[Freezair]

No holiday was bigger in the candy shop than Valentine's Day.

They made special candies for Halloween, yes, but they were specialty products--not the massive quantities of stuff people bought to give out to trick-or-treaters. And Christmas was busy, but many Christmas treats were actually relatively easy to manufacture. Poor chocolate in to Santa molds; sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of giant pans of peppermint bark, and constantly stir the gloriously gloopy fudge.

But those little heart-shaped boxes full of bonbons? Those were Kane's pride and joy. He put time into them. He pressed his entire family into service to roll and decorate those, no machines in sight. And all those different fillings--white chocolate truffle and strawberry cream and orange mousse and matcha delight--whipping up each individual batch was a task that kept him up night and day.

Only the best for the lovers of Evelon.

[Freezair]

Complicating matters was the fact that, unlike the grocery and mass-market stores of the world, Kane didn't start putting out his candies the day after Christmas. Though all the fat and sugar in chocolate helped preserve it, he firmly believed in freshness. He didn't start making his Valentine's goodies until February 1st.

The wait list, on the other hand...

He still put out candies on the shelf in a first-come, first-serve basis, including some that weren't really intended as romantic gifts. Chocolate-covered marshmallow hearts, raspberry cream fudge, a few molded "Single's Appreciation Day" treats... Those were fine. But he had people asking for his bonbon samplers in September, and while he refused to make promises that early, he did start taking reservations in January.

All the better to let February hang over his head.

[Freezair]

It was five in the morning, and the shop was already in a bustle. Rosie was off in one corner tending a kettle of fudge, Jade and Halvard were wrapping cherry-flavored lollipops, and Aisling was getting the front ready.

And he, Ercole, Louis, and Paniz were all working on a big batch of pecan turtle clusters.

Pecan turtle clusters. Ginger's favorite.

Little Sundae and Strawberry had both woken up with horrible stomachaches, so she was upstairs at the moment, ministering to them. They swore up, down, and sideways that they hadn't snuck into the kitchen and eaten anything, but the fact that they were both ill when no one else was said otherwise. If it weren't for that, Ginger would have been right beside him, stirring up sticky caramel-covered nuts with a laugh... and probably sneaking a few tastes of her own.

[Freezair]

There were a lot of little things Ginger did around the shop--things no one else could do. No one else gave him such honest opinions about his latest concoctions. No one else went into the shop front and adjusted things to be "just so." No one else was quite as good at cheering him up when he was disheartened. And no one else came up behind him and gaze him surprise licks on the cheek, but, well, that was more obvious.

There were a lot of things Ginger didn't do, too. She didn't complain when he stayed up late tweaking a new recipe. Or when he politely asked her to order takeout for the fifth night in a row because he didn't even want to look at an oven. Or when he devoted all his spare time to work, like he was doing right now...

And at this moment, she couldn't even be on the floor working with him.

[Freezair]

Kane sighed.

He'd had big plans. He'd been mapping it out in his head for weeks: A special sampler box, make just for her, filled with all her favorites. None of those cherry cordials she thought were too sweet and sticky, or any of the plain solid bars. But there would be several cookie butter ones, and delicious creamy hazelnut ones with several kinds of chocolate coating, and gooey mint fondant patties of the kind it was impossible to eat without making a mess.

But Valentine's Day was fast approaching, and he wasn't sure when he was even going to find the time to do that any more.

He stared distantly into the bubbling caramel vat.

He felt a paw on his shoulder.

[Freezair]

Kane's head turned around.

Ginger was there--a hair net over her ears, and gloves over her forepaws.

"Look at you," she said, her voice warm. "I could hide a pirate's jewels in those bags under your eyes!" She gave one of his own cap-covered ears a pat with her plastic-covered hand. "You should go upstairs and let me handle this one."

"But--"

"HEY, PANIZ!" she called over the top of his head. "YOU MIND ME BORROWING HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE?"

The Teigu gave her a thumbs-up. He thought he caught Louis snickering out of the corner of his eye, too.

"See, dear? I may not have your secret recipes memorized, but can follow instructions. Besides, these aren't those fancy bonbons where you have to drizzle the stripes on just so. Pecan clusters are supposed to look a little bit like what a Cavallion left on the road. I'll be fine. Go upstairs and relax."

"But--"

"Go." He voice was forceful, but her eyes were all smiles.

[Freezair]

Feeling strangely abashed, Kane left the shop kitchen and made his way up the stairs. He shed his protective equipment as he went, hanging it off his wingblades to throw it away later.

He didn't like leaving a project right in the middle of it. That was some psychomological thing--he'd read about it in a magazine at the dentist's office. How could he take a break when there was work to do? But... Ginger was a cook, after all. Not a professional, but a cook nonetheless. She would be fine, and it would be fine. She would just merrily... take on all that work. When he hadn't even done anything for her in return.

He sighed as he nudged open the door to the top of the stairs.

And his sigh was cut short.

[Freezair]

There in the living room were Sundae and Strawberry, not a trace of indigestion in their faces, but grinning as if they really had snuck off and stolen candy. A big, clearly homemade garland of construction-paper hearts hung over the doorway into the kitchen, with a big sign that said "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY" off to the side.

