This Story was published in Issue #53 of BEAR Magazine. All rights reserved.

"Goddamn it!" Gary's hazel eyes blazed as he glared at the flat tire on the front of his red Chevy pickup. It was just his luck to have a blowout on one of the coldest evenings of the year. Christmas Eve, no less. Ho ho ho. Normally he could have just used the spare tire, but he'd loaned it to a friend of his a month ago, and never had gotten the damned thing back.  

"Great. Just fuckin' great," he muttered, scratching his black-bearded cheek and looking around in the wintry dusk, hoping to see headlights coming his way. Except for himself, Highway 321 was totally deserted. Since the roads were so icy, the only people out were those foolish enough to wait until the last minute to finish their Christmas shopping. Like him. He shivered as a frigid blast of wind swooshed into his jacket and across his chest. He could almost feel his frozen chest hairs breaking off. Grimacing, he yanked his black baseball cap down more securely over thick hair almost as dark, and hugged his arms across the puffiness of his blue jacket. Flakes of snow began to drift through the beams of his headlights.  

Gary melted the lazily falling snow in front of him with fiery curses as he stalked around to the driver side of the vehicle. At least the heater still worked; he'd be warm while he figured out what to do. He slammed the door closed and sighed in frustrated relief as he began to thaw out. What a perfect way to end the day of hell he'd had. He should have been at home, wrapped in a blanket with a good book. Instead, he was finishing the shopping he had been putting off for weeks. It seemed as if everyone else had waited too; despite the treacherous roads, the mall in Hickory had been packed with frantic last-minute shoppers. His side still hurt from where that old blue-haired bitch had elbowed him out of her way.  

He sighed again and glanced across the seat to his pile of gifts. Against all odds, he'd managed to find something for everyone on his list; now the trick was getting all of this shit home. Maybe he should try to walk. It was only a few miles - in blistering cold, on a wet, dark, snowy night . . . He groaned and picked up the one gift he'd gotten for himself. He hadn't gotten it at the mall though; the bookstores there weren't open-minded enough to carry Bear Magazine. In the rapidly dimming light, he could barely make out the hot bear on the cover, grinning sexily for the camera.  

Suddenly, the picture stood out in sharp detail as headlights washed across his rearview mirror, illuminating the dark auburn hair, beard, and chest fur of the cover-bear. Gary hurriedly tossed the magazine next to the pile of boxes and bags beside him and scrambled out of his truck. Through the glare of headlights and the swirling snow, he couldn't tell what kind of car was approaching, but waved frantically at the unknown vehicle. As it pulled up behind his pickup, he saw that it was a huge red flatbed tow truck. Gary couldn't believe his good fortune when the truck rumbled to a stop a few feet away. White lettering on the truck's red door read "Callahan's Auto Repair."  

The door opened and the driver climbed out into the snow. Gary couldn't help but stare; to all appearances, the driver was Santa Claus, complete with the suit, white beard, and belly! Santa walked up to him and said in a slight North Carolina accent, "Looks like you could use some help! Flat tire?"  

"Uh . . ." Gary replied cleverly.  

The man glanced down at his outfit and grinned. "Been playin' Santa at the mall in Hickory," he explained cheerfully. "My day job's auto repair." He hooked a thumb back over his shoulder, indicating the tow truck. "I borrowed the Beast 'cause she's got 4-wheel drive. I figured the roads'd get worse. Name's Sam Callahan." Sam extended his hand, which Gary shook firmly.  

"I'm Gary MacIntosh, and yeah, I got a flat. Loaned the spare to a friend a while back, so I've been sittin' here tryin' to get up the nerve to hike."  

Sam shivered. "In this brutal weather?! I don't think so! If you got the time, I can tow you to my shop; it's only a few miles from here. I can fix you up with some new tires."  

Gary shifted from one foot to the other, trying to work some warmth back into his toes. "Man, that'd be great!"  

Sam grinned. "C'mon, let's get you outta here 'fore some fool causes an accident." He clambered back into the tow truck and pulled around in front of the pickup, then tilted the bed so that the pickup could be rolled onto it. Gary moved to the side of the road as a white Ford Bronco drove slowly by. Sam hooked the cable underneath the pickup's front and then opened the door. "Gotta take off the brake and put it in neutral," Sam explained and ducked his head into the truck.  

