A/N: Since I did a Halloween chapter, I'd thought I'd do a Christmas one too. I've added in references from famous Christmas books and films, in case you're wondering. So Merry Christmas everyone.
There's also no supervillains in this chapter.
Please read and review.
In the Queens Center Mall, on December 24th, Peter was wandering around, doing some last minute Christmas shopping. He carried a small bag of presents he'd brought, which included a photo for his Aunt May, and a few things for Gwen, Harry, Mary Jane, and even something for Anya.
Things had been quiet in the city since the battle at the construction site earlier this month, but he and Gwen hadn't seen or heard from Venom since. They both still kept their guard up though in case anything odd happened, since he was immune to their Spider-Senses.
He kept on walking, when he spotted some carollers nearby, singing 'Good King Wenceslas', then he went over to them.
"Good King Wenceslas looked out,
on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even;"
Peter went over to a hat in front of them, then put a few bucks into it, before walking off.
"Brightly shone the moon that night,
tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
gath'ring winter fuel."
Peter walked on, then stopped when he spotted Anya and her father - who was still in crutches - coming out of a store.
"Well, that's all." Mr. Corazon said.
"Sure is, Dad." Anya said. "Come on."
They both turned and walked off, before they spotted Peter.
"Peter." Anya said.
"Quite a surprise." Peter said.
They both smiled, before Mr. Corazon cleared his throat.
"Oh, sorry. Dad, this is my friend Peter." Anya said.
"Nice to meet you." Peter said, holding his hand out.
Mr. Corazon shook it. "Likewise." he said. "What you doing here?"
"Oh, just some last minute Christmas shopping." Peter said. "You?"
"Same." Anya said.
"Hey, don't forget the party at Harry's tonight?" Peter said, since Harry was hosting a Christmas party tonight from 7:30pm to 10pm.
"I haven't forgot." Anya assured. "That's partly why I'm here, since I haven't got the right outfit. I'm not a fashion girl, but I don't want to look embarrassed at being improperly dressed."
Peter looked confused, before turning to her father.
"She's never been to one before." Mr. Corazon explained. "Before, it was just the two of us, since her friends were party people."
"I understand it might be different." Peter assured. "This is my first Christmas without my Uncle Ben."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Mr. Corazon said.
"Me too, Peter." Anya said.
"Thanks." Peter said. "My Aunt and I will cope."
Mr. Corazon's phone then rang, making him take it out of his pocket.
"I'll be right back." he said, before he walked away with his crutches.
Anya and Peter turned to each other.
"MJ told me you lost both your parents when you were very young." Anya admitted. "I can only just imagine what it must've been like without either of them in your life."
"I know." Peter said. "You, Gwen and Harry have your Dads, while MJ's walked out on her, and then she lost her Mom. What about Janice, your lab partner?"
"Still has both her parents, but her father hasn't been seen in a while." Anya explained. "Still don't know why though, as she hasn't told me."
Mr. Corazon then came back. "Right. Come on, querida. We've still got some shopping to do."
"Okey, dad." Anya said. "See you later, Peter."
"See you." Peter said.
He walked past Anya and her father, who walked the other way, then began to hear the carollers singing again.
"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I shall see him dine,
when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went,
forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament
and the bitter weather."
Peter soon entered a store, which drowned out the music.
Meanwhile, in the Stacy House, Gwen was in her bedroom, on the phone to Kitty, as they'd been calling each once a week since the Landon incident under three months ago.
"So, how was Hanukkah for you?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, it was alright. Great seeing my parents again, even if they did have to leave before Christmas." Kitty answered. "How's things over there?"
"Oh, great." Gwen said. "We're all set up here for Christmas. We're suppose to have a party tonight at my friend Harry's place."
"Well, that's great." Kitty smiled.
"So, how's things where you are?" Gwen asked.
"Well, we're all having fun, expect Logan that is." Kitty explained. "He's being a grouch as always."
"Always?" Gwen inquired.
