2013:
Haha, hi guys. Remember last Christmas when I said I was doing a Christmas story? Well/ I never had the time to finish it before too late, so I saved it for this Christmas instead. Over the last week I've been finishing it up and editing it, but I couldn't post it yesterday! Between all the family activities and FF being down for about 7 hours or so (that's how long someone told me it was, I didn't have the time to sit there all day and continuously try to post this) I obviously did not get this up on Christmas day. However, I have it for you today. One year and one day later than it was supposed to be but I didn't want to make it a whole solid two years after trying so hard to get it up THIS year.
So, here it is, my story, which is based off of the '97 movie, Anabelle's Wish. You may or may not have seen it but I hope you enjoy this story either way. I replaced character names, tweaked some dialogue to make it a little bit less 'country' and stuck it all together. It's not any different but I hope it entertains you nonetheless.
I don't own Teen Titans, Annabelle's Wish, the characters or even the storyline. I came up with nothing in this I just squished everything together in my imagination, so if there's a mistake you can let me know and I'll fix it.
I'd like to tell you a story. You see, Christmas Eve is a night tailor-made for wishes. And this Christmas Eve would be no exception. It was special, even for Santa. Because that night, on a small farm in Tennessee, a small calf was born, and a legend began. Her arrival would change the life of a little boy forever. Her name was Mari. And trust me, it was no accident this little bundle of joy with wishes all her own was born on Christmas Eve.
"Deck the halls with boughs of Holly! Fa la la la la, la la la la!" Children's voices rang out singing merrily from the back of an old pickup truck, stacked with hay for the kids to sit on. It was driving through the streets of a little town that night, where the kids had been caroling together. People smiled and waved at them as they went by.
"'Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la laaaa!" Kole, standing upright with her arms spread, sang the loudest out of all the children, and held out the notes as long as she could. In the front seat, a black and white dog with long ears whined and covered those ears at the noise.
"I know, Robin," an old man who was driving the truck said. "But you've got to admit, she's got spunk. And she's good to our Joey. We like that in a gal, don't we?" The old man smiled and pet the dog, who was barking in agreement. He glanced into the rear view mirror at the two kids, Kole tackle-hugging Joey as best she could in the small space of back of the truck. The girl had a sparkle in her eyes, and snow was sticking in her strawberry blond curls. Both she and Joey were grinning ear to ear.
The truck stopped at different houses for each of the children, dropping them off one by one until just Joey and Kole were left in the truck.
"Merry Christmas!" Kole shouted, waving largely each time. Joey waved as well, with a small smile.
Grandpa William was a believer through and through. And he had a wish that Christmas, too. Not that Grandpa wanted anything for himself.
The truck jumped, and hiccupped a few times. Grandpa was having a hard time getting the truck to keep going in this snow. Kole shouted from the back of the truck.
"Keep going, Mr. Wintergreen! Don't stop here!" But the truck wasn't listening, and she and Joey watched with dismay as they rolled to a stop right outside a barn door that belonged to some very unpleasant people. The door slid open, and two boys popped their heads out. One was rather large for his age, and the other very small. While Grandpa tried to get the truck to start again, the two mean little boys ran towards the back of the truck, where Joey and Kole were still sitting.
No, his wish was for his grandson Joey. See, he had a bit of a problem…
"What's the matter, Joey? Ain't you gonna sing?" the smaller boy, Gizmo said.
Joey shrunk back, half hiding behind a bale of hay. Clearly he was a bit hurt, and afraid of the two boys.
"Yeah he was singing," answered the other boy, Mammoth. He elbowed his brother. "Silent Night!"
They both laughed out loud in a very mean way. Joey was getting more upset with each thing that they said. He hid more behind the hay bales. Kole scrunched up her face, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.
"Mammoth and Gizmo! How can you be so- so mean!" She gestured to Joey, who was looking down sadly, as if he wanted to cry. "Just because Joey can't talk, doesn't mean he can't hear! He has ears you know!"
She pulled Joey up, putting an arm around him at the end of her speech. The young boy looked down, green eyes filled with the sadness that came from being picked on so much. The two boys on the ground sneered and picked up handfuls of snow.
"Get out of here!" shouted Gizmo, throwing a snowball. His brother started to throw some as well.
"Yeah, just get out of here!" agreed Mammoth. Thankfully, they didn't hit Joey or Kole with the snowballs. Robin started barking, defending the kids the only way he could, and leaning out the window, ending up with a face full of snow. Grandpa noticed the commotion and frowned, getting out of the cab of the truck.
"You-! You bullies!" Kole stood up again, holding on to the truck with one hand and shaking a finger at them with the other. Grandpa had made his way around now and was ready to break up what could be a fight.
"Don't worry, Kole, I'll handle this…" He walked up to the two boys, who were still taunting and teasing, sticking their tongues out. "How would you boys like to go caroling with us?"
