The newsletter team has been writing up a storm to create 14 one shots dedicated to each of our Academy guys. Each day for the 13 days we will be posting a Christmas oneshot. Starting with the Ghost Bird team these one shots will be posted in the order of how Sang and Kaylee meet their guys. Below is the first of our 14 fics. Merry Christmas and enjoy!
On the first day of Christmas our Academy gave to us!......
Day 1.
Kota Saves Christmas by yobshabob
I looked at my team and wanted to scream. This wasn't us. This wasn't how we were supposed to react.
"I'm done. I'm out." Nathan slammed the door as he blasted out of my living room, and when I looked to Mr. B for direction, I saw the same defeated look on his face. What was happening to us?
"Actually, I think Nate has the right idea. We can't come back from this, guys. I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to go too." Victor shook his head as he stood, and turned away from us. "Gabe, you need a ride?"
Gabriel looked lost, and didn't answer. After a moment, Vic followed Nate's path, though without slamming doors or stomping. His departure seemed to be the one that broke the dam. Luke and North left right after him, and with a sad shake of his head, Si went without a word. I glanced around my living room. Mr. B and Doc weren't making eye contact with one another, and Gabe looked like a wild animal in a cage.
"We can fix this." None of them moved when I spoke, so I tried again. "Guys. We can fix this!"
Doc started mumbling under his breath in Japanese, and left without acknowledging any of us. Mr. B grabbed me on the shoulder and shook his head. "Maybe it's best you let it go, Mr. Lee. It obviously wasn't meant to be."
As I watched Mr. Blackbourne leave, it was like my hopes were being crushed right then and there.
"Fuck." I spun as Gabe started spewing venom at all of them. "They don't deserve shit if they can't even fight for what they want. Fuck them and fuck you too, Kota. You should have stopped them." He was about ten seconds away from full-blown panic. "How the hell did this happen? What did we do?"
It about broke me to see tears pooling in Gabe's eyes, and before I could answer, he bolted. A second later, I heard my car start up in the driveway, and I figured he took it.
It was over.
I stared at the empty room--at the evidence of my team--and slumped down onto the couch. Dropping my head in my hands, I started to count the squares on the rug beneath me.
1...2...3...
There had to be something I could do.
4...5...6...
Damn. It wasn't working.
12...18...24...
If I could think clearly, maybe I could find a way to salvage everything.
30...36...42...
42.
Life, the Universe, and Everything. That was it. I could fix everything if I started to work on it immediately. I wasn't giving up on my family. I wasn't giving up on Christmas!
***
With a plan in hand, I turned up Luke's favorite Christmas CD and started to make a list. First, I needed to know what exactly had gone wrong.
The food. The fridge at the diner shut off sometime over the weekend, and everything in it went bad, including the turkeys and pies. I knew it was a long shot to find a bird this late in the game. It was the 22nd, so I only had two days to get this done.
I was pretty sure the stores would be sold out of traditional Christmas dinner fare, so as a backup plan, I called Mario's to see if he could help me out. We'd saved his business last year, and though I don't believe he owed us anything, he might be willing to do a last minute dinner for the family. I'd pay him double if he could pull it off.
That task taken care of, I tried to figure out what else I could do to change things. My mom was stuck at the hospital on an eighteen hour shift. Doc was on his way down as well. There had been an outbreak of a really bad stomach bug that had half of Charleston spewing and it was all-hands on deck at the hospitals. Even Sang was down there changing IV's. With the diner out of commission until Mr. Korba could get a replacement part for the fridge, the usual Academy volunteer work was on hold as well. Maybe I could round some of the teams up to go down and help like Sang. Anyone who had basic first aid could change an IV, and the nurses could use a break.
Vic had a Christmas Eve/Day duo concert his parents sprung on him this afternoon, and I wasn't sure there was anything I could do about changing that. But maybe I could get Sang down there with him? He was different when she was in the audience. I pulled out my phone and sent off a quick message.
Me: Sang, can you get away tomorrow and on Christmas for a mission?
I knew she'd say yes to whatever I asked, especially if it was for Vic, but a new idea had me wanting to keep it a secret. My phone buzzed in my hand and I smiled at her response.
