Tira held tightly to the handrails as she walked slowly down the stairs of the Stellar Church. It had been a week since Milphey took her out of the tank of green goo, and she had been trying to recuperate the best she could. She looked down at her side where the vampire sorcerer had bit a chunk out of her and she was thankful that it was finally healing. Tira was tired now and she wanted to sit down. She'd had enough walking today.

"Tira." Carrot's upbeat voice caused her to snap her head up and she found Carrot standing before her. He held out a tiny wrapped package with a small red bow.

"What's that?" Tira asked while blankly staring at the package.

"It's a Christmas present." Carrot said. He held the package closer to her face.

"It's Christmas already?"

"Uh huh. Open it."

Tira carefully untied the bow and was careful to unwrap the package without destroying the pretty wrapping. She took off the lid to see a shimmer of gold on white felt. She picked up the tiny object, a tiny gold key on a chain. Carrot smiled the widest smile Tira had ever seen. "Now you have the key to my heart."

"Oh, Carrot." Tira hugged him, but winced forgetting that her wound was not quite healed.

Carrot held her arms and looked deep into her eyes. "When you were attacked, I was so scared. I couldn't imagine losing you like I did Marron." Carrot lowered his eyes as he mentioned his brother's name. "But it helped me realize how important you are to me. I love you."

Tira smiled brightly and hugged him again, more gently this time. "Carrot, I'm so happy. I wish I had something to give you."

"You already did, Sweetie."

Deep within the forest where no man had yet to disturb the wild, Fry's house stood alone. The seven-member team of the Kabal and one little girl were inside the house speaking of a very important event.

"Excuse me? What is this again?" Steel asked. She cocked one brow at the petite sorceress before her.

"It's called Christmas. It's a time of giving and caring and joy and love…" Meringue rambled.

"…And wearing stupid hats and singing lame Christmas Carols." Beau added. Meat laughed at Beau's remark.

"It's a time to forget all of our differences and love all mankind." Meringue continued.

"And Werewolf kind." Virginia said.

"Yes, Virginia, that too." Meringue took off Beau's top hat despite his "Hey!" and slipped several pieces of paper into it. "We are going to do a gift exchange. Each one of you will draw a name out of this hat and you must present a gift for that person. When you buy the gift you will wrap it up and put it under this Christmas tree." Meringue pointed to the tree in the corner decorated with candles, strings of popcorn, and tiny silver bells.

"I was wondering what you were doing to that poor tree." Steel said.

"Meat helped me with it last night. Now you must not let anyone know whom you are buying for. I want you to go out and buy presents. That's an order from your leader!"

Later, in the town that was bustling with people buying presents and bells ringing for charities, Beau, Meat, Marron, and Virginia went Christmas shopping.

"Shopping sucks. What do you get the angsty werewolf hunter who steals everything?" Meat complained.

"You got Vash? I feel for you." Virginia put her hand on Meat's shoulder.

"Hey," Beau said. "According to Meringue's rules we are not supposed to tell who we've got."

"Which means she won't notice if we trade. Who do you have?" Meat tried to look at Beau's paper but Beau stuffed it in his pocket. Then a xylophone pounding out a familiar tune distracted him. "What is that obnoxious noise?"

"Christmas Carols." Answered Marron. I remember this song. My mother used to sing it every year while we put up the tree. It was her favorite." Then Marron began to sing along with the music. "Silver Bells. Silver Bells. It's Christmas time in the city."

Virginia sang the next line. "Ring a ling. Here them ring. Soon it will be Christmas Day."

Meat belted out the next lines. "City Sidewalks. Busy sidewalks. Dressed in holiday style." Marron joined him in, "In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing. People passing. Seeing smile after smile. And on every street corner you'll here."

Virginia prepared to sing and finally Beau joined along. "Silver Bells. Silver Bells. It's Christmas Time in the city. Ring a ling. Here them ring. Soon it will be Christmas Day."

