The sound of Christmas music filled the air in the Molina house as Julie tried to help her dad set up the tree so her and Carlos could start decorating. This year would be filled with the usual Molina family traditions: setting up the tree, making cookies, wrapping gifts, watching movies together, listening to Christmas songs, and this year would be the first year she would get to celebrate with her band. She knew it would be a fun time...except this year it would all be without her mom. Her chest ached at the thought. Normally she was so excited for Christmas, and she still was, but she knew it would be different this year. It was all a part of "moving on", according to Tia Victoria. Luckily Flynn offered to come over and help them get the house ready for the holidays and Julie was grateful. Although Julie tried to be just as excited for the holidays this year as she had always been, there was a nagging feeling in her chest that she just couldn't shake. She hoped that having Flynn around would make things feel much more normal.

"Uh Jules? Earth to Julie?" Flynn waved a hand in front of her best friend's face.

"What? What happened?" Julie snapped out of her thoughts.

"Your dad asked if we wanted to help Carlos make cookies," Flynn explained. "Are you okay, girl?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Julie nodded at her best friend. "I was just thinking."

"Does it happen to be about a certain ghost with green eyes?" Flynn whispered so Julie's dad wouldn't hear.

Julie could feel the heat rise to her face, but she immediately rolled her eyes. "No, I was just thinking."

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem really distracted."

Julie could see the skeptical look in Flynn's eyes, but decided to ignore it. "Didn't you say something about cookies needing to be made?" She stood up and made her way to the kitchen to find her brother and her dad frantically searching the cabinets. "Guys...? What's going on?"

"We can't find the cookie cutters Mom always used," Carlos informed her with a panicked tone to his voice.

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere," Her dad said, re-opening a cabinet he had just looked through. "We would've never gotten rid of them."

The thought made Julie's heart sink as Flynn came up beside her to watch her dad and brother frantically turn the kitchen upside down. She walked over to a seemingly untouched drawer next to the oven and pulled it open. "Do you mean these cookie cutters?" she asked, holding up the familiar Christmas shapes. "Mom always puts her baking supplies in this drawer."

The relief that washed over Carlos and her dad's faces was almost palpable. "Of course, mija. Thank you," her dad said, walking over and pulling her into a one armed hug.

Julie smiled up at him. "Anytime, Dad."

The four of them got to work preparing and baking cookies and before she knew it, all the cookies were in the oven and her dad was telling them about Christmases he and her mom spent together when they first got married. "More than anything she loved singing Christmas carols. She would always play them on the piano out in the studio and sing so the whole neighborhood could hear."

"She used to sing to us too, right Dad?" Carlos asked, looking up at his father.

"That's right, mijo. She did sing to you both when you were babies, especially around Christmas time." Julie could see the wistful look in her father's eyes, and the pain his voice was evident, even if Carlos and Flynn couldn't tell. "She loved to sing on the piano in her studio."

"Just like Julie!" Carlos said cheerfully.

"Yes," Her dad said, smiling directly at her, although Julie could tell it was a sad smile. "Just like Julie."

She grinned back at her dad, knowing that they both missed Julie's mom an unexplainable amount.

"We should go out there right now!" Carlos said excitedly. "Julie can play us a song just like Mom used to."

"Oh uh, I don't know if we should do that right now," Julie said quickly. Not only did she think it wasn't a good idea to barge into the studio unannounced to three obnoxious teenage ghosts hanging around, but the thought of playing like her Mom used to made Julie's heart race. Why was she suddenly so anxious at the thought of playing piano? She'd done it so often since the boys came into her life. But now the thought made Julie practically sick to her stomach. "We shouldn't leave the cookies in the oven for too long," she added.

"They'd be fine for a quick song or two," Her dad assured her, his smiled brightening. "Your band has been practicing Christmas songs anyway, right? This could be like a rehearsal." It was true, she and the boys had been trying to decide what Christmas song to cover for an upcoming gig. It was Flynn's idea to take advantage of the holiday and try to cover a song. Reggie had mentioned her and Luke writing a song together, but she hadn't felt too much in the Christmas mood, and neither did Luke, now that she thought about it.

