Gema: Joy! Next chapter! And I have a chocolate chip cookie as well.

Seto: Someone, help!

Gema: Where is everyone else?

Seto: They are all hiding.

Gema: They can't do that! I am not done with them! *runs to find the rest of the cast*

Seto: Hurry, Alpha!

When Seto Scrooge woke up it was so dark that he could not tell the difference between the shadows on his walls and the shadows coming in from the window Marik Marley had exited from. He was so disoriented in the darkness that he tried with all his sense to hone in on one point of reality. A church bell chimed the hour. Scrooge counted the rings.

Much to his surprise the bell did not stop at two or three, or even four or five. It kept going until the twelfth chime, then fell silent. Seto gaped, it had been past two when he had fallen asleep Christmas Eve! It had to be a malfunction. He glanced to hid bedside clock. His eyes had adjust enough to see that it read twelve.

"It isn't possible!" Seto gaped. "There is no way that I slept through a whole day and into the night. And it isn't possible for this to be noon and something to have happened to the sun!" But the idea startled him so much that he raced to the window, just to be sure. It was so cold that it took a second for Scrooge to scrape the frost off. But all he saw was the same vacant, snowy street that he had seen when he went to see where Marley had went.

"Humbug!" snapped Scrooge and he went to bed again. The more he thought about his current situation, the more confused he got. He tried not to think, but the more he tried, the more he thought.

The visit from Marik's ghost had exceedingly bother him. He kept trying to convince himself that it was a dream, but his restless mind refused to accept that explanation. Seto Scrooge laid on his bed for three more chimes of the bell, a quarter til. He remembered Marley's promise and listened with nervous anticipation for the one'o'clock bell. Time drug on slowly.

Ding! His bedside clock rang. And then there was silence.

"There is the hour," smirked Seto. "And there is nothing." But as the words were out of his mouth that church bell rang one solitary note.

Light flashed around his room. His bed curtains were pulled apart. Not all of the curtains, just the ones on the side he was facing. Seto found himself face to face with the apparition who had drawn the curtains. The specter was at his elbow.

She appeared to be a child, but had the bearings of one much wiser. Unnatural light reflected off of her face. She wore pure white, shining the purest white light to the dark corners of the miser's bed chamber. She held a single spring of holly in her hand, a winter emblem. On her brown hair sat a thin, golden tiara.

(Seto: Looks like it is your turn, Tea.)

(Tea: Thanks! Who spiked Gema's eggnog?)

(Gema J. Gall: It is not eggnog! It is hot cocoa.)

(Seto: Nice baptismal gown, Tea.)

(Tea: Nice pajamas, Kaiba.)

(Seto: Grrr, you are paying for this, Gema!)

(Gema: Wait until after your love seen!)

(Seto: What?!)

"Are you the spirit whose coming was foretold to me?" asked Seto Scrooge in a shake voice.

"I am," answered Tea the spirit. Her voice was gentle and soft. It had the quality of an echo, as if it was echoing across time and space.

"Who.....what, are you?" asked Seto.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"Long past?" asked Scrooge.

"No, your past."

"What brings you here?"

"Your welfare."

"Thanks, but I think a good night's sleep would be more helpful," replied Seto, wanting to get back to a normal life.

"Then your redemption, then," replied Past. "Take heed!" Tea the spirit took him by the hand and gentle pulled him to his feet. "Rise and walk with me!"

Seto tried to plead about bad weather, the clothing he was wearing, and how much he wanted to stay in bed, but the words got caught in his throat. He did not resist her gentle tug. He rose and followed her to the window. The windows opened, much like they did for Marley. Seto gasped.

"I am mortal, and liable to fall," he told her.

"Hold my hand," said Past "and you will be upheld."

As she finished speaking Scrooge's bedroom melted away. He found himself with Tea the spirit over open country. A forest was spotted off in the distance. The cold and fog and vanished, replaced by a cold, crisp winter day. Think fluffy white snow covered the ground.

(Seto: Great! I am stuck in this psycho's story, and Tea had magical powers!)

(Tea: Be glad Joe is already Cratchit. Can you imagine him with any powers!)

"Good heavens!" gasped Seto Scrooge as he recognized the place. "I grew up here! I was a boy here!"

Past looked at him with gentle amusement. Scrooge was overcome with memories. Of sounds and tastes and smells from his childhood. Memories of hopes, fears, joys, and dreams that he had long since forgotten.

"Your lip is trembling," Past pointed out. "Do you remember this place?"

"Remember it! I could walk it blindfolded!"

"Strange that you forgot about it for so many years," commented Tea the spirit. "Let's continue." They landed lightly in the school yard.

