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Hey everyone. Well...what can I say about the lack of time between chapters--aside from an emphatic apology for it: life became rather hectic, but I hope everyone is still very on board for the story! Either way--I'll quit the little narrative now: hope you enjoy the chapter--if you have any suggestions, thoughts, criticisms leave them below! Enjoy!

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"Chris...oh Chris," Marion said in a sing-song way as he entered the pup's room. He held the device in his paws up to his eye, looking through and smiling happily.

Chris mumbled to his father, knowing the occasion but still treasuring his sleep. It was harshly interrupted by a blinding flash; having closed eyes didn't make it any less annoying.

Parents.

They don't understand the importance of sleep! They think that it's OK to be up at seven in the morning as if that was just a regular hour that everyone should be up at. Chris scowled in his sleep, sure it was that 'coffee' drink his father guzzled in the mornings that he could never stand the bitter flavor of. Even Christmas wasn't a safe day to sleep in.

"Come-on sleepy pup!" Marion said jubilantly, shaking his son's leg, "Let's go see what Santa Claus brought!"

Chris mumbled again, tossing in the bed a little. He wasn't angry; he couldn't really be angry at his dad, but at the same time he was still tired from getting in so late last night. Just like every Christmas they went back to his old home for Christmas-Eve. He got to see his uncles, his aunt, his grandparents, and everything. It was a nice time--the only things that dreaded were when someone would mention his mother and how tough it must be on him.

Of course it was tough. How could it not be? Did they think saying 'Oh, I know it must be so tough during this time of year' make it better? Did it?

"Come-on Chris!"

Chris was silently thankful for the interruption into his morose thoughts--not wanting such things to be the first thing he thought of in the morning. He slowly poked his head out from under the covers, seeing his father's smiling face and giving a small sigh.

"You're up!"

"We didn't get in till two last night Dad..."

"And it's nearly nine," Marion replied with a grin, one that was so slightly contagious enough to get a smirk out of his son. Of course, the fact that it was Christmas was good enough to put a smile on anyone's muzzle he thought. No work, sleeping in; what could be better? He took another picture, getting a grimace from the pup before beginning to back out of the room, "Well, I'll be downstairs, come on down soon, OK?"

Chris 'harumphed' a yes back to his dad before nestling closer to his pillow, letting out a content sigh as he did. He wasn't sure if much time passed, that 'in between feeling' was really strong; like he wasn't quite awake, but he wasn't asleep either. Still, ever so slowly he managed to rub the sleep from his eyes as he sat up at the edge of his bed.

A minute later, with his blanket draped around his shoulders and a gift in paw, Chris made his way down the stairs with a slightly less sluggish step than normal. It was Christmas after all, so why not throw a bit of pip into his step? Still, he felt an extra hour of sleep would've done plenty of good, but he could always go back to sleep later in the day.

Another flash. Chris grimaced, even if he was rather used to the fact that his father liked to bombard him with pictures during these occasions; his mother had done the same. Once he was more awake it wasn't so bad though.

"See anything you like?" Marion asked, waving to under the Christmas tree where there was a small assortment of gifts and a filled stocking. He had his own filled stocking and a small present for himself.

Chris looked at the pile and felt a small smile cover his muzzle. No matter the age, opening presents was a fun task. His tail even had a slow wag about it as he made his way over to the pile and plopped down to begin picking his way through. Upon first picking up a package another flash hit him--though he had expected it and was rather used to them now.

For the next bit of time they opened presents, Marion smiling kindly at the fact the pup had bought him a present himself--sort of. The pup got the money for the present from him, but the fact that Chris had chosen to spend the money on him made that fact non-existent. The thankful hug he got from the pup was also quite nice--though he was rather shocked Chris hadn't noticed his final present. "Chris,"

"Yeah?" Chris asked, peering over a book his father had bought him, wondering if he'd have time to read it before school started back. His father just flicked an ear to the side in reply, and when he followed it he found an odd box-shaped structure wrapped up.

"You still have one last present," Marion told the pup with a chuckle; not blaming his son for not noticing. After all, he never put presents in the corner of the room. There was one last familiar sound of wrapping paper being torn away, though with the addition of Marion's tail swatting against the back of his seat. This was the big gift this year after all--he had spent a lot of time trying to find something right.