"Yeah! Come on Julie!" Without waiting for her to respond, Carlos grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the kitchen and out toward the studio, much to Julie's protest. Flynn and her dad followed closely behind them.

"Carlos, uh, I don't think this is such a good idea. I've been doing so much talking that I don't think it'll sound-"

"You'll sound amazing," he told her over her shoulder.

As they got closer and closer to the studio doors, Julie's heart pounded in her chest. Not that anyone could see the boys but her, but what if they were doing something weird? And why couldn't she shake the feeling of wanting to be anywhere but the studio right now?

Carlos released his grip on her wrist and threw open the studio doors, which revealed a strangely empty studio to Julie's half relief. Even with the boys temporarily taken care of, her chest tightened and her stomach turned when she caught sight of the piano. "Come on, Julie. Play a song!"

She smiled nervously at her little brother and her dad, but noticed that Flynn was watching her curiously. She carefully lifted the cover to the keys as she attempted to take a deep breath.

"You know, every time I see you and Carlos, I see Mom. It's like she's right here with us."

"Julie can play us a song just like Mom used to."

"She loved to sing on the piano in her studio." "Just like Julie!"

"Yes...just like Julie."

"I've tried for Mom. For a whole year, I've been trying. But I can't do this anymore. I can't. I'm done."

It all played over and over in her head: missing her mom, being just like her mom, remembering her mom, moving on from her mom...it was all too much. Julie squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to get her thoughts to slow down, but when her breaths would only come out in short gasps she knew it wasn't working. She couldn't have a panic attack. Not here, not in front of her dad and her brother. Not in the studio. Not now. She turned and immediately ran out of the studio, not daring to meet any one of her family's worried gazes. She didn't want their pity.

Julie ran out of the studio, back toward the house and up to her room. She threw the door shut behind her, pushing a chair up against it, in order to keep her family out. She sat on the far side of her bed that faced the window overlooking the garage, watching as her dad, Carlos and Flynn hurried from the garage back into the house.

First her dad came knocking on her door, asking if she was okay, if she needed to talk, needed anything at all, but she didn't answer. Then Flynn came upstairs, sounding a little more worried, but eventually when she still didn't answer, Flynn left her alone too.

How could she let this happen? She hadn't had a panic attack in so long. Talking about her mom still wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but it hadn't caused a panic attack in months. And what was she supposed to tell the boys? If she couldn't play piano in front of her family and Flynn, how was she supposed to play in front of people she didn't know? As she was trying to breathe through her panic attack, Julie heard an all too familiar whoosh from behind her.

"Julie?"

She turned to see Luke with worry written all over his face. "No, no, Luke," Julie said, covering her face with her hands. "You need to leave. You shouldn't...be here," she gasped. "Boundaries."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said gently, taking a careful step toward her. "Julie, you're not breathing...and you're shaking. What's wrong?"

"I...I'm fine, I have to h-handle this on my own." Julie noticed her voice shaking but she tried her hardest to steady herself. It was getting harder to do anything with her heart pounding in her ears. Why couldn't she catch her breath? She could feel her knees beginning to buckle beneath her, but as if Luke could sense what was happening, he jumped forward to steady her, carefully lowering them both onto her bed.

"You need to breathe," he told her, keep a gently but firm hold on her arms. "Everything is okay."

She frantically shook her head. "No, no it's not...I-I can't sing...but I'll let everyone down."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Just breathe with me Jules, come on. In and out." Luke demonstrated a deep breath. "Just like before a show, remember?"

She nodded, copying his motions, gradually feeling her heart rate return to normal.

"How ya feeling, boss?" He released her arms as his gaze searched her own, and she knew there was no point in lying to him. Luke was the one person besides Flynn who could read her like a book.

"I'm...okay," she said. "I-I don't know what happened, I haven't had a panic attack like that since my mom..." Julie could feel her throat tightening at the thought. She hadn't had a panic attack like that since right after her mom died, and hadn't had a panic attack at all in a while, especially since Luke, Reggie and Alex came into her life. "My brother and my dad wanted me to play piano like my mom used to for Christmas, but I couldn't." She felt the tears threatening to fall from her eyes, forcing herself to look down at her hands, and refusing to meet Luke's eyes. "I know it sounds silly, because I play piano all the time with the band. I know we have our gig coming up and I don't want to let anyone down...I guess I just miss her a lot right now." She could feel a few tears slipping down her face, but was thankful for the curtain her curls provided.

