Snow blanketed the entirety of Amity Park. As the citizens moved about, enjoying the glistening landscape and the upcoming holidays, one individual was once again a Scrooge.
Danny Fenton AKA Danny Phantom was sitting on top of a building, scowling, as memories of what happened earlier were still fresh in his mind.
'Every year. Every SINGLE year! Why do they have to ALWAYS argue over this?! It's so stupid!'
Once again he had to deal with his parents and their annual argument on whether or not Santa Claus exists. He loves his parents, don't get him wrong, but he absolutely HATED Christmas because of them. This was why he was sitting up on the building; he wanted to be alone to wallow in his anger.
Too bad for him that he was found by a certain ghost diva.
"Hey there, Baby-Pop! What's got you sitting out in the cold like this?" questioned the fiery girl, looking at him in confusion.
Danny clenched his teeth as he tried to not snap. "Go away and leave me alone, Ember."
Placing her hands on her hips, Ember glared at him. "What the hell is your problem, dipstick? All I did was ask you a question."
"Yeah, well I'm not in a good mood right now and I'd rather you leave before I do or say something I know I'll regret," replied Danny, not even looking at her.
Ember raised an eyebrow at his words. Now that she got a good look at him she could see how pissed he was. While most people would have listened to him, she wasn't most people. She came here for a reason and he wasn't getting rid of her that easily. Seeing him like this though, she couldn't handle this like she normally would. That's why she cleared off some snow and sat next to him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Ember, glancing at him. "Maybe if you got it off your chest you'll feel better?"
"I doubt it," he replied in a deadpan tone. He then let out a sigh. "Remember that Christmas when I had that run in with the Ghostwriter?"
"Oh yeah," said Ember with a laugh. "It was funny how you were able to beat him with an orange."
"Yeah, well the only reason I got on his bad side to begin with was because of my parents."
Now Ember was even more confused. "Your parents? What do they have to do with all this?"
The scowl returned to his face. "My dad believes Santa is real, my mom doesn't, and for every Christmas since I can remember they've argued with each other over this. Christmas is NOT a good time for me."
Pity was all Ember could feel for the Halfa right now. She never would have expected it to be this bad. Good thing she was here then to brighten up Baby-Pop's holiday!
"Well I've got some good news for you then, Baby-Pop. I'm here to invite you to the annual Ghost Zone Christmas Party!" exclaimed the fiery girl with a smirk.
"Pass," said Danny, causing Ember to almost fall over in shock.
"Wh-What?! Why the hell would you pass on going to a party?!" demanded Ember as she glared at him.
"I've already told you why," he replied with a growl as he glared right back. "I'm NOT in a good mood right now, but despite that I don't plan on ruining everyone else's good time with my attitude. So you can go have fun at the party, but I'll be staying here until whenever it'll be a good time to go home."
'But it WON'T be fun without you there, Baby-Pop,' thought Ember with a frown.
That was the real reason why she came looking to invite him to the party. Unbeknownst everyone, except a certain biker chick who was also a romance bloodhound, Ember had a crush on the white-haired boy next to her and has been crushing on him even when they were still enemies. Luckily for her they were no longer enemies, but it would still be a ways away until she could earn his trust.
Hell, one of the reasons she kept coming to Amity Park was so she could see him. He made her existence more enjoyable. With the Christmas Truce going on, it would give her the best opportunity to hang out with Baby-Pop without it being awkward like it would any other time.
"Look, Ember, I appreciate your concern, no matter how strange it may be, but I just don't feel like having fun right now," said Danny as he stood, ready to leave.
Panic set in on Ember as she watched Danny about to take off. Not wanting him to leave, she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. "W-Wait!"
Feeling something jerk him back, he turned to give the rock diva an annoyed look. "What?"
"L-Look, just come to the party for a little bit. You don't have to stay for the whole thing, just enough to unwind for a bit," pleaded Ember, hoping that he would agree.
He gave her a blank look that lasted a few seconds before he let out a sigh. "You're really adamant about this, aren't you?"
An immediate nod was her answer. He let out another sigh and reluctantly agreed, which earned him a beaming smile from the fiery girl.
