"It's true!" laughed Gayle, "A onesie, I swear! And Mom made her take pictures in it and everything."
The entire table let out hearty laughs. Mary Jane sank slightly into her chair, but Peter put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she managed a smile. Also at the table was Jessica Jones, Bobbi Morse, Malcolm Ducasse, Cindy Moon, and Mary Jane's sister Gayle. The small pub was quaintly decorated for the holidays as snow fell in a flurry outside.
"When was this?" chuckled Jessica, "How old was she?"
"This was the first Christmas after high school," said Gayle, "so she would have been 19."
Another laugh rang out across the table.
"How have I not seen these photos?" asked Peter, suppressing a laugh of his own.
"Why do you think!?" snapped Mary Jane.
"Anyway," said Jessica emphatically, tossing some cash to the middle of the table, "we should probably get going."
"What's the rush?" asked Malcolm, "Stick around; have an eggnog."
"I'm sober, asshole."
"They make non-alcoholic eggnog, Jessica."
"Gross. Why?"
"Why are you in such a hurry anyway?" asked Cindy.
"Snow is coming down hard," said Jessica, "and as Peter, MJ, and Malcolm can attest, it sucks to get snowed in during the holidays."
"Besides," she added, "it's Christmas Eve."
"So?" shrugged Bobbi.
"So we should all get to bed soon," said Jessica.
"...why?"
"You know," muttered Jessica, "So St. Nicholas can do his thing…"
"What was that?" snickered Malcolm.
"Oh fuck you," dismissed Jessica.
"St. Nick?" clarified Cindy, "As in Santa Claus?"
"Excellent linguistic reasoning skills," snipped Jessica.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute," said Mary Jane, shaking her head, "Are you telling me that Jessica Jones, JESSICA JONES, believes in Santa Claus?"
"What's it to you?" said Jessica, turning away as her face turned red.
"Jessica," chuckled Bobbi, "You don't even believe in God."
"This is different," asserted Jessica, "I've done my research. There are plenty of accounts of encounters with him!"
"There are also plenty of accounts of BigFoot," said Cindy.
Jessica glared over at her.
"I'm just saying!" said Cindy defensively.
"You guys realize Peter is literally schtupping Thor Odinson, right?"
Now it was Peter's turn to turn red. It was true; he was also in a physical relationship with both MJ and Cindy. They and everyone else at the table knew Peter's secret identity. The thought of that made him anxious sometimes, especially when his intimate relationships were pointed out.
"Why is this so important to you?" asked Malcolm.
"What!?" asked Jessica harshly.
"It's obvious that you care about this a lot," he said, "There must be a reason."
"Never mind," dismissed Jessica, "I'm leaving. Join me or don't."
The others all looked at one another before throwing some cash on the table along with Jessica's to cover the cost of their food. The group then followed Jessica out the door of the pub and into the snowy night.
Mary Jane and Peter walked at the head of the group, trudging through the snow with Gayle, Malcolm, and Cindy a short ways behind them. Jessica and Bobbi were walking side by side a ways back. Snow was beating down on all of them as the flurries grew thicker.
"Hey," whispered Bobbi.
"Yeah?" asked Jessica.
"Sorry if I upset you," said Bobbi, "It just caught me by surprise is all. I don't think there's anything wrong with you believing in the legend of St. Nicholas."
"Thanks," said Jessica uncomfortably.
"I actually think it's kind of cute."
Jessica scoffed. Bobbi smiled at her girlfriend. She saw Jessica's eyes dart away for a moment as she thought about something.
"Malcolm was right, wasn't he?" asked Bobbi, "There's a reason you care so much about this."
Jessica took a deep breath, trying to ignore the flurry of snowflakes assaulting her face.
"...I…" said Jessica tentatively, "...might have had an encounter with him myself."
"With Santa!?" gasped Bobbi, "When?"
"...right after the accident that gave me my powers," admitted Jessica quietly.
Bobbi already knew the story of how Jessica got her powers. Jessica was a freshman in college when her boyfriend and his friends tricked her and trapped her in a pit at the dump. Radioactive waste was disposed of in the same pit while Jessica was still there, giving birth to her powers.
"I spent a long time in the hospital recovering," explained Jessica, "I didn't have a great relationship with my parents and I had just lost everyone I thought was my friend. I had nothing. All I could do all day was go over the shame of what had happened to me over and over. Then December came. The dreary days seemed to go on forever and I was starting to lose my mind. Then the weirdest thing happened. Christmas morning I found a fidget toy in my hospital room. It wasn't much, but it gave me something to do with my hands; something to focus on that wasn't the trauma. The tactile stimulation worked better than any TV or book."
"No one ever took credit for the fidget toy even though I asked and no one knew how it got there. Then I read the stories of St. Nicholas using his magic to deliver toys to those who needed them the most."
"...but it was just a fidget toy," said Bobbi.
"I know," sighed Jessica, "but there was something so comforting about the thought that someone had gotten it for me. I was feeling so alone and helpless back then. The idea that somebody knew what I was going through and decided to help me out? That helped, even if only a little."
"Well for what it's worth," said Bobbi with a quiet smile, "I believe you."
"Holy…" uttered Maloclm.
The others followed his line of sight and gasped. The snow on the ground was moving on its own, forming large mounds all around the group. Those mounds then shaped themselves into snowmen, but with an evil grin of teeth made of icicles. Two arms of snow sprouted out of each of them. Then they began to slither toward the group.
"Does this kind of thing happen to you guys a lot?" asked Gayle.
"Get used to it, sweetheart," said Jessica.
"What are these guys?" asked Bobbi.
"Something tells me they aren't jolly, happy souls," said Peter.
One of the snowmen made a move on Jessica. She immediately sent the head flying off with a haymaker, smashing it against the wall behind it. The body continued its assault however, so Jessica executed a front kick to topple the remains.
"Hey!" cried Malcolm as two snowmen grabbed him by either arm.
The snowmen shoved Malcolm's face down into the snow, rubbing his nose into the freezing ground beneath it.
"Malcolm!" cried out Bobbi, having just taken out a snowman of her own.
Another snowman took advantage of Bobbi's distraction and grabbed the back of her pants and poured snow off of its body directly down into Bobbi's underwear. The former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent yelped and hopped around in discomfort.
"Come on, Peter!" called out Cindy, pulling her scarf up over her face, "Let's show these popsicles what spiders can do!"
