An Author's Note: Merry Christmas. I totally missed my self imposed deadline, which of course means only one thing. I need to make more deadlines for myself to prepare for the day when I might actually have to meet a deadline. At the very least I get this done in December.

Chapter 12

Black and White

St. Canard didn't have white Christmases. They had brown polluted sludge Christmases. They had black coal from the local factories Christmases. They had multicolored fuel exhaust from the tailpipes of car's Christmases, and occasionally they had red you really don't want to know what happened here, move along, Christmases.

But this didn't stop the citizens of St. Canard.

Lights were everywhere, making up for the dank horribleness of the slush on the streets. Lights everywhere, white, blue, green, red and every other color they could come up with. Brave souls braved the crime to stand in front of shops ringing bells. Carolers darted from door to door, heads ducking to avoid boots and bricks, but singing all the same for it. It was almost a game, this tradition. See how much fun you could have before it became too dangerous.

It helped that the single figure who hated Christmas more than any Grinch didn't even stay in the city in December. No, Negaduck hated Christmas so much that he used a good portion of his profits to run off to South America for the month, where he undoubtedly drank margaritas and bullied natives till he was sure the last light was off at home. This was, in its own way, a blessing, and everyone practically celebrated the fact that he was gone as much as they celebrated the holiday itself.

Indeed, even the villains themselves were too busy to bug others. Khola and Dingo were celebrating by themselves, with copious amounts of eggnog, Shush held its own Christmas party and Secret Santa giveaway, which for some reason always seemed to involved weaponry of some kind. Stegmutt stole a ham and delivered it to the rest of Negaduck's gang, who celebrated while their boss was gone. Launchpad took care of a certain child, but not bothering her when she watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on television. Yes, everyone was happy this season. Everyone was getting along.

"I've told you before, you are insane!"

Well, almost everyone.

"Santa! SANTA!" Megavolt bellowed.

"Oh come on! He's practically the patron saint of toymakers!"

"How did they go from It's a Wonder Life to this?" The Liquidator shook his head slowly. He always ended up freezing a bit this time of year. He felt his water crack a bit as he turned his head.

Bushroot looked up from the turkey he was carving. "I don't know. I think it has something to do with magic again. You know how Megavolt feels about that kind of stuff."

"Oh…" The Liquidator shook his head. "Does Quackerjack really believe in Santa?"

"I do!" Quakerjack said. "And don't you start that problem list, Megavolt! Do I have to say it again! Magic doesn't need an explanation!"

"What do you mean by that?" Megavolt shouted.

"You know, a little faith…"

"Quackerjack, really, can we not go there?" Bushroot asked. "Please. Can we just finish watching the movie and not fight tonight?"

Quackerjack sat down, almost pouting as the movie came back on. Soon, however, he was engrossed. He forgot all about his argument with Megavolt as he watched, and all to soon the movie was over.

"Hey, what do you guys think? I mean, if that happened to you?"

"What, angels?" Bushroot asked.

"Well, kinda, but I mean more that whole thing were you get to see what it would have been like if you were never born. I mean, just think…"

"Oh please, what kind of thinking does that get you? Stupid. You're were born, and there's no way to see what would happen if you weren't. Why think about it?"

"Just because you are an unimaginative clod-"

"I am not a clod! You live in a fantasy world you wacko!" Megavolt jumped up and glowered at Quackerjack, who did the same. The two glowered at each other, fists clenched and eyes narrowed in anger.

"Enough!" Bushroot bellowed, and Bushroot almost never bellowed, as he slammed the knife down on the cutting board. He had enough. They had been going on like this on and off for almost the entire month, on a variety of subjects. Bushroot suspected that it had something to do with the fact that Quackerjack always got…antsy around this time of year. He wasn't sure what it was, though he suspected that Quackerjack missed his father and brother. He didn't know what Megavolt's deal was, but he became more aggressive this time of year. Perhaps it was the snow. It was wet, and anything wet made Megavolt grumpy and ill tempered. Still, Bushroot had enough after a month of this. He marched over to the television room, as he had been using his lab to cook, and folded his vines. "It's Christmas you two! Could you stop arguing for just five minutes and enjoy the time together."

"I can't enjoy time with him when he's being like this!" Megavolt shouted.

"Oh yeah! Well maybe you can just find out what life would be like without one of us! I'm getting out of here!" Quackerjack turned on his heel and stomped out, despite the protests of the Liquidator and Bushroot (who suddenly regretted his shouting and stomping). Quackerjack snarled as he threw open the greenhouse door and trudged out into the snow, a place he knew the others wouldn't follow in a hurry. Electricity and plants didn't go over well with snow, and the Liquidator was already sort of freezing.

Quackerjack sighed as he left the greenhouse, annoyed and slightly heartbroken. Okay, so maybe believing in Santa Claus and magic wasn't exactly adult, but did Megavolt really have to act like that? People believed in a lot strange things. Why not a fey creature that spread happiness and joy? Gah, people were just so jaded!

Quackerjack walked with his head down, looking at the grayish snow at his feet. Everything, even things in this more greenish park, was covered with a line layer of gray sludgy snow.

He heard a flute.

Quackerjack raised his head and breathed in. His eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across his face. Ha!

You…aren't thinking…this…

Oh, be quiet Headboss! I know you can hear it!

I don't believe it!

That's everyone's problem.