The two boys in question gasped and stared in confusion. Behind Grandpa, in the truck, Joey and Kole also stared in complete shock. Those two? Going caroling with them? Suddenly, a man stormed out, the father of the two boys. He was called Brother Blood- or used to be. He quit preaching a long time ago. Now he insisted on just being called by his last name. He carried a lantern with him and did not look happy. Then again, he almost never looked happy.
"My boys aren't going anywhere," he said, marching right up to Grandpa.
"Good evening, Blood. Merry Christmas." The old man didn't let his neighbor's unfriendly nature get him down.
"You know we don't believe in that around here…" the man growled.
"But Blood, don't you remember when I used to take you caroling? You were just full of Christmas spirit then," Grandpa said hopefully.
"That was before, and this is now," answered Blood grimly. "You better be going on…"
Dejectedly Grandpa walked back to the truck, talking over his shoulder. "I'll just get her started and we'll get on down the road; I'm sorry we bothered you."
He climbed back into the truck and got the it to start as quickly as he could. Blood marched up to the truck bed threateningly, holding up his lantern and making Joey and Kole shrink back. But then Kole scrunched up her face again, and leaned back towards the man bravely, showing she wasn't afraid. The truck drove off and she kept up her glare. Meanwhile, Gizmo scooped up more snow.
"Hey Mammoth, they forgot their present!" He threw another snowball, hitting Robin in the face once more.
The way they acted, you'd think Mr. Blood and his boys hated Christmas. Kole looked back behind them as they drove, scowling. "Mammoth and Gizmo are meaner than snakes. I hope Santa Claus doesn't have anything left but dolls when he gets to their house!"
Joey nodded in agreement and then blinked. He looked at Kole curiously. She shrugged.
"Well he's gotta leave them something…" she said a bit coyly. She and Joey giggled all the way to her home, even if Joey made no sound.
"Last stop, Kole," Grandpa said cheerily. She was still giggling as she answered.
"That was fun, huh Joey? Singing Christmas songs- well, not the singing part, Joey. But just being out on Christmas Eve!" She always spoke very animatedly, and she ended gesturing to the night all around them. Joey stood and smiled happily, looking up at the sky with her, silently agreeing. She giggled and hugged him tightly around the neck again. "Night Joey. Night, Mr. Wintergreen!"
She hopped out, and Robin barked to her while Grandpa waved. Joey opened and closed his mouth a few times, wanting to answer her but unable to. She looked back and smiled to him.
"Merry Christmas to you, too, Joey." She waved and he smiled.
Joey smiled happily. Somehow Kole always knew what he wanted to say. Grandpa drove the three of them home, Joey sitting in the warm cab. They stopped in front of the garage and Robin immediately jumped out and started sniffing. He sniffed around the snow and began to bark, running towards Grandpa and tugging on his leg.
"Hey, hey! Hold your horses, Robin," the man said, wondering what it was that had excited the dog. The dog let go, running to the barn, barking at the man loudly, before going inside. "I guess I better go see what's going on inside the barn- you want to come along, and give me a hand?"
A look of pure fear formed across the young blonde's face, and he simply turned and ran away to the house.
"That's okay, son," Grandpa called after him. "I'll be in, in a minute, to tuck you in!"
The man went on into the barn. Inside, there was a whole assortment of animals, settling in for the night. Chickens, an owl, a pig, a horse, and many more. Most of them were gathered around the stall for a cow.
"What's all the commotion in here? Let me in, guys." Grandpa asked out loud.
He came up to the cow's stall and looked down into the bedding of hay where his prized cow was laying. Curled up at her side was a newborn calf, with big blue eyes and black spots. The calf stood and came right up to the man curiously, and he kneeled to get a good look at her.
"Well, would you look at that… Looks like you got your Christmas present early, Star. And she's beautiful."
The red-colored cow mooed loudly in agreement, very happy to have her calf. Grandpa stood up and a black and silver horse by his shoulder neighed and butted him with her nose. He laughed and stroked her neck.
"Yeah, Argent, you're a beauty, too."
She brayed happily, holding her head high. Meanwhile the calf walked back to her mother, curling up next to her and shivering. Grandpa noticed that there was a crack in the wall, where some snow was blowing in.
"Oh shoot, missed a spot!" He covered it with his hand, and looked at his cows. "Can't have you catching a chill, now can we?"
He went and picked up a board and nails, as well as a hammer. He put the board over the crack and nailed it into place, successfully blocking out the wind and snow.
"I can patch up this old barn… but I can't seem to patch up Joey…." he said thoughtfully to himself.
Robin barked, dragging a blanket over a bit clumsily, as it was so big and heavy. Grandpa chuckled and draped it over the cow and her calf. The pig snorted and rolled an apple over to them as well. Grandpa picked it up, and frowned at the bite taken out of it. The pig looked a bit guilty but Grandpa just smiled at him.
"It's okay, Cy. It's the thought that counts." He stood up, putting the apple down. "My friends, merry Christmas."
Grandpa went back to the house, finding Joey asleep on the couch. He smiled fondly at the boy and came forward to pick him up and carry him to bed. This proved to be quite a lot of effort, but still the boy didn't stir. Grandpa grunted as he finally had a firm hold of him.