Scrooge recognized every gate, post, and tree. He recognized the distant town; the market place, the church, the river. Several boys riding ponies trotted by. Seto recognized every one of them.

"Rex, Weevil!" he called. "Roba, Mako! They are all here!"

(Seto: Sure, those jerks only get their name mentioned! I am her favorite character, and she TORTURES me!)

(Gema: I gave you the biggest part, why are you complaining!)

"These are but shadows of the past," said the spirit. "They have no consciousness of us."

For being so hard-hearted towards Christmas, the air of his youth seemed to have melted some of the ice around his heart.

"The school is not quite deserted," said Past as she caught Scrooge's attention again. "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, remains there still."

"I know," answered Scrooge, his spirits falling. They approached the school house. It was red brick with a black weather vane. The window sills were white, and need a coat of paint. It was an ancient building.

They entered. The floors and walls were bear. The atmosphere was melancholy compared to the joy outside. Several plain tables ran across the room. A lone boy sat at one, a pile of books to his left. He sat close to the small fire that warmed the room. Seto was shaken to see himself, only much younger, in this neglected spot. It was silent. Past touched Scrooge's arm and pointed back to the boy, especially the books he was reading.

"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!" he exclaimed as he remembered the titles. "Aladdin, and Lord of the Rings! Oh, my and even Canterbury Tales! I loved everyone of those books! Treasure Island, Robin Crusoe, Wind in the Willow, too!"

(Joe: What, no computer manuals?)

(Seto: Tell the dog to go back to his dog house.)

A strange look feel across Seto Scrooge's face.

"What is it?" asked Past.

"Nothing...." he muttered. "There was just this little boy..... a caroler.... I should have given him something. But it is too late now...." Tea the spirit smiled mysteriously.

(Martin: Finally, someone wants to be nice to someone!)

(Shayla: Leave Martin alone!)

(Gema: Don't worry, I am done with him until the last chapter. You I have more immediate plans for!)

(Shayla: You wouldn't be mean to your own character, would you? *Gema smiles and holds her hot cocoa.*)

(Drake: I am glad we aren't her characters!)

(Lara: Why? She is going to be even worse to us.)

(Drake: Where is Alpha!? Help!)

(Lara: Where is Alpha?)

(Seto: Where is POF? We need them!)

(Joe: Hurry, Alpha!)

"Let us see another Christmas," said Tea. As Seto watched the school house aged. It became a little darker and a little dirtier. A window cracked, and plaster fell from the ceiling. Scrooge watched himself age several years as well. And, for another Christmas, Seto was the only one left in the school house.

He was not reading this year, but pacing in despair. Seto shook his head as he saw this. He looked at Past, the to the floor. But then the sound of a door opening caught his ear. A young girl had entered. She darted in and embraced young Seto.

"Brother!" the black haired girl exclaimed. "I have come to bring you home!"

"Home, little Isis Fan?" asked Seto.

(Seto: Oh, no!)

(Bakura: Another one.)

(Tea: Someone needs to stop Gema before she gets any more of us!)

(Isis: We don't even look alike! How can you make me his sister?!)

(Gema: Hot cocoa and cookie good!)

(Seto: It was the eggnog....)

(Gema: NO EGGNOG! Cocoa!)

(Drake: How many cups has she had?)

(Shayla: Five. By my count.)

(Marik: But they are double cups.)

(Shadi: We are all in trouble.)

(Gema: I wonder if chocolate shavings would work in hot cocoa? I still have a bunny from Easter, I am going to find out!)

(All: Help! Someone! POF, Alpha, ANYONE!)

"Yes!" exclaimed Isis Fan. "I am taking you home! Home for good! Father is so much kinder than he used to be. Home is like heaven! He spoke to me so gentle the other night before I went to bed that I had to ask one more time if you could come home, and he said 'yes.' He sent me on a sleigh to come and get you. You are coming home, and we will be together for Christmas! This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

"Quite the woman, Isis Fan!" smiled young Seto. It was a genuine, bright smile. Isis smiled back and tried to reach his face to kiss him, but she was too little. So she stood on her tiptoes and embraced him. Then she grabbed his hand and eagerly puled him to the door. The school master, Solomon Motuo had just finished putting Scrooge's trunk in the sleigh when they burst out of the school room.

"She always seemed so frail," muttered Past as she watched Isis Fan. "But she had a large heart!"

"She did," agreed Seto Scrooge. "I will not deny it. God rest her soul!"

"She died," muttered Tea the spirit. "And I think she had children."

"One child," correct Seto.

"Your nephew."

"Yes...."

(Isis: One minute! I am NOT Mokuba's mother!)