He had never noticed it before, but there it was. A circle of small white mushroom, untouched by the snow or ice, completely intact. No snow fell in the circle, and there the grass was an almost unnatural green. From the circle came music. Flutes, harps, and a few other sounds he had never heard before. Like the sounds of the wind and the trees made into instruments that could be played, but what these instruments could be eluded Quackerjack. Sometimes it was a like a blown instrument, other times it seemed more like a stringed one. Whatever it was, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

Quackerjack was no mage, no magic user, but he did read a lot, and he knew a fairy circle when he saw one. He also knew that if the music was coming from there, then the fairies must be playing tonight.

He stepped closer. It…was strange. It sounded so…Christmasy. He had always thought that fairies were more a spring or summer thing. Or Halloween. Still, there was defiantly a Christmas air to the music. Well, maybe the elves really did work for Santa!

Quackerjack leaned closer. This was something beyond once in a lifetime. I was once in an existence. He had to hear more. He edged closer, wary of even brushing up against a mushroom. That would break the circle, and breaking magic circles was a bit of a bad thing to do.

Surely it wouldn't hurt just to listen! It was just so wonderful! Music he could never have imagined. Surely there wouldn't been any harm in just listening…Yes he knew that fey creatures were dangerous things. Fairies weren't as nice as children's cartoons made them out to be. They were mischievous, and sometimes mean, and unless you dealt with them in the right way they could hurt you. But, he wasn't looking to interact, just listen. For a brief moment he could-

"Having fun?"

Quackerjack almost jumped, and whirled around. He didn't see anyone.

"Down here, chum."

Quackerjack looked down to see a…fox? it looked pretty much like a wild fox. Sitting there, standing just below his knees. It had black fur, instead of the normal red that foxes usually had in this area, and it seemed to be wearing a pendent. Other then the pendent and the black coloration it was a typical scruffy looking fox. I could root around through your garbage and you'd never see anything other than a pest. It was looking up at him with the strangest eyes. Normally a wild fox, or any wild animal for that matter, didn't look at you with the intelligence of a person.

"Really now. Most just don't sit there and listen. They either walk away or try to go in. Why not you?" The creature spoke.

"I wanted to listen."

"Really now? To music coming from nowhere?"

"It's beautiful." Quackerjack said. "It's coming from there." He pointed at the circle. The fox creature smirked at him.

"Funny."

"I try my best." Quackerjack said with a small bow. The fox creature laughed.

"I think I like you." She said. Quackerjack, now that he had listened for a few seconds, somehow just knew this creature was a female. She plucked the pendent from her neck and tossed it towards him. He caught it with ease. "Can you play that?"

Quackerjack looked down at the pendent. It had holes in it, and a little mouthpiece. He shrugged and started to play a little tune. It was not near as good as the music that came from the circle. The fox creature, however, didn't seem to mind. As he played a little on the small, delicate thing the fox creature's toes began to tap, and she was smiling at him.

It did not occur to Quackerjack until later that it was not a very nice smile at all.

"Little goat, little goat under the tree. Little goat, little goat can't see me" The fox twitched her tail, singing along with the notes. It occurred to Quackerjack that he had heard it before, but he couldn't remember where. All of a sudden and odd, creepy chill ran down his spine. He lowered the instrument and shook his head.

"I don't think I like that rhyme." He said.

"Don't you?" The creature sat up and walked over, on all fours. She began to circle around Quackerjack's legs, still smiling. "Most don't start playing a melody unless they like it. But not you, not you. Nothing normal is ever good enough for you, is it William?"

"How do you know that?"

"I know much."

"How much?"

"Enough." She walked away from him and sat down again, gazing at him with a pleased smile. "I like you. You've amused me. I like that. Tell me, William, would you like to play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Quackerjack asked warily.

"The kind that grants knowledge."

"What kind of knowledge?"

"The kind you know."

Quackerjack looked down at her. He didn't know what to say. On the one hand he was curious. He liked knowing things, and how often did one get to learn from a creature like this? On the other hand, in all the stories he had heard dealing with fey creatures always ended up being less then beneficial. But, then again…

"You asked your friend what he thought it would be like if he never was born. I can answer that, at least for you. I can show you. Would you like that?" The creature asked.

"Don't tell me you are an angel."

"I won't." She said.

"But…I'm not depressed with my life. It's not like that movie. I'm happy."

"But you are also inquisitive." She replied.

"Will I be able to come back?"

"There are ways." She said.

"Will I be in any kind of danger?"

"You will be as safe as you are now." She said.

It's a bad idea.

But…but…

"I'll do it." He said.

The creature reared on its hind legs and held out a paw. Quackerjack could see that the paw was actually a strange cross between a normal finger and a paw. It looked twisted and mutilated, and somehow wrong. Quackerjack wasn't sure about this anymore, but as the creature snapped its fingers it was far, far too late. The creature had snapped its strange, paw like fingers, and the world went black.

Quackerjack opened his eyes and gasped. He shook his head. The blackness was lifted from his eyes. He rubbed said eyes and looked around. At first he had no idea where he was, and then he remembered. He was in a world where he had never been born.

It didn't look that much different. Same scraggly trees. Same blackish snow sludge. Same polluted sky. He couldn't see anything different.

"Now, William, what would you like to see first?"

"It's exactly same." He said.

"Is it?" The creature said. "Why don't we go down there and see?"

Quackerjack looked down at the fox, who was grinning up at him. He nodded and started walking, keeping an eye on the creature as it trotted beside him. The thing was humming, a strange tune he had never heard before.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Just call me the Black Fox. Most do."

"Not very original."