"What if someone sees!?" said Peter nervously, "We don't have our masks!"
"This is my mask," said Cindy, pointing to her scarf.
"Oh," realized Peter, pulling up his own scarf, "Right."
Peter leapt into the air and delivered a kick in either direction, beheading two snowmen. Cindy kicked her way through their remaining bodies. Four more snowmen descended on the two of them, but they swiftly delivered a set of kicks and punches that dismembered them all.
"I have an idea," said Cindy.
She sprinted at the crowd of snowmen. She fired four webs from either hand at the buildings behind the snowmen. She then vaulted herself past the snowmen, bringing the lines of webbing with her, clotheslining and severing most of the snowmen into lifeless pieces.
"Hey!" cried Mary Jane.
Peter looked over. Mary Jane and Gayle were both neck deep in a pile of snow, back to back. Several snowmen stood around the mound and were adding snow to it. Soon they would both be completely buried. Peter punched away two more snowmen and sprinted at the trapped women.
Shit, thought Jessica, We need him on snowman duty, not the rescue team…
Jessica readied herself, put her arm out in front of her, and began her charge toward Gayle and Mary Jane. Running at full speed, Jessica had all the speed and strength of a rhino. She effortlessly blasted away every snowman in her way. She arrived at the snowmound just as Peter was taking care of the last snowmen there. He began digging at the snow.
"Hey!" said Jessica, "You and Cindy work on taking the snowmen out. I'll help these guys."
Peter nodded and leapt off to rejoin the fight. Jessica began digging into the snow and pulling it away handful by handful. Mary Jane and Gayle tried to help by pushing bits of snow away when they could.
"Web me!" called out Peter.
Cindy kicked away the snowman in front of her and turned to Peter. She fired a web out in his direction. He caught it in one of his hands and kept running. Cindy let the thread draw out further and further as Peter ran further and further away.
"Alright everyone!" called out Peter, "Duck!"
Jessica, who had just pulled Gayle and Mary Jane free, yanked them both down to the ground with her. Bobbi did the same with Malcolm nearby. Peter began his sprint around the perimeter of the fighting area. The web severed every single snowman once, but they shortened bodies kept moving. So Peter made another round with the web lower and a final one with it even lower, successfully taking out the last of the snowmen.
"Good job, team," said Malcolm, brushing snow off his lap as he stood up.
"Oh shut up," said Jessica.
"Hey," said Mary Jane, pointing up at the sky, "What's that?"
Everyone looked up. Some kind of golden light was streaking across the sky. It was growing larger and larger as the shape became more defined. Soon it became clear exactly what it was.
"HO HO HO!" echoed a joyous laugh.
The golden streak struck the top of a building, veering off course and descending further as it disappeared into the behind another building. There was a loud burst of sound that sounded like cracking wood and jingle bells.
"Whoa…" whispered Gayle.
"Alright," said Jessica angrily, "You all owe me big fucking apologies."
"You don't think he crashed and died, do you?" asked Gayle nervously.
"Gayle!" gasped Mary Jane.
"What?" said Gayle defensively, "It's a legitimate concern."
"Where is everyone?" asked Malcolm as the group walked down the street.
"Snowstorm must be keeping them in," offered Cindy.
"Still," said Malcolm, "Someone must have seen the laughing meteor crash into New York."
"Guys!" called out Peter, "Look! There!"
A few yards ahead of the group a single reindeer stood silhouetted against the white snowstorm surrounding them on all sides. Upon being seen, the reindeer turned and walked further into the storm. The others looked at one another before hurrying after the beast.
Soon they came upon more reindeer, all wandering about a large ornately decorated sleigh. The sleigh was tilted on its side, revealing one of the runners to be broken. Examining the broken runner was an enormous tall man with proportionately broad shoulders dressed all in red. He was facing away from the group when they arrived.
"Um… Excuse me?" said Mary Jane.
The man stood and turned around. Jessica, Peter, Mary Jane, and Gayle let out audible gasps. The man wore the exact long white beard they had come to expect. His cheeks were round and bright red, as was his cherry nose. He had a smile in his eyes as well as his lips.
"...you're really him," whispered Gayle.
"Wonderful!" cheered the large man, "You're exactly what I'm looking for!"
"And who's that?" asked Cindy.
"Someone to help me save Christmas!" declared the man.
"...save Christmas?" asked Bobbi after a moment.
"Wait, wait, wait," said Malcolm, "Back up. You're… You're Santa Claus?"
"To some," nodded Santa.
"Why does Christmas need saving?" asked Peter.
"One moment," said Santa.
Santa turned back to the broken runner on his sleigh. He walked around to the back of the sleigh and found a replacement runner. As he removed the broken runner and replaced it, the sleigh seemed to magically heal itself. Once that was done, Santa grabbed the side of the sleigh and flipped it back right side up. The reindeer were in position within the minute. Santa boarded and grabbed a hold of the reins.
"Hop on," he smiled.
"On… On Santa's sleigh?" whispered Gayle.
Santa let out a loud belly laugh and smiled at them. They briefly looked at one another before boarding the sleigh. From everything they could see, it was a normal sleigh. There was seating for about twelve, so they fit comfortably.
"Now, Dasher!" cried Santa as he drew and snapped a whip, "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen! And Rudolph!"
The reindeer that had been milling about attentively rushed up in front of the sleigh. Indeed, the ninth one at the front had a glowing red nose. At the snap of Santa's whip they charged off, dragging the sled behind them as they did.
The sleigh travelled down the empty New York street for a few seconds before they all felt the sleigh lean back as if it was ascending an incline. Looking over the side, Bobbi saw that they were riding on nothing but air.
"This is incredible," she whispered.
"HO! HO! HO!" bellowed Santa as they soared into the sky, "Merry Christmas!"
Does he say that every time he takes off? wondered Jessica.
"So what's wrong?" asked Cindy, "Why does Christmas need saving?"
"A naughty fellow has stolen my holly."
"What's so special about your holly?"
"It holds the magic of Father Christmas," said Santa, "You may have noticed some snow creatures of her creation. That's the power of my holly."
"Who stole it?" asked Jessica.
"The Goddess of Mischief himself," said Santa, "Loki."
"LOKI!?" cried Jessica, Peter, Bobbi, and Mary Jane in unison.
"We've got trouble!" called out Malcolm.
