Chapter One- Slip

"Jingle bells, jingle bell! Jingle all the WAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Of course it was that time of the year. Time for songs, time for snow, time for presents, food and sweets.

Christmas Time!

Candlehead couldn't wait. She was already bouncing about in the apartment, making sure she had things ready to carry down to the bistro below.

"Okay!" she said, taking a look at her list "I have tha garland, the nutcrackers an' tha mini-trees! Can't forget tha records or-!"

She had to stop, squealing in glee as she looked about. She was surrounded by Christmas, breathing Christmas, seeing Christmas all around!

She just could not wait!

In a flash, the little racer bounded down the stairs to the empty bistro but it didn't take her long to begin her spree all around. She took off at the speed of light and like a whirlwind the entire eating area was festooned with Christmas decorations. Strands of ribbons sprinkled in red and green were thrown this way, snowmen and gingerbread ladies were put on the wall and tabletops, and the little racer made certain that the windows were painted to look like a winter wonderland even from the inside.

Candlehead had her head in Christmas.

And it was going to be there for the rest of the winter season.

"There!" she smiled from ear to ear "All done!"

The Candle-Wick Café was dressed in its best for the winter holiday and as Candlehead flipped the sign to 'OPEN'….

"MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!"

It didn't take long for the little bistro to fill, the candy citizens lining up to await their turn to purchase some coco or some cake and Candlehead made certain that there was PLENTY for everyone in Sugar Rush to enjoy. No, EVERYONE in the arcade for that matter!

Everyone was going to enjoy THIS Christmas!

"Hey C-Butt!" called a cheerful voice, the bell of the bistro ringing as the door was opened. Candlehead looked back to see Swizz and Minty walking in.

"Ah, guys! Just tha two I have been lookin' for!"

Minty smirked, crossing her arms "Er, you're not gonna use us for any more cookin' experiments are ya? Need I remind ya what happened LAST time ya did that?"

"No, no, no!" Candlehead shook her head, handing the two a pair of small, brightly wrapped presents "I wanted ya guys ta have these!"

"Aw, but its early." Smiled Swizz, knowing that the girl was going to SWAMP the two with gifts from that moment well into the New Year "What more could ya give us?"

"C'mon, just open 'em!" Candlehead begged, her eyes big and bright. The other racers tore the paper off their packages to see two small, goofy looking Santa decorations looking back at them. Minty could not help but erupt into laughter as she saw the googly-eyed ornament, pounds of glitter flittering down onto the floor.

"Minty…" Swizz whispered, hoping that the girl's laughter would not offend "Eh-heh, they look adorable as usual, Candlehead."

Candlehead beamed, not at all deterred from Minty who was still laughing up a storm "Hope ya hang 'em up! Santa will wanna see 'em when he comes!"

"'Less he ends up buried in all this glitter…." Minty smiled, trilling her fingers as even more of the red flakes fell to the floor "Geeze, C-Butt. How much glitter did you use for these things?"

The candle-headed racer blinked, the flame atop her head sparking "Um, do ya think THREE BARRELS was enough? Or did I need MORE this year?"

"Ah, never change. Never change."

"I have tha others ready for everyone else!" smiled the girl "But I'll hafta wait till closin' time ta hand 'em out! I've just been so busy since our homes have been reset!"

"I'm glad that things are goin' great for ya, C-Butt!" smiled Swizz "This Christmas? Looks like we're gonna need a place like this to bring in the holiday cheer!"

Candlehead had never felt so proud in her life. It was just incredible that only a few months ago, the Candle-Wick Café, along with various other locations in the game, had remained lost and hidden in the code that Turbo had locked from the racers for those terrible years under his rule. Candlehead would have never DREAMED that her family owned such a well-loved and fun bakery nor that she would run the place herself to continue their story. Even if her parents were only there in memory and in images, she knew she had to keep the place open for them. She was a racer but she also the head of her own little bistro and bakery, a dream come to true for her!

Now that it was Christmas time however, Candlehead knew she had to double-down on making sure that the game was in the festive season more than ever. In the past, she had always been in charge of making the game jolly and bright with her own particular brand of cheer but now? Now with the Bistro in her hands as well as so many recipes and ideas?

She knew what true joy really felt like now.