At the end of the song, a small boy wearing an oversized stocking cap pulled Marron's sleeve. "Do you know any more?"

Gateau and Chocolate had been traveling for days. The wind had a slight chill and Chocolate pulled her turquoise jacket closer together. "Éclair should be nearby. Thank you for coming with me, Chocolate." Gateau said.

"It's no problem, Gateau, really. I want Éclair to be safe just as you do."

"Christmas is almost here."

"I know." Chocolate thought back to holidays at the Glaces' home. Apricot made cups of hot cocoa that Chocolate always burned her tongue on the first sip. Tira would try to open her presents early. Carrot would stay up at night and look for the ever-elusive Santa Claus. For an instant, she wondered what Rei Chi was doing this Christmas. Was he with his family celebrating? Did he celebrate Christmas?

"What are you thinking?" Gateau asked.

" I was thinking about Rei Chi and what he was doing this holiday season."

Gateau remembered Rei Chi. He was the guy Chocolate had been so smitten with since their trip to Perdone. "Do you love him?" Gateau asked.

"I have strong feelings for him. They are feelings I can't explain. I miss him." Chocolate looked into the snow. The gentle flakes were white lace in her red hair, making her look almost angelic. "I have dreams about him. There's this one dream I have over and over. Carrot and I are finally getting married. I walk down the aisle in my satin gown and met my groom with a smile on my face. I look into his eyes and suddenly Carrot becomes Rei Chi. When I awake from my dream I always want to go back to sleep to finish it."

She looked back at Gateau. "I want to see Rei Chi again. He said he would wait until Carrot makes his decision. He has. Carrot wants to be with Tira."

"It's not right to be with Rei Chi if it's on the rebound." Gateau pointed out.

"I'm not on the rebound, Gateau. I can't be on the rebound if I never had the ball."

Suddenly a body flew through the air. It was a white haired man with dark eyebrows. He landed right in front of Chocolate and she rushed to his side. Gateau followed her. "Are you okay? What happened?" Chocolate held the man's head in her hands. His mustache was covered in blood and a few of his teeth were missing.

"M…M…Marron." The man said before he took his last breath. His head fell in Chocolate's hands.

"Did he say what I thought he just said?" Gateau asked in astonishment. "I thought I heard Marron."

"You must've heard wrong. I must've heard wrong. It couldn't be." Chocolate said.

"Why would he say Marron if…" Gateau began but was cut off by a deep growl. Then the devilish vampire sorcerer leapt from out of the dark, landing in front of Chocolate and Gateau. Chocolate Struck at him with her garrote but did little damage. Gateau ran at him with his fists, but his punch only broke his hand. "Ahhhh! I should've learned the first time."

"Let's get out of here!" Chocolate said. She dropped the dead man then she and Gateau took off running. The vampire sorcerer bounded after them, but was easily distracted by a much easier meal of a doe and her fawn. Chocolate watched in horror as he devoured the two animals. Gateau and Chocolate then ran as fast as they could to the next village.

The presents were wrapped under the Christmas tree and Meringue beamed brightly. Christmas was going exactly how she wanted it too. Everyone was laughing and having fun. Some of it was because Meat put a little too much rum in the eggnog, but still everything was going splendidly. "It's time to open presents!" She announced with glee.

"Presents? This calls for a song." Beau pretended to get into tune and he and Meat raised their eggnog while singing incredibly off key "Joy to the world, the teacher's dead. We barbecued her head!"

"Shut up." Steel hit Meat in the side. Meringue held out presents to everyone. "Who should go first?" Steel asked.

"Everyone can open at the same time if they wish." At Meringues statement, paper started flying. Steel held up her present. It was a helmet with spikes on all sides. It was bronze and had many intricate designs all over it. She smiled with glee. "Who gave me this?"

"I'm afraid that was me." Beau said. "I know you didn't get he crown you wanted. I hope this is a good substitute."