-:-
The two ghostly teens had made their way back to Fenton Works to sneak in and to the Ghost Portal. They had to sneak in, mainly to avoid getting dragged into the annual "Santa is/isn't real" argument of his parents.
"I'm surprised that a goody-goody like you is leaving your sisters to the wolves, so to speak," said Ember as they flew through the Ghost Zone.
"Jazz chooses to stay, thinking she can get them to stop when she knows that they'll think she's choosing sides. Danielle on the other hand I've explained to her to just hide once the arguing starts. She doesn't need to deal with that," explained Danny with a frown.
They soon arrived to where the party was being held, at Princess Dorathea's castle. Walking up to the large doors, with Ember holding onto Danny's arm all the while, they were let in by the royal guards.
"It's a good thing you scared off that prick Aragon, Baby-Pop," said Ember, catching Danny's attention. "If you hadn't I don't think there'd ever be a Christmas party here."
"How'd you know I was the one to get rid of Aragon?" questioned Danny, looking at the girl on his arm.
She just gave him a smirk. "Who else would be stupid enough to stand up to him? That and Dora mentioned your name."
As they continued on into the castle, with Danny taking in all of the decorations as they did, they were stopped by one of the guests and the ghostly teens were already annoyed.
"Whelp," growled out the robotic hunter as he glared at the two. He was NOT happy at the sight of HIS woman hanging on the arm of HIS prey.
"Before you go on whatever tangent you have, Skulker, just remember that there is a Christmas Truce going on," said Danny in a deadpan tone, interrupting whatever Skulker was going to say. "Which is good because I REALLY don't want to deal with you right now."
Another growl came from the overcompensating hunter before he turned his glare towards Ember.
"Why are you fraternizing with my prey, woman?!" demanded Skulker, earning a glare from Ember. "You should be on my arm!"
"Last I checked, dipstick, we broke up," growled out Ember. "So beat it!"
Not wanting to deal with her ex-boyfriend anymore, Ember sidestepped the tin can, dragging a blank-faced Danny all the while.
"Wait, wait," spoke Danny once he regained his thought process. "You and Skulker? Please tell me you lost a bet because I can't see you dating him willingly."
A grimace appeared on the rock diva's face. "I wish that was the case. Now I don't want to talk anymore about that! We're supposed to be here to have fun!"
With a sigh, Danny allowed Ember to continue to drag him about until they ran into the Ghost Zone's resident biker couple.
"Danny! You made it!" chirped Kitty as she came over to bring the younger teen into a sisterly hug.
"Nice to see you too, Kitty," replied Danny, returning the hug, albeit with less enthusiasm.
The green-haired girl frowned, sensing something was wrong. "What happened, Danny?"
"…Nothing. You don't need to worry about me, Kitty," answered the Halfa, trying to give a reassuring smile.
But she didn't by it, if the narrowed eyes and crossed arms were any indication. "Don't give me that, Danny. I KNOW something is wrong. Now spill it!"
"Aw come on, Kitten," said Johnny with a roll of his eyes. "If the kid doesn't want to talk, he doesn't have to."
This only earned him a glare from his girlfriend, before Kitty turned back to Danny. Seeing as how he wasn't going to get out of this, Danny reluctantly explained the problem he was dealing with.
"Aw, I'm so sorry that you have to deal with that, Danny," replied Kitty, giving him another hug.
"That's why I was able to convince him to come here and get away from the craziness," stated Ember with a smug smirk, causing Danny to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, well, I just wish I could figure out a way to get Mom and Dad to stop arguing…and that wasn't a legitimate wish, Desiree," said Danny, deadpanning towards the end.
The genie ghost pouted as she made herself known. "You do know I can help you on this, Daniel."
Ever since Danny broke the curse on Desiree, she had been a lot nicer towards the young Halfa; almost like a second mother to him…or third if you count Pandora.
"I know, Desiree, but this is my problem and I have to solve it on my own."
"I'm surprised you haven't told them about Saint Nicholas," stated Kitty, gaining everyone's attention.
"Uh, Kitten? I'm pretty sure Saint Nick and Santa are the same thing," replied Johnny, looking confused.