The others looked ahead. Four huge falcons made of snow were flying through the air right enough. Once they were close enough they dive bombed the sleigh. Santa snapped the rains and veered the sleigh away just in the nick of time.
"Damn it!" cursed Jessica, "There's nothing we can do about them."
"If I had my web shooters I could try hitting them with web balls," said Peter.
"Cindy?" prompted Bobbi, knowing Cindy's webbing was organic and didn't need web shooters.
"I… don't know how to do that one," admitted Cindy quietly.
"It's easy," said Peter stepping up onto the seat so Cindy could see him and positioning his arms in front of him, "just fire two simultaneous-"
THOOF!
Everyone stared in disbelief at the spot where Peter had just been, now merely fragments of snow. There were now three snow falcons instead of four. One had burst apart when it dive bombed Peter. Everyone cried out in a panic. Cindy saw Peter tumbling through the sky behind and below them and fired a strand of webbing at him. To her surprise she was able to reach him, albeit by the seat of his pants.
"Got him!" cheered Cindy.
The others sighed in relief. Cindy began slowly reeling Peter in. Then the entire sleigh jolted to the side as one of the falcons slammed into the side of it, bursting into a white mist in the process. Cindy's heart skipped a beat as she lost hold of the web for a moment, sending Peter flying back before Cindy grabbed back onto the web and caught him again.
"Could you be a little gentler!?" cried out Peter.
"Show some respect!" shouted Cindy, "I'm saving your life here!"
"That remains to be seen!" shouted Peter back.
"Focus!" yelled Bobbi angrily.
"Guys!?" called out Peter.
The others looked out the back of the sleigh and saw the final two falcons trailing behind them. Suddenly they both flapped their wings and accelerated at an incredible rate, both heading straight for the back of the sleigh.
"Hey Peter!" shouted Cindy, "Let's see that spider sense in action!"
Cindy whipped the webbing, sending a wave down it that ended at Peter. He was flailed about for a moment before his spider sense kicked in as he neared the falcons. Now was the moment to act. Peter spun to the side in the air and extended his legs out, slamming one through each of the falcons and smashing them into white dust.
"Yes!" cheered Cindy and Mary Jane.
"Alright!" called Peter, "Now reel me in already!"
As Cindy and Jessica worked on reeling Peter in, Bobbi quietly approached Santa. The plump man smiled at her silently. They both looked back as they heard the sound of Peter crashing into Jessica and Cindy. Peter struggled to his feet and fixed his pants. Santa chuckled.
"Well done," he said to Bobbi, "Seeing you lot work together warms my heart."
Bobbi smiled, then shook her head and focused.
"So how can we stop Loki?" she asked.
"I'll explain at my workshop," said Santa, "We should be there any moment."
"Any moment?" asked Bobbi, confused, "Where is your workshop?"
"The North Pole, of course," smiled Santa.
"But we just left New York," said Bobbi, "We're not going nearly fast enough to-:"
"HO! HO! HO!" bellowed Santa as they descended below the clouds, "Merry Christmas!"
Everyone gazed in amazement at the gently illuminated village before them. The small cluster of buildings centered around one large building, presumably Santa's workshop. All were decorated festively, with some taking the form of gingerbread houses. Christmas lights lined the whole village, giving it all the same welcoming warm glow against the severe blue-white of the snowstorm beyond it. Bobbi blinked in disbelief.
"Magic isn't always so easy to deduce," whispered Santa to Bobbi, winking.
"This is insane," whispered Gayle, "This is insane. I join you guys for one night and I end up on a quest to Santa's workshop."
"Welcome," said Santa as he disembarked from the sleigh.
The others were still looking around when a chubby woman dressed in a green tunic and red and white striped tights walked up to Santa and accepted the reins. As she boarded the sleigh to take it off to the stables, Jessica noticed that her ears were pointed.
"Elves," chuckled Jessica, "For real. I'll be damned."
"Indeed," said Santa, turning to face the group, "Much of Alfheim wishes to do good for humanity and they often come here to do it. Now let's head up to my workshop. Mrs. Claus will help get you settled. I hope you all like Christmas cookies!"
"Don't be shy, dear," assured Mrs. Claus, "Have one."
"...no thanks," said Jessica uncomfortably.
Mrs. Claus was nearly as tall as her husband and just as broad shouldered. Her white hair was tied back in a bun and she wore a pair of tiny spectacles on her nose. She continued to smile at Jessica. Jessica awkwardly took a bite of a gingerbread man.
"Good, right?" said Gayle.
The heroes had gathered in a large living room decorated like a winter cabin hosting a holiday party. Christmas-themed knick knacks sat on every shelf and hung off every wall. Garlands and Christmas lights lined the edges of the room. A huge fire crackled in the fireplace on the far end. The heroes and Santa had sat on a set of couches around a coffee table, where Mrs. Claus had laid out Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and milk.
"What are we doing sitting around like this!?" cried Jessica, "People could be in danger!"
"Oh, don't worry about that," chuckled Santa, "Loki won't use these powers to hurt anyone. He's just trying to get attention."
"Those falcons tried to kill us!" responded Gayle, "Peter almost died."
"Eh," shrugged Peter, "That's pretty standard for me."
"However it may seem," said Santa, "Loki will not use these powers to cause mortal harm."
"How do you know?" asked Cindy.
"I have a list," winked Santa.
"Okay, we have to discuss this," said Bobbi suddenly, "Santa Claus is… real? All the presents left on Christmas across the world aren't left by their parents but by a magical man in a magical sleigh who hand delivers presents through the chimney without ever waking anyone?"
"Not quite all that," said Santa cheerily, "When I have my holly, I can help youngsters in need by delivering them toys this time of year. My sleigh always gets me to every house in time and every delivery always goes off perfectly without me getting caught. It's all the work of the holly."
"So that's why parents buy their kids presents on Christmas," concluded Mary Jane, "Because St. Nick only visits the kids who really need him."
Santa smiled and flicked his nose.
"So now what?" asked Cindy.
"I'll prepare my sleigh," said Santa, "My reindeer got quite a fright back there; I'll have to make sure they're alright."
"But Loki-" began Jessica.
"I know where we'll find him," said Santa as he turned to leave the room, "We'll deal with it when the time comes. For now, do make yourselves at home."
The door shut, leaving them all in the room with Mrs. Claus.
"I hope you're all hungry," she said, "because there are more Christmas cookies where that came from."
