Author's Note: Believe it or not, I'm back. And here it is, the grand finale. In all honesty, I really didn't think I was gonna finish this story, mainly because of some family issues that make Christmas, well, not such a nice time for me. So, I'd kinda lost interest in it, but I really couldn't bring myself to start working on anything else until it was done…especially after that 'reminder' I got back on Christmas Eve from one of you reviewers. You know who you are. ;) This one's for you.

Thanks once again everyone for your support, and for making this my most successful endeavor on FFN in all my 4+ years on it, in terms of reception. With that, happy reading, and a fond farewell.

Chapter 6—Yuletide Resolve

"WAAAHAAHAA!" Mr. Krabs was still huddled over, his eyes covered fearfully.

There was a tap on his back. "Dad! Dad! What is the matter with you?!" Pearl's voice demanded.

"Huh?" Mr. Krabs peeked up with one eye. The Flying Dutchman was nowhere to be seen, and he was safely back in his own room. "I'm…I'm back home!" He hardly dared believe it, but it was true. "Heehee! It's all over!" he sat up jubilantly.

"What? Were you having a nightmare?" Pearl asked, standing beside him.

"Pearl!" he grabbed and hugged his daughter, remembering fondly the images he saw of her adoption in the past. "Oh, Pearlie! I'm so glad to see you!" he choked up. "You have no idea how much you've meant to me…ever since the day you came into me life…"

"Okay, Dad…you're scaring me now," Pearl said with a quizzical tone.

He let go of her. "Sorry." Just then, he noticed a bag on her shoulder. It was the same Prada bag he witnessed her opening at her friend's house. "Hey, that's a nice bag you're wearing. Was it a Christmas present?"

She clutched the bag reluctantly. "Um, yeah. You're not mad, are you?"

He laughed. "Of course not, Sweetie! It's Christmas! And that means I still have time to set things right!" He got up and started to leave... but then remembered the Anemone Boots she asked for the day before. "And then afterward, we'll go and buy you those boots you've been wanting."

"Really?!" Pearl brightened.

"You bet. I can't let my little girl be the only one without them! How un-coral would that be?"

She made a face. "Um…Dad? We talked about the whole 'coral' thing."

He nodded. "Right, that we did." He turned and headed out the door with a bounce in his stride. "Well, I'll be back as soon as I can!"

The streets of downtown Bikini Bottom were alive with Christmas cheer…and Mr. Krabs, transformed by the lessons of the ghosts, was the jolliest of them all as he strolled by, whistling a jaunty tune. Full of the Christmas spirit in his old crustacean heart, he knew what had to be done to right the wrongs of his past miserly ways. Along his way, he passed by Shady Shoals Retirement Home, where the two semi-retired champions Mermaid-Man and Barnacle-Boy sat in rockers, enjoying their extra tidings of meatloaf, broccoli, and Christmas pudding.

"Ahoy there, Oldsters!" Mr. Krabs waved cheerily, heading towards them.

"Uhh…huh? What's that you say, Chief? Eh, The Dirty Bubble robbing the bank again?" Mermain-Man muttered in his own little world of senility.

"No, no, Mermaid-Man, that's not the Chief; it's that crab who donated $1,000 out of his retirement yesterday!" Barnacle-Boy said.

"…Oh, yeah. Er, thanks again, sir; maybe now we can afford to, uh, get the TV fixed at the Home," Mermaid-Man said to Mr. Krabs.

"The pleasure's all mine, me gents! Gotta take care of our senior generation in yer golden years, now don't we?" Mr. Krabs grinned. "Especially on Christmas, the most giving time of them all."

"Well, gee, that's pretty hospitable of you, mister," Barnacle-Boy said. "And everyone's always said you were nothing but a penny-pinching skinflint."

"That may have been so, but I had me an epiphany late last night. Things're gonna be different from now on, you'll see!" Mr. Krabs beamed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot to do on this special Christmas Day!" With that, he continued strolling on his way.

"Oh? …Uh, um. Where's the Chief going?" Mermaid-Man drawled, followed by a sigh from Barnacle-Boy.

Mr. Krabs eventually arrived at SpongeBob's pineapple house all festive and aglow with Christmas decorations like a giant holiday fruitcake with windows and doors. Inside could be heard the high-pitched, chipper voice of SpongeBob singing "This Christmas feels like the very first Christmas to me!" Mr. Krabs felt a tight gripping of guilt for the way he had treated the eager yellow sponge the day before, and decided to hide his newfound holiday spirit and surprise his former fry cook. Putting on a straight face, he rapped on SpongeBob's door. The singing stopped, and SpongeBob answered the door to see Mr. Krabs standing there with a stern expression, claws crossed and tapping his stubby foot.

"Oh…um, Mr. Krabs," SpongeBob acknowledged wanly. "What, uh, brings you here?"

"Perhaps you could be telling me that, lad," Mr. Krabs feigned anger. "Why ain't ye at work this morning, making me money like yer supposed to?"

SpongeBob looked hesitant. "But…I thought you f-fired me, Mr. Krabs."

"Oh, come now, boy! Don't you know a joke when you hear one? Did ye really think I would just sack me best fry cook after years of loyal service? Of course not. Har, har. Laugh, boy, it's a joke. Har, har."

"Really?" SpongeBob's face brightened. "You mean I can still work at the Krusty Krab?! Whoopee!" he cheered. "This is the greatest Christmas gift of all!"

"Listen, SpongeBob," Mr. Krabs said solemnly. "I know it's been hard on both of us losing poor old Squidward. But it was wrong of me to let the tough times to go me head so much. You were right about all that stuff you said yesterday, about how Christmas is a time for sharing joy and all that. I just needed a little…help to see that for myself."

"Really?" SpongeBob asked.

"Tell ya what, son," Mr. Krabs offered. "Why don't ye take this special day off, and tomorrow we can look into hiring a new cashier. That big-nosed feller has had an application on file for a while now." He recalled the guy he saw picking his nose at the grill in the future vision. "Oh, and while I'm feeling generous, I'm gonna give you a nice Christmas bonus! …I heard that you know a certain single-celled invertebrate that may be in need of some more mayonnaise packs, some decaf coffee grounds or…I dunno…A brand new booster seat?" He referred to the heart-warming moment he saw in the Chum Bucket.

"Gosh, thanks Mr. K," SpongeBob replied, choked up gratefully. "I don't know what else to say."

"Think nothing of it, me boy," Mr. Krabs responded. "Well, then, I'm off to take Pearlie window-shopping; see you at work tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, sir," SpongeBob replied cheerfully, and then returned inside his pineapple.

As Mr. Krabs was strolling away down Conch Street, he heard the faint sound of a "Yee-ha!" somewhere in the background. As he turned to look, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a familiar mammalian figure shell-boarding over one of the sand dunes. At that same instant, a Goofy Goober ice cream truck sped down the street behind him, accompanied by a cheerful, oafish shout of "Whee!" and an ephemeral shadow dissipated overhead.

"Huh? What was…?" Mr. Krabs looked around, but found nothing but the evidence of a joyous holiday season all around him. "Oh, well," he shrugged, and continued on his merry way.