Christmas with the LeCoyles

>"...you're SURE the letter said here?"
>"ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, ANON."
>You glance at Kitten doubtfully, and she replies with a soft purr and a shrug.
>"I KNOW IT SEEMS WRONG, BUT THIS IS THE ADDRESS THE DOCTOR ASKED US TO COME TO."
>"Well... okay. I trust your judgment. ...but what a dump."
>You wrap an arm around your girlfriend's waist, feeling her jacket's soft material crumple under your fingers. Kitten responds in kind, throwing an arm around your own midsection with a digital grin. Her plastic claws gently, almost playfully poke your side.
>With a sigh, you look up at the building looming over you.
>Lucille's letter said to come to her house for Christmas... but if THIS is a house, you're the Queen of France.
>It looks more like some kind of scientific complex... which you suppose is fitting considering who it purportedly belongs to. The cold white exterior of the building bears a large black logo stenciled on, resembling a snake coiled into a C shape, nestled between two L's. LCL... LeCoyle Labs.
>You shiver reflexively, half from the cold, half from remembering how Lucille can be sometimes... how long has it been since you met her and Kitten now... 9, 10 months? Your feline girlfriend's body clearly shows the passage of time.
>Her once-gaunt form is now considerably healthier looking. She's put on a healthy bit of weight, adding to her curves, but more importantly making her look much... better. You can tell from her mannerisms that she FEELS better too.
>Her heart rate has been very stable since LeCoyle added that battery to her monitor. She's still taking things easy, but she's been steadily doing more and more intensive activities, most notably following along with a special exercise video Regina had made for her.
>You snicker a little, thinking about the instructor's goofy catchphrase. Who thought GOATALLY was a good idea...?
>Kitten squeezes you tightly as she knocks on the large metal door, her claws clicking against it quietly.
>There's a long pause.
>You hear a quiet rustling from inside, then a familiar voice.
>"...who issss it~?"
>"IT'S ME, KITTEN! AND ANON TOO!"
>There's a loud gasp, then the door flies open.
>You immediately find yourself pulled into a group hug with your companion, scaly arms squeezing you tightly as Lucille LeCoyle happily nuzzles Kitten's monitor.
>"My baby...! ...a-and Anon, of coursssse, eheh. It'ssss so good to see you two again!"
>The snake releases you and slithers back a little, smiling sheepishly.
>Lucille hasn't changed much, other than, like Kitten, putting on a little weight.
>The doctor's usual labcoat is gone, replaced with a festive sweater pulled taut over her bustline. Her long, neon blue hair contrasts the red-and-green garment hideously. She adjusts her glasses with a quiet hiss, then nods.
>"Why don't you come in? You'll catch your death in that ssssnow!"
>The two of you comply without hesitation.

[https://youtu.be/ywjU6RBiKXM]
>The inside of Lucille's... "house" is even more eclectic than you'd imagined.
>As you follow your 15-foot long hostess, you can't help but gawk at the apparent lab-turned-abode.
>All manner of blinking, beeping equipment dangles from shelves, cabinets, and workbenches. A few robotic eyes focus on you and follow your moves, narrowing or widening at apparent random.
>Countless files are scattered around with apparent abandon, including a few blueprints for various models of android, some medical records, and... some heavily redacted documents bearing little more than a large L in the top left corner. Odd.
>Framed photographs of what appear to be Lucille's old patients are everywhere. You spot portraits of Kitten, Regina, and Ellie quickly, then stare at a few others.
>...does that fox have a PROJECTOR in her eyesocket?!
>A small placard under that particular photo is lovingly labeled "Alice White - LCL's First Patient!"
>...poor gal. She certainly doesn't look too happy in the photo. You wonder how she's doing these days. If she's even still around, that is.
>The concrete floor is fairly clean besides the papers scattered around. Huge lights shine down from a ceiling too far up for you to see.
>Lucille playfully slithers behind an X-Ray machine, granting you a view of her skeleton... and a very delicate-looking device nestled somewhere around where her womb would be. Must be that Keyhole Device she mentioned all those months ago...
>She eventually leads you to a somewhat normal-looking living room setup constructed in the middle of the massive complex.
>Kitten gasps and grabs your shoulders, shaking you in excitement.
>"ANON, LOOK!"
>Sitting on an ugly sofa, next to a very obviously artificial Christmas tree, are two familiar faces: Regina and Ellie.
>The dragoness nods, grinning, while the bat waves shyly. Seems the months have done them well too.