(Seto: This has got to stop! You have my in pajamas!)

(Tea: I am glowing like the Statue of Liberty!)

(Mokuba: I do NOT have a wife! I can't believe you.....*Gema puts a marshmallow into his mouth to keep him from spoiling the plot. Then she puts three in her hot cocoa and eats five more.*)

(Isis: I am already dead, great! I think I am going to join Marik. This is insane, someone needs to stop her, but at least my part is over.)

(Gema: I have the keyboard! I am in control! *Laughs evilly.*)

In an instant the school yard vanished. They were now in a building. Shadowy figures walked past the frosted windows. A gentleman sat at a high desk in the back of the room. It was so high that he may have hit his head on the ceiling if were to jump.

"Do you know this place?" asked Past.

"Know it! I was apprenticed here!" exclaimed Seto. "That is old Drake Fezziwig!"

(Drake: WHAT! What did you! I mean! Grrr! Fezziwig!)

(Seto: Welcome to my nightmare.)

(Drake: What kind of name is Fezziwig! *grumble.*)

Drake Fezziwig looked at his clock and put down his pen. "Seto! Keith!"

"Keith Wilkins, oh my!" exclaimed Scrooge. "To see him again...... Poor Keith, he never had the heart for business."

(Seto: She put Bandit Keith in this?!)

(Bandit Keith: What happened? I was eating Christmas dinner and suddenly I am in the middle of this, what is it?)

(Gema: I was drinking hot cocoa and had this great idea! Welcome to the Yu- Gi-Oh! Christmas Carol. You are a last minute filler.)

(Tea: Help! She has gone insane!)

(Bandit Keith: Are you sure she wasn't drinking the eggnog?)

(Gema J. Gall: NOT EGGNOG! Hot cocoa......needs cinnamon.....)

(Drake: You made me Fezziwig! I am getting my dragons!)

"Boys!" called Drake Fezziwig. "No more work tonight! It is Christmas Eve! Set up for the party!" Keith and Seto raced around the room. Preparations were finished in no time. They were breathing hard in the end, but the results were well worth it. The floor was clean and the mood was bright. Garland and holly hung from the ceiling. It was cold outside, but the roaring fire kept it out.

The guest entered. First was a fiddler, who played as well as an entire band. Then came Mrs. Lara Fezziwig and her daughters. Several other men and women employees also entered the great hall. Also, there was a housemaid, her cousin, the baker (who brought samples), the milkman, and the cook (who also brought samples.) In the end there were twenty couples, not counting those to shy to dance or ask someone to dance.

(Lara: I am Mrs. Fezziwig?!)

(Tea: Here we go again! Is my scene almost over?)

(Bandit Keith: This is not fair!)

(Lara: At least we are married, Drake. *Drake turns fifteen shades of red.*)

There was dancing and food, and much laughing. Keith joined hands with one of the Fezziwig girls and tore up the floor. Even Drake and Lara Fezziwig danced, and they were good. The fiddler was panting and red-faced, but it was a proud red-face. Seto Scrooge stood off to the side, to shy to participate. That was, until a beautiful girl caught his eye. She, too, was standing alone, looking at the dancers. She looked like she wanted to dance, but was to shy to enter the floor. Seto summoned his courage and approached her. She wore a lovely red dress with holly tied to the bows. It matched perfectly with her curly dark brown hair.

"Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" asked Seto Scrooge.

"I am Shayla Belle," the girl answered, looking at him with her melted chocolate eyes.

(Seto: What the?!)

(Shayla: How dare you?!)

(Gema: Melted chocolate eyes.....like hot cocoa. And now, for a brief commercial break. Shayla stars in Shayla's Story, my Yu-Gi-Oh! fan fiction. Read it! And now, back to my hot cocoa!)

"I am Seto Scrooge," he introduced himself. "Um.... would you like to dance?"

"Sure!" Shayla smiled and agreed. They twirled onto the dance floor. The elder Fezziwigs exchanged glances. It appeared that the turtle had finally came out of his shell. Shayla Belle and Seto Scrooge soon got lost in each other's conversations. They laughed and danced the night away.

(Drake: I still can't believe she made me Fezziwig!)

(Lara: But she was courteous enough to make us the married couple. Is that mistletoe? *Drake looks up as Lara gives him a Christmas kiss. Drake turns about fifty shades of red.*)

The party went well over midnight. Finally Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig ushered the guests out. They made sure to thanks each one, shake his or her hand, and wish them a merry Christmas as he or she left. Keith and Seto retired to the back of the shop, where their beds were. Scrooge's last thoughts were of the wonderful girl he had met and if he would ever see her again.