"Ouf, you're getting a little big for this…" He adjusted the boy in his arms. "Either that or I'm getting too old."
Grandpa carried the young boy towards the stairs to take him up to his room. He saw the plate of cookies and glass of milk on the little table by the stairs and smiled. There was a note next to it that read, 'Dear Santa, I love you, Joey'. He smiled and chuckled to himself as carried Joey to bed.
Christmas on the farm was pretty simple. But, in the city, simple was never enough for Aunt Mae.
A woman came into her richly furnished loft apartment, decorated entirely in shades of pink, humming out loud to herself some Christmas carol, and carrying a few last minute ornaments for her bright pink tree. She liked everything to be pretty and shiny, and neat, and she wore tinsel around her neck that was just that. Still humming, she put the ornaments on the tree and the tinsel on the mantel of the fireplace.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, looking around. "Absolutely perfect! Well… nearly perfect. Hm… Candles, candy, tinsel… something's missing."
She looked around at everything she had, which was a lot. She moved towards her pink grand piano, which had a single framed photograph on it, which pictured a little boy with curly blonde hair and bright green eyes.
"And you know what that is?" She continued to talk to herself, picking up the photo. "A child! That's what! And we know just where to get one, don't we…."
For some unknown reason, Aunt Mae had lately wanted kids of her own. Well, not her OWN, because she never wanted to actually give birth to one. She wanted someone else to love her. But she wasn't married and she couldn't adopt, so getting kids was a little bit hard for her, no matter how badly she wanted them. The picture, however, seemed to hold the perfect solution; little Joey.
That evening she went to her lawyer, to find a way to get that boy.
"When your sister died, you gave up all rights to your nephew," her lawyer told her. "We haven't been able to find a legal loophole."
She frowned. "You're my lawyer. I'm paying you big bucks to find a loophole!"
"Actually, not that big of bucks."
She frowned angrily at him, standing up. Her expression changed and she seemed ready to burst into tears. "If I have to spend one more Christmas without you, Joey, I- I-" Her expression changed again just as suddenly, and she looked resolved suddenly, determined. "I get what I want."
Back at the farm, with Joey safely tucked in bed, Grandpa sat in his room, listening to a music box and looking at a picture of his own with tears in his eyes. The picture was of a man and a woman, and a little boy only a few years old. They were all so happy. It was Joey, with both of his parents. Flames of the candlelight reflected on the tears in the old man's eyes.
Memories have a way of being good and bad. And that old music box reminded Grandpa of his son, Slade, and daughter-in-law Addie; and gave him the gumption to raise that little boy by himself. On the other hand, it brought up the memory of the night Joey lost his voice... "Doc? Do you think Joey's going to be alright?" Grandpa asked him as he came back out of Joey's room into the hall, where the old man was waiting with worry.
A raging fire burned in the barn, bursting out the windows. Smoke poured out the doors. The animals were panicked, making all the noise they could and trying to get out. In the midst of the fleeing animals, Grandpa burst out the barn doors, carrying the tiny form of Joey, unconscious, in his arms. The animals ran out after him, but it was still too late for Joey…. Grandpa set him down gently as sirens sounded, waiting for him to wake up. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. When the doctor got there and took a look at the child, it was clear that he'd made it out without a scratch, completely unscathed except for one thing.
"He's not hurt, but he breathed in a lot of smoke, burning his throat and lungs. He will be coughing a lot for a while, and he may get nauseas or throw up. That will all go away with time and treatment, but I'm afraid there's permanent damage."
"What kind of damage?" Grandpa demanded, getting emotional over the harm and near loss of his grandson, his only living relative."Respiratory problems, for one," the doctor explained calmly. "And, depending on the extent of the burning, his vocal cords may be damaged. I'm sorry. He may never talk again."
Grandpa cried at the memory, sitting down on his bed and wiping his eyes. He looked into the picture, missing his daughter and son-in-law, and wishing he could make Joey that happy again.
Well if anyone could prove that doctor wrong, it'd be Grandpa. He refused to give up.
That night, at just about one in the morning, Robin was up and about. He took note of the time, and noticed the cookies and milk still on the little table. He thought of eating them and actually took a moment to try and do so. He almost knocked the table over, and stood frozen, watching until it stopped rocking and righted itself. He let out a sigh of relief when it didn't fall, and decided to leave it alone. He went out the dog-door and through the snow, walking to the barn.
Around midnight old Robin tore out on a mission. Had to do with the secret legend of Santa Claus. Never heard of it, have you? Well, that's why they call it a secret. You see, the story goes that on this night, Santa brings the animals a very special gift.
Robin barked, getting every animal in the barn to come to the entrance. Up in the sky, you could see a sleigh flying past the moon, trailing behind sparkling dust. If you had really good eyes, as many of the animals did, you could see Santa riding next to his enormous toy bag, taking off his hat and letting it down to catch some of the magic dust falling from his sleigh. The reindeer pulling the sleigh circled around and landed in front of the barn, to the delight of the animals. Santa climbed down into the snow, carrying his hat. He reached inside, grabbing a handful of magic, and throwing it onto the animals.