"Well, yes and no," explained Kitty. "Saint Nicholas was an actual person who lived back in the 4th century and Santa Claus is based on him because Saint Nicholas would actually give gifts to little children!"
"…How exactly do you know this, Kitty?" asked Ember.
"I learned about Saint Nicholas in elementary school whenever Christmas time came around. I bet if Danny told his parents about him it would end any arguments since it would prove them both right!"
Danny was silent for a few seconds before he pulled out his phone and started to look up this Saint Nicholas to make sure Kitty was telling the truth. Seeing that the Saint did indeed live from March 15, 270 to December 6, 343, he couldn't keep the grin from appearing on his face.
"Baby-Pop, what's with that grin? You're starting to scare me here," stated Ember, worried. She wasn't able to get an answer as Danny suddenly took off, catching everyone's attention. "Baby-Pop!"
The rock diva took off after him with Kitty, Johnny, and Desiree following after. They chased after him out of the castle and noticed him heading back towards the Ghost Portal.
"What is he doing?" questioned Kitty, also worried over Danny's behavior.
A growl escaped from Ember. She busted her butt to convince Baby-Pop to come to the party and he was barely there for five minutes before he high-tailed it out of there! She was going to get some answers, damn it!
When they passed through the Portal, they noticed Danny about to get into what looked like some kind of ship. He didn't make it in though as Ember grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"What the hell has gotten into you, Baby-Pop?!" she demanded as she glared up at him. "You just took off from the party!"
Danny blinked in confusion as he looked at the ghosts surrounding him. "I think the better question would be why are you guys here? You didn't have to leave the party because of me."
"Well when you just take off without warning, we got worried," replied Kitty with a frown.
"Yeah, what's up with that, little man?" asked Johnny.
That grin reappeared on Danny's face. "If you must know, I'm going to take the Specter Speeder and go look for Saint Nicholas."
Ember could only give him a blank look. "…What?"
Danny nodded in excitement. "Yup! What better way to convince my parents to stop arguing than to find the REAL Santa Claus? Think about it! If Saint Nicholas was alive at one point…"
"You're going to try and find his ghost!" squeaked out Kitty, figuring out what Danny was getting at.
"Exactly!"
"No, not exactly! What the hell makes you think you'll even be able to find St. Nick's ghost, Baby-Pop?!" demanded the fiery girl.
"Like I said, I'm going to take the Specter Speeder to go look for him. I was planning on heading to the Far Frozen first since it's probably the closest thing to the North Pole the Ghost Zone has and if he's not there, Frostbite might know something about where he COULD be."
Rubbing her temples, Ember was getting a migraine from Danny's explanation. "Do you have ANY idea how crazy this is, Baby-Pop?"
"I don't see why you're complaining! I'm the one who is going on this search!" replied Danny, slightly annoyed. "You guys just head back to the party and I'll see you tomorrow…maybe…definitely before Christmas."
Just before he could enter the Specter Speeder, he was pulled back once again.
"Oh no you don't! If you think I'm going to let you do this on your own, then you've got another thing coming!" snapped Ember, giving him a look that said she would NOT take no for an answer.
Everyone looked at Ember with wide eyes. Was she being serious right now?
"Wh-What? Why would you want to come along?" questioned Danny, trying to figure out if he heard her right.
"Because I know you well enough to know that you're reckless and will do something stupid," replied the fiery girl in a deadpan tone. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you."
"…That still doesn't explain why YOU want to come along."
"J-Just shut up and get in if we're doing this!" snapped Ember, fighting off a blush as she pushed Danny into the Specter Speeder.
"Road trip!" exclaimed Kitty as she, Johnny, and Desiree followed inside.
"Wait, why are YOU three coming along?" demanded Danny as he started up the vehicle.
"It'll be fun!" replied Kitty with a beaming smile as she and the other ghosts buckled in.
The Halfa could only sigh, knowing he was not going to win this argument. Putting the Specter Speeder into gear, they soon flew through the Ghost Portal and headed in the direction of the Far Frozen.
"You know, I have been around for a millennia and yet I still am not used to this modern technology," spoke Desiree as she took in the devices of the Specter Speeder.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked Technus for a rundown on what the modern ages have to offer, Desi," replied Kitty, looking over at the genie.
