[03/03/14]: This story was written before the release of The Sandman and the War of Dreams. Please keep that in mind.
Puerto Rico, Sixteen Years Later...
Helen Bennett ticked the final item off her list – a pair of warm, blue gloves – before she sighed with satisfaction. The suitcase before her was filled with warm winter clothes, mostly blue and white in colour, ready for her maybe trip to Burgess.
"All done." She tried to close the suitcase, and having difficulty, she sat on top of it and bounced up and down; this way she was finally able to get the zip done up. Now for the hard part.
She walked over to her calendar and sighed, ticking off the last day of November. Blowing a small lock of raven hair out of her eyes, Helen reached up and flipped over the next page, the picture showing a snow-covered field. On the 1st, she had written in big red letters 'ASK DAD'.
The girl sighed again. It's now or never. She hurried through their small house and out onto the front porch, which had a beautiful view of the beach. Helen grabbed her cap on the way out and slapped it on her head.
Outside, her father, Lowell Bennett, was trying to hang up a Christmas reeve above their porch. He was stood on top of the ladder, and didn't notice Helen hurry outside until she spoke. "Dad, can I ask you something?"
The shock caused him to lose his balance, and Lowell was sent crashing to the ground with both the reeve and the ladder he was stood on. Helen cringed, taking a few steps back to get out of the way. She then hurried to help her father up.
"Helen, you know I don't like it when you do that," he said. He accepted her help and stood up, before picking up the reeve to inspect that it wasn't damaged.
"Sorry," his daughter apologized. "Maybe I should have rubbed my lucky tooth." She raised a finger and stuck it in her mouth, rubbing the small baby tooth which was still wedged inside; even at her age, it still refused to come out. The pair had called it her lucky tooth ever since Helen was thirteen.
"No harm done." Lowell picked up the ladder and stood it upright again. "Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?"
Helen took in a deep breath and let it out again, preparing herself for the speech she had been practising. "Dad, as you know, it's been three Christmases since the divorce; three Christmases on this boiling hot island. And even though I know you and Mum still don't get along..."
"We're not going to Burgess."
Helen deflated. "You didn't even let me finish!"
"I didn't need to." Lowell gave his daughter a firm look. "Honey, I know you want to go back there, but your mother and I-"
"-will have to put your differences aside!" Helen argued. "Dad, you're being selfish and it's unfair on me, Jamie and Sophie. They want to see us both this year, and not just on the web-cam."
"It's not that simple-"
"It'll only be for a few days," the girl continued. "Dad, please. I want a real Christmas. With real snow, a real fire to sit around, and a real Christmas tree; not a palm tree covered in tinsel." She pointed to the poor excuse of a Christmas tree she was referring to, which was sat on the porch to their left. "And more importantly, I want to spend it with all my family. I'm sixteen, Dad. I'm nearly an adult. I'll never get another chance to spend Christmas as a child again."
She gave him the big brown puppy-dog eyes; the ones she knew her father couldn't resist. Lowell looked away, trying not to get drawn in...but he eventually sighed. "Alright. If your mother says yes-"
"YES!" Helen leapt at her father, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "She already has! All the flights are booked; you just need to pack!" She let go of him. "You know what? I'll do it for you!" The girl hurried inside. "We're leaving on the twenty-third!" she called over her shoulder.
Lowell stared after her before shaking his head with a smile.
Burgess, 23rd December
Helen peered out the window of the taxi as it entered Burgess. Snow covered the ground as far as the eye could see, and she hadn't stopped smiling all day; at the airport, on the plane, at the airport again... She had barely been able to contain her excitement as she'd changed into her blue and white winter clothes.
Her father was sat next to her, looking worried. Lowell and his ex-wife really hadn't gotten along well since the divorce, and he knew there would be arguments during their stay – he got that impression from his sleeping arrangements of simply the couch. Even the dog slept better.
The taxi finally pulled to a stop outside the house, and still gazing outside, Helen noticed her brother, Jamie, playing with his friends; they were having a snowball fight. Looks like fun. I haven't had a snowball fight in years. Maybe I'll join in after I'm unpacked... Her eyes settled upon a taller boy in the middle, holding a long stick and wearing a blue hoody, complete with brown trousers. Helen then noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes...but even more bizarre, his hair was white. Strange boy...
"Helen?" Helen blinked and turned to her father. "You need to get your own bags out. I'm not your butler."
Helen rolled her eyes and opened the door of the cab, before hauling out her hand-luggage and suitcase. While her father paid the driver she turned back towards the kids playing, looking for the white haired boy...but he had vanished.
Her surprise faded away when Jamie noticed their arrival and hurried over. "Helen! Dad!" He crashed into Helen, hugging her.