Jessica scoffed. Some of the others chuckled nervously. Many of them were completely thrown by this level of hospitality. Mrs. Claus smiled at them, seeming to understand the awkward tension, and left the room.
"Alright Jessica," said Malcolm now that they were alone, "I'll be the first to admit it: you were right and we were wrong."
"Uh-huh," said Jessica dismissively, walking to one of the doors in the room that neither Claus had exited through.
"Hello?" called out Malcolm, "Did you hear me?"
"What's wrong?" asked Mary Jane quietly, "I thought for sure she'd want to gloat."
"Jessica," said Peter, "What are you up to?"
"Don't worry about it," said Jessica, slipping through the door and leaving.
"Jessica!" called out Bobbi quietly, following after her.
"Aw, man," said Gayle nervously, "What are we going to tell Mrs. Claus when she gets back?"
"Chill out," said Malcolm, "I'm sure she'll understand. I imagine the wife of Santa Claus is at least somewhat forgiving."
"Something wrong, Peter?" asked Cindy.
"Hm?"
The others turned to Peter. He was indeed facing away from the group with his hands in his pockets.
"Sorry," said Peter, "It's nothing."
Peter walked over to a couch on the far side of the room. After a short pause, Mary Jane followed after him and sat beside him.
"You can tell me what's going on, Tiger," she said, "You know nothing good will come from hiding it."
"It's… stupid," mumbled Peter.
"Hey," said Mary Jane assuredly, "whatever it is, it's okay to be upset about. You're upset. That's legitimate. That's all that matters."
Peter nodded. Mary Jane leaned in close to him. He felt much safer now.
"It's just…" said Peter, "...I guess I figure if Santa visits kids in need, he'd have visited me at some point. I feel I was miserable enough, especially in those few years after my parents left. I remember catching Aunt May and Uncle Ben whispering about how much they wanted to get me a present, but how much it would hurt them financially. I can't help but think it would have been nice for St. Nick to step in and help with that one. They ended up getting me a microscope! I can't even imagine how much debt that put them in."
"I'm sorry Peter," said Mary Jane, "That sounds-"
"We can talk about it later, MJ," said Peter, squeezing her hand, "For now, let's focus on stopping Loki."
Jessica walked quietly down the hall, keeping an eye out for any elves. She imagined they wouldn't take kindly to her sneaking around and talking to Santa, but she had to talk to him without the others there. She needed to know for sure.
"Jessica?"
"Bobbi!" gasped Jessica, spinning in place to face her girlfriend, "Christ, don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry," she whispered.
"What are you even doing here?"
"Looking for Santa," said Bobbi, "That's what you were doing too, right?"
"Why are you looking for Santa?" asked Jessica.
"You were right all along," said Bobbi, "He really is real and he really helped you. I figured you'd like a chance to thank him without all of us around."
"...that's right."
Sometimes it scared Jessica how well Bobbi was able to figure out what she was thinking.
"Stables are that way," pointed Bobbi down a hall, "He's probably getting ready in there."
"How did you find out where-?"
"I asked one of the elves," said Bobbi, "They're quite friendly."
"...thanks babe!" shouted Jessica ran off toward the stables.
Jessica opened the door and, sure enough, walked into a chilly wooden room with hay-lined floors. Jessica rounded a corner and saw Santa attaching the reins to his reindeer beside a sleigh, facing a large door.
"Mr… Um…" mumbled Jessica, "Mr. Claus?"
"You may call me Santa, Jessica," he smiled, turning to face her.
"That feels weird," said Jessica, uncomfortably rubbing her shoulder, "How about Kris? Like Kris Kringle?"
"If you like."
"I… have a question," said Jessica.
"You want to know if I really visited you all those years ago."
Jessica's eyes widened.
"So… You did?"
"Yes," nodded Santa, "I know what you were going through. It was a difficult time. But I knew all you needed was that little push that someone was looking after you."
Jessica sniffled. Santa frowned solemnly. Then Jessica wrapped both of her arms around Santa. He was large enough that her hands barely reached his back, but still she squeezed as he gently placed his arms around her.
"Thank you," whispered Jessica.
A moment passed with the two like that. Then Jessica stepped away from Santa, sniffled, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
"Could you, um…" said Jessica, "Not tell the others about that?"
"Your secret's safe with me," grinned Santa, flicking his nose.
Jessica blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Now let's get the others," said Santa, "We're about ready to head out!"
Jessica went and got Bobbi, Peter, and Cindy to bring them back to the stables. Mary Jane, Gayle, and Malcolm bid them farewell and joined Mrs. Claus for more milk and cookies.
As the heroes finished boarding the sleigh, Santa readied himself for takeoff. Before he did, he turned back to the heroes.
"You know I didn't choose to fly to New York," he said, "I just flew away to get help. My sleigh guided me to you. You're the ones who can stop Loki, get back my holly, and save Christmas!"
Santa snapped the reins and the reindeer took off running for the opening. Soon they were running out into the night on an incline as they ascended into the air and pulled the sleigh along with them. Rudolph's nose illuminated the night sky through the fog as they passed through the clouds.
After some time, the sleigh descended below the clouds again. Everybody looked over the side of the sleigh and found what they were looking for. There was a large and ornate ice tower decorated with snow. Atop the tower was an equally ornate throne, upon which Loki sat in her feminine form, wearing a long emerald fur coat over a black dress and tights. She held a goblet of mulled wine in one hand and a large wooden staff with a sprig of holly on the end in the other.
"There she is!" exclaimed Jessica, "Let's get her!"
"Wait!" protested Bobbi, "If we get to close she might see us and knock us out of the sky."
"What are we supposed to do then?" demanded Jessica.
"Cindy," realized Peter, "Isn't that new technique of yours perfect for this?"
"Oh!" smiled Cindy, her eyes lighting up, "Yeah! My web parachute!"
"That can't possibly work," said Jessica.
"Not with my web shooters," admitted Peter, "but Cindy can produce thicker webbing and expel it from each of finger tips."
"I've been practicing it for a while now," said Cindy, "It always works."
"Loki'll see us soon if we don't do something," pointed out Bobbi.
"Alright," conceded Jessica, "Let's do the web parachute."
Cindy stepped up onto the side of the sleigh, only keeping herself from falling with her superhuman sense of balance and adhesive feet. She raised both arms over her head and pressed her palms together.
