Sorry the story's late. I was really busy .

A Tender Fantasy Christmas

The quiet sounds of sleeping could be heard all through the dark basement that the young robot boy called home. He listened carefully for any sound that might suggest someone was doing anything other than resting. After a moment he was satisfied that they weren't.

Gingerly he tiptoed barefoot across the cold concert floor carful not to disturb the mats were his fellow robots slept.

He made it to the wall, and looked up. He was starting to shiver from the cold , his breath making little clouds before his eyes. Putting one hand one the water pipe, that ran along the wall, he started to climb top his destination. A tiny grated window at the top. The only window in the whole basement.

Pressing his nose against the glass he could get a glimpse of the outside world. "Still No snow" he said to himself, resting his head against the pane. He didn't know why but for some reason he loved to watch the snow fall, loved to have it blanket the earth. It was almost as though the world stopped moving when he walked through a snow covered forest.

A stray lock of red hair dropped in front of deep green eyes as he continued to gaze out of the window. He grabbed it twisting it around his finger a few times before pushing it back.

Looking back out over the barren ground, he sighed again. He and the other robots had been hoping for a snowfall.

"Come on weather can you can you give a forecast snowy white.

Can't you hear the prayer of every robot here tonight?"

"Psssssst...pssss" A hushed voice called from the darkness below.

"Huh?" The red haired boy looked down "What is it?"

"Elec, what are you doing up there....get back down here come on!!" The voice called.

"Ok ..OK..take it easy , Flash," Elec, grinned scaling back down the pipe.

"Man what is it with you? Wily would have you ass , if he caught you gawking out that window"

The older boy scolded, his dark brown hair bobbing.

"Ya..I guess..." Elec, shrugged " If he didn't freeze it off down here first." Flash laughed.

"Ya I here ya..brrrrrrrr," Flash shivered as he turned to go back to his mat. "I'll see ya in the morning, night bro.." he lay back down teeth chattering.

"Ya...night" Elec walked back to his mat and lay down, shaking from the cold. The thin mats did little to keep the bone numbing chill of a winter night out,

He rolled over a couple of times trying to get comfortable and warm before bumping into the body of another robot sleeping next to him. "Uh.....sorry" He got up and moved back over to his own space.

"Hmmm...oh that's ok" the bot next to him whispered. His voice was soft , almost shy as he spoke.

"Metal Man?" Elec, quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes..just call me Met , or Metal" he whispered, " So is it snowing yet?"

"No" Elec moped. "I wish it was, "

"Yes....so do I....I wish for a lot of things Elec, But none as much as I wish for Christmas.

"You wish for Christmas too?"

Met gave a small laugh "Look around you Elec, we all do. Someday maybe we will enjoy Christmas.."

" Why do we do this every year, keep dreaming and wishing....it never happens ....it never will !!".

"Don't you dream of Christmas anymore?" Metal asked.

"No, I keep my dreams simple. I dream of snow. It's one thing Wily can't keep from us...ever."

"I see" Met said quietly, he watched Elec,'s body as he sat ridged on his mat. He could tell his friend was lying. Elec, wanted to have a real Christmas as badly as any of them.

"I hope you get it then" Met gave a faint smile before closing his eyes.

"Me too" Elec, sighed. "Hey Met, do you ever wonder what it would be like to be......I don't know.....somebody..else..huh........Met?......hey Met?" He poked the Boy next to him. Met gave a low groan. "Metal?" Elec, put his hand to his friends brow. He was surprised by the heat he found "Met...your sick..hold on" He ran to the far end of the basement grabbing a bucket and filling it with water. "Here Metal,...come on wake up!!" he shouted scooping a handful of water out from the bucket and running it across Metal's flushed face. "Come on..come on!" Elec pleaded.

"Hey, Elec, what's going on?" Flash crept over to his side, followed by another brown haired boy behind him.

"Flash,..Quick" Elec, was happy to see them. "Metal's burning up, we gotta get help!"