Chris stared at the instrument in front of him, knowing exactly what it was but not entirely sure he believed it either. His dad had put a frame around the nice looking keyboard fresh from some box or place. He knew exactly where it was from--the mall, the music shop, second window on the right, and a nice price tag to go along with the sleek red metal of the keyboard's frame.

"Merry Christmas Chris," Marion said from behind the pup, imaging the lack of reaction was either from shock or just his son being a teenager trying to not seem impressed. He certainly hoped the pup was impressed. He knew Chris had wanted the keyboard; it was--after all--the item the pup stared at every time they went to the mall, the item Chris talked about for some hours on end, the one they went into the store to see if he could play on it, and so much more.

"Now...I know you don't want to get rid of your current piano," Marion told the pup, knowing it was entirely precious to his son because it was from his mother, "So...I was thinking--if you want that is--that we could put the current one somewhere else. It can stay in your room if you want, or we can find somewhere in the house for it; we won't just put it up and away though. And now you can use this one for practice and that sort of thing. I mean, if you want to continue practicing on that one then you can too,"

He had obsessed over it quite a bit, what he was going to be doing about it. He knew Chris had wanted a new piano, and so he got the pup one, but he also knew how much the current one meant to his son too. Still, there was time to think and talk about those things, "But, for now I've got us some breakfast in the kitchen...we can figure what to do with the piano later, OK?"

"Dad...thanks,"

"No problem...You...do like it, right?"

"Of course!" Chris yelped, looking at his dad and wondering why he would ask.

"Oh...Oh good," Marion sighed, "Now, let's eat...and then how about we figure out how to set it up, OK?"

"OK," Chris replied, for once feeling the urge to rush through their normally slow and steady Christmas breakfast so he could get back to his gift.

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Hours lazily passed away for the two wolves. Marion helped his son set up the piano, read through the instruction manual with him, and after one ear splitting static-sound it seemed ready to go, even if he knew they'd be setting it up in a different location later. They switched from place to place, sometimes with Chris playing a few things on the piano, other times Marion on the piano picking out some notes while trying to figure out just what he had bought his son, and sometimes sitting on the couch or floor with the other gifts. The first break to their usual routine came from a ring on the door. When Chris opened it he felt his jaw drop a little--caught between the obvious and the less obvious.

"Ben?" Chris asked after a minute, cocking his head at the fur in the doorway. He looked over his shoulder at his dad, who had just as confused a look on his muzzle.

"Ho-ho-ho!" the bear chuckled, patting himself on his stuffed stomach as he did in a very Santa-like fashion with his very Santa-esque clothing, hat included. It wasn't that much stuffing to his stomach; he did have a nice stomach, but the pups wanted a big Santa and he aimed to please! He stepped through the doorway and smiled at the wolves in the house, "A very merry Christmas in the house I hope?"

Marion was grinning at the bear's act, surprised at the visit, but more so at Ben's clothing choice, "It was till you came in," he joked, seeing the smirk that it caused over Ben's features.

"Oh...is that the welcome Santa gets?" Ben asked with a small look of playful hurt on his features.

"Is that who you're supposed to be? Last time I checked Santa was a polar bear,"

"I'll have you know some cultures have a brown Santa Bear," Ben replied in defense, crossing his arms over his chest, "And besides...Jake and Greg work in other parts of the city...but they can't get all the ground covered," he said, explaining more aptly why the only two polar bears in the city who volunteered needed the help of others like brown-furred-Ben.

"So," Chis cut in, looking over the bear, "You do the Santa thing at the mall?" he asked with a small bit of confusion, knowing it wasn't true, but unsure what else to think. After all, the mall was closed, but why else dress up like Santa?

"Well," Ben said, his voice completely back to normal now, popping out of character very easily, "I try to do this every Christmas...it's the least I can do after all. I work with a group charity service for the holidays--to keep me sane while school isn't in session,"

"What about your family?" Chris asked, wondering why the bear wasn't doing what he assumed every other family did on Christmas. The notion of being out on the holiday--away from his family--seemed strange and foreign.