"Good thing I'm not technically an original then, isn't it?" She said.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

The fox stopped and pointed in front of them. "Look at that." She commanded. He looked up and gasped.

There used to be a sign here that simply read St. Canard. However, this sign was long gone. In its place was a new, almost pretty looking sign. Fresh paint and devoid of rust, the thing loomed over them like a malevolent tree. Compounding this malevolence was what was written on the sign.

Negaland District One.

"No." Quackerjack whispered. "How…didn't the others…why?"

"The others? What others?" The Black Fox grinned.

"You know what I am talking about! Tell me!"

"Oh no, it's far more fun to let you play in your own time. Go have fun, little one. See what's happened to your precious city, and your family!" The fox threw her head back and laughed, a mocking laugh that sent a chill through Quackerjack's spine. The creature was then gone. No poof, no smoke no flash of light. Just gone.

You shouldn't have listened to it. You shouldn't have messed with that thing.

I know Headboss, I know. How…how do we get home?

…let's just go see the city. We can start with our family. Maybe…

"Mother might still be alive!" Quackerjack gasped. "I wasn't around to kill her!"

He started down the street towards the downtown area, knowing his old home was on the other side of the city. He thought he could hear something giggling as he walked, but he put it out of his mind. He was going home.

But home didn't look…like home. The place was intact, something was not true in his world, but it was so dark. Even if he wasn't around shouldn't his parents be celebrating with his brother? Why didn't he see anyone moving around the windows? He couldn't even see the shining lights of a tree inside the home, and father always set up the most wonderful trees! He could afford them after all.

You have to remember, Robert must be an adult now. Maybe they are not into trees as much as they were? After all, you were the one who insisted they set them up.

Quackerjack nodded. This was true. But still, he had to know! Maybe he should knock? Or scout the place? He knew that they would not know him, after all the movies he had seen he knew this much. But maybe a little spying wouldn't be amiss.

He began to scale the fence, but something grabbed his foot and dragged him down. He could sense motion coming towards him, and he ducked as a fist swung past him. Before he could do anything else the fist descended and grabbed him by the collar, and his assailant hauled him to his feet.

Quackerjack gawked. "Ro-robert?"

His alternate brother's eyes narrowed, and Robert pushed Quackerjack away. He glared at Quackerjack suspiciously. "Who the hell are you?" He growled. "You look familiar, like I should know you."

"Er…I…ah…" Quackerjack stuttered. This Robert was alive, but not the same. Instead of the business suit he should have been wearing there was nothing but a collection of rags. Rags that looked like they had been slept in, and those places that the sleeping occurred was most likely back alleys. Robert was dirty, skinny, and smelled like a mixture of bodily fluids and old beer. He was nothing like the proud man Quackerjack knew.

"Why are you skulking about? Who sent you?" Robert snarled as he shook Quackerjack.

"No one! I just…I was just…" Quackerjack shook his head. "Why are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with your family?"

Robert snorted. "I don't have a family anymore."

"But, don't your parents live there?" Quackerjack asked.

Robert grunted and dropped him. He shook his head. "You're pulling a prank on me. Keep it up and I'll gut you for it!"

"Why would you do that?" Quackerjack asked quietly. "You've never been a violent man, Robert. Why would you hurt someone you barely know?"

Robert reached into his jacket and to Quackerjack's horror pulled out a knife. He stabbed towards Quackerjack, who reacted instinctively, grabbing Robert by the wrist and twist the wrist around so the blade was no longer pointing towards him. Robert lowered his shoulder and shoved, attempting to pin Quackerjack to the fence, but Quackerjack let go of the wrist, slipped beneath Robert and darted around his crazed sibling. Quackerjack pushed Robert from behind and slammed him into the fence. Quackerjack turned and leaped across the street, darted up the side of a handy building, and vaulted on said building's roof. He darted behind an air conditioning unit and waited, hoping that Robert wasn't going to follow him.

After a few moments it became clear that Robert wasn't going to be climbing roofs after Quackerjack. A good thing too. Quackerjack sighed and leaned back against the air conditioning unit.

"Well, that was interesting, don't you think?"

Quackerjack looked down and frowned at the fox sitting in front of him. "You know, you're not at all like that angel in the movie."

"You expected something like that? Too bad." The creature smiled cruelly. "Would you like to know why that happened?"

"No." Quackerjack glared at the creature.

"Oh, but I am still going to tell you! I'm having too much fun!"

"You think this is fun?" Quackerjack growled. The fox reared on her hind paws and stuck her sharp nose right up against his beak.

"You thought that by not being born your mother would live. But in this world you both perished. Your father, who didn't have you to put his attention on, didn't have a reason to become the man you knew. In your world he made the choice to raise you right, for her. But in this world, without either of you…take a few guesses, William."

"What happened to my brother?"

The creature looked at him, her eyes filled with amusement, a little half smile on her pointed snout. "You know." She grinned and vanished.

And she was right, he did know.

Quackerjack wandered the streets of what was now St. Canard, aka Negaland District One. He grimaced at the name. It was pretty clear to him that Negaduck had, for some reason, won.

But how could he? He thought. How could he have won? He'd have to fight the rest of the Friendly…wait!

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

I sure am, Headboss. What if the team didn't get together in this universe?

And you think that it all has to do with you? Little hubris there?

Well…not sure. But that is the only explanation I can think of. How else could Negaduck have taken over the entire city and renamed it after himself? I mean, I've read enough comic books and watched enough movies like this to know that things happen this way. You change one thing and all of a sudden an entire world falls to pot. Exactly like how that movie went, in fact. The guy woke up in a world where he never existed and the entire town changed. This must be the same kind of thing. if that is the case than our friends must be in different circumstances then they were in our world. We have to find them.

