A/N: First and foremost I want to thank Blitz for this awesome story idea! I hope you all enjoy it, because I am super excited to write it. Alex won't be a leading character for a few chapters, but she will join us soon hopefully. Anyway let me know what you think, your reviews keep me motivated to write!
Casey Novak smiles as she fixes her three year old daughter Caroline's angel wings. Fixing the wings just right so they won't come loose during the Christmas Pageant, Casey turns her little girl to face her so she can look her over before heading out front to wait. With bright sparkling blue eyes the little redheaded girl looks up at her mother and asks for the fifth time, "Where's Daddy?"
Casey forces the smile to remain on her face as she answers again, "Daddy will be here any minute don't you worry! He won't miss a thing. As a matter of a fact, I should head out now so I can find him and get us a good seat so we can watch you. Okay?"
"Okay Mommy," the sweet little one replies. Taking her daughter's little hand in hers Casey walks Caroline over to where the little girl's preschool teacher is waiting with the other children for the program to start. Passing her off, Casey quickly heads up the hallway and back out to the front of the preschool.
Stepping outside into freezing December night air Casey pulls her cell phone from her pocket and calls her husband John for the third time this evening. This time he answers, "Yes, Casey."
"John, where are you? The pageant starts in ten minutes." Casey sighs into the phone.
"I am just leaving the hospital Case. I am going to be about fifteen minutes if traffic is good." John replies.
"John," Casey grumbles, "You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. Caroline has been asking for you the whole evening. If you get caught in traffic you will miss the whole thing." Despite her freezing, the redhead paces the sidewalk in front of the preschool while talking to her husband. It's a desperate effort to release tension before seeing him.
"Listen Casey, I am sorry. We had an emergency surgery come in I left as soon as I was finished." Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts he continued, "Video the performance on your phone and when I get there catch me up before we see Caroline. We will tell her I saw the whole thing and I will watch it after we get her to bed tonight ok?"
"Okay, drive carefully." Casey says into the phone.
"I will see you soon sweetie." John replies.
Hanging up the phone, Casey lets out a deep breath. Looking up into the night sky she sees snowflakes begin to fall. Turning to head back into the building she smiles, she always loves it when it snows.
Walking back into the school and into the auditorium, Casey takes a seat near the back so she can save a seat for John. Waiting for the program to begin, Casey checks her emails. As much as she would like to stay frustrated at John for again being late to one of their daughters school events she can't because in all honesty being an ADA occasionally has her called away at odd hours as well.
The lights begin to dim and the surrounding talking families hush, as the school director walks to the center of the stage to greet the families. Listening to the director, Casey finishes reading her last email and switches her phone to video. John may be late but they were a good team and they can at least keep up 'awesome parent' appearances for their daughter's sake.
As the Christmas music starts to play and the two year old class appears on stage Casey feels a warm body sit next to her. "You made it in perfect time," she whispers to her husband giving him a chaste kiss. Taking his wife's warm hand in his cold one, he kisses her fingers and whispers, "I am really sorry I am late sweetie. I promise I will make it up to you."
Smiling Casey leans into his ear and says, "Don't worry about it. You are here that's all that matters." John wraps his arm around his beautiful wife's shoulders as they watch the performance. When their daughter's three year old class comes onto the stage he makes sure that Caroline sees him happily waving at her. The little girls beaming smile melted her parent's hearts.
Leaving the school after the program, all the happy families exit the building to find the snow falling fast. In the hour and a half the Christmas program ran at least two to three inches had fallen. John picks up Caroline and looks to Casey, "I think you two should ride with me. We can always come back for your car tomorrow after the roads are clear, but it's safer to take the Rover home." Casey nods despite driving a Lexus, her car hated taking the winding mountain roads in the snow. John had bought a Range Rover when they moved here being prepared for the obstacles of weather, but Casey hated driving SUV's and would always opt for a sedan, always arguing that at best it only snowed four months a year.
Climbing into the SUV and ensuring Caroline was safely strapped in they made their way home. Casey looked over at her handsome husband. Caroline might have gotten Casey's red hair and facial features, but she definitely got her striking bright blue eyes from her father. It always shocked Casey that Caroline hadn't wound up with her father's dark hair, but if Casey was honest with herself she was happy to have another redhead in the family.
Looking into the backseat and seeing that their little girl had already fallen asleep Casey whispers, "So, I finished up the Christmas shopping today on my lunch break."
John grins as he turns down the winding road that will lead them home. Softly speaking he asks, "Did you find the d-o-l-l?"
"I did!" Casey super quietly exclaims. "I hid it in my office at work."
"Great." John says turning the windshield wipers up to combat the steadily falling snow. Quietly he adds, "I was able to arrange with Grant today to be able to take the 23rd through the 26th off. So unless there is some major catastrophe I will be all yours."