The story goes, children aren't the only ones who get a gift from Santa.
"Let the talking, begin!" he announced. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Santa!" the animals chorused back. The newborn calf looked up at her mother.
"Mom? Who is that?" she walked forward to investigate the man in the red suit.
"I'm Santa Claus!" he answered joyfully, stepping into the barn with them. "But the question is, who are you, hm? Let's see now…."
He pulled out his list; his very special list, not with names of boys and girls, but the names of all the animals he had to visit. He looked down, quickly spotting a new name shining like gold, with the birth date of December 24th on it.
"Ah, you must be Mari; and right on schedule, too," he said, making the little calf beam happily. "Say, what's that on your lip, Cy?"
The pig in question did in fact have a little something on his snout, and looked down bashfully. "Huh? Oh! Well, um- uh…"
Santa folded his arms in slight disappointment at the animal's behavior, though a twinkle still in his eye. "You ate my lunch, didn't you?"
Cy couldn't really deny it, he had actually stepped in the lunch box itself. He tried to defend himself. "I can't help it! I get so hungry! I'm a pig! But I promise, I'll start my diet right now; tonight!"
Santa chuckled and turned his attention to the dog. "Robin, old buddy, what's the scoop?"
"I'm glad you asked- those boys down the street have been up to trouble again! Throwing snowballs!"
"Mm-hm, I thought they might. Don't worry, they'll come around soon enough," said the man knowingly.
The barn owl, Gar, took this moment to pipe up about his own yearly news, hopping into the air and flapping his wings wildly. "I just can't seem to get this whole flying thing down!"
He fell rather quickly after jumping off of the beam he'd been perched on, but Santa easily caught him.
"That's because flying is up," Santa explained, setting him down again on a post for one of the pens. "Don't worry, Garfield, you'll be flying with eagles in no time!"
Santa turned to the next pen over, where the silver mare was standing patiently, but expectantly.
"Miss Argent! Ah, looking lovely as ever, I see." He gently stroked her muzzle.
Flattered, the horse answered, "You really think so? I bet you're just saying that! I'm not as young as I used to be, you know."
Santa laughed one of his deep, belly-like-a-bowl-full-of-jelly laughs, as Star came up to him.
"Santa, I got the best Christmas present ever," she said in her usual, quiet way.
"Yes, I'd say you do, Star," the man agreed, patting her on the head. He looked about himself. "Now where did she go?"
Santa spotted the calf just outside the barn doors, looking curiously at the reindeer. She looked up at him, asking, "How come these cows have these things on their heads?"
Santa laughed again kindly. "Those aren't cows, Mari, they're my magic reindeer. They help me fly."
Mari looked up at him quizzically. "Fly?"
"Mm-hm," the man said, walking with her around the side of the sled. "Flying is like, taking a walk in the sky! It's how I get around the world so fast."
He took a big red ribbon out of his pocket, kneeling in front of her and tying it into a bow around her neck. "Hold still now- there! Haha, you're as pretty as a present!" Mari beamed again, and the man stood up, getting back into his sleigh. "Well, got to go; lot's of youngsters depending on me. Enjoy the talking now, but remember- it's our secret!" He winked and put a finger to his lips.
With a swish of the reins and a wave of more sparkling dust, he rose up into the air, the animals shouting another, "Merry Christmas Santa!" to him as he left.
Mari and Robin both ran after them, letting the magic fall on them as they trailed behind. They watched as Santa stopped by the house to drop off all the presents, as well as have his cookies and milk from Joey. Soon enough, though, he had finished as was flying away into the night, Mari still chasing after him. When they were out of sight, the little calf's ears drooped sadly, and she let her tail drop. Her mother came up behind her.
"Come on inside, honey."
Mari looked up at her mother. "But I wanna go with them! I wanna fly too!"
"Well, sweetie," Star answered, "you'll have to talk to Santa about that."
"Is he coming back?" Mari asked with excitement.
"Mm-hm, yes; next year."
"Hm. Good," declared the calf, plopping herself down in the snow. "Then I'll wait right here."
Robin walked up, looking doubtfully at the baby cow. "You know, a year is a very long time, young lady. Maybe you'd better wait inside the barn."
Mari got up, letting her mother give her a little nudge, and went with them both to the barn to get warm and sleep. "Maybe next time, momma. Maybe next time I can ask Santa if I can fly too. Please?"
"Maybe so, honey," Star agreed. "If you're real good…."
The next morning, a red, orange, and yellow rooster pranced out along the barnyard fence as the sun was coming up. He took in a huge breath and….
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Good morning barnyard! Hey, this is Wally the rooster, aka Flash, coming right at 'ya, saying 'hi' to all my lovely little chickies out there!"
Inside the barn, Mari was just waking up, next to her mother.