A few seconds later, he stood up again and held up the Bear Magazine. Gary's heart shot into his throat. Oh shit...  

"I see we have the same taste in reading material!" Sam smiled.  

Gary realized he wasn't about to die and let out the breath he'd been holding. "You read Bear?"  

"Yup. Have for years. Nice to meet some family out here in the boonies!"  

Gary leaned against his truck and laughed weakly in relief. "God, you scared me shitless when you held up that thing; I forgot to hide it."  

"Sorry 'bout that; guess I'll just have to make it up to ya. How 'bout a tow, a new tire and a new spare all for free? Call it a 'Family Discount,' tonight only!"  

"You're kidding!" Gary exclaimed. "Thanks! Thanks a lot!"  

Sam winked, started up the winch and guided the pickup up the bed, then pulled the bed back to its horizontal position. Then he reset the brake and secured the pickup with chains. "Climb on in," he invited. "We'll be at my shop in no time."  

Gary opened the passenger door and hoisted himself up into the truck as the other man slid behind the wheel. While Sam was distracted, deftly navigating the truck through the rapidly thickening snow, Gary stole a few glances at him, wondering what he looked like behind the Santa persona. The white beard looked real, but from the little bit he could tell about Sam, he didn't seem to be old enough to have white hair. Then again, who knows, he mused to himself, fingering the small patch of white hair on the back of his head that had been the result of a childhood injury. He had to admit to himself, the idea of meeting another bear that lived in Lenoir excited him; in a town this small, compatible men were hard to find.  

True to Sam's word, they pulled into Callahan's Auto Repair a few minutes later. Although the street was only a few miles away from where Gary lived, he'd never been on this road before. In fact, he had never even known this place existed. After opening the garage and loading the pickup onto the hydraulic lift, Sam turned on the heater. "We'll let this place warm up a bit." He unlocked the door to the office and led the way into the waiting room. After turning on the heater in there as well, he popped some coins into a vending machine and handed Gary a paper cup of coffee. "Here ya go; best coffee east of the Pacific Ocean!" Gary took an experimental sip and raised his eyebrows in appreciation; Sam's boast seemed accurate; the coffee was delicious, the steam filling the room with its creamy, hazelnut aroma.  

While they waited for the room to warm up, they made small talk. Between the coffee and the rapidly warming office, it was only a few minutes before Gary felt comfortable enough to shuck his jacket. He tossed it into a nearby chair. Now that he could see Sam better, Gary was quick to give his rescuer a surreptitious yet thorough examination. Sam looked to be about six feet tall, give or take an inch from the black boots. The white beard did indeed look real, flowing down from his face in a neatly trimmed silvery-white river that ended at the base of the neck. Because of the white beard, it was difficult to guess his age; he could have been anywhere from 35 to his early sixties. From the way that Sam moved, Gary suspected he was in his early to mid-forties. He had sparkling blue eyes that looked like the sky on a cloudless winter afternoon. His cheeks were rosy from the cold outside, and he had a bright smile that was probably on his face more often than not. He made a convincing Santa.  

Gary's private examination was interrupted as Sam suddenly unzipped the Santa coat, revealing a chest carpeted with thick rust-colored fur that was slightly matted with sweat from the hot jacket. If Sam noticed Gary's awestruck expression, he pretended not to. "Don't want to get the suit dirty," he explained. "Oh, in case you haven't noticed," he added, pointing out his auburn chest fur, "I don't always have white hair! I changed the color for the occasion." He turned around to hang up the coat, giving Gary a look at his muscular back, which was almost as furry as the front. Though he was pudgy around the waistline, Sam had a powerful build; being a mechanic seemed to agree with him. He also pulled off the boots and Santa pants, revealing bright-red long underwear, which dashed Gary's secret hopes that Sam wore nothing under the suit. He whimpered quietly into his coffee; the long underwear might keep Sam warm, but it did nothing to hide the shape of what lay underneath. As he put the boots back on, Sam seemed totally unaware of the effect he was having on his new friend.  

Gary bit his lip to distract himself from the swelling in his crotch as the bare-chested Santa strode into the storage rooms, coming back with two brand-new all-weather-tread tires resting on his broad furry shoulders as if they weighed nothing. He made two more trips, bringing out a total of five tires.  

As soon as Gary realized that Sam intended to replace not only the flat tire and the spare, but all of his tires, he protested. "You don't have to do this; at least let me pay you!"  