"Alright everyone," said Cindy, "Hold on tight to me and we'll all jump on 3. Ready?"
"Oh God…" whispered Bobbi as she and the others wrapped their arms around Cindy.
"3… 2… 1… JUMP!"
All four heroes leapt off the side of the sleigh. As soon as they did, Cindy began weaving webbing between her hands as they fell. After a few seconds of free falling, Cindy released the webbing while holding onto one strand in each hand. A parachute made of the webbing material flapped open and caught a pocket of air. They all grunted as their descent was suddenly severely slowed. Cindy had trouble maintaining her grip, even with her super strength.
"Um… Cindy?" said Peter, "We're still falling way too fast."
"Shit!" cursed Jessica.
"I don't know what's wrong," said Cindy, "It always worked on me when I was practicing it."
"Just you!?" cried Jessica, "You've never done this with more than one person?"
"I didn't think that would come up!"
"You didn't think quadrupling the mass would have an effect on gravity!?" demanded Jessica.
"Now's not the time to be fighting!" chimed in Bobbi.
Jessica looked down. Her girlfriend was right. They were going to touchdown in a matter of seconds. Jessica realized that of the four of them, she had the most durability and accelerated healing. She knew what to do.
Jessica put her strength into a twist, turning the entire group of them so Jessica was facing the direction they were going. Before anyone could react to this, the heroes slammed into the side of a snowdrift. The drift was deep, but they still plowed through to the bottom of it. Jessica's back struck the ground first. She let out a cry of pain as she used her strength to cushion her friends' impact as much as she could.
Peter punched his way free of the snowdrift and crawled out. Jessica came out next, clutching her side as each step aggravated her busted ribs. Bobbi emerged last, dragging an unconscious Cindy with her.
"She okay?" asked Peter once they were free of the snow.
"I think so," said Bobbi, "Looks like she just got knocked out when we landed."
"Well when she wakes up she's getting an earful," grumbled Jessica, "and probably a wedgie or two."
"Well, well, well…" echoed Loki's voice, "I have to say, of all who would come to stop me, I would never have guessed you four."
The wind was still howling, but through Loki's magic they were able to hear her clearly.
"I could have taken you all single-handedly before I had the holly," bragged Loki as she rose from her throne, "Now you don't stand a chance!"
Loki thrust the holly tipped staff into the air. Jessica, Bobbi, and Peter looked around nervously as the ground began to shake. They cried out in surprise when an enormous mound grew from the snow, soon forming a human head with a monstrous face. The being continued to rise from the ground, revealing themselves to be a skyscraper-sized humanoid made of snow. The beast roared into the sky.
"Well," sighed Jessica, "We're going to die. Saw this coming."
"LOKI!" bellowed a voice through the winds.
That's when a bolt of lighting crashed down from the sky directly into the giant's head. Light erupted from different parts of the beast before it exploded into a white mist. Only a smoldering crater remained where it once was. Standing in the center of that crater was Jane Foster.
"Goddess of Thunder," smiled Loki, "Glad you could make it."
"Enough of your games!" cried Jane, pointing Mjolnir at Loki, "Surrender the holly and turn yourself over for Asgard's judgment."
Loki glared at Jane for a moment before lazily twirling her staff. As quickly and frighteningly as before, four more snow giants rose from the snow. This time they were each armed with large weapons made of ice. One held an axe, another a sword, another a hammer, and another a spear. All four turned to face Jane.
"I'll handle these guys," said Jane to the other four, "See if you can get to her. Let's hope summoning these things uses up a lot of her energy and concentration."
Jane leapt into the air and swung her hammer at the axe one of the giants was swinging at her. The two collided. There was a brief flash of light before the axe shattered and sent shards of ice everywhere. Jane followed through with another swing into the giant's chest. The giant cried out as a chunk of it was chiseled off by the hammer, only to be silenced when Jane smashed her hammer through its face a moment later. Jane landed behind the pile of snow that used to be one of the giants. The remaining three charged Jane. Jane readied her hammer and ran at them.
"You heard the lady!" shouted Peter, sprinting to the throne, "Let's go!"
Jessica and Bobbi turned and ran after him. Peter was considerably faster than the other two and Jessica was in turn considerably faster than Bobbi. Peter was within arm's reach of Loki in a matter of seconds. Before he could take a shot though, Loki waved the staff in his direction and summoned a violent plume of snow to crash into Peter's face and push him back to the bottom of the tower.
Peter and the snow collided with Jessica and then Bobbi, taking all three of them down. All three then grabbed onto the side of the tower, clinging on for dear life as the snow continued to pound down on them.
Loki scowled and waved the staff again. The snow intensified. Soon Bobbi lost her grip and was blown down the tower. Not long afterward Jessica followed. Now it was just Peter clinging on as the snow pounded and pounded down upon him.
Not willing to give up, Peter reached one arm up and through the onslaught of snow, slowly managing to get a grip on a higher part of the tower. He then did that again and again until he finally burst free at the foot of the throne, panting and gasping as Loki casually looked down upon him.
Loki pointed her staff at Peter. A wall of snow grew up behind him, grabbing his wrists and ankles as it did so, bringing him up to a standing position. Peter fought back against the snow, but the magic gave it more than enough power to hold him.
"This is familiar," smiled Loki, musing on Peter's many kidnappings.
"Why are you doing this?" demanded Peter, "What could you possibly have to gain from it?"
"You'd never understand," hissed Loki.
"And why's that!?" demanded Peter, now short on patience.
"You love this time of year!" said Loki, "You humans all love decorating, and singing, and gift-giving."
"And you don't?"
"Before there was Christmas there was the winter solstice," explained Loki, "the celebration of the end of harvest and the start of winter."
"I'm familiar."
"Well that's what we celebrate in Asgard," explained Loki, "although some call in Yule."
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
Loki frowned and tightened her grip on the staff. The snow painfully tightened around Peter's wrists and ankles.
"As I was saying," continued Loki, "I was never welcome at these celebrations. No one wanted to jinx the coming winter by inviting the Goddess of Mischief. It was a time of year when everyone else was happy and I was miserable. Now that you humans are celebrating something similar, I relish the chance to ruin it for you like it was ruined for me."
"...no one ever invited you to the festivities?" clarified Peter.
"Well I guess Thor did," admitted Loki, "but his friends made it very clear I wasn't wanted there."