"Probably because she doesn't want to fall asleep due to Technus' long winded ramblings," stated Danny, causing Desiree to smirk.
They continued onward towards the Far Frozen, the journey going smoothly…until they found out they had a stowaway.
"Danny!" cried out a voice, causing everyone to jump and almost made Danny crash.
Looking over to where the voice came from, Danny was surprised to find the smiling face of his little sister.
"D-Danielle?! What are you doing here?!" demanded the older Halfa.
The ghostling could only pout. "I was hiding since you're the one who told me to hide whenever Mom and Dad started arguing."
"But in the Specter Speeder?"
"Pretty good idea, huh? No one would think to look for me here!" chirped the little one with a proud smile. She then looked out the window. "Where are we going anyway?"
Danny could feel his eye twitch in annoyance. It was bad enough that Ember and the others had joined him on this, but now he had to deal with Danielle, too.
"If you want to know where we're going, Mini-Pop, we're heading to the Far Frozen," said Ember, getting Danielle's attention.
"Far Frozen? What's that and why are we going there?"
That was when Desiree lifted Danielle up and placed her on her lap. "It is a realm of ice, little one, and we are going because your brother wishes to speak with the leader about something important."
"Basically, Danny is trying to find Santa Claus!" exclaimed Kitty with a grin, causing Danny to grimace and Danielle's eyes to widen.
"Wait, we're really going to look for Santa?" squeaked out the ghostling.
Danny let out a sigh. "Yes and no. Long story short, I'm going to try and find the ghost of Saint Nicholas and hope he'll come back with us to FINALLY get Mom and Dad to stop arguing."
"You really think that'll work?" asked Danielle.
"It better," muttered out the older Halfa.
Ember rolled her eyes. "Just lighten up, Baby-Pop. Even if we don't find old St. Nick, you'll at least have the party to fall back on to get away from your parents for the night."
"Party?" wondered Danielle, tilting her head.
"Yup!" replied Johnny with a grin. "Every year the Ghost Zone holds this big Christmas party that everyone is invited to!"
Hearing this, the little one cast a pouty glare towards Danny, which he ignored.
"You went to a party and didn't invite me?!"
"…Johnny, you're lucky the Christmas Truce is going on," said Danny as he continued to ignore the angry ghostling noises.
-:-
The snowy landscape of the Far Frozen came into view and the Specter Speeder came in for a landing. Opening the door, the group of ghosts stepped out onto the frozen plains dressed in winter gear courtesy of Desiree and made their way towards Frostbite's village.
"Stupid cold," muttered out Ember as she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm.
"I don't see what's so bad about the cold," said Danielle as she scooped up some snow and made a snowball, which she then threw at Johnny. "Snow is fun!"
"I beg to differ," growled out Johnny as he wiped away the snow on his face. He then had to glare at Kitty, who couldn't help but giggle at his expense.
"Hate to break it to you, Mini-Pop, but I've got a fire core and ghosts with fire core can't really handle the cold very well," explained Ember.
"Although in Ember's case there are SOME exceptions," added Kitty with a teasing tone. Her grin became a little wider when a blushing Ember turned to glare at her.
Danny raised an eyebrow, wondering what was up with Ember all of a sudden, while Danielle looked at her mitten-covered hands.
"I wonder what kind of core I have."
"You'll have an ice core once you're old enough," replied Danny. "And I'll teach you how to use it when the time comes."
The ghostling beamed in happiness at the thought of her big brother training her.
They soon arrived at their destination where they were greeted by a smiling Frostbite.
"Great One! You humble us with your presence!" exclaimed the Yeti leader with a jolly grin.
Ember had a blank look on her face before she and the other ghosts turned to Danny, who looked embarrassed.
"Great One?" questioned the fiery girl.
"It's a long story," replied Danny before turning to Frostbite. "Anyway, I need your help with something, Frostbite."
"Oh? Whatever you need, Great One, I and my people will gladly be of assistance."
"It's nothing too big, but you wouldn't happen to know if anyone else lives here in the Far Frozen, would you?"
