Wow, this story is going really fast. December has barely started and I'm already finishing up this Christmas story! Well, I hope you've been enjoying it. I want to thank everyone who's reviewed-every single one makes me smile, no matter what.


Katherine had made a delicious meal that everyone wolfed down so quickly there was almost no conversation, just the sound of chewing mouths and scraping silverware.

Finally Jack leaned back in his chair. "Mmm…" he groaned, rubbing his stomach, "That was the most delicious meal you've ever made, Ace." Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it was real good, Katherine," Crutchie agreed. "Thanks for having me over."

"No problem, Crutchie," Katherine said. But as Crutchie rose from his place and started carrying his dishes back to the sink, she frowned. "You aren't leaving already?"

"Yeah, I gotta get back to the Refuge. They're gonna need all the help they can get, handing out Christmas presents and all. Oh! I almost forgot." He limped over to his coat and reached into the pockets. "Gifts for you."

"Oh, Crutchie, you didn't have to. We didn't even get you—"

Jack jumped up. "Yes, we did," he interrupted Katherine. As Crutchie passed out lumpy packages, Jack ran to the bedroom and pulled out another package from his desk drawer. He'd figured Crutchie would pull something like this, and he wanted to be prepared.

The two friends exchanged gifts, and the room was silent but for the tearing open of newspaper. Bella was the first to open hers. "Another dolly!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, how beautiful," said Katherine, holding a small pot at arm's length.

Laughs burst from both Crutchie and Jack as the paper fell to the floor. Jack held a green cap in his hand; Crutchie had an identical blue one. Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Did you two really buy each other the exact same hats?" she asked, but they were laughing too hard to respond. Crutchie banged his fist against his knee, and Jack was leaning on the wall for support. Bella, not really understanding what was so funny, also started giggling.

Eventually Jack stood up, wiped a tear from his eye, and grinned. "Now who's got mind connections?" he asked.

Crutchie left, his new cap on his head, and called to Jack, "Don't forget to visit me, old pal!" as he closed the door.

Jack helped Katherine clean the kitchen, exchanging quick kisses now and then as they brushed past each other. Snow had begun to fall again. "Are you going to take Bella sledding?" Katherine asked.

"I thought you'd never ask."

"I think I'll come too, to keep you two out of trouble."

Jack crept into the living room, where he discovered Bella fast asleep on the couch, a doll in each hand. "Hey, little girl," he whispered in her ear. "Are you ready to go sledding?"

Bella stumbled, still half asleep, to Katherine, who dressed her in warm clothes. Jack checked the sled, making sure the string he'd attached was still strong. Then they headed down to the park, a short distance away. There was almost no one around. Katherine sat on a bench at the top of a hill after brushing the snow off of it.

Jack could barely fit on the tiny sled, so he ended up setting Bella on his lap as they slid down the icy slope. Bella squealed in delight. "Pull me!" she demanded as soon as they spun to a stop, and Jack trudged back up the hill with the sled in tow. Soon Bella was brave enough to go on her own, and Jack jogged down the hill beside her, so he could pull her uphill again. Each time he reached the top, he smiled at Katherine, admiring how beautiful she looked sitting on that park bench. Her shining hair fell to her shoulders in thick waves. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, and snowflakes settled on her long eyelashes. Everything about her was perfect to him. Once, out of breath, he told Bella to go on her own, and sat down beside Katherine and kissed her, the gentle snowflakes falling all around them. A distant call came from the bottom of the hill. "Pull me!"

Jack broke away long enough to yell back, "Pull yourself this time, sweetie!" before letting himself be lost in her beautiful lips again.

Bella didn't disturb them after that, just giggled whenever she got to the top of the hill before sledding down again. Katherine finally rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Jack kept watching Bella, huffing and puffing up the hill for those few seconds of exhilaration on the way down. His eyes became unfocused, and it didn't register for a while when Bella reached the bottom of the hill and didn't get up.

Jack blinked. He squinted at the tiny figure at the bottom of the hill. "Bella?" he shouted. There was no answering call. He leapt up and sprinted down the hill, nearly tripping over his feet. "Bella!" Near the bottom he really did trip, and tumbled right beside his daughter. "Hey! Bella! What's wrong, sweetie?"

Bella raised her head, revealing a tear-stained face and a runny nose. "Daddy!" she wept, throwing herself on him. Jack hugged her tightly, still unsure what had happened. He looked around. Katherine was stumbling down the hill, looking terrified. There was the sled…Bella's little footprints…pristine white snow…Jack gulped. There was a spot of blood, seeping into the snow.

"What in heaven's name…!" Katherine had finally reached them. She spotted the blood much faster than Jack, and picked Bella up. "Did you cut yourself?" she asked breathlessly. Bella held out her hand, which had a long cut across the back, no longer bleeding, but very red. She buried her face in her mother's coat.

Jack picked up the sled. "Time to go home," he said quietly. "Come on, Bella. You'll be fine."

The family tramped through the snow back to the apartment. Bella sniffed and wriggled to get down, so she walked between them. When they got home, Katherine bandaged Bella's hand and put her down for a nap, while Jack examined the sled to see if there was a sharp edge that had cut Bella. He found it; near the front along the rim. "I'll fix it later," he said, when Katherine asked. She started to prepare leftovers as suppertime drew near, and Jack fell asleep on the couch, gazing at their tree. Katherine smirked when she saw him, and lay down beside him. He shifted and his arm fell on top of her. She grinned, and soon her eyes closed as well. By the time they awoke, it was dark outside.

"Should we get Bella up for supper?" Katherine murmured.

Jack kissed her gently on the forehead. "Just a few more minutes…"


Well, that was a little dramatic. Seriously, I did NOT plan for Bella to get hurt. It literally just happened as I was writing, and suddenly there was blood in the snow. What have I done?! That darn author in me is really mean sometimes. Just to clarify, Bella is okay now.

There will be one more chapter in this, and then I'll get started on that other one I was talking about. I know I update really fast, which is kind of annoying sometimes because it takes away the suspense for you. Oops. So let's say, the last (short) chapter will be up on...Tuesday. We'll see if I can manage it. Again, thanks for the reviews, they really brighten my day!

-Sis21K