"Mama, has it been a year yet?" she asked gleefully.
Star chuckled. "No dear, it's barely been one day."
Mari looked down in slight disappointment when just then, Cy the pig walked by, mumbling. "Oh boy….not gonna start my diet today. I'll start tomorrow."
Right after him came Gar, hopping and flapping like crazy, also talking to himself. "Up…up…gotta remember, flying is up!"
That Christmas morning was packed with surprises. Some pleasant, some…not so pleasant….
A bright pink car with high back fins skidded up to the front of the house, and out stepped a woman in a winter coat, carrying presents. "Whoever scheduled Christmas for this time of year should have their head examined… it should be in July, when there's no snow and everything's on sale!"
She got to the door as Grandpa was opening it, having heard her car pull up. "Mae!" he exclaimed with a sort of horrified surprise.
"How nice to see you," she greeted him, blowing kisses as she walked into the house. She dropped her purse on Grandpa's foot and the presents on the entry way table, stepping into the next room. "Joseph, darling! Give your auntie a big kiss!"
She went for Joey, who was sitting on the floor with Robin amongst his presents and the wrapping paper. He squirmed a bit at displeasure, shocked at her arrival. She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up to sit with her on the couch.
"So, sweetie, tell me all about yourself."
Joey could only stare blankly, amazed that this woman was even here, seeming so interested in him when she didn't even know his name; at least, not the name he preferred to go was even more amazed that she was asking questions, expecting him to be able to answer them. Surely she knew he didn't speak? She couldn't be that distant, could she?
"Oh that's right you don't-" the woman chuckled nervously a bit to herself, then pressed on. "Oh. Um. Well, how are you doing in school? Hm- well never mind, we can discuss that later; but look what auntie has brought for you!"
She took him by the shoulders, leading him to the next room where she had left her presents. Grandpa was there, looking disgruntled and finding a place for her purse.
Mae picked up the small stack and dropped it into Joey's arms. "Open your presents, sweetie." Joey was still a bit disconcerted by this woman, but he had no reason to argue, so he took them back to the tree to see what she'd thought he would like. Aunt Mae reached lazily into her coat pocket, producing another small package. "Oh and these are for you, William, Merry Christmas. They're imported bonbons from Paris. You know, France?"
Truth be told, Aunt Mae knew very little about her nephew, and clearly had no reason to want him in particular. She just wanted a child around and Joey just happened to be available. She didn't notice, but he wasn't very interested in any of the things she'd brought him, but there was one last present that would be better than anything else he'd gotten this year.
He picked a small box out of the branches of the tree, reading the label that said Santa had left it for him. He opened it eagerly, looking at the note left inside, and then quickly got up to show it to Grandpa.
"What's that, Joey?" the man asked, seeing the note in his hand and reading it out loud. "Look outside…"
The young boy was already bounding off to do so. He noted that the milk and cookies he'd left for Santa were now gone, and there was an extra bounce in his step as he ran into the kitchen, Robin at his heels. He looked out the kitchen window, unable to believe his eyes. He opened the door and heard the surprisingly loud braying of the little calf standing there in the snow, a big red ribbon tied around her neck. Joyfully he ran out to see her, and the second he was within range, the calf licked him, just as happy to meet him as he was her. Instantly, the two were friends, and he hugged her around the neck. Grandpa had followed them, smiling all the way, and Aunt Mae was standing in the doorway.
Grandpa pulled off the tag attached to the bow and read it out loud. "Her name is Mari, take good care of her. Love, Santa Claus." He smiled at the pure joy in Joey's face. Together, the boy and the calf started to dance and play in the snow.
Mae picked her way out to Grandpa, avoiding mud and what was probably animal dung. "You gave him a cow for Christmas? A COW?"
"Nope." Grandpa shook his head, holding up the tag. "It was Santa Claus."
"You're teaching the boy to believe in that fantasy?" Aunt Mae asked with distaste. Grandpa crossed his arms.
"There's nothing wrong with a little believing… After what he's been through…"
"Exactly!" Mae put her fists on her hips. "This dreadful farm is a constant reminder of that horrible fire. This farm just isn't safe; let alone for a boy who can't talk…."
Meanwhile, Joey followed Mari right into the barn, without even thinking about it. When he saw where he was, he was scared to death, falling down to his knees and clinging around Mari's neck. The animals were just as surprised that he was here as he was, and their shock clearly showed. Robin ran in, so fast that he hit a bale of hay and caused dust to fly everywhere. The dust caught in Joey's lungs, causing him to gasp for breath, which wasn't helping him out in the least. That is, until he sneezed.
"Bless you," Mari said politely. Wide-eyed, Joey stared at her in absolute shock, forgetting about being afraid in favor of just being astonished. The animals all gasped, staring at Mari who stared right back. "What? All I said was 'Bless you.'"
"Oh, the cat's out of the bag," Robin said, picking himself up from the collision he'd gotten into.
"Aw man, the calf blew it!" exclaimed Flash.
"Oh boy, Santa's gonna be mad…" said Cy.