Sam grinned and wagged a finger at him, replying, "Family Discount, remember? No charge. I got a look at your other tires earlier; they'll all need replacing soon anyway. Consider these a Christmas present." Gary started to argue, but shut up when Sam got a "no nonsense" look in his eyes. Instead, he helped Sam lug the tires out into the workshop. The heater had warmed up the temperature from freezing to luke-warm, but Sam seemed not to notice the cool air. Must be that pelt of his, Gary thought as he admired Sam's wonderfully furry chest and back. Moving with a speed and deftness that must have come from years of practice, Sam had the new tires on the pickup in minutes. Gary couldn't help wondering if Sam handled all of his tools that well.  

Once back into the warmth of the waiting room, Sam turned to look at Gary, smiling wickedly. "So, now that you have new tires, what do ya wanna do?"  

Gary blushed as he saw a side of Santa that wasn't in most Christmas stories. Taking Sam up on his obvious invitation, he wrapped his arms around him and engaged him in an enthusiastic kiss. A muffled groan escaped him as Sam rested a hand on his ass and pulled him forward so that their cocks were rubbing each other through their clothing.  

Gary noticed that Sam's meat was just as hard as his own. Trembling with need, he caressed Sam's crotch, finding that the long johns left nothing to the imagination. Ol' Santa had a big one! Sam returned the caresses, exploring Gary's cock through his blue jeans. As Gary put every bit of his skill into exploring Sam's tongue with his own, he slipped his hand down inside the long underwear, sliding his fingers through the thick pubic hair to the thick cock. As he brushed the head, he felt the moistness of precum in the slit.  

Sam's breathing quickened as he slid his own hand up the front of Gary's shirt, lightly caressing the pudgy belly, and finally brushing first one nipple, then the other. As he worked higher, he slowly pulled the shirt up with him, until finally he pulled the shirt over Gary's head, revealing Gary's own black-furred chest and back. Gary moaned softly and worked Sam's long johns down the hairy legs to his knees. His cock was indeed a nice one: about six inches long and a little over an inch wide. More precum oozed out of the slit. Gary quickly knelt down and lapped it up, then took the head into his mouth, milking it for more. Sam gasped and rested a hand on the back of Gary's head. "Oh that feels good!"  

Needing little encouragement, Gary gradually slurped and sucked his way all the way to the base of the cock, tasting Sam's saltiness at the back of his throat. Cupping each of his hands around a furry butt-cheek, Gary pulled the other bear forward, taking in all of the delicious meat. Building a rhythm, he used his hands on Sam's furry ass to guide him into a steady face-fucking. Getting the hint, Sam clasped both hands behind Gary's head and pumped his cock in and out, eyes closed from the wonderful sensation of Gary's warm silky mouth. "Oh yes! Ooh, you're a naughty boy! But so nice!"  

Deciding to be even more naughty, Gary used the slickness on the cock to wet his fingers, and worked his fingers between the buns to Sam's asshole. Sam's eyes opened wide and he gasped in pleasure. "Ooh, careful, or you're gonna get a surprise!" Gary only worked harder, gradually working his index finger into the asshole as Sam continued pumped his dick in and out. As Gary's finger found the prostate, Sam's whole body shuddered. He cried out and convulsed, accidentally jerking his cock from Gary's mouth as arcs of cum erupted all over Gary's beard and chest.  

Looking down at Gary's surprised expression, and the mess he had made, Sam laughed breathlessly. "Oh God, I'm sorry! I did warn you though."  

Gary chuckled. "Next time, keep it in my mouth and you won't make such a mess!"  

Grinning, Sam replied, "Here, lemme clean you up." Before Gary could react, Sam had knelt down beside him and was licking his seed out of Gary's beard, occasionally darting his tongue between Gary's lips in a deep salty kiss. As he finished cleaning Gary's beard, he began nibbling and nuzzling the neck, and gently pushed Gary down until he was lying on his back. Sam lay on top of him and continued the grooming, finding the spots that needed cleaning with his lips and tongue, but not neglecting the cleaner parts either. The curls of their chest fur intertwined as Gary closed his eyes and ran his fingers though Sam's back hair, shivering as he felt the hot mouth engulf his left nipple, and the flicker of tongue that followed immediately after.  