Sang: Of course, Kota. I'm there. Can you pick me up tonight and we can go over the details?
I glanced at the clock and frowned. Gabe took my car.
Me: Maybe. If I can't be there, one of us will. We'll talk over dinner.
She sent me a green heart emoji back immediately, and I grinned at my screen. Opening another message, this time to Vic, I prayed he'd answer.
Me: Vic, I need your help.
It was a minute before the message was delivered, but when he replied, it was what I expected.
Vic: What's up? Do I need to come back?
That was Vic for you. Reliable, and even though he was stressed, he'd turn around if I asked. I was about to respond when another message came in.
Vic: I'm sorry for leaving like I did. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You okay?
Me: I'm good, but I'm in a bit of a bind. The gift I got Ten isn't here yet, and the tracking says it's somewhere in Toledo. I was wondering if you could get us tickets for your concert tomorrow instead? She loves your music, and I'll get to take her to it.
I sent it and then added a bit more.
Me: For the record, I love your music too.
The ellipses danced across the screen for a full three minutes before Vic's response came through.
Vic: Yeah. I can get you tickets. Are you sure? If I'm being honest, it would be a huge relief to have you both there, but I'm worried that Jasmine or George will make it an unpleasant evening for whoever's there with me. I don't want to expose Sang to that. I know we messed up Christmas, but I really don't want to have to drag her into family drama if it can be avoided. If I got you a few extras, do you think Mr. B and Gabe would come too? My mom has me doing two concerts back to back. Gabe's a miracle worker with keeping me looking dry under the hot stage lights, and Mr. B might be able to reign Jasmine in at the end. You know how she gets.
I found myself nodding at my phone and decided to call Vic instead.
"Hello?"
"Hey, so that's a lot for you to have to carry on your own, Vic. I know that any or all of us would love to be there for you, and if you have two performances, Sang would be over the moon to get to see both."
I heard him sigh and wished he was here instead of at his house. "Kota, thanks. I know I can get as many tickets as I want, because I'll threaten my parents with a Hollywood style tantrum in front of reporters if they don't. It's all about image for them." He was quiet for a moment. "The first show's for a charity event. I'd have done it without complaint if they wouldn't have sprung it on me. It's a fundraiser for the hurricane victims. I'll do some real Christmas songs there, and really piss them off. But it will be okay, because I'll do the snobby winter songs for the second event, which is for society."
We chatted for a few more minutes and then he had to go to practice. I hated that he was roped into it, but he sounded much more excited with the prospect of us being there.
Next on my list, I called Gabe.
"What the fuck do you need?" He was grumpy and sounded like he wanted to fight. "Get with the program, Kota. Christmas is cancelled." He hung up before I could even say hello.
Crap. He really was upset. I dialed him again. "Don't hang up, Gabe. I need a favor."
Something on the other end of the line slammed. "Fucking hell! I'm so goddamned done with this shit. What the fuck do you want with me? Should I start pulling tinsel out of my ass? How about a fucking Ferrari while I'm at it?"
I rolled my eyes. "Gabe, no. You're going to love this one. Since you took my car--" I let it hang out there for a minute before continuing. The slamming stopped and it was silent enough that I checked to make sure he hadn't hung up on me again.
"Shit. Sorry. I needed to get out of there." He sounded contrite, but I wasn't calling for an apology. I didn't need one. Whatever I had was his in a heartbeat.
"It's okay, Gabe. But I need you to pick Sang up in an hour and take her to get two new dresses."
The moment he heard what I was saying, he let out a loud hoot that had me pulling the phone away from my ear while he celebrated.
"I'm taking her to Vic's concerts, but I don't want her to know it. You know the kind of outfits she'll need if she's to fit in, so I'm counting on you." I paused for a moment to let him celebrate again. "If you're willing, he wants you there too. Jasmine scheduled two in a row on Christmas Eve, not just one."