A point. Let's find them.

Agreed.

At that moment a building right behind Quackerjack exploded.

"What the-!" Quackerjack turned and frowned. He recognized the bank, or at least what remained of the bank, as debris fell through the air, accompanied by the sounds of screaming and people running. Quackerjack broke into a run and dashed up the steps, the banks was still mostly intact, but smoke bellowed out of the entrance as people fled. Quackerjack dodged a few running people as he shouldered his way through the door. He skidded to a stop across the marble floor and looked around.

No one appeared to be hurt, but broken marble littered the floor. Quackerjack's eyes landed on the vault, the door open and more smoke pouring out, and he snarled and rushed forwards. His universe or no, nobody robbed a bank while he was around!

Quackerjack ran in, palming a few exploding marbles to toss at the villain who was robbing a bank. The figure in front of him was tall and skinny, and it was very hard to tell who it was with all the smoke. Whoever it was, he was apparently holding a lighter and burning the money…for some reason.

"Alright! That's enough! Freeze!" Quackerjack bellowed.

The figure whirled around and a bolt of electricity shot out to strike Quckerjack in the chest, blowing him out of the vault to skid across the floor of the bank. Fortunately, after being shocked by Megavolt way way to many times he had started to insulate his cloths, so he jumped up and tossed the exploding marbles at the figure with a bellow of his signature catchphrase. the figure shouted at the marbles exploded around him, and dashed out of the vault, away from the smoke. The figure then reached out a hand and aimed another bolt at him, but this time Quackerjack was ready. He cartwheeled out of the way, to end up next to the waiting room couches. He leaped onto a couch and tossed a few more marbles, along with some razor sharp jacks. The figure was ready this time, though, and dodged the majority of the marbles, only to have his arm cut by the razor like jacks. The figure kept using the lightning, that Quackerjack dodged.

It…can't…

It has to be.

No! Headboss, say it isn't so!

I can't.

Quackerjack growled and leaped towards his foe, pile driving him out of the building and down the steps. They rolled down the steps to the bank, and Quackerjack, who was good at this grappling thing, ended up on top, pinning his foe to the ground. He glared down at his foe, saddened, but not surprised.

"Megavolt." He said.

Megavolt was different. For one thing he had a long scar down his face, complete with eye patch over his left eye, and in fact Quackerjack found himself grateful that his alternate friend didn't have a goatee. If he did then Quackerjack would have been forced to burst out laughing and rolling on the ground, which wasn't good in most battle situations.

Alternate Megavolt glared up at him. "Yeah, let me guess. You're one of Negaduck's latest goons?"

That stopped whatever amusement Quackerjack might have had in this situation. He looked down at Megavolt and glared. "I'm no one's goon. I just saw someone trying to rob a bank."

"I wasn't robbing it. I was burning it. Cutting off Negaduck's economic infrastructure."

"I thought you were a hero, not a terrorist." Quackerjack said, anger flaring in his gut.

"Call me what you want. I don't care. You don't understand."

"You could hurt people! Innocent people! You do that and-arrrrrrgh!" Quackerjack screamed as Megavolt gripped his wrists and shocked up, the electricity coursing through his body and blowing him backwards. He could tell that had been a dangerous blow, one that might have put him in the hospital, or perhaps even killed him. It was only the insulated clothes that saved Quackerjack's life.

"I don't talk to scum." Megavolt snarled, the hate on his face surprising Quackerjack to no end. Megavolt lifted his hand and shocked towards him again, and Quackerjack had to roll out of the way to avoid the attack. He pulled out a jump rope and lashed it at Megavolt, tangling the crazed rat's legs and bringing him down to the ground.

Quackerjack heard a familiar sloshing sound coming their direction. He turned and narrowed his eyes. Yep, there was a wave of water flowing down the street, at a rather good pace as well. Megavolt looked up, snarled, and suddenly let loose with his electric powers. He seemed to be enveloped with his power, and shocked outwards in a wave of electricity. Quackerjack jumped back, avoiding the tendrils of lightening, and stepping closer to where the wave was coming from. He wasn't sure if this was a trap or not, but he landed lightly on his feet, ready to jump in either direction.

Megavolt stood, the blackened remains of the jump rope falling from his legs as he leaped and scaled a telephone pole. The rat turned to the south and skated away, and was soon out of sight.

Quackerjack turned his attention to the wave of water, which was forming itself into a familiar dog form. He kept his tense stance, however, ready to run or climb another building or do whatever it took if he had to run from his old friend. It seemed that none of his friends were the same.

The water finished reforming into the Liquidator, who looked at him with suspicious eyes. "You were fighting the criminal Megavolt. Why?"

"He was going to hurt people. What more reason do I need?" Quackerjack said.

The Liquidator snorted. "That's not a sentence that many here would say, clown."

"What about you? Aren't you one of this city's defenders?" Quackerjack asked.

The Liquidator cocked his head to the side. "I serve as Lord Negaduck's chief enforcer, yes."

Quackerjack jerked back. "You're on his side?"

"Aren't you? You just saved one of his investments from a terrorist. Doesn't that prove you are with him?" The Liquidator asked. "Trust me; it's better to be on his side. There are benefits, and it's better than fighting against him. Trust me, I tried. You could end up like that nut Megavolt."