"He's always grouchy at this time of year." Kitty explained. "Doesn't really like fun holidays."
"Sounds like he'd get along great with Scrooge then." Gwen joked.
"I know." Kitty agreed.
(Xavier Mansion)
Kitty stood in the living room, seeing Logan sitting on a chair, staring at the fireplace. Nearby, Scott, Rogue and Jubilee were all decorating a large tree, while singing 'Deck the Halls'.
"Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
'Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!" they sang.
"Oh, by the way, thanks for the present." Kitty said, as she turned and walked off. "Makes me wish I got you something in return."
"Well, if you had, you'd have to send it anonymously, due to my Dad." Gwen said.
"Yeah. True." Kitty smiled. "And don't worry, I haven't opened it yet."
She entered the kitchen, seeing Jean and Remy cooking the dinner.
"Glad to know." Gwen said. "And trust me, I think you'll love it."
"Thanks." Kitty said.
She saw Jean cutting up vegetables, currently a carrot, while Remy was stirring a pot of juice for the Christmas Ham.
"I hope nothing happens tonight." Kitty hoped, as she turned around and walked away.
"Me too." Gwen hoped. "I can imagine all the little kids being ready for Santa."
"Same here." Kitty said.
She then walked into the sitting room, seeing Kurt reading his Bible, as he was a devoted Catholic, before she moved away.
"I'll let him read in peace." she thought.
She turned and walked off, then began to approach the stairs.
"So, I hope everything goes well at the Mansion for you and your friends." Gwen said.
"Thanks, Gwen. Same for you in your area." Kitty said.
She smiled, before she saw Bobby coming towards her, carrying a pair of ice skates.
"Um, excuse me a minute?" Kitty asked.
"Sure." Gwen said.
Kitty lowered her phone and smiled at Bobby, as he stopped near her.
"Hi, Bobby." she said. "Where you going?"
"Um, well...I was gonna go skating outside later, and...I was wondering if you'd join me." Bobby said.
"Um..." Kitty blushed, surprised by his question. "Um, sure. But I haven't got skates and there's no Ice Rink around here?"
"Hey, I'm Iceman, remember?" Bobby joked. "I can make the ice. As for skates, you can have this, and I can make my own."
"Uh, okay then. Just let me get changed into something warmer?" Kitty asked, as she didn't have a warm jumper on.
"Sure. I'll wait outside." Bobby said.
Kitty smiled and walked past him towards the stairs, then began to walk up them, as Bobby turned and stared at her happily.
"Um, Gwen, I gotta go." Kitty apologised. "Bobby's asked me to go skating with him."
"Okay, Kitty." Gwen said. "Have a nice time."
"I'll try. Again, thanks for the present." Kitty smiled.
She hung up and put her phone away, then walked into her room, closing the door behind her.
(Stacy house)
Gwen put her phone away and lay back on her bed.
"Hopefully nothing happens tonight or tomorrow." she said, looking at her window, seeing the snow falling.
She got up and walked out of her bedroom, then walked downstairs and looked at the tree in the sitting room, seeing presents lying all around it. She smiled while staring at them, then looked at one closely, that was from Peter.
"Our first Christmas as a couple." she thought happily, before remembering his Uncle Ben. "But it's also the first for him without his Uncle Ben. I hope he and his Aunt May are able to still celebrate despite that."
She sighed sadly, for she missed him as well, as he'd been the closest thing Peter had had to a father. She also knew however, that if he was still alive, he'd be proud of Peter, and happy for them both if he saw them together.
(Xavier Mansion)
Bobby and Kitty were now outside, standing by the swimming pool, before Bobby froze it up, turning it into an ice rink. He iced up some skates onto his shoes, as Kitty put her skates on, then they both began skating around happily on the ice.
"Hey, who were you on the phone too?" Bobby asked.
"Gwen." Kitty replied. "We've calling each other once a week, remember?"
"Oh, right." Bobby said, embarrassed.
Kitty laughed as she skated on ahead of him, as he looked at her, blushing.
