*slips in and distributes confetti cannons around the room*

*adds lovely cookie trays to the tables which totally aren't poisoned at all*

*puts a pin-the-tail-on-the-platypus game on the wall with an amazingly lifelike platypus*

Happy Winter Holiday of your choice, beloved members!

*vanishes, cackingly maniacally, in a cloud of octarine smoke*

Are you sure Bob approves of your choice of party game, Bookwyrm?

*Rya is too busy playing in the snow to come in for food yet. There are snow angels and snow forts to make! Oh yes, and snowballs, too....*

*Okay, she lied. She'll grab a couple of cookies to munch on while she waits for someone to walk past her snow fort. *

*The familiar creaking and swooshing noises of a Time And Relative Dimension In Space (TARDIS) echoes through the snow covered Town Square as said device comes into existence near the fountain.

A tall, rugged figure in a duster emerges from the blue box and immediately starts examining all the shops with their various lights and decorations in the windows.*

A-hee! Christmas time again in ol' Ditto Town! How I love this kind of weather! It's all cold and snowy... perfect for a night indoors by a roaring fire with some hot cocoa. Well... no a *real* fire that roars. Though I have seen one of those before...

Author's note: Long-time Ditto Story readers may notice minor changes in details (such as Molly's age)

A pair of winged creatures makes its way toward the Ditto Mansion. The snow crunches underfoot in the otherwise quiet night. Their progress is slow, for between them a small green figure stumbles along. They look down at her with affection and it is obvious she's their little girl. Erik and Abby each hold onto one of their daughter's hands, and occasionally she giggles as they lift her together. She's still a bit uncertain on her feet but it won't be long before she's running and playing - and even flying.

"Another year come and gone," Erik says. "It seems like we were just here for last year's party."

"That's right, but I think people may notice that Molly's bigger now," Abby says, smiling down at her baby.

"Looks like we're not the first ones here," Erik says as they walk past a familiar-looking blue police box parked near the Fountain.

They enter the Mansion to find the party already underway. Erik's hungry, of course, and makes his way to the refreshment table. He finds some hot chocolate for Abby and pours a mug of ice-cold Mountain Dew for himself. He doesn't get Molly anything because she'll be eager to help him share his own drink.

Abby, meanwhile, has made her way over to the blazing - even roaring! - fire. Molly is fascinated by the flames.

A bright flash, accompanied by a burst of colorful smoke, appeared, and after a moment of coughing and arm waving, Lady A could be seen emerging.

"Well, the modification certainly makes it less painful to travel," she muttered, "and the smoke looks cool, however...it'd be nice if I didn't have to breathe it!"

She stepped away from the smoke and breathed in the cool air, then smiled. Ah, yes, back in Ditto Town again. She expected that Lady Z would come roaring in at any moment herself, so she headed into the Mansion, since her sister's entrances were usually quite chaotic and bumpy.

Following an ancient tradition, Little Joe made his yearly arrival to the Christmas party in a fashion he had become known for. There was a loud crash as the skylight burst into a million tiny pieces and smashed against the floor, the man himself followed soon after, repelling in Australian Style. He looked much like as he always did, his hat fastened to his head, his bazooka strapped to his back and his patented, trusty Silly-String Slinger at his hip.

"I still don't know exactly why I do that, but it sure is fun. Sorry about the mess though... I brought Moxie!"

Lady Z much preferred travelling through time and space to any other avenue of travel, and as she careened through the stars and vast blackness, with various colors and galaxies flying past, she caught sight of Dittotopia.

It flew towards her--or, she flew towards it--at a dizzying rate. She snapped her fingers and put on her Atmosphere Protection Suit mere seconds before she entered the planet, blazing through the atmosphere.

It was only a few seconds later that she crashed into Ditto Town, landing unceremoniously in a dumpster. The loud crash that resulted sent several alley cats protesting loudly as they ran away, their hair standing on end.

Lady Z surfaced out of the dumpster, a banana peel resting in her hair. Pillow stuffing rested on her shoulder, and the remains of a hot dog rested in her lap. The dumpster continued to shake from the impact. A wreath on the brick wall behind her fell from its hanging place and landed around her neck.

Blinking but mostly unphased, Lady Z picked her way out of the dumpster, shaking off the pillow stuffing and hot dog, but blissfully unaware of the banana peel in her hair and her makeshift greenery necklace. In front of her there was an open side door, with warm light spilling out into the alley. She hopped down from the dumpster, shaking out her robes, and squared her shoulders, inhaling deeply before walking in.