"Jamie!" Helen hugged him back. "You've grown so much!"
He jumped up and down with excitement. "I know! I'll show you how much when we get inside; I've been measuring on the wall in my bedroom!"
Lowell chuckled. "Alright, let's see how high." He held up his hand for a high five, but it was too high and Jamie struggled to reach it, even when jumping. So Helen just picked her brother up, and Jamie met his father's hand with ease. "That's cheating."
"That's fair play," the girl resorted.
Behind them Sophie hopped down the porch, her blonde hair a mess like usual while wearing pink fairy wings on her back. "Daddy! Hely!" She hurried over and gave her father a hug; he picked her up and swung her above his head, making her laugh. Abby came out barking as well, and Helen greeted the greyhound with a pat on the head.
"How's my little fairy princess, then?" Lowell asked his daughter. Observing her hair, he added, "You need a crown to hide that mop you call hair. Your mother obviously doesn't understand the concept of a hairbrush."
"I do. You try getting her to stand still long enough to use it."
All eyes turned towards the front door where Bernadette Bennett was waiting, her arms folded across her chest.
Not wanting a confrontation, Helen hurried over to her mother. "Mum!" They hugged. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, sweetheart." Bernadette then turned to Lowell. "You, not so much."
Lowell sighed. "Still as honest as ever, I see."
"Your room's ready. Are you sure the couch suits you fine?"
"It's the same arrangement we had when we were married."
Helen quickly spoke up. "Hey! Why don't we bring our stuff inside and catch up? I'm sure Jamie has lots of amazing stories to tell."
"Yeah!"
Bernadette went to grab Helen's suitcase, but Lowell beat her to it. "No, I'll take them."
"I'm the hostess. I'm taking it in."
"I'm just trying to be polite. I've got it."
Helen stepped in. "I'll take it. It's my bag."
But neither parent was having any of it. "Helen, it's fine. You've had a long flight over," Bernadette insisted.
"Funny. You're in no rush to bring in my bags." Lowell raised an eyebrow.
His ex-wife glared at him. "I only bring in the bags of people who are welcome in my house."
"Oh, so I'm not welcome? Why am I staying, then?"
"For Helen's benefit. If it were up to me, you'd be in outside in the shed."
"I think I'd rather be in a shed – better than staying under the same roof as you."
The argument escalated, and Jamie and Sophie exchanged glances. "They're going at it again," said the boy. He turned to his older sister...only to find her gone. He spotted her in the distance, walking away. "Come on, Soph." He took his little sister's hand before following the path Helen had taken, leaving their parents to argue.
Helen threw a stone at the iced over pond. It didn't even leave a dent, and slid all the way across it before landing in the snow on the other side.
The girl sighed. I wanted this year to be special. Why can't Mum and Dad set aside their differences for just one day? I bet my real parents weren't like this...whoever they were. She looked up into the sky at the faded moon, which always seemed to be smiling down at her wherever she was in the world.
"I know this sounds stupid talking to you, but it feels right," she said to it. "I get the feeling you know something about me; something important. I'm not going to ask that you tell me. All I want is a proper family – one which isn't divided. I had one once; I had to have one. But I lost it. Now I'm part of this one, but it's not complete. If you know how I can get them together again...please tell me."
The moon remained silent. Just like the countless other times she had tried talking to it. Helen sighed, and kicked another stone at the pond. Guess not.
She heard footsteps behind her and turned; Jamie and Sophie approached, looking as sad as she was. "We don't like it when they fight, either," said Jamie. "But you always take it worse than we do."
"I just wanted to spend Christmas together, as a family. No fights..." She turned away and looked down at her feet.
Her brother came to stand next to her, Sophie behind him. "You thought it would get them back together again, didn't you?"
Helen sighed. There had been a little bit of hope in her...so little that she hadn't even dared to think about it, to save disappointment. "I just...I want a family who love each other. Not this."
"I know." Jamie took her hand in his. "Why don't you come and play with my friends in order to take your mind off it? It must have been forever since you had a snowball fight."
The girl smiled...but then she remembered something. "Oh, that reminds me. Jamie, who was that taller boy you were with?"
"What boy?"
"You can't miss him. He was carrying a stick, wasn't wearing any shoes; he must have been freezing. Oh, and his hair was white. You should know who I mean."
But Jamie just stared at her, his eyes wide, and his jaw dropped in shock. Helen was about to ask what the matter was when she felt a cold breeze behind her.
"You...you can see me?"
Helen turned...and standing behind her was the boy, his eyes just as wide as Jamie's. His skin was very pale, making him look even more unusual than the first time she saw him, and his eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen.
Jamie went to stand next to him. "Helen...this is Jack Frost."
