" So....." Emma said as she looked sheepishly at the water. " We're gonna be spending our Christmas on a boat, I presume?"

Mia looked over the edge. " With all types of sea creatures, yes."

Annie was already taking out gifts from a trunk. Mia and Emma gaped.

" Wha...... Annieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Emma cried. " What are you doing?!"

" Taking the gifts out. Why?"

Mia sputtered. " When.... how.... why....."

Blackie hopped onto Mia's shoulder. " Well at least she remembered. Who knows what would have happened, me, on Christmas, with no gifts!"

Mia stared at the cat. " If you're this sassy now I hate to think how sassy you see grandma at the wedding."

Blackie liked a paw. " My dear hooman." He said. " Food will not serve itself."

Mia rolled her eyes. " We're talking about Christmas and you want DINNER?!"

Blackie rolled his eyes. " Unlike you foolish humans, I have DIGNATY."

Emma bit her lip from laughing too hard, though she was giggling.

Blackie smirked. " See? Even the painter agrees."

Mia groaned. " Fine. Where's your food?"

Blackie hopped off Mia's shoulder and went under the deck. Confused, Emma and Mia followed.

Blackie led them through a corridor, and stopped at a closet. He pulled on it, and Mia did a double take.

Their was a closet full. Of. Tuna.

All types of tuna!

Emma and Mia stood in front of the closet, their mouths agape in disbelief. Cans of tuna lined the shelves, stacked high and organized like a gourmet grocery store. The scent of the sea wafted out as Blackie stood proudly beside his treasure.

"Blackie, how on Earth did you manage to get all this tuna on a boat?" Emma asked, still trying to wrap her head around it.

Blackie flicked his tail nonchalantly. "A feline has its ways, my dear human"

" Let me guess." Mia said with a fond smile. " You used my credit card and went on a shopping spree at three in the morning?"

"Precisely," Blackie replied, puffing out his chest. "But enough about me! It's Christmas, and I have a feast to prepare! Now, help me gather some of this before it all mysteriously disappears!"

"Are you seriously going to eat all this tuna on Christmas?" Emma asked, chuckling as she grabbed a few cans.

"Of course! It's a delicacy," Blackie said matter-of-factly. "Besides, if I don't eat it, who will? You humans are too busy with your holiday festivities to appreciate true gourmet cuisine."

Mia rolled her eyes again. "You know, Blackie, it might be nice if you actually shared some of that with us. I mean, we're the ones who brought you along on this trip."

"Ah, yes, but you see, sharing is a complex social construct. It requires a level of sacrifice that I, as a dignified cat, simply can't abide," he said, eyeing the tuna greedily.

Emma laughed, shaking her head. "Well, if you promise to share a little, I might just save you a piece of my Christmas cookie later."

"Deal!" Blackie exclaimed, pawing at a can as if it were a prize.

"Okay, okay, let's get this tuna back to the deck," Mia said, starting to load the cans into her arms. "Annie will wonder what we're doing down here."

As they returned to the deck, they found Annie sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by the gifts she had unpacked. "Finally! I thought you two had gone overboard or something!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Check this out!"

Mia and Emma dropped the cans onto the deck and rushed over, curiosity piqued. Annie was holding up a beautifully wrapped box adorned with ribbons and glittering snowflakes.

"Is that for us?" Emma asked, her eyes widening.

"Of course!" Annie beamed. "It's from the crew! They wanted us to have a little Christmas surprise while we're out at sea!"

Blackie, now back on Mia's shoulder, perked up. "If there are gifts, then I expect treats inside. Preferably tuna-flavored."

"Keep dreaming, furball," Emma laughed, as Annie began to unwrap the box.

Inside, they found an assortment of colorful decorations, cookies, and even a tiny Christmas tree that would fit perfectly on their boat.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Mia said, her heart swelling with holiday cheer.

Annie grinned. "We're going to make this the best Christmas ever, even on a boat!"