"She's beautiful." he thought.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man was swinging through Times Square, with a bag behind him, before he landed on a neon sign, showing a broadcast of Jameson.
"Since when does old flattop have his own neon sign?" he wondered. "Oh, wait? He has his own news channel, so it must be a broadcast."
He kept on swinging past Jameson's broadcast, which had a picture of himself and Ghost Spider in the top right corner.
"..and as long as these two are around, Christmas this year won't be good." he announced. "They belong in jail, where they can't steal things like the Grinch!"
Spider-Man swung off down a street on his left, putting him out of ear-shot with the broadcast.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, JJ." he thought, annoyed. "Tell that to the real criminals of this city?"
He swung to his left, then landed on a rooftop and looked down at the city. He then took his phone out and looked at the time, seeing it was just after 7pm, meaning the party would start in less than half-an-hour.
"Well, better get changed for the party." he thought. "Don't wanna make Harry think I'd miss it."
He jumped off the roof and swung off, then landed on a billboard, when his Spider-Sense tingled, making him turn around.
"Huh?" he muttered.
He crawled down the billboard, then spotted a truck full of money outside the back of a toy store, with two thugs nearby.
"You can't take this money!" the owner cried, who was a middle aged man. "This money is being denoted to the Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital."
"Well, not anymore!" one of the thugs snapped, who had a woolly hat on. "It's our Christmas present."
The other thug, who had a short beard, approached the man.
"Ho, ho, ho, loser!" he smirked.
He punched the man in the face, knocking him onto the ground.
"Stealing money on Christmas Eve!" Spider-Man gasped, as he took his bag off his shoulders, then webbed it to the billboard. "Not on my watch!"
"Well, Joe, we did it." the first thug said. "This money is ours."
"Oh, yeah, baby." Joe said, impersonating Elvis. "So, let's book, Billy."
Spider-Man jumped down from the billboard and landed on the truck.
"I don't think so." he said.
Billy and Joe both looked up at him.
"Spider-Man!" Billy gasped.
"Stay out of this, web-head!" Joe snarled.
"You're not taking this truck!" Spider-Man declared. "That hospital needs the money!"
Joe brought out an Uzi from his jacket and fired it at Spider-Man, who jumped up to dodge the bullets.
"We better get outta here!" Billy panicked, closing the truck's back door.
"Agreed! Come on!" Joe said, reloading his Uzi.
They both ran towards the front of the truck, then got into it, as Spider-Man landed on the ground.
"I don't think so." he smirked.
He tried to shoot a web from both his hands, but his web-shooters clicked, telling him they were empty.
"Oh, man! Not now!" he complained. "Plan B then!"
He took a Spider-Tracer from his pocket, then tossed it at the truck, just as Billy began to race it away, sticking it on the back fender.
"NOOO!" the man cried.
Spider-Man turned to him. "Don't worry, sir. I'll stop them." he promised. "They won't get far."
"Please, Spider-Man?" the man begged. "That Children's Hospital needs that money. It's to help pay for operations to cure all the sick children."
Spider-Man nodded. "I understand." he said.
He jumped up and began swinging down through the city. He landed on the billboard his bag was on, then took his bag from the web, then put it over his shoulders before he began swinging down a street.
"Better call Gwen." he thought, as he landed on a rooftop. "She needs to know about this."
He took out his phone, then put it to his ear after dialling Gwen's number.
"Come on, pick up?" he thought.
"Hey, Peter. What's up?" came Gwen's voice.
"Gwen, you haven't left for the party, have you?" Spider-Man asked.
"No, not yet." Gwen said. "I was just about too."
"There's been a robbery in Times Square." Spider-Man explained.
"A theft? On Christmas Eve night?" Gwen exclaimed. "What did they steal?"
"A truck full of money being donated to the Children's hospital. The one Sandman's daughter's in." Spider-Man explained.
(Stacy house)
Gwen got up from her bed in shock, now wearing a white and green Christmas jumper she'd gotten for the party.
"Oh, no!" she gasped.
