Happily Ever Christmas

~Thirty-Four~

I opened my eyes, blinking the foggy golden light of morning out of them, to realize with a start that I was back home, on Earth.

I sat bolt upright with a soft gasp.

The fat, fluffy tree by the window twinkled pretty colored lights back at me and there was a low fire going in the grate.

The smell of Grandma's cooking was emanating from the kitchen, along with the occasional clink of dishware.

The clock above the mantle said it was 5am. The kiddies would be up soon, with the rest of the house to follow.

I sat there bleakly for a moment, feeling utterly empty and defeated inside.

The living room was empty save for me, the tree, and our house cat, Moccasins, who was sniffing around the presents in a bored fashion.

I watched his bushy brown tail twitching back and forth until the sight blurred over from the tears in my eyes.

For a single moment, I let myself give in entirely to self-pity and my self-sentenced heartbreak.

Tears streamed down my cheeks and my shoulders slumped then started to shake. My ginger colored hair slid forward over my shoulders to create a comforting silk curtain around me.

"Oh good, you're up. Hey, can you come help me with this blasted coffee maker? Technology never was my thing."

I jerked my head up, shocked at the sound of that beautiful, husky voice.

I'd know that voice anywhere; I'd had it reverberating through my body, it had caressed my very soul.

"Steve?" I whispered, battling back my tears now as I stared up at him.

He was filling the archway leading into the kitchen, already dressed for the day in trendy jeans and a burgundy sweater.

"Didn't think you'd be rid of me that easy, did you?" He asked me with a grin.

*~*~*~*

A moment later, however, he saw my tears and his smile promptly died.

He crossed the room to me, to sit beside me on the couch. "Hey, you really miss me that much?"

I did my best to sniffle back my tears, but it was too late; he knew I'd been crying. Over him.

"I thought-I thought you'd be gone when I woke up." I told him, sniffing and swiping at my face with the hem of my plaid pajama sleeve.

"Nah, gotta stay and say goodbye to everyone. Don't worry, I'll take off as soon as everyone's up. No one will miss me in the chaos of present opening."

I bit my lip. That was true, but it also meant me and my children would have to say goodbye to him all over again. On Christmas. It just seemed a bit cruel.

"Well," I said with a shrug, "you could always stay for dinner, if you didn't have anywhere else to be, that is, of course. It's just...I'm sure my grandma will insist on you staying anyway..."

Steve chuckled. "Yes, for me, Christmas is already over. Presents already delivered, remember? Now I have six weeks off before I have to start getting ready again. So, yeah, nowhere in particular to be. Nowhere I'd rather be."

I smiled up at him weakly. "Steve...why are you here? This is so unfair to us, especially the kids."

"I can erase people's memories with magic, but not this many people. No, I deemed it best to make an appearance. I'm sorry, though, you're right. This is inappropriate. I don't wanna make anything harder for Olivia and Bradley. Maybe I should just slip out now and you can say my apologies..."

But just then, as if on cue, we could hear the sounds of many little feet thundering along the upstairs hallway overhead and then down the staircase itself.

It was too late as the horde of little children came flooding into the room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Christmas Eve is only the day after tomorrow, eek!!!

HRH