Running Scared

Epilogue

"Mommy! Daddy! Momma! Daddy!"

"Ugh, do you think we can get five more minutes?" Charlotte snuggled in closer to Jack trying to evade the inevitable wake up.

Jack chuckled bring the covers closer around them to ward off the December chill, "I don't think that's going to happen." No sooner had he said it, the sound of little feet could be heard rushing down the hall and into their bedroom.

"Santa came! Santa came!"

"Can we go open presents?"

Charlotte untangled herself from the sheets, looking at the smiling faces before her. Theo and Violet had climbed up from the end of the bed toward them; Violet's dark brown curls splayed around her deep green eyes, her tooth-less front teeth smile wide and Theo's hair spiked up with bed head.

A week after Charlotte had been released from the hospital, Jack had put his house up for sale. The both of them agreed they didn't want Theo to be haunted with bad memories of the place. As it turned out Jack's grandfather had a house up near the river that was put into Jack's name, allowing him to do whatever he wanted with the property. They moved into the gorgeous southern plantation home and it wasn't long after that they were having a small backyard wedding.

Charlotte couldn't have been more excited to be Mrs. Jack Haines, but the wedding hadn't just been about the two of them. Jack had adopted Theo as his own son, giving him the choice to keep her maiden name or accept Jack's. Needless to say, he wanted to be like his parents and it wasn't long after that they found themselves expanding their family. Violet Anne Haines entered this world at 7 lbs 6 oz on August 9th and according to Jack, 'the best birthday present he could ever ask for'.

Now three years later, Charlotte smiled as she sat close to her husband on the couch as her kids sat next to the colorful Christmas tree opening their gifts. Charlotte snapped pictures of the happy moment when she felt something land in her lap. Looking down she noticed a medium package wrapped in red and green paper.

"What's this?" She looked at Jack

"Open it"

She carefully removed the wrapping, a gasp escaping her when she saw what it was. The faces of her mother and father stared back her. Her father's brown eyes looked loving at her mother who was mid laugh as a young Charlotte sat between them, a arm around each of them and a wide care free smile plastered on her face. She remembered this day perfectly, her father had closed up the bookstore early to take her and her mother out for a day at the beach. They had just eaten ice cream when her dad asked someone to take the picture. She was eight at the time and four days later she would never see their smiling faces again. She felt Jack whip the tears away from her face.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to make you upset."

"How did you get this?" Her voice barely above a whisper.

"It wasn't easy. I contacted the Sheriff in Arbick to find out what happened to your house and your possessions. He didn't know much and after going through the bank and a couple of auction houses I managed to find someone I could talk to. An elderly couple had purchased some furniture at one of the auctions, that photo was hidden in one of the drawers. As luck would have it they've been searching to find out what happened to that little girl." He pointed to her younger self. "They also gave me this".

She looked over to see Theo hand him a small box from under the tree. Violet and Theo climbed up on the couch next to them.

"What is it Momma?" Violet asked leaning over her eager to see what was behind the holiday wrapping.

Charlotte tore off the paper and opened the long white jewelry box beneath it. Inside on a bed of black silk sat a thin silver chain, a small tear drop sapphire gem surrounded by small diamonds sat in the middle; it was her mother's necklace, the one her father had given her mother for their first anniversary.

"I can't believe you did all this" She looked at Jack, putting a hand on his cheek.

"I know you always have my family but I also know how much you missed yours. I thought it would be nice for Teddy and Vi to see what their other grandparents looked like."

"Thank you Jack, really this is unbelievable."

"Eww!" The children scrambled off the couch as Charlote kissed Jack.

The two of them laughed, "Merry Christmas Mrs. Haines."

"Merry Christmas Mr. Haines."

Sitting with her wonderful husbandas her two beautiful children opened up presents, Charlotte realized how blessedshe truly was. Her life had some tragedies and horrors in it but as she satwith her family on this Christmas morning she knew she would never change athing.