Quackerjack backed away from the Liquidator in horror. "No…not you too. I don't know what is worse!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I can't take it anymore! You can't do this! You can't! This is wrong! No!" Quackerjack shoved past the Liquidator and ran. He felt sick, like he had just swallowed some bad candy.

Megavolt…Megavolt had become a lunatic. And the Liquidator…on Negaduck's side?

Quackerjack tripped over something, he wasn't sure what. Uneven part of the pavement. He landed heavily on his side, trying to hold back tears.

"How could it have happened?"

"No man is an island, they say. That goes the same for rats." A pair of furry black paws emerged from a fallen trash can and trotted into Quackerjack's view. He looked up to see the grinning Fox looking down at him with cold eyes, tail swishing back and forth.

"What have you done?" Quackerjack whispered.

"What you asked me. I brought you hear because you were curious. Don't blame me when the truth hurts."

"How did it happen?"

"You never gave up on that rat, remember? You were always trying to get to him, and eventually you did. You gave him a reason to keep his humanity. Without that reason he didn't have a motivation to keep his soul. As things grew worse in this world so did he and he resorted to hurting anything and destroying whatever he needed, as long as it got to Negaduck. As for the dog, he never found his son. He killed that man George that day, but it brought him no peace. He looked and looked, but he never found his little boy. Then, Negaduck made him a deal. He gave the Liquidator his son, and now the Liquidator fights for his new master, as per their agreement."

"Take me home. I want to go home. I've seen enough."

"You haven't seen it all yet. There is one more life you must see."

"Will you take me home then? After I have seen Bushroot?"

"I will take you back, when I am satisfied."

Quackerjack snarled and lifted his head, glaring at the smirking Fox. "And when will that be?"

The Fox grinned and vanished without a word.

Quackerjack got up and started to trudge towards where he remembered the greenhouse was.

Let's get this over with.

The greenhouse was dark and cold, dusty and unkempt. The glass was broken and scattered, and it looked as if it had been broken for a long time. Quackerjack could see little paw prints in the fallen snow that had blown into the house. Surprisingly not even the tropical plants were dead, but merely sitting there, covered in snow, but still very much alive. There was a strange feeling in this place, as if it was the one spot in the world that wasn't dangerous.

Quackerjack walked through the place, looking at the plants. They had grown so big and wild, all of them looking healthy and green. He wondered where Bushroot was. The crunching noises his feet made where the only sounds in the place.

He walked the length of the greenhouse, which to him resembled a strange, quiet jungle. He scanned the trees with his eyes.

"Bushroot! Reggie Bushroot! Where are you? Bushy!" He called.

The trees moved, gently, slightly. It might have been the wind.

"Reggie! Come on! Please!" He looked to the side and gasped. There he was! Standing in the cinter of a bunch of bushes, just standing.

"Come on, buddy, don't just stand there! I want to talk…" Quackerjack reached over to touch Bushroot, but the plant made no response as Quackerjack put his hand on the other's shoulder. Quackerjack tired to shake Bushroot's shoulder, but the mutant merely shook back in forth, almost like a real plant.

"Oh no…." Quackerjack circled around Bushroot and sighed. Bushroot's eyes were closed, but they looked permanently closed. He could see the faint outline of what was once Bushroot's eyelids, but they had seemed to be partly merged with his face, making him look more like a plant. Quackerjack studied Bushroot's form. The root like feet were planted in the ground, deep into the earth. Like a plant. Quackerjack looked up and studied the face. It looked…at peace.

Quackerjack's lower beak trembled, and he burst into tears. He fell forwards, burying his face into Bushroot's cold shoulder, and weeping. His friend, who once would have at the very least responded, did nothing. He just stood there. Quackerjack wondered if he could even feel anything at all.

The snow feel on the two, and by the time Quackerjack was done his hat and shoulders had a small drift growing on them. He stepped away from Bushroot.

"I'm done. I'm finished. You hear me! Black Fox! Get me out of here! Take me home! Now!"

The only sound that Quackerjack heard was the wind blowing through the trees, and the faint sound of laughter.

Quackerjack looked at the ground, his shoulders shaking. "You monster. You won't come, will you…you still are laughing at me, aren't you! I can hear it. Fine!" He roared. "You won't let me leave?"

"Not yet…" Said a voice on the wind.

"Then I'll make this world better!"

"You can try."

"I will! I'll get my team back together! You say that I brought them together once! I can do it again! I will fight Negaduck in this world, and any other world I go to!"

"I would like to see that." The laughter grew even more mocking, if that were possible.

"Then just watch me!" Quackerjack charged out of the greenhouse, and back towards the city.

The Fox materialized next to Bushroot, and grinned up at him. "Such fire, eh?" The Fox laughed at the plant mutant and vanished.

A single leaf twitched.

But perhaps that was just the wind…

Quackerjack leaped from roof to roof. He had left his pogo stick back in his world, and so he couldn't get around as easily. Still, he navigated his way around the rooftops very well. He scanned the ground and the horizon, looking for any sign of Megavolt. He wondered how long it would take him to find his friend. It might take a couple of days…but he didn't want to think about that.

"Don't worry; go with the flow, Joe." Mr. Banana Brain said. It was very good advice. Quackerjack didn't think about the fact that he might never go home. Oh no. He wasn't going to think about that at all.

Quackerjack paused on a roof and breathed, panting. He has been running around all night, and he was getting tired. He sat down and stared around. For the first time he noticed that there was not a single Christmas light. Not a single bulb. Not a single spring of holly or mistletoe. There was also a suspicious lack of bells and songs in the air. There wasn't even the sight of a menorah or a dreidel out there in the gloom. Just the normal lights of the city.