"That's bad- that's really bad…." the rooster agreed.
Joey was still sitting with Mari, staring in shock and confusion.
Outside, the adults noticed that Joey had gone into the barn.
"Where's Joseph!" Mae put her hands to her cheeks. "He's gone into that hideous barn, hasn't he? Hasn't he?"
She followed Grandpa into said barn, where Joey was sitting among all the animals, looking a bit shaken but unharmed. Grandpa went right to him, putting an arm over his shoulder. "Joey, you okay?"
The boy had barely nodded when Mae came in, waving her arms in the air. "This is no way to raise a child!"
"Not in front of the boy, Mae…" said Grandpa with exasperation.
"Fine," she sneered, "let's go inside then, before I take on the stench of these filthy animals…."
Handkerchief to her nose, she started to stop out of the barn when she stepped in something…rather 'filthy' itself. She cried out in horrified surprise, and everyone in the barn started to chuckle to themselves.
"Don't just stand there," she shouted. "Help me!"
"I'm coming, Mae," Grandpa said, holding back his smile. He turned to Joey. "You okay here Joey?" The boy was clearly content, feeling comfortable in the barn and so Grandpa went inside with Mae, thinking to himself. I'm gonna take care of that old biddy once and for all…
With the other humans out of the way, the animals went back to the matter at hand; Joey now knew the big secret.
"Now hold on!" Robin said, before everyone could get too wound up again. "Yes Mari talked in front of Joey, but everything will be fine as long as this doesn't go any further! Now, Joey won't tell anyone, you see?"
"Yeah!" agreed Mari. "He won't say anything; will you Joey?"
The boy only looked down sadly, shaking his head in answer to her question. Of course he knew Mari didn't know, but it was still sad to be reminded. Star stepped in with concern.
"Mari, honey….dear- you see- Joey… Can't talk."
Inside the house, Mae was sitting at the table with Grandpa, eating a whole plate-full of the bonbons she had given him and drinking tea.
"I'll get right to the point- I'm concerned about Joseph's welfare."
"Joey's fairing just fine, Mae," Grandpa said sternly.
"Well ever since my dear sister- rest her soul –and that son of yours were…lost," she gestured with her spoon, seeming to smirk as it flung tea over her shoulder. She took a few big gulps of tea between words. "I've worried myself sick over little Joseph. What's to become of that poor, pathetic little child?"
"Pathetic!" Grandpa protested. "Didn't you see how happy he was? And he's not afraid of the barn anymore thanks to Mari."
"Oh!" said Mae, rolling her eyes and helping herself to more bonbons. "Oh, and that bovine-with that bow! Why, that's the silliest thing I've ever seen! The boy doesn't need a cow, he needs a doctor."
Robin had come in through the dog door and listened to their conversation, sitting under the table with his long ears perched. Grandpa got up, walking to the other side of the room. "Doc Taylor says there's nothing he can do…"
"Doc Taylor- that boy needs real doctors, not some country hick who treats pigs as well as people!" She blew her nose loudly and rudely at the table. "Of course, you agree that I can get him the best that money can buy."
Grandpa turned back to her, holding his arms out in question. "Why now, Mae? You had your chance and you didn't want him!"
"Well," she answered, her eyes seeming to light up with greed, "I've changed my mind. I'll make the perfect- the PERFECT mother! Joseph will be much better off with me, in the city."
"The answer is no." Grandpa swept his hand through the air, drawing the line. "No! N-O. You're not getting Joey!"
"We'll see about that!" Mae picked up her purse and started for the door. "You've not heard the last from me; I have lawyers you know…."
She slammed the door and Grandpa walked stiffly out of the room, feeling tired before it was even noon. Robin muttered to himself privately. "I didn't want to hear from her the first time…"
As the pink car squealed away, Mari and Joey had made their way outside to play some more. Mari had gotten over her shock at Joey being unable to talk and was now willing to talk for the both of them.
"Do you like my bow? Santa gave it to me! Santa's got these cows with those things on their heads- I think he called them….reindeers…? You know they can fly? I'm gonna learn to fly too! I'm gonna ask Santa next time I see him. That's gonna be my wish."
Joey listened very happily to her, smiling the whole time at how excited she was. At the mention of her flying like the reindeer, he got an idea. He held his hand up to gesture that he was coming right back, walking over to a dead bush sticking up through the snow. Breaking off some of the branches, he took them over to the calf and used a spare piece of rope to tie them to her head. She went to the water trough close-by, and looked at her reflection. She grinned the way a cow could and her tail swished in pure joy. She looked like a real reindeer!
Kole walked up to them in the snow, dragging a small wooden sled behind her. "Whatcha doing, Joey? Wanna see what I got for Christmas?" Joey watched as she set down her sled, placing it perfectly in the snow with pride. She looked up and saw Mari. "Wow! Where'd you get the calf? She's so cute!" She smiled brightly at her friend and the baby cow, noticing the fake antlers. "Oh, I get it! You're pretending she's the reindeer, huh?"