Blackie looked at the tiny tree and then back at the girls. "As long as there's tuna and cookies involved, I'm all in."

" Uh.... Mia?"

Mia looked at her friend who was leaning on the railing. " Yeah?"

" Is there supposed to be sharp fins next to our boat?"

" Sharp fi- what makes you say that?"

" Because there's something grey out there!"

Mia jumped from her spot, and Blackie opened an eye. " Hey! Why'd you stop brushing me?"

Mia turned from the railing, grabbed her cat and picked him up, holding him over the ocean. " What are those?"

Blackie's eyes widened, and he jumped back on deck. " Those are sharks!"

Annie, who was trying to start a fire in the firepit, looked up, eyes wide. " Sharks?!"

Mia ran to te steering wheel and turned to Emma. " Which direction should I steer?"

" Right!"

" Other right!"

" Now left!"

" Other left!"

" Stop the boat!"

Mia's eyes widened and she grabbed the lever and pulled it back.

The boat stopped.

" Why'd we stop?" Mia asked.

" So the sharks would go ahead and we could lose them."

Mia jumped from the steering wheel and walked to Emma. " Well, that was a smart move."

Annie worriedly looked over the edge, and let out a sigh of relief. " Thank goodness the Bounty is fine."

Blackie regained his composure and shook his fur. " This calls for a celebration! Anyone want ice cream? We have chocolate!"

Mia nodded, and Annie and Emma squealed. 

" Help me get it from the freezer." Blackie said with authority.

At midnight, Emma woke to a sound. She grabbed the lantern by her bag and shook Mia. " Hey, Mia, wake up."

Mia sat up and rubbed her eye. " What happened?"

" I heard a sound."

Mia turned to Annie, who was sound asleep.

But sleep talking.

" Ah.... yes, my king...... how pretty you are...... no, come baaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Mia turned and pointed to Annie with her thumb. " You musta heard her."

" Nono, it was another sound. A more.... monstrous sound."

Blackie stirred awake. " What did it sound like?"

" Like an.. ooga booga! but then a clinka clinka. and a chuga chuga."

Mia looked confused, but Blackie looked alarmed. " Those sounds you're describing sound like the engine! Wake Annie up! She's the only one who'll know what to do!"

Emma shook Annie's shoulder gently. "Annie, wake up!"

Annie let out a dreamy sigh. "Mmm...yes, my king...how lovely you are...don't leave meeee..." Her words faded into a soft mumble, and she rolled over, clutching an empty mug as if it were a crown.

Mia and Emma exchanged a look, half amused, half urgent.

"Annie!" Mia gave her another shake. "We're hearing weird sounds, and we think it's the engine!"

Annie's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up groggily. "The engine...?" She blinked, then jolted awake. "Wait, the engine? Is it making noises?"

"Yeah! Emma said it went, uh... ooga booga, clinka clinka, and chuga chuga," Mia explained, doing her best impression of the sounds with a series of wild hand gestures.

Annie's eyes went wide. "Those are not normal engine sounds!" She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over the blanket they had all been huddled under. "If something's wrong with the engine, we could be stranded out here!"

Blackie watched them from his perch, his tail twitching in a way that suggested he, too, was on high alert. "Stranded? I am not amused. Someone better fix this before my tuna supply is at risk!"

Emma grabbed the lantern and followed Annie, who was already halfway across the deck, moving toward the engine compartment at the rear of the boat.

As Annie knelt down and opened the engine cover, a cloud of steam hissed out, causing everyone to take a step back.

"Oh, that's not a good sign..." Annie muttered, peering into the compartment. "It looks like... something's come loose. One of the pipes is rattling against the side, and the steam pressure is too high. If I don't fix this now, it could get way worse."

"Do you know how to fix it?" Mia asked, looking over Annie's shoulder.

Annie nodded, though she looked slightly nervous. "I think so. The internet showed me a few things about engines. We just need to tighten some bolts, but we have to be careful, or the whole thing might overheat."