Not the question he expected, but Frostbite still gave it some thought. "Hm, now that I think about it, I do believe there is one person who lives out just outside of our village."
The group was surprised upon hearing this. Ember was honestly expecting this to be a dead end so they could go back home and she could enjoy the Christmas party with Baby-Pop. Glancing over at the boy, she saw the look of excitement in his eyes.
"Really?! Do you think you can point us in their direction?"
"Of course, Great One!"
With directions in hand, Danny gave his thanks to Frostbite and quickly took off towards where he hoped Saint Nicholas was.
"Slow down, Baby-Pop!" yelled out Ember as she and the others followed Danny.
"Yeah! I want to ask Santa for a present, too!" squeaked out Danielle.
"We're not here to ask for presents, Danielle," replied Danny with a sigh, causing the ghostling to pout. His eyes then widened when a building started to come into view. "Whoa."
The group stared in surprise as they looked upon what was clearly a workshop, if the hustle and bustle of the diminutive elf-like ghosts pushing carts and carrying bags of toys were anything to go by.
It was then the workshop doors opened and out stepped a large man in red with a fluffy, white beard.
"Ho, ho, ho!"
"…Okay, so Santa really does exist," stated Ember, not believing what she was seeing.
Danielle and Kitty both started to bounce in excitement and were about to rush down to greet the Spirit of Christmas, if it hadn't been for Danny and Johnny grabbing hold of them respectively.
"Stop squirming, Danielle," said Danny as he held his little clone under his arm like a sack of potatoes. "We don't even know if he'll be okay with us being here."
"And yet you still came here to see him," replied Ember in a deadpan tone.
"If I remember correctly, the original plan was just for ME to come here," added Danny in his own deadpan tone. "That way if things went bad I would be the only one dealing with it."
'Like hell I'd let that happen, Baby-Pop,' thought the rock diva.
Danny then handed Danielle over to Ember before making his way down after telling the others to hang back. As he got closer, he caught the attention of the man in red.
"Now who is this?" asked the man with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face that told he knew exactly who was coming towards him.
"Uh…Hi? I'm Danny Phantom and you're Saint Nicolas…right?" asked the white-haired boy; nervous of how this could go.
"Ho, ho, ho! Indeed I am, my boy, although most people I believe have been calling me Santa Claus for a few centuries now," replied Nicholas, his smile still on his face. "Now what is it that you have come to ask, Danny? Something to do with your parents?"
Danny's eyes widened, shocked that the man knew despite not having told him the reason for him being here. "H-How…?"
"There is some truth in the old stories of what I can do, Danny," replied Nicolas with a chuckle.
"Then if you know why I'm here, will you help me out? I know it's asking a lot of you, but I just…I just want my parents to stop arguing so we can have a normal Christmas for once."
Nicholas stroked his beard as he contemplated the request. "I must say, Danny, normally I keep my presence a secret to others as it makes gift giving much easier."
"…Not to sound rude, sir, but if that was the case, why let me get so close and see that you're real?"
Another chuckle escaped the jolly man as looked at the boy with a kind look. "You needed help, did you not?"
Once again, Danny's eyes widened before his grin matched.
-:-
They were back at Fenton Works and Danny had told the others to wait for his signal while he and Danielle went to calm the storm upstairs. Phasing through the floor, they were immediately bombarded by yelling.
"Santa is real!"
"No he's not, Jack! There's no such thing as Santa!"
Danny had to hold back a sigh and the instinct to grab Danielle and get the hell out of there. The two Halfa floated towards the kitchen where the Fenton parents were glaring at each other with Jazz in the middle trying (and failing) to be peacemaker. Luckily, the yelling stopped for the moment when Maddie caught a glimpse of her son and youngest daughter.
"Hi, Danny, Danielle," greeted the mother with a cheery smile.
"Danny-boy! Tell your mother that Santa is real!" exclaimed Jack, earning a glare from Maddie.
"Of course he's real, Dad! We even got to meet him!" chirped Danielle before Danny could say anything.
Jack beamed in happiness since at least ONE of his kids sided with him. Maddie on the other hand, instead of being disappointed, was more confused as she raised an eyebrow in question at her child's words. Danny simply facepalmed.