"I love it. Thank you."

Virginia came up to them with a silver spiked collar around her next. "Check this out. Isn't it cool?" Steel smiled. She wasn't sure if Virginia would like the gift or take it as an insult.

Sourdough walked up to her father. "I didn't have any money to buy you anything so I drew you a picture." She got up on Meat's lap and pointed at the subjects. "That's me and that's you." The picture showed two stick figures. The big one held the little one in his arms. A big heart was drawn in the middle and several little hearts were all around the pair. Meat was almost brought to tears by his daughter's picture. Maybe he didn't lose anything in the years he hadn't seen her.

"It's wonderful sweetie. It's the best thing anyone has ever given me."

Vash knew it was a sword the moment he saw the horrible wrap job. He opened it and looked at it. "A sword." He said. Meat came over.

"No, it's cool. Look at this." Meat said three words in ancient Famishing and spikes jutted from the blades and handle. "It's got a spirit in it that lets it do cool things when you say certain words. We found it at a weird sidewalk sale." Vash looked again at the sword, much more impressed this time. He nodded his approval, which was enough for Meat.

"Hey, where's my gift?" Beau asked. Virginia came up to him and whispered in his ear.

"You'll get yours later tonight." She said in her sexiest voice. Beau felt a tingle in his groin as her breath caressed his ear. He was surprised, yet intrigued. What a great Christmas.

"Marron, come here." Meringue grabbed his arm and led him to her room. Puzzled, he watched as she opened a chestnut drawer and pulled out a branch of a tree. She handed it to him. "Here." He was completely baffled over why she would give him a tree limb, but as he rolled it around in his hands, he finally found the meaning.

"You got this at the magic tree." He stated.

"The one that blooms every ten years? Yes, I did." She sat down on the bed and explained further. "When I visited it, it wasn't yet in bloom but I wanted to take a piece with me. I loved the magic and the legend behind it. Unlike so much magic, it was the magic that inspired lovers to engage their greatest whim. The tree meant something to me, and when you were kind enough to stay with me on the night of my birthday I found out it meant something to you too. I want you to have it."

"Thank you. I don't know what to say." Marron looked down at the twig that had had not decomposed even a day from when it was taken. On the end was a bud that promised to bloom when the ten years were up again. This tree was in his hometown. He and Carrot, along with Chocolate and Tira, had many good times playing at the tree. He looked at Meringue with much emotion in his eyes. "Now it is time for me to get your present."

From a tree high above the town, Meringue sat on a limb overlooking the quaint village. It was late at night and the snow was still falling, but Marron had taken her out there to see her present. The door of the closest cottage opened and a black haired woman stepped out. She swept away some snow off the front walk. Meringue recognized her immediately. "That's my mother." She turned back to Marron. "I haven't seen her in so many years. I always wondered if she was doing all right."

"You speak of your mother much. I know that you must miss her." Marron said. " I took the liberty of going through Fry's files myself and discovered the last town she lived in. It didn't take me long to find her. People should not be kept from their families."

Meringue wanted to cry. Marron had given her the greatest gift-the chance to see her family again- and she was keeping him from his. She wanted to spill out everything at that moment. She wanted to tell him that Carrot was alive and well and that it was all a plan to keep him form leaving. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Was it her loyalty to Fry? Was it her role at the Kabal? Or was she afraid of losing him?

"Would you lie to speak to her?" Marron asked. She thanked the heavens he couldn't read minds.

"No. I mustn't. She thinks I'm dead. To find me alive now after so long….it could ruin her mind."

"I understand." Marron said. Then a little boy with red hair bounded out the door. He made a snowball and threw it at his mother, giggling before going inside again.

"I have a brother. I never knew I had a brother." Meringue smiled. "Thank you, Marron, for doing this for me." She whispered. She put her arms around him in a big hug. He was startled by her sudden reaction, but found himself hugging her back.

"Merry, Christmas, Meringue."