Disclaimer: I do not own Legion of Super-Heroes. I do however, own Ebony Dent.

A Christmas gift given on Christmas Night.

This Ayla is the cartoon Ayla. But this Garth is the Action Comics Garth.

Inspired by Here Comes Santa Claws by Tom B. Stone and the film Black Christmas. The original not that crappy remake. Merry Christmas.

"What do you think they are?"

"They look like potatoes."

She poked one and it fell apart, clinking like rocks as it hit the plate.

"Yeah those aren't potatoes."

10 year old, red-headed Ayla Ranzz and seven-year old, raven-haired Ebony Dent sat in the Legion kitchen pondering at a plate of the ugliest brown-black burnt lumps they had ever seen in their lives. It was December 23rd. Christmas Eve Eve. Ayla was wearing a dark blue shirt with a picture of a halo on it. Ebony wore a pale pink shirt with a picture of a pale blue snowman on it. Both had on jeans.

"Where'd they come from?" Ayla asked.

"I dunno." Ebony replied.

Then, the door silently creaked open, and a trickster snuck in.

"Think we should tell someone?" Ayla asked.

"No one ever listens to kids." Ebony moaned.

"Boo!"

Ayla jumped up in her seat. Ebony kept her place, her head held in her hands on the table.

"Heard you coming a mile away." She said to their red-haired, older visitor as he laughed. Garth Ranzz. Lightning Lad. The OTHER Lightning Lad from New Earth. Instead of his usual outfit, he wore on jeans and a black Magnoball jersey. He still didn't shave that stubble though, despite the annoyances from some annoying teen girl with black hair and big eyes.

"Oh really?" He smirked.

"You've gotta try better then that."

"Not for me!" Ayla said as she calmed down.

"Smart aleck." He nudged her head.

"Monkey boy."

"So, what're you two up to?" He asked.

"Pondering life, the universe, the quantum mechanics of existence…" Ayla said.

"And that." Ebony pointed to the plate. Garth furrowed his brow.

"What the heck are those things?" Garth asked.

"We don't know." Ebony explained.

"We thought they were potatoes." Ayla said.

"Those aren't potatoes."

"Figured." Ebony muttered.

"You seen my brother?" Ayla asked his counterpart.

"Some emergency in the city. Sorry kid." Garth apologized.

"Okay. I was hoping he could try them." Ayla said. "He'll eat anything." An idea flashed. She tuned the older Garth and smiled.

"Say…"

"Don't even. I'm too old to fall for that." Garth said.

"Hmmph. Then we won't find out what those things are." Ayla moaned. Ebony sighed.

"I'll do it. I've lived a good life."

"You're seven!" Ayla commented.

"I said good. Not long." Ebony corrected. She reached over to the plate, and plucked one of the lumps in her hand. This one didn't crumble. She cautiously sniffed it, and was surprised at first.

Chocolate? She thought. And peanut butter, and oatmeal. Wait. Are these cookies?

She closed her eyes, and began to place the supposed cookie in her mouth before it was snatched out of her hand by Garth, who then popped it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Ebony protested. Too late. He grimaced as he swallowed the thing whole rather then put his teeth at risk. "Why'd you do that?"

"You think I'm gonna let you eat something she found lying around?" The grimace was still there.

"He has a point." Ayla informed Ebony. "So? What are they?" Ayla asked.

"Someone's attempt at baking. Or at murder." Garth spat out. Somewhere, Jazmin Cullen sneezed.

"And we can help you with…?" Ebony asked.

"And where is everyone?" Ayla asked. "This place has been a whole ghost town."

She was right. It was quiet. Too quiet. No laughing, no holiday cheer, no reprimanding.

"What gives?" Ebony asked.

"Well, some big emergency pulled most of the others out on missions." Garth informed, finally forgetting the awful taste.

"Which ones. Yours or mine?" Ayla asked, meaning which Legionnaires, the ones from her universe or his.

"Both."

"So, we're left alone. With you." Ebony clarified.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Can't I simply volunteer to perform a kindness for two sweet and adorable girls?" Garth innocently asked.

"You had no say, did you?" Ebony asked again.

"None of your business." Garth told her.

"Did we have any say in the matter?" Ayla asked.

"Either me, or the Blob." Garth smirked.

"How can you make yourself both choices?" Ebony joked.

"Watch it, Sarcasm Queen." Garth jokingly warned.

"LB Lord." She joked back.

Good, Ayla thought, a show all to myself.

"Now come on, I want you two out of here." Garth started to lead them out the door.

"Why?" Ayla asked. "Gift wrapping?"

"Grown-up stuff."

"I thought you were supposed to do that in the bathroom?" Ebony said with such innocence it made Garth's madly blushing face even redder. Ayla was confused.

"What's that supposed to me-"

"NOTHING." Garth told her, before whispering in Ebony's ear "Don't even dare tell her."

"Fine. But only because I think married men are cute." Ebony moaned.

"Wish I could say the same for you."

The door slammed shut.

"Come on, let's go hang out in the lounge." Ayla suggested.

"I guess." Ebony sighed. Melancholy in her eyes. Alone at Christmastime, again. At least it was better then being with Marcie.

They didn't see the rat scamper off.

…

"So, what did you ask for Christmas?" Ayla asked. The two were sitting, sprawled out on the lounge floor. Ayla was watching some stupid cartoon, Ebony had a colored pencil in her hand was drawing in a white sketchbook.

