Holiday Crisis
By: Shmeilia Rockie
Chapter 14: Can't We All Just Get Along?

A/N: Has anyone ever noticed that the head cheeses here at ff.net are IGNORING our pleas for a SC category? Come on, folks! Let's try it again, shall we? Who's with me? *silence...Sadly, my audience is gone* Oh, crappy...

Oh, yeah, and to Mystica: I'll answer your question about time travel - They have no idea what to really believe about it. They want to think they can change it, but I personally think it's set in stone. And you're absolutely right about Merope being one of Diana's handmaidens. She's trained under the woman, at least. Sorry but Scott and Carole aren't coming back. Charlie is the new Santa and Danielle his Mrs. Claus. Don't worry, though, he'll be the best EVER! After all, he was made for the position. Thanks for taking so much interest in my ficcy. Please review again, I really enjoy your comments.

Okay, now to everyone: ENJOY!

* * * *

As the shuttle docked, Destiny and Merope stood waiting at the gate to receive the refugees from Cupid's home dimension, Eros. The two girls couldn't have appeared more different if they had been drama masks.

"I don't know what you see in that jerk, Destiny." Merope frowned rather bitterly.

Destiny fidgeted with the hem of her red dress, slightly displeased by her friend's jealously. Merope didn't like to share Destiny with ANYBODY. "You just don't know him as well as I do. He's really quite sweet."

*Snort* "Sure. And I'm a fairy... "

The first person walked through the portal. Or should I say RAN HYSTERICALLY through the portal. It was, of course, Maigri. Before Merope could finish what she was in the middle of saying, Destiny squealed and ran to him. She flung her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"...princess." Merope rubbed her eyes and sauntered off, knowing she wouldn't be missed.

"Ugh, Destiny, get offa me!" He grabbed her at the elbows and held her at arm's length. "Are you CRAZY? Or just plain stupid?"

Fear and confusion were obvious in her dark eyes. "Wha...? Maigri, I thought we were good now..."

He shook her, albeit gently. "No, we're not 'good' now. And we never will be. Got that?"

Tears filled her eyes. "But, Maigri....I don't understand..."

"Then I'll put it nicely. GET. LOST." He dropped her and stalked off, mumbling something not nice at all.

She sat there with wide, unblinking eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to stare after him long after he had disappeared. "Why?"

"Don't take it too personally, girlie." Destiny whirled around to see Cupid hovering over her. "Your father was the same way with your mother when he began realizing he'd fallen in love with her. Give him time, he'll come around."

She wiped the tears away and stood up. The weight of this statement hit home. "You mean...?"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I told him I'd gotten him earlier, and that's when he got so ticked off."

"So we ARE destined to fall in love?"

"Duh! He's just not used to being in love with anyone but himself. He's a very narcissistic little elf, if I do say so myself. Just a wee bit full of himself." Cupid barked a laugh and soared off before Destiny could ask any more questions.

Destiny put a hand over her heart and smiled. "I just need to have faith and patience. The day will come that he won't fear loving me any more. Until then, I can wait."

* * * *

Bernard stood at the door to their hotel room, unable to will himself to turn the door handle. He could hear her crying softly inside.

"Why don't you come back, Bernard? Was it really so important? Couldn't you just be happy... here with me?"

He felt his heart break all over again. She didn't deserve this. He took a breath and pushed the door open.

April was a mess. Tangles matted her tight curls; her eyes were red and puffy. She lay in bed as though she hadn't moved in the three days he'd been gone. She stared through him like she couldn't believe he was really there.

The look in her eyes paralyzed him. He cringed under her gaze and managed to choke out, "Hi. I'm back."

Suddenly, she snapped. "HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE!" She chucked a large pillow in his direction. It missed by a long shot. "GET OUT!"

*Random sound effect: a cat screeches, sputters, and hisses.*

At the look of rage in her eyes, he promptly removed himself from the room. He heard a click; she had just locked him out. Stunned, he slid down the wall onto the floor. "Well, I'd say that went well."

