Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anything but my character Melia!

Thank you ever so much to my wonderful reviewers! You guys have been so kind in your reviews about not commenting on my grammar specialness (heh, although I don't mind comments as long as their constructive criticism) please continue to tell me how I'm doing and how you guys like the story!

Note: Yes, I know their may be Christian references in this chapter and may be in farther ones but I would really appreciate it if you would all respect my beliefs about Christmas being the Birth date of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

After a few months went passed, Melia's emotional wounds slowly began to heal; it would get to the point where she would begin to talk a little more even to some animals she wasn't vary familiar with. After a few years had gone by, she was slowly beginning to grow into a beautiful young teenage with a tender heart and an ever-growing love of animals. After all, Simba had raised her from age eight to the age she was now which was almost 13. All through the years, He would always reassure her at times when the grief of it all seemed unbearable, that it was okay to cry, something she had rarely received from her birth parents. She had grown to think of him as so much more then just a friend or mentor. He was the one who helped her get through another day when nothing seemed as if it would ever be the same again, and in a since, that was true but the Burden seemed to grow a little lighter with the reassurance that she wasn't going through this alone. She new he would always be there to help her survive the trials of the great circle of life.

However, their were always the times when some of the former outlanders would always occasionally come up and say something to convince her that she would never be a true part of pride. Even then Simba with the help of Nala, Kiara and Kovu, would always protect the young child by putting the lioness's in their place. Melia was more then thankful for her new family's support without it she would not have been able to stand through another minute of another day.

However, there was something she new that they didn't, something she had kept from them ever since that night when she was rescued. There were times when she had tried to tell them before but could never seem to find the right words to say; she was terrified of what would happen if they ever found out why the hunters were after her.

Thankfully, months after there occasional attacks, the hunters had finally given up or so it seemed. There hadn't been any signs of gunfire ever since their last attack when they had managed to kill a young lioness. Even the threats of the hyenas seemed to have subsided for the time being as most of them had run off to afraid to go anywhere near pride rock after what they had witnessed from a distance that night when the hunters almost succeeded in kidnapping Melia.

Somehow however, Melia's greatest fear was that one day the hunters would return when they least expected it and she couldn't bear the horrible thought of being responsible for anything that would happen to any of the lion's she had learned to love with all her heart.

"Is something bothering you Melia?" Simba asked slightly concerned. She hadn't said anything for the past hour. It was the twelfth month of the year and only a few days off from her Birthday, which had miraculously landed upon the day of Christmas Eve itself. Over the years, Melia had introduced the pride to the best Holiday of the year, which just so happened to be Christmas. Although they had been familiar with the holiday before, she had brought up a new meaning of Christmas, which was the meaning of Christ's birth.

When she had first told the pride the story of how Jesus Christ was born in a manger, many of them had asked why she didn't believe in Santa Clause instead as most children did. Her answer was simple. She said that it was because Santa had never granted her any of her wishes and because of that, she never thought of him to be real. Where as, the story about Jesus in the manger seemed to bring a renewed hope every time she heard it.

"Oh nothing… just thinking about Christmas..." She answered staring at the floor. They could hear the voices of the different lion's of the pride around them. Everyone seemed to be talking of what they were going to do for Christmas and the different presents they were going to get for the ones dearest to their hearts.

Simba sat down beside her but before he could say anything, he looked up seeing his daughter walking towards him with Kovu at her side. "Daddy what do you think we should get you and Melia for Christmas?" Kiara asked obvious excitement in her tone.

"Oh I don't know maybe she would like a nice doll or other kind of little kid's toy…" he smiled teasingly. "And as for my present goes I already have everything I could ask for right here" he nuzzled her, then reached down and licked Melia on the cheek while giving a smile towards Nala.

"Oh daddy there has to be something," Kiara giggled softly. "Oh well if you won't tell us then we'll just have to think of something you'll least expect...and Melia we already have a pretty good idea of what to get you" she smiled, giving the girl a wink when she thought Simba wasn't looking. Her eyes shined in the light of the sun making its way in from the entrance of the den. It had always been that way. Simba would never ask for anything but the love of his family yet somehow they always found something special to give him even now when Kiara and Kovu had stepped up as the new King and Queen of the pride lands. Kovu had become a more confident King with the support of his wife and so far, Kiara was turning out to be a truly gifted Queen.

Simba chuckled a little from the comment. He watched his daughter walk out of the den with Kovu to bring home the hunt for dinner. It was every King and Queens job to bring home the food for the family and Kiara and Kovu were no exception. He turned back to Melia who he noticed seemed to be mindlessly drawing in the dirt with a small stick she had found.

"Come on Melia you can tell me… what's wrong?" By now, he had learned to see through all of her masks and she new it.

Melia sighed quietly. "Well… it's just… I guess… Christmas used to be the only time I felt really truly happy…and once it was over that happiness seemed to disappear… why is that?" she looked up at him confusion and a since of a feeling of lost in her eyes.