"Well...I lost my parents some years ago," Ben replied, still smiling though. He had learned to smile when saying even something that could still hurt--after all, it wasn't their last moments he knew best; it was all the other times. He remembered all the Christmases they had shared, all the laughs and joys of being together; those were his treasures. "And well...my siblings and I have never really been ones for getting together on Christmas so...I like to get out and try and make others Christmases good: it certainly makes mine great. We go out and, with gifts given to the charity, give those gifts to some kids in the less fortunate parts of town, or at least that's where I go--Jake and Greg get the orphanages outside of the city,"

"That's a hefty drive, isn't it?" Marion asked, knowing the nearest orphanage was a good two hour drive out of the city.

"Yeah...it takes us usually all day, and I'm always finished before them," Ben replied with a sigh.

Chris stared at the bear a bit differently than normal; unable to see Ben quite as much as his teacher as he normally could. The new bit of information hit him rather roughly, dredging up thoughts of his own mother and the Christmases they had shared. He didn't dwell on it though, instead wondering how the bear got on with his life. How long ago had it happened? Ben certainly seemed OK, he'd never let on that he had lost his parents; in fact, the bear never really spoke of his family at all.

He had seen the bear quite a few times over break. The bear had even picked him up once for lunch. And still, he felt like he knew Ben better just by that small bit of information than the past twenty or more encounters with the bear. It was actually personal--not just simple talk about how the day was going. His thoughts didn't get terribly far in any direction before his father spoke up though.

"Well...are we just a stop on your list or do you want to stay for awhile?" Marion asked, wondering just how to handle the situation now. Of course Ben's presence wasn't unwelcome to him. He loved the bear, and was glad to see him--he had been wondering just how he might get to see Ben today. But this was Christmas, and he always spent it with Chris. Only Chris--what would happen if Ben was here?

"Oh, I don't want to impose...I w--"

"Well...if you finished...you might as well hand around for a bit," Chris said, looking at his dad and then at Ben. The bear wasn't really imposing--not terribly. They had already had lunch and opened presents; those were the most important things, everything else about today was mostly just relaxing and enjoying it. Ben could be around for that; he guessed.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked, not really looking at either of the two wolves, unsure which one to look at. Did he look at Marion, the owner of the house who he knew welcomed him, or Chris, who was the one he had to win over. Even that was a bit wrong. It wasn't about winning Chris over--if the pup liked him, the pup liked him, that was all there was to it.

"Well, if it's all the same to Chris," Marion replied, looking at his son and cocking his head. He wished to handle the situation differently though. He couldn't pull Chris away and ask the pup--that would be rude to Ben and embarrassing to Chris--and he couldn't very welljust tell Ben to wait outside while they decided. Still, it wasn't like his son hated the bear; they seemed to get very well along.

"Yeah, it's fine,"

"Well...in that case," Ben said with a sigh as he pulled the stuffing out of his stomach section of the costume. He soon had the jacket off and was let out a happy sigh. He looked around the room, the red tint from the keyboard catching his eye and a glint appearing to it. "Oh...is that a CT-3?" Ben asked, staring at the keyboard and smiling.

"Uh, yeah...it is," Marion replied, a bit taken back that the bear knew the very type of keyboard he'd purchased for his son. It was Ben's first time seeing the instrument--he'd made sure of that. He hadn't even told Ben what he'd gotten the pup for Christmas. Sure, he'd asked Ben what he thought Chris wanted, but in the end the purchase of the piano had been his very own secret gift for his son.

"It's a good piano," Ben said, moving over to the machine and knelling down at it, "Eighty-eight weighted keys, una corda, sostenuto and sustain pedals, has a two-track sequencer, twenty tones, headphone jack, built-in 2 x 8-watt speakers, and a headphone jack on top of much more," he recited.

"Uhh..." the sound that came from the older wolf's mouth matched exactly how both canines in the room felt at the moment. Marion shook his head a bit, wondering if he'd dozed off for a second, but he knew he hadn't. What really shocked him wasn't that the bear had said the piano's features, but that Ben seemed to understand them--after all, Marion could've recited them after all the hours he'd spent shopping for a good one.

"Do you play?"

"A bit," Ben replied with a shrug of his shoulders, wondering why Marion was looking at him like he was a freak. "I mean, I used too...I...well, I still like to look over stuff, you know," Ben defended his display of knowledge quickly, wondering if he had perhaps come off too strong.

