The glee club looked just as happy as it ever did as they sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". The old members that he had performed with in Chicago, and some of the new ones that he didn't know as well, but was sure they were just as nice. Even Sue was smiling, against all odds. Rory couldn't help smile as he looked down upon them. What he would give to perform with them one last time, but such a thing wasn't quite possible. He had already pulled too many favors in order to pull that off.
This was no time to reminisce. Or it was, but not like this. Rory stretched as he prepared for takeoff. He was grateful to Artie for ringing that bell, as it would make Rory's journey considerably easier. With one great flap of his wings, Rory passed through the walls of the school and was on his way to his destination - the Bahamas.
The Motta family had at least six summer homes - they used to have ten, but everybody had to make sacrifices during the recession. Sugar had told Rory several times that the one in the Bahamas was her favorite. It had a huge view of the ocean, two kitchens, and most importantly a large ballroom with a glass ceiling allowing the guests to look up at the stars as they danced. Rory landed silently on the veranda just outside the room. It was getting quite late. The Motta's must have had a party of some kind, because there were still some people wearing expensive tuxedos and fancy dresses climbing into limousines in the front. The ballroom itself was almost empty - almost. One person still stood there.
Sugar looked as beautiful as ever. Her hair was down and flowing over her shoulders. Her dress wasn't nearly as fancy as those of her peers, but still carried the rich and powerful air of the Motta family budget. The pal pink clung to her body and stretched down onto the floor like silk - actually, it probably was silk. Small glints of light bounced off of it, probably coming from diamonds or some other gemstone sown directly into the outfit. Yet for all the beauty she had around her, Sugar still didn't look as happy as she could. She smiled, of course, but anybody could tell that there was something she was missing this Christmas. Pacing like a caged animal, Sugar refused to leave the ballroom just yet.
The door was of no hindrance to Rory, and he entered the room without a single sound. After ensuring his wings were tucked out of view, he called her name, and she jumped; when she turned in his direction he saw the briefest glimpse of fear. But as soon as she recognized him it dissolved and was replaced with the same joy that he had fallen in love with so long ago.
"Rory!" she cried as she rushed towards him. Rory smiled and held out his arms to catch her in a huge hug, and despite his condition her arms still felt like they were going to crush him out of pure joy. FInally she loosened her grip, and pulled him into a kiss. No matter what else would happen that night, the trip was worth it just for that. "How did you get here? When did you get back?"
"I flew in." Rory said. It wasn't a total lie. "I just landed. You know I had to be here so that we could have Christmas together."
Sugar giggled. "Christmas is almost over, silly!" She took his hand in hers. "It's like, half an hour until midnight."
"Well then," Rory said as he placed her other hand on his shoulder and placed his own on her hip, "we'll just have to make the most of it." He began to step in time to imaginary music, and Sugar soon caught on.
"But Rory, you can't dance!" she said as he led her around the ballroom.
"I learned," he replied as he spun her out, then back in. "Just for you."
The very idea of her boyfriend learning to dance just so that they could share a moment like this made Sugar's heart melt. She had missed Rory every day since he had to go back to Ireland. A part of her had hoped that some kind of miracle would happen and he'd be back at the beginning of the school, year, but she never saw him throughout all of September. Or October, or November. It certainly didn't help that she had never gotten his contact info in Ireland.
None of that mattered now, though. Rory led her around the ballroom like a professional waltzer, and there was no way the moment could get any better.
Seemingly reading her mind, Rory looked up and smiled. "Look Sugar."
She followed his gaze, and gasped. Tiny white specks were falling from the sky and landing on the glass roof. Soon they were building up.
"Snow!" she said with surprise. "But...how? We're in the Bahamas, it doesn't snow here."
"It must be a Christmas miracle just for us." Rory smiled and pulled Sugar into another kiss. She closed her eyes and didn't care then how Rory had gotten there, or why it was snowing in a tropical country. In that moment she knew how much she loved Rory, and how much he loved her. She almost didn't want him to pull away. He had been gone for so long that she was scared he'd go away again before she even realized it.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Rory. He looked so happy he was glowing. Wait...no, he was actually glowing.
"Rory..." Sugar said nervously. Rory sensed the anxiety in her voice and looked down, seeing his entire body give off a soft white sheen.
"Oh blimey. I thought we had more time."
Sugar's eyes were wide with fear now as he continued to shine brighter and brighter. "Rory, what's happening to you? What's going on?!"
"I...I can't stay, Sugar." Rory struggled to keep his smile intact. "I was only able to negotiate my stay until the end of Christmas day."
"Negotiate? Stay? I don't understand, explain!" Tears formed in her eyes.
"Sugar, I...I never made it back to Ireland." Rory's eyes held a sad, longing look. "There was a storm over the Atlantic and my plane went down. All of the passengers drowned, and that included me."
Sugar gasped and her hand went to her mouth. She felt as if her heart was going to stop. This couldn't be happening. Rory...dead? "No...no, you're lying! You're not dead, you're not!" She flung herself at him and began sobbing into his luminous chest. Rory held back his own tears as he held her close, rubbing her back and trying to give what comfort he could as she kept on repeating herself. "You can't...you can't..."
"I was knocked unconscious," he continued. "I didn't feel a thing. After a while there was a light...I had lived a good life. They let me become an angel, Sugar."
The girl managed to compose herself slightly. "Th-they?" she asked. "Wh-who are they?"
Rory shrugged. "I'm not sure. God. The powers that be. The forces of all that's good in this world. I've been spending the past few months watching over people, helping them see the light in the darkness. I visited my family, once. Helped Seamus when he was being bullied in school. But even then I was thinking about you."
The tears kept on rolling down her cheeks, but at least Sugar was able to stay standing, albeit shakily. "Really?"
Rory nodded. "You deserved to know what happened. My parents didn't know any of my friends here, so they couldn't tell you guys. They have no idea the kind of family I built for myself in America. I want you to tell them."
"Why me?" Sugar looked confused, but in her heart she knew why.
"Because of all the people there, you were the one I fell in love with. And we grew close - so close that I could always find you, no matter where I was in the world." Rory brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "You were my world, Sugar. But now...now you have to make your own world."
Rory backed away from her. His body had become completely covered in white light, obscuring everything but his face. But Sugar wouldn't look away.
"Please..." she whispered. "Please don't go..."
"I have to. I'm not even supposed to be here." Even in the bright lights she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I'll never see you again!" Sugar cried out.
"Don't be silly." Rory cracked his signature charming smile. "Of course you will. Every time you close your eyes, or you think of me, I'll be there. And of course I'll always be watching over you."
Sugar watched in awe as a pair of beautiful, white feathered wings unfurled themselves from Rory's back. His feet lifted off the ground and he began to rise into the heavens.
"I love you." He said as he ascended.
"I love you too!" she called, as if the louder she declared it the better chance she had of keeping Rory with her. But she knew this was it. He managed one final night for them, and it was beautiful. Rory reached the glass ceiling and passed through it, and suddenly he was gone, and the room was dimmer for it.
"Merry Christmas" she whispered after him.
Somehow she knew that he had heard it