"I'll see ya two later!" the girl waved as she went back to helping customers with their holiday orders "Just tell tha guys that if they want their presents, they can come here! But I'll make sure ta see 'em later!"

The other racers left, leaving Candlehead with her customers. Hour by hour the time passed with Candlehead busy mixing, stirring, cutting, rolling and baking cookies, candies, pies, and cakes for everyone. The list had grown longer and longer from both Sugar Rush and all over Litwak's. She was busy, she was tired but she couldn't let anything get her down!

This was Christmas!

And more than that….

"Santa will be watching…." The girl hummed to herself as she put the finishing touches on a Santa themed cake for the palace "I wanna be a good helper for him! He'll be so happy to see how everyone will smile this year!"

By nightfall the rush had died down. Candlehead saw that no one else was coming in, a signal that she could close up shop early. She wanted to visit the Candy Castle anyway and not one to arrive there late, Candlehead readied herself to go. The Santa cake was wrapped in a beautiful box with a shiny red bow, glitter and sprinkles placed upon it.

"Ohhh, I hope Vanellope likes it!"

Not too far away, such a girl was getting things ready herself.

"Ya know, Ralph?" Vanellope said "I'm glad we got everythin' back in order in time for tha holidays!"

Ralph clumsily tried to tie a bit of garland to the wall, the thin wire wrapping messily between his fingers "Yeah?"

"Yes!" smiled Vanellope "I mean…I forgot all this stuff existed in our game an' it makes everythin' look so much bigger! So much brighter!"

"Well, it was in your story wasn't it?" asked the Wrecker "What did tha stories say you an' your parents did for Christmas?"

Vanellope sighed, a bit of glum appearing on her face "Well, from the memories I do have my mom didn't really like sharin' too much but I'm lucky my dad did."

"What do ya mean?"

The little vanilla racer sat down, pouting a bit "I still can't believe I forgot how much I used ta be a brat an' how close I was ta actin'ilke my mom….but she always wanted things ta be PRIVATE, ya know? Save tha best parties for all tha hoity-totiy people. A lot of that other racers couldn't come because they didn't make tha list."

"Tha list?"

"Yeah, THA LIST." Vanellope sneered in disgust "Like King Candy used ta do. I 'member seein' Sakura's folks, Rancis was always there I guess but we didn't have that much fun. Not till dad was like 'I'm tired of all this snobby stuff! Let's open up to tha entire kingdom!' an' then EVERYONE was invited."

"Ya know, you're not what your backstory is…." Ralph said in a reassuring tone, worried by the way Vanellope looked.

"I know but….but I guess I'm still a lil scared that I nearly got pulled back inta that thanks to all those guys who tried ta butter me up when I got back." The racer said "An' maybe I was expectin' my story ta be so perfect too, ya know? Bein' tha Princess an' all….I guess I didn't expect tha programmers ta say I was a BRAT till tha races showed me how I could be friends with tha others."

"An' are they your friends?"

Vanellope's smile returned "Yeah. YEAH! Yeah, they are!"

She then looked out the window, seeing the bustle of the activity outside the castle. The entire horizon looked so much bigger and brighter since the full reset had happened and to see the other racers in their real homes, with their real stories, and HAPPY? That was something that felt better than any trophy she won during the races.

"This is our home, Ralph." The girl said "It finally feels like OUR home. This is tha first time we're gonna spend a PROPER Christmas together with no King Candy, with their families in their minds an'…an' together."

The big Wrecker couldn't stop the warmth from growing in his heart from the words that Vanellope had said. She always tried to play coy in the view of others but when she let the softness really come through?

He was just happy she could feel comfortable being herself.

"So what are ya gonna do first? Have anythin' special planned?"

"Of course!" smiled the racer "Gonna have a Winter Race, of course! Then Beezie and Nougie said we could go out and get special powdered sugar sweets from their village an-!"

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

The two looked over, Sour Bill at the door.

"Excuse me, Miss President." The candy-man said "Miss Candlehead is awaiting for you down stairs."

"Ah, I know she has LOADS of food ready!" the girl said hungrily "I hope she brought HAM."

"What is up with everyone an' HAM?" Ralph asked "Ever since this month began, I've been hit in the face with HAM HAM HAM."

