shot to check them out in case Martin showed up. We do know for a fact his general path led here to NYC. So if we're lucky, we could catch him at one of these events."

Chris gazed critically at them for a moment, the logic seemed sound. Plus, they were definitely needing any possible angle they could get to find his brother. However, this seemed to be a thinly veiled attempt to get him and Aviva to forget about Martin for a while. He knew the other two crew members were looking out for him and Aviva since they got hit the most from the recent disappearance. Still, how could they celebrate Christmas without the one man who made everyday just as wonderful if not more than the holiday itself? He couldn't bring himself to do that but at the same time, what else could he come up with to track down his missing sibling?

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try." He smiled back encouragingly, concealing the fact that he would not be enjoying this plan at all. Koki took his hand, Chris allowed her to lead him on. He caught Mikaya's eyes, causing the tall New Yorker to bow her head. No, not found yet. The younger Kratt held back a sigh as he followed the rest of the group out to the waiting taxi. He blinked twice when he found the driver seat empty, his heart began to quicken as Martin's old city friend took that seat. "Oh no, Mikaya, you CANNOT be serious!!" The anxious creature adventurer pleaded as his other friends got into their seats slightly confused.

The large ravenette turned back to the smaller brunette, sunglasses poised in her right hand. "Buddy, do you WANT to find blue boi or NOT?!" "Well, we can't exactly find him if we end up smashed against a hotdog stand or stopped by a dozen police cars!!" Chris protested. Miakaya rolled her eyes as she donned her sunglasses and ignited the engine, "Don't be so dramatic Chris Kratt. Most of that crap happens in movies and if we want to get around this damn concrete jungle fast. I am driving us." "Wait!! You have a license to drive taxis right?!" Jimmy asked just in case.

"Don't worry Jimster, I'm not a rule breaker. I just follow enough instructions to get trusted enough with the good stuff. My four year career as taxi driver wasn't too shabby to say the least." Mikaya laughed heartily as she slammed the gas pedal which hit the car into high gear. The bright yellow vehicle zipped immediately from its parking spot to the next lane. Maneuvering speedily through the streets to the first craft fair at Central Park. With poor Chris screaming for his life all the way.

One hour of sketchy car driving and helpless screaming later…

Poor Chris wobbled unsteadily out of the Taxi of Doom with Koki more or less holding him up. Aviva was not as worse for wear, but she stayed a good five minutes longer than the others to get out of her seat. As for Jimmy and Koki- "That was so cool!! It was almost like we were in one of those big car chases in the movies!" Jimmy gushed as he leapt out the car grinning as if he received the two-for-one pizza special. Koki hummed in agreement as she kept a queasy Chris from collapsing into jelly. "Not too different from how my two older brothers and sister would drive in derby races." The mechanic chuckled in nostalgic amusement.

"Oh yeah! I remember we went to one of your sister's derby races! Is she still…" The Kratt pilot and Kratt mechanic chatted about cinematic races versus real-life ones. While Chris and Aviva stared at their companions as if they were creatures from another planet. Chris glared a bit at an unapologetic Miakaya, "Just why?!" He grumbled petulantly. The giantess rolled her eyes, "To be fair, I did earn that license fair and square." She counteracted as she pocketed her sunglasses.

They were fairly early, as not too many fairgoers had arrived to the main event yet. The group walked past all nine of Santa's reindeer with four of them on each side. With Rudolph himself holding up the sign for the Xmas Craft Bonanza before them. As Chris looked up at the famous red-nosed caribou, for a split second he saw Martin wearing an outrageously colored ugly sweater to go with the light bulb nose and antler headband. He shook his head as he marched past the reindeer. Focus, maybe if Christmas miracles are a thing, you MIGHT find him today.

Jimmy's cousin Hugo was waiting for them when they entered the fair. Huh. Chris definitely was not expecting another member to be added to the search party. "Just came to pitch in after Jim told me." The bulky man, whose size rivaled Mikaya's, said humbly. "Appreciate it man…" The wildlife expert replied gratefully as he noted the reddish-orange hair that he shared with Jimmy. The five-now-turned-six search party decided to split up to cover more ground. Jimmy went with Hugo, Aviva with Mikaya, and Koki with Chris. They agreed to meet up in two hours.

