A Pinstripe Christmas

"Look at it come down…" Okira said as she glanced out the window, setting down a bowl of mixed cookie dough.

Aime turned and watched out the window; partly amazed at the white fluffy snowflakes coming down from the sky. It was something she hadn't seen before as she lived in the desert. "Snow?"

Sam nodded, partly concerned of getting snowed in. "Excuse me a moment, I should go let Tony know, and let him and the guys get home before it gets too bad." She said, wiping her hands off on a towel before exiting the kitchen out into the sitting area. "Hey Tony!" She cheerfully called. "Want to go home early?"

Tony looked up from the piano. "Why? What's going on boss?"

"Have you looked outside? The blizzard that they were calling for has arrived." She said. "I just don't want you or the guys to get stuck in the storm, especially on Christmas Eve."

"Are you sure? What about our guests?" he asked as the rest of the band listened, almost anxiously.

"Yes, I am sure." Sam said firmly. "A blizzard is something that I won't mess with, and you're close to home and I would hate for you to not be there with your families for Christmas morning.  As for our guests, they have all traveled great distances, and I will figure out something. I would hate for them to travel in this, especially Aime and Vulpes, who haven't dealt with this." She smiled. "Now go on, before it gets worse!"

Tony smiled. "As long as you're sure. If you need anything-"

"I know, Tony, you'll be here. But I think I can manage." She said. "Don't fret about it. If there's anything to fret about is forgetting that lovely piece of shiny for your wife. Be sure to grab it." She said with a sly smile.

"You're the best, Sam, you know that." He said, as Sam used some connections to help him get a beautiful necklace for his wife for Christmas at a discount.

"Sometimes, it's nice to hear." She replied. "Now off with you!"

"Yes ma'am!" he said. "Pack it up boys!"  

Vulpes overheard Sam and Tony, and turned to look out the window. "What's that?!" he exclaimed, setting his drink down on the bar in disbelief.

"Snow." Aoshi answered plainly, taking another sip of his tea.  

Sam turned to the men at the counter. "I bet you haven't run into this out in the Mojave." She teased.
Vulpes shook his head. "At least not coming down at this rate…"

"The weather report said that we're going to get quite the storm, a blizzard…and I'm not about to send you out into a storm like this to go home. You have too far to travel, and I don't want you to take your lives in your hands to travel in this." She said with firm concern, and smiled. "You may just have to spend the night here."

Aoshi nodded. "Thank you. Have you heard from Jin?" he asked curiously, as Jin had mentioned that he was going to be a bit late as work pulled him and Turan to work some extra hours.

Sam shook her head. "I hope that they don't run into trouble." She said with concern. She was not much older than any of her guests, but almost saw them as her own siblings or children. "Keep an eye out for them, will you Aoshi? I must return to the kitchen before those ladies burn the cookies."

"Yes." He replied.

"Will Turan be coming too?" Vulpes quietly asked.

Aoshi looked over at the other man, and back to his tea. "I would think so, but be grateful for Aime." He warned. Since Vulpes arrived, he had been eying Turan before Aime was fully part of the group.

Vulpes looked curiously at the tall man beside him and nodded. Though the two men had little in common, they seemed to enjoy a comfortable quiet with the occasional small talk.

Sam walked into the kitchen to find Aime and Okira engaged in an odd conversation.

"Why not just ask him?" Okira questioned, for what seemed for the umpteenth time.

"Because…" Aime indignantly replied, hoping she would drop the subject that just came up in passing.

"That's still not a good answer…." Okira remarked.

"What's going on?" Sam inquired.

Okira sighed. "Aime would like to dance with Vulpes, but she hasn't given a good enough answer as to why not. "

"Legion." Sam said. "It's that he's a Legionary, isn't it?" Sam had listened to each of the different worlds that everyone belonged in, and the newest was the Mojave Wasteland.

Aime nodded. "I don't think he knows how, so what's the point in asking?" she asked, slightly annoyed that something so miniscule in her mind had become into such a big topic.

"I haven't given up on Aoshi, but I know his answer, and it's not because he doesn't know how, but because he refuses to." Okira said. "Don't give up before you even try. Plus, forget the guys. We can show them!" She said with a smile.

"I have to agree with Okira on this one…" Sam said, placing her hands on Aime's shoulders. "Just give it a shot, but first, let's clean up our mess and finish the cookies."

Aime nodded as she helped drop cookie batter onto sheets to be placed in the oven. She was almost pleased that Turan had not shown up, as it caused some friction between her and Vulpes.

