(I do not own Soul Eater, Soul Eater NOT!, or any other related names. All rights belong to Manga Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, Square Enix, and Atsushi Okubo)

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- Chapter Six -

God Bless Us, Everyone

Arachne's eyes shot wide open and then screamed into the air as she sprung herself upwards from her bed. Beads of sweat descended down her brow and she breathed heavily. Her fear-stricken eyes darted everywhere, only to see that... she was not surrounded by engulfing flames, but back in her own bedroom that remained undisturbed. Her fireplace was still there, and so were her two wingback armchairs, her coat hanger, her bedside table, her bookcase that were still filled with another of her favorite books. And also, her bedcurtains remained where they were, untouched. Everything was still in place. A wave of excited relief washed over her. A small giggle irrupted from her throat until it grew into almost hysterical laughter. She was alive. She was in her own house, alive, not dead. But then, she froze when her grandfather clock chimed. She looked at it with surprise. It was nine o'clock. A sudden thought came to her. What day was it today?

She turned and rushed to her window and slid it all the way open and looked out. The warm morning sun loomed high and bright and the city church bells rang in the distance. And the roofs, as always, were covered in snow. Arachne gazed at all of this, with a wide-eyed expression and her mouth covered by both her hands. But this time, it was not an expression of shock, but an expression of overwhelming joy and excitement. A glorious feeling that she had not felt in very long time.

"It's... It's Christmas morning!" she nearly exclaimed. Indeed, Christmas morning it was. She had not missed it, she realized. The ghosts had actually given her a chance and they had done it all in one single night. Arachne closed the window and danced all around her bedroom. She did not know what to do, for she was light as a feather, happy as an angel, and merry as a young schoolgirl. She was truly overjoyed. A knocking came to her door and she bid whoever it was to enter inside, and in came her manservant, Mosquito.

"Lady Arachne?" he said. "I heard a terrible scream. Are you alri-" Mosquito was caught completely off guard as his mistress abruptly darted towards him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"Oh, Mosquito!" she said gaily, nuzzling into his chest. Before the confused manservant could get a single word out, Arachne grabbed his face and pulled him into a sudden yet firm kiss. Mosquito's eyes shot wide open in surprise. At first, he tried to struggle, but Arachne was strong and kept her lips locked solidly onto his, making the kiss last longer for almost about seven seconds. After finally pulling away, she gazed up at him with sultry-looking eyes.

"You handsomely sexy man, you." she said. Mosquito stared down at her with a shocked expression.

"My lady, wha-"

"Come on!" she cried with a laugh. "Dance with me!" She grabbed both of his hands, and she made him and herself hop dance. Mosquito tried to wrench his hands away and luckily succeeded. He backed away from her a step or two.

"Lady Arachne!" he cried out. "Have you lost your mind?!" Arachne merely looked at him with a dreamy-looking countenance and a smile and then with a giggle. Scared and unsure of what to do, Mosquito looked at her wearily.

"Are you... " he hesitated. "Are you drunk?" Arachne giggled again like a little girl, as she sat on the edge of the bed. She flashed another playful-looking smile at him.

"Yes, Mosquito," she said. "I am drunk. Drunk, with the feeling of joy." She then crossed her left leg over her other, giving Mosquito a very good view of the side of her upper thigh. At this, Mosquito averted his gaze and his face blushed with red.

"Come on, you," she said, as she leaned forward, grabbed his hands, and pulled him towards her and onto the bed until he was now on top of her.

"My Lady!" he objected. "I really must protest this behavior of yours!" She wrapped her hands behind his neck and giggled again, seductively this time.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me again, you fool," With that, she pulled him yet again into another kiss. She then wrapped her bare legs around his waist, making doubly sure that he did not try to escape. Desperate, Mosquito grabbed her lower thighs and tried to push them away from each other to try and flee from her grasp. Seeing the perfect moment to take the advantage, Arachne pulled away from the kiss, licked her lips, and her smile became mischievous.

"Oooo... You want to feel my legs?" she teased with a snicker. "Mosquito, you naughty little horndog." At last, she finally let him go, and he sprang back up until he was on his feet again, completely flustered and confused by his mistress' sudden performance.

"Lady Arachne!" he chided. "Just what in the world has gotten into you?!" Arachne sat back up and sighed happily.