"Ah, well… what did you ask for?" Ebony asked.

"Where do you I start?" Ayla asked. She pulled out a list. A long list. It unraveled on the floor, rolling like the red carpet at an awards ceremony. The top read…

WHAT I WANT FOR XMAS: PART I

"You need most of that stuff?" Ebony asked.

"Someone does." Ayla said. Compassionate. Oh that made her cuter, Ebony thought. "So, what did you want."

"It doesn't matter." Ebony said.

"Why?" Ayla asked.

"I never get what I want anyway." Ebony sighed.

"Well what do you want?"

"Besides a Poprocket UFO doll and Donkey Kong 64, I just want to spend Christmas with some more people, and see mom again." Ebony sighed. "And Santa never brings anything I want."

"Why's that?"

"SHE won't send my letters." Ebony clarified. Ayla knew who she meant.

"Well…" Ayla started. "You're spending Christmas here. And if anything, you're with me and Garth. Not MY Garth, mind you."

"I'm just visiting. And he should be with his son and you should be with your brother." Ebony put her pencil down and showed her next sketch. "What do you think?" She held up a picture of a Native American teenage girl. Far impressive for a seven year old.

"Wow. Who is she?" Ayla asked.

"Sarah Rainmaker. Isn't she hot?" Ebony asked. Ayla couldn't believe a seven year old used words like hot to describe someone. They heard a crash. It interrupted Ayla's train of thought. It came from the kitchen.

"What do you think he's doing?" Ayla asked.

"Probably scarfing down any of the sweets Tinya's puppy made." At that moment, Tinya Wazzo and Brin Londo sneezed.

"Why do you keep making jokes like that?" Ayla asked.

"It's fun."

Ayla would've replied, but then she thought she saw something move on the tree. Not an ornament. Something else. A ball twitched.

"What? Don't like my sense of humor?"

…

He stood in front of the stove stirring a pot of pasta. The TV was on. An old horror movie.

"The call is coming from inside the house!"

And like every horror movie, the actress did something stupid and ran into the killer's clutches.

"Moron." Garth said to the TV. He had some reserves with playing the role of a babysitter instead of handing the ass of some moron in a bad costume, but he was a parent, and found satisfaction in what he did. But he would be damned if he gave the Sarcasm Queen of Earth-22 more joke ammo, even if they did like each other. Garth's ego couldn't take it.

"Easy now…" He said as he began to pour the pasta out into a big bowl on the table. Three dishes were set. Penne alla pesto.

"Score one for Mr. Stay-At-Home Dad." Garth said to himself proudly. He was about to get the girls, when the evil little thing struck.

The rat slinked by, running on the counter lightning fast. It's little eyes practically glowing, when-

YOINK.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

He held the rat by it's thin tail. It wiggled around

"Sorry buddy. No free food for you." Garth said. He began to head for the door, to the entrance, to toss it out in the snow.

"The girls would freak if they saw you." Garth said, actually talking to it. "Although, considering the stuff they've seen…" Garth was pondering, The rat struck. It sunk it's teeth into his hand.

"OW!" He muttered a curse and dropped the rat by mistake. Little drops of blood sprinkled the floor. The rat scampered to the table and knocked over a glass. More to clean up.

"You wanna dance?" He asked. The rat stared at him. Did it shake it's head? Then, it hissed and picked up a knife in it's teeth. Garth's eyes began to glow.

"Check out time." Garth said, and fired a bolt at it. The lightning bounced off the knife, and hit the pasta.

SPLASH.

Sauce got splattered all over his head, and some of the walls. Garth rubbed pesto sauce out of his eyes. The rat was still there. It lunged at him, before Garth moved out of the way, it bounced on the wall and fell on it's back. Garth sent a jolt into it. The rat twitched in pain, before lying still

"End of the line." He muttered as he tossed it in the trash. Then realized he needed to clean up, or suffer the wrath of Imra. Both Imras. After that, he needed to figure out what they were gonna eat. How would they react to two emaciated girls?

RRRRIIIING!

"What now?"

The holo-phone rang. Caller ID came up.

UNKNOWN.

He picked it up anyway. No screen popped up.

"Legion of Super-Heroes. Now's not a really good time hello?"

Then, he heard it. The breathing. Slow, raspy, breathing. Gasps of air.

"Hello?" He asked again. "Is someone there?" He said once more, annoyed.

Then, the voice came on. Raspy, grated, like a hag.

"Naughty or nice?"

CLICK.

He looked at the phone for a minute.

"Okay…"

And, rather then doing something stupid…

"COMPUTO, trace that call." Garth ordered. He didn't know if it would listen to him.

"TRACING…"

Scratch that.

"META ULNOOR. TAKRON-GALTOS." COMPUTO replied.

"You sure?"

"REQUEST FOR DOUBLE CHECK?"

"Yep."

"META ULNOOR. TAKRON-GALTOS."

"Well that figures." Garth said. From what he heard about this universe's version of Esper Lass, she was a real bitch.

"Now, what about dinner?" He mused to himself.

Then, he dialed for pizza.

"Luigi Brothers Pizza…"

…

The rat scampered down the dark hall. It stopped at a pair of black boots. And faded away. In the darkness, hundreds of red eyes opened up. A rat stepped out.

"There, there…"

The rat relaxed in content as it was petted, by a pair of bony, white claws.

"Ho, ho, ho."