"I'm gonna need your help, Gwen." Spider-Man explained.
"I understand, Pete." Gwen said, as she left her bedroom. "This is the time of the year when you should think about others instead of yourself."
"I'm gonna need your help." Spider-Man said.
"I'm on it." Gwen said, walking down the stairs. "Where?"
"I'm chasing the truck now, so use your Spider-Tracker to find me." Spider-Man explained.
"Got it." Gwen understood. "Guess, we'll be late for the party?"
"Yeah." Spider-Man said.
He hung up, then Gwen put her phone away, as she entered the kitchen.
"You can't steal on Christmas Eve, especially if its for charity." she thought angrily.
She wrote a note for her Father, as he was at the station right now, then put it on the fridge, telling her she'd left for the party. She then ran back upstairs to her bedroom, then changed into Ghost Spider, then opened up her window. She climbed out through it, then closed it behind her, then began swinging away from her house.
At Osborn Manor, Harry was in the kitchen with Bernard, getting everything set up for the Christmas party, while Mr. Osborn was in the sitting room, sorting out some ribbons on the fireplace. As they laid the table, Norman was in the sitting room, helping put up banners, as he wanted his son to be proud and happy tonight.
"This is the one time in the year I like to help make people happy." he thought.
He turned away after putting one up, then he walked across the room and began putting another up.
Bernard and Harry soon came in, as Norman turned to them.
"Well, how's the table?" he asked.
"All set, expect for the food, Dad." Harry assured.
"Yeah. But we're gonna wait till most of the guests arrive." Bernard said. "At least that way, the food won't get cold."
"Good idea." Norman agreed.
He looked at the clock, and saw it was nearly 7:30.
"Well, the first guests should be arriving in a few minutes, so let's check to see if everything's sorted." Norman said.
"Okay, Dad." Harry said.
They all began to look around the sitting room and kitchen, checking to see if everything was ready, expect the food.
In the city, Spider-Man landed on the roof of a building, his bag lying near him, then looked at his Spider-Tracker, which showed a blip just on his left. He turned left, then saw a warehouse down nearby.
"So, that's where you've taken that truck." he thought.
He looked down at it, just as Ghost Spider landed behind him.
"I got here as fast as I could." she explained. "You know where the truck is?"
"It's in there." Spider-Man explained, pointing to the warehouse.
"Then let's get this over with." Ghost Spider said, punching her fist. "We still have to get to Harry's party."
"I know." Spider-Man said. "I just on my way there when I spotted the crooks."
"Okay. Let's make this quick then." Ghost Spider said.
They both jumped off the rooftop and swung down towards the warehouse, landing near its garage door. They both approached it, then they bent down to lift it up together, when their Spider-Senses tingled.
"Oh, webs!" Ghost Spider cursed.
"Come on!" Spider-Man said.
They both jumped up and landed on wall above the garage door, just as it opened up, then Billy and Joe came out of it.
"Time to get this truck out of the city." Joe smirked.
"You said it, partner." Billy joked. "Good thing no one knows we're here."
"Oh, really?" a voice smirked.
Both crooks looked up, seeing both Spiders above them.
"Spider-Man?!" Joe gasped. "How'd you find us so quickly?!"
"No kind words for me?" Ghost Spider teased, jumping down.
Billy and Joe turned around as she landed behind them.
"And to answer your question, a little bug told us." Ghost Spider teased.
She shot a web at both thugs, who dodged out of the way.
Spider-Man then jumped down and dived towards Billy, who rolled forward, making him miss.
"Nice try, Spider-Man!" Billy snarled.
He brought out a pistol and fired three rounds from it, but Spider-Man dodged them all.
Nearby, Ghost Spider jumped backwards as Joe fired his Uzi at her, managing to dodge all the bullets, before his gun was empty.
"AGH!" Joe growled.
He went to reload it, when Ghost Spider shot a web at him, hitting his chest, as Spider-Man jumped over Billy, who then turned around, before Spider-Man grabbed him.