"You can't even tell its Christmas." Quackerjack sighed and looked at his feet. "Maybe that is the point." Quackerjack nearly feel off his perch when a loud boom echoed and another building went up in smoke somewhere behind him. He turned around and frowned at the smoke.

"Megs, we're going to have to work on your newfound pyromania." Quackerjack shook his head and leaped for the building, which fortunately was only a few blocks away. Quackerjack landed on a roof that loomed over the parking lot of the building that had been demolished. His eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

he had no idea where the Liquidator had found a gun, but he had. He was shooting at Megavolt who was lashing out at the Liquidator in a reckless, crazed way that Quackerjack had never seen his friend used before…at least not his real friend. He had seen the other other Megavolt use this much power. But that Megavolt had been evil!

"He is not evil." Quackerjack said grimly.

Wait.

But Quackerjack didn't listen to the voice in his head. Instead he threw himself downwards, right after tossing his last few exploding marbles, right between the two battling superheroes. Dust was thrown up as the two were charging each other. Megavolt and the Liquidator stopped and looked up, the Liquidator aiming his gun and Megavolt aiming his hand. Fortunately neither attacked, and Quackerjack landed between them, the dust billowing around his form as he held his hands out, stopping both of them.

"Stop. It doesn't have to be the way. We don't have to be this way!" Quackerjack shouted.

"Get away, kid. I don't want to see you get hurt!" The Liquidator shouted.

"Ah! That's a laugh coming from Negaduck's crony!"

"You're laughing at me! You're the guy who tries to solve his problems with a bag of tnt!"

"At least I'm not a tyrant's lapdog!"

"STOP!" Quackerjack stomped his foot on the ground. "This isn't helping! You need to stop this fighting!" The two stared at him. "Look, I know this sounds strange, but I'm an old friend of yours! Likky…Bud, I know the only reason you joined Negaduck was because of your son." The Liquidator stared at him, his face unreadable. "And Megavolt…Megavolt please! I know you always wanted to be a hero! This isn't you! You're not a killer and you never will be! Please…"

Megavolt stared at Quackerjack in wonder. "Who…who are you?"

"Elmo, please…" Quackerjack pleaded with Megavolt, who somehow managed to look even more shocked then before. Then, suddenly, he struck, zapping Quackerjack till the duck feel to his knees. Megavolt lunged at him and grabbed him by his jester hat, and then tossed him to the side. By this time Quackerjack had recovered and rolled, then jumped to his feet as Megavolt advanced on him.

"How did you know that? You spy! You-"

"LOOK OUT!" Quackerjack's face was a picture of horror at what he saw behind Megavolt. He saw the Liquidator, stalking towards Megavolt's exposed back, gun aimed at Megavolt. Quackerjack shot forwards, faster than Megavolt could react, and jumped on top of him, driving him to the ground just as the Liquidator fired.

Quackerjack looked up, time slowing. He could see the little bit of lead coming for his head, and he knew he could not dodge it. He had enough time to wonder if it would hurt as it slammed into his skull. Yes, turned out it did hurt. It hurt as it entered his skull, split his brain in two, and exited out the other end. He was falling, and as he hit the ground his head turned, and he stared into the eyes of his best friend, who was looking at him in horror.

"Sorry…Elmo." He had enough time to say that.

Then it didn't matter anymore.

Quackerjack opened his eyes, and groaned. "Am I dead?"

The man in line turned around and sighed. "Yep, sure looks like it. Come on; get in line with the rest of us."

"Death is lines?"

"Actually, this is Hell, and yes, it's pretty much an endless line, near as I can tell."

"What!" Quackerjack leaped to his feet. "I got sent to HELL!" He looked around. He appeared to be in a cave, a cave full of flames and lava and a few winged, red creatures that were probably demons. He gasped.

Really, this is all highly irregular.

"Hey, you didn't have to bring him here! But it's your job, stop complaining about it!"

Really, after sacrificing his life like that.

"Saving a terrorist that is bound for my realm anyway! Who knows how many people he'll knock of now! And do you know how much paperwork I'll have!"

Quackerjack looked over in the direction of the voices. There, standing just outside the line, was an annoyed looking, dog nosed, demon like creature with a cape, finger lifted and wiggling at another figure in a long cloak that hid every feature, save for the bony hands that were clutching a scythe.

He shouldn't have died here. He shouldn't have been in that world in the first place. I already took his soul; I shouldn't have to do it again! What am I going to fill on my paperwork?

"Ah, bureaucracy! Surely this is the ninth circle of thy ghastly realm!" Quackerjack turned and frowned evilly at the black furred creature that sauntered up next to him, then towards the figures. Both of the immortal denizens of the underworld looked down as she approached. "Through me the way into the suffering city,
Through me the way to the eternal pain,
Through me the way that runs among the lost…and endless amounts of papers to be stamped and cataloged!" The Fox stopped at their feet and grinned up at the pair.

Oh, hello Fox. How have you been these past millennia? How long as it been? Four?

"Five. You gonna take me up on that blackjack game?"

Perhaps later.

"Yeah, fuzzball, you know I'd love to just sit here and shoot the breeze with you, but right now that." The demon pointed at Quackerjack. "Is annoying me."

The Fox looked behind her, and then looked up at the demon. "Beezleboob, he's just standing there."

"It's Beelzebub."

"I know, but I like mine better." The Fox's tail flicked, advertising her amusement clearly.