After nibbling and sucking on that nipple for several seconds, Sam worked his way across Gary's furry chest to the other one, making sure to give it the same VIP treatment before he worked his way lower. Gary's body tensed in anticipation as Sam's mouth took position over the throbbing head of his cock. Sam bent down toward the cock, but at the last moment, turned his face so that instead of swallowing the dick, he rubbed his beard hard against the bottom of the shaft. Gary groaned, overwhelmed by the prickling and scratching that slowly worked its way up his penis. As the beard began prickling right under the head of his dick, a warm, wet tongue began to slowly bathe the tip of his cock. Gasping softly, Gary rested his hands on top of Sam's head. As his tongue finished its impromptu bath, Sam suddenly engulfed Gary's cock, deepthroating it in one smooth motion and causing Gary to gasp, "Oh my God!"  

The hot silky mouth sheathing his meat gulped it in like there was no tomorrow, lapping at the underside as Sam took the head into the back of his throat and buried his lips in Gary's pubic hair. Gary arched his back in ecstasy, feeding Sam all he could take. Sam began to slowly work the cock in and out, hugging it tightly with his lips, and lightly grazing the tender skin with his teeth.  

Gary groaned in pleasure and matched Sam's rhythm with thrusts of his own. Sam worked the cock a little faster, and reached up with both hands to play with Gary's nipples. Settling into his rhythm, Sam slurped and sucked with abandon, creating a warm, wet storm of silk around the cock. Soon, he felt the balls tighten up under his chin and knew that Gary couldn't hold out much longer. He increased the suction and let loose, using all of his skill to bring the other man over the edge. Seconds later Gary gasped and shuddered, managing to grunt breathlessly, "I'm gonna cum!" Sam wrapped his mouth around the cock more firmly and pumped faster.  

"Oh God uh uh uh....UHHHGOD!" Gary's eyes squeezed shut; his body seemed to leap off the floor as the orgasm surged up his urethra and exploded into the back of Sam's throat. Sam gulped the semen down as fast as it shot into his mouth, swallowing all Gary had to give and then continuing to milk what was left from the slit. As the last of his seed was spent, Gary's entire body seemed to crumble in upon itself. With a trembling sigh, he passed out.  

An unknown time later, he felt something lightly brush his left cheek and opened his eyes to see Sam smiling fondly down at him. He broke into a wide smile and took Sam's hand into his own. "Wow! What an afterglow!"  

Sam laughed and then bent down to kiss Gary gently on the lips. "You looked like you could use it!" He grinned playfully.  

Gary stretched like a contented cat and stood up. "How long was I out?"  

Sam got to his feet as well and shrugged. "Couple of minutes. But you look worlds better than you did when I first met you; my God, you're almost glowing!"  

"Well, it's all due to you!"  

"Uh, well . . . I guess it's time for us to get out of here. I checked the roads while you were sawing logs; I don't think you should try to drive home tonight. I live right around the corner; why don't you come home with me?"  

Gary raised an eyebrow. "And of course, you're just offering to put me up for the night 'cause you're worried about the roads."  

Pretending to be wounded, Sam replied, "Of course! What other motive could I possibly have? Unfortunately, I only have one bed; I hope you don't mind sharing . . ." He trailed off, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  

After they pulled their clothes back on, Gary got into his truck and followed Sam to his house. Gary found out that Sam really did live right around the corner! If it hadn't been so blasted cold they could have walked. They pulled up to a house that looked like it had come right out of a Hallmark card. The light shining from the street lamp by the driveway gave the thick layer of snow on the lawn a silvery, otherworldly sparkle. The house itself was very rustic; with dark-stained wood for the outside walls and front porch. The frosted glass window in the front door and the windows to either side shone warmly with a soft golden light from somewhere within the house. The dark wood of the house itself seemed to soak up the light and come to life, giving off its own cinnamon glow. Both Sam and Gary stood silently by the tow truck for a moment, drinking in the sight. Then Sam said, "C'mon, let's get inside where it's warm."  

The two men walked up the steps to the front door. Sam unlocked the door and with a dramatic sweep of his arm, invited Gary to enter the house.  

"Why don't you get some reading material off the coffee table and make yourself comfy," Sam told Gary. "I'm gonna go take a shower and get this white out of my hair." Leaving Gary to sift through the assorted magazines on the table, Sam went down the hall and into his bedroom.  