"Fuck. He's going to be drenched. Last time she had him at one of these galas, she had him playing nonstop for over two hours. Even when he plays with the symphony, he gets breaks. That shit is like running in place the whole time. He's going to need two suits, fresh everything, and maybe I can find some of that moisture wicking stuff Nate runs in for his shirt instead of a button down..."
Gabe continued for five more minutes while I made my list. There wasn't anything I could do about getting Theo here for Christmas, but I thought maybe I could arrange for him to skype with Si in the afternoon before Vic's concert. Most of Greece had been hit by a freak snowstorm that had closed the airports and stranded Theo there. Even if we could get him on a flight elsewhere, by the time he got here, Christmas would be over.
When Gabe got off the phone to go take Sang shopping, I looked down at my list. Luke and North would be okay with Mario's for dinner, and it would free them up to help out down at the hospital. Si would get to skype with Theo, and Vic would be surrounded by his real family for his concerts. I glanced out the window and wondered how I could possibly make things better for Nate.
He'd gotten his hopes up this time.
Normally, he went with whatever we were doing and was happy with it. All he usually wanted was to be included. But this time, he'd been excited, and integral in the planning. We were going to do presents Christmas morning, and then hop a plane with everyone, including the Korbas, Uncle, Jessica, and my mom. We had reserved a whole weekend at a ski resort in Georgia, but this morning, the reservations had been abruptly cancelled. The resort had an outbreak of e-coli, and was shut down for at least a week. Nate had planned it all out. There was a snowboarding boot camp, an ice village, and midnight laser tag on the slopes. Admittedly, it looked amazing, but I think it was Sang's excitement that had his spirits so crushed.
I folded the paper and put it in my pocket before grabbing my keys and jogging across the street. The lights were out, and I went straight around to the back. I've known Nate most of my life. I knew where he'd be.
As I entered the back yard, I saw the shed's door hanging open and heard a series of grunts coming from the small studio.
"Nate?" I knocked on the door, but he ignored me and continued pummeling the punching bag. "Nathan!"
He growled, and started going at the bag with both punches and kicks. "What the hell do you want, Kota?"
I was starting to get irritated with my team greeting me this way, but I shrugged it off and stepped out into the room. Sliding my coat from my shoulders, I stepped out of my shoes and walked across to Nate. "Here." I held the bag for him as he throttled his imaginary opponent. After a minute, he stopped, huffing, and glared at me.
"So what do you want? Come to try and fix everything?"
I narrowed my eyes at his unreasonable tone and pushed the bag aside, taking a fighting stance opposite him. "Of course. It's what I do."
I was surprised with the mockery in my tone, and felt the surge of adrenaline when Nate accepted my unspoken challenge and took up position.
We sparred for close to an hour before either of us were ready to talk.
"You know, Nate. I was disappointed too, but you don't see me acting like a child."
I took a long pull of water before talking again. "I want to fix this, but I can't. We'll go another time, but I realize it won't be this perfect Christmas that you've built up in your head. What do you want me to do?"
I waited, and he rolled his head a few times, letting out some of the knots in his shoulders. "I don't know, man. I mean, on the one hand, I know I'm being an idiot. But on the other? I'm pissed. This is the first Christmas where we don't have to worry about her asshole family, and I wanted to show Sang what it was really like to be free from them."
I shook my head and punched his arm. Hard. "That's just ridiculous." He gaped at me while rubbing his shoulder. "She's been free from them for almost a year now. She knows what life can be like. I mean, look at her!"
After Sang moved out permanently, she'd blossomed. She was volunteering at the hospital regularly, and taking classes that would jump her ahead if she decided to go into medicine. She did missions like a pro, and was even starting to help my mom with the women's shelter project she'd been wanting to run for years. She was perfect. A perfect Ten.
"Shit. You're right. I know you're right." Nate leaned back on his elbows and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to be that guy, but really, everything's ruined."
I shook my head and offered Nate some water. "No, it's not. I can't do anything about the resort, but what do we do best?"
He rolled onto his side and stared hard at me. "Fuck things up and overreact?"