Simba seemed to ponder the thought over in his mind before answering. "Maybe it's because Christmas brings a since of magic into the air… and no one wants that magical feeling to go away… here why don't we take a walk?" he stood up shaking his mane, the effect seemed to make Melia giggle a bit. She grabbed her coat from her open suitcase the one she had found on the ground merely a day after her rescue and the true miracle of it all was that everything in it had turned up amazingly dry. By now, she had grown out of all of her old clothing in the suitcase except for the one hoody, which she had grabbed by mistake when she was franticly throwing cloths into the suitcase. All of her newer clothing was hand stitched by Rafiki who had turned out to be a wise old baboon, assisting in many different ways of raising Melia throughout the years of her childhood.

"You warm enough?" Simba asked once she had gotten her black hooded coat on and the two were about to head out into the freezing cold wind. Snow had not yet began to fall but with the temperature dropping, the possibilities of snow were growing higher every day and many were expecting a white Christmas, something Melia was yet to experience.

She nodded burying her hands in his mane for warmth as they walked outside the den and down the steps of pride rock. On their way, they passed Timon and Pumba who were busily trying to finish their Christmas list to Santa whom they still believed in despite Melias protests.

"And a new pair of slippers… and all the bugs we can eat! Oh and ah especially remember to bring extras of the crunchy ones!" Timon continued writing his list with Pumba beside him, each were wearing silky red scarfs around their necks. "Aw, but Timon! Why do we always have to ask for extra crunchy ones?" Pumba whined, looking at his friend in displeasure.

"Ah Pumba ya big muke! Haven't I told you this before? It's always the crunchy ones that make the better meal!"

Simba listened to the voices of his friends fade off into the distance with each passing step he and Melia took that was farther away from the base of pride rock.

The little girl chuckled to herself at the faint sounds of meercat and warthogs argument. "Timon and Pumba… they are quit a pair huh?" Simba smiled thinking back on the memories he had spent with the two. After all, they were the ones who raised him after his Father passed away.

"But you gotta love 'em... at least that's what you always tell me." Melia grinned, looking around she admired the beautiful scenery. However, as they walked on her face began to fall in dismay when they came upon a place unlike the rest of the land. It seemed dry and barren as If it rain had not fallen there for years. "Whoa…. What happened here?" she asked, looking around, a wave of sadness came over her just from the site.

Simba followed her gaze with sorrow filling his own eyes. He new where they were for that was exactly how he planned it. "This is what I wanted to show you Melia… remember your question about why we feel the way we do when Christmas is over?" she nodded. "See how this spot of land is different from the rest? Well sometimes life can feel as dry and barren as this land. For some of us it's hard to cope with some of the things the circle of life gives to us and happiness seems to far away... so when something like Christmas comes around it seems to give the world a renewed hope like if someone word to spread good seed on this land and then water it and give it the proper care to grow. But then afterwards, after a certain season is over the grass disappears and someone stops caring for it...That's what it can feel like when Christmas is over… it feels like we have to wait a whole other year to experience the green grass… the happiness everyone longs for with all there hearts." He explained silent tears hidden behind the gentle smile he wore upon his face.

Melia could see the pain in his glossy eyes; the same filled her own blue ones. Never in her life had she found someone who related to her in so many different ways.

For a while she just stood there taking in what all was said. Finally, she looked up at him. A silent tear slipped down her left cheek. "So I guess its just life… nothing good ever lasts for long huh? Were just blessed Christmas comes at least once every year..." she struggled hard to keep the shakiness out of her voice. "But the saddest part is even the magic of Christmas doesn't always come every single year… there are some years it doesn't even feel like its Christmas…" tears hung in her eyes though she wouldn't let them fall. "An-and some families don't even to get to have one…" she added, memories flooded her mind, trying to come back to haunt her but she shoved them aside just trying to forget.

"You want to know something? Even when Christmas no longer feels magical…. Just remember that it's not about all of the gifts and presents…" he winked at her before looking back at the land before them. "It's about the love that we share so that maybe someone else can see the true meaning of it also…"

"You mean like the story I told you?" she questioned in which Simba responded with a gentle chuckle.

"Exactly… anything is possible on Christmas Melia" He smiled. Looking up he could see the sun just beginning to set beyond the horizon. "We should get back… it's getting late and Kovu and Kiara should be back with dinner by now and we don't want to be late for Rafiki… you remember how he gets when your late for his cooking?" he smirked kindheartedly before turning back where they could see a faint glimpse of pride rock off in a faraway distance. Melia chuckled a little, letting Simba's words sink into her heart. She always loved the talks they would have many times they were what kept her from giving up.

However, right as they began to walk back, Melia froze at the sound of an engine coming up from behind followed by the bright lights of a strange kind of vehicle….

Authors note: Hehe, yeah I know evil cliffhanger! But that only creates more suspense for you guy's to want to know what happens next…lol so please don't form an angry mob and come after me!