Chris and Koki bid their friends goodbye before taking the western direction of the fair. Christmas carols blared from the loud speakers as kids hyped on too many holidays sweets scrambled everywhere. Parents either chased after them or strolled leisurely behind without a care in the world. The stall vendors promoted their goods, their voices competing with the various entertainers. The colorful lights of countless strands of bulbs struck a very lovely contrast against the slightly gray white fade of the winter sky and snow. It should have seemed magical yet….

The music sounded too obnoxious and cringe, the kids seemed to be almost as unhinged as they ran about. The products for sale looked grossly cheap for something so high a price. The entertainers lacked flair or enough effort for their performances. The decorations looked as if they had been hauled out from the back of a forgotten warehouse responsible for rejected products. Alas, this view was all merely Chris' perspective. The guilt hammering his head and the absence draining his heart seemed to tint even his vision of the world about him. He shook his head a few times to snap out of it. Yet it seemed the world still became a little less cheerful the more he dwelled on why they were even here in the first place.

"Hey, check out these neat wood carvings!" Koki pointed out as she led Chris to a booth that displayed slick statuettes of wood. There were dark brown reindeer with bright red bows tied around their necks. Nativity scenes carved out of one single block of oak. Snowy owls made of birch, a crafty looking Grinch painted a nauseated green. Sturdy mugs of thick wood that have been specially prepared to handle hot drinks like their ceramic counterparts. Yet what caught Chris' eye was a nearly white polar bear sculpture.

He restrained himself from picking it up, considering the infamous "you-touch-you-buy" notice was set up on the table. He leaned down a little to take a proper look at it. The art piece was well done, the fangs and claws were sharply featured, yet the artist also highlighted the more majestic traits of the polar bear. Making the wooden creature appear more as a mystical protector of the wintry lands instead of a mere beast. The younger Kratt couldn't help the two sudden jolts of nostalgia he received from looking at it. Unfortunately, they both included Martin.

One memory echoed from their earliest Wild Kratt days when he and Martin were watching a mother polar bear with her cub. Well, Chris was the one doing most of the observing. Martin got bored half-way and entertained himself by carving two gigantic ice sculptures out of his snowboard alone. A polar bear facing a walrus, which coincidentally led to the bros facing off both of those creatures thanks to Zach's machinations. (Which they managed to foil like they somehow always do.) The other memory bounced from a much later period, when he and Martin's little challenge to survive the desert in Australia was joined by Koala Balloon. A pack of dingoes were attracted to the poor little marsupial. Luckily, thanks to a certain artist's quick thinking, a well-decoyed carving of a koala threw the pack off long enough for the trio to climb up for safety.

Martin….

"Let's look at something else…" Chris suggested as he took Koki's hand to lead her away. The biologist and communicator skimmed the booths they came across. Only half interested in the wares as they kept their true focus on the lookout for-you-know-who. The dark skinned ravenette also kept her eye on the lighter skinned brunette beside her. He appeared outwardly composed as she usually saw him, but she knew better by now. His eyes kept flickering away from noticeable objects that seemed to cause him discomfort. A blue quilt of snowflakes. A beachy Christmas wreath decorated with seashells. A musician strumming his guitar. The plushies of baby animals festooned with little scarves and hats…

It was cruel in a sense, they were finding all these little reminders of the man they had lost but not the man himself.

Meanwhile, Jimmy was busy scanning the eastern side of the fair. Hugo lumbering by his side, the man's great height an advantage if one were to search for someone. "Is there anything your pal likes that could probably be found here?" Hugo suggested. Jimmy quickly brought up a mental list of Martin's favorite things. "Well he does love chocolate, art, and baby animals. So let's keep an eye out for candy, art, or toy stalls." He said.

