Goose had spent Christmas at home, the team making sure that their Captain and his kids weren’t alone on Christmas where they had another year to feel the loss of Aliza and that they were no sooner to being able to get her back.

Even though he had offered to help cook, Captain Foxx and Doc had both been adamant that just because he hadn’t burned down the Community Centre didn’t mean they were going to tempt fate again. Goose and Niko had been assigned babysitting duty and Jessica and Little Zack and Niko had tried to teach Goose how to play various different board games since he had never played them before and basically Goose had managed to start a fire after all while playing monopoly … no one was sure how that had happened but needless to say Goose was now banned from playing all board games.

Niko seemed to like her present/s since he had gone rather overboard as he handed her over what felt like half the stock from the Photo Hut. He had waited til they had had a moment alone to do that since he had felt rather awkward about the idea of giving her presents but she had also gotten him something as well and had shyly produced a photo album that she had made of photos of the team and Waldo and Zozo, Icarus and Winter and even Commander Walsh had a photo in there. Goose wondered how Niko had managed to get that photo.

She also had given him a photo frame with a group photo of everyone.

So it seemed they both had had photography in mind when getting each other gifts.

“I … uh didn’t know what to get you,” she had admitted quietly, “I didn’t think you would have many personal photos … memories … I doubt it’s something you would have been taught, I don’t know about Fandom but from what I know about Supertroopers …” her voice trailed off, “I thought you could put the photo frame in your apartment, in Fandom” she said with a shy smile. She had remembered how bare his apartment was when she had visited for Parents Weekend so she knew it was in desperate need of refurbishing.

Goose flipped through the photo album, smiling softly at the photos - his team was the closest thing he had to a family and a place where he felt he belonged.

“It’s … it’s perfect,” he told her, “thank you,” he smiled back shyly at her.



A couple of days later the Rangers had gathered at Longshot to see the results of the new experimental glove for Captain Foxx that Doc and Q-Ball had been working on for the past several weeks with Goose’s input as well.

“Okay, flex it,” Doc instructed Captain Foxx, who was wearing the glove and it was attached to a monitor, Doc was observing the readings as he did so.


“What kind of toy are you kids playing with now?” Niko asked as she observed what was happening, she had been away on an archeological dig so she had missed out on most of the planning stages of the invention.

“A phaser glove,” Doc explained, “it projects a phasing field which allows Zackery to pass his arm through any solid matter for the duration of the charge,”

“Do it Doc,” Captain Foxx nodded and Doc obliged typing in a command sequence and a minute later the glove began to emit a blue glow and Zack tested out the glove, it seemed to be working as he phased through the wall.

“Flux overload!” Doc suddenly exclaimed.

“Phaser discharge!” Goose pointed to the wiring, noticing that it was going haywire.

“Cover your eyes!” Q-Ball exclaimed and a bright white light filled the room, everyone shielding their eyes from the glare.

“Zackery are you alright?” Niko asked, worried once the light had faded.

“Yes I’m fine,” he told her, taking off the smoldering remains of the glove and looking at the wall that now had a giant hole in it, “that’s one way to reach through,” he remarked dryly.

“Well back to the old drawing board,” Goose shrugged, grinning back at Q-Ball and Doc who merely groaned at his assessment of the situation.

[some dialogue taken from episode 29 ‘Stargate’. NFB but OOC welcome]