Just then, the door of the kitchen came swinging open. "Cookies without me?!" Turan teased.
Sam and Okira hugged her carefully to not get the batter on her coat. "Thought you weren't going to make it!" Sam said relieved that Turan and Jin made it safely.

"We ran into quite the storm, and if we had been any later, I think the roads would be nearly impassable."  Jin said, standing in the doorway. "Let me take your coat, Turan. I'll go hang it up for you."

Turan nodded as she took off her coat, and handed it to him. "Thanks, Jin." She said as she smiled sweetly at him.

He nodded. "I'll let you ladies to your own devices." He commented as he turned. "Although I don't think it would be a good idea…"

All four women shot him a teasing scowl. Jin smiled once again at Turan and left.

"I see things have seem to have gotten *ahem* closer than the last time we saw you." Okira teased.

Turan smiled, nearly blushing. "Well, somewhat. We've got to keep it professional for now, but it seems that we may be working together longer than we had originally thought, and I have a suspicion that our enemies may have something up their sleeve." She sighed and smiled. "But it's been like this lately. It may have something to do with Vulpes too." She added.

"Men are funny like that." Sam commented. "A little bit of jealousy can be healthy. In this case, it's bringing you closer together." She said, placing the sheets in the oven and setting a timer.

"I suppose you're right." Turan said as she washed her hands. "How are things, Aime?" She asked, hoping that there wasn't too much strain between the two of them. She did not have any interest in Vulpes at all, but he seemed to take an interest in her upon his arrival.

Aime nodded. "Alright. I'm just trying to figure out how everything will work out. The Mojave is quite unforgiving. But, I'm hoping I can tip the odds in my favor." She commented with a smile. She didn't really care if Vulpes was attracted to her in the past or not, and didn't see a reason to be upset with either of them.

"Good." Turan said with a smile.

"I'm just so glad you made it." Sam said, smiling at the resolved situation. "However, I don't think I will let you back out in this mess. It's supposed to continue through the night."

"Fine with me." Turan said. "There's no way I'll be going back into that…"

"Can't say I can blame you." Okira commented. "It seems to be the sticky stuff too. Good for snowmen."

"Or snowball fights." Turan teased, as they could start to smell the aroma of the Christmas cookies come from the oven.

The sweet smell wafted through the air out into the sitting area as Jin settled down at a table, and called Aoshi and Vulpes to join him. "Man,that smells good."

Aoshi nodded. "The cookies should be done soon." He said, sitting next to Jin at the table.

He nodded. "They were putting them into the oven when Turan and I arrived."

"Sam has informed us that none of us are going anywhere tonight." Vulpes commented, sitting across from him. "I don't see why not."  Both Aoshi and Jin looked at him as though he was insane. "What?"

"That stuff is sticky out there, and if it freezes tonight, the whole place will be nothing more than a skating rink by morning. It was nearly impossible to get here." Jin commented. "We'll be lucky to get out of here by spring."

"He's right." A gruff voice came from behind them, bottle in his hand and walked from the other side of the room.

"You've already been into Sam's stash?" Jin questioned.

"Hells yes!" Mankuren stated in a near-drunken stupor. "No sense in letting a little snow stop that eh?"

Jin rolled his eyes. "You're so going to drink yourself to death one of these days." he mumbled.

"He's already been passed out once." Aoshi stated coolly. "Maewyn had to turn him over so he wouldn't drown in his own vomit."

Mankuren began to shout "Ain't my fault none of you can hold your-." He was shushed by a finger of a woman pressed to his lips.

"I think you've had enough…" Maewyn commented as she attempted to pry the bottle out of his hand.

"I ain't had enough woman!" He shouted.

"MANKUREN!" Elocin called sharply. "Show some respect for those around you and our host."

All of them looked over to her as she stood across the room. Mankuren scowled at her for a moment, but then surrendered the bottle to Maewyn. He had not heard his Lady speak like that, and Miguel stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head as his friend. "What's in this stuff anyway?"

Elocin's voice sent shivers down Vulpes' spine at her commanding presence, reminding him of why his hostile takeover failed. Not only were most of the characters fighters of varying degree, but the women were far from docile.

Sam emerged from the kitchen with a plate full of cookies. "Mankuren got into the Egg Nog again, didn't he?" She said sighing, but was not surprised in the slightest.
All nodded.