The two cousins carefully made their way through the masses of shoppers. Everyone around them were either in great spirits like the one elderly couple sharing a bench and a hot bag of chestnuts. Or still ticked off that the annual holiday didn't magically make their real-life worries go away. One example being an aging mother and her adult daughter hotly squabbling over the budget for their shopping. They spotted a few vendors that showcased items that Martin would surely like. Alas, aside from a couple of chocolate reindeer and an impressive painting of the abominable snowman chasing cameramen. The man himself was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, Jimmy noticed a bunch of kids mingling around one of the booths. He took a closer look to realize the stall was selling plushies. "Hey Hugh, let's check this real quick." "Sure, Jimster." The duo walked over to the vendor. Actually made up of four booths considering the sheer amount of stuffed animals stocked up.

The redhead pilot skimmed over the selection until one plush in particular caught his eye. The sleek and snowy white form of an ermine. Jimmy picked it up, its black bead eyes gleamed at him from the holiday lights above. It reminded him all too well of a certain critter with the same steely look. "Picking that up for someone?" Hugo asked as he walked up to his globe-trotting relative.

The latter replied, "Not exactly, this little guy just reminds me of his real-life version in the wild. They must have made these stuffed ermines with their winter coats. They change their colors for the seasons." Jimmy stared at the toy for a while before putting it back. His taller counterpart spoke up, "Did your blue friend ever encounter one of those little guys?" He gestured to the ermine.

The shorter redhead sighed a bit as he answered, "Martin named him Erminator. You know, the bros hold this great track record at breaking animal stereotypes and challenging dumb assumptions on creatures. One time Chris and Martin set out to prove to us chickadees were adept at surviving during winter. This sounds kind of stupid but it was hard to believe that birds so small could survive during the hardest season in the wilderness."

Hugo unexpectedly chuckled a bit, "Those birds must have been doing something right if they are still around for adventurous guys like you to find them." Jimmy found himself laughing a bit as well. "Yeah, that's what Chris and Martin taught us straight. Well, Martin tried but the dude is easily distracted and it was meeting Erminator that got the bros split up. So it was Chris who got to try out chickadee powers and we followed him outside for him to demonstrate them. Too bad a blizzard decided to drop in well after we were outside."

Hugo flinched, "You did come out alright I believe?" He said in a nearly convincing way. His cousin went on, "Not to scare you too much cuz, but it would have ended pretty bad for us-if it weren't for Martin and Erminator. One minute, we were freezing into living ice sculptures. The next, we were being wrapped up nice and warm by a very big and blue ermine named Martin. He had returned to the tortuga with his newest creature buddy and made himself an ermine power disc!"

His cousin eyed him, "I thought those power suits are tech-so-advanced-it-makes-the-average-person-seemed-stupid. He must be smarter than most folks give him credit for." Hugo whistled. The statement caused his shorter relative to laugh a bit. "Yeah, Martin is much smarter than he plays off as. However, Aviva's tech is not as simple as he believed.

Apparently Martin never knew that if you were using data from similar creature powers to make a new one. You had to erase the previous data before finishing the new power disc or the residual activation codes from before will cause the creature power suit to cycle back through ALL the transformations it had. You can imagine what happened the moment Martin's first disc went haywire…" The two cousins shared a laugh as they imagined an exasperated Martin being forced to bounce from one animal form to another.

Jimmy spoke up again, "Martin has a long way to go if he ever wants to catch up to Aviva in terms of creating new technology. Still, he has his own smarts and that has helped us out more times than I care to count." The pilot went silent again, trying to organize his own thoughts. Suddenly Hugo spoke up, "Hey, isn't that Ms. Mikaya and your friend Aviva over there?" Jimmy spun to see exactly where his cousin was pointing. "Oh! I think it's them alright. Funny how both you and Mikaya are giants Hugh." He joked.

"Well we are a rare sort alright." The taller cousin grinned back as they hurried to join the ladies. Mikaya looked relieved to see them when they approached. "Hey Jimmy, have you ever dealt with Vivs here spacing out?" The tall ravenette inquired with concern, a large hand resting on Aviva's shoulder. The Tortuga's pilot realized that his inventor friend had not reacted at all to their arrival.