I laughed but then shook my head. "As much as I want to say you're right, and today would be proof of that, we're even better at helping others. The hospital is bogged down. My mom said they have people sitting in chairs in the hallways with buckets and IV's." I stood and threw a towel at Nate. He was dripping. "They need volunteers down there so the nurses can get a break. Maybe you can round up some of the Academy members who are still in town and see if we can work out a rotation? Something where we can give each nurse at least two hours to see their families or just take a nap?"
When Nate looked up at me from the floor, I could see the gears turning behind his eyes. Give the man a purpose, and it would be done. I knew I could count on him if I could just get him out of his funk.
***
North and Luke were so thrilled about Mario's willingness to cook for us, that they offered to help out in his kitchen as he prepared the to-go holiday orders. When he heard what was happening at the hospital, he shut down the restaurant and put his entire staff to work filling catering pans with pastas and garlic knots, and then vowed to feed the hospital staff and volunteers a Christmas Eve feast, free of charge.
Nate got the teams working in well-oiled precision, relieving the nurses long enough so they could all get some rest and face time with their families. Gabe had Sang and Vic covered when it came to wardrobe, and when Theo connected with Mr. Korba and Si, everything seemed to take a turn for the better.
I redirected my attentions to Doc and Mr. Blackbourne and tried to figure out how to brighten their holiday. Doc was easy. As soon as he saw the stream of incoming volunteers at the hospital, he relaxed and stole Sang away for a date with the babies. After seeing his about face, I realized his sour mood had been more out of worry, and disappointment about not getting to spend any time with us. With each of us taking shifts at the hospital, he was surrounded by family.
That just left Mr. B.
He was a hard one to decipher. I didn't quite understand what had him so dejected in the first place. I knew he was looking forward to our vacation as much as the rest of us, but I didn't think it was the root of the problem. I laid my head back on the pillow as I contemplated what I could do.
Why was he so hurt?
The team would be okay. Sang was okay. No, she was perfect. Vic wasn't going to be alone, and as a family, we were going to find our footing. But he had to know that. If I saw it, so did he.
I glanced at my nightstand as my phone illuminated and reached for my glasses.
Sang: Kota, did anyone go with Owen today?
I pinched the bridge of my nose and then smacked myself in the forehead. It was the 22nd. Glancing at the clock, I amended my thought. It was the 22nd for another forty-three minutes.
Me: No. With everything going on today, I forgot. Should I call him?
Her response was immediate. The phone buzzed and zapped me for good measure. She was pissed. "Dakota Jameson Lee, that man takes care of you all every minute of every day, and you didn't even take the time to wish him a happy birthday? He turned twenty-one today, and I was counting on you all to make him feel the celebration. He's come a long way since last year, and for once, I think he was looking forward to today!"
I could hear her huffing in the background and I felt even worse.
"I know, Sang. I know. I'm going to make this right, I promise."
She was silent for a full minute before her breath evened out and when she spoke, her tone was if anything, even more severe. "You'd better, Kota. I love you guys, but I will sick Raven on you if you don't fix this."
She hung up without another word, and I jumped out of my bed. I had a lot of work to do if I was going to make this up to him. Out of everything that went wrong, I should have been able to stay clear-headed enough to remember. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I red-lined the others and told them all to meet me at Doc's. We had work to do.
***
It took all night, and most of the morning, but by the time everyone had to leave to take their shifts at the hospital, Doc's condo was a winter wonderland. We'd transformed the living room into a snowy oasis with a freshly painted mural done by Gabe depicting the lake Mr. B went to every year; frozen over and with kids skating on it. Presents were stacked neatly under the third origami tree we'd attempted, the first two becoming kindling for the fire that roared in the hearth.
The door opened, and Sang entered, pulling Mr. Blackbourne in behind her. "Oh my!"
Her hand fluttered to her mouth. She dragged Mr. B over to the mural and ghosted her fingertips over the kids skating on the pond. Gabe had really outdone himself. There were nine little boys and one blonde little girl. Each of us were represented. "Owen, this is us."
I watched as he stepped up behind her and copied her actions, tracing the little boy that was clearly him. He was wearing a suit with a maroon scarf, and glasses with a matching maroon knit hat.