"Yeah yeah, I know that you had something to do with it. I could smell you as you came off the dimensional path. Look, you know I hate cluttering up underworlds with duplicate souls. Looks bad on the reports."

"Well, then you won't mind if I take him, will you oh Lord of Flies?"

He does fall under my power, now that he is dead.

"This won't be the first time you made an exception, or is the rat not hanging around anymore? Or the granddaughter?"

Well…I suppose. This is a busy time of year for me, you know. I'd rather not deal with the implications right now.

"Then don't. All things come to you in time, old friend."

True and everyone needs a holiday. The hooded figure raised his head and looked at Quackerjack, who could only see a pair of glowing blue eyes. This is the season after all. Take him, Fox. I'll see if I can work out that game.

"Thanks, you have a problem with this, Beez?" The fox looked at the demon.

Beelzebub shrugged. "Whatever. I'd rather not deal with those ducks at the moment. You won't believe the garbage I went through with that Drake character. Take him and go."

"I will." The Fox walked back towards Quackerjack, who stared at her in awe.

"Did you just talk down Death and the Devil?" Asked the man in front of Quackerjack.

"We're old pals." The Fox said.

"Can you do the same for me?" As the man.

"No." The Fox looked at Quackerjack. "Care to go?"

"I don't…I…" Quackerjack shook his head.

"Do you really want to stay with Death and the Boob?"

"No…"

The Fox grinned, reared up on her hind legs, and snapped her fingers.

Everything went white.

Quackerjack blinked. All of a sudden the fires and smoke were gone. In their place was a hill, a wide, snowy hill that seemed to be floating in the darkness of the stars. Above him was a single huge, shining white star. It glittered and shone, and seemed to be trying to almost…point to something. Something deep in the void.

"I admit, that was interesting. Nice and dramatic and all that."

Quackerjack turned his head and eyed the Black Fox. "Why?"

"Hmmmm? Full sentences, boy. You have the brain stem for it."

"That was hell…wasn't it?"

"Is that what you think it was?" The Black Fox smirked, and her glinting eyes seemed to mock Quackerjack.

"I…what else could it be?" Quackerjack said.

"What do you think?"

"Will you stop talking in circles?" Quackerjack stamped. "It's annoying!"

The Black Fox's smile grew wider, and she looked up at the sky. "It's a funny thing, isn't it? You gave your life for a creature that hated you. Would have killed you."

"I couldn't let Megavolt die! He's my friend!"

"That wasn't your Megavolt."

"It doesn't matter! He's still my friend!"

"You know, it's a funny thing, you mortals. You sentient mortals, I mean." The Black Fox lifted her bizarre, part hand part paw appendage, and tapped the air in front of them. Black ripples stirred in the air like water, and Quackerjack could see in the center, like a picture in a pond. A wolf lunging at a deer. The deer turned and ran, fleet of foot and strong of leg, and the wolf was left far behind. "Natural selection." The Fox continued as the drama played out. "The things that run away, that back down and flee, live. They get to pass on that gene, that little cowardice gene that lurks in all of you. But the ones that stand and fight…" The drama shifted, as a stag challenged the wolf, which brought it down with a single blow. "Are less then fortunate. Yet…"

The scene in the air shifted, a knight astride a white horse, lance lowered, charged at a fierce red dragon. "Yet it is the knight that charges the dragon, even knowing he will lose, who is told of in songs and stories. He dies, but he lives on, and the people want to be like him. More knights are born with his ideals, and then a funny thing happens…"

"What?" Quackerjack asked quietly, almost to quiet to hear.

For the first time, the Black Fox's face did not have that mocking smile, nor did her tone have that slight sarcastic edge. "Eventually the knights of the first knight's order swarm the dragon like flies, and, despite all the odds, they beat him." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter what race. Duck or human or orc or saurian or anything in between. No matter how prone the species is to treachery, deceit and cruelty. No matter how dark the universe there is always a group to stupid and brave and damn hopeful that they can't help but charge the dragon. And, for some reason, they are one of the great Constants of the universe. Natural selection can't just select them out. The laws of science that govern most universes don't govern them. They live, in spite of the universe."

"A constant?" Quackerjack said, his mind whirling with this information.

"Constants." The Black Fox nodded, and she almost seemed to be approaching benevolence. Quackerjack wondered at the strange change. This being had tossed him into a world worse than his one. Teased him, mocked him, and laughed as he suffered. And yet, now she seemed almost…kind.

"Listen, William. What do you hear?"

Quackerjack listened. "I don't hear anything."

"Constants." The Fox said. "In every universe, in every world, at the exact same hour, at the exact same time, the universe stops. You call it Christmas, but it is called many things. It happens everywhere, for every race." She turned and looked at him. "And it's all the same thing, the same kind of peace. For example the universe that your friend Megavolt traveled to: Right now in that universe a father is tucking his daughter to bed. They are not related by blood, and indeed they have only known each other a short time. Yet he would die for her and she would die for him. A typical situation, really. In the same universe three young triplets try to please their curmudgeonly old uncle, and though he will never admit they succeed. Their love is rooted in his heart like intrusive fungi, and it's not going anywhere. A duck who is both uncle and nephew gets a card, and he wonders why he wanted to see the world at all, when his world is waiting for him at home."