"Take this, Harry." Spider-Man joked, as he punched Billy in the face, knocking him down.
"And this is for you, Marv!" Ghost Spider joked, pulling Joe towards her.
She then kicked him in the chest, sending him flying away, before he hit a dumpster bin.
"OH!" he moaned.
Ghost Spider webbed him up, as Spider-Man webbed up Billy, then bent down near him.
"Where's that money you two stole?!" he demanded.
"You better talk, 'cause we're not in a good mood after what you two did tonight!" Ghost Spider warned, glaring at Billy.
"Still in the truck inside." Billy said. "We were just about to unload it when you two showed up."
"Yeah. Check if you want!" Joe said.
"I'll check, you watch them." Spider-Man said. "The Cops should be here in a while."
"Okay." Ghost Spider understood.
Spider-Man ran into the warehouse as she glared at the two crooks, then Spider-Man approached the back of the truck. He opened it up, and saw all the money was still inside, making him sigh in relief.
"Well, that's good to know." he thought.
He turned and ran outside, then approached his partner.
"It's still in the truck." he said.
"Good." Ghost Spider said, folding her arms.
"So, what you gonna do to us?" Joe asked.
"Well, you Wet Bandits have been soaked." Spider-Man joked.
"Or are you the Sticky Bandits here." Ghost Spider joked.
They both turned to each other and bumped fists.
"But you're both going to jail for this." Ghost Spider said, folding her arms.
Sirens wailed in the distance, then both Spiders turned to see several Cops cars showing up. They pulled over near the warehouse, then several Cops got out, including Lt. DeWolff.
"There's the crooks." Spider-Man explained. "The stolen money's still in the truck in that warehouse."
"They stole it from a toy store that was donating the money to children's hospital." Ghost Spider explained.
"Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital. We know." Lt. DeWolff explained. "The store owner explained when he called us."
Two Cops approached Billy and Joe, then they cuffed one of the thieves each.
"We'll make sure that money gets to the hospital." Lt. DeWolff assured. "But thanks for your help. No one has the right mind to steal stuff on Christmas Eve night."
"We know. It's completely disrespectful." Ghost Spider agreed.
"And look, we better go." Spider-Man explained. "We've both got somewhere to be right now."
"Understood." Lt. DeWolff said.
Both Spiders jumped up and began swinging away from the warehouse, when a Cop came over to the Lt., with one of the stolen bags of money.
"Right. Get inside that truck, and I'll escort you to the children's hospital." she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am." the Cop said.
He turned and ran off back inside the warehouse, as the Lt. turned and ran towards her car.
Both Spiders swung off down a street, before they landed on the side of a building together.
"You have your clothes for the party, right?" Ghost Spider asked.
"Yeah. In my bag, which I left on the rooftop before we stormed the warehouse." Spider-Man explained.
"Well, you better get it quickly." Ghost Spider said. "We're already late as it is."
Spider-Man nodded, then he turned and swung back towards the building his bag was on. He came back a few minutes later, then landed near his partner.
"Right, got it." Spider-Man said. "You got yours."
"Under my costume." Ghost Spider teased. "Sort of the opposite of what we do, but I was in a hurry when you called. I was already changed and everything."
"Alright. Come on, let's go." Spider-Man said.
They both jumped off the wall, then began to quickly swing towards Osborn Manor.
Later, at Osborn Manor, the Christmas party had just started. Harry looked around at his guests, which included Mary Jane, Anya, Liz, Mark, Flash, Randy and Gloria - all wearing Christmas jumpers - but saw no sign of Peter and Gwen.
"I wonder what's keeping them?" he wondered, as Mary Jane came towards him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. Just wondering where Pete and Gwen are?" Harry said.
"I'm sure they have a reason for being late." Mary Jane assured.
Flash, Liz and Mark all sat on the couch, watching the TV, when a news broadcast came on.
"We interrupt this show to bring you a urgent news flash!" a newsman explained.
Everyone turned to the TV, as Newsman showed up on the screen.
