Chapter 96

The town of Peach Creek was tranquil; the hustle and bustle characteristic of the afternoon hours had quelled, as the cheerful voices of excited children and adults alike were replaced with a still silence. Outside, the snowfall that had begun around an hour ago continued to slowly blanket the town in a powdery white, it's flakes refracting and dimming the cream colored glow of the street lights as it did so. The Rethink avenue Christmas display continued to shine brightly, a reminder of the excitement to come the following day.

It was fifteen minutes to midnight, Christmas Eve; the magical night in which Santa Claus was said to make his yearly trip around the world, intent on delivering presents to every girl and boy. The lights within all of the properties lining the cul-de-sac were dark, for all of the denizens had retired to their beds, and immersed themselves in a world of dreams.

Well, almost everyone; within a small yellow ranch style house, Eddy McGee had just completed his nightly shower. After brushing his teeth, the teenager made his way into his 70's style bedroom, lit only by the soft glow of a table mounted lava lamp. With a slight smile, the small Ed boy decided to activate a table-mounted radio; the radio was tuned to a Christmas music station and was once again playing an a cappella choral version of the popular Christmas favorite, Silent Night:

Silent Night

Holy Night

All is calm

All is bright

As Eddy enjoyed the peaceful tune, he proceeded to take a seat on the edge of his bed. After taking a small sip of warm tea, he turned his attention to his night stand, on which sat his two presents; the one received from Santa Claus, and the other from Lee.

A few moments passed, at which point Eddy reached for the topmost box; the present from Santa Claus.

"What the hell," said Eddy to himself as he began unwrapping the box, "It's fifteen minutes early, but big deal."

The small Ed boy slowly removed the paper wrapping from his present, revealing a small box, the kind of which was typically used to package t-shirts. Wasting no time, Eddy opened the lid of the box, revealing what appeared to be a rather lengthy note handwritten in the cursive style, sitting on top of a piece of tissue paper. As Eddy removed the note from the box, bringing it up to eye level with an expression of confusion, he began reading it to himself; however, rather than his typical, obnoxious yet gritty sounding voice, the deep benevolent voice of Santa Claus filled his head as he silently transcribed the words:

Eddy,

You've come a long way over the last year. While still something of a prankster, you have matured from a mischievous, immature imp, into a responsible, caring young man, and I couldn't be any more proud.

You have quite the colorful cast of friends, not to mention a beautiful and intelligent girlfriend who adores you more than anyone else in this world. That being said, I could not sit back and witness turmoil overtake your neighborhood. The spirit of the holiday was alive in you, I could sense it, you just needed a little encouragement to draw it out.

Little do you know, you and your friends actions have brought joy to millions. Your silly scams, Edds nervous nature and natural ability to "play the straight man", and Eds lovable oafish antics, have illicited too many laughs to count, and inspired countless form creativity in the form of original stories and art. For that reason, during this holiday season, I have secretly provided the opportunity for you and your friends to earn your Christmas wishes; trials meant to put your willingness to embrace the Christmas spirit to a test.

As Eddy continued to read his letter from Santa, his Sockheaded friend Double Dee had just completed the process of making his bed. After ensuring that the top sheet was completely dust and wrinkle free, the happy Ed boy took a seat on his bed while simultaneously taking a glance at his clock. After affirming the fact that it was 12:00 a.m., the rule-abiding Ed boy decided that it was finally time to open his gift.

In lieu of tearing the paper, as most did when unwrapping presents, the neat and meticulous Ed boy carefully removed the tape securing the folds at the end of the small and thin present. Once upon, he slowly and carefully removed a small white Christmas card.

On the front of the card was what appeared to be a cartoonish picture of Santa Claus; depicted in a sitting position, using a telescope to observe the happenings around the world from his North Pole Work Shop. His right eye was closed, as his over exaggerated left eye was being used to gaze into the small eye-piece of the apparatus. Below Santa Claus were a few words to accompany the photograph.

I've got my EYE on you!

Double Dee smiled at the pun as he proceeded to open the card, at which point he discovered words written in the same cursive handwriting dictated in Eddy's letter.

And now she can look upon you with both of hers!

Merry Christmas Edward, thanks for being a great kid!

-Love, Santa Claus.

