Molly carefully peeled back the masking tape on the window of the children's party hall, taking great care not to leave any sticky residue behind. "Alright, Bill," she whispered, "time to break in like we've rehearsed a million times." Bill, dressed in an overly festive elf costume, nodded and positioned himself on the other side of the door. They'd been casing this joint for weeks, studying the daily routine and finding the perfect time to strike. Tonight, all the parents would be at the open house across the street, leaving the party unattended. Molly gave Bill a reassuring wink before slipping inside, her heart pounding with anticipation. The room was dark, save for the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree and a few scattered spots on the tables. She could hear Bill's heavy breathing as he joined her, his Santa suit rustling against the silence. "Okay, here's the deal," Molly whispered, pulling out a flashlight from her bag. "We search for the presents, stick them in the sack, and meet back here in ten minutes. Sound good?" Bill nodded, his eyes wide with excitement. This was going to be the biggest score yet. They'd heard rumors that this party had the best presents in town – PlayStations, iPads, even a real pony was said to be part of the haul. Molly felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her veins as she grabbed the flashlight from Molly and aimed it towards the tables. It took them longer than expected, but they finally found all the gifts neatly wrapped under the tree. Molly grabbed a handful of bags from under her own overcoat, ready to start loading up the stolen goods. Bill, meanwhile, had taken out a set of wire cutters and was busily snipping at the security tags on the presents. "You know, Bill," Molly said casually, trying to hide her growing impatience, "we should really look into getting a more sophisticated set of tools for this kind of work. These things are taking forever." Bill nodded, his face flush with concentration as he continued his work. "I know, I know," he muttered, "but they're already paid for, so we might as well use them." Molly rolled her eyes. Typical Bill. Always trying to save a buck, even when it came at the expense of efficiency. She turned back to her own work, grabbing as many presents as she could in one go. She was just about to call out to Bill that they were almost done when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps outside. Her heart slammed against her chest as she glanced at the clock. Only eight minutes left! How could they have forgotten about the open house? Bill, sensing her panic, dropped the last present he was working on and ran to the window. "We've got company!" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Molly raced over to him, peering out the window just as the first parent and child came into view. Her eyes darted frantically around the room, trying to think of some way to explain their presence. And then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit her. "Quick, Bill!" she whispered urgently, "get into character! We're the party entertainment!" Bill nodded, straightening up in his elf costume. Molly followed suit, pulling her own masking tape off her bag to reveal a hastily made banner that read "Merry Christmas from the Party Crashers!"