As he heard the shower turn on down the hall, Gary noticed that Sam liked a variety of magazines. He sifted through the assortment on the coffee table until one caught his eye. Whoa... Gary picked up the same issue of Bear Magazine he had out in his truck. The bear on the cover was just his type, with dark red hair on his head, face, chest, and round belly. Gary thumbed slowly through the magazine, admiring the different men. A minute later, he heard the shower turn off and the shower curtain slide open. Ooh, there was the bear from the cover. He was posing in a variety of positions and states of undress, in what looked like a mechanic's uniform... Wait a minute. He looked closer at the bear, then read the description on the side of the page that he had ignored before. "Sam owns an auto repair shop in North Carolina. He loves to play with tools -"  

Movement from the hallway interrupted his reading; he looked up to see Sam coming back into the room wearing nothing but a pair of bright red silk boxer shorts. His damp hair and beard were now the same rust color as his chest hair. Gary glanced again at the picture on the cover of Bear. "Holy shit!" They were definitely the same guy!  

Sam grinned and asked, "So, what do you think of the guy on the cover, huh?"  

Gary recovered his scattered wits and replied, "I think he gives great head!"  

"You oughta see what else he can do . . . like make dinner! I dunno about you, but I'm starving! How do burgers sound?" Gary's loudly growling stomach answered the question quite well. Sam laughed at his sheepish grin and said, "I'll take that as a 'yes!' Go ahead and keep reading; dinner won't take but a few minutes to make." He walked into the kitchen.  

Gary's eyes went back to the picture of Sam on the magazine cover. As he heard the freezer door open from the kitchen, he picked up the magazine again and thumbed through it to Sam's photo-spread. Wow... Gary thought to himself, grinning at the strangeness of life. For him to encounter this gorgeous bear - in the guise of Santa of all things! Wow...  

After a dinner that was punctuated by stifled yawns from both Gary and Sam, they cleared away the dishes in short order. Sam yawned again and looked at the clock. 10:54. He raked his fingers through his tousled red hair and blinked at Gary sleepily. "Ready for bed?" Gary nodded and rubbed an eye absently.  

They ambled down the hallway to Sam's room. Seconds later, there were two piles of clothes on the floor. Gary and Sam climbed into bed and threw the covers back so that their bodies were uncovered. The air in the room was warm enough that no covers were needed. Sam lay so that his furry chest was nestled against Gary's back and curled an arm around his bed partner's waist. He heard Gary sigh contentedly as he wrapped an arm around Sam's hand.  

Sam had had a long day, but with his cock lightly resting on one of Gary's buns, it was beginning to show signs of life again. Experimentally, he started playing with Gary's right nipple. In response, Gary's butt snuggled right into Sam's rapidly hardening cock, which was now being held right outside of Gary's asshole. Liking the results so far, Sam continued working on the nipple and began nibbling on the back of Gary's neck.  

A moan escaped Gary's throat. He turned over so that he was facing Sam and began to return the favor, licking and sucking on Sam's nipples. Sam lay back and pulled Gary on top of him, so that their cocks were sliding silkily against each other. Gary worked Sam's nipples, nibbling, slurping as Sam reached down to play with Gary's cock. Moaning, Gary moved up to bury his tongue into Sam's mouth, kissing him passionately as Sam's free hand wandered down Gary's back to explore the outside of his asshole. Gary broke the kiss and gasped as Sam's index finger gently wormed its way in up to the first knuckle.  

"Mmmm, you like that, huh?" Sam whispered.  

Gary's eyes were blissfully closed. "Mmm hmm! Oh yeah! But I wanna suck your cock some more too!"  

Sam's smile widened. "I think we can manage both at the same time." Gary grinned happily and quickly repositioned himself with his mouth over Sam's gorgeous cock. Even in the dim light shining from the streetlamp outside, it was breathtaking. Gary felt Sam's hot mouth closing around the head of his dick as he lowered his own mouth down around Sam. In no time, they were face-fucking each other in an enthusiastically messy sixty-nine.  

From the bottom of the pair, Sam was in ecstasy, slurping on Gary's meat for several minutes as it smoothly slid in and out of his throat. Timing it so that he caught Gary's cock coming out, he wet his finger on it and teased Gary's asshole again, getting it nice and moist before gently working his finger just inside the sphincter. Gary started gasping as Sam's finger went deeper. He began to pump faster into Sam's mouth; it was obvious he was getting closer to cumming. Sam slurped harder on Gary's thrusting manhood, beginning to get closer to the edge himself. Gary's thrusting abruptly stopped.  