Several people had already arrived, including her sister and several familiar faces. She danced her way over and draped her arm across her sister's shoulders. "Hello, sister. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She darted quickly over to the refreshments table, sticking a finger in the pudding and having a taste. "Oh! It's Christmas. Lovely, lovely, lovely." She frowned and tugged at the greenery around her neck. "Though, I suppose this wreath should've been a clue. Where did it--was this in the dumpster? Why would someone throw it away? It's Christmas." Her face grew somber for a moment, then she smiled, brightening instantly. "No matter, it's Christmas." She grinned brightly and threw her arms wide. "Merry Christmas, all!" she yelled. Her face immediately wrinkled up. "Oh my blazes, what is that smell, is that me?"

Lady A ducked as the skylight shattered, the shivered.

"Anyone seen one of the wizards around?" she asked. "If they could patch that up, I'd appreciate it."

She shot a glare at the offending entry, then marched into the kitchen to find a broom and some spare ribbon. After putting a bow on it, she returned and handed it to Joe with a smile.

"Merry Christmas!"

~~

Lady A looked at her little sister and sighed.

"We really need to work on the graces of entering a galaxy. Honestly, you need to get used to the idea of wearing a corset. Especially since these ones let you travel anywhere in the universe with just the snap of a finger, no careening required."

Lady A shook her head, then threw a small ball at her sister's feet. It exploded, purple smoke enveloping Lady Z. Lady A dusted off her hands.

"That should make you smell better, at least. Maybe even look better. Now, do you want eggnog or cider?"

With more people, creatures, etc. arriving at the Mansion, Cor decided to join the indoor festivities. The appropriate aromas of a log fire, various greenery and lots and lots of festive food met the traveler of time and space as he entered the ancient building.

"Ahh, just like I remember it! Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday/Granku Valgala-ha/Vera Sorta-ra to all!" the sight of genuine roaring fire caught Cor's attention. "Well, well... a Delerian fire. Haven't seen one of those in ages. Nice to meet you!" The fire, briefly taking the vague shape of a face nodded to The Traveler before returning to its duties.

Meandering his way over to the refreshment table, Cor noticed two familiar female faces. "Good evening, ladies. Nice to see you two here again." Noticing the banana peal on Lady Z's head, Cor carefully removes it. "Ah, always bring a banana to a party, eh?"

"But you know how much I hate corsets, and how I feel like I can't breathe--" She stopped short to watch as someone carried a Christmas ham past. Once it was gone, she turned back to Lady A and the conversation, letting out a sigh and pouted a little for emphasis. "Besides, I much prefer the careeni--hey!" The round canister landed at her feet, clinking briefly against the ground, and then exploded with smoke, filling the air with plumes of purple vapor. She kept coughing even after the smoke cleared. Once she was done, she cleared her throat, her face wrinkled up in irritation. She put a hand to her throat. "What was that for?" She sniffed. "Oh, well, at least I smell nice. Better, at least. Why did you have to make me smell like peppermints, though?"

She scowled. "But I already look nice. I spent three hours on this hairstyle." She primped it proudly, even though it didn't look visibly different from her everyday look. "So, I resemble that remark."

She tipped her head, considering. "Cider," she said finally. "No, egg nog. No, cider. Erm... both?"

She felt something on her head and whirled right as Cor was pulling the banana peel off of it. "Whoa, when did that get there? Must be a leftover from the dumpster. I wonder how it looked on me?" She took it back from him. "If you don't mind, I think this could be next big thing in fashion trends." She slipped the banana peel between the folds of her robe, into a subspace pocket, where it promptly disappeared from view. "Now, good to see you, Cor. Always bring a banana to a party, yes, good advice. Have you been here long? Have you tried the pudding yet? It's marvelous."

"Peppermint covers up the smell the best. Beside," she shrugged. "It was what I had in my pocket."

Lady A meandered off to go get drinks, but was distracted by Molly. Well, and her parents.

"Molly! Look how much you've grown!" she said, smiling at the tot, then up at her mother. "Merry Christmas, Abby. It's great to see you again!"

"Just arrived a bit ago. Been admiring the storefronts and such mostly." Cor said as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his duster. "Pudding? What flavor? I had a rather... unfortunate incident with mocha pudding in 1819's France. Apparently that flavor is frowned upon over there...."

"Merry Christmas, Lady A!" Abby exclaimed upon seeing her friend. "It's nice to see you again this year."

Erik turned to greet their friend as well, but couldn't help grinning at his daughter, who was tugging on Lady A's clothing. "Hi," the little girl said.

When Lady A looked down at her, Molly held up her arms. It was every child's "pick me up please" gesture.

"I guess she remembers you," Erik said with a wink.

Bookwyrm reappeared in another puff of octarine smoke, with a grumpy look on his face.

"Odin cancelled the annual Yule celebration, which means Loki and I don't get to crash the party with genetically augmented saber-toothed gerbils. We were planning that prank for eight months. So now I'm stuck celebrating the holidays with you lot. Don't worry, Loki stole the gerbils from me, so they won't be making an appearance."