"That's alright. I just didn't think he'd start drinking this early… anyway, there are hot cookies if anyone wants any." She said, placing the cookies on the table where Aoshi, Jin and Vulpes were seated. Aime, Turan, and Okira followed with several other varieties, placing them on the bar before joining the group.

Sam pulled out the Christmas Records and played them on the Record Player as they all sat down and enjoyed the company. There was a roaring fire in the hearth, warming the Lounge as Miguel and
Mankuren kept a watchful eye on it while playing a couple hands of poker with Elocin and Aime.

Vulpes, Jin and Sam all played blackjack while Turan and Okira talked over different philosophies, occasionally bringing in Aoshi to add in a differing opinion. The thought of a dance was lost in stories and games.  

A knock at the door startled them, as the snow had drifted up to the base of the window.
Sam curiously went to the door to open it, checking the sign in the window, making sure it showed the "Closed" sign clearly. She slowly opened the door as almost a foot of snow had packed itself at the base of the stairs, and a package was left out in the snow. She looked around briefly finding no tracks in the snow. She took hold of the package, and carefully picked it up, but to her surprise it was very light. She turned, and closed the door behind her.  The package was wrapped in shiny green paper, tied with a big, red velvet bow.

"What's that, Sam?" Jin called, watching Sam's curious reaction.

"A package." She said quietly. "It doesn't seem to weigh anything though."

"Well, who is it for?" Miguel questioned, as everyone anxiously waited for the answer.

"Well…" Sam set the package down on the table, and everyone gathered around. She looked around for a tag, which was on the other side of where she was looking. Turan pointed it out to her. Sam took the loose card off the top, as an elegant script read each of the names that were present. "…all of us." She said curiously.

"What?" Aime interjected, holding out her hand to inspect it. Sam agreed, handing it to her. "To: Aime, Aoshi, Elocin, Jin, Maewyn, Mankuren, Miguel, Okira, Sam, Turan, and Vulpes." She read aloud as she shifted the envelope in the light to read the silver script, and handed it back to Sam.

"Will you open the envelope?" Elocin's elegant voice seemed to echo everyone's curiosity and anticipation.

Sam nodded as she carefully opened the sealed envelope, and read it silently to herself once as a more befuddled expression crossed her face. "This doesn't make sense…" she quietly murmured.

"What does it say?" Maewyn's quiet voice cut through the silent anxiety.

Sam looked up at the group with a confused expression, before reading the strange note:  "Old secrets will die, An innocence revived; Interest renewed, Chaos will Ensue; Haunting memory replayed, A Debt repaid; Emotions found, Love abound; Things can't get much worse, A haven from a prying force…Do not open until Christmas Morning, Heed this warning."

"What is it? Some kind of riddle?" Mankuren gruffly inquired, looking at the group from in front of the hearth.

"Not quite sure…" Okira added. "Is there anything else?"

Sam shook her head, handing the note to her. "Nothing."

Okira showed it to Aoshi as they read the contents over again. "It's not of any origin I can think of…" Aoshi finally said, gauging the lettering, penmanship, and overall content. Okira shook her head in agreement as she passed it to Jin and Turan, whom moved it between them and Aime and Vulpes to also take a look at it, all having the same reaction.

"Huh. It's quite encrypted for something so seemingly simple." Aime commented.

"I wonder what it means…" Jin added.

"Well, all of which could happen to any of us at any time, or it might be what may happen if the package was opened before Christmas Morning." Turan reasoned, placing her hand on Jin's shoulder.

Jin responded by placing his own on hers, bringing slight color to his face.

"This is true." Okira confirmed.

"Why not just open it?" Mankuren blurted out.

"You typically don't open something that comes with a warning." Aoshi commented.
"….especially since there's lines like 'Chaos will ensue' or 'things can't get much worse.'". Vulpes added, taking another look out at the rapidly falling snow.

"Even with those lines, it's something we've all dealt with in one way or another, and probably will in the future anyway." Mankuren countered.

"We will heed the warning." Elocin's voice seemed to ring. "Why add undue hardship?"

Sam nodded. "That settles it. It will not be opened until morning, which is only a few short hours away by technicality. Why don't we just put it under the tree for now, and let it be. I'm sure the answers lie within the box itself, and it's not like we are going to be in the dark forever." She said, as she took the box and placed it under the tree.

Turan yawned. "I think I'll turn in soon. I don't think I can keep my eyes open any longer."

"Of course. You and Jin can share the guest room in the back." Sam said. "There should be plenty of room for you back there."