"...I'm sorry," said Peter.
"I don't need your pity."
"No, it's…" searched Peter, "So today I learned that Santa Claus is real. Not only that, but he really does deliver gifts to children in need. You know something? After my parents left I was miserable for years. Santa never got me anything. When you learn something like you have to ask yourself: did I not get any presents because I didn't deserve it?"
"You?" scoffed Loki, "You're the world's biggest goodie two shoes."
"It doesn't matter," said Peter, "because that's not what Christmas is about and everyone knows it. It's about the time you spend together with your loved ones. That's something your old Asgardian acquaintances didn't seem to underant."
"...Santa really never got you anything?" clarified Loki, "Even when you were at your most miserable?"
"Listen!" shouted Peter, "I've had enough of this! All I want now is to spend Christmas Eve with people I care about without having to worry about supervillains for just ONE DAY!"
There was a moment of tense silence as the two stared at one another.
"...and I'd like you to be there," added Peter quietly.
"What!?"
"You deserve to experience yuletide cheer just as much as anyone," said Peter, "If you're old acquaintances fell short on that, I guess I'll have to pick up the slack."
"So… You'll let me go?"
"If you give up the holly."
"...what about Jane?"
"We'll have a chat with her," assured Peter, "She'll understand."
"I don't understand," said Jane.
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock!
Upbeat holiday music magically sounded throughout the workshop. The heroes had gathered in a large room where Christmas-themed appetizers, desserts, and drinks lined the walls on tables draped in white and gold table cloths. Christmas lights, garlands, wreaths, and more hung from the walls and ceiling. Jane and Peter were standing on the far end of the room, eyeing Loki on the other side.
"Just let him have this," said Peter, "You can bring him in afterward."
"...fine," conceded Jane.
"That's the holiday spirit!" smiled Peter, "Now come on, have a cookie or two!"
Jane and Peter made their way to the table of assorted Christmas cookies as Loki watched. He had changed to his masculine form and was wearing a dark green suit. He grinned when he saw Jane break eye contact with him. Peter had really pulled through.
"Loki, Loki, Loki…" chuckled Santa as he walked up behind the God of Mischief, "What am I going to do with you?"
"If my punishments for past transgressions are any indication," said Loki, not looking at Santa, "you'll chain me to a rock, lock me in a dungeon, or seal me inside a tree."
"I'd rather not," said Santa, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder and guiding him to a set of chairs.
"Listen," said Loki, pulling his arm away from Santa, "I'm sorry about the holly."
"I know," nodded Santa, "That's why you're here after all."
"I'm here to try some of that holiday cheer I missed out on my whole life," said Loki coldly, "Holiday cheer which I have yet to find, I'll have you know."
"Perhaps this will help," said Santa, pulling a small wrapped box out from behind his back.
Loki stared at the box for a moment.
"Surely that's not for me?" he said.
"Open it and find out," said Santa, handing Loki the package.
Loki tore away the wrapping paper and opened the box. His face went blank for a moment. He reached his hand into the box and brought it back out holding a rubber snake toy. He looked at the toy for a moment.
"I love snakes," he said quietly.
"Peter mentioned that you've had an unfortunate experience with this time of year," said Santa, "Everyone deserves a chance to be happy for the holidays."
Loki coughed uncomfortably.
"Thank you," he muttered.
Santa let grinned widely.
Meanwhile Jessica leaned against a post, a Coke in her hand as she contemplated the night. Santa really did help her out all those years ago.
I guess we're even now, thought Jessica.
Jessica heard something behind her. She spun around just as someone was thrusting something up and over her head. Jessica brought her arms up to block it, but quickly realized it was a sprig of mistletoe. The perpetrator holding the mistletoe was none other than Bobbi. Jessica scoffed.
"Dork," chuckled Jessica.
The two kissed.
"Damn," sighed Mary Jane from across the room, "I wish I had thought of that."
"Seriously?" scoffed Gayle.
The two Watsons were standing near one of the many tables with hot chocolate supplies at the ready. Both had placed their emptied mugs on the table of discarded dishware behind them. Several elves smiled as they walked past and took the dishes.
"Thank you," smiled Mary Jane as they walked off.
"You're welcome," said one back.
"Hm," said Gayle, "I thought they'd be shorter."
"They're from Alfheim," said Mary Jane, "not the Keebler tree."
"Alfheim?"
"Just think of them like the elves from Lord of the Rings," said Mary Jane.
Gayle stared blankly back at her sister. Then she placed one hand on either of Mary Jane's shoulders and turned her to face away from Gayle. Then Gayle quickly flipped up the bottom of Mary Jane's sweater, pulled back her jeans by the belt loop, and grabbed the candy cane striped fabric underneath.
"Gayle!" gasped Mary Jane, "Don't you- EEP!"
Several of the other guests turned to look at the two. Mary Jane felt her cheeks go warm as she subtly tried to tuck her candy cane undies back into her jeans and remove them from her buttcrack.
"What was that for!?" demanded Mary Jane.
"Your nerdy-ass reference," chuckled Gayle.
"Merry Christmas to you too, sis."
Malcolm and Cindy strolled about the room side by side, casually talking to one another as they looked about.
"I haven't seen you around campus lately," said Cindy, "Is everything alright?
Cindy and Malcolm had been introduced some time ago. In fact, they had met years ago in passing at Empire State University. Once Cindy was in on Peter's identity, they introduced Malcolm as Peter's counselor and therapist. The two hadn't gotten the chance to talk much.
"Oh," realized Malcolm, "Right. I guess you don't know."
"Know?"
"I left ESU about a month ago for another job," he explained.
"What about Peter?"
"We're still having our sessions," assured Malcolm.
"What's the new job?"
"Heroes for Hire," said Malcolm, "Turns out having an in-house therapist specializing in superhuman trauma is quite the asset to them."
"So you therapize the heroes working for them?"
"Basically."
"Cool," nodded Cindy, "Congrats."
The night was starting to wind down. Santa has made his rounds and delivered his presents, returning to the workshop. The music had turned off and the elves were clearing the last of the dishes and leftovers.
In one corner of the room Loki sat looking intently at his rubber snake. He was smiling. Jane began approaching from a distance. Then she stopped and looked at him contemplatively for a moment.
"Having second thoughts?" asked Jessica, who had just approached Jane from behind.
"No," said Jane, standing straighter, "No, he must face justice."
