"And so the princess tricks the polar bear into let the little mice go."

"Poor polar bear." Says a little one sitting in the front.

"Poor polar bear? Poor mice! He was going to eat them for Christmas dinner! Poor mice, not poor polar bear." She giggled and the children all seemed to find her protest to the idea very funny. Smiling she carries on telling the story. "So anyways the three blind mice make it out of there and then follow the princess back to their ice palace. She gives each of them a kiss goodbye. Suddenly in a flash of bright light each mouse starts to change into a dashing prince. They weren't really mice but three brothers who'd been blinded by their wealth that they couldn't see the needs of their people. So they had been cursed and turned into three poor blind church mice. They had needed to convince a princess to help them, out of the kindness of her heart without promise of a reward other than their gratitude. The three princes thanked the princess, and the eldest of them took the chance to ask the princess..."

Mia's story is interrupted, as the otherwise silent room is disturbed by someone shouting over the banister. "Attention everyone."

"Boo. We want to hear the Christmas story!" One of the children, probably Jimmy, he looks like Jimmy, isn't smart enough to be shut up when someone with a very dangerous weapon is speaking. Mia shoots him a look and he decides it's better to stay quiet.

Dave gives James a questioning look. James gives him to go ahead and he continues to talk, "And you will hear the story, but first we would like you to all listen as our friend here fills you in on what's about to happen."

There's a feeling of fear and dread that fills the whole lodge. Both groups move a little bit closer, all the better to hear them. James steps forward, "Hello everyone, I'd just like to start by saying that these two gentlemen here don't mean us any harm."

Ah great! I knew he wasn't that smart, but I seriously didn't think he was dumb enough to get brainwashed. Mia thinks to herself. She might have been telling a story but the whole time her brain has been running. Planning a way to get them all out of this. Why am I not surprised that he couldn't hold out? Why did I have to add him to the plan...maybe because a part of you wants him to be part of the plan? No! It's the fact that his sister mentioned something about him being part of the military. A corporal in the marines or something like that. But no, he had to go and get himself brainwashed.

"They would like to start by insisting that you all make your way to the kitchen. Don't worry about staying in your groups." At this almost all the children run off towards their parents. Even the teenagers mingle in with the older group trying to find family members. Molly only took a few steps closer to Mia. The group, scared of what's awaiting them, walks towards the lodge's kitchen. No one's in any rush to possibly meet their end and then be served up as appetisers to the Aliens.

Instead of sudden doom when they walk through the staff doors, is a much larger version of the cookie decorating station that was set up for the children by the holiday club organisers. James, having somehow convinced them that it was standard practice of conquerors on Earth to encourage fun-filled activities, had gone down to the kitchen and organised for this to be set up.

"Please everyone, feel free to decorate as many of these as you like. There are also more mugs of peppermint hot chocolate on the side table over there." Jeff points to a small table on the far side of the kitchen. "Maggy here does wonders making the stuff. Please enjoy yourselves. We'll be doing caroling near the fireplace afterwards."

The mass of people moving around the room in confusion and utter amazement, find themselves decorating cookies, drinking hot chocolate and somehow having..fun? Mia stands close to her family. All of which are looking to be enjoying the situation they've found themselves in. It's as though they've forgotten about the fact that they're snowed in with Aliens. Great now they're all under whatever brainwashing stuff the Aliens used on James. 

"What's up buttercup?"James, having walked up behind her, startles Mia and she jumps.

"Well you don't seem to be brainwashed, sneaking up behind people."

"Brainwashed?"

"By the aliens? I thought that could be the only way you would be helping them, but what I don't understand is how all of this is meant to be part of them overtaking the world."

"Are you having fun?"

"Fun? What does fun have to do with anything?" She stares at him, and quite frankly everyone else, in disbelief. "Have you somehow forgotten that we, and possibly the whole world, are in danger right now? We could possibly be spending our last hours here, and doing what? Decorating cookies and caroling?"

He leans against the table next to her, "Doesn't sound too bad if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking you," Her words bite harder than she meant them to but you can't unsay something once you've said it. She shakes her head and looks away from his gaze as she gets back to icing another distinctly different Christmas tree cookie. "So why aren't you decorating any of these cookies?"

"I have some other stuff I still need to sort out. I have someone's Christmas to save."

"Maybe you should be a little more focused on saving us and the Earth? Christmas doesn't need saving."

"Christmas in general, maybe not. Your Christmas though, definialnty, and maybe everyone else's here. Well I have to go. I have some other stuff I have to sort out."

"The world can wait a moment longer, we're not as close to death as you think. As for saving the world, I have a plan. I need you to trust me though. Can you do that?"

"Maybe...but." He cuts her off before she can finish voicing her doubts.

"I promise I'll explain it all later but for now please trust me. I won't let anything happen to anyone here. As for the cookies, you're doing a great job." He reaches out for one of the trees she's iced. She smacks his hand away and he looks at her with the eyes of a wounded puppy.

"No, those aren't for you." Not happy about being left in the dark, she moves the plate of the ones she's finished away from him. "They're for family only."

"Okay, okay no need to get violent." He laughs a bit, and backs away a little bit as she brings her hand up to smack him again. Despite herself she laughs looking at him, and gently taps him on the arm with her open hand. "See, I knew you were capable of having fun. Careful though, you might actually grow to like it, and maybe one day love it"

She picks up another cookie and starts to ice it. He pushes off from the table and starts walking towards where Dave and Jeff are messing about with far to many sprinkles. He turns around for a moment and calls out, "See you later then, Snow-Angle."

"Whatever, Christmas Cookie." She shoots back, feeling pleased with herself that it seems to annoy him when she calls him that.

Alice, having caught the end of the conversation, comes over to stand by her, "So what was that all about?"

"Nothing." Mia however cannot bring herself to look at her aunt just yet. Instead she has her eyes glued to the tree in front of her that she's busy icing.