>Regina's mask is gone, replaced with a small, discrete tube running into the corner of her mouth. The tubes making up her life-support system are less plentiful as well, though they still visibly pump colorful chemicals in and out of her body. She appears to have built some muscle mass in the months since you've seen her, as thick, strong arms strain her jacket slightly.
>Ellie is MUCH less thin, now bearing a remarkably curvy build that you find hard not to stare at. Her holographic head is much more realistic and lifelike now, as she bears a bashful smile. Her Christmas sweater does little to hide the light from the various panels embedded in her skin.
>The couple beam and pull you and Kitten into a mass embrace. Regina's bulky arms squeeze you so tight it hurts a little...
>"Hello, Kitten, Anon; it is wonderful to see you both again! My, you're looking well, my feline friend."
>Ellie speaks, for once in a comprehensible manner.
>"yes, it really is good to see you guys. i'm glad you seem to be feeling better too, kitten."
>Your girlfriend blushes and gently rubs her belly, now bearing a very small layer of pudge.
>"HEEHEE! I'M HAPPY TO SEE YOU BOTH DOING GOOD!"
>You nod happily.
>"Yeah, same here. Have you been working out, Regina?"
>"Of course I have! I must stay strong for my beloved~"
>She effortlessly lifts Ellie with one hand, sending the bat into a giggling fit.
>"i swear, regina, you get more and more attractive every day."
>Regina blushes madly as she gently sets her wife down, their rings glinting in the artificial light of Lucille's home.
>"Y-you flatter me, dear... you are no slouch yourself, you know... just LOOK at that hourglass figure! Absolutely divine~"
>The women giggle and compliment each other for a bit, only stopping when Lucille clears her throat quietly.
>"Ahem... uh... sssso! Thank you all for coming. I wassss afraid you may not want to see me anymore, eheh... but no matter! I invited you all for a very sssspecial reason: it's CHRISTMAS!"
>A look of gleeful enthusiasm washes across the snake's face as the word slips off her tongue.
>"Oh, I LOVE Chrisssstmas. It'ssss my favorite holiday. How about you, my children?"
>...she's still doing the mother thing, huh. You're gonna have to get in touch with that therapist you sent her to...
>Regina, Ellie, and Kitten all nod, as do you, after a short delay. Lucille claps her hands together happily.
>"Great! Becausssse... I have gifts for everyone!"
>She gestures over to the Christmas tree... where there are absolutely no presents. The doctor blinks a few times, then her smile droops a little.
>"...oh, ssssilly me. I nearly forgot. PENNY, DEAR! CAN YOU BRING MOTHER THOSSSSE PRESENTS?"
>A brash female voice echoes from far away.
>"YEAH! GIMME A NEW YORK MINUTE, MA!"
>Your hostess grins sheepishly once more, twiddling her fingers.
>"Eheh... your patiensssse is appreciated."
>Suddenly, loud metallic clanks begin approaching fast.
>You whirl around just in time to nearly get flattened by a running android, carrying a sack of gifts over her shoulder. The android drops her payload with a sigh of relief and wipes her brow ineffectually.
>"Cripes, didja give em all BRICKS, Ma? That sack weighs as much as I do!"
>You blink a few times as you take in the woman standing in front of you.
>She's obviously mechanical, thanks to having white metallic "skin" instead of fur. Black spots with brown circles surrounding them decorate various parts of her body, making her vaguely resemble a stylized calico cat.
>Despite being almost totally naked, she lacks any sort of indecent elements, the only remotely questionable element being her very wide hips and generous thighs.
>Her joints are clearly artificial, as is her hair, black with some brown highlights. LCD eyes of a minty green size you up as the cat smirks.
>In the center of her bare, completely flat chest, a set of slot machine reels is embedded, resting on BAR-BAR-BAR. Below that, where a navel would be on a normal Otherworlder, is a small coin slot.
>A long tail swishes behind the android as she straightens her bow tie, her only article of clothing.
>"Ey there. You must be, eh, Anon, right? I'm Penny. Penny LeCoyle. Nice to meetcha."
>Penny extends a hand, and you shake it, feeling how cold and hard her metal is...
>Once you pull her hand down, the android visibly bites her lip as her slot reels begin spinning.
>"Mmf~!"
>The reels CLICK to a stop, one by one.
>CHERRY-BELL-CHERRY
>A buzzer sounds, and Penny sighs, disappointed.
>"Better luck next time, pal. Anywho, uh... thanks fer comin' to Ma's shindig! It's, eh, it's good to meet you guys. Heard a lot about you all...!"
>Despite her brisk, self-confident tone, Penny seems a little nervous and awkward...
>The android introduces herself to Kitten, Ellie, and Regina as well, then gets practically broken in half by a particularly tight hug from Lucille.