"This is Pat Kiernan reporting for NY1 news." he explained. "We have just received word that the buglers from the Times Square toy shop robbery have been caught and arrested."
The screen showed Billy and Joe in the top right corner.
"Both men were caught stealing a truck full of money being donated to Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital." the newsman explained.
Everyone gasped, not believing how low those men could be at Christmas.
"Both men will surely be sentenced after the New Year begins." the newsman continued.
"A robbery on Christmas Eve?" Liz exclaimed, muting the TV. "What kind of people do that?"
"That is so low." Randy said. "Especially since they were stealing money for charity."
"My guess is, Peter and Gwen witnessed the whole thing and are at the Police Station giving testimonies." Mary Jane said. "Which would explain why they're late."
"Yeah, I guess." Harry assumed. "At least that's a decent excuse."
The door then opened up, getting everyone's attention, then Peter and Gwen came in, both in long overcoats.
"Sorry we're late, Harry." Peter said. "There was this..."
"We all heard about the robbery." Mary Jane assured, as she and Harry came towards them. "Were you two witnesses to it?"
"In a way." Gwen answered, taking her overcoat off.
She was wearing the same jumper from earlier, while Peter took his off, showing a red and blue Christmas jumper.
"So sorry, guys." Peter said. "We had to help testify."
"Understandable, but I wish you'd phoned us." Harry said.
"Well, sorry, Harry." Gwen said.
They all turned and entered the living room, seeing only around 20 people.
"Is this all?" Peter asked.
"Yeah. I thought they'd be more than this." Gwen admitted.
Liz and Anya both came over to the four of them.
"Sally said she wanted to be alone with her family." Liz sighed. "Or she doesn't wanna be here with you here, Peter."
"Oh..." Peter sighed. "Still not on speaking terms, I take it?"
"No." Liz sighed.
"And Janice said she'd rather not come." Anya said. "Didn't explain why through."
"Oh, right." Gwen understood. "So, I take we were the last to arrive?"
"Yeah." Harry confirmed. "Come on. The food should be ready."
All the guests got up and walked into the kitchen, seeing trays of snacks and soda drinks.
"Time for this party to begin." Harry said.
"For once, Osborn, I agree." Flash smirked.
Harry pressed a button on the remote, turning the CD player, which began playing Elton John's Step into Christmas. Everyone then began dancing to the music, as the party officially started.
After 10 minutes of dancing, now with Shakin' Stevens' Merry Christmas Everyone playing, Mary Jane spotted Peter and Gwen out on the balcony, staring at the snow covered ground, making her smile.
"You two are just prefect for each other." she thought, before she turned around.
On the balcony, Gwen rested her head on Peter's shoulder as they stared at the ground.
"I hope those kids at the hospital recover with the aid of that money." Gwen hoped.
"Me too, especially Marko's daughter." Peter added. "I mean, if she hopefully recovers, he'll never go back to crime again."
"Yeah, true." Gwen smiled. "He did only steal to make her healthy again, after all."
"Yeah." Peter said.
They both turned to each other, then turned to the party, seeing it from the glass door windows. They both smiled at the happiness of the others dancing, before they looked up, seeing Mistletoe above them.
"Mistletoe." Gwen whispered.
Peter smiled and nodded, before they leaned in and kissed each other, pulling apart after about 20 seconds.
"Merry Christmas, Peter." Gwen whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Gwen." Peter whispered.
They both kissed each other again, then hugged each other tight, then began to dance around slowly on the balcony, Gwen resting her head on Peter's shoulder as they did.
At 10pm, when the party was over, the guests all began to leave the manor, as Harry waved.
"See you." he said.
Flash, Liz, Mark and Randy were the first to leave, as Gloria and Anya approached him.
"Thanks for the party, Harry." Gloria said.
"Yeah. It was actually...nice to let loose." Anya admitted.
"You gonna do it more often?" Harry asked.
"Depends on the date." Anya replied. "See you."
They both left as Harry waved at them.