"I'm just kidding with you, Mosquito," she said. "I'm just kidding." After finally calming down, she carefully stood back up onto her feet and straightened herself out. She looked at her manservant almost nervously.

"And I apologize if I had scared you," she said. By the look on Mosquito's face, she concluded that "scared" sounded very much like an understatement to him. She began to twiddle her fingers timidly. "It's just that... I haven't been this happy for a very long time in years. It's as if a snuffed-out fire had been lit up inside me, and grew. A fiery feeling that just lifted a heavy burden off my back. A feeling that I had suppressed for far too long and forgot about." She looked away from Mosquito and the happy expression on her face disappeared and turned into a saddened frown. She gazed back to her manservant.

"Mosquito," she went on. "I don't know how to say this, but, I suppose I shall start small... I'm sorry," Mosquito furrowed his brow in confusion. Arachne slowly walked up to him and gently interlocked her hands with his.

"I take back every single horrible thing I said to you," she said, hanging her head low with shame. "It was wrong of me to treat you so wretchedly. What I had said to you the other day, it was completely inappropriate and uncalled for." She looked up at him with a sad but pleading appearance.

"If there is enough warmth within you," she continued, "would you find it in your heart to forgive this stupid, stupid woman?"

He looked deeply into her eyes and was surprised to see that she was genuinely telling the truth. But still, he could not believe what he was hearing. Was this really Arachne Gorgon that he knew? Was this truly the same woman he had faithfully served for years? The same terrible woman who reviled Christmas with a passion? To hear her come out and sincerely say she was sorry for all of her abuse towards him, he still could not be certain of. While waiting for his answer, she could not help of feel hopeless at what she thought he would say instead, Arachne hung her head low and felt like she was about to cry. But then, she felt a finger on her chin, and her head lifted back up to meet his gaze. Mosquito looked at her and made a smile of his own.

"Yes, my lady," he muttered, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I forgive you." With that, gladness overwhelmed her. It was as if another piece of weight had been lifted from her heart. She embraced him once more, and for once, he welcomed it and hugged her back. Tears of joy, poured down her face and stained Mosquito's suit jacket, but he did not mind this at all.

"Thank you," she tremblingly whispered. "Thank you so much." After about a minute or two of this amazing moment, a realizing thought came to Arachne. Mosquito noticed this.

"Is everything alright, my Lady?" he inquired.

"My goodness, Mosquito!" she almost exclaimed. "I nearly forgot! Today is Christmas!" With that, she separated from him and excitedly rushed to her dresser drawer, pulling them open, and rummaging through her clothes.

"Leave me for a moment! I must hurry and get dressed! You should do the same, for we must be ready!"

"Ready for what, madam?" Arachne paused and looked at her manservant with a thrilled smile.

"We are going Christmas shopping," she stated. "And before the day is done, I've got some loose ends I wish to fix... What are you waiting for? Go, man! Go!" With this, Mosquito hastily went for the door, but before he had the chance to shut it, Arachne stopped him by calling out to him.

"One more thing!" she said. Mosquito waited.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"I will repay you in any way I can, to make up for my behavior," she stated, and then shot him a lovingly tender smile. "Thank you so much, for putting up with me after all these years."

Mosquito flashed her a smile of his own, bowed his head, and then finally left the room, leaving Arachne in her own privacy. After a while, she was now fully dressed along with a red coat that included white fur on the collar and sleeves and buttons. After retrieving her cane, both she and Mosquito exited the mansion and at last got out into the bright and snowy streets of Death City. At every person she came across, she greeted them with a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy New Year!" or "Have a wonderful holiday!" At every child she came to, she patted them on the heads and wished them all the same good health. Everybody had become very confused by what they had seen and the question that ran through their minds were the same, just like Mosquito's use to be.

They all became dumbstruck and confused to see that Lady Arachne Gorgon, the most wealthiest and most abhorrent woman in Death City, behave so cheery and joyous, wishing everyone that she walked passed a very Merry Christmas. They were even more surprised to see her wear a bright and colorful red coat instead of the usual bleak and macabre appearance that she had become associated with for so long. What really broke the ice for them was when she came across a large group of carolers singing Joy to the World, and offered them a large wad of $650 dollars, in cash. After that, she gaily wished them a Merry Christmas. As she continued to walk down the city street, humming to the tune of Deck the Halls, with Mosquito following suit along side her, she inhaled a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled it out. After that, she turned to Mosquito.