"Because December is the month of HAM." Vanellope said "An' now that Candlehead has her own kitchen, there's gonna be FEAST here! Genie better watch out because he has some competition!"

Ralph shuddered "Ya have no idea how much I pray that those two never meet for lunch…..or any other meal for that matter. If so, the entire arcade would disappear into a black hole."

Downstairs in the atrium, Candlehead was waiting for Vanellope, her gift box in her hands.

"Eee, I cannot wait for her to see it!" she giggled to herself, just itching with delight and excitement "When she sees tha cake, she will-!"

"Ah, watch it!"

"Ah?"

Candlehead turned around, seeing two little candy helpers struggling under the weight of one of the Christmas decorations for the palace. It was a large chocolate guard but it was one much too heavy for the two, the smaller of the duo struggling to hold their end up.

"No, no, no, no! I think I'm gonna drop it!"

Candlehead placed her gift on a nearby table and ran to help, taking up the middle of the chocolate decoration.

"GOT IT!"

"Whew, thanks…." Said the first little candy person "We were seconds from disaster there!"

"Oh, where is this going?"

"Out to the garden." Said the second candy helper "The Bing-Bing twins requested that this be set up next to their Jolly Berry trees but as ya can see….we may have forgotten how much this thing weighs."

"Then lemme help." Candlehead smiled "Tha more tha merrier! 'Sides, Vanellope will see tha note on tha box anyway! She'll know it was from me!"

"Sorry for intruding on your plans Miss Candlehead." Said the first helper.

"Awww, it's no problem." The girl smiled, slowly moving out towards the garden with the statue "I want this place ta look as best as it can too!"

The three then moved out of seeing distance just as Ralph and Vanellope walked in.

"Candlehead?" Vanellope called, looking here and there but she could not see the mint-chip racer ANYWHERE "Did we miss her?"

"Sour Bill said she was right here." Said Ralph "No one picked her off, I hope."

"I hear your worries, Stink-Breath." Vanellope responded, feeling the inevitable chill running up her spine "But after everythin' that happened? Calhoun made CERTAIN that no viruses would be gettin' inta this place again!"

Virus or not, Candlehead had disappeared, leaving both racer and Wrecker to wonder where she could have gone in such a quick manner.

"Well….she DOES have all that energy, I guess."

"Hey, look!" said Vanellope as she finally noticed the gift on the table "THIS must have been what Billy called us down for!"

"Nelly, wait up."

The girl glitched in front of the gift; it was from Candlehead alright, the note left on the package (as well as the copious amounts of glitter raining off of it) a clue.

"We have Candlehead's package…." Vanellope began "But no Candlehead."

"Do ya think she wants us ta put it under the tree?" asked Ralph "Or is this one of those things ya hafta open NOW?"

Vanellope sniffed the gift, feeling that it was rather warm on the bottom.

"Okay, one. This could be somethin' ta eat an' she wants us ta eat it NOW."

"An' two?"

"TWO, she found another creature, wrapped it up, an' oh please NO. I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN!"

"Uh, should I ask?"

Vanellope unwrapped the gift, a massive burst of sparkly steam ERUPTING in both characters' faces, Ralph falling over on his back as the smell of gingerbread, chocolate and other spices hit him so hard it felt like a TRAIN had collided with his face.

"WOW!" he gasped "What tha heck was THAT!?"

Vanellope looked inside, seeing the cake.

She looked…..and it looked back at her.

"Aaaah, C-Butt."

Getting back onto his feet, the big man peered down at the chocolate-spice cake inside. Candlehead had taken her time with this one, making sure that every detail on the Santa treat was in place. Not a whip of icing was out of place on his beard, his jelly-bean eyes shiny and bright, and his cherry nose was tinkling like a polished ruby.

"Holy….I guess she WOULD challenge Gene!"

Vanellope couldn't stop smiling at the luscious treat before her but something else was going on in her mind. Something that Ralph could tell was tinkering about but he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Kid?"

"I don't know if I should eat this or frame it, it looks so good."

"Well, in that case make sure ya tell Candlehead thanks." Ralph said, matter-of-factly "I know that kid put in a lotta time workin' on that thing!"

