A/N: For Tempest-loupnoir who asked for "Ring Those Bells" by Evie Tornquist. It's not quite the scene she had in mind, but I hope she still likes it!

When Gosalyn had approached him, hands tangled in one another and eyes wide, saying, "I overbooked," Negaduck would never have imagined that it would lead to this.

The Duckburg mayor beamed at him. "Right this way."

Negaduck glanced back to Gosalyn, thrown off as he always was when he saw her in her newly designed Quiverwing Quack costume. Cape-less. Just a jumpsuit and combat boots. She'd explained that it was a complicated combination of kevlar, leather, and spandex, but it was still just a jumpsuit and boots.

No cape.

No hat.

Though, to be fair, she'd debated the hat from the beginning, so deciding she didn't want it wasn't a shock.

As he caught sight of her now, Gosalyn smiled at him reassuringly and nodded. Which was enough to spur Negaduck onward, following Duckburg's mayor up to the bell tower of City Hall.

The mayor prattled on about the history of Duckburg, the Hall, its recent renovations, yada, yada, yada. Negaduck would much rather kick at the man's feet and shove him back down the staircase, but Gosalyn's face, drawn and serious from their conversation a few days ago made him put one foot in front of the other instead.

"I overbooked," she said, large eyes studying him carefully.

Negaduck blinked. "O-okay."

"It's a habit!" she carried on, her hands flying wildly in front of her as she elaborated. "You and I had had six Christmases, and then you were gone and I didn't know if we'd ever have anymore holidays together. But I'd gotten used to spending some of Christmas with you and some of it with Dad. That first Christmas was… quiet. It just didn't feel the same, so I started signing up for stuff. Kept myself busy. Tried to distract myself from the fact that you… that you weren't here." She took a deep breath before she continued.

"I did that every year. If I wasn't doing something with Dad or Launchpad, I was volunteering or in the Negaverse or going on trips or anything to distract me from you not being here. And I guess people got used to me saying yes to things because even before this Christmas season started, I had a full schedule, and then I kept saying yes to things even though you're back and I… I—"

"You overbooked," Negaduck said, nodding as he finally understood.

"I'm sorry," she said, face crumpling, eyes falling to the ground. "I don't know when I'll sleep let alone find time to celebrate with you. I can barely see Dad as it is—"

"Gos," Negaduck said, taking a step closer. "It's okay."

"It's not," she insisted, shaking her head vigorously. "Christmas is for family and I don't know how to make time to see mine."

Feeling strangely light, Negaduck reached forward, slid a finger under her chin, and tilted her head up so she would meet his eyes. "You'll go. You'll do all the things you promised to do and enjoy your holiday. And if you find time to see me, that's fine. And if you don't, it's still fine."

"But I want you to be apart of—" She trailed off, her eyes focusing on something over his shoulder.

Negaduck nearly sprang into action, assuming they were under attack. But a moment before he reached for his bazooka, which he kept on his person at all times anymore, Gosalyn grinned and focused back on him.

"I'll be back," she said by way of explanation before scurrying out the door.

Negaduck remained in the dark until the next day when Gosalyn reappeared wearing her Quiverwing costume and held out one of Darkwing's suits, telling him to get dressed.

Mounting the last few stairs, Negaduck — dressed as his annoying double — was ushered into Duckburg's bell tower by the mayor himself.

"Well, here we are!" the mayor said, gesturing to the massive golden plated bells. If Negaduck wasn't here to ring in the official start of the Christmas season, he would be plotting how to steal these.

Hell, he was thinking about it now.

"Impressive, aren't they?" the mayor preened.

"Bigger than I thought," Negaduck muttered, circling the bells and studying them carefully. While they would be of no practical use to him, maybe he should steal one to see the chaos that would ensue after.

And for the challenge of it.

These bells would not be stolen easily.

"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that!" the mayor said, chuckling. He took out an honest-to-badness pocket watch to check the time.

And.

Wait.

Who used a pocket watch anymore? The timepiece was probably really expensive or an heirloom or something….

"Well, it's almost time," the mayor said, tucking his damn pocket watch away and grinning at Negaduck. "You two will need to pull on the rope together." He pointed to the largest of the bells, a red velvet rope hanging down from the center.

Gosalyn crossed the room, grabbed Negaduck's hand and dragged him after her. "Just tell us when," she said with a smile.

They took hold the rope and waited, Gosalyn leaning close to Negaduck to whisper, "Get that look off your face. This isn't a job."

"I don't think that was ever specified in my contract," Negaduck said, glaring at the mayor as he pulled out that dumb watch again.

"Not. A. Job," Gosalyn reiterated.

"I am suddenly unfilled with the Christmas spirit," Negaduck groused.

Gosalyn snorted which caused a pleased smirk to curl Negaduck's beak up. They were both smiling when the mayor grinned his toothy grin and told them to ring the bells.

And, yeah, ringing bells while dressed as Darkwing to usher in the Christmas season in Duckburg wasn't anywhere on Negaduck's bucket list.

But he got to spend a few hours with Gosalyn.

And he managed to swipe a half-way decent pocket watch out of it.