"The band is the least of our worries. You won't be letting anyone down. You're allowed to miss her in your own way. It is always okay to miss her."

"My dad always compares me to her, but what if I can't live up to her memory?" she said, finally looking up at him. "Christmas always used to be such a happy time. And I...I still want it to be, but I can't help but wish she was here."

At the sight of her tears, he immediately wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his chest in a hug. His other hand moved to stroke her hair comfortingly. "I get it," Luke said softly. "But Jules, you never have to pretend like you're okay around me, okay?"

Julie nodded into his chest, grateful for Luke's understanding. She couldn't help but feel extremely comforted by his embrace. They were friends and he was a ghost but now they could touch. It wasn't as though they hadn't tried before, but now that they could, she was constantly afraid to, as if she was afraid she'd still pass through him, so the hug was almost a welcomed surprise.

"I know how hard the holidays can be," he continued. "And it's okay if they are, but just know that the boys and I are always here for you. I'm always here for you."

She knew that this was a hard time of the year for him too, so she knew he understood exactly how she felt. She wanted to ask him about their practice earlier, but she figured if he wanted to talk to her about it, he would. They stayed like that for a while, Julie's tears gradually slowing to a stop while Luke hugged her. Luke and the boys had become a calming presence to her the more time they spent together, but the closest they'd been since they discovered the boys were solid to Julie's touch was when she and Luke sat on the piano bench together. This was an entirely new level of close but it was...comfortable (although she would never admit it to Flynn). She reluctantly pulled away from Luke and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Luke."

"Of course, Jules," he said, a lopsided smile spreading across his face, making her heart flutter in the best kind of way. "But you should also know...you don't have to play Christmas songs on the piano if you're not ready. Don't worry about our gig. We'll figure something out." He placed a comforting hand over her own. "You don't need to live up to your mom by playing piano like she used to. If you're ready to play...she'll be so proud of you no matter what."

A small smile found its way across her face for the first time in a while. "Yeah...thanks for talking with me, Luke."

"Anytime. But you should probably get back downstairs though. I think Flynn and your dad are worried about you."

"Right." She nodded, standing up from the bed and walked over to the door. She moved the chair she'd previously placed in front of the door and placed her hand on the doorknob to open it, but stopped. "Luke?" She turned back around to face him.

"Yeah?" He stood up from her bed, looking at her intently. He was always so quick to listen to her, and she couldn't help but blush at the thought.

She hesitated momentarily, but then suddenly ran back and threw her arms around his neck, standing up on her toes to reach. "Thank you for never listening to me about boundaries," she said quietly.

Luke seemed caught off guard, but wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. He chuckled softly at her comment. "Anything for you, Julie."

Later that night, when Luke came to wake her up, it hurt Julie's heart to see how upset Luke was about his parents. She understood why he felt the way he did, but she truly believed he shouldn't feel guilty. Even though it was her idea to give them Unsaid Emily, it said everything he'd been wanting to say. She only wished there was something she could do so that he could have a good Christmas. Christmas was still a little while away, but she felt like he deserved to have a good one.

Once Reggie poofed out, she raised an eyebrow at Luke who seemed to be just as clueless as she was, and offered to go figure it out together.

Julie giggled quietly. "Let me grab a jacket." She jumped out of bed and slipped on a sweatshirt, tip toed passed her dad's bedroom door and together they snuck out of the house and made their way toward the studio. Julie cracked open one of the doors to slip inside, only to be met with a dark studio, besides the flash of Luke poofing in beside her. "Reggie? Alex? What's going on?"

The lights flipped on to reveal a fully decorated studio: with Christmas lights wrapped around the loft and rafters, garland around the windows, and they'd even somehow found a Christmas tree to put up. It seemed like the studio glowed in a way Julie hadn't seen in a long time, and it wasn't just the twinkling lights.