* * * *

"I'm so glad somebody was here to see me in..." Curtis smiled warmly at Judy, who'd closed shop early so she could greet him.

She blushed ever so slightly. "Oh, no problem! So, how was your trip to Ireland?"

He scrunched up his nose. "It was weird! I thought we'd see some humans, but no! All the people I talked to were shorter than I am. It made me feel strangely tall."

"Ah, I love the leprechauns. They're so... Oh, what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Brash? Greedy? Drunk? Perverse?"

She nodded in reprimand, and supplied the right word. "Festive."

"Yeah, well, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of them than we ever would have before the Great Holiday Crisis." A particularly rude short man pushed Curtis out of the way, almost knocking him down. Curtis readjusted his glasses and frowned. "Now, wether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know..."

* * * *

"April, please let me in!"

"No, just go back to your beloved job and leave me alone!"

The couple sat on either sides of the door, and had the door been suddenly missing, they would have been back to back. April pounded the door angrily, feeling drained and groggy. She hadn't eaten in days, so her mind was really foggy.

Bernard sighed and looked up at the ceiling. 'Remind me again why I'm in love with her?' The answer came not from his head but his heart. He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You promised!"

"It really was an emergency! Ask Merope!"

"Ask me what?" Merope's voice made him jump. He gasped and glared at her, mouthing 'where have you been?'

"Oh, don't think I'll fall for that! I'm not stupid, Bernard! I see right through you! I won't fall for any more of your LIES!"

A look of understanding crossed Merope's face. She leaned against the door. "He's telling the truth, April. I called him away so we could go evacuate Halloweentown."

"Bah! Tell me another one!" April laughed with starved craziness.

"This is stupid." Merope muttered. She turned to Bernard. "You got any tinsel on ya?"

He dug in his bag and produced a handful of the red and green shiny stuff. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?"

"Sure am!" She ran the tinsel through the metal hinges, then the door handle. "I'll pay for it later, okay?" She then drew out her golden sword and used it as a lever to pry open the blasted door. Under her breath, she muttered, "Lorne's gonna kill me for this..."

The door burst open, revealing a terrified April. She shrieked, "What the HOLIDAY is going on here?"

Merope resheathed the sword, and it disappeared. She placed her hands on her hips and announced, "I deem you sick, April Sully. You need to go to a doctor to be monitored."

"What? No way! I'm FINE!" April started backing away from the taller girl, but didn't get very far. She tripped on the blanket she was holding and fell backwards. Merope seized her wrist and started dragging her out of the room.

"Nuh-uh. This is not debatable. You need to get some medical help."

"Are you saying I'm crazy? I'm not crazy! I'm not, I swear! Really! AAaaaaaaaargh! Bernard, I'm sorry...Please, help meeeeeeeee!" Despite April beating her arm, Merope continued to drag her away.

Bernard stood up and stared dumbfoundedly at them as they rounded the corner. He made no move to help her, realizing it was for the best. She wasn't right in the head at this moment. Wow, his wife was suffering from temporary insanity...

* * * *

April shoved the plate containing the barely touched peanut butter sandwich to the side and groaned. "I told you, I'm not hungry...I'm nauseous!"

"Nonsense, dear girl. You feel nauseous because you ARE hungry. So eat it!" The nurse, a friendly goblin lady (who was in fact Merope's Granny on her father's side) picked up one half of the sandwich and held it in front of April's face. April turned away in disgust. "Come on, now...Don't make me grind it up and put it in your IV bag."

'They wouldn't do that, would they?' "Fine!" She snatched it away from the poor woman and bit off a chunk of it. With her mouth full, she said sarcastically, "Mmm, I feel better already!" and purposefully sprayed the nurse with bread crumbs.

The goblin woman patted the girl's shoulder and smiled down at her. "Good girl. Now, make sure you eat every last bite. I won't leave until you do. And drink all your pop too."