"Sorry," he gasped breathlessly. "I don't wanna cum yet!"  

Sam gently pushed Gary's waist until the cock wasn't in his mouth anymore. "Then let me work on something else!" Using his hands to guide Gary, he repositioned them; in moments his tongue was slurping on the outside of Gary's asshole. Gary shuddered, sucking on Sam's cock again, but losing his rhythm as Sam's wonderful tongue distracted him. Still, he had Sam right on the verge of shooting in minutes.  

"Mmmph! Better stop!" Sam gasped from between Gary's butt-cheeks. Obediently, Gary desisted, resting with his cheek against Sam's cock as Sam continued his rim job. After another minute, Sam began to sweat from his effort as his neck muscles tired from the awkward position. Rocking a little bit to gain some momentum, he rolled towards the right, reversing positions with Gary. Quickly, he maneuvered himself so that he was laying with his stomach on the bed, his arms bending Gary's legs back onto his tummy, while he licked and sucked with abandon on Gary's asshole, thrusting in and out with lightning-quick flicks of his tongue.  

Gary hooked his arms about the insides of his knees, pulling his legs further out of Sam's way. Answering the unspoken plea, Sam increased the force of his attentions, literally grinding his beard against the asshole and pushing his tongue in as far as it would go.  

"Oh yes!" Gary groaned. "Oh God, I want you to fuck me!"  

Sam didn't answer, but as he continued munching on Gary's bear hole, he stretched an arm to one of the drawers of his bed's headboard, locating both a condom and lube by feel. He began adding a liberal amount of spit to his rim job, working his talented tongue in as far as it would go. With one hand, he swiftly rolled the rubber down to the base of his cock, then poured some lube into his hand. He jacked himself slowly, getting his cock good and slick. Moments later he traded his tongue for the lubed index finger and began to open Gary up.  

"Oh yeah!" Gary grunted and fucked himself on the finger. As soon as Sam felt that Gary was stretched enough, he added another finger, then another. Finally, Sam stood up on his knees and traded his fingers for something else. Slowly, he entered Gary, marveling at how wonderfully hot his asshole was. As the penis pushed through the sphincter, Gary's teeth gritted slightly; Sam stopped to let Gary get used to the thickness. A few seconds later, Gary smiled and gave him a quick nod. Sam continued to slowly push his cock in until Gary was impaled all the way to Sam's hairy balls. Gary's eyes glazed over from the exquisite sensation as Sam began to slowly fuck him. His own cock was sliding against Sam's furry belly, made slick by a combination of Gary's precum and the sweat beginning to drip from Sam's furry body. Deliriously, he groaned. "Yeah, fuck me! Fuck that ass!"  

Sam was happy to oblige, gradually increasing the force of his thrusts until he was literally pounding Gary's hole. The sweat-matted fur on Sam's stomach caressed Gary's cock in time with their quickening movement. Gary began to growl, feeling their combined lust as a tangible force, grunting, pounding toward release. He watched Sam's ruggedly handsome face, sweat beginning to drip from it onto Gary's chest. Sam's eyes closed, and his breath started coming in gasps as he thrust even harder. Gary wrapped his legs around Sam's waist, forcing him even deeper, grinding his own cock into Sam's course stomach fur. His own orgasm began to build, starting slowly, then faster, like the gradual cracking of a dam. Together, their dams broke. As Gary let loose a guttural gasp of release, Sam matched it with a thunderous roar, his orgasm exploding within Gary, filling the condom as Gary's own cock sent cum fountaining all over Sam's belly and his own chest and beard. For several seconds they stayed locked in position, overcome as their orgasms surged out of them simultaneously. Then suddenly it was over, both of them gasping with their spent effort. They collapsed in a tangle, their strength draining from them as fast as their semen had.  

As their breathing slowed, and the sweat cooled on their bodies, they repositioned themselves on the bed to lie beside each other. Sam glanced at the clock, which read 12:03. It was officially Christmas. He looked down at Gary, who looked back drowsily, and said, "Merry Christmas Gary. You've been a very naughty boy this year!" Chuckling sleepily, Gary closed his eyes and smiled. Behind him, Sam's hair and beard gradually became glowing silvery-white. Santa Claus grinned to himself as Gary fell asleep, wrapped within his protective arms.