"Danielle, remember when I said to let me do the talking?" questioned the older Halfa through clenched teeth, causing the ghostling to pout.
"Danny, what is going on?" asked Jazz. "Please tell me Danielle is joking just to make Dad happy."
The boy just ignored her as he faced his father. "Dad, you believe that Santa is real, right?"
"That's because he is, Dan-o!"
Danny turned to his mother, ignoring his father this time. "And you believe Santa doesn't exist, right, Mom?"
"Of course, sweetie, but why exactly are you asking us this?" questioned Maddie, her scientist side sensing something.
"…What if I told you that you're BOTH right?"
The Fenton parents glanced at each other in question, more confused than they initially were, while Jazz was wondering if her brother lost it.
"Danny, what are you getting at?"
"Well, Mom, I'll show you. Just do me one favor and try NOT to shoot at him."
Now Jack and Maddie really were worried as they watched their son phase through the floor. If he didn't want them to shoot whoever he wanted them to meet, meant that this person was a ghost. But what did this ghost have to do with whether or not Santa was real?
They would get that answer when Danny returned with a large, bearded man in red. The Fenton family (sans Danny and Danielle) could only stare slack-jawed at the man before them.
"Meet Santa Claus!" squeaked out Danielle with a cute smile.
"Or, as he's actually known as, Saint Nicholas, the REAL Saint Nicholas from the fourth century," explained Danny.
Nicholas let out a chuckle as he stepped forward to talk with the Fentons. "Your son has told me that you two debate on whether or not I'm real?"
Maddie had the decency to blush in embarrassment, at the very least. "Um, well y-yes, b-but…"
"Are you really Santa?" asked Jack.
Another laugh came from the Christmas Spirit "Yes, that is what some circles have come to call me. I remember during my time when I would give gifts to good children and I am glad to see that traditions have lived on to this day."
"…I can't believe that THE Santa Claus is in our house," muttered out Jazz, trying to make sense of this. "How is that even possible?!"
Danny just rolled his eyes before looking back at his parents. "Mom, Dad, as I said earlier, you're BOTH right. Dad's right because at one point in history, Santa actually existed as Saint Nicholas here. And Mom's right because the version of Santa everyone knows about is just a representation what Christmas really means; to give gifts to those you care about and gifts to the less fortunate."
"Jack, Maddie, you both should be proud of your son. Not only did he personally come looking for me to help you, but to help Danielle as well," stated Nicholas, catching their attention.
"Wait, what? What's wrong with Danielle?" demanded Maddie, her maternal instincts kicking in. Jack was doing no better as he grabbed a Fenton Bazooka, ready to blast anyone who would threaten his little girl.
Danny placed a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Mom, Dad, in case you forgot, this Christmas would actually be the first time Danielle would get to spend it with FAMILY. Do you really want her first Christmas to be you two arguing?"
That stopped the Fenton parents in their tracks, their eyes wide when they realized that they could have ruined everything for their youngest. Maddie could only get teary-eyed as she got on her knees and pulled Danielle into a hug.
"I am so sorry, Danielle. We didn't mean to drag you into this," said Maddie as she nuzzled Danielle, before Jack lifted the both of them into his arms and dragged Danny and Jazz into the hug as well.
"Your mother's right, Dani-girl! We might get a little too involved in our work or our arguments at times, but that doesn't change the fact that we care about all three of you kids. No Fenton gets left behind, remember?"
Danny just shook his head in amusement while his sisters let out some giggles as all three children hugged their parents back. Once the family hug was done, the Fenton parents turned to Saint Nicholas.
"Thank you, Mr. Nicholas," said Maddie. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I appreciate the offer, Maddie, but I still have much work to do back at my workshop. I might be a ghost now, but that's no excuse to take Christmas off," replied Nicholas with an apologetic smile.
"Before you go, I have a Christmas list made out," said Danielle as she pulled out a list of toys she wanted, causing Danny to facepalm again.
"Ho, ho, ho. Don't worry, Danielle. I know exactly what you want, but remember, you have to stay off the naughty list," replied the man with a wink.