"Ta-da!" Reggie and Alex shouted together excitedly.

"How did you guys do all of this?" Julie asked, still looking around the studio in awe.

"They might've had a little help," Flynn said as she stepped out of the previously closed bathroom.

"Flynn!" Julie tackled her best friend in a hug. She pulled back quickly, looking at Flynn in surprise. "You helped them do this? How did you manage to be out so late? How did you get this all here without my dad noticing?"

"Jules, you seriously underestimate me. Your dad helped me get all of this here. Reggie and Alex helped with the actual decorating part. I can do a lot but Mama should not be on a ladder."

"How did you guys work this out?" Julie asked, raising an eyebrow at Flynn and glancing at Reggie and Alex.

"We've learned to not ask questions when Flynn gives directions," Alex said, making Julie smile wider.

"Your phantoms are very good at listening to directions," Flynn told her, taking her hands. "I also had a weird feeling that we all agreed... you deserve the best Christmas ever." She gave Julie's hands a comforting squeeze.

"You do too, Luke!" Reggie added quickly.

"Thanks buddy," Luke laughed.

Julie smiled, both at her boys and Flynn. "Thank you Flynn, for everything." The girls hugged again, a bit tighter this time.

"Now let's hurry up and decorate this tree before my seven sodas wear off," Flynn said, pulling away from the hug and leading Julie over to the alcove behind the piano, where she and the boys set up the Christmas tree. Although the boys and Flynn couldn't directly interact, to Julie it didn't seem like there was much of a barrier between them. The boys joked with each other, and were able to hold ornaments long enough to put them on the tree, even though it still freaked Flynn out to see a floating Christmas ornament hang itself on the tree. Julie would repeat the jokes to Flynn, and laughed at the boys teasing each other.

Eventually Flynn said that she needed to get home, that her parents only agreed to pick her up so late. After yet another quick hug and a blind wave to the boys, she left, leaving Julie alone with the boys.

She walked over to the piano which was decorated with twinkling white lights and Christmas garland. She gently ran her fingers over the keys, fully aware that the boys were watching her carefully. Luke appeared at her side, careful to give her space, but also close enough that she could hear when he spoke quietly, "What's going on in your head, Jules?"

"I miss her... but I know she wouldn't want me to stop playing again because of her. Especially not right now." She looked up at Luke and glanced over at Reggie and Alex, who stood in front of the piano. "But thank you guys for understanding. I'm sorry if I ruined our gig."

"You didn't ruin anything, Julie. Of course we understand," Alex said. "We just wanted you and Luke to have a good Christmas memory."

"Unfortunately the whole ghost thing doesn't make a whole lot possible, but Flynn helped a lot," Reggie added.

"Thanks boys," Luke said, smiling at his best friends. It may have not been for her, but Julie couldn't help but smile at the sight of his.

"Yeah guys, it was perfect."

They all stood looking at each other in a comfortable silence until Alex cleared his throat.

Julie laughed, already knowing what he was going to say, but Luke beat her to it, a grin spreading across his face. "Alright boys, our girl needs a hug. Bring it in!"

Reggie and Alex hurried around the piano so that they could wrap Julie in a group hug. When they pulled back, she felt tears in her eyes as she looked at each of them.

"Julie, what's wrong? Are you sad again?" Reggie asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

Alex hit the bassist's arm in annoyance. "Reg, you can't- Julie, I am so sorry about him."

Reggie rubbed his arm, mumbling an apology.

Julie grinned slightly at the boys' interaction. "It's okay, but no I'm not sad. They're happy tears, I swear. I'm just really, really thankful to have you guys around."

"We're thankful to be here, Julie," Luke said softly.

The smiles that Alex and Reggie gave her seemed to confirm their agreement with Luke's statement, making her heart feel fuller than it had in a long time. This year would be a good Christmas, now she was sure.

A/N- I wasn't planning on posting the second (and last) chapter so soon, but I've been editing these chapters so much that I know I'll never think it's "ready" so I just need to post it. I hope you guys enjoy it! Also, I don't think this is the last of my JATP x Christmas stories, but this will finish this specific story... for now. Thank you all for your positive feedback! :)