When Ellie released Jenny from the hug Jenny backed up and sadly smiled at her mom. Ellie smiled back. Jenny hadn't seen her mom smile much since she adopted her and this made her hold back happy tears.

She pulled her purse back onto her shoulder and nodded to her mom as she opened the door and stepped into the nippy air. She closed the door behind herself and leaned on it for a second as she took a deep breath. She steadied herself and then bounced off the door and onto her feet.

She made her way down the street that was layered with ice. Every step she took she practically slid farther then she meant too.

All the houses around her were decorated with lights and ornaments; some even had moving Santa's that waved as you walked by. Her house wasn't decorated like these ones. She didn't think that her mom would even think about decorations with everything else going through her head. They had a tree and that was all that really mattered.

The main street in Broadchurch was layered with salt to avoid people slipping on the ice which made Jenny much happier. All these shops were decorated too and some people even stopped in front off some and admired them. Lots of people walked in and out of the shops with big bags full of presents for their families. Every person Jenny saw made her smile with dread stretched in her eyes.

At the very end of the street there was a toy store that Jenny thought would be perfect for Tom. She pushed open the door and she heard a small bell go off in the shop.

"Hello!" An older man greeted her as she took her first steps into the store. Jenny smiled at the man and nodded. The store smelt of cookies and the ceiling was coated in red tinsel. She walked through the rows of toys and goodies occasionally stopping at something that interested her. She knew what Tom liked but she found that this was quite hard. She never shopped for presents for others; she never even got presents. This was her first Christmas with a family and she didn't want to mess up.

Three rows in she come across a skateboard that was hidden behind a Barbie: Fairy toy doll. She smiled as she saw the pattern on the back; blue, red and green stripes with a flame down the center, Tom would love it! She grabbed the skateboard by the wheels and put it under her arm and walked back to the front of the store with a smile etched upon her face.

The older man was behind the cash, sporting some brown spectacles on his nose as he wrote on a piece of paper. Jenny placed the skateboard gently on the table in front of the man's paper. She saw his eyes look sharply at her and then he smiled. She smiled back. "It's a nice one isn't it?" He asked her as he took the skateboard and checked the price. "Yeah, it's for my brother; Tom." She replied still beaming with pride that she was successful in finding something for him.

The man typed a bunch of numbers into the cash and then reached under the desk for a bag. "How is Ellie?" He asked as he put the skateboard in the bag. His eyes showed sadness.

Jenny paused and swallowed some spit back down her throat before she answered. "She's alright, yeah." Jenny told him. He handed her the bag and she reached over the counter to take it. She lifted it back down next to her and let her arm relax. "And you?" The man asked Jenny. She reached into her purse and got her money to pay the man. "Fine." She answered him with a smile. She gave him the money and he reached over to take it. When his hand touched hers he held it and smiled softly at her. "Alec was a great man; he did the best he could." He said to her quietly. Jenny stared at the man with sadness. Alec was the best man she ever knew and he meant the world to her but now he was gone. All the other people that had left her out of choice and then it was him who left her without any choice. He wanted to keep going; he wanted to look after her and finish what he had started but the world didn't agree.

Jenny quickly pulled her hand away from the man leaving the money in his. "Thank you; for the skateboard." Jenny thanked the man as she backed away ready to leave the store. He just stared at Jenny as she pushed open the door and left. The bell on the door rang as the door closed behind her.

Jenny took a few deep breaths as she walked down the street back towards home. It had started to snow now and she pulled her jacket closer to her body to protect herself from the cold.

Everybody around her felt sorry for her and she never knew how she felt about that. It should never have been her they were sorry for, it should always be Ellie, who lost faith in herself and quit her job. It was her family that fell apart because of her stupid husband, not hers. Everything was wrong but everything felt right at the same time.

Again any reviews please!