This chapter was written by BethShadows

"It's Christmas!" Valkyrie shouted, "Alexa play 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Slade!"

Alexa beeped. "Playing 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Slade."

Valkyrie sang along as she hopped out of bed and shoved her feet into her slippers.

"Are you hanging up your stocking on your wall?"

Are you hanging up your stocking on your wall?

"It's the time when every Santa has a ball!"

It's the time when every Santa has a ball

"Tanith! It's Christmas!" Valkyrie ran through the house, past the room that was essentially Tanith's by this point. Valkyrie reached the end of the hallway, turned around and ran back up the hallway.

Does he ride a red nosed reindeer? Does a ton up on his sleigh?

Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

"Yaaaaasss!" Tanith yelled out from the room, "I freakin love Christmas!"

"Same!"

Tanith burst out of 'her' room singing along to the music playing throughout the house over the various speakers.

"So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fuuuuuunnnn!"

Valkyrie joined in.

"Look to the future now it's only just begguuuuu-uuuuu-uuun!"

Wrapping paper lay like autumn leaves scattered in every possible direction, courtesy of Tanith, and when he arrived, Larrikin. The entire Dead Men "squad" , as Valkyrie kept calling them, had been invited over, as had China. Valkyrie's parents were away with Alice over the Christmas break, so Tanith ordered that Valkyrie invite everyone over and have a party.

The Dead Men had arrived in small groups throughout the morning; Saracen and Dexter arriving first in matching Christmas jumpers (Valkyrie's dress code was Christmas jumpers only) bearing gifts and enough trifle for twenty people, and filled with enough sherry to get every one of those twenty people drunk enough to climb a lampost. Anton arrived after them, an entire Christmas dinner packed into his car and Christmas presents for everyone.

It was an hour after Anton arrived that Larrikin turned up, dragging Ravel behind him. Skulduggery and Ghastly arrived not long after.

"Where's China?" Valkyrie asked Skulduggery, "I invited her last week."

"Busy," Skulduggery said, "she sends her good wishes and a bottle of wine."

"Where's the wine?" Tanith called out from the kitchen.

"I left it at home," Skulduggery admitted.

"Evil bastard," Tanith said.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Skulduggery called back.

Skulduggery sat proudly in his newest jumper, a knitted one decorated in pairs of reindeers with pink hearts floating above them.

"Did you know that only female reindeer have antlers at Christmas time?" Tanith asked.

"I did not," Skulduggery said.

"All your reindeer have antlers, therefore all your reindeer are female."

"You're wearing a gay jumper," Dexter said.

"Ooh- do you have a rainbow knitted jumper?" Larrikin asked excitedly.

"I do not sadly."

"You do now, Merry Christmas!" Larrikin handed over a parcel in black paper.

"Thank you," Skulduggery said seriously.

Larrikin grinned broadly and slung his arm around Anton's shoulder.

Anton tipped the last mouthful of his wine into his mouth and set the glass on the table.

"I can get him drunk," Larrikin beamed.

"Tanith?" Valkyrie said.

"Yeah?" Tanith said.

"Ask me what kind of tree I have."

"It is time," Tanith said.

"Time for what?" Shudder asked.

"A vine."

"Everybody, clear the couch. Dexter get off Saracen, Larrikin let go of Anton, Erskine stop hugging Ghastly, etc, etc!" Tanith instructed.

Dexter had draped himself over Saracen like a cat. Larrikin had attached himself to Anton's legs as the man tried to walk through to the kitchen. Larrikin was dragged behind him, cheering and laughing. Erskine had taken one too many glasses of whatever it was Saracen had brought and decided Ghastly was the nicest thing to hug, after Valkyrie refused to let Xena through to the sitting room.

Dexter groaned over-dramatically and rolled to the side, falling off the couch.

"You're good there," Tanith said.

Larrikin was dragged off into the kitchen.

"Larrikin's out the way, Erskine Ravel, release Ghastly!" Tanith demanded.

"Fine," Ravel sighed and sat next to Skulduggery on the other couch and wrapped his arms around the boney torso of the skeleton. Ghastly got up and went off through to the kitchen, where Larrikin could be heard laughing. The kitchen door shut and Larrikin was cut off.

"Hug," Ravel said burying his face into Skulduggery's jumper.

"Get him off me," Skulduggery said.

"Just keep him there until we've done this," Valkyrie said.

"You owe me."

"No I don't. Tanith, get your arse on the couch."

Tanith flopped down onto the couch.

"Everyone, silence!" Valkyrie demanded, "filming in 3,2,1."

Valkyrie began filming.

"Tanith ask me what kind of tree I have," Valkyrie said.

"No."

"Tanith ask me what kind of tree I have."

"No."

"Just, Tanith, ask me what kind of a tree I have."

"What kind of tr-"

"It's a Chris Pine."

Valkyrie zoomed in on the picture of the Chris Pine she'd stuck up on the tree and stopped filming.

"How long has that been on the tree?" Saracen asked.

"Last night ," Valkyrie said, "we only put the tree up then."

"You left it until Christmas Eve to put your tree up?" Ravel asked.

"Well we got back from Saracen's on the 23rd," Valkyrie defended.

"You could've put it up before you left," Dexter said.

"Yeah. That would've made sense…" Valkyrie said, "oh well." Valkyrie paused and took a deep breath, "Anton! It's safe to bring back Larrikin!"

"Larrikin's dead, it's fine!" Ghastly called back.

"Let's party!" Tanith cheered.

"Alexa play "All Alone At Christmas" by Darlene Love!" Valkyrie said.

The cold wind is blowin' and the streets are getting dark I'm writing you a letter and I don't know where to start…

It's short but it's Christmassy. Up next... wait and see...

I hope you enjoyed the surprise Christmas update and Jappy Holidays to every one of our readers!

Shoutout goes to Moonfrost497 for leaving a review with last week's language which was English.

It was weird seeing 'goodbye' typed out, usually I have it in another language. It seems so formal typed out in English.

Thank you so much to Patastroki for the review. Your continued support means so much to both of us. We've added your suggestion to the list, along with the other suggestion you gave us a while back that we haven't posted yet. Both will be up in the new year :)

In answer your question, the bad guys are alive in this timeline but probably won't make an appearance, unless we get any requests for them to show up. I'm thinking Sanguine might turn up at some point though.

Until next time, Happy Holidays everyone!