This last one is for Amelia. She loves this song so much, as well as Lindsey Stirling, so when this version was released, I knew it had to be the finale.

Gosalyn pulled on a pair of gloves as she stepped fully into the Negaverse. It was always colder here. She pushed her beanie farther down on her head and started for downtown.

Negaduck had called her, saying he wanted to meet up with no other cursory details, which put her on edge. When he didn't get specific, he was either in a position where he couldn't reveal sensitive details, or he was afraid of how she'd react. Which likely meant he'd done something stupid, like when he'd gone up against Nega-S.H.U.S.H. all on his own and had nearly died. If this was another confession of him going rogue, she would not be responsible for her actions.

She had a few small weapons tucked into pockets and strapped to her ankles, so she wouldn't be totally useless in a fight. But if they were going up against some big bad, she hoped there'd be time to stop by Avian Way; she'd need her bow and arrows for that.

Gosalyn navigated the street expertly even with all the snow piled in large mounds in front of the ramshackle shops, all the while keeping her eyes and ears open for Negaduck.

Ultimately, Negaduck's secrecy stemmed from his distrust. She wanted to blame Oblivion for that — for planting this deep rooted fear — but she wasn't sure, anymore, if the alternate dimension was entirely to blame. It had exacerbated Negaduck's fears, sure, but even without the three year stint in another universe where he'd only had his father for company, Negaduck had been very secretive. Distrusting. He protected his privacy with everything he had.

So, really, it made sense that he would be remiss bringing her into cases and calling her in for missions. He was so used to being solitary and looking out for himself; transitioning into a team had been a challenge for him. It sometimes still was.

Did it suck that after a decade of knowing one another he still had trust issues? Of course it did. Gosalyn hated that there was something lingering in the shadows of their relationship which clung to Negaduck in a vice-like grip. Something that held him back and kept him resolutely in his past.

He rarely talked about his childhood. His high school days. Anything that happened in his life before Gosalyn had bulldozed her way into it. She sensed a lot of his past was heavy with pain and loneliness. It was no wonder he was the way he was now.

It still hurt, to think of him wandering off on his own to take on the world when she was here — right here beside him — raring to go and so willing to keep him safe.

So, yeah.

If today was another one of those days.

They'd deal with it.

They'd work through it.

But another part of her heart would break; a part she wasn't sure would ever come back again.

Gosalyn's steps slowed as she neared the middle of the city, eyes raking upwards to study the Christmas decorations she found there.

Light-up snowflakes hung suspended in midair at varying heights in between the decimated buildings. They flashed on and off periodically, but systematically. In patterns. Probably something that had been hastily programmed. Bulbous ornaments hung in between the snowflakes, each one a different reflective color that mirrored the flashing light.

It was beautiful. Something that brought a smile to Gosalyn's face. The juxtaposition between the crumpled buildings around the intact decorations was jarring, haunting, and stunning in its own way.

She hoped Negaduck hadn't seen it yet.

He'd gotten better about Christmas, allowing small decorations here and there around his city. He even scheduled an annual bonfire where everyone dragged their dried up Christmas trees to the middle of town and Negaduck set them on fire in a blaze of glory.

But this. Was too far.

What if this was why Negaduck had called her? To take down these decorations?

She had been much more lenient of Christmas celebrations while she had been in charge of the Negaverse during his absence. He probably wanted her to see how daring the citizens had gotten before making her take them all down.

She slowed her pace, even going so far as to turn around and walk backwards to really absorb how charming the decorations were before she would see them taken down.

Gosalyn faced forward again and continued towards the town square.

And her excitement and trepidation mounted.

A massive Christmas tree — easily sixty feet high, if not larger — stretched up towards the starry sky, covered in golden lights, lanterns, and multicolored ornaments. It's star on top shining out into the night.

That had to have been a beacon to Negaduck if nothing else had been. Because maybe — maybe — the street decorations behind her had been shielded from him, suspended in between buildings as they were. But the tree couldn't hide if it had wanted to.

The closer she got, the more she saw of this elaborate set up. Poinsettias and large presents gathered around the base of the tree.

Honestly, the citizens knew about Negaduck's policy. Yeah, he'd relaxed some of his standards a little bit, but to think he'd allow something as showy as this was very bold of them.

Their daring continued.

Down the other three streets that led to this epicenter of Christmas cheer.

One street boasted intricate lit structures that looked like elongated spirals branching out in between the buildings. Like swirls of magic frozen and alight against the night.

The street opposite had green lights along one side, red lining the other. It was somewhat shocking to see the two colors separated so completely, but they ultimately complimented one another.

The last street followed the theming of the Christmas tree more, golden string lights latticed in between the buildings and stretching the length of the street. Huge wreaths were hung in barren doorways and on lampposts, long yards of garland stretched across the cracked and decaying buildings.

And down that street, with all the garland and wreaths and latticed lights, stood Negaduck. Arms crossed and looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

This was it.

The moment he would ask her to take all of these gorgeous decorations down.

He would use it as a lesson. About how far people went when leadership was relaxed. Tell her that she needed to be more forceful, set parameters instead of just letting people do what they wanted.

But it was Christmas.