Jessica nodded as Jane walked up to Loki. Loki looked up at the Goddess of Thunder. After a moment, he put the snake in a pouch and presented his wrists for cuffing. Jane pulled out a set of cuffs and went to put them on Loki. The moment the cuffs made contact with Loki, they fell right through him. He flickered for a moment before turning into a green light and fading away.
"An illusion!" cursed Jane angrily.
Jessica snorted and burst into laughter. Jane gritted her teeth. She turned around to glare at Jessica. Jessica quickly got quiet.
"I don't have time for this," grunted Jane, before disappearing in a burst of lightning as she raced out of the workshop.
Meanwhile, Peter took a deep breath. Santa was standing at the door leading out of the room, looking out across the room. Peter knew it was now or never. He might not get his chance again. If he wanted answers from Santa, now was the time.
"What is it Peter?" asked Santa with a warm smile as Peter approached.
"Hi," said Peter nervously, "I, um, wanted to ask you something."
"And what is that?"
"I don't want to sound selfish," said Peter, "but in the couple of years after my parents left I was miserable. Things didn't get better for a long time. I don't mean to be rude, but wasn't I exactly the kind of kid you deliver presents to?"
Santa looked back at Peter, still smiling. Peter coughed. Santa blinked. Peter blinked back.
"HOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Santa loudly, "Of course, Peter! You were indeed the exact kind of child I watch over and protect."
"So why didn't you come?"
"I did!" smiled Santa widely.
"What?" said Peter in confusion, "The only presents I remember getting came from Aunt May or Uncle Ben."
"Did they?"
"Of course," said Peter, "I found where Aunt May had hidden the presents one year."
"How do you think they got the presents?"
"Um…"
"You think they bought that microscope on those salaries?"
"Oh my God," realized Peter.
Peter took a moment to let it sink in.
"You were always a very good boy, Peter," chortled Santa, "I'd go so far as to say you still are."
"...thanks," smiled Peter meekly.
"Now," said Santa, "I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"I'm dropping off some extra presents this year," he said, "It seems fitting to bring you along."
"Why?"
Santa winked.
Patsy Walker sat straight up in bed, eyes wide. Her ear twitched. She had heard something. She was sure of it. Some sort of clatter had woken her up. She couldn't hear anything now though.
Patsy pulled off her covers, under which she was wearing a fuzzy pair of purple pants, thick socks, and an oversized black T-shirt. She slipped her slippers on and made her way out of her bedroom, cautiously stalking around the apartment.
Then Patsy heard something again. She turned toward the noise. This one was more subtle. It was over faster than the clatter as well; it was more of a thud. Something was definitely going on. Patsy rushed silently into Jennifer Walters's room and began shaking her shoulder.
"Nnngh…" groaned Jennifer, "...what is it, Pats?"
"Jen!" whispered Patsy in a harsh tone, "Someone is right outside. I think they're looking for us."
Both Patsy and Jennifer had public identities as Hellcat and She-Hulk, meaning that it wasn't out of the question for them to be targeted in their home.
"Let me handle it," said Jennifer, throwing her blanket aside and swinging her legs off the bed.
Jennifer clenched her fists. Her brown hair grew out into a long, dark green main. Her skin turned green as she grew toward the ceiling and her muscles bulged larger and larger. The purple night gown had gone down past Jennifer's knees, but as She-Hulk the strained fabric barely even covered her butt.
"There!" gasped Patsy, pointing at the window on Jennifer's wall, "Whoever it is is right out there!"
She-Hulk rushed up to the window and opened it. As she did a figure swiftly jumped in through the opening. The figure slipped past She-Hulk and kept going. Patsy saw this and decided to get involved herself. In a burst of hellfire she was wearing her Hellcat costume and had leapt upon the figure, gripping on tightly as she tried to pin him down.
"Hold up!" grunted the figure, "It's me!"
Hellcat paused and saw that she did indeed recognize the man she had leapt upon. The lanky, colorfully dressed intruder was none other than Spider-Man.
"Spider-Man!?" exclaimed Hellcat, getting off the web slinger, "What are you doing here!?"
"Nice hat," added She-Hulk.
Spider-Man was wearing a Santa hat over his mask, which hung limply to the side as a result of the scuffle. Spider-Man righted the hat and picked up a sack Hellcat had knocked out of his arms. He began rummaging through it.
"Merry Christmas!" he declared, pulling out two colorfully wrapped packages.
"Thanks," said She-Hulk suspiciously, "But did you really come all the way from New York to give us presents?"
"I got a ride," said Spider-Man, "and they're not actually from me. They're from the big guy."
She-Hulk and Hellcat took their presents and looked at them, seeing that they were addressed from Santa. The two exchanged a look and then both unwrapped them. She-Hulk saw that hers was a fancy, leather bound planner for the coming year. She smiled at the sight of it. Hellcat found hers to be a white box. Upon opening it she squealed with delight as she pulled out a yellow stuffed cat plush.
"It's so cute!" she smiled, hugging the toy close.
"This is perfect," said She-Hulk, holding up the planner, "I didn't have one for the new year yet. How did you know?"
"Like I said," shrugged Spider-Man as he approached the window, "They're not from me."
"Right," smirked She-Hulk, "Well give St. Nick our regards."
"Will do!" said Spider-Man, waving as he leapt out the window with the sack.
"That was sweet of him," said Hellcat cheerily.
"It was," nodded She-Hulk, "but why did he insist that the presents were from-?"
"HO! HO! HO!" bellowed an echoing voice, "Merry Christmas!"
"...was that just…?" asked Hellcat nervously.
"Who knows?" sighed She-Hulk as she shrank back down, "I'm going back to bed."
Eddie! Wake up!
"Whuzzut!?" sputtered Eddie, sitting straight up in bed.
Someone's here!
Like in the apartment?
Yes!
"Crap," muttered Eddie, still half asleep.
Eddie leapt out of his bed as his symbiote expanded around his body, encasing him in its monstrous form as they landed on all fours. Venom rushed out the bedroom door into the main living area. No one was there, but a wrapped package sat in the middle of the room. Venom approached it cautiously.
What is it?
Venom read the tag on the package.
"From: Santa
To: Venom"
It's…
Eddie experienced a rush of pleasure as the symbiote became excited. Venom tore open the package to reveal it to be a box of assorted chocolates. Venom immediately began shoveling it all into their mouth, scarfing down a congealed mass of milk and dark chocolate and their various fillings, wrappers and all. The chocolate was gone within seconds.
