Chapter 12

"Can we open presents, Dad?" Lex and Xander asked, putting on pleading looks with twin puppy dog eyes and their lower lips pushed out adding a little quiver.

"Nice try, boys. You can't open presents until morning," Danny said as he ignored their faces. The adults remained at the dining table drinking tea with their pieces of pumpkin pie. The children, who had finished their pieces already, kept picking up the presents and shaking them to see if they could guess what each one was.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Danielle grumbled, pouting on the couches with the other teenagers.

"Oh come on, Dad! Just one? Please!" Lex whined and tugged on Danny's sleeve.

"Let them open one, Danny," Dash said as he pinched his lover's side.

Danny jerked away and shot a glare at the man. "You know I hate when you pinch me!" he whispered and then proceeded to flick Dash's ear. He turned to his sons with a stern look on his face. "One and only one present each."

"Ha, ha! In your face, Danielle. He agreed," Lex said, laughing and pointing at the younger girl. Both Danny and Xander reached over and slapped Lex on the back of the head, causing the rest of the room to break into laughter. The other teenagers grabbed a present from under the tree. Xander and Lex hurried over to grab one as well.

"Yes, Zombie Eater IX!" Danielle cheered, hugging the new videogame to her chest. Then she remembered to thank Lex for buying the game.

Sandra opened her present next. Danielle, not having a lot of money to spend on presents for everyone, had bought Sandra a heart pendant on a silver chain. Elden opened his present from Sandra next. She had bought him a new music player since his old one had been smashed during some mysterious accident. Xander went next, opening the present from Elden.

"Oh wow! Thanks, Elden!" Xander hugged his friend before looking through the pastry book at all the delicious desserts. Elden smiled as he watched the happiness dance in Xander's eyes.

Denise ripped the silver wrapping paper off the present from Xander. Her mouth fell open in shock as she ran her hand over the cover of the book. When she opened it and glanced through the pages, she found it filled with her favorite poems. She looked toward Xander, who blushed and dropped his gaze back to the pastry book. Crossing the distance between the two couches, Denise hugged Xander and thanked him for the present.

Lex opened his present last. He could tell the gift beneath the wrapping was some sort of book. After tearing off the wrapping, Lex stared at the leather bond notebook. His name was pressed into the leather in thick black lettering.

"I know it's not the greatest gift," Denise said in a soft, shy voice, afraid that Lex didn't like the gift.

"No, it's great! I like it," Lex replied with a wide grin. Xander glanced toward Denise and gave her smile before turning his attention back to Elden.

"Lex likes writing?" Danny asked Dash in a whisper. "How come I never knew that?"

"I didn't know either," Dash answered with a shrug. When they heard a knock at the door, Dash and Danny exchanged confused looks before Danny stood to answer the door.

"Vlad," Danny said, shocked to see the other half ghost standing on the other side of the door. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to a party in Wisconsin."

"Well, I was going to go to that," Vlad said as he entered the apartment. "But then I thought: where would I rather spend my Christmas Eve? And I decided I would much rather be the people who truly care about me. Ah, Maddie, you're looking as lovely as ever." Vlad took Maddie's hand and kissed the back side of it. Jack's eye twitched even though he knew Vlad only wanted to get a reaction out of him.

"Did you bring us presents?" Danielle questioned from her spot at the far end of the couch.

Vlad turned to look at the girl. "Not for you," he said, making Danielle pout. "But for Lex and Xander, I have a little something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two envelopes. Then he handed one to each boy.

"Whoa!" The twins' eyes widened when they saw the amount written on the checks within the envelopes. Danny walked over and plucked the checks from the boys' hands.

"Five hundred dollars!" Danny shouted. "You can't give them that much money!"

"And this is for you and your lover," Vlad said, ignoring Danny's outburst as he handed his godson another envelope. Danny's lips thinned into an angry line as he looked at the contents of the envelope.

"A trip to a spa?" Danny looked up and blinked at the elder half ghost.

"I thought since you and Dash work so hard, you should be allowed a weekend off to relax. It's arranged for Valentine's Day weekend."

"We'd have to get someone to watch the boys," Danny mumbled, glancing toward Dash.

"I can do that," Vlad answered with a wide grin. Danny turned back to him, frowning in a disapproving manner. "I want a chance to bond with them. And think, next time I'll be able to get them actual present because I'll know what they like. Then I won't upset you again by giving them insane amounts of money."

"Fine," Danny said with a sigh. "But this money," he held up the two checks, "is going into their savings accounts." He turned and walked into his bedroom to put the checks into a locked draw in his desk.

While Danny was gone, Vlad slipped Lex and Xander each a fifty dollar bill and motioned for them to keep quiet about it. The twins stuffed the bills into their pockets. When he looked up, Vlad noticed Dash giving him a stern look and the other adults giving him amused smirks. Danny returned, but no one mentioned anything about the money. Vlad was shocked that Dash kept silent.

The rest of the night was filled with pleasant conversation by both the adults and the teenagers. Vlad continued to flirt with Maddie, and Jack ignored it to the best of his ability. Soon the evening came to an end, and it was time for everyone to leave the small apartment. Jack and Maddie offered to take Denise and Elden home since their parents couldn't come to get them. Before leaving, the girls each gave Lex a kiss on the cheek. Lex let out a cheer for the kisses and then turned to laugh at Xander and Elden who didn't receive any kisses from the girls. Xander only rolled his eyes at his twin, not really caring about being kissed by any of the girls. Once everyone was gone, Dash ushered the twins to bed before pulling Danny off to their bedroom.

"Do you think I need to be more accepting of Vlad's money?" Danny questioned as he climbed into bed with Dash. The twins were already in bed, and Danny spent an hour putting all the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Well, five hundred dollars may have been a little much to give to our sons," Dash replied, sliding an arm under Danny and pulling him closer. "But he just wants to be a good godfather to you."

"I believe he said he wanted to spoil me and my family with his money." Danny sighed and rested his head on Dash's chest. "If he wants to give us gifts, it should be from his heart and not just a way to give us money he has no use for himself."

"And that's one of the things I love about you." Dash combed his fingers through Danny's hair.

"Um, what?" Danny tilted his head for a better view of his lover's face.

"That you would rather have a simple gift from the heart rather than have money thrown at you," Dash answered and kissed Danny's forehead.

"Lots of money may be nice, but it won't necessarily make me happy. I would rather earn the money than have it given to me." Danny nuzzled into Dash's neck as his hand drew patterns upon the man's chest. "However, that spa trip sounds really nice right about now." Dash nodded his agreement before leaning his head down to give Danny a goodnight kiss on the lips.