Double Dee stared at the card with an expression of both confusion and happiness for a few moments, at which point he reached his hand towards the interior of the card. He proceeded to take hold of several green pieces of paper, labeled with a photograph of a famous bespectacled founding father, that had been stuffed into a small pocket. His hand right shook out of as he removed the pile of bills, a smile appearing on his face as he proceeded to count each note. The total equated to one-thousand dollars, more than enough to cover costs associated with Marie's eye surgery.

Double Dee stared at the bills for a few moments, a tear appearing in his eye as he placed the cash down of his night stand. As he glanced toward the ceiling, a smile appeared on his face, as a small tear of joy began trickling down his face.

Across the street, in the Kankers residence, Marie and May had prepared for bed as well. The two girls had changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, and in Mays case, tied her hair up into a bun for sleeping. The two girls had spent the last few minutes chatting about the fun times spent with their boyfriends at the Christmas party earlier that evening, at which point they decided to open their presents.

In a flash, Marie (being much less meticulous, and more brash than her boyfriend) had torn open the ornate paper encasing the cubic box. On top of the white box was a small note, also adorned with the writing characteristic of Santa Claus.

Annemarie,

You have a great head on your shoulders, and a caring heart. You've overcome so many obstacles in your life, embraced your inner selflessness and quelled your stubbornness. For that your dreams to make him happy have come true.

Merry Christmas,

Love Santa.

Placed her hand over her mouth as she viewed the contents within the box; the wig she had planned to purchase, replicating Double Dee's natural hair from his younger days. As tears began to stream down her face, she glanced in the direction of May; to her surprise, she was met with a smile from her little sister, who had completed the process of unwrapping her gift. May held up her gift, a copy of the limited edition Slug-U-La magazine she had planned to purchase for Ed, smiling joyously in the direction of her sister as she did so. On the bed next to her sat a handwritten note, reading.

Annamae,

Your caring and sweet soul is something to be proud of. People admire your good nature, especially your sisters and your loving boyfriend. Please don't ever change and never stop being May!

Merry Christmas,

Love Santa

Further down the street, in a forest green cape cod style house, the large lovable oaf Ed had just completed the task of aligning his small sparse artificial tree, and placing cookies and milk on top of his console television in preparation of Santa's visit. After ensuring that all was ready for the jolly mans visit, the slim boy removed his green oversized coat, draping it over his arm chair as he kicked off his sneakers. The excited boy then sat on his bed, observing the second hand of his analog clock, his large present by his side as the device ticked ever so closer to midnight.

In a matter of seconds, the clock had reached midnight, at which point the large Ed boy proceeded to tear open the wrapping paper, scattering small shreds throughout his room in the process. Once unwrapped, Ed proceeded to open the brown cardboard box inside, revealing a small note of his own.

Ed,

For the boy who always believed in me, even when others thought they were too old. She already adores her, but continuing to help fulfill her dreams couldn't hurt. This will hopefully come in handy to do so.

Love Santa

Upon his completion of the note, Ed proceeded to dig through the styrofoam popcorn sea that was the interior of the box. Eventually, he came upon a large metal object, and used his immense strength to remove it from the box with one fluid motion. Ed's eyes widened as he came upon an object he had planned to purchase since the beginning of the season: a softball pitching machine. The tall Ed boy proceeded to hug himself as he adopted an innocent smile, dancing around the room while shouting "Oh Boy" as if he were an excited child on Christmas morning.

Around the corner, in the throws of Haventhought Way, the Statorowski house was quiet and dark. Chuck had gone to bed around a half hour ago, exhausted from the excitement of the Christmas party, as well as the excitement of rekindling his friendship with Tabby.

Lindsay herself was still awake; she had showered and prepared herself for bed by donning her typical green nightgown and placing her hair into a tight bun. Free of fear, and having no reason to keep her mother's legacy behind lock and key, Lindsay had spent the last half hour cleaning all of her mother's old school portraits and trophies, removing them from her lock box and arranging them on the shelves above her bed in full display. Upon completion of her task, the blonde girl smiled heavily as she stared at the shrine to her heroine, free to be on display without fear of being destroyed or stolen; just as it always should have been.

After adjusting the location of her mother's basketball trophy, Lindsay took a seat on top her her bed, taking her present from Santa in her hand as did so. After taking a deep breath, she proceeded to unwrap her present, revealing what appeared to be a wooden 8.5 x 11" picture frame. The glass was turned towards the floor; prior to turning the frame over for viewing, Lindsay removed a small note attached to the cardboard back with a piece of tape, and proceeded to read it.