Both Joey and Mari nodded proudly at once. Mari opened her mouth to say something but a quick bark from the barn reminded her that she wasn't supposed to do that.
"Great!" said Kole. "I've got the sled- I mean, sleigh. Wanna be an elf, Joey?"
The boy shrugged half-heartedly and Kole understood he wasn't that thrilled with the idea.
"I've decided I want to be the elf," she said nonchalantly. "So, you have to be Santa Claus. I hope that's okay with you."
Joey smiled brightly at her as she tied Mari to the front of her sled.
Kole always knew what Joey wanted. Sometimes I'd swear she knew it before he did. And, with his new friend, Mari, this would be a Christmas Joey would never forget.
They rode off down the road on the sled, under a tree where Gar jumped down from a branch to join them, and Robin ran alongside and jumped on as well. No one minded; the more the merrier. They raced down the hill, laughing happily at their quickly growing speed. They hit a bump, though, and Kole fell right off.
"Hey! Wait up you guys!" she shouted, standing up and cupping her hands around her mouth. "Wait for me! Slow down!"
They all looked back to her, more than willing to slow down, but finding that they couldn't. They were going so fast now that Mari tripped up, falling back onto the sled with Joey and crying out with Gar as they sped down the hill, totally out of control. They hit a jump caused by a frozen drift of snow, and flew high into the air. Their fall was broken by a fence painted with red letters, warning people to keep out. On the other side, they popped up out of the snow one by one, shaking the frost off and checking to see if they were all okay. Gar spoke up first.
"I think I just flew."
"Really?" Mari asked with excitement.
"It felt like it," the owl answered. "Yes I think so."
Just then, Mammoth and Gizmo walked up to them, looking really smug. Gizmo spoke up first. "Hey, Mammoth, look at Joey with his new… What is that?" He looked questioningly at the calf with branches on its head.
"I dunno- but they busted our fence!" the larger boy picked up a broken bit of wood and hit it against one hand threateningly.
"Hey, what's going on out here?" Called Blood, storming through the snow towards them.
"We caught 'em on our property!" answered Gizmo.
"You did, did you?"
"Yeah!" agreed Mammoth, dropping the piece of wood he had behind his back. "And they busted our fence! Thought maybe we should learn 'em a lesson…."
"You did, did you?" Their father asked again, approaching the trembling boy and his calf. "Hm… Nice looking calf…"
He reached for Mari when Robin barked threateningly. the dog wasn't very big, or scary, but the man withdrew his hand and scowled.
"Take your cow and get off our property!" The small group quickly scurried away before he had a chance to change his mind.
"Are we in trouble?" Mari asked quietly, when they were far enough away.
"Just don't look back…." Robin answered.
Blood watched them leave and put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder how the old man plans on affording to feed a calf….."
That night, the animals were chatting amongst themselves while they still had a voice like this to use. Mari was with her mother in their stall. Star smiled down at her.
"Did you have fun today sweetheart?"
"Oh, mama… Joey is my bestest friend," Mari answered, sitting down in the hay with her ears drooping. "Mama? How come Joey can't talk?"
All the animals became hushed at the bringing up of such a sensitive subject. Star sighed, preparing to answer as best as she could to the newborn calf.
"Well, honey, you see… There was a terrible fire here in the barn one night. It was a close call for all of us, including Joey. He hasn't spoken since."
"At all?" Mari asked with astonishment.
"No," answered her mother. Mari sighed softly, turning in a circle and laying in the hay. She smiled up at her mother.
"I'll talk for both of us, then."
Star chuckled softly. "That would be nice, honey, but our day of talking is almost over."
"You mean we don't always get to talk?"
Argent put her head over the wall of the stall, as she was next to them. "Well, love, nothing lasts forever."
Up in the rafters, Gar piped up. "Hey Star, Mari says she's going to fly around the world. Oh, sure!"
"No!" Mari quickly got to her feet to confront him. "I said I'm gonna try!"
"Nuh-uh! You don't even have wings and stuff!"
Mari had no argument for this, and she just let her head down, ears drooping and walked slowly out of the barn. The animals watched her go.
"Oh, I hate to see the sweet little thing get her hopes up…." Said Argent.
"Truth is, though," Cy said, "pigs are fat, and cows can't fly."
"Let her dream," said Star. "Dreams are so important."
"Oh, she'll grow out of it, Star," Robin said. "I mean, I used to dream of being famous, like Lassie or Old Yeller. Well, maybe not quite like Old Yeller…."
Soon Mari was back and pacing in her stall next to her mother, who was laying down for the night.
"I am too gonna fly…." She plopped down next her mother as she mumbled. "Over the moo… moo- moo." Her words melted away along with her will to stay awake, and she fell to sleep, dreaming of dancing in the clouds. As another Christmas day came and went, so did the talking. Mari woke up the next morning and she couldn't wait to see if her dream from last night had really come true, and if she had really grown antlers over night.