"Such an amazing day today, wouldn't you say so, Mosquito?" she asked. Mosquito smiled.

"Why, I could not agree more, my dear Lady Arachne," he answered.

With that, she wrapped her left arm around his right and beamed at him affectionately. As they went on through the streets, they came to the marketplace where they were selling food and wares for tonight's Christmas dinner. The marketplace looked just like how Arachne saw it when she was visited by Eibon. The people smiling and the children playing in the snow, and the giant Christmas tree that was surrounded by the magnificent choir. Arachne spotted the goose and the large turkey that hung by the window of the market, and of course, some of the folks passing around flyers for tonight's Christmas church service.

But what caught Arachne's eye next filled her with fear, not terror, but more of a nervous kind of fear, when a child is afraid to tell the truth after being caught in a misbehaving action. Standing in front of one of the stalls were the three familiar faces from the Death City Charity Foundation; Justin Law, Sid Barrett, and Marie Mjolnir. She turned to Mosquito and gave him some money. She asked him to go buy the turkey and then return to her. Mosquito was at first confused, but when he too saw Marie, Justin, and Sid, he finally understood. He gazed down at Arachne's worried expression, and placed an assuring hand on her shoulder, smiled, and encouraged her on.

And with that, off he went to the store for the turkey, leaving Arachne alone by herself for the first time, without her manservant to accompany her. Feeling more confident now from her manservant, Arachne, strode up behind the trio, whom she gladly had not noticed her yet until a few seconds. Cautiously, she loudly cleared her throat to get their attention, which surprisingly worked. The three turned around and saw the very woman that they wanted to see the least. She stood there with a nervous smile and then nodded lightly.

"Um, hello," she said, almost stuttering. "It's, uh, nice to see you three again. And a Merry Christmas to you as well." Sid, Justin, and Marie, upon recognizing the woman before them, stared at her.

"Madam Gorgon?" spoke Justin, confusion written on his face.

"Yes, that is my name," Arachne said. "And you're all probably thinking that I'm the last person you wanted to see right now." To Marie Mjolnir, this was a huge understatement. She flashed her a dirty look.

"Just what are you doing here?" Marie grunted. Arachne grabbed the neck of her cane and twisted it nervously, and then bit the bottom of her lip. After finally calming down and returning to her composer, she spoke again.

"I guess that, the first thing I want you all to know is that..." she paused. "There are no words to describe how sorry I am for what had happened yesterday," Marie sneered at her words.

"And you expect us to believe that?" she said, not having faith in for a minute of what Arachne had said. "Don't you have somewhere important to be at rather than mock us with your presence? Hmpf. Come on, boys. Let's go somewhere less... dreary." Before the three could get the chance to leave, Arachne stopped Marie by grabbing onto her shoulder.

"No, please hear me out!" she pleaded. "Please, just listen to what I have to say. It will only take one minute, I assure you." Hesitating for a moment, the three allowed her to speak. After taking in a huge breath, Arachne looked at the three with guilt written all over her face.

"First, I just want to say to you all how sorry I truly am for the way I had behaved the other day," she said and then shook her head as the memories of yesterday afternoon flooded her brain. "It was unacceptable, uncalled for. I should never have acted out like that. You see, last night, I've been doing a lot of... soul-searching, and have come to the conclusion that hurting you should never have been my priority." She then turned to Marie.

"But you, Miss Mjolnir," she went on. "You were the worst that I had deeply offended. You have every reason and the right to be upset with me. And I deserve it. What I had said to you... about the poor, about them not being worth it. I was wrong. So very wrong. Those people are worth everything in the entire world. They are starving and freezing out there in the streets, and they need our help now more than ever. There are single mothers and fathers out there with their sons and daughters barely able to keep warm. Struggling veterans unable to live a normal civilian life. Children eating scraps of food straight from garbage cans. They are living in tents and filthy mattresses with nothing to protect them from the bitter cold. My dear Miss Mjolnir, this cannot go on."