>She quickly empties the sack of presents, humming a jazzy tune to herself.
>"Lessee. This'n goes to Anon... one fer Kitten... one fer Regina... and one for Ellie."
>She then grins and winks at Lucille conspiratorially.
>"...and, of course, the BIG one."
>She pulls a massive box from behind the tree. It's easily big enough to fit a PERSON inside... and addressed to "The LeCoyle Extended Family".
>Lucille practically vibrates with excitement as she stares at the box.
>"Thank you, Penny, ssssweetie! Now then... I think you kidssss should open THAT one first~!"
>The four of you share a confused glance, then shrug and open up the box.
>Your blood immediately ices over at the sight of the contents.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPjJ8b2uJ4]

>An all-too-familiar pair of eyes lights up, one huge and purple, the other small and yellow.
>Six thin arms slowly move into place, two sets clasping their hands behind the figure's back, one pair awkwardly attempting to remove the huge top hat adorning the figure's head despite the box being too small to allow that.
>The lithe, tall figure of Gossamer Thorybein strides out of the box, looking thoroughly intimidated as you, Regina, and Ellie all glare at her.
>The dragoness rolls up a sleeve and clenches a fist, while the bat brandishes her claws. You throw an arm between Kitten and the villainous spider.
>Regina throws a punch directly into the arachnid's gut the moment her mouth opens, interrupting whatever she had to say. Lucille cries out.
>"WAIT, SSSSTOP! SSSSHE'S FIXED NOW! PLEASSSSE!"
>Bewildered, Regina pulls her fist back. Gossamer coughs loudly, clutching her belly, then smiles, shaking.
>"A-ah... yes. The doctor tells the truth. She repaired and reprogrammed me. Gone are the days of Gossamer Thorybein, professional villain! Now I am Gossamer LeCoyle... humble puppeteer and magician."
>She sweeps her hat from her head and bows, releasing a swarm of doves from inside the chapeau.
>The spider straightens back up, then her smile vanishes altogether at the sight of your less-than-impressed expressions.
>"...I... I know. I know, I know! I was so needlessly cruel... so vile, so hateful. I owe the four of you countless apologies. More apologies than I can utter in a lifetime. I... I don't expect forgiveness, but I want you to know I truly regret my actions, and I want nothing more than to make up for them..."
>She twiddles her fingers on all 6 hands, staring down at her feet.
>"The things I did... I was following programming, but that doesn't excuse me... I'm just thankful nobody was seriously hurt by my attack. A-and I'm glad, in a way, that you killed my old self. If that hadn't happened... Doctor LeCoyle wouldn't have been able to help me change my ways."
>Gossamer rushes forward and embraces all four of you to the best of her ability, sobbing openly.
>"Th-th-thank you... I'm so sorry for what I did... so, so sorry. I-I hope you can forgive me... someday. But if you can't, I don't hold it against any of you."
>You silently exchange glances with Regina, Ellie, and Kitten. The dragoness narrows her eyes and snorts, as does the bat. Kitten, however, is in tears.
>Your girlfriend gently hugs the weeping spider.
>"GOSSAMER... I BELIEVE PEOPLE CAN CHANGE, IF THEY TRY. I... I'M SO THANKFUL YOU APOLOGIZED, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT THE DOCTOR WAS ABLE TO FIX YOU. B-BUT... I CAN'T FORGIVE YOU UNLESS MY ANON DOES. WE LOVE EACH OTHER SO DEARLY, I TRUST HIS JUDGMENT."
>The monitor-headed cat and android look your way.
>...
>...
>"Gossamer, I... I'm sorry, but I can't. Not right now. I think you can change. I think you can be a good person... but I want to see that firsthand before I forgive you."
>Kitten nods sagely.
>"THEN, THAT'S MY DECISION AS WELL. SORRY, GOSSAMER."
>The spider wipes tears from her eyes, but nods.
>"I understand."
>Regina and Ellie whisper to one another, then nod and approach the arachnid together.
>"...Gossamer. My beloved and I have come to an agreement."
>"yes, we have. we... we accept your apology... but only because you accidentally sparked our relationship."
>"I... I what?"
>"That fight... it marked the beginning of mine and Ellie's love for one another. Had you not attacked us, our marriage might never have happened. So... we forgive you, Gossamer. But! We will be watching you."
>"I-I'd be surprised if you didn't keep an eye on me. Th-th-thank... thank you."
>She hugs the happy couple, bawling.
>Penny rolls her eyes with a smirk, then gently elbows the spider.
>"Ey sis. Enough already! Christmastime ain't for crying. It's for spendin' time with the people you love, and bein' thankful for em."