"And look!" Sang's voice was heavy with emotion as she drew Mr. B's attention to the detail that had us all a little choked up. On the dock, Gabe had painted the picnic Mr. B had every year to honor his mom. Every last detail, down to the cold chicken and black tea.
Mr. Blackbourne turned and looked at us all.
"Mr. Blackbourne, I'm so sorry we didn't say this yesterday, but Happy Birthday." I handed him my gift, a set of embroidered handkerchiefs with his initials done in both maroon and grey.
"Mr. Lee, thank you. I didn't expect anything after the disappointments of yesterday." He looked over to the mural again and smiled. Truly smiled. "Thank you, Kota."
Gabe pushed his way forward and grinned at Mr. Blackbourne. "Happy Birthday! I can't believe we effed up this badly, but I want you to know we'll do better." When he unwrapped the gift, it was a hand painted card that read, "Happy Mother-Effing Birthday!" We all laughed and Gabe took a bow. "My real gift to you, Mr. B, is that I'm going to watch my go-sh darn language. I can't promise you total reform, but I'll be more aware of my surroundings when I decide to let a rant fly."
Mr. Blackbourne smiled again and placed the card on Doc's mantle. "That's all I want, Gabriel. Feel free to "let it fly" with just the family."
Gabe let out a huge breath. "Thank fuck. I don't know how much longer I was going to fucking last."
Luke stepped forward next, nudging Gabe out of the way, and handed Mr. Blackbourne a small box. "I got you the new button cameras Corey was talking about. There's a dozen in there, and Vic's already taken a look at the tech, so he can make them work for you wherever you want."
Vic stepped up next and handed Mr. Blackbourne what looked like a new tablet. "I have them synced to this, so you can watch their videos from wherever you are. It's satellite based, so you don't need wifi to use it."
Mr. Blackbourne thanked them and clipped one of the cameras to his lapel. "I want to record this. I'm with my family, and want a video I can watch again later." He turned to face Sang, and she blushed.
Si and Doc stepped forward together and handed Mr. Blackbourne a wooden box. When he opened it, there was a glass bottle filled with an amber liquid. "Not that I think you're going to take up drinking any time soon, but you're twenty-one now!" Doc pulled out the bottle and poured a small amount into the glass also contained within the box. "You need to toast it!"
To my surprise, Mr. Blackbourne threw back the whiskey with one toss of his head and kept a stoic face as I'm sure the liquid burned its way down his esophagus. "Thank you, Sean, Silas. You're right, I won't be drinking much. But should I ever be entertaining, I will have this stupendous liquor to offer up."
North grumbled and handed Mr. B a large gift bag. "This is from me and Nate. For the morning after you drink that stuff." He gestured to the booze sitting on Doc's coffee table.
Nate urged him to open the bag, and when he did, he pulled out a state of the art blender. "I have a bunch of recipes for smoothies and soups that will be perfect with that, Mr. B. It's like the one they use in that youtube series, 'Will it Blend?'. This thing could powder an iphone."
Mr. Blackbourne raised an eyebrow at the box and nodded. "Duly noted." He eyeballed Sang and pulled the blender as far away from her as possible. "We'll just keep this away from Miss Sorenson. She doesn't need any assistance in destroying phones." She blushed again, but giggled. "Nathan, North. Thank you for such a thoughtful gift."
His joking just about floored me. Sang wasn't kidding when she said he'd made progress.
Sang looked at each of us sternly for a moment before breaking out into a heart-stopping grin. "Okay, none of you have to sleep with Max."
Mr. Blackbourne then did something that was even more shocking than the smiling, drinking, or use of humor. He smirked at me and then dipped Sang into a low sweep. He grabbed the back of her waist with one hand, and cradled her neck with the other. His voice lowered to a whisper, as he said something just for her, and without warning to any of us, locked lips with her in a pose that looked like something out of a Humphrey Bogart film.
We all gaped.
Mr. Blackbourne had staunchly maintained a distance between him and his Miss Sorenson, and was the only one of us who hadn't kissed her yet. When they came up for air, Gabe and Doc hooted, and the rest of us laughed at Sang's flushed cheeks and Mr. B's beaming grin.