"Do you still play?" Chris asked from the side, never having imagined the bear having any musical talent. In fact, he'd never even pictured that Ben listened to music. Whenever he was in the bear's car the radio was always on a talk-show; he'd just assumed the bear didn't like music.

"I can probably still dabble around on the piano...it's been awhile," Ben said with another shrug of his shoulders, "I guess the last time I played was about five or more years ago at my dad's funeral,"

"Oh,"

"Well...maybe one day you can bless us with a song?" Marion joked a little, wanting to quickly turn the conversation away from that of dead parents--it was never a pleasant one he found. He knew the bear's parents were dead, but he was much more worried about Chris. He didn't want the pup to get focused on anything unpleasant--after all, the holidays were supposed to be such a warm time.

"Maybe one day," Ben said, giving a slight grunt as he stood up again. His ears flickered against his head before he quickly moved over to his bag--mumbling about how he'd almost forgotten something. After a moment of ruslting about in the bag he turned back around and approached Chris, holding a poorly wrapped package in his paws.

"Umm, well, I remember your dad told me you like the Nuevo War games," Ben stammered a bit, "And, well, in class you were talking with Jase that your copy wasn't any good anymore...so...well," Ben let out and just shrugged his shoulders, "Merry Christmas Chris,"

Chris cocked his head at the not-so-well wrapped package, but after a moment of flickering ears reached out to take it. There wasn't a terrible amount of surprise at what it was. It wasn't even Ben's obvious little bit of stammering that gave it away so much as it was an unwrapped corner part that had part of the game's title in view.

Still, he was a bit surprised to find that it wasn't just the newest game, but it was the past four too. Ben hadn't just gotten the latest installment, but all of them; probably the combo-pack; it came with bonus material, and the fact that it was all for one system was a big plus too. He tore his gaze from the gift though and gazed back at the bear, "Thanks Ben,"

"It was my pleasure," Ben said nervously, scratching at his cheek. He looked around the room before moving away, smiling in return at Marion who was giving him a very happy smile. Of course, it wasn't like the wolf hadn't known about the gift--after all, he'd asked the wolf to make sure Chris didn't have the combo-pack.

"Ben, have you had anything to eat?"

"No...not all day," the bear replied easily, smiling a bit, but Marion's reaction was the exact opposite. He was just about to sit down for the first time in some odd hours before Marion's chastising tone told him not to bother just yet.

"What? Ben! It is nearly four in the afternoon,"

"Marion, it's not so bad...sometimes I j--"

"It is bad," Marion interrupted Ben, standing up and motioning Ben to follow him, though he wasn't angry or upset. The smile on his muzzle showed that much. "Come-on...I'll fix you a plate. Chris do you want anything?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at his son as he entered the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine," Chris replied, moving over to the couch with his new book and games, reading over the back of the many covers.

Ben followed after the wolf, digging around in his jacket for the wolf's gift. He just got it out and was trying to hide it behind his back as he pushed his paw past the doors. He entered through the kitchen doors only to give a startled grunt of surprise when warm lips pressed against his own. Surprising as it was, he quickly found himself adjusting to the kiss, pulling Marion closer and taking control of the kiss. He held Marion tightly against him, pushing him back into the kitchen and setting his present down on the table to take the wolf up in both his arms, not breaking till they needed to pull back for air.

"Mmm...that's more than enough of a present for me," Ben told the wolf, smirking at his lover and going as far as to lick his lips a bit flashily. The wolf just rolled his eyes at him before giving him another quick kiss.

"Well...then I guess if you don't like your present then I can kiss you a bit more," Marion replied a bit seriously. After all, he didn't know what Ben wanted for Christmas or anything like that.

"Can't I have both Babe?" Ben asked with a cocked muzzle, leaning in to steal another, short kiss from his lover. The wolf pushed playfully on him, and he obeyed after having his fill, grinning at the black fur.

"You can have anything you want after we get some food in that stomach," Marion told his boyfriend, quickly moving off out of the tempting reach of the bear.

"Is there something I can help with?"