Marie truly could not believe what she was hearing. Was this woman being absolutely serious right now? Was this the very same Arachne Gorgon she had encountered the other day on Christmas Eve? The disdainful woman who said that she would soon rather burn in Hell than donate any help she could give to the poor?"

"And second, if there is anything, anything at all, to make up for my misdeeds," Arachne continued, and then an idea came to her. "Well, about that donation you asked for. I would like you to put me down for..." Here, Arachne leaned forward and whispered into Marie's ear. Her eyes shot wide open and let out a huge gasp.

"My goodness!" she almost cried. Sid and Justin stared at her with great concern. Marie turned to them and whispered whatever Arachne had just said, to them. They too gasped in surprise.

"Heaven above!" said Sid. "Are you serious?"

"Madam Gorgon, that much?" said Justin. Arachne smiled delightfully.

"And not a single penny less," she stated. "And also, I want you to give my full regards to the poor. Let them all know that it was Arachne Gorgon who did it." Marie stared at her flabbergasted.

"Madam Gorgon," she uttered. "I... I really don't know what to say." Arachne raised an assuring hand.

"Don't say anything, please," she said. "It's the least I can do after the way I treated the three of you."

"Thank you!" spoke Justin nearly excitedly, grabbing Arachne by the hand and shook it. "Thank you so much for this kind deed, Madam Gorgon. You have no idea how much this means to us." But then, he paused and his smile wavered.

"But... I wish... Now I wish that there was something we could give you." Upon hearing this, Marie beheld her own red scarf that she wore and then smiled as an idea came to her. She undressed it from her neck and offered it to Arachne, who carefully took it and stared down at it in her hands with a growing disbelief. She gazed back up at Marie.

"For me?" she asked. "A gift for me?" The blonde nodded her head. Looking back down at the scarf, Arachne lifted it up and wrapped it around her neck. A wave of emotion crossed over her entire body and she felt like she was about to cry for the umpteenth time. No one had ever offered her a gift before. A kind and generous gift, offered to a loathsome wretch like her. She looked back up at Marie.

"Thank you," she muttered. Emotion took control over her spirit and she grabbed Marie's hand and smiled. "Thank you. Fifty times, thank you so much. God bless you all, and a Merry Christmas. I will never forget this."

After that, Mosquito returned to his mistress' side, now holding the large turkey he had bought and paid for in his hands. As soon as they had the turkey, Arachne came up with an idea, but it was an idea she could not do alone. With the help of Sid, Marie, and Justin, they went through almost every market that sold the best food they had; pumpkin and apple pies, suckling pig, cans of cranberry sauce, chestnuts, you name it. And all of it, Arachne clarified to the trio, was going to her sister, Medusa. And with that, she gave Marie, Sid, and Justin the directions to Medusa's house.

"And if she asks where the food had come," Arachne explained. "tell her that it was an old friend."

And with that, the three of them hurried on over to the address, the bags of the groceries and the turkey that she bought along with them. As Arachne and Mosquito made their way to the city church, she then bought a beautiful green scarf along the way and wrapped it around Mosquito's neck. The manservant smiled, bowed his head, and thanked her. Upon seeing these sudden actions, the city folk could not help but watch her every move with curiosity, wondering what was it that caused the ever so bitter and melancholy Arachne to become so cheery and exuberant. It was as if she had become a completely different person, like something had changed within her and reformed her spirit(which unbeknownst to them did actually happen).

And so, Arachne, along with Mosquito beside her, continued on her merry way and came upon the steps of the city church.

10:12. In the morning.

It was peaceful and quiet in the Albarn house, now that everybody had just about finished opening their presents. Spirit Albarn, dressed in his black and green pajamas holding a mug of rich hot chocolate with marshmallows, sat next to his wife Medusa on the living room coach, his left arm wrapped around her, and she snuggled closely up to the side of his left breast. Spirit took a small sip of his hot chocolate and allowed the rich flavor to cascade down his gullet. After that, he let out a big sigh.

"Another Christmas has come and gone," he uttered.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's over," Medusa said. "We still need to get ready for dinner though, and the party as well."

"Oh, that's right," He took another sip of his hot coco. "So, you got what you've always wanted?" Medusa tightened her arms around her husband's waist and smiled brightly.