April made a face she hadn't seriously made since she had been five, and bit off another large chunk of the sandwich. "Yes, Mommy. Every. Last. Bite!"

Two minutes later April had successfully stuffed the whole sandwich in her face, and the nurse patted her on the back. "Okay, now I think I'll leave you alone with your husband to patch things up." Of course, she had to say that when April was getting a drink of Coke. She promptly spit it all over her flimsy hospital blanket.

"NO! I can't face him! Please, don't let him in... I was such a jerk...I-" She held out her arms pleadingly, but it did her no good. The other woman left, and was promptly replaced by a fidgety Bernard. His eyes were downcast, and he held his hands behind his back like he normally did at work.

He shuffled and looked up at her sheepishly. "I wanted to apologize..."

She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "He wants to apologize! Well, don't Bernard. Just don't."

He gave her a confused look, but said nothing.

"I am the one who needs to apologize. I completely overreacted. I understand that sometimes emergencies pop up at work (especially these days) and I was being selfish in expecting you to ignore whatever it was. Forgive me?" She held out her hand.

He looked down at it and smiled. "You know, when I wrote that note I there wasn't an emergency. Then something really did pop up. But I had had the intention of sneaking off, and for THAT I must apologize."

She shook her head to herself. "Okay, then, we're even. Let's live and let live, shall we?"

He nodded briskly and shook her extended hand. "Forgive and forget." They both looked around in an awkward silence. Finally, Bernard pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. "This being married business is a lot harder than it seems, isn't it?"

"I told you it would be, but did you listen?" She grinned.

He took her hand, his voice taking on a soft and serious tone. "I'll just work harder at making time for us."

"And I'll work harder at letting you go." She looked down, not wanting to look into his aching eyes anymore. "It's just that I wish we could be together all the time..."

* * * *

"I think you've had enough, buddy." Lorne leaned on the counter and eyed the rather drunk elf in front of him wearily.

Maigri slammed down his glass, causing the ice to rattle rather loudly. He looked at the green demon with a slightly unfocused gaze and slurred, "I'll tell YOU when I've had enough, man. And I want another frappichino, so give it to me!"

Lorne set about making another drink. He shook his head. "You shouldn't drink your troubles away. They get worse with the hangover. Trust me on this. Now, if you would, I'd like to read you."

"No way. I do NOT sing. It's a sad day when this elf sings, indeed." Maigri chopped through the air with his hand with every word for emphasis. Lorne followed the movement of Maigri's hand with his head, the wild gestures making him slightly dizzy. "The world would fall completely apart and I'd end up in You-Know-Where before I ever sing for anyone. I don't even sing in the shower, for Christmas' sake. There's...Just no way. No."

Lorne just smiled faintly and handed him the next frappichino. Who knew elves responded to coffee as though it were alcohol? He learned something new every day, by golly. No wonder elves only drank cocoa. "I think you'll change your tune soon, cupcake. This one's on me."

Three drinks later, Maigri stood up in front of the microphone and tapped it. "How do I turn this thing...? Oop, there. I got it." He leaned in, toward the device. "What should I sing?"

"Whatever comes to mind, creampuff. Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle' for all I care." Lorne waved dismissively and took a sip of his Sea Breeze.

He looked around the room, now beginning to fill with various types of people. None of them were paying the slightest attention to him, though. He swayed slightly on his feet and a large grin broke over his face. "You have so many relationships in this life; only one or two will last. You go through all this pain and strife, then you turn your back and it's gone so fast. Oh, it's gone so fast....

"Mmmbop doobie dop, ba da do-whop, ba doobie dop ba da. Mmmbop doobie dop ba da, yeah yeah..."

Lorne winced and cut him off before anything else could come out. "That's enough! Get back over here and shut up."

Maigri wobbled back over to the bar and sat down on the stool.