"Oh, don't think I would be so rude!" Vanellope pouted "Its just…."

"Yeah?"

Vanellope snickered "Even when King Candy was here, I watched Candlehead get all excited an' giddy about Christmas. I think outta everyone here, SHE'S always tha most excited about tha time of the year."

"Who wouldn't be?"

"Well…." Flustered Vanellope "Its just…."

"Just WHAT?"

Vanellope felt a bit embarrassed at the moment, taking the box into the kitchen, "Ralph?"

"What is it kid?"

"I…."

"Yes?"

Not too far away, Candlehead reentered the palace with the two candy people, a basket of freshly picked Jolly Berries in her hands.

"Thanks so much for lettin' me have some!" the girl said "I'll make certain ta save ya an EXTRA large jar of Jolly Berry jam! Just come by tha café for it!"

The two smiled as they bid the girl a good-bye, Candlehead skipping down the halls.

"I wonder if Vanellope found tha gift." She said to herself "Hopefully she didn't cut into it just yet before I could fix some-!"

"I just never believed in Santa…."

Candlehead came to a halt right outside the kitchen, her legs feeling as if they had turned to stone. She was just inches from the door but those inside were not aware of the pair of ears that were listening in. A horrible twitch hit the girl, almost like a glitch but it felt worse.

"Aw c'mon…." said Ralph "Everyone has at one point or another."

"I did…" said Vanellope "But I remember mom tellin' me where the presents really came from an' after that? Well, it just didn't bother me."

"Man, ya sure Turbo didn't take some cues from your parents. I mean, I know he altered the assets from your dad's clothes ta make his own costume but-!"

"Ralph, don't be so hard on me!" Vanellope said, the man hearing her voice falter a bit "I mean, okay. Other kids believe in Santa but really? It just never did it for me. I couldn't believe in him an' when King Candy sent me away, I didn't believe in him then."

"Vanellope!"

"I used ta see King Candy try ta surprise Candlehead with his yucky Santa costume an' that was enough ta make me un-believe then!"

Candlehead was shaking where she stood, remembering those times back when the fake monarch was in charge. He had dressed up on occasion to make the other racers believe and of course, SHE had always been the most excited of the lot but she knew Candy wasn't Santa.

Unbeknownst to the others, she had always stayed up to watch the night sky during those many Christmas Eves, looking up in the starlit air and whenever she saw a shooting star.

It was him.

It HAD to be him.

That had always been proof to her that Santa was real, that he was watching her, that he enjoyed the cookies that she had left.

But if Vanellope said….

"Then….then what do ya think of all tha Santas around tha arcade? Ya know Roy dresses up as Santa."

"Yeah, its good for him an' I guess its good for all tha other kids who believe in him but I guess Santa just isn't for me. I used ta think that other guys were so doofy for belivin in' him!"

OUCH.

Candlehead heard nothing else at that moment as everything she had planned and envisioned for that Christmas came tumbling down around her. Her legs no longer felt like stone but rather like jelly, jelly that was sending her down to the ground.

Santa wasn't real?

Santa was fake?

Santa didn't exist?

The wick atop the little racer's hat went out, mournful smoke drifting in the air.

Suddenly all the memories that had been restored to her felt so bleak, they felt so clouded. The words of her mother, the words of her father. They had told her about Santa, they had told her to believe in Santa but there was more to it than that.

And upon hearing Vanellope say those words….

"H-He doesn't exist?"

It no longer felt like Christmas.

Coldness crept upon Candlehead and it wasn't from the whipping winds and snow outside. It was from something else, something much more heartbreaking. Vanellope and Ralph were unaware of the girl just out of their sight and for the code of her, Candlehead didn't want them to know she was there. She forced herself up and dashed down the hall, forgetting the basket on the ground.

"Huh?"

"What is it?" asked Ralph as Vanellope hopped off the counter she was sitting on. She walked out the door, her foot hitting the basket on the floor.

"D-Did….did someone drop this?"

She looked down the halls, no one there. She then sniffed the air, a smoldering scent of wax lingering in the air.

Wax?

Oh, no.

"CANDLEHEAD!"

Ralph rushed over to the door in worry "Is she here?!"

Vanellope paled, gulping hard.

"Stink-Breath…..I-I think I messed up."