Sundae bounced up to him with a smile. "Daddy! Daddy! We helped Mommy make you breakfast!"

"I did the hashbrowns!" Strawberry chirped in the background. "Mommy cooked them but I grated aaaall the potatoes all by myself!"

Those devious little rascals! They'd conspired against him! The stomachaches had been a trick to set all this up!

Kane smiled.

[Freezair]

Kane sat down at the coffee table, where a TV tray awaited him. And what a lovely breakfast spread it was: Waffles with melted butter, eggs over easy, sausage links, and golden-brown hash browns with ketchup on the side. (Judging from the red smear on Strawberry's nose, she'd already eaten her portion of those.)

That wasn't the only thing on the side, either. A pink paper card sat to the left of his breakfast. Kane opened it.

Ginger had written inside it.

"TO KANE:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Every day, you work so hard for all of us. Not just me and our children--you work hard for Rosie and Dexter, and Halvard and Jade and Aisling, and all of this big, crazy group called the Peppermints. You work hard because you believe in working hard, and because you want to support all of us.

I love your work ethic. I love how much we mean to you. But you don't have to do it all yourself!

I know you wanted to make some fancy Valentine's present for me of all my favorite candies. Well, you know what? FORGET IT! Because now it's my turn to take care of you!

I've got the shop today. Now get some rest, you silly man!

Yours Always,

Ginger"

And Kane smiled.

[Freezair]

Kane set the card down gently, as if it were made of things more precious than just construction paper and glue. He turned towards his breakfast, opened his maw towards the waffles--

And heard a squeak.

His ears flicked. Any strange noise in his shop could be the sound of machinery going awry. He had to pay attention--no! What would Ginger think? If something was going wrong with the machines, Rosie would handle it. No doubt she'd already received strict instructions from Ginger not to let him down into the shop today. And by golly, he was going to follow her instructions and relax--

Squeak!

There it was again! But closer this time. Machines couldn't get up and walk up the stairs, so it couldn't be that. But what...?

He looked at the table, and suddenly, the card was gone.

[Freezair]

Sundae shouted: "DAD, LOOK!"

But he was already looking, and he was already seeing.

A small pink Squeaker, his card dangling from its beak, walked right into the middle of Ginger's lovingly-prepared breakfast.

Slap, slap went its flat little feet, right through a puddle of butter. Plop! The other one was in the ketchup. It opened its beak with another squeak!, and the card fell right on top of the eggs.

Its eyes glittered and gazed off behind Kane. As Strawberry muttered, "Where did you come from, little fella...?" Kane followed its gaze back. It was eyeing up some of Ginger's ceramic village on the bureau behind them.

And suddenly it was off, as fast as its little flippers could carry it.

[Freezair]

"DADDY, GET IT!" Strawberry shouted. Kane didn't need to be told twice. He was up in a flash, even if his old bones weren't entirely happy about it. His claws made catching sounds against the rug as he ran off after the pink blur.

Somehow, with its flippers alone, it managed to climb up the bureau, using the handles as beak-holds. Since when did penguins climb? This one did, and it grabbed a ceramic fireman in its beak.

"No you don't, ya little rascal!" Kane shouted. He reached up with a paw--

The fireman clattered down, and the little pink bird dashed off, right between Kane's legs and toward the kitchen.

[Freezair]

Kane didn't know where the little fella had come from, and he sure as sunshine didn't want it tearin' around his house like a bat outta heck, but the kitchen was a dangerous place! It was full of sharp things and hot things, and Kane didn't like the thought of the little critter being hurt. Like a spider he found in the shower, he wanted to catch the thing under a metaphorical glass and let it go outside, not harm it.

He dashed off towards the kitchen, already feeling winded. Ah just need ter take care o' this, an' then Ah kin git to relaxin' like Ginger wanted. This is just a minor setback. It ain't no big...

[Freezair]

Behind him, Kane heard thumping on the steps. But there wasn't time--

Ginger's head appeared over the stairwell. "What on Earth is going on up here? Kids, you'd better not be--"

Her eyes went wide.

She performed a Mom Sweep.

In five seconds, she took in the chaos in the apartment. One lovingly-made card, currently sitting in, and soaking up the grease of, a similarly lovingly-made breakfast. Tomato-red footprints, clearly those of an aquatic avian, running across the table... behind the couch... petering out as they went up the sides of the bureau and up towards her ceramic village, many pieces of which had been knocked aside. Frantic squeaking coming from the kitchen, and her husband's voice, yelling: "GIT DOWN FROM THERE, YA VARMIT!"

She rushed into the kitchen.

[Freezair]

Her husband was staring up into one of the cabinets above the countertop. A bright pink baby Squeaker was inside, tearing his way through a box of saltine crackers. He wasn't eating them--he would reach in, grab a packet, and chuck it to the side. He gleefully cheeped at the mess he was making before chucking aside that box for another.

"Kane--?"

He glanced back at her. "Befer ya ask me, no, Ah don't know where this li'l peeper came from, or how he managed to git in here! But he's been gittin' into everythin' since Ah spotted 'im! ...And," he added, his voice sinking, "he done stepped in that nice breakfast you 'n' the kids made fer me..."