"Oh yes," she answered. "And you too?" Spirit nodded his head.

"I'll treasure that bowling ball for years to come," he said. "Oh wait, I almost forgot something."

After setting aside the hot chocolate on top of the reading desk to his right, Spirit lifted up his arm from Medusa and dug into the pocket of his pajamas. Medusa furrowed her brow in curiosity but then morphed into a surprised face. From out of Spirit's pocket was a small box with a flip up lid, all of it made out of a nice red leather. With ease, Spirit opened the lid and revealed a golden bracelet underneath. The bracelet had three small white diamonds and some engraving that said, "For the love I treasure." Spirit easily slipped it through Medusa's right hand and it fit comfortingly around her wrist.

"Spirit, it's gorgeous," Medusa said astonishingly. "But, it looks really expensive."

"But do you like it?" Medusa looked up at her husband and then smiled sweetly.

"I love it," she declared. She gazed back down at the bracelet lovingly. "It's the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," And Medusa wished onto him the same thing, and gave him a firm kiss on the lips. As they were about to relax, as they gazed up at the beautiful Christmas tree that still stood next to the fireplace, a sudden knock came upon their front door. The two turned around and looked at the door. Just who could that be? Spirit lifted himself up from the couch and approached the door, peeking into the little peephole.

"Who is it?" Medusa asked with concern. Spirit turned to meet her gaze.

"It's Marie and the guys," he said. Medusa beckoned him to let them in.

After Spirit did so, they were met with the clear and gracious presence of Marie, Sid, and Justin standing outside on the patio, carrying bags of groceries. They each gave him a hello and a hug and wished him a Merry Christmas and then did the same thing with Medusa. After that, the three placed the bags of food onto the dining room table. Seeing this gave Spirit the sense of curiosity.

"So, guys, if you don't mind me asking," he started. "What's the food for? Is there a special occasion?"

"It's all for you," explained Sid, after turning to Spirit.

"Aw, you shouldn't have," said Spirit with a feeling of gratitude.

"Oh, we didn't buy this," Justin infirmed suddenly. Spirit's smile disappeared.

"Wait, you three didn't get any this stuff?" Spirit asked with a confused look. Marie, Sid, and Justin shook their heads.

"Nope, someone else did," said Marie. Now, it was Medusa's turn to be confused.

"And just who is that someone?" she questioned. Marie looked at Sid and Justin, and then flashed her a kind smile.

"Let's just say that an old friend of yours thought about you," Marie said, "And wanted to give you all a proper Christmas dinner."

Once everything had been settled, the three wished them a Merry Christmas and then bid the pair farewell, exiting out of the front door and shutting it. Spirit turned to Medusa with a confused expression.

"An old friend?" he inquired. Medusa only shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," she said. "Do you think it was Stein?"

"It could have been Joe," Spirit spoke. "Or Azusa maybe?"

"Well, whoever it was," Medusa went on, as she moved over to Spirit and embraced him. "I am very much glad this happened. And God bless the kind soul who did it."

And just like that, the pair put away the food to get ready for their Christmas dinner. As time passed, at about 5:55 in the afternoon, Spirit, Medusa, Crona, and Maka set up the dining room table and placed the food that was given to them on top. Their table had more than what they were originally planning on having, for it was enough to feed almost six people. Guess I don't have to drive around and find that cranberry sauce, Spirit mentally spoke.

"May we say Grace?" Medusa said. The family all folded their hands, bowed their heads, and then closed their eyes. But before Medusa had the chance to get a single word out, a knocking came upon their door once again. They all turned to the direction of the front door in confusion. Wonder who that could be? Spirit thought.

"I'll get it," he said. He lifted himself from his seat and walked on over to investigate. He took a peek through the peephole and was shocked to see the one person he thought he' never see appear on his doorstep.

"What is it, sweetie?" Medusa asked. Spirit slowly turned his gaze over to his wife, a bewildered expression written all over his face.

"... It's your sister," he said. Medusa's eyes widened and nearly let out a gasp.

"Arachne?" she wondered. "Arachne's here? She's really here?"

"What should we do?" Spirit asked. A bewildered Medusa turned to Crona and Maka whose looks offered her the same question. She could not believe it. Her sister had actually come? Was she really here for dinner? Medusa turned back to Spirit, finally finding her answer.