Lorne leaned on the polished surface of the bar top and looked Maigri in the eye with all seriousness. He spoke in a grave tone, "You're right. It IS a sad day when you sing." Then he straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "'Mmmbop'? Why in the name of all that's good and proper did it hafta be 'Mmmbop'? Yeesh!"

Maigri frowned. "It was all that came to mind. So, what do ya say?"

Lorne gave him a sideways look and raised an eyebrow. "Girl troubles?"

Maigri slumped over, seeming to deflate. He suddenly felt a lot more sober. "How'd you tell?"

"Your choice of song, for one... And that's what I do. You've got seriously bad vibes right now. You should just accept the fact that you're in love with her and go with it."

"But... She's half human!"

Lorne rolled his eyes and made a rude noise. "What does that matter? I'm a demon, but that doesn't mean I'm a monster. You're an elf, but that doesn't make you something special."

Maigri glared daggers at him. "I used to be a prince, thank you."

Lorne laughed harshly, "Sure coulda fooled me. You sure don't act like a prince."

The elf looked down into his drink. "Yeah, well, I used to be."

"Here's some advice: Stop living in the past. It's over and there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is move forward. And let me tell you, you've got a pretty lady in your future. But you'll be miserable if you don't give in to your feelings. What's so wrong with being in love, anyway?"

Maigri didn't answer, as he was asking himself the same question.

* * * *

"Your bunnies keep leaving eggs all over our clover fields!"

"Yeah? Well, there are clovers in my carrot patches!"

The Easter Bunny and St. Patty stared unblinkingly at each other from across the table. The electricity in the air was thick enough to cause a thunderstorm.

Cupid scratched his leg absent-mindedly. "My cherubs are antsy because there's nothing to do."

"There's NOTHING to do here, with Earth in a perpetual sleep!" The Tooth Fairy ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed.

Someone blurted out, "I wish Santa were here."

All eyes darted Charlie's way. His face was emotionless, and his voice had an equally emotionless, yet deadly tone when he finally spoke. "I AM here. Deal with it."

No one dared to say anything else. Charlie stood up and circled the long table slowly. His eyes had changed. No longer were they soft and full of warmth, they now seemed cold and empty. He looked everyone in the eye before he spoke again. "We need to cast our differences aside and learn to work together."

"Easier said than done," Cupid mumbled. Charlie stared hard at him, sending chills down his spine. The love god held up his hands defensively.

"As for having nothing to do... We have each other, don't we?" All the Legendary Figures glanced at each other, confused. "We are supposed to be a community, aren't we? It's high time we act like one then." He paused long enough to look at every one of them again. Then he pressed the tips of his fingers together and continued pacing. "At Christmas, I will visit everyone's homes. During Easter, the Easter Bunny will put eggs in everyone's yards, and so forth and so on... Until we can wake up the inhabitants of Earth. That will encourage our citizens to act as a community AND give everyone something to do."

He sat down again and continued drawing on his notepad like nothing had happened.

Aggie clasped her hands together and smiled. "Wonderful idea, Santa! I second that motion."

The Easter Bunny's ears sprang back up as he pondered that idea. "Let's vote on it, shall we? All in favor of celebrating our various holidays amongst ourselves say 'aye'."

All in the room chorused, "Aye!"

The corner of Charlie's mouth turned up ever so slightly.

* * * *

A/N: *Wipes sweat off forehead* Boy, that was like pulling teeth. I want to thank my good friend Drakelah for inspiring me to keep writing on this thing. I have about nine chapters left, but I will finish it! I swear!

I want to shout out a call for some fan art! I wanna see how other people view my characters, so if you can draw and have a scanner, send me your HC pics! I'll be sure to put them up on my website and give you credit for whatever you send me. Just remember to keep it to a Disney decency, okay? Thanks, everyone! I love you all!

Please read and review my new original story at FictionPress.net entitled "Ka Warriors"! It's in the Mythology section.

And as always, please review! Reviews keep me going. Thanks a bunch!