The Fox's eyes turned to the sky, and she continued. "In another universe, at the exact same time, five child soldiers try to teach their alien comrade about Christmas, and he does not understand. But he does eat three fruit cakes, a dozen Christmas cookies, and an entire gingerbread house. In yet another universe a boy who has never known love or family since he was one year old gets more gifts then he ever had in a lifetime, and on that same day he receives his birthright as well. In yet another a group of cat warriors who have never seen a Christmas tree in their lives, much less know what it means, are still. Even though they don't have Christmas they can still sense the power of this night. In another a boy with a golden puzzle heeds the call of the ghost that haunts him, and they celebrate together, for the ghost is the best friend the boy ever had. A traveler through time and space, a god even lonelier then I, enjoys a special night with his friends. At the hour he will briefly reflect on those he had left behind, but as soon as it is gone he will again flee into time." The Fox shook her head. "Constants."

"I think I understand."

"Do you? Do you understand how odd it is? That every year, for one point in time the mulitverse just stops? Even the most warlike race in the multiverse will stop what they are doing, and for a brief moment be still and just…be. It's like reality has just taken a breath."

Quackerjack smiled. Despite all that had happened, despite all that he had seen, those words gave him hope.

At least until the Black Fox leaned forwards again, her smile once again growing mocking. "You wanted to know why you went there." She said. "Did you know that you are a universal constant as well? It's possible that a mortal can be a constant. Do you want to know what you are?"

"What…what I am?"

The Black Fox reached forwards and plucked a feather from Quackerjack's neck. She grinned and held it in front of his face. "Look."

He squinted at the feather, and it appeared to come closer and closer, like a microscope. A shiver ran down his spine.

Billy…wait…something isn't right…

Quackerjack gasped and drew back. He knew what those were, crawling like ants on his feather, microscopic and tiny, but there all the same. The little building blocks of good and evil, called trons.

Crawling all over that once single feather, was almost a hundred little negatrons, and only one or two stray positrons.

"No!" Quackerjack shook his head. "No, you faked that!"

"Did I?" The Black Fox chuckled. "You are almost completely made of what your kind calls negatrons. Not even the one you call Negaduck is composed of this number." She grinned at him. "It's the truth."

"I-it can't be."

The Black Fox leaned closer. "By the time you realize the truth, it will be too late for you. The darkness behind your eyes will win."

"No…"

"I would say sorry, but I'm not. Not sorry at all. You have a duty to fulfill, and you aren't going to like it. So, I guess you might have to back to you little corner of the universe." The Black Fox placed a paw on Quackerjack's chest, and then lightly shoved. "Have a white Christmas!"

Quackerjack felt something thud deep in his chest, and he was falling, falling through the snow and down, down into the void. He could see the Black Fox standing in the void, growing smaller as he fell.

She was smiling.

"Quackerjack! You okay! Wake up!"

"Quackerjack opened his eyes and shouted. His arms shot out and he wrapped them around the long skinny neck of a certain plant mutant, who seemed mildly surprised by all this.

"What happened? We found you in the snow! Are you okay, Quacky?"

Quackerjack looked at Megavolt, who was standing beside them looking slightly miserable. On the other side was the Liquidator, still with a bit of frozen slush to his form. They all looked worried, staring at him with concern.

Quackerjack looked from one to the other. To Bushroot, who was still caught between animal and plant. At the Liquidator, who still searched for his son. At Megavolt, who was…Megavolt.

He saw the tattered figure of his brother in his mind. And after a long while, he shook his head.

"I…had a bad dream." He said.

"I thought you don't remember your dreams?" Megavolt asked.

"I won't forget this one." Quackerjack said.

The Liquidator smiled. "I know something sure to cheer you up!" He slushed over to the door of the greenhouse and opened it. "Take a look! A genuine Christmas miracle"

Quackerjack got up and walked over to him. He noted briefly that it had been a plant supporting him. He made a note to thank it later. He stood beside the Liquidator and looked out.

The entire world was covered in white. Clean, fresh, wonderful white. Not a single bit of black or brown or grey or even yellow marred the prefect beauty of the white snow. And, it was still falling, little drops of crystal falling on the ground, and not a single one polluted or browned.

"I wish I knew what was causing it! I mean, atmospheric phenomena like this…" Megavolt came up and frowned at the snow, as if it had done him a personal offense. His brow furrowed as he glared at the blinding whiteness.

Quackerjack grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Megs, sometimes you shouldn't question the wonders of this world, no matter how strange they are?"

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, it's just better not to know." Quackerjack's smile quivered. "Sometimes, it's better just to wonder…

Quackerjack stared out into the park, and, there, right under the branches of a little dying bush, a pair of perfect fox paw prints graced the surface of the brilliant white snow.

A/N: I know that a dreidel is small, mostly because I lived in a Jewish neighborhood growing up, and I somehow managed to obtain a dreidel at school when I was a kid. Loved that thing. I'm not Jewish myself, and neither is my family, but they didn't seem to mind its presence. What I meant by saying that Quacky couldn't see a dreidel was because sometimes in my neighborhood instead of arranging lights in the shapes of crosses or Santa's they would have lights in the shape of dreidels, which was always cool.

And yes, the Black Fox quoted Dante's Divine Comedy up there. She actually turned out a lot more benevolent in this then how she usually is. Blame Christmas I guess. Melts everyone's hearts…unless you are Negaduck.

Next time: A villain centric episode! Negaduck's grip on the city is tightening, but the old guard isn't ready to give it up yet. There is another crime boss out there, and he's not letting go of his territory that easy. But when the gauntlet is thrown who will come out on top? Negaduck the young upstart or the old fighter he has challenged?

Whoever wins, the city will lose…