For Bookworm Gal, who suggested the song. A Merry Christmas Eve to all!

For the first eight years of Charles Dickens's life, it snowed on Christmas Day. So in his stories, when it was Christmas, it was snowing. Which helped to perpetuate the idea that it always snows on Christmas Day. In reality, white Christmases were rare and didn't happen more often than they did.

But still the idea persisted.

A white Christmas.

The idyllic Christmas.

Launchpad didn't know how many actual white Christmases he'd experienced down to the exact number, but he'd had several. Idyllic Christmases, however, he'd had plenty more of. There had been a few that hadn't quite reached the level of Christmas magic he had come to expect, but for the most part, he enjoyed his holiday memories and looked back on them with warm fondness.

This Christmas, though.

He tried to keep an open mind about everything, especially circumstances that had not come to pass, but he was pretty anxious about how tomorrow would go.

"What if he decides to not show up?" Launchpad asked, picking up another Christmas tree shaped cookie and slathering frosting across its surface.

"All the better for me," DW said darkly, scowling at the snowman cookie he was placing chocolate candies on.

Gos studied the candy cane cookie before her. "If he doesn't come, he doesn't come," she said, her tone light.

DW glanced up at Launchpad before looking over to Gos. "If it doesn't matter whether he shows up or not, why bother inviting him at all?"

Satisfied with her cookie, Gos placed it back on the cooling rack and picked up a stocking shaped one next. "Because it's Christmas and no one should be alone on Christmas."

"Even hardened criminals?" DW countered.

"I didn't say that." Gos reached for the yellow frosting, not looking up at her father. "But for Negaduck, I'm willing to make an exception."

DW studied his daughter. "So I'm supposed to just welcome my arch-iest of arch nemeses into my home on Christmas Day without even putting up a fight?"

"All you two ever do is fight," Gos pointed out, outlining the cookie in frosting carefully. "I'm asking for one day of not fighting."

"Christmas Day?" DW lamented.

"Would you rather Arbor Day? Christmas is perfect. You're supposed to help others and do selfless acts of kindness. What better way to extend the meaning of Christmas than offering up your home for a few hours to someone you're not fond of?"

"You make it sound so easy," DW said, his voice hard. "He's not just someone I don't see eye to eye with, he's my biggest enemy."

"To me, it is easy," Gos said, that stubborn spark shining in her eyes as she focused on DW. "Negaduck is someone I care about. I know he's going to be alone on Christmas. So I invited him over."

"Without asking me," DW grumbled.

"Okay, you're right that I should have asked you first and I'm sorry I didn't. But Dad, Negaduck is alone. You shouldn't be alone on any holiday, but especially not Christmas. I'm not saying you have to like this. I'm not saying you have talk to him. I'm asking you to let him sit down for a few hours and to try and not start a fight."

DW looked at Gos for a moment before getting up from the table. "Put the cookies in the Tupperware when you're done."

After DW left the kitchen, Gos set down her decorating tools on the table and leaned forward, covering her face with her hands.

Launchpad finished decorating his tree in the silence and put it on the cooling rack. There was one cookie left undecorated, a Santa Claus, so he picked it up.

Exhaling heavily, Gos asked, "Have I gone too far?"

Launchpad grabbed the red frosting. "It is a big request."

"Just tell me what you really think and not what I want to hear." Gos met his eyes. "Please, Launchpad."

He fiddled with the cap of the frosting tube as he spoke. "I don't know if you have gone too far, Gos. DW's upset. And I don't know Negaduck like you do, but I can imagine he's not happy about this, either. They won't ever be anything other than enemies." Launchpad reached across the table and took Gos's hand in his. "But I think this is the right thing to do. They will probably fight and you can't stop that, but maybe they'll sit in the same room and not kill each other. Because they both care about you. Maybe that'll be enough."

Gos sighed. "This is either going to be a disaster or halfway decent."

"Well," Launchpad said with as smile as he spread frosting across his cookie, "I'm hoping for a white Christmas."

He wasn't sure if Gos associated white Christmases with idyllic Christmases like he did, but his comment made her smile in any case.

Later that night, Gos and DW talked more, resulting in DW begrudgingly accepting Negaduck coming over and promising to do what he could to be civil. Gos promised to consult DW on future visits and the two of them settled on the couch with Launchpad to watch TV.

The weather forecast showed the cold temperatures and a tentative promise of snow tomorrow.