Jimmy stepped over to what she was staring at.

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh yeah…." His face fell as he recognized what was going on. Standing before the Latina was a heavily decorated evergreen dripping with ornaments to sell. The majority of these festive creations were of baby animals. Seeing the glittery collection of little penguins, seals, polar bear cubs, and caribou must have dredged up memories of a Christmas that was almost their last. "Aviva!!" The emphasized way her name was said and the not-so-subtle shaking of her shoulders finally broke her out of her trance.

She jolted upwards to see Jimmy holding onto her shoulders, Mikaya and Hugo also present. "Oh I'm sorry!! It's just that those ornaments gave me bad and good memories." "About what?" Mikaya prodded. The scientist sighed as she recalled the unforgettable experience, "To put it shortly, the villains we often faced off against teamed up to use real-live baby animals as ornaments. For a Christmas tree. For a mall that they set up in the middle of nowhere."

Hugo stared at her as if she just summarized the conflict of a cheesy holiday cartoon. Mikaya was more vocal, "That has either got to be the stupidest or most pathetic crime ever. Or just pathetically stupid. Or stupidly pathetic. What the actual heck?!" "Not to mention all the criminal charges for the poaching and I think someone sued them for the land they built the mall on. Apparently it belonged to a movie producer who kept that land all-natural for his action-adventure flicks…." Jimmy added in.

This caused Aviva to erupt into giggles, "I remember Martin and Chris were called in to testify. When they got back, they told me the land owner was so infuriated by Zach that he punched him off his seat!!" "Why is that a surprise? That idiot does some incredibly dumb stunt every few months to give the news channels a field day." Mikaya snorted. Then she paused as she said, "So if you guys stopped those hazards to society, where were the bad memories?"

Aviva shuddered a bit, "We almost didn't." "COME AGAIN?!" Mikaya and Hugo exclaimed at the same time. Jimmy shivered from the close call as well, "Let's just say we bungled our creature rescues so badly we ended up marooned on a chunk of ice in the middle of nowhere." "So attempted murder could have been added to the criminal charges." Hugo dangerously growled. "Then how did you get out of there?!" Mikaya demanded.

Aviva hugged herself as she looked wistfully at a blue star bauble hanging from the tree. "I…I made a little gift for Martin. He's always losing things, from his socks to his sandwiches to his and even his brother's creature power suits. So I created a little keychain that would allow him to retrieve the creature power suits no matter where he left it. He didn't know that was the gift I made him but-he brought it along with him. And it was still with him when we were stuck on that ice cube.

It didn't take long for the bros to be reunited with their power vests. And since the boys always seem to have their discs on hand, we managed to get back on track. If it weren't for Martin, we wouldn't be here today." I wouldn't be here if I never met him. She refrained from saying. Just then, her creature pod began beeping. Assuming it was Koki or Chris, she answered the call and almost dropped it when she saw the caller…

Back with Chris and Koki, they came to a stall that specializes in miniature Christmas villages. "Want to take a look?" The stall owner offered as he gestured to the goods displayed. The tiny merry communities were quite cheery and different to the usual Christmas villages. One village was populated by reindeer and penguins living in harmony. Another was stylized as a festooned evergreen with the homes of the miniscule villagers being the ornaments. Yet what caught Chris' eye was a shimmering replica of a town crafted to appear as if everything were ice. His gaze fell to two tiny villagers before a glittering church stylized with delicate snowflakes and a snowy owl perched on top of the cross on the roof.

"Want to hear a secret?"

The biologist snapped up to see the teenaged seller from behind the counter. Seeing he had the adult's attention the seller went on, "I'm not religious. But a couple of my friends are. One's a Buddhist, another a Muslim, and another was raised in a Hindu family. Besides the point, one of my friends was Catholic. Told me that everytime you visited a church you had never been to before. You get three wishes. And according to what he said, no matter what you wished for one way or another, it will come true."