"Oh really? Well I am off from Friday through the New Year so we will have to live it up. By the way, I talked to Kim today she said she and Owen would be driving up from the city on the 22nd and will head back on the 26th." Casey says.
Taking Casey's hand John quickly sneaks a look at his wife while saying, "Sounds good sweetie. I can't wait to get to hang out with Owen it's been forever."
"Yeah, well you and Owen can have your guy time, but I do get to have one movie night with my brother while they are here." Casey states.
"The Godfather marathon at Thanksgiving wasn't enough?" John replies with a chuckle. Casey shakes her head, "Aw, honey you know that Christmas is for Star Wars."
John laughs, "Don't worry sweetie I could never forget. Even when we were serving overseas he always had us watch it. Oddly enough it was a big hit in the desert."
Casey laughed and leaned over to kiss Johns cheek. "I love you so much!" she whispers. "I love you too," John replies. Suddenly the car was spinning across the road and off the embankment on the other side. As the SUV goes looming down the mountain Casey blacks out.
Coming to, Casey can't figure out what happened. The whole room seems to spin and she can't focus on anything, she can't hear anything, all she can do is feel. She feels pain all over, but mainly in her head and right arm. Groaning she tries to remember where she is and what has happened. 'Think Casey, think' is all she keeps running through her mind.
Touching her pounding head Casey feels something sticky pulling her hand away she sees a dark substance, blood. Finally it occurs to her, she was in the car. Riding in John's car, John was driving. She turns her head towards the driver's seat and sees John.
He isn't moving his head is hung forwards, and he has something sticking out of his chest. "Oh my God, John" Casey breathes as she tries to unfasten her seatbelt. Not being able to free the belt she opens the center console and grabs John's knife and cuts herself free. Climbing over to her husband she checks his pulse and there isn't one. Casey feels like she can't breathe, she just holds John's face in her hands while she begs, "No John…no…please John…please…wake up…please don't leave me."
She is crying profusely now and her hearing is starting to return that's when she hears Caroline crying for her and John. "Oh my God. Caroline sweetie!" Casey cries out to her scared child. Immediately she climbs into the back seat. Casey tries to look the small child over. "Caroline are you hurt," Casey asks but doesn't expect an answer, "Shh, sweetie Mommy is here. I am going to get you out baby."
Opening the SUV's back door Casey falls out into the snow and examines her surroundings. They seem to have driven off the road and ended in the ravine. Casey tries to remember exactly what happened but can't piece it together with her pounding head. Reaching into her pocket with her left hand she pulls out her phone and calls 911.
After a few rings she hears, "911 please state your emergency."
Casey begins, "T-there's been an accident…my family…we have been in an accident." Casey continues to explain what she can piece together to the operator. As she finishes the operator says, "Okay, Mrs. Novak I need you to find a clearing somewhere where the search helicopters will be able to see you, okay?"
"Okay," Casey shakily answers.
The operator continues, "Okay, I have dispatched emergency vehicles and search and rescue, find that clearing and keep your phone on you, I will call you back in ten minutes."
"Okay," Casey whimpers as she hangs up. Caroline still crying looks up to Casey and cries out, "I want Daddy."
"It's okay sweetie. Daddy is sleeping so we are going to go for a walk and look for special lights." Casey unclips her little girl and helps her into her little jacket and then wraps a blanket around her. Picking up the small child she suddenly realizes just how cold she is feeling the small warm body pressed into hers.
Holding the child on her left hip she tries to not use her right arm at all. Praying for strength, the redhead tries to make her way up the embankment to some sort of clearing. She keeps wondering 'where are the lights,' and 'where is help,' as she fears that she and her child might die out here.
Finally making her way to a clearing, Casey allows herself to sit in the center of the opening holding her small child against her body as the snow fell all around them. "I am cold Mommy, I want to go home." Caroline whispers as she shakes in Casey's arms.
Allowing her tears to fall silently she kisses her small child's head and whispers, "I know sweetie, we will soon. How about I tell you a story any story you want." Feeling Caroline nod her head she hears the little girl whisper, "Ariel Mommy."
"Okay sweetie, once upon a time there was this mermaid whose name was Ariel…" telling her little girl the story of the beloved Disney princess Casey still looks towards the sky as the snow pours down from the heavens above. Feeling her child's breathing even out she knows she has again fallen asleep. Taking a deep breath, Casey again prays that help will find them soon.
All of a sudden, she hears the helicopter and sees the search lights cut through the dark night sky. She frantically waves her hands in the air praying that she and Caroline will be seen. As the light falls over her body she knows they have been spotted. Hearing a man's voice echo through the quiet over a loud speaker she is told not to worry they would get them out in the next few minutes.
It is then that she fully allows reality to hit her. Feeling the first uncontrollable wracking sob course through her body she lets out a loud cry. Waiting she cries for everything that she knows she has lost forever to the quiet snowy night.