The Ocean Deep is the Life for Me

A Christmas Coral

Christmas has come early! It's nowhere near Christmas, but this is the next story in the timeline. I can't guarantee I'll be able to write every story in chronological order, but I want to for as long as I can.

This fic takes place during 'The Great Christmas Rescue' episode, but it doesn't have much to do with that episode. However, as I mentioned in chapter twelve of Rise and Fall, Angel's birthday is Christmas Day, just like mine!

A Christmas Coral

"You must love Christmas, matey!" Kwazii had laughed, aiming his comment at the human girl. "You were putting up Christmas decorations in your sleep back in August!"

It was true. Angel loved Christmas- and December twenty-fifth was doubly special for her. It was also her birthday! Soon, she would be eleven! So much had happened to her in the past year, she felt like she'd been ten forever. Well, not for much longer.

Everywhere she looked, Angel saw anthropomorphic animals excited for Christmas. Everyone was busy: wrapping presents, decorating the tree, baking, working on gifts down in the launch bay.

That is, everyone, except for her.

At first, she had been excited. "It's nearly my birthday!" she'd cheered at least once a day since December started.

Ironically, her mood dropped when the Octopod lifted off. They were on their way to the seamount where Professor Inkling grew up to spend Christmas there. He was excited to see his family and friends again, especially his nephew, Squirt, and the golden coral.

Christmas is going to be different this year, Angel realised dejectedly. Every Christmas/birthday that she could remember, they'd done pretty much the same thing. Even though things had seemed different when she'd moved to Australia, being so far away from her relatives and having the holiday in summer rather than winter (it should be cold and snowy at Christmastime!), behind closed doors, they'd still had two good old Bingham family Christmases.

Her tenth birthday, a year ago, was one of the last good times her family had ever had together. Then there had been Skylar's ninth birthday five days later (Angel had always felt like her sister was stealing her thunder). Two weeks later, the storm hit and bam! Her life had changed forever! A week after that, she was rescued by the Octonauts and bam! Her life changed even more.

That wasn't even the end of it. She was about to turn another year older. She was growing up. And now, she had to grow up the rest of the way without her family.

Angel sighed as she watched the ocean go by in HQ. I miss you guys so much!

"Something wrong, Angel?"

The girl jumped at the sound of Professor Inkling's voice. She hadn't realised just how loud her sigh was. A second later, the Captain and Peso entered HQ. They had been busy wrapping presents in the games pod. However, they'd heard the Professor's question and stopped to listen. Despite her melancholy demeanour, she couldn't help smiling when she saw Captain Barnacles wearing a Santa hat.

"Just thinking", she replied, downcast.

Right away, all of them could guess what was on her mind.

"Your Christmases must have been very different to this", Peso commented.

"Yeah!" Angel nodded and managed a half-smile. Normally, she didn't like to talk about her family and her life before she met the Octonauts, but this time, she found herself going into it.

"On Christmas morning, my brother, sisters and I would always gather in one of our rooms really early and wait for our parents to wake up", she began. "They always seemed to take forever, but then we'd have breakfast. It would always just be toast 'cause Mum just wanted to do something quick and easy. Then- then we would open presents. I'd get to open my birthday presents first. I think it drove Grace, Benji and Skylar crazy, having to wait."