"I suppose we just let her in,"

Hesitantly, Spirit twisted the knob of the front door and slowly and carefully opened the door until it was now wide open, and he came face to face with his sister-in-law, Arachne Gorgon, standing outside on the patio, along with Mosquito by her side, both of them carrying small bags filled with four wrapped presents. Medusa rubbed her eyes and then blinked a few times to try and see if she was either dreaming or not. If this was a dream, then this was the most realistic dream she had ever witnessed. As happy as she had felt seeing that her sister had at last come to their Christmas dinner, which would have been Arachne's first in years, Medusa could not help but feel a little nervous at the same time. What was she about to say? Or do? Ironically, Arachne was thinking of the exact same thing, and the difference was that she was a lot more nervous than they were.

"Um... Hello, Spirit," she muttered. "Um... May I come in?"

"Uh, sure," Spirit said. He stepped aside and allowed Arachne and Mosquito to walk in side. There, she confronted the rest of her family; her nephew, Crona. Her step-niece, Maka. Ans her own sister, Medusa. All three, including Spirit stared at her, feeling very awkward because of her presence. Arachne cleared her throat and then nervously fiddled with her fingers.

"It's nice to see you, everyone," she uttered. "I've, uh, come to dinner... If you will have me." The most terrible part of this experience was the wait. Spirit, Medusa, and the children remained where they were, staring at her, as if they were all frozen in time. For what seemed like an eternity as this agonizing wait was starting to feel like, the ice had finally shattered. Medusa shot up from her seat.

"Well of course we will have you!" she exclaimed happily as she darted towards her, followed by Maka and Crona, who were also very much pleased to see their aunt come to their house for the first time in forever.

A wave of relief consumed Arachne and her beating heart was now at ease. The fear of rejection had vanished from her being in a second. Before she knew it, she and Mosquito sat on the left side of the table close to Medusa, while Crona and Maka sat on the left side close to Spirit. After picking up where they had left off, finishing their prayers, the family ate away and talked and laughed, and carried on. But for some reason, Arachne felt like there was something missing. Like something had not been cleared up. Luckily, Spirit must have read her mind and spoke, which Arachne secretly was glad he did.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude or anything," he said to Arachne, "But, Medusa told me yesterday, that you made it very clear that you yet again had no intention of coming over for Christmas." Medusa shot him a look, but Arachne stepped in and said to her that he was right. She gazed at her brother-in-law, and made a mildly sad-like expression.

"Yes, Spirit," she clarified, "I did. And I made other things clear as well, that Christmas was a waste of time and money, a false and commercial festival. If I had gone the distance even farther, I would've also said that Christmas was, well, a humbug." Crona and Maka could not help but snicker at the reference. Arachne then turned to Medusa, who remained seated next to her.

"I've come here for three reasons. One, I have been thinking long and hard about what you said the other day Medusa," She placed both of her hands onto her sister's right hand, "You were right, and I wish to beg for your forgiveness, for the things I had said about Christmas. That was a humbug."

"My second reason is..." Arachne paused. "... Is that, I want to patch things up with you, Medusa. I'm very, very sorry, for not being with you and your family, like I should have. It's just that... Well, I guess it was because... I was also jealous of you, that you have a wonderful husband and two amazing children, while I had nothing. Nothing but my wealth and wine to drown out the pain. And my third and final reason is that... The other reason I hated Christmas, was because of the pain and torment that it had brought onto me. Our stepmother, Clara, sending me away, not seeing my family in so long, our father passing, my old boyfriend dumping me, and... and..."

Arachne began to feel a lump get caught in her throat, unable to bring herself to say the next thing, and her cheeks began to turn red.

"Shaula?" Medusa finished. Arachne nodded her head.

"I was angry, Medusa," she whimpered. "I was furious, at the entire world. At God for letting these things happen in my life. At Shaula, for dying and leaving me alone. And at myself, for not doing anything about it." Medusa placed her free hand on top of Arachne comfortingly, as the older Gorgon sister continued to cry.

