Okay. I admit it. I'm awful, I'm a liar, I'm the scuzziest scumbag ever. Somehow in three years I've delivered, frankly, fuck all… and I don't know why!

But here be an update!

Enjoy?

Winters Salvation – Chapter 3

It was cold.

Enough said.

Or maybe not.

The alarm had kicked me out of my cozy slumber, flashing the numbers 9:00am and the date 15th December. My hand was still aching after I had whacked snooze on the dratted clock several times in dazed frustration. Frost had crawled over my windows in the night and the air in the hallway was so cold that my breath was steaming up.

Huddling into my dressing gown a bit further, I collected my surprising amount of mail from the doormat and went to wrap myself in my duvet once more. It was the holidays after all – my alarm appeared to have forgotten that.

Tossing aside bank statements and adverts, a thicker envelope with flamboyant handwriting piqued my curiosity and nudged me a bit further awake.

This however alerted me to my throbbing hand, but that's beside the point.

Opening it excitedly I pulled out a paper slip (A/N you know the ones you get from the post office with money in? Never mind ) with a selection of blue and purple bank notes stuff inside. In the other were two airline tickets to Moscow.

A piece of paper fluttered out, and in the same flamboyant writing I read the note. I could almost hear the bastard's voice in my head and see his cocky smile.

Darling Hilary (boy was I going to kill him)

After finally getting some compensation from the shit trials we've had we all made the unanimous decision to have you over this Christmas. We're expecting you so you better not disappoint!

I'll see you at the airport,

Tala.

Usually I would be mad. But something snapped inside and I was so overwhelmed with gratefulness and excitement that I even felt the need to cry. I turned the tickets over in my hand, and that was when I noticed the date and time.

"TODAY?"

xXx

I covered a yawn with my hand as the stewardess took my passport. I laid my suitcase on the conveyor belt and watched it roll away before I took my ticket and passport back from the lady. Gate 15… geh, a bit of a walk before I could sit down and eat something.

I lifted my holdall bag more comfortably on my shoulder and tightened the knot of the jumper around my waist. I yawned again, this time not bothering with the niceties, but in my temporary blindness (I always shut my eyes when yawning, don't you?) I ran headlong into the person in front of me.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" I stammered, taking a step backwards. "Are you alright? I swear I didn't mean to-,"

"Hilary?"

I blinked. The guy I ran into came into sharper focus.

"Kai? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." His eyes seemed to smile a little and even his mouth curved slightly. Not a smile yet, but certainly an improvement at least. He was wearing a dark red shirt and black jeans, with a long black coat hooked over his arm and a black holdall bag over his shoulder.

"Err… well," I rubbed the back of my head. "I'm visiting some friends for Christmas."

Kai raised an eyebrow, with an expression that clearly stated "Explain."

I sighed. "I'm off to Moscow to visit Tala and Co."

If possible the eyebrow was raised even higher.

I sighed. "Do you mind if I grab some breakfast and wake up first?"

The Phoenix gestured in the direction of Starbucks. "After you."

A large black coffee with too many sugars and a cinnamon whirl later I was sat next to Kai at Gate 15 and squirming under his ruby eyed gaze.

"How cold does it get in Moscow? I'm not sure if I -,"

"Cold enough," the Phoenix interjected, "and don't try and jump the subject. You know it won't work."

I huffed. "Well what do you want to know?"

"How much are you prepared to tell me?"

"That depends entirely on what you want to know."

"Fine." Kai stretched then refolded his arms. "Not that it bothers me that you're going to Moscow for Christmas, but you've never visited before, so why now – and won't your family miss you?"

"I…" Damn it… I didn't want them to know, I didn't want them to pity me or change how they saw me… but then…

Perhaps it was time to let it out. I'd been avoiding these questions for nearly three years, and there's no way I could spin a story that would last long enough… and Tala and Bryan knew how I lived now anyway, so lying isn't an option.

Might as well bite the bullet then…

"Well, Tyson's got Gramps and Hiro's visiting this year too, Max has gone to New York for a few weeks, Rei's back in China and Kenny's gone to Kyoto with his parents to visit his grandparents – and you, as usual now, are back to Russia for your yearly gathering, so no, probably not." I smiled, secretly smug at the shock I'd managed to draw from Kai's face.

"I meant… but…" Kai swallowed. "Family? Seriously?"

"Aren't the Blitzkrieg Boys the same to you?"

"Well… I guess so but my parents are…" He met my eyes squarely. "Hilary, your parents aren't…"

"No, they're not. Well. I don't think so. It wouldn't surprise me if my father had drunk himself to his early grave or something similar." Kai still look mildly bemused, so I decided to put him out of his misery.

"I left home ago after all the shenanigans on that blasted island." I paused to smile at the memories. "Despite all the trouble we went through, and the arguments we had I was arguing with someone, not just being shouted at. I felt valued just because I was being seen. My parents…" I took a deep breath. "We didn't get along. I don't know what I did or when I did it, but I was never in their good books. I'd had enough of the drinking, the shouting and the demands so I learnt a little from Tyson's impulsive nature and left."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Kai looked thoughtful. "That was three years ago Hil. Where've you been living all this time?"

"I have a little apartment about twenty minutes from the dojo. It's small but it's a home."

"Do the others know this?"