>The cat snickers and mutters under her breath rapidly.
>"(And the presents ain't half bad either.)"
>Gossamer wipes her eyes and nods, smiling.
>"Y-you're right. Let's just exchange our gifts, everyone."

>Penny practically dives into the pile of gifts, quickly sorting out which is which, then grins at Gossamer.
>"Well, sis, you're the youngest, so I guess you go first."
>The spider android smiles bashfully and carefully opens up the one present she has.
>...she pulls out a new top hat, one that matches her outfit better than her usual one. Gossamer stares at it silently, then pulls Penny and Lucille into a tight hug.
>"I-I love it...! Thank you both!"
>She sweeps her old hat off her head, then dons the new one with a beaming grin.
>"How do I look?"
>"Like a million bucks, heh! Now scooch over, it's MY turn!"
>Lucille laughs heartily as the greedy cat gleefully eyes up her present.
>"Not sssso fast! Anon'ssss next, Penny."
>"Awwww man."
>You unwrap the present carefully...
>...it's a brand new smartphone. Hell, it's even the latest model put out by an Otherworld company.
>Lucille laughs nervously.
>"Eheh... I wasn't really sure what to get you, but I thought maybe you'd like that...?"
>"I do, thanks. I've been needing a new phone, actually."
>The snake looks extremely happy at this.
>"Oh, good! Good! Now then, you can open yourssss now, Penny."
>The cat impatiently rips her present open in one fluid motion.
>...it's a piggy bank...?
>Without even a second of hesitation, Penny smashes the ceramic pig with a fist, making it explode into coins. Her pupils become dollar signs as she grins ear to ear.
>"Thanks, ma, just what I wanted!"
>"Heheh. That'ssss what I figured... now, who'ssss next?"
>The ladies all murmur, eventually agreeing that Ellie is the next youngest.
>She uses her claws to slit the wrapping paper carefully, then smiles warmly.
>It's a blue lava lamp.
>"wow... just like the one i had back home...! how did you know, doctor?"
>"Eheheh! I have my wayssss."
>"...my grandpa bought that lamp for me. he'd turn it on and tell me bedtime stories every night... thank you, doctor. you've brought back some good memories."
>"Think nothing of it, ssssweetie. Regina, I believe you're up."
>The dragon nods and tears open her gift.
>She blinks in surprise, looking up at Lucille.
>"...h-how did you..."
>Regina pulls a very well-loved plush unicorn out of the box.
>"...L-Lucille, how in the world...?"
>"Don't worry about it. Jusssst enjoy it!"
>The huge, buff dragoness tears up and hugs the toy close.
>"...I-I cannot believe you found her. Q-Queen Glitter was the only one keeping me sane growing up. If it were not for her... thank you, thank you so much."
>"Of coursssse, sweetie. Kitten, your turn!"
>Your girlfriend enthusiastically opens up her gift now, gasping quietly when she sees what it is.
>Kitten presents a floppy disc of some sort, smiling in awe.
>"IT'S...! IT'S....!!!"
>"That'ssss right!"
>Kitten jumps up and hugs Lucille tightly, her screen displaying a huge heart.
>"THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR! ANON, LOOK!"
>She inserts the disk into a slot on her back. Her screen goes black for a moment, then a title screen loads up.
>TERMINAL CONDITION: AN ADVENTURE GAME BY SONIA WILLIAMS AND LUCILLE LECOYLE
>A crude, 8-Bit videogame loads up. It's a cutest little point and click adventure game, apparently. Kitten minimizes it and reveals her face again, with tears of happiness running down her cheeks.
>"THE DOCTOR AND I MADE THIS GAME WHEN I WAS SICK... IT HELPED A LOT!"
>"Eheheh. It helped me too, ssssweetie..."


>Lucille discretely wipes her eyes, then nods.
>"Alright, I think that'ssss everyone! Merry Chrisssstmas, all of you; I love you all!"
>You all join together in a huge group hug, with the snake in the center.
>You smile warmly as you look over everyone's faces.
>Ellie... Regina... Kitten...
>All so happy. It's hard to believe that, earlier this year, all three of these women were alone in the dark, afraid and sick.
>Now? They're all looking towards a happy future.
>Even Gossamer seems to have a bright life ahead of her.
>And Lucille. She really went all out to make everyone happy this Christmas. Even if your gift wasn't as heartfelt, she definitely tried her best...
>Suddenly, a realization hits you.
>"...wait, Lucille. Didn't YOU get a present?"
>"I ssssure did, Anon. The besssst present I could ask for: a family to spend the holidays with."