Emma handed her a small toolkit from the supply closet. "Just tell us what to do."

Annie took a deep breath, grabbed a wrench, and instructed Emma and Mia to hold the flashlight steady. "Okay, I'll need one of you to keep an eye on the pressure gauge. If it goes past the red line, tell me immediately."

Mia nodded, eyes fixed on the gauge as Annie went to work, tightening bolts and adjusting a few valves with careful precision.

Blackie padded over, watching the whole process with a skeptical expression. "This all seems unnecessarily complicated. Can't we just, I don't know, give it a tap and be done with it?"

Annie rolled her eyes as she tightened another bolt. "Blackie, fixing an engine isn't the same as getting your can of tuna opened. It actually takes effort."

After a few tense minutes, the hissing of the steam slowed, and the rattling subsided.

"There," Annie said, wiping her brow with a smile of satisfaction. "That should keep us going until morning, at least. I'll do a full repair when it's light out."

Emma and Mia let out sighs of relief, and Mia clapped Annie on the back. "Annie, you're a lifesaver! I didn't know you could fix engines!"

"Yeah, well, now you know!" Annie grinned, shutting the engine cover.

Just then, Blackie sauntered up, sniffing the air. "Well, now that we're not in immediate peril, I expect my midnight snack. I heard there's some chocolate left?"

"Blackie, no one's having chocolate at two in the morning," Emma said with a laugh, ruffling his fur.

The group settled back down, exhausted but relieved. Annie stretched out with a yawn. "I'll sleep much better knowing we're not going to explode or get stranded."

Mia lay down beside her, giving her friend a nudge. "Thanks, Annie. You really saved Christmas."

Annie smiled sleepily, closing her eyes. "Anyway. Merry Christmas, guys..."

" WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"

Mia shot out of her sleeping bag. " What happened?!"

Emma grinned. " It's Christmas! Joy!"

Mia sighed and smiled. " You scared me."

" Sorry. But I just got a few pictures of dolphins and jellyfish!"

" Show me!"

Emma grinned and grabbed her camera.

" Wow, Em. This is quite the find!" Mia complimented.

Annie waved from the stairs. " Guuuuys, it's time for breeeeakfaaaaast!"

Mia and Emma grinned at each other, quickly grabbing their things and hurrying up the stairs to the deck. The scent of breakfast greeted them—something warm and sugary, with a hint of cinnamon.

Annie was setting the table, her cheeks pink from the crisp morning air, and a big smile on her face. "Merry Christmas, you two! I made French toast, and there's hot cocoa!"

Mia's eyes lit up as she spotted a plate piled high with golden-brown French toast, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with syrup. "Annie, this looks amazing!"

Emma sniffed the cocoa appreciatively. "I think this is the best breakfast ever. And on a boat, no less!"

Blackie sauntered over, eyeing the food with a dignified air. "And where is my breakfast?"

Annie chuckled and reached over to reveal a small dish with a selection of tuna bites. "I wouldn't forget you, Blackie. Merry Christmas!"

Blackie purred, settling down with his feast. "It's about time you all acknowledged the real spirit of Christmas—feeding your feline friends."

Emma laughed, pouring everyone cocoa. "Here's to our little Christmas on the sea."

They raised their mugs, clinking them together. "Merry Christmas!"

As they began eating, Emma passed her camera to Mia, showing her the pictures of dolphins leaping out of the water and jellyfish gliding gracefully below the waves.

"These are incredible," Mia said, flipping through the images. "You really captured the magic."

Annie leaned over, admiring the photos as well. "I can't believe we're here, out on the ocean, on Christmas morning. I'd never imagined a holiday like this!"

Just then, the sound of splashing water caught their attention. They turned to see a pod of dolphins swimming alongside the boat, as if joining in the celebration.

Emma gasped, snapping more pictures. "It's like they're celebrating with us!"

Mia watched, her heart swelling with joy. "This might just be the best Christmas ever."