"Where?," Quick asked "we're locked in the basement"

Elec, looked around the room, searching for the answer. He saw it in the corner. He ran over to the group of boys sleeping on the far wall. Not bothering with pleasantries he took a running leap and hopped on to the back of the largest bot. "Wake up Ba.." Was all he managed to say before he was flung off and pinned on his back by the large robot. Elec, gulped as he looked up into the glowing crimson eyes. The eyes became slits, like two burning coals in the darkness boring a hole right through him. "Bass" he squeaked.

The large ebony bot tilted his head so that the moonlight coming through the small window danced across his face, with odd shadows and reflections. Elec, caught the glistening of the two white fangs in the robots mouth, poking out over his bottom lip, his upper lip pulled back to reveal them in all their menace and ferocity. The small robot was certain he'd be feeling them in an instant, Bass could tear his throat out.....

"I...I..I" Elec, stuttered.

Bass shoved his face right into Elec,'s holding his gaze forcing Elec, to do the same. His deep crimson eyes glowed into Elec's wild green ones, accenting the purple stripes that ran the length of his cheeks.

"M...Metal...m m mMan.. He..he's" Elec, gulped again as a low growl came from Basses throat.

"Bass, Metal Man's sick....please...help us" Flash stepped forward.

Bass looked to Flash then Back at Elec, again before releasing the young bot.

"Where is he?" He asked, his voice still gruff but at least not murderous any longer.

Flash and Elec, led him over to Metal's limp form.

By now most of the boys were awake and crowding to see what was going on.

"Stand Back!!" Bass snapped . He was immediately obeyed. "Metal..hey" He knelt down by the boys side, putting a hand to his flushed cheeks. "Man" he breathed , if Met was gonna have a chance , he was gonna have to be helped soon. He picked the boy up.

"Bass?" The copper haired boy in his arms asked. "Ya..it's me..you just hang on Metal ok?" He ran a hand through his blonde hair and down his neck // "What am I going to do?"// He looked up at the almost three dozen faces staring at him, most of them fifteen or sixteen years old. He was seventeen, he was the oldest, he was the leader, the one everybody looked up to and depended on. // "I can't be scared... I can't say I don't know.....I can't ...be ..myself......not when everyone is relying on me" //

Hang on Metal" he headed for the door. "Wily!!!!!" He bellowed beating against the steel door, "Get down here old man!!!!"

Elec, cringed beside Flash. Basses mouth was going to get them into trouble.

There was an angry shuffling from the other side of the door as Wily savagely kicked it open, catching Bass across the jaw.

"AARGgghh!!! Dammit Wily ." Bass winced "We need help, Metal is sick do something !!!"

"You worthless pile of scrape , how dare you wake me up in the middle of the night with your pathetic whining!!!!!!"

"I'm not whining!!!" Bass screamed "Look at him he's dying help him god dammit!!!!!"

Wily gave Metal a cold stare "Hmmmph.. He's worthless he doesn't deserve to be helped" the old doctor turned to go.

"What No!!! Bass laid Metal. down and charged in front of his creator "You can't just leave him!!!!"

"Watch me " Wily smiled evilly.

"No!!!" Bass blocked the doorway.

"Get out of the way Bass!!!" Wily said through grinding teeth.

"No, I won't let you!!!" Bass raised his arm with the intent to strike . Wily merely looked on with a bored expression.

"Go ahead Bass, Hit me..kill me. Come on ...be a man!!!!" the old doctor sneered.

Bass stood for a moment more before lowering his arm, and hanging his head in shame.

Wily laughed at the sight " Ha ha stupid fool..you can't go against your programming.....awww poor little cobra.. Come on Bass give us some tears...lets see some big crocodile tears...oh boo hoo hoo....!!!" Bass swallowed the bitter taste raising in his throat, taking the humiliation as Wily continued to laugh at him. "But you know what Bass?"

Bass looked at the old man's lip curled into an awful grinn " I don't have such programming"

"AARRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bass wailed as a white hot pain shot through him. He crumpled to the floor in a daze of pain.