"Thanks." Turan said with a smile as she headed in that direction. "Goodnight, all!" she called, glancing at Jin for a brief second before turning and walking towards the doorway, granting him a small smile.

Jin followed her to a doorway before softly calling her name.

Turan turned, facing him, alone in the hallway.

"I uh…Merry Christmas" he said nervously.

Turan took a step towards him, timidly placing her hand upon his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Jin." She said as she seemed to come closer to him.

Jin cautiously moved closer, as she did until their lips seemed to touch, as they lost themselves in each other and a blissful kiss. 'Emotions found, Love Abound'

***

"Aime and Vulpes, once you are ready, you're welcome to have my room." Sam said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Aime asked curiously.

"Positive." Sam verified.

"Very generous of you." Vulpes commented.

"I figure it would be nice for you to not sleep out on the desert sand for once." Sam said, nearly shooing them in that direction.

Both complied, retreating to Sam's room upstairs above the candy shop.

Aime went to change into pajamas, and when she returned, she found Vulpes already in bed, shirtless. His brown suit was neatly laid out on a chair in the corner of the room.

She sighed as she climbed into the other side of the bed, turned off the light that was on the nightstand beside her. She shifted, allowing her back to his, and closed her eyes.

It wasn't long before Vulpes shifted his entire position, and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Vulpes?!" Aime wearily called, confused at his action.

"Mmmn?" he murmured sleepily. "We don't have to worry here."

Aime searched her mind for what he might be referring to, but was at a loss. "What?" she seemed to settle, comfortable in his grasp.

"No spies, no Legion, no worries." He whispered in her ear, breathing in the scent of her hair. "Things can't get much worse, a haven from a prying force." he quoted.

She smiled and turned to face him, pushing his shoulder down so he was now on his back rather than side, and placed her head on his bare chest, curling up to him, and wrapping one of her legs around his. "A haven." She quietly said as she was being lulled to sleep by the beating of his heart.

Vulpes wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't accustomed to being moved like that, but it was comfortable, and he was just pleased to have her there without a care.

***

Elocin had won the sofa to sleep on in the poker game with Miguel, though he was glad to give it up for her. "Goodnight, My Lady." He said as he curled up on the floor next to her sofa, as though he was her guardian.

She reached down, and took hold of his hand. "Pleasant Dreams, Miguel." Interest Renewed

"Hey! Look what I found!" Mankuren exclaimed as he found the confiscated bottle of Egg Nog.

"Chaos will Ensue" Maewyn commented as she again, attempted to pry the nearly empty bottle away from him. However, it wasn't long until he was once again passed out on the floor, snoring loudly. She sighed, and draped a blanket over him as she curled up next to him.

***

Aoshi sat in front of the fire after offering to keep an eye on it through the night. Okira came up behind him placing a blanket across his shoulders. He smirked as he thought back when she had done this many years before. "Thank you." He said quietly.

Okira nodded. "The night kind of reminds me of when we were children, alone, braving the cold and fighting to survive."

"I had the same thought." He commented, looking at his companion.

"But I knew we were going to make it through it all." She said as she leaned herself against his shoulder.

"Oh?" he asked, as he placed his arm around her.

"I knew we could make it through anything because I had you." She commented quietly, resting her head on his shoulder.

Aoshi smirked. " Old secrets will die"
She smiled back at him "An innocence revived"

***

It was early Christmas Morning when Sam woke, nearly six o'clock, though the drifted snow had covered the windows in the basement lounge, it seemed to be earlier. She wearily stumbled to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee and boil water for tea. She hoped that her guests slept better than she did, as the poem kept replaying in her mind, and how parts of it could affect each of their lives.

She walked over to the Piano, and though no one had stirred yet, she lifted the cover on the piano to expose its keys. Softly, she began to play as she bore her soul in the music. Haunting memory replayed She thought of how difficult life was to her, and how she was thankful to share life with those around her. A Debt repaid

As the music seemed to shift from a quiet, yet dark melody in a minor key, it slowly began to modulate to a happier tune. The major key seemed to stir within her guests, as they seemed to wake, and join her by the piano, one by one. By the time she opened her eyes, all of them were around her grand piano, with a comfortable smile or smirk on their faces, as each of them seemed to hold a piece of the encrypted message that had baffled them the night before.

Wordlessly, Sam turned and reached for the mysterious package under the tree. She pulled carefully at the ribbon, and lifted the lid to find nothing more than a scrap piece of paper with a note scribbled on it.

"The best things in life, aren't things."