The excitement in the little one's eyes was unmistakable.
With a goodbye of "Merry Christmas", Saint Nicholas took his leave in a swirl of magic and snow, leaving the Fenton family to themselves.
"I still can't believe we met Santa of all people," said Jazz with a shake of her head. She turned to her brother with her hands on her hips. "Only you could pull something like this off."
"What can I say?" replied Danny with a shrug. "I have my ways."
"Regardless of how Danny was able to get Santa here, I say we get started on our own little Christmas party!" exclaimed Jack with his signature grin. "As a way to celebrate the season!"
At the mention of a party, Danny spoke up. "Hey, Mom? Dad? Would it be okay if I invited a few friends over? They kind have missed out on their own party because of me and I wanted to make it up to them."
"…They're ghosts, aren't they?" asked Maddie.
"…Maybe?"
Maddie just rolled her eyes before giving her son a hug. "Of course you can invite them, Danny! The more the merrier!"
"Thanks, Mom!" said Danny before phasing down into the lab to get Ember and the others.
-:-
"I still can't believe your folks just let us stick around," said Ember as she sat on the couch next to Danny, a cup of eggnog in hand.
"Well I did tell them about all of the ghosts I know and which ones were the good ones so they wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later," replied Danny.
"I am more surprised that your mom and Desi are getting along so well," said Kitty, who was sitting on Johnny's lap as they both sat on the recliner.
The teens looked over towards the kitchen to see Maddie and Desiree (who was dressed a little more conservatively for the season) converse and make the food (although Desiree had to learn what was what from Maddie first).
"As long as they're happy, I ain't going to question it," said Danny, taking a sip of his own eggnog.
As the teens continued to talk about this and that, the ghostling decided to butt in.
"Danny! Look up!"
"Huh?" questioned the older Halfa, doing as he was told. He gained a blank look on his face though when he saw what he saw.
"Baby-Pop?" wondered Ember, looking up to see what was the matter. Seeing it though, she couldn't help the bright blush that appeared on her face when she found a smirking Mini-Pop floating about them with a sprig of mistletoe in hand.
"Danielle…where did you get that?" asked Danny, afraid of the answer.
"Kitty gave it to me! She told me to hold it above you and Ember, too!"
Ember cast a glare towards her best friend, who had a Cheshire grin on her face.
"Before you say anything, Santa's the one who gave me the mistletoe, saying that you two deserve a nice gift," replied the biker chick, snuggling close to her grease monkey boyfriend.
'Liar!' thought Ember before glancing towards Baby-Pop, who had a faint blush of his own. "Y-You d-don't have to do th-this if y-you d-don't want to, B-Baby-Pop."
Danny rubbed the back of his head. Unbeknownst to him, the adults and Jazz were watching from the kitchen, wondering what was going to happen.
"You know, I'm not opposed to the idea…although I would have rather done it on my own terms," said Danny, glaring up at the offending plant.
Green eyes widened at Danny's words. Did that mean…? She had to be sure!
"Th-Then if you really DO want to k-kiss me, prove it!" demanded Ember, even though it was obvious that she was nervous.
Danny looked at her with a raised eyebrow, before he gave off a smirk. Ember let out a squeak when the boy she loved grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss, much to everyone's surprise. When the kiss ended, he rested his forehead on hers and looked at her shocked and blushing face.
"I'll give you another kiss after out first date tomorrow."
That snapped Ember out of her stupor and she pouted at him. "I'm not waiting that long for another kiss, Baby-Pop!"
With a laugh, Danny wrapped an arm around Ember's waist and held her close. Kitty and Jazz were giddy at seeing Danny and Ember become a couple, while Danielle bounced in the air and Johnny gave Danny the thumbs up. Jack was proud of his son and went to get the celebratory fudge, while Maddie and Desiree beamed in happiness at the young love.
Danny continued to hold his new girlfriend close as Ember snuggled up to him.
"Merry Christmas, Ember."
"Merry Christmas, Baby-Pop."
FIN
-:-
This was supposed to go up a LOT sooner, but I had to take my cat to the emergency vet earlier this month. He's fine and healthy now, but he takes precedence.
Aside from that, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.