Tiffany Lindsay,

Well it appears you have made the right call! You've always had people who love and care for you, and you've always been the caring individual. Embracing the love of your friends has helped set you free, and your caring personality can flourish once again!

Merry Christmas,

Love Santa

At that point, Lindsay slowly turned the frame over, revealing the contents kept hidden behind the glass. Her eyes widened with surprise as a familiar sight came into view; the drawing she had created with Lee back in Kindergarten. The drawing, complete with Lee and Lindsay's handwriting and their stick figure caricatures, had been framed for safe keeping; however, to Lindsay's shock, the torn drawing did not appear to repaired. Rather, it appeared to be in one piece, just as it was the day that she and her friend had created it.

As Lindsay stared at her present in awe, Lee (back in her own bedroom) had completed the process of unwrapping her present as well. The red headed girl sat in her red flannel pajamas, her bare feet planted on the floor as she clasped what appeared to be an exact replica of Lindsay's gift in her hands.

After staring at the complete drawing in confusion, Lee rose from her bed and proceeded to make her way towards her vanity. She spent a few seconds digging through her drawer, attempting to locate her half of she and Lindsay's drawing. After around five minutes of searching, she returned to her bed with an expression of confusion, unable to locate the small piece of paper she had kept under lock and key ever since she was five years old. While an she was an extremely logical young woman by nature, she couldn't help but wonder if some form of magic was the culprit for her missing half of the drawing, and her restored copy.

Bewildered and surprised, Lee took a seat on her bed. With a sigh, the stoic girl retrieved her thick glasses from her night stand, and proceeded to place the frames on her face. She then retrieved the small letter that had accompanied her present, and began to read it:

Annalee,

You are such a smart, beautiful, and fiery young woman with a heart of gold and a passion for helping your friends. Over the course of the last few weeks, you have faced several challenges of integrity and selflessness, and while these challenges did prove quite difficult, you have rose to meet them as you always do. Your love for others is your greatest strength, and your trust in Eddy is most certainly warranted, after all, his devotion made your Christmas wish come true!

Have a very Merry Christmas,

Love Santa

P.S. - My wife asked me to thank you so much for all of your help. She hopes you enjoyed your first dress!

Upon completion of her letter, Lee slowly placed the letter on her knees. She then proceeded to gaze towards the ceiling displaying a radiant smile as she did so.

Back inside Eddy's room, the stout Ed boy remained on his bed, completely focused on his own letter from Santa Claus. After yawning ever so slightly, he returned his attention to the page, and completed the process of reading the text.

Fortunately, all of of your friends had passed their tests with flying colors, just as I expected they would. I am also happy to say that you have as well; your love for Annalee is unparalleled, and although you did need a slight push to uncover the root cause of her angst, you took it upon yourself to solve the problem, and to ensure her complete happiness.

Unlike your friends, inside this box you will not find your Christmas wish. Someone else has fulfilled your greatest wish, as you will find out later tonight; just as you have fulfilled Annalee's. Instead, inside this box you will find a personal gift from me that I believe you will enjoy. Remember...I see all! Hohoho.

Merry Christmas Eddy, may it be a blessed one,

Love Santa

P.S. I've enjoyed the time we spent together, the card games, the little chats, and the zany discussions over hot chocolate. You're a good kid, and to quote you, you do have 'mad tree throwing skills'...do you believe me now when I said our chat outside my shack wouldn't be the last time we talked?

Stay cool! Hohoho

Eddy placed the note down on his bed, and proceeded to stare at the far wall with an expression of shock and confusion. Eventually, the small boy shook away his feelings, and proceeded to remove the tissue paper from the box, revealing a framed photograph: the photograph taken during Eddy's mishap with Ed and the mall Santa, depicting the exact moment of impact with Santa and the large Ed boy, and the inadvertent removal of the mall Santa's beard.

Eddy smiled as he lifted the picture up towards his face, uttering a few words to himself.

"Son of a bitch..." said Eddy, after which he glanced towards the ceiling, "Well pal, thanks for all of the help...Merry Christmas."

Eddy rose up off of his bed and made his way towards his dresser. He extended the brace located on the rear of the frame, and placed the picture on the surface in an upright position. After admiring the documentation of his stunt for a few moments, the small Ed boy returned to his bed, at which point he took notice of his second package; the red wrapped present provided earlier that night by his girlfriend Lee.