(Seto and Shayla: WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!)

(Gema: Are you sure about that? Time changes things.... *Laughs very, very evilly.*)

(Seto: I thought I was afraid before, now I am terrified.)

(Shayla: Nice pajamas. *snicker.*)

(Seto: Grrrr, Gema!)

(Tea: I am getting sick of being a flashlight, can we hurry this up?!)

(Lara: That wasn't so bad, we are done now, yay!)

(Drake: *still blushing with lip prints on his cheek* Great.)

"A small matter," said Tea the spirit, " to make these silly folk so happy."

"Small...." muttered Seto Scrooge in dreamy haze. He had remembered every moment of this party. He had relived this memory, and had enjoyed it.

"Is it not? He had spent a few dollars of his mortal money, thirty or forty, perhaps. That deserves a commendation for spreading so much joy," said Past.

"That isn't it...." muttered Scrooge with some hesitation. "That isn't it. Drake Fezziwig had the power to make us happy or unhappy, to make our work light or heavy, pleasure or toil. His power lied in words and looks, in things so slight and insignificant that they are impossible to count. The happiness he gave us had to cost a fortune." Past stopped his reflections with a glance.

"What is the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing...." replied Scrooge.

"There is something," insisted Past.

"No," muttered Seto, "It's....I would just like to say a word or two to my clerk now, that is all.

"My time grows short!" said Past. "Quick!"

(Tea: Thank goodness I am almost done!)

(Shayla: I agree, I am glad I don't have to worry any more.)

(Gema: Oh, I ain't done with you yet! *Laughs evilly.*)

The spirit's words had immediate effect. Scrooge saw his past self again, he was older now, in his prime. He did not have the harsh look of his later years, but the beginnings of care and avarice were showing. There was a restless motion about him. This seemed to build tension for a moment to come.

Her was not alone in the room. Shayla Belle sat with him. Her dress was no longer bright and happy, but a sad forest green. Her deep brown eyes were full of tears. These tears glistened in the light coming from Past.

(Seto: I don't like where this is heading.)

(Shayla: Neither do I, RUN!)

(Gema: You can't escape. I have the keyboard!)

(Seto: *grumble* Alpha had better get back here with POF.)

"I matter so little to you," Shayla sobbed. "So very little. Another idol has displaced me, and that idol can cheer you and comfort you in the times to come. I have tried to, but it only leads to grief."

"What idol has displaced you?" asked young Scrooge.

"A golden one."

"It is just business," he protested. "Poverty is hard, it has no greater strength than to condemn the wealthy!"

"You fear the world too much," Shayla Belle said. "All your hopes have become a desire for the impossible. I have seen your noble qualities fall, one by one, Seto. The only thing you care about now is gain."

"So what?" he retorted. "I have grown wiser, but my feelings have not changed towards you." Shayla Belle shook her head. "Have they?"

"Our love is an old one," she said, more tears flowing. "We feel in love when we were both poor, but we were happy then. You have changed. When you got money, you became another man."

"I was young then," he protested.

"Your own heart tells you that you were not what you once were," replied Shayla Belle. "The same heart that once promised happiness now delivers misery. I have wanted to say this for so long, but it hurts so much. I release you." She took a ring off of her finger and set it on an end table.

(Shayla: Stop right there! Did you just make me engaged to Seto Kaiba!!!!!)

(Seto: You are twisted! This has gone far enough! *evil laughing and typing heard from far away.*)

"Have I ever asked to end the engagement?" asked Seto Scrooge.

"With words, no," replied Shayla Belle.

"Then why do you seek to end it?"

"Your changed nature, your altered spirit, your new way of life..... I had hope that it would end.... Do you value my love at all? Tell me, do you love me now?" asked Shayla. She looked straight into his eyes, and Seto knew there was no way of dodging the question.

"You think I don't," he stammered, trying to stall for time.

"I wish I could think otherwise!" sobbed Shayla Belle. "But I want to know the truth. Tell me truthfully, would you marry this poor girl? Would you repent of your greed?" Seto did not have an answer, the truth was obvious. "That is why I release you. But I will always love the man you once were." Scrooge opened his mouth to say something, but she continued. "You always have the memory of our past together. May you be happy with the life you have chosen!" Shayla Belle could no longer control her tears. She raced out of the room, onto the snowy streets. That was the last time Seto Scrooge had ever seen her.

"My time grows short," said Tea the spirit, "But we have one more thing yet to see."

(Tea: Only one more thing!)

(Shayla: That was horrible! I am never doing that again!)

(Gema: That is what you think!)

(Drake: At least she didn't have you kiss him.)