The logic-bound biologist eyed the miniature church he was staring at skeptically, "Sounds fanciful." The teen shrugged good-naturedly, "I know it does. But it can't hurt to have a little magic, especially on Christmas and no matter the source. And it helps to remember these little things about the people you care for the most. Especially since people can't always stay forever…" Chris recalled the earlier part of the conversation: was Catholic.

"Condolences for your loss, it must hurt." Like losing Martin for good would hurt. The creature adventurer thought to himself. The young lad blinked a bit, reminiscing about his deceased buddy. Then he said, "It does, but even if I could wish it all away, I wouldn't. I don't regret being friends with Riley, even if we didn't agree on a lot of things. Yeah, people can drive you crazy. But what's the point of life without someone to be crazy with? It's well worthwhile, to share a life with someone. And in a way his loss helps me appreciate the friends I still have. Even if we still disagree, that just means we're functioning people I guess." He snorted.

Chris chuckled along, he glanced at the tiny villagers in front of the small church. Three wishes. That was quite a lot to ask. However, if it was possible to start the Wild Kratts, for Aviva to create creature powers, for the team to have gone on as far as they had... His pessimistic side admonished him for thinking of such frivolous things. Still, if he could have a wish, he would-

"CHRIS!!!!"

Said Kratt and Koki, who had been strangely silent during the previous exchange. Turned around to find Aviva dashing madly to them. Her black hair askew, hat gone, and scarf tangled up as she held up her creature pod. "MARTIN CONTACTED ME!!!" "FOR REAL?!?!" Chris and Koki exclaimed back in stunned relief. "He already gave me the coordinates to meet up, come on!!"

Before Chris could even register what the heck was going on. Aviva grabbed his arm and basically began dragging him along in her whirlwind of impatience. Koki found herself standing shocked as Jimmy, Hugo, and Mikaya joined her. "What the fritz just happened?!" She demanded. "We should try to catch up to them!" Jimmy suggested anxiously. Together, the foursome tried to catch up, but eventually lost Aviva & Chris in the crowds.

Meanwhile, the inventor and biologist had already left the park, already plowing down the sidewalks of holiday New York. Chris suddenly halted in his tracks, causing Aviva to slam herself into him. It would have knocked him over if whatever had caught his gaze did not stop him completely. "Chris?! Come on!! We have to meet up with Martin before he gets upset again and we cannot waste any time-" "Aviva, look." The inventor whirled her head in the direction Chris was staring at. Across the street stood a cafe with only a few customers in sight. One of these customers caught the two Kratt members' attention. A downcast young man sat alone at a table near the front. Surrounded by empty mugs, half-eaten candy canes, and origami animals made from napkins.

"MARTIN?!?! But-but, but! He said to meet him at-at," Aviva spluttered in utter disbelief as she turned to Chris. There was no way that man across the street couldn't be their missing Martin. It HAD to be him. Now the real question was, should they approach him or not? Chris drew in a deep breath before he led Aviva to the crosswalk button. The two of them carefully made their way to the small eatery. By the time they neared the tables they saw a waitress hesitate to approach Martin's table. She held a tray with a couple of servings of hot chocolate festooned with candy canes, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

The waitress caught the two gazing at her customer and hurried up to them. "Ahem, pardon me. Do you happen to know the poor guy I have been drowning with cocoa for the last two hours? It's not that he hadn't paid his bill, he has. But at this rate I might end up poisoning this depressed dude with hot chocolate and candy canes…" The cafe employee expressed genuine concern. The biologist turned to the inventor, it was just as bad as they feared. "Will take it from here, thank you miss." Chris said as the two of them made their way to Martin.

The elder Kratt brother lifted up his head before they approached. He must have overheard them, no surprise. A long moment of silence followed, neither side saying a word. What could be said? Sorry for running off despite obligations and leaving behind broken hearts? Apologies for keeping secrets that undermined the trust you had for a loved one? Chris wanted so badly to run to his elder brother and beg for forgiveness. Yet the voices in his head seized him violently. Screaming as loud as they could to hold him back. Stabbing their dark accusations into his heart to make him unable to act.

Look at what you have done!