Everyone else then left till it was just him, Peter, Gwen and Mary Jane.
"Well, thanks for coming, guys." Harry said.
"Sure thing, sweetie." Mary Jane said, kissing his cheek. "I'll see you later."
She left the manor, as Peter and Gwen approached Harry.
"It was a great party, Harry." Gwen said. "One of the best I've been too."
"Same here." Peter said.
"Thanks, guys." Harry said. "You know, I might do something similar in the summer. Make it a Pool Party or something."
"That'd be nice, Harry." Gwen smiled. "Well, we'll see you."
"See you, buddy." Peter said, as he and Harry bumped fists.
He and Gwen then walked out of the manor, as Harry closed the door behind him, then the couple both ran off down the street.
"I'll see you tomorrow, dear." Gwen smirked, kissing Peter's cheek.
"Yeah, see you." Peter said.
They both separated and ran off in different directions.
On Christmas Day, at the Parker House, Peter and Aunt May were both in the sitting room. Peter held a small present behind his back, as Aunt May sat in her chair, before turning to Peter.
"Aunt May, I've got you something." he said.
He took the small present out from behind his back, then handed it to her.
"Oh, thank you, Peter." she said.
She opened her present, showing it was a picture of her, Peter, and Uncle Ben, that was taken last November.
"Peter, it's..." she said. "It's wonderful."
"It's kinda because it's our first one without him." Peter said. "So I kinda wanted to..."
Aunt May smiled understandingly.
"It's okay, Peter. He's still with us, in here." she said, touching her heart.
She moved and put the picture up on the fireplace, beside one of Peter's parents, Richard and Mary, that had been taken a year before they died.
At the Stacy House, Gwen and her father were both in the living room, Gwen unwrapping a present from Peter, as her father smiled at her. Once she'd finished, she saw it was a locket, with a photo of the pair of them inside.
"Oh, Peter." she smiled, happily.
She got to her feet, then walked over to a mirror, then put it on around her neck. She turned around as her Dad smiled at her.
"Is that a..?" he asked.
"Yeah." Gwen said. "There's a picture of us both in it."
She opened it up and showed her father the picture, who saw her and Peter.
"It's nice." Capt. Stacy said.
Gwen smiled while turning to the picture of her mother, Helen.
"I wish you could see me with Peter, Mom." she thought.
Capt. Stacy turned and looked at the picture sadly.
"You'd be proud of Gwen, Helen." he thought, sadly. "She's becoming a fine young woman."
At the Xavier Mansion, Kitty was in her room, opening up the present Gwen had given her by mail. Once she'd ripped the wrapping paper up, she saw it was a book about computer science. She smiled before she spotted a note in the wrapping, which she then picked up.
"You said you were a computer expect, so I thought you might want this, in case it helps you. Merry Christmas, Kitty. From Gwen.'" it said.
Kitty smiled while looking at the book, then she opened it up, finding it amazing.
"Oh, thanks, Gwen." she thought happily.
A few minutes later, after getting dressed, she phased out of her bedroom door, then began to walk off down a hallway. As she passed by Remy's room, she could hear Rogue's voice coming from there as well, telling her they'd spent the night together, as they were both giggling.
"They might as well be sharing a room at this rate?" she thought, annoyed, as this wasn't the first time the lovebirds had slept together.
She kept on walking, then entered the sitting room, seeing Bobby, Scott, Jean, Ororo and the Professor all watching the News on TV.
"Anything interesting?" Kitty asked.
"Yeah. Apparently there was a robbery last night." Scott explained.
"How heartless, to rob a place on Christmas Eve." Storm said disgusted.
"It's even worse since the money was being donated to a hospital." Jean added.
"That...That is so not right." Kitty gasped.
"Both crooks involved in the robbery are going away for a long time." the Newsman reported. "Witnesses report that Spider-Man and Ghost Spider found them and took them out, before allowing the Cops to arrest them, who then took the stolen money to Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital."
"Nice work, you two." Kitty thought.
