I was watching Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas yesterday and as I was watching my favourite segment – the Goofy and Max one, of course! – an idea got stuck in my head. It was about the age-old question "Where did Goofy's wife go?" But my brain wouldn't let me write it down until 1am, so I wrote this while half asleep!

Her Hand

The previous night had been interesting. There'd been loud, thumping music and a whole lot of drinking involved, as well as a Latina stripper named Nieve. But none of that mattered anymore because this was the big day. Max's big day. Goofy heaved a deep morose sigh as he tried to neaten his bowtie. As much as he hated to admit it, Max had seemed to have grown up in a blink of an eye and was now ready to take the plunge and marry his fiancée, Harriet.

Harry was a very nice girl, except for her spiky, bright purple hair and multiple facial piercings. She was friendly and kind to elderly people and children, but she also had a wild side, making her spontaneous and a little crazy. This, Goofy had guessed, was the reason why his son got all goofy eyed after their first date.

" Hey, Dad," came the familiar tone of Max's voice. " How's it going with that tie?" he jokingly sneered, folding his arms.

" Oh, uh…" Goofy stuttered as he struggled to get both his index fingers out of the tangled mess.

Smiling to himself, Max stepped forward and said, " Here, let me help you." He began to loosen his father's bowtie and retie it. " You just tie it around like this. See?"

The two dog men stood in front of the bathroom mirror side by side and smiled. They looked completely different in their tuxedos. Goofy let out another sigh.

" What?" asked Max.

" My little baby boy's getting married and he's gonna have a big house. Then I'm gonna get myself some grandkids!" he cried, wiping away a tear.

" Dad!" Max whined and laughed. " We're just gonna live in an apartment for now and we don't want kids just yet," he explained.

" Well, it's gonna happen at some point." Goofy shrugged.

He grinned and planted a sloppy, wet kiss on his son's forehead. Looking at their reflections again, Max suddenly looked sad.

" I wish Mom were here," he muttered.

His heart aching at the thought of his beloved wife, Goofy braved a smile. " She is, son. I mean, not in the conventional sense, she's with you all the time. In your heart."

Max rolled his eyes. " I know all about that stuff. I just meant…" he trailed off, sighing as he hung his head and sobbed.

Goofy wrapped his long gangly arms around him, locking his head in his shoulder. Starting to cry himself now, a hundred memories – the good and the bad – came flooding back. " We all miss her and we all want her back," he promised, the tears stinging his eyes.

" I wish I could remember her," replied Max, the regret thick in his voice.

" Really?" Goofy sniffed. " She died when you were four. Surely you must remember her a little!"

" All I can remember is her hands. They were so much bigger than mine," he answered, smiling sadly.

Goofy grinned along with him, feeling nostalgic and sad at the same time. " Oh, you loved her all right! She…used to tuck you in bed, kiss you goodnight, but every morning we used to find you sleeping at the foot of our bed 'cause you were afraid she'd go away."

" And she did."

" Hey, Max! The limo's waiting!" Bobby called from the bottom of the stairs, helping himself to Goofy's supply of cheese puffs.

Hearing the horn blasting outside, Max wiped his damp face with his sleeve. " That's our ride. You comin', Dad?" he asked confidently.

Goofy shook his head. " Gimme a minute. I'll be out in a jiff," he grumbled.

Max nodded and closed the door behind him when he left the bathroom. Another sigh passed his lips as the middle-aged widower looked around the room he could've shared with his wife, remembering the last ever kiss she gave him.

The priest smiled warmly at the bride and groom. " Harry and Max have written their own vows," he announced in a loud clear voice so all the guests could hear. " Uh, Max, if you will…?"

" Uh, sure!" Max chuckled nervously and cleared his throat, Harry squeezing his hand. " I wrote the vows down and…well, I've decided to say something else, which I think is much better!" He turned to Harry and began his speech. " Harry…My mom died when I was a kid, so I pretty much grew up without any maternal influence. But my dad – that big goof over there – he took care of me, he fed me, clothed me…you know, all without help! He's been alone all these years, but standing here now with you, Harry, I've realise my mom has been with him every step of the way. I think that's pretty awesome! …So, I wanna have a relationship like that and I wanna protect you and love you and just be there for you when times get rough because you are the love of my life. You saved me!" he cried. Harry's green eyes filled with tears as she hugged him.

Goofy, who had been listening to every word, swelled with pride as he watched his little boy get married. Noisily, he blew his nose on a handkerchief, crying his eyes out with a mixture of joy and despair. If only Jeanette had been there…A few seconds later, he felt cold and feverish and an image appeared in the seat beside him. She smiled sweetly at him and held his hand. Goofy leapt out of his skin with fright.

" Jean! What are you…?" he gasped.

" Shush, George…" she whispered softly and patted him on the arm.

" George? No one's called me that since…since you died!" he cried.

" I'm so proud of you," she said.

" What? Why?"

" You raised our boy single-handedly. Now look at him!" she answered, gesturing to the kissing couple. " I knew you could do it."

Goofy's jaw dropped. Could he really be seeing the ghost of his dead wife? Suddenly growing melancholy again, tears began to roll down his cheeks. " Gosh, I've missed you!" he cried, reaching out to her but she was just too far away. " Why did you have to go away?"

" It was my time. One day, it'll be your time and we'll be together again," she informed him.

" Why can't it be now?" he pleaded.

The image giggled, the sound echoing in his mind. " Silly goof! If you were to come with me now, there'd be no one to enjoy our grandchildren!" She gave another hearty laugh.

" That's true." He shrugged. " I love you," he admitted.

" And I love you." The image kissed Goofy on the nose before fading away into nothing.

" Jean? Jeanette!" He jumped up, disrupting the ceremony.

" Dad?" Max asked worriedly.

" Oh, he's all right," Harry butted in. She dashed over to her new father-in-law and gave him a great big bear hug. Then she kissed him on the cheek. " He's just Goofy."

He blushed violently and fell shy. Not looking where he was going, he tripped over the pews, knocking them all down like dominoes, squashing all of the guests. " Hyuck!"