This chapter is short & sweet. I almost merged this with the next chapter, but I wanted to build the suspense. :)

Joe walked across his dark wooden front porch and down the three dark wooden steps in front of the porch. As he stepped off of the last step and onto the concrete sidewalk directly below the step, it began to snow. Joe looked up at the sky as big huge snowflakes fell around him and on him. Joe smiled. It would be a white Christmas after all. Too bad he didn't have time to stand out here and enjoy it. Joe had to get to work. Joe continued walking toward his police car as huge flakes pelted him. He continued walking until he reached his police car. It was a nice police car. It was white (like the snow) and black. It was black on both ends of the car, and white in the middle. The front and back bumpers were also white. A gold round insignia donned the white front doors with the name of it's station on it: Providence Police Department. All four doors were white. The roof of the car was also white and it donned a bright red and blue revolving police light. Joe grabbed the the rectangular black door handle. It was freezing cold! Joe slid into his car and behind the black round steering wheel. His whole interior was black. The seats were leather. Joe like the leather seats; they were comfortable to sit in. But they got really really burning hot in the summer! His car was equipped with everything that a police officer needed to carry out his duties while on the road: a police radio, a walkie talkie (just like the one he wore with his uniform), a GPS, a clock, buttons to control the spinning red and blue light that was on top of the car, and a car phone. Joe shut his door. He put on his seatbelt. Then He put the gold key into the ignition and turned it. The car started. Joe put his foot on the gas pedal. He then raised his right arm and placed it over the back of the passenger seat next to him and turned his body that way just enough to look out behind him. The coast was clear behind him. So Joe put the gear in reverse and slowly backed out of the driveway, still looking back behind him. Joe got onto the street, then turned around in his seat and he shifted his gear to Drive. With Both of his hands on the wheel now, Joe drove away from his house and toward to police station. Traffic was not too bad right now, probably because of the snow.

Joe arrived to the police station. He parked in his usual parking spot toward the front of the parking lot and put his car in Park. Joe turned the key in the ignition and took it out from the ignition. The car's engine shut off. Joe put the key into his pocket, then opened his door and stepped out into the frigid night air. Joe could see his own breathe when he breathed. Joe shut his door and locked the car. Then he slid the car's key into his pocket. He turned away from his car and walked to the big building. He walked up to the door, opened it, and slid inside. He shut the door behind him. It was very quiet at the police station tonight. Joe walked back to his office. He took off his coat and hung it on a nearby wooden coat tree. Joe went into the little kitchen and made himself some coffee. Hopefully tonight would remain quiet and he could relax. After his coffee was ready, Joe poured himself a cup. He didn't add anything to it because he liked his coffee black. With his mug of hot steamy coffee in his hand, Joe walked back to his office. His office, like the rest of the building, had white walls and white tile floor. It was very bland; very boring. Joe walked to his wood desk. It was always so neat. Joe walked to his wood swivel chair that sat behind his desk and sat down. Yep, tonight was going to be a long, boring, lonely night. Joe sighed to himself, then took a long hot sip of coffee. After he took a drink, Joe sat his mug down on his desk. He slid his chair to the big window that was behind him. He looked through a slit in the big blue vertical blinds at the falling snow outside. It was snowing hard now. The ground was covered in snow! It was beautiful, but Joe sure didn't want to drive in it. Now he really hoped that he did not get called out tonight. Hopefully the snow will have stopped by midnight, which was when his shift ended. As he watched the snow fall outside and cover everything, he wondered what his family was doing right now.

As soon as Joe left the house, Bonnie and her family sat down to eat. Stan said grace, then they dug into the large banquet that Bonnie had laid out on the table in front of them.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Bonnie, this is absolutely delicious!" her mother-in-law complimented her daughter-in-law between bites.

"Thank you."

The family continued to eat and talk. Bonnie always loved it when family was over for a visit. They had such a good time together. They laughed and talked and just had an all around good time.

After dinner, Bonnie and Linda cleared and cleaned the table. They loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Then Bonnie placed the dirty pots and pans into the sink. She would do the dishes later. Right now, they had to get ready for church. Everyone put their heavy winter coats on. Stan went outside to start the car and let it warm up. Within ten minutes, the family was piled into the car and Stan drove off to the church.

When they arrived, Stan parked the car and everyone got out. The church was a big cathedral-type building. The family entered the church. It was just as big on the inside as it was on the outside. The family walked to the main room. They sat in a wooden pew in the center of the room, not too close and not too far.

After the service was over, the family got up and talked with some of the other guests.

Bonnie noticed the clock on a nearby wall. It was almost midnight. Joe got off work at midnight and he would be home by twelve thirty. Bonnie found Stan. He was talking to another visitor. "Stan, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but it is almost midnight. Joe will be home soon, and I want to be there when he does come home."

"Okay."

Stan said goodbye to his friends, then got together the rest of the family. Everyone went outside and piled into Stan's old beat-up green and wood station wagon. It looked a lot like the Brady Bunch's station wagon. They made it home just before midnight. The family entered Bonnie's living room and sat down to relax. Bonnie went into the kitchen and poured glasses of Champaign for all of the adults, and soda for Kevin (hey, it was Christmas). She took the glasses in to her family in the living room. One drink, then Joe's parents would leave. They would stay until Joe got home so that they could see him one more time and make sure that he got home safely. No one realized that tonight, he would not.