After staring at his package for a few minutes, curious at what could possibly be inside, he took hold of it in both his hands. In a slowly and deliberate manner, he proceeded to peel away the red wrapping paper, revealing what appeared to be a small notebook. The book was pink in color, with a shiny red spine. On the front of the cover were a few words, written in gold lettering, beautiful sculpted by Lee's amazing handwriting skills in the cursive style:

To my Eddy McGee

Eddy stared at the bright golden letters for a few moments, smiling brightly as he did so, prior to opening the book to it's first page. It contained a few words, written in the same cursive style using black ink:

I'd like to share a story, a story quite near and dear to me.

It's a story of a girl who was once lost, empty, and lonely.

A girl whose life seemed to consist of a series of unfortunate events

A girl who trusted nobody, except for her close knit family

Eddy turned the page, revealing a brand new page containing the same cursive handwriting as the first. However, this page was accompanied by a photograph of Lee as she appeared during junior high picture day; her unkempt appearance adopted from the night before she moved to Peach Creek, until the night she restored her original appearance at Double Dee's party months ago.

She was told she'd leave the city for the town of Peach Creek, where she'd be able to start a brand new life. As afraid as she was, she had to be strong for her sisters, for her family, for herself. Her fear overtook her, as much as she hated to admit it. She stopped caring for herself, feeling powerless to control her life . She wondered what trials this new life would bring. Would she be hurt emotionally as she had been so many times before? Or would she and her sisters be accepted as they had always desired to be?

Eddy turned the page, revealing another paragraph of handwriting.

On her second day in town, while hanging her laundry outdoors, the loud and obnoxious voice of a boy filled the air; little did she know that this particular somewhat annoying voice (Lee inserted a playful smiley face with a wink in her writing) would eventually be one she looked forward to hearing each and every day.

Eddy turned the page.

This girl was quite rambunctious; angry and untrusting, shaped by horrible past experiences. She unfortunately took these frustrations out on others, especially the boy with the obnoxious voice. They met for the first time in the swamp; he was coveralls and coated in murky water and mud. Against his wishes, she brought him back to her modest trailer, stripped him of his soiled garments, and made did her best to make him feel at home. His first direct words to her, words which she will never forget were, "Uh, do you girls know where our clothes are?", to which she simply replied, "Oh they're drying outside. You boys sure were dirty."

Eddy giggled upon reading Lee's memory of their first encounter, one which he would never be able to forget as well. He then decided to continue reading.

Unfortunately, she nagged him nearly to death, scaring he and his friends away, while driving a proverbial wedge between them. Over the course of the year, the two often met, bickering over trivial matters such as control of a treehouse, and 'Canadian Squirt Guns'...and who could forget when his dreams of being tall were cut short with the swift kick of her boot? Not that he needed to be tall anyway, because he is and always will be a big man at heart.

Eddy turned the page, at which point he came across a photograph taken during the afternoon of their adventure in the old abandoned house; a few minutes after the Kankers had pronounced they and the Eds "husband and wife". In the photograph, (taken by Marie during the course of "Honor thy Ed"; between the wedding ceremony and the scene in which the Eds pull the wedding wagon away) Lee stood front and center, donning a makeshift white dress as she squeezed Eddy (still in his tuxedo decorated barrel) around the neck. While Lee adopted a sly, toothy grin in the direction of the camera as her red curls obscured her eyes, Eddy appeared to be quite distressed; his face was red, and every breath he took seeming to be a struggle.

At the encouragement of her sisters, she administered a playful wedding ceremony. Although she was just along for the ride, she found comfort in standing next to the boy, solace in the fact that if they really were to be married, it wouldn't be all that bad.

The month's flew by, and she soon found herself in quite the predicament. Her two baby sisters, girls she had raised since they were toddlers, had found themselves boyfriends, the friends of the cute loudmouthed boy. She was happy for her sisters, for they had found men they could trust; trust being an issue which she struggled with throughout her life. While used to being a role model to her sisters, little did they know that their willingness to take chances would soon rub off onto her.

Eddy turned the page

On a cold day in February, she decided to take a risk. She decided to shatter the wall she had created, the tough girl persona she attempted to portray out of fear of her new surroundings. She restored her original appearance, and decided to attend her friends party, something she had never anticipated due to fear of social gatherings.

She soon encountered her handsome crush, dressed in red and donning those corny sunglasses (that she is going to THROW OUT if she ever gets a hold of lol)

Eddy giggled at Lee's last line, prior to continuing.