"Do you like my new toy it's a stun gun" Wily laughed giving the boy a kick in the guts " I think it's time you and I had a little talk Bass,!...I'll show you all my new toys!!" Bass tried to crawl away but Wily grabbed the blonde bot by his collar and dragged him out the door locking it behind him.

**************

"Careful..here..pass me the cloth," Elec, reached over his shoulder as Flash handed him another compress. // " come on Met" // he pleaded silently to the other bot.

It had been hours since Wily had left them to care for Metal on their own, taking Bass with him. Elec, cringed as he remembered Bass being hauled away through the steel doors. He could only imagine what cruel punishment the poor Robot was receiving.

"Elec, look" Flash whispered.

Metals eyes opened slowly, focusing on the concerned faces that surrounded him.

"Hmmm.........Elec, .....Flash?"

"Yes Met, take it easy..it's ok" Elec, ran a cloth across Metal's brow, then reached a hand up to push back a stray lock of copper coloured hair. "Man you had me worried".. Metal's cheeks flush brightly for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Really?" He whispered obviously touched by Elec,'s concern for him.

How do you feel?" his pillow suddenly asked him. Startled , Metal turned to see that his pillow was in fact Centaur Man.

"Ok ..I think" he put his hand to his forehead.

"Hey guy's could you give us a few moments please" Elec asked.

The other boys nodded and went about their own business. Elec, put an arm over Metals shoulders in comfort, he could sense something bothering the smaller bot. "Metal...what's wrong" he asked gently.

"He didn't care...Elec, Wily didn't care about me...at all...and Bass ..poor Bass."a small sob escaped his throat, Elec, held the broken hearted boy tighter "Am I worthless?" he asked his soft grey eyes gazed into Elec,'s deep green ones for reassurance.

"No!!..never don't believe anything that jerk says...Wily's nuts..forget him, your kind and gentle and ...and nice and....loving. you know."

Really?" his eyes began to glisten.

"Yes"

"Thank you" he whispered. He lifted his head and brushed his lips across Elec,'s ever so gently.

Elec, gaped in surprise, unsure of how to react at this sudden show of affection.

Metal duck his head again, "I'm sorry" he cringed reading Elec,'s reaction to be disgust."I..shouldn't.."

"No no no...it's ok." Elec, leaned close and pressed his lips to Metals again. He pulled back after a moment. " I've ..just never been kissed before....you surprised me that's all" he gave a lopsided grin "It's too bad we didn't have a sprig of mistletoe to stand under"

"Yes..it's to bad we don't have a lot of things" Metal sighed "To bad we don't have someone who loves us and cares about us, that we don't have warm beds or clean cloths. That we've never had a real Christmas.

"O Metal" Elec, pulled him close and let the boy rest his head on his shoulder.

"A real Christmas with a real tree and decorations and stockings and gifts and....and a family and....unnggg"Metal groaned.

"Met?" he pulled the boy back and stared into his eyes "Are you really ok. You were really sick for awhile ...I thought you were going to die"

"I'm fine..just...just..I don't know anymore!!" he cried "I just wish...I just want to be normal for a while you know?"

Ya ya I know....I know" he ran his fingers though Met's copper hair as the boy settled back down against his chest.

"It was like nothing I've ever felt before , it was so weird and yet so breathtaking all at once" Metal whispered.

"What was..,what happened, what are you talking about?" Elec, asked realizing the fever was still clouding Metal's mind somewhat.

"I went away Elec, away from here and all this horrible dreary fortress stands for. I was sitting by a warm fire with a glass of hot chocolate and singing carols in front of a Christmas tree. There were gifts under it. Some for everyone..and we were all happy. Oh Elec, I wish once just once we might have a Christmas . Even just a small one .

"I know........Maybe this year will be different huh?" Elec, said wrapping a blanket around Metal's shoulders. The two were silent for a moment before Metal murmured in Elec,'s ear "Look Elec, ...it's snowing"

To be continued...