You don't deserve him, not after all the crap you pulled off him!

You led him on, you kept secrets from him, for SHAME.

You know what you did, keep him to yourself, some brother you are.

You just CAN'T live without him can you?

You don't deserve him, he has already done everything for you!!

Let him go!

You and him would be better off without-

Suddenly in an instant, the voices vanished without warning. Light pierced the darkness of his mind, warmth flooded into the frosty recesses of heart. The hollowness inside steadily being filled in as Chris finally registered the hug he had enveloped Martin in. The elder Kratt blinked before returning the hug back. All the accusations and self-deprecation in the world could not stand against this lone action. For Chris did love his brother AND it was because he loved him-he had to admit his own faults and make amends. He could no longer let the voices in his head take reign…

"I'm sorry Martin, I should have told you. Even if I didn't want to be a burden or shield you from hurt. I should have at least let you know that I wasn't okay. Or not pretend everything was ok." Chris apologized profusely. The taller blonde was silent for a few moments as he kept a hold of the shorter brunette. Finally the other brother spoke up, "I guess in a way it was inevitable…" "Hhhmm?!" Chris tilted his head and glanced up, Aviva blinked in slight shock, and the waitress who was trying her hardest not to be an eavesdropper but failing anyway could only try to not drop her tray.

Martin's light blue gaze locked onto Chris' darker brown one. He sucked in a huge breath of frosty air before explaining. "We both lived through the same dilemma didn't we? We both developed something from our shared past even if our issues turned out differently. Yet I guess the funny thing is, we both try to tell ourselves we are fine. And we assure each other we are fine. Plus, considering our lives right now despite the past month we can say we are fine but…. It's hard to shake off what shaped you, especially with what we went through wasn't fine.

It's kind of naive isn't it, to believe that the past can so easily be left behind. YET, we can't exactly get rid of something a part of us or what contributed to what eventually became us. I mean, we wouldn't have found our love for animals if our home life didn't drive us away from a normal family dynamic. It pushed me to be willing to face adversity with a smile and you to always be responsible. Yet, it didn't justify how much that dark time in our lives hurted us and the scars it still left behind."

Chris could not hold back his tears. The two of them stayed in an embrace for a few more minutes before finally moving on. "Well, I can't make any promises. But I can work on being more open and less secretive." Chris said. Martin smiled back, "And I'll try not to do anything as drastic as losing my head. Like running off."

"Exactemente…."

Both boys froze as they realized that their temporary separation had also NOT been fun for a certain scientist. Aviva was still present of course and it wouldn't be fair to leave her out of it considering their issues ended up affecting her as well. None of the boys needed to look to know how mad (but of course relieved) she was at Martin at the moment. "Uuuuhhh Chris, you'll be the spokesperson at my funeral right buddy?"

His younger sibling nodded, "Of course, and I'll make sure they play your favorite soundtrack dude. Eeerr, I'll step to the side now. Love ya bro." The brunette patted the unfortunate blonde before retreating to the side table. "Love ya too bro!" Martin's last famous words echoed before the most infuriated woman since the goddess Pele seized the guilty Kratt and began berating him in fiery Spanish.

Chris cringed as he helplessly watched Aviva unleash her fury at his brother. On the bright side, it might help Martin finally take a hint. The waitress from earlier set down a mug of cocoa which would have been Martin's 12th cup if they had not showed up. "Sooooo, you need me to grab a huge mug of chamomile tea for your brother's lady friend?" She eyed the furious senorita warily.

Chris gratefully took the cup, "And definitely some water for my bro. To revive him with. Thanks." He replied. The waitress nodded as she strided back inside the cafe to fulfill the new orders. Recollecting her thoughts on what she had shamefully eavesdropped on, something stirred within her. Before she started on the drinks. She took out her phone and sent a quick text to her sister that yes, she would be coming home for Christmas after all.

Author Notes: No, our dear Aviva won't kill Martin because that would defeat the entire purpose of finding him. However, let's just say Martin is not going to be able to run off again anytime soon. Epilogue coming up next!