I still remember the world from the eyes of a child

Slowly those feelings were clouded by what I know now

Where has my heart gone?

An uneven trade for the real world

Oh, I, I want to go back to

Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all

I still remember the sun always warm on my back

Somehow it seems colder now

Where has my heart gone?

Trapped in the eyes of a stranger

Oh I, I want to go back to believing in everything

-Evanescence

"Aw, shit!" muttered Mort as the rain started to fall. There was a tiny gasp from the back seat and he shook his head, remembering there were innocent ears behind him. "I mean, oh shoot," he said, smiling at her through the rearview mirror. "Sorry." She merely stared back at him, and he looked back at the road.

"Is the orphanage far?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah," admitted Mort. "And this rain doesn't look like it'll clear up anytime soon."

"Are you going to crash, Mr. Rainey?"

"Let's hope not," he said with a small smirk.

"Can you see where you're going?"

"Yes," he said, realizing this was going to turn into twenty questions soon.

"Are you lost?"

"No."

"Do you need a map?"

"Not yet."

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Pretty sure."

"Are you grumpy, Mr. Rainey?"

I will be if the kid doesn't shut up soon, he thought to himself. "A little."

"Mr. Rainey..."

"You know what," he said, in as kind of tone as possible, considering how annoyed he was now. "Can we not ask Mr. Rainey questions for a while?"

"Actually," she said, looking sheepishly. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"I thought you went before we left?" he asked.

"I didn't have to go then. But I gots to now."

"Well, can it wait?"

"Nah-uh," she said, shaking her head.

Mort rolled his eyes and pulled over at the first gas station he could find. He walked with her inside and waited outside the door to the girl's bathroom.

"Hey, Morty!" called someone from the far end of the gas station. He looked up at the person waving at him.

"Hey... you," he called back. Who the hell are you? he wondered. The man walked up to him, and Mort thought he looked a little like Santa Clause, big beard, balding and fat.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me already?" he said, smiling. Mort grimaced as he tried to remember.

"Steve Grainey! I was your neighbor back when you still lived with your wife."

"Steve!" said Mort, suddenly remembering. Had he always been this fat? "What's up? How are you?"

"Nothing interesting," he admitted. "I've been working in the malls as a Santa Clause, letting small kids sit in my lap and tell me what they want for Christmas, like I really care." They both laughed. "The security guard says I make a perfect Santa. Says I look just like him."

"Really?" asked Mort. "I never really thought of that." Steve chuckled, his beer belly bouncing up and down. The door to the girl's bathroom opened, and Marissa stepped out.

"I'm ready now Mr... Santa!" She ran over to Steve and gave him a hug. Mort held back a laughed, while Steve kneeled down, deciding to play along.

"And what's your name little girl?" he asked, ho-hoing.

"Shouldn't you already know that, Santa?" she asked. Mork smirked, placing a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

"I do know that...?" He looked up at Mort who then mouthed out 'Marissa'. "Marissa," he said with a grin. Marissa smiled, satisfied now. "What do you want for Christmas, Marissa? A pony?"

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"A Barbie?"

"I don't like Barbies, Santa."

"That's right," he said. "Must've slipped my mind. Well, what do you want then?"

She looked at him, her smile fading. "I want... I want my mommy and my daddy back, and my sister Mary. I want to spend Christmas with them again." Steve looked at her awkwardly, then glanced up at Mort who's smile was also gone.

"Hey, Marissa?" said Mort, knowing the situation needed explaining. "It's going to be a long drive still. Why don't you pick out a snack you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything," he said with a smile. She walked off, seeming a little happier. Steve stood up and looked at Mort curiously.

"What was that all about? It was like that scene from Home Alone," he said in a hushed tone.

"I was eating at a diner, about a half hour from here when I see her and her sister Mary," he said, checking every so often to make sure Marissa wasn't coming back. "Mary comes up to me, asking for an autograph when she suddenly has a very bad coughing fit in the middle of the diner, and I drove her little sister up to the hospital."

"Yikes," said Steve. "That's rough."

"Yeah, well it turns out her parents are dead, and Mary died within an hour or so of being in the hospital." Steve's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

"Would I be driving her up to a group home if I wasn't, Steve?"

"You mean that one up in Wilmington?" he asked. "Geez, Mort, that's another hour and a half away! And when you get there, there's a whole bunch of paper work to fill out, and then you've got to wait till they have an opening. You might as well just go home and do this over the phone tomorrow morning." He turned and looked at Marissa who was looking over the candy bars.

"And what about her?" he asked. "If the Sheriff sees a little girl in my car that's going to be more than suspicious to him."

"How the hell is that suspicious?" asked Steve.

"The man thinks I killed my wife and her boyfriend! Everything I do, to him, seems suspicious."

"But you didn't right?"

"What?" asked Mort, not completely focused.

"You didn't kill them, did you?"

"Why? I look like the murdering type to you? All I know is they both disappeared almost a year ago, and the sheriff won't get off my back about it."

"Rough," said Steve, shaking his head. "This is not your year."

"Since when have I had a good year, Steve? The last good year I can remember was when Amy and I got married, and even that didn't last."

"Sorry to hear that," said Steve, nodding. "Look, just take the girl home with you, have her duck down if you pass by the sheriff, and take care of the group home thing tomorrow."

"That sounds like I am kidnapping her," he muttered. "I don't need more bad things hanging over my head right now."

"Hey, you'd feel a lot better than if you just dumped her off here and left her."

"I wasn't planning to Ste... Santa. Hey, Marissa," he said with a smile. Steve looked down and beamed at her.

"Ho ho ho!" he said. "Santa's got to be going home to the Mrs. Clause. Merry Christmas!"

"Bye, Santa!" said Marissa, waving as he walked out the door. She watched as he drove away, and turned to Mort. "Why is Santa driving a rusty truck, Mr. Rainey?" Mort looked up and shrugged.

"Er... he wanted to blend in a little. You can't bring a sleigh to a gas station."

"Can I get this bag of chips?" she asked, holding up a bag of Doritoes. He smirked.

"As long as you're willing to share." She giggled and he went to the counter with her to pay.