"Just sit down and let me serve you," Marion replied with a smile, gesturing for the bear to have a seat at the table as he began to pile some food onto a plate. "By the way...you never told me you play,"

"It never really crossed my mind; I haven't played in ages," Ben told the wolf with a shrug of his shoulders, "I used to hate playing the piano,"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, my parents forced me to have lessons as a cub," Ben explained, a small smirk playing over his features as he looked down at Marion, "A surprise right? I'm a piano playing, chemistry teacher, lumberjack,"

"As long as you don't throw in any more surprise I think I'll survive," Marion replied with a roll of his eyes--even if that was quite the description he had in his head. "But I am surprised...why didn't you ever tell me you could play?"

"Never really thougtha bout it," Ben replied with a small chuckle. "I mean...well, it's kind of embarrassing I guess. Sure, I knew Chris played the piano and what not, but I never thoguth abut my own playing. I always associate playing with my parents, and I tend to think about them more during the Holidays like everyone does I assume,"

"Oh...Ok,"

"Don't give me that tone Marion," Ben replied softly, "I'm not upset. It was years ago. You know all about my troubles...and the biggest one right now is my empty stomach,"

"Well," Marion said, throwing the plate into the microwave and turning it on, "You're stomach will be full soon enough," he replied, looking back and seeing the bear holding a small gift out to him.

"Merry Christmas Marion," Ben said, letting the gift pass from his paws to the wolf's. He hadn't wrapped this one--having learned his lack f skill well enough on Chris's gift.

"What's this?" Marion asked, even if he knew he was holding a picture frame and a smaller photograph--like one to put in a wallet. The frame had a picture of him and Ben, the bear was kissing him on his cheek, and the smaller photograph was one they had had a stranger on the street take of them on one of their dates--one of their first dates. The frame had an etching into it--simply saying 'To my love--who brightens my world: who is my world.'

"It's....a promise," Ben said, taking the wolf's paw and setting down the frame so he could take his own paw in Marion's and smiling at the wolf, "I love you Marion...and I want to be with you...so...I just figured...well, you know, maybe you'd like a memento for that....an--....and....well...oh, I'm no good at this stuff," Ben said with an exasperated sigh before leaning over and kissing the wolf fully on the lips. After a few moments he pulled back and gave his best smile, "I love you Marion. You mean more than I could ever begin to say--So....I just hope saying I love you can give you a slight idea,"

"B--Ben..." Marion said, tears brimming in his eyes at the bear's gesture. He was quickly pulled into an embrace where he found himself nuzzling the bear, drying his damp eyes against the bear. He could feel the bear's lips pressing against him every so often along with a mumble of affection.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

They let the microwave continue it's rather annoying sound for a few minutes before Ben pulled back from the wolf and smiled down at his lover, "You plan on starving me forever Babe?"

"No...No, not at all...I'll make you happy Ben,"

"You already do Marion," Ben told Marion, not wanting his paws to leave Marion's but realizing they had to unless he was going to follow Marion to the microwave only to come back to the table.

The rest of the day was spent lazily for the three. Upon reentering the room both found Chris passed out on the couch, forcing them back into the kitchen so as to not disturb him until he entered there too some hours later to eat: luckily coming in some minutes after they had finished feeding a piece of cake to one another with plenty of kisses in between their bites. They had a small dinner--since lunch and breakfast had been combined into such a large meal. It wasn't much, but it was certainly nice.

The hours quietly slipped away, until the stars were shining some millions upon millions of miles away--even if only the brightest slipped through the lights of the city. Marion found himself with his back to the door and smiling at the bear who was keeping his paws behind his back. He took a small step forward, nestling into the bear's warmth and letting out a content whine of happiness when the arms wrapped around him.

"I'm glad you came," Marion told the bear, pulling Ben closer while feeling large arms wrap around himself.

"I'm glad you would have me," Ben told the wolf, having remembered how it felt to enjoy a holiday with someone treasured. It was nice, relaxing, and so many things he wasn't sure he could entirely describe quite yet. He let his head rest on his lover's, enjoying the warmth Marion offered against the nipping cold, though imagining he was a greater source of warmth to the wolf.

"Perhaps you can comeover for a sleepover sooner or later," Marion mumbled against Ben's chest.

Ben smirked at the wolf, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss on the top of his head, "I don't want to rush this, but you can believe me when I say that that sounds nice,"

"Well...you know...maybe sometime soon,"

"Maybe..."