And she really wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

Although, she was never in the mood for a lecture.

She made her way over to him.

The city really was gorgeous alight with full Christmas decorations. The damaged beyond repair town paired with the bright colors and shining lights kind of worked. It wasn't cohesive, but the differences made it beautiful.

"Please don't make me take these down," Gosalyn blurted when she was close enough for Negaduck to hear her.

His brows furrowed as he frowned. "Why would I have you take these down when I worked for weeks to put them up?"

Gosalyn stopped mid-step in the street, her beak dropping open as she stared at him. "You." She blinked and swallowed. "You put these up?"

He shrugged. "Merry Christmas."

She whirled around, looking at all of the decorations again, this time without reticence or sorrow at the idea of them going away. Glancing back at him, she couldn't hold back her grin. "Really?"

"I mean," Negaduck uncrossed his arms, "you rebuilt my house as my gift last year. And furnished it. I had to do something of equal or greater value." He came to stand beside her, smirking. "Right?"

If they weren't in public, with the possibility of being seen, Gosalyn would have hugged him until he couldn't breathe anymore.

Instead she nodded, blinking away the tears that ghosted on the edges of her vision. "Right."

Negaduck must have realized she wanted to be in physical contact, because he offered his arm. She eagerly wrapped hers around it and stood with him, side by side, as she looked up at the decorations again.

"It's beautiful," she said. For someone who hadn't participated in Christmas for several decades, he had done an amazing job.

"It's more or less what I remember it looking like."

Gosalyn glanced at him.

He was gazing up at the decorations, the bright colors of his costume softened in the lights. "It's how the city always looked when I was a kid. Honestly, I'm surprised all these decorations lasted. They aren't the originals, I burned those. These were the backups, I guess. I found 'em a few years ago in an old warehouse downtown all boxed up. The big tree was stored in pieces. Took a crane to get that beast down here and put together." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'd never driven a crane that big before. It's parked outside my house now."

Gosalyn looked at the tree, at all of it.

"You did this for me?" Gosalyn asked, still trying to process everything.

He hadn't just decorated.

He'd decorated the city how he remembered it from his childhood. Relived old childhood memories — more like traumas — just to decorate a few streets downtown.

"Well, it's not for me," he said. "I even had to ask Darkwing to keep you away from the Negaverse so I could get it all done."

"You did not."

"I had to give him his gift anyway, so it was like one stop shopping." He turned to face Gosalyn, annoyance painted on his face. "Do I have to get him something every year?"

Gosalyn grinned. "Only if you want to."

"Or if he gives me a gift first. Damn him." Negaduck turned back towards the tree, and Gosalyn chuckled as she, too, continued to admire Negaduck's handiwork.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Negaduck cleared his throat. "You… you should tell Darkwing. About us."

"What about us?" she asked.

"Whatever you want. This. Our cases together. How I taught you to use a gun."

Unbidden, images of Negaduck pinning her to the concrete of a parking garage, fingers wrapped around her throat floated into her mind's eye. "I won't fall for it again," he'd snarled at her. Then he'd disappeared for weeks. Months. Because she had told her father about them. About their partnership.

So, she'd been very careful to keep the two separate from then on out. Leave Negaduck in the Negaverse, and keep Darkwing in her universe. They didn't overlap. Ever. Which had been easy because Negaduck was so territorial.

"I can still keep you two separate," she said. "I don't mind."

He locked gazes with her. "He and I have you in common, kid. We're stuck with each other now." He sighed and looked away. "Whether we like it or not."

She cocked her head to the side. "You sure?"

"I appreciate you keeping my secrets and protecting my privacy, but." Negaduck swallowed. "He should know." He nodded, once, as if it was his final decision.

"I won't fall for it again."

He had.

In a way.

Not "fallen for" anything, but had decided to try again.

To open himself up to her.

He had trusted her.

And always had, she now realized.

He still had to work on trusting her in certain situations — like protecting herself or including her in dangerous missions — but his trust was something he'd given her years ago.

Gosalyn shouldered him lightly. "Dad's not going to believe you decorated the Negaverse for me, that's for sure."

"Take pictures as proof." Negaduck glanced at her with a mischievous grin on his beak. "Then take pictures of his reaction so I'll feel vindicated. Master gift giver my ass."

She scoffed and shook her head before blinking and looking up towards the sky.

It hadn't been her imagination. Snow really was falling. Like she was in some after school Christmas special.

She grinned and detangled herself from Negaduck. Running out to the middle of the street, where she was under the latticed lights, she threw her arms out and spun around with her face turned up to the heavens.

When she came to a stand still and looked at Negaduck, he was once more offering up his elbow. "Can I interest you in the ten cent tour of Town Square?"

Taking it, Gosalyn grinned. "Definitely."

Negaduck led her around the city streets, describing how different everything looked now and reminiscing about how it used to be when he was a boy as the decorations glittered and the snow fell in gentle swirls around them.

Thank you all for reading these, commenting, and for sticking with this until the end. I hope that you enjoyed your time!

Also, Goku-San did an amazing fan art for this piece. Go to my Tumblr to check it out!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all have a great day and an amazing new year!

~Rebel