(Tea: I think Lara is looking for you, and she has mistletoe. *Drake blushes, no surprise.*)

"No more!" cried Scrooge. "I cannot bear it! No more!"

But the next scene came. The two were in a small church. The windows were brightly covered by stained glass. A large organ sat in a corner. The Christmas Eve crowd had just been dismissed by the pastor. People greeted one another and left to their homes for Christmas.

"What is this place?" asked Scrooge. "I have not been here."

"Watch," said Past simply.

Much to his surprise, Seto Scrooge saw his clerk, Joe Cratchit leave from one of the seats in the back. He motioned for his children and wife to stay put and Joe walked up to the front of the sanctuary. A single lady was still sitting. Scrooge new there was something familiar about her, but he could not place her because he only saw the back of her head. The lady picked up a basket near her feet and rose. That was the same time Joe Cratchit reached her. He accidentally knocked the basket out of her hands.

"I am sorry, Miss," he said as he helped pick up her things.

"It was no fault of yours," she said as she went to help. Seto recognized the voice. She was Shayla Belle!

"I just wanted to compliment you on your beautiful solo today," said Cratchit as he helped her to her feet. "You have the voice of an angel."

"You are too kind," she smiled back. She reached down and began to grope for a stick that still laid in the pew.

"Here," said Joe, handing it to her.

"Thanks," she smiled back. Seto Scrooge gaped in horror. Her once brown eyes had been covered with a filmy white substance. She was blind!

(Shayla: You had to add that part, didn't you!?)

(Gema: Me have hot cocoa and I don't care! Me have hot cocoa and I don't care!)

"Spirit, what happened?" asked Scrooge.

"It was a fever," Past answered. "It nearly took her life. But she still has the heart for Christmas."

"You do you sing so well, if you don't mind me asking, without being able to see the song book?" asked Joe.

(Shayla: I do NOT sing!)

(Seto: Tell everyone to keep Gema away from the eggnog.)

(Gema: Doesn't matter. I don't drink eggnog. I drink hot cocoa!)

(Tea: Who spiked her hot cocoa?)

(Joe: This scene is not in the book! Why are you torturing us!?)

(Gema: This isn't torture. The next chapter is torture!)

"With a lot of memorization," laughed Shayla.

"I am fairly new here," said Joe Cratchit. "Will you be back?"

"I'll be here until the day I die," she smiled. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" he replied. "It feels so good to say that without my boss's evil eye."

(Joe: At least Gema got one thing right.)

"Who is your boss?" asked Shayla Belle.

"You probably don't know him, but his name is Seto Scrooge," replied Joe. Shayla went suddenly serious.

"I do know him," she replied, with a hint of nervousness. "How is he?"

"Not good, I am afraid," muttered Joe. "His partner, Marik Marley, is on his death bed, and all Scrooge does is count money. It is so sad. At this merry time of year he hides in his counting house, not even willing to help his business partner." Shayla just stood there for a minute.

"Well, Merry Christmas," said Joe as he walked back to his family.

(Joe: Since when do I have a family?!)

(Gema: Since now. Who they are will be revealed in the next chapter. *Laughs.*)

"Spirit, no more!" begged Scrooge. "I cannot bear this!"

"These are but shadows of things that had already happened," replied Past.

"Take me back! Get me away from here! Haunt me no more!" he pleaded.

The next thing Seto Scrooge realized was that he was surrounded by an intense light. The spirit began to glow brighter than a star. The shadows of the past dissolved. Scrooge was overcome with fatigue and slumped onto his bed, fast asleep.

Tea: Thank the Lord! I am free! It is going to take me forever to get this glow in the dark paint out of my hair.

Seto: Can I get into some decent clothing!?

Gema: But Shayla thinks you look so cute in your night clothes. All you need is a pair of bunny slippers.

Shayla: I do not!

Seto: I am going to get you for that comment!

Gema: I need more hot cocoa. *walks over to refreshment table.*

Tristan: *who is hiding under the refreshment table* So far, so good. She hasn't found me yet. I only have to hide for three more chapters.

Gema: Tristan! There you are! I have a big part for you coming up!

Tristan: Um, sorry, I just um.... got drafted! I have to go!

Gema: But I control the keyboard!

Seto: Where is Alpha! We need POF! Someone needs to stop her!

Mai: Seriously, she is about to OD on hot cocoa.

Joe: Are you sure it wasn't the eggnog?

Mai: What ever it is, I am sure someone spiked it.

Tea: Well, I am done, I am going to go visit Isis and Marik in the graveyard.

Gema: Next chapter, Ghost of Christmas Present and more hot cocoa!

**************************************************************************** ****