Chocolate was a natural source of phenylethylamine, which the symbiote needed to survive. It was fortunate it could be found in chocolate, since the only other known source was human brains.
Whoever sent that… I can't help but wonder whether they were trying to be nice, or just trying to keep us from eating anyone.
Either way is fine by me!
Outside, Santa's sleigh soared away with Spider-Man in tow.
Spider-Man hummed "Up on the Housetop" to himself as he walked along the large neoclassical fireplace and hung up the stockings one by one. Santa had pre stuffed the stockings for Spider-Man, since Spidey was pretty unfamiliar with the residents of this household. Spider-Man hummed the last note of the song as he hung up the last stocking, labelled "Logan."
"I knew I smelled something," growled someone from behind.
"Uh-oh."
"Alright bub," said the hairy man as he approached Spider-Man, "You better have a damn good reason for being here. Otherwise we're going to have some problems."
"I'm delivering presents!" said Spider-Man, pointing to his head, "See the hat?"
Snicket!
"So you're Wolverine!" realized Spider-Man, eyeing the newly protracted claws, "Funny. I thought you'd be taller."
Wolverine growled.
"Uh, big guy?" said Spider-Man nervously, "A little help?"
Wolverine's eyes widened in surprise as Spider-Man felt himself sucked down into the fireplace and then up the chimney. The way the magic worked, it didn't matter whether Spider-Man could fit in the chimney. He always found himself seamlessly sliding up and down without injury or even getting any soot on him.
Spider-Man popped out of the chimney top on the roof of the X-Mansion, where Santa sat at the ready in the sleigh. Spider-Man hopped in as Santa snapped the reins and took off into the sky. Wolverine rushed out the front door and looked up into the night sky just in time to see the sleigh cross in front of the moon, clearly silhouetting the sleigh and reindeer.
Wolverine continued to stare in disbelief as the sleigh disappeared into the night, snowflakes slowly falling all around him.
Micro typed away at his computer, pulling crime report after crime report and combing through them for any hints on their existing targets. Cross referencing these reports rarely yielded any fruit, but Micro always checked anyway on the off chance he would miss something.
"Still working?"
"Yeah," said Micro after a moment, rubbing one of his eyes and turning to look at Frank, "Yeah. What's up?"
"I just wanted to check on things," said Frank quietly, shifting uncomfortably.
"...alright."
"And give you this."
Frank pulled an impressively poorly wrapped box out from behind his back, offering it to Micro. Micro looked at the present and then back up at Frank.
"Hanukkah ended a week ago," he said flatly.
"I know," muttered Frank, "Sorry. I forgot. I mean- I- I'm sorry."
"I'm messing with you," chuckled Micro as he took the present, "I do appreciate it. Actually…"
Micro turned back to his desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a present with notably better wrapping than Frank's.
"I was going to give this to you tomorrow," said Micro, "but as long as we're already getting gifts."
The two exchanged presents, waited an awkward moment unsure of whether it was acceptable to start unwrapping or not. Finally, Frank gestured to the present in Micro's hand. Micro nodded and opened his present.
"...wow," whistled Micro.
They were Stark Vibes, widely agreed to be some of the best headphones on the market.
"Yeah," shrugged Frank, "I figured since you finally finished putting together that huge music library, you could use something nice to listen to it on."
"...yeah."
"...did I do something wrong?"
"No," chuckled Micro, "I'm just an idiot. I, uh, I was clearing out some hard drives the other day and… totally deleted that library by accident."
"You're kidding."
"Wish I were."
"I'm sorry, Spook."
"Enough of that," dismissed Micro, "It's a very thoughtful present. Now open yours."
Frank tore the paper off his present.
"You're kidding," he whispered in disbelief.
It was a whole kit of high quality guitar supplies. Everything from tuners to clamps to spare strings to picks to straps and more.
"You like it?" asked Micro.
"...I broke my guitar last week."
"...really?"
"Tripped over the damn thing."
"Wow," sighed Micro, "We really are something, aren't we?"
"You can say that again!" came a third voice.
Frank and Micro both turned to see Spider-Man standing several feet away from them, Santa hat on his head and a large sack over his shoulder.
"Peter!?" said Frank and Micro at the same time.
"Ho! Ho! Ho!" laughed Spider-Man, affecting a deep voice, "Merry Christmas!"
Frank and Micro continued to stare at Spider-Man in confusion.
"Here," sighed Spider-Man, setting the sack down and reaching inside, "Just take these."
Spider-Man pulled out one large present and handed it to Frank, while handing a significantly smaller one to Micro. The two examined both presents in confusion before Frank opened his.
"No way…" smiled Micro.
"This… Isn't possible," said Frank quietly.
He had opened his present to reveal a brand new acoustic guitar.
"Open yours," said Frank quickly.
Micro picked the wrapping off the tiny package and opened it to reveal a thumb drive.
"...is this?"
"...the complete music library of one David Lieberman," said Spider-Man, "I believe you'll find the organization to your liking."
"This can't be happening," muttered Frank, "How is it even possible?"
"With the big red man, anything is possible," said Spider-Man.
"Wait a minute," said Micro, shaking his head, "You're telling me the Punisher is on Santa's nice list?"
"I wouldn't read that much into it," shrugged Spider-Man.
Micro and Frank exchanged anxious looks. Neither one was sure what to make of it.
"I'll leave you two to your Christmas Eve," said Spider-Man as he waved and spun on his heel.
"Wait!"
But Spider-Man was already out the door to the main room. Frank pursued him, but found nothing on the other side of the door. He looked back to Micro. Micro smiled at Frank. Frank offered a small smile back.
Spider-Man and Santa Claus continued their night of gift giving. Thor received a cookbook of unusual cuisine. Luke Cage and Danny Rand got a collection of classic kung fu movies. Steve Rogers got a book called "500 Films to Watch from the 20th and 21st Century." Squirrel Girl received the biggest acorn she had ever seen.
"That about covers it," said Santa, looking at the horizon, "Dawn is coming any moment now. We should head back."
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" said Spider-Man excitedly, bouncing up and down in his seat, "Can I say the thing? Please? Please?"
"Absolutely," smiled Santa.
"Merry Christmas to all!" called Spider-Man loudly, "And to all a good night!"