"I know, sis," Medusa assured comfortingly. "I know... The feeling is terrible. Horrible even. But what you need to understand, Arachne, is that they're just feelings. You cannot help having them any more than you can help breathing. And sometimes, it's alright to have these feelings, – as long as you don't let them control you. And you know what? Not a day goes by where our time with Shaula do not ever appear in my thoughts, and yes, it will always break my heart knowing that she's no longer with us."

"But I've learned to cope with the loss," Medusa continued, "and have kept moving forward, not just for her sake, but for Crona's and for my family's. It's what Shaula would've wanted us to do. It's what she would've wanted you to do as well. You don't have to mourn her all by yourself anymore, Arachne. We are your family, and you will never be alone. We can mourn her together, you and I, and Crona too." Arachne sniffled and relaxed a bit.

"And Spirit and Maka?" Medusa nodded her head with a smile.

"Absolutely." said she. "Sometime this week, we can all go visit her grave and catch up on old times. What do you say, big sister? Would you like to do that?" Arachne smiled at her sibling.

"Thank you, Medusa," she said. "I would love that very much."

And right there, Arachne and Medusa made amends and carried on with Christmas dinner. After it was over, everyone cleared the table and put away the leftovers. Here, Arachne had given the presents she had brought and gave each one of them their respective own. Maka opened hers up first and excitement consumed her. It was a leatherbound edition of the bestselling classic The Dark Side of the Moon, by Lorda Donsany.

Maka got up and gave Arachne a hug, telling her that this was what she had always wanted. Crona opened his present and he got the boxset of William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher.(Yes, it actually exists.) The boy thankfully smiled at his aunt and hugged her as well. Spirit's present consisted of the original Death Wish Trilogy, starring Charles Bronson. Medusa, however, got a present that was different from the others; in her hand was an octagonal-shaped locket. She opened it and found a picture of Arachne, Shaula, and herself from when they were younger. Medusa felt like she was going to cry and she gave her sister a warm and tender hug, which Arachne did not resist. She told her older sibling how much she loved it, and promised that she would cherish it until the day she goes to Heaven.

Sometime later, Spirit and Arachne got into a conversation while drinking some eggnog. Erstwhile in their chat, Spirit eventually brought up his ex-wife, Kami, and said how she used to be quite an amazing woman and mother to Maka, so full of life and energy, and had quite the temper, being described like an angry bear. He talked about how much he fondly remembered the good times he had with her; about how they first met in middle school, about what her favorite flavor of ice scream was, and what her favorite hobbies were. Arachne could not help but ask him what led to their divorce, but Spirit only shook his head and said that it was a very touchy subject that he very much did not like to talk about. Medusa then called to him to go and take the trash out, and he said that he would do so in a short minute.

As he started to make his way, Arachne spoke again with curiosity.

"Spirit?" she asked him.

"Yeah?"

"Where is Kami now?" Spirit gazed down at his glass of eggnog and sighed. He gazed his blue eyes back at her.

"The same place where Shaula is, Arachne," he muttered. "In all honesty... I've got some catching up to do as well."

In a few hours tops, the evening party had begun, and this time, Arachne was part of it all; the games, the celebration, she was even there to see Patty and Hiro kiss under the mistletoe. Here, she met Joe and Azusa, and talked about the good old days when they were in school. And yes, she was even there to watch Crona sing for all of them, to hear him dedicate it to his beloved aunt, and sang Away in a Manger. Arachne's heart lifted with pride and happiness, to see her dear nephew have such an amazing talent. After his brilliant performance, everyone clapped and cheered, and then Crona said the famous words.

"God bless us, Everyone."

And of course, came the dreadful cough, and Crona then brushed it off and said he needed some water. Arachne grabbed Medusa by the arm and sneaked them both into the kitchen. Out of ear shot from everybody, Arachne suggested to Medusa that after tonight, she needed to take Crona immediately to the hospital first thing in the morning. Medusa looked at her confusingly, but Arachne told her to trust her. Unsure of what to do after hearing that, Medusa decided to nod and take her word for it. Back to the party, Spirit got everyone's attention and raised his glass.

"I would like to make a toast," he announced. "A toast to having a wonderful Christmas this year. To having friends who care, to having a roof over our heads, and to our glorious Creator for blessing us with His love. But just as importantly, I would like to make a toast... to Arachne Gorgon, for coming here and joining us for the first time in years. For celebrating Christmas with us, and being apart of our family. And to whichever one of you, for giving us a proper Christmas dinner this afternoon. The turkey was exceptionally wonderful, and we will never forget your kindness." Upon hearing this, everybody looked at him confused. Spirit frowned puzzlingly.