I smiled sadly and shook my head. "Do you honestly think if any of them knew that you wouldn't know?"

"Rei, perhaps…?"

"Rei, granted, knows how to keep his mouth shut, but only if he feels it necessary to." I sighed and looked at my hands in my lap. "It all seems so silly now but… I didn't want to add my problems to the pile we had at the time and then… it was easier not to think about it."

I started when Kai's hand briefly touched mine. I looked up in surprise and Kai was looking at me… weird. No, not weird, not pity, just… a sort of acceptance. It was a look that I had never seen before (which is why it initially felt weird) and probably never would again.

"You're daft and stubborn woman, you know that?"

"I swear someone's said that to me before."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

I swatted Kai on the shoulder. "You're becoming glib. That's not at all like you – you've been spending too much time with Rei."

He smiled (not broadly, just a Kai-smile). "I grew up with Tala – I hardly think it's a trait I learnt from Rei."

"…you have a point there."

Attention: Gate 15 is now open for boarding for the 10:45 flight to Moscow.

"That's us," I said, standing up and lifting my bag onto my shoulder. "How long does it take to get to Moscow?"

"10 hours."

"Eh?"

"Don't forget to set your watch back six hours as well."

"Yes mother." I grinned as Kai glared at me. "That's not scary anymore. You know I think you're getting soft in your old age."

"Hn."

xXx

I must have looked quite childish with a big grin on my face and my nose pressed against the small aeroplane window, but frankly I didn't care.

Compared to Tokyo and its mess of skyscrapers, Moscow was flat. Really flat. Especially from here in the sky. And it was obviouslt cold outside – ice had been forming on the window for quite some time and it didn't look like it was going to be melting in a hurry either.

The plan landed with a customary thud (or four – it wasn't the smoothest of landings) and I held my nose and swallowed a few times to relieve the discomfort from the altitude change.

Kai was waiting for me just outside the plane's exit (you know, those boarding corridor things – if they have a special name, do enlighten me!). He'd put his coat on and had draped his white scarf over his shoulders.

"Best wrap up now," he said. "It's not particular warm inside either."

I tugged my coat and scarf out of my bag and put them on, but I didn't button up the coat or wrap my scarf around my neck so I had something to snuggle into when we actually went outdoors. I felt for my gloves in my pocket, just to make sure they were there, and fished my passport out so I was ready for when we went through customs.

I yawned while we were waiting for our bags – I couldn't believe it was only 3pm, but then my body was still running on Tokyo time where it was 9pm.

"Didn't you sleep on the plane?" Kai asked after retrieving his bag from the carousel.

"Mm? No, not really – some parents were having issues controlling their offspring in front of me and some busybody deaf old bat behind my was complaining about it loudly the entire time."

"Who was sat next to you?"

"Someone who needed a shower – badly." Kai snorted.

"The horror stories of economy class," he said.

"And the calibre of person in business class is any better?"

"Well, no," admitted Kai, "but at least there's more space between you."

I grabbed my bag of the conveyor belt and pulled it onto its wheels. "So… what's Christmas with the guys like?"

Kai smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."

xXx

"Hilaaarrrrryyyyyy!"

I stopped to laugh – I couldn't summon the breath required to laugh that hard and move at the same time. Tala had climbed onto Spencer's shoulders in order to see above the milling crowd. Even Kai had to laugh – only Tala could think up doing something so ridiculous.

We wound our way through the throngs of people where the four Demolition Boys were gathered. Tala hopped down from his perch (sorry – Spencer) and enveloped me in his arms.

"Glad you decided to join us!" he said happily.

"Lucky the postman was on time this morning or I wouldn't have got your letter," I said.

"Eh? But I sent it last week!"

"International mail takes its time Tala," Bryan said. "I told you we should have got Dickenson to sort it."

"Ah shaddup you big worrywart, she's here isn't she?"

I grinned and gave the Falcon a welcoming hug. Kai and Spencer were chattering in Russian, obviously catching up from when they last saw each other. "I believe this is yours," I said to Bryan, handing him the gambled money he left at mine when they visited in November.

He shook his head. "Nice try Hil, but I'm not taking it. Consider it partial repayment for our tickets to Japan that you got us."

"But –"

"No buts," Tala said seriously, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. "We'll get you the rest when we get home. Ah-ah-ah!" He waved his finger at me when I opened my mouth to object. "Our payout from BEGA was considerable, it's not going to be vanishing any time soon."

"Tala…"

"Hilary…" he said, mimicking my voice. "We're using this Christmas to make up for the last two you missed. Sit back and enjoy the ride, sugar."

I must have still look mutinous, because Kai looked over and said to me. "Give over, Hilary – you're not stupid, surely you can see a lost battle when it's in front of you?"

Well, I never thought I'd be outmatched in stubbornness – least of all by a man – but since I was secretly enjoying myself… I sighed. "Okay. You win. Just this once!"

xXx

I'm gonna be honest again: This is plotless. Totally plotless. Even when I started writing it the only idea was the Tal/Hil haha! So, ideas for plotlines and so on would be greatly appreciated, either in reviews or (if you wanna keep it secret) PMs :D

Blame the mojo for thelate update – it went away for a long long time It's only tentatively back now, but reviews make it kick its arse in gear