They conversed in the den behind the French doors; she was scared, nervous, and very hesitant to let her guard down, but she managed to overcome her fears. For the first time, she allowed someone outside of her family to see who she truly was; she trusted the boy, spilling her guts, sharing her secrets.

Of course, she was scared that he would think even worse of her than he had before, upon learning of her troubled past. But the boy did no such thing, rather he comforted the girl, he made her feel special, and he allowed her to let go of her feelings of animosity towards the opposite sex. She knew she could trust him, and he's had her heart ever since.

Eddy turned the page to find two photographs of he and Lee.

The first photograph depicted the final moments of Eddy and Lee's ballet performance; in fact, it was the same exact picture that Lee had temporarily removed from the schools bulletin board to make a copy. It depicted Eddy cradling a tutu clad Lee in his left hand, as she leaned slightly backward while executing a ballet pose under the stage spotlights.

The second photograph depicted Eddy and Lee during the course of their formal dance the previous night. The moment had been captured by the camera of Mays cell phone, and depicted Eddy, wearing formal tuxedo, and Lee, donning her emerald green custom winter ball gown as they shared their beautiful dance. May had caught the two in a moment of deep affection; Lee with her arms wrapped around Eddy's neck, stared down into his eyes with a loving smile as Eddy returned the gesture, blushing slightly as he did so.

Below the photographs, the written text continued.

From the stage, to the dance floor, everyday is a new adventure, and she couldn't be happier sharing it with her amazing boyfriend.

Eddy turned the page to find the final paragraph of text. In this particular paragraph, Lee had altered the perspective from one of third person to that of first person, choosing to refer to herself in a biographical manner.

They say that one never forgets their first love; but I hope I never am put into the position where I am forced to forget about mine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you in person yet, (it's sometimes hard for me to express my feelings, but I promise I will tell you with words eventually), but I love you more than anything Eddy McGee. I never want to let you go.

Merry Christmas

Love,

Annalee Grace XOXO.

Eddy re-read the last few lines of the journal around a dozen times; each time, becoming seemingly more excited as he did so. His greatest question had finally been answered; Lee had finally confirmed that she loved him back, and while the admission came in the form of a text based Christmas present in lieu of words, the prospect could not be any less powerful.

Completely satisfied wi h his Christmas present, Eddy gently closed the book and placed it on the night stand adjacent to his lava lamp. He then slowly reached for his cell phone, tapped the "contacts" icon, and scrolled through his list until he found Lee's name.

The small Ed boy proceeded to slowly compose a text message. It was short and sweet, but carried much more emotional power than any other he had sent before:

I love you too Annalee.

Using his thumb, Eddy tapped the "send" icon, whisking his beautiful message into the inbox of his girlfriend's phone. He remained completely still, focused on the screen of his phone as he awaited her response.

In a matter of seconds, a small ping emitted from the phones speaker, indicating that a text message had arrived. Lee's response was even simpler than his; a single emoticon depicting a beating red heart, followed by a smiley face.

Eddy slowly placed his phone down on his nightstand, smiling heavily as he plugged the device to it's power cable for an overnight charge. He then placed his head on his pillow, staring up up at the ceiling with an amorous grin, completely at peace and satisfied with the outcome of the holiday season. He then proceeded to close his eyes, hoping to dream of the wild and crazy adventures the future had in store for he, his girlfriend, and his amazing friends.

The End

Authors Note:

Wow...Now that was a doozy!

Can you believe that at one point I actually believed that this would be finished by last Christmas, despite being started near the end of last October? To be fair, I did not expect the story to be this epic, the original concept was much more condensed; the main antagonist and several character relationships changed during the course, requiring some alterations and more character development. In addition, the ensemble cast concept of this one seemed to draw the length out substantially.

Do I have any regrets in doing so? Absolutely not! I love how this turned out, and I am so glad I was able to develop an OC of my own (an OC that is the complete opposite of me by the way), who I grew to love and see as my own way to add to the awesome EEnE universe.

Now to the important stuff.

I want to thank each and every one of you have have taken the time to read this story! You don't know how much it means to me to receive your feedback, and to know that you have stuck by me from the beginning to the end. You guys truly are the greatest, and are the reason why I picked up the proverbial pen and chugged out around three or four chapters a day, looking forward to releasing the next chapter for your reading pleasure...you guys rock!

Until we meet again!

-KiltedEngineer