"Well, at least those crooks didn't get away." Scott said, wrapping his arm around Jean.
Kurt and Beast both came in as the News broadcast ended.
"Indeed my friend." Beast agreed.
"Ja." Kurt agreed. "It iss nicht nice to rob at zis time uff year, since you schould be zinkingkt uff ozzers."
"Bobby, that hospital? Isn't that the one that you asked me to make a donation to for one of its patients?" the Professor asked.
Bobby sighed, for he'd told the other X-Men about what happened when he and Johnny Storm had helped Peter and Gwen at the construction sight a few weeks ago, since they'd seen it on TV.
"Yeah." Bobby confirmed. "Poor girl's sick. Her father's that sand guy that was blackmailed into helping kill Spider-Man and Ghost Spider."
"So he had to fight them just to protect her?" Jean inquired.
Bobby nodded.
"Well, at least he's not like most villains out there." Scott reasoned.
"Yeah. I mean, as he vas desperate. I'm sure ze Lort vould understent vhy he had to schteal." Kurt said.
"I know I would not judge him in the circumstances." Ororo said. "I myself have been like that when I was younger. And so's Remy."
Kitty sat down and touched Bobby's shoulder, making him blush.
"You did the right thing helping." she said. "Hopefully, it'll help people see that not all Mutants are evil."
"Kitty has a point." Beast agreed. "Since one of the Fantastic Four was there as well."
Bobby smiled. "Thanks, guys." he said.
At the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four had finished watching the same News Report.
"How heartless, stealing money for a children's hospital!" Susan said angrily.
"I know what you mean, Sue." Ben agreed.
"I'm glad the web-heads stopped them." Johnny said. "The hospital in question is the same one Sandman's daughter's in."
"The one you asked me to donate some money too?" Reed inquired, turning to him.
"Yeah." Johnny nodded, turning to his brother-in-law. "Hopefully if she gets better, he won't go back to crime once he's out of jail."
"Well, that's one villain I feel sorry for then." Susan said.
"Me too. He's not like most I've heard of." Ben sighed.
That night, Peter, Aunt May Gwen and Capt. Stacy were all at the Parker house, watching the end of It's a Wonderful Life on TV, Gwen leaning against Peter on the couch as they did.
"A toast, to my big brother George, the richest man in town." Harry Bailey said.
The rest of the cast toasted happily, then all but George, his wife Mary, and daughter Zuzu began singing 'Auld Lang Syne'.
"Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?"
"I've always loved this film." Aunt May said, crying happily.
"So did Helen." Capt. Stacy said.
Gwen smiled as she lifted her head up, knowing her Dad missed her Mom as much as she did.
"Mom always had us watch this every year after dinner." she recalled.
"Yeah, she did, up till you were just 10 years old...when she died." her father said.
Gwen sighed, as she really wished her mother was here, before Peter wrapped his arm around her.
"I know how you feel." Peter said, looking at the picture of his Uncle Ben.
"For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne."
Once the film had ended, Aunt May and Capt. Stacy sat in the kitchen together.
"Thanks for coming over, George." Aunt May said. "I really appreciated the help."
"No problem, May." Capt. Stacy said. "Since our families are small right now, it makes sense...especially since Peter and Gwen are dating."
They both turned to the window, seeing Peter and Gwen outside, as snow fell all around them.
"Yeah. And who knows what might happen in the future for them." Aunt May said.
Capt. Stacy stared at the two teens, happy that Gwen was with someone who cared and looked after her.
Outside, Peter and Gwen stood out back as snow kept falling around them, then they turned to each other.
"Best Christmas ever." Gwen whispered.
"Agreed." Peter said. "I see you're wearing the locket?"
"Yeah." Gwen smiled. "I'll only take it off when I'm Ghost Spider, in case I lose it. It'll probably make people deduce who we are if that happened."
"Good idea." Peter said.
They both leaned towards each other and kissed, happy with how this Christmas had worked out. They then pulled apart and leaned against each other, while staring at the sky, as the snow kept falling around them.