The little calf trotted over to the water trough to look at her reflection and frowned when she saw she was just the same as before. Nope… the antlers and the flying had all been just a dream. It was alright, though, because just then Joey came in with a whole bunch of carrots. She ran up to him, mooing excitedly. When Mari didn't talk, Joey began to wonder if he'd been dreaming too.
Grandpa was out front, shoveling snow when the Sheriff and Blood came up to him, causing the dog to growl. "Sheriff, is there a problem?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Sheriff Gordon said. "It seems your grandson and that new calf of his caused some damage over at the Blood's place. Tore down a fence."
"Well, I'm very sorry about that," Grandpa said to the frowning man just behind Gordon. "I'll pay for the damages, you know I'm good for it."
"Don't give me that, William," Blood said, pointing a finger. "You and I both know you don't have the money."
"Well, I-" started Grandpa.
"That's why I'm not asking for money. I'll just take that young cow of yours instead." The man turned to his boys, who had been lagging behind to pester the dog. "Go get her, boys."
The two grinned greedily and hurried off to the barn.
"He can't do that!" Grandpa protested. "Can he?"
Gordon frowned sadly. "I'm afraid so, Will."
"Heck, Will, I'm doing you a favor," Blood said. "Don't know how you could afford to feed her anyway."
The Sheriff put an arm around the old man's shoulders. "Tell you what; if you can raise the money in 24 hours, I'll make sure you get that boy's calf back."
"Thanks, but… I just don't know where I'd get it…" Grandpa looked down into the snow, feeling heartbroken for his grandson.
There were loud cries from the barn as the newborn calf was pulled away with a rope around her neck. Joey was standing at the barn doors as Gizmo and Mammoth pulled her away, waving his arms desperately in a silent plea. As they got out of sight he hung his head in defeat, tears falling down his cheeks. Joey spent the rest of the day curled up in a corner of the barn. Two days ago he'd never have set foot inside but now that one of his closest friends had been taken away he didn't have the heart to leave. Star was with him, feeling just as heartbroken and letting out a mournful lowing sound every once in a while. The boy fell asleep there, and Grandpa came out to carry him inside. The old man was crying for his grandson's loss, knowing how little he had that meant so much to him. Grandpa Wintergreen was not a man who had a lot of money but he gave everything to the boy, short of absolutely spoiling him. There just wasn't much he could afford. Kids in the city had so many toys they didn't know what to do with them; Joey had been more than happy with Mari. He was happy with just about anything to be honest, he was a fairly content child, but Grandpa still knew that nothing else in the whole world would make up for losing Mari.
He put the child to bed and then went into his own room, sluggishly getting ready for the night, wondering hopelessly how he could make this right. He picked up the music box his daughter-in-law had left behind, listening to it while he cried, trying to think of anything that could be done. The very next morning, Joey was with Star again in the barn, and Grandpa could hear her crying with the boy. He'd come up with an idea, and he was about to find the money to get that cow back. He was bundling up in his scarf and gloves, carrying a small package with him out the door. Just as he was leaving, Sheriff Gordon came up the walk.
"Morning, William. I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. How's the boy?" Grandpa could only shrug sadly, looking towards the barn. Gordon nodded. "You know, if I had the money I'd give it to you."
"I know you would," Grandpa nodded. "I know you would; but I think I've solved the problem."
"What are you going to do?" the Sheriff asked as they walked to the truck.
"Well, I've decided you can't hang on to some things forever. Joey really needs Mari…." He looked up at the Sheriff. "When I get the money, will you actually get her back for me?"
The younger man put his hand on Grandpa's shoulder again. "You bet, William, it'd be my pleasure."
He gave a nod and left. Grandpa did what he had to do; he sold the precious music box and he got Mari back. He just knew some friends shouldn't be separated.
Joey was sitting in the barn still, too tired to cry anymore, but too tired to get up again either. The door creaked open and he figured it was Grandpa, wanting him to come inside, maybe eat. He just didn't want to do anything at all. That is, until he heard a familiar bleating sound. He looked up and literally jumped to his feet in joy, running to Mari at the door. He hugged her tight around the neck while she nuzzled into him and licked his cheek.
They spent the entire year together, along with Kole. The seasons passed and the three couldn't be separated the entire time. They played in the meadow during spring, and flew kites in the summer. Fall came, and there were leaf piles and pumpkins to carve. Soon enough snow started to fall again and Christmas was just around the corner…..
EDIT 2014:
I decided to split the story, but by then it was too late so obviously I waited until next year. I actually went through and edited it as well, tweaking a few things, but it's still the same story. I will post the second half soon, picking the story back up. Thank you all for reading!
Oh, I almost forgot! Someone said last year that they would like it if I did some little stories to go with this AU, particularly for the parts between each Christmas. While I have no plans (or ideas) for anything like that, this person, cartoongeek13, wrote their own one-shot for the universe. It's called Tired of Waiting, and the story ID is 10529915 since I can't put in a link. It's really cute and sweet, and it takes place during Kole and Joey's (late)teen years. Go give it a read, it's really great.