Their fingers entwined, they crossed the street and entered the store. The sight of the magic that lie within stopped Daphne in her tracks. She'd been in Cole's department store before, most often by the orders of Shopper's Express CEO Victor Landbergh to slyly investigate the prices. Victor wanted nothing more than to put the infamous Cole's out of business and he almost succeeded. But justice was served and the people of New York City had spoken.

She quickly shoved the painful memory from her mind and walked dizzily through the store, gazing at her surroundings in wonderment. Never had she seen anything so magical in her life. And directly in front of her, stood the most magnificent and elaborate Santa Claus display she'd ever seen. On the back wall stood a huge castle; one that was perfect for a man of Mr. Kringle's stature. And in the center, a plush green winged back chair where he would greet the children and take note of their wishes. On either side, high above were four separate balconies, each containing a decorative Christmas tree. A large model train made its way along a track that joined the balconies and the castle, and interspersed throughout were teddy bears of all shapes, colors and sizes. Oh how she wanted to be a child again.

But the thing that drew her closer was the sight of the empty chair, the chair that once held the man who was the symbol of the season. The man whose life she'd almost ruined. She walked slowly, as though being guided toward the chair by some unknown force. And when she could walk no further, she knelt in front of it and ran her hand across the lush velvet seat cushion. Her head bowed in sorrow and tears filled her eyes once more. The tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes slowly closed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kringle. I'm so sorry!" She whispered. "I don't deserve anything, but I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, please. I'm so sorry!"

When she began to sob quietly, she leaned against the chair, fully aware of the murmurs of the people around her. But she didn't dare turn around. Only when she felt a hand on her back did she turn her head. And in doing so, she got the surprise of her life.

"Niles?"

She sniffled, smiling when he handed her his handkerchief, reminding her once more of the moment they had met. He said nothing, but instead waited for her to return to her feet.

"This is a beautiful display." Niles said quietly. "Kris Kringle must have been very happy here."
His words made her smile and she took his hand in hers. "I'm sure he was. At least I hope so."
They gazed into each other's eyes for so long that she almost forgot it was Christmas Eve. "We'd better go. The store will be closing soon. After all, it is Christmas Eve."

He smiled and kissed her lips. "So it is."
She took one last look at the empty chair and smiled before turning to leave with the man she loved.