"Wait," he said. "None of you guys bought us the turkey and the food?" They all shook their heads. Spirit asked Joe, who only shook his head. He asked Azusa, but she too said no. He asked each and every one of them, but again, they all did not give him the same response; not Tsubaki or Masamune, not Liz or Patty, not Soul, Stein, Mifune, nobody.

"You guys mean to tell me that none of you gave us the Christmas dinner that we just had this afternoon?" he asked. "If not, then who did?" A throat-clearing sound came from behind him. Spirit turned around to see Arachne with a big smile on her face. Surprise covered his face. Even Medusa was just as surprised as her husband was.

"It was you?" he nearly cried.

"You sound shocked," Arachne stated, her smile never faltering.

"Arachne," Medusa stepped in. "We don't know what to say." Arachne raised her hand up in a gesture that told them to remain silent, but not in a mean of course, no this time.

"Don't say anything at all," she said. "It was the lease I could do to make up for the other day." Medusa felt like she was going to tear up.

"Oh Arachne," she said as she embraced her sister lovingly in a hug. Arachne made no attempt to resist and returned the affection, wrapping her arms around Medusa. She then turned to all of the people who looked at her.

"By my word, I promise, I will right my wrongs, and help in any way I can," She turned to Medusa.

"You will take Crona to the hospital, right," she whispered in her sister's ear. Medusa nodded her head.

"Yes," she said. "I will."

And with that, the party continued until the party had finally come to an end, and everyone went home. The next day, at exactly 9:00 AM, the family drove Crona to the hospital. For about a few minutes in the waiting room, Spirit and Medusa were approached by one of the doctors, and what he had told them they could not believe what they had found, for Crona was showing the early signs of developing pneumonia. The doctor said that they were lucky to have done this, for had they waited days later, it could have gotten pretty worse. The pair could not believe what they and just heard. Right under their noses, Crona was sick. They even feared that they might not be able to pay the medical bills, but Arachne assured them that she would take care of everything. Once the doctor had left, after saying that the boy was going to be alright, Spirit and Medusa turned to Arachne with astonishment.

"Just how in the world did you know Crona was sick?" Spirit asked bewildered. Arachne only smiled.

"Let's just say that some friends from above told me in my sleep the other night," she said. Medusa smiled at her.

"Arachne," she spoke. "Once again, you have completely surprised us."

In the end of it all, Arachne had done much better than her word. She did all the things that she had promised, and infinitely more. She had contributed so much to the good people of Death City. She helped the poor find better homes, and mended the bond between her and her sister Medusa, and with the rest of her family. And surprisingly, she even paid a visit to her old boyfriend Free. The two reconciled and became the best of friends once more. It was an astounding miracle, people said, that because of her kind actions, Arachne had won the hearts of so many and had become the most beloved person in the entire city. And though, there were some that still refused to believe that she had changed for the better, Arachne had simply payed them no mind.

And to young Crona, who had lived and was very healthy again, Arachne became like a second mother to the young boy. Truly, she had become a very good friend, a good sister, and a loving aunt. And, she had also become a very brilliant wife, for in the time to come, Mosquito had asked for her hand in marriage and she happily accepted his proposal without a question. From then on, it was also said that she knew how to keep Christmas well. Very well indeed. May that be truly said of us, and all of us.

And so, as Crona Gorgon Albarn had said...

God bless us, everyone.

- The End -

At long last, the final chapter is here. It's been a fun ride, folks, just as much as it was fun to write. I hope you all had a wonderful time reading this, laughing, crying - either in sadness or joy - It has been a blast and I enjoyed writing this story for all you guys to enjoy. I actually thought I wasn't get this done on time for Christmas Eve. And lo and behold, here it is, completed and ready to be read and loved.

Don't forget to send me a review and tell me your full opinion on what you think of this chapter and the entire story as a whole and about what could be improved. Oh, and if you all spotted the references, please tell me in the form of reviews.

And so, with all of that said, may you all have a splendid Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. And God bless us, everyone! See you around ;)