Thanks again for the comments on the story. I'm glad to know that at least one person or two are enjoying it. Sorry about the formatting – I'm new to this website. I wanted to separate the flashbacks from the "current" stuff, but my documents change a bit when I upload them.

Chapter Six

Viki sat next to her granddaughter, who was sprawled out on the floor of Llanfair with all her toys around her. She was staging a dance-off between Elmo, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Gonzo. So far, Viki couldn't tell who was winning.

"You know, Christmas is almost here. Have you told Santa what you want him to bring you?"

Suddenly, the little girl emitted a piercing scream and threw Elmo into Viki's lap. Running from the library, she continued screaming as she ran into the kitchen in search of her mother. Viki was thoroughly confused. Pushing herself off the floor, she went in search of her granddaughter. She found her underneath the kitchen table. A few minutes later, Viki finally lured her out with the promise of a chocolate cookie. From then on, the afternoon was uneventful. The dance-off was never completed, though. Instead, Barbie and Skipper went swimming in the laundry room sink.

Natalie rushed up the walkway to Llanfair. She was supposed to have picked Victoria up at 6 o'clock when her shift ended, but she got forced into working a few hours over. They were short-staffed due to a doctor's conference. It was now past Victoria's bedtime and it was going to take forever to get her to sleep once they got home. John was away on business, so it was just she and Victoria for a few days.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." Natalie looked around the library. She saw toys, but no child. "Where's Victoria?"

"She's asleep upstairs. She kept me running around all day."

"I hope she wasn't too much."

"Of course not. We had a wonderful time. There was something odd, though. I asked her if she'd told Santa what she wants for Christmas and she ran out of here screaming and hid in the kitchen."

Natalie laughed. "Yeah, John and I took her to get her picture taken with Santa. It's corny, but Roxy took me as a kid. And John said his Mom used to take him and Michael. So, we went to the mall. She waited in line and the moment we sat her on his lap, she just started screaming and didn't stop until we got home. She's scared to death of him. We've got no clue why."

"I'll remember that next time."

"John thought maybe we should celebrate Hanukkah instead," she joked.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart? I don't like that you're working over-time when you're 8 months pregnant. You should be resting and off your feet."

"I'm fine, Mom. They have been giving me the easy stuff lately. But, I would love something to eat. We're starving! This baby loves to eat!" She followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Oh come on, Natalie," Sonia goaded her on. "You know that it sounds fun! I do it every year!"

"We're adults!"

"So what? It's fun. Come on, do you have anything else better to do?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm not taking my picture with him alone. One of you has to do it with me."

"Chase can do it with you. I have a scrapbook of me with Santa since I was like 2. I'm going up there solo." It was absurd, but typically Sonia. They were at the mall to buy holiday presents and Sonia had talked them into having their pictures taken with Santa. It was silly, but actually pretty fun. She and Chase took the picture together and followed an elf to the waiting area.

"Did you tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" Natalie teased Chase as the woman dressed in a green and red costume handed them their photo.

"I did, but I can't tell you because it's a secret." They all spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and joking around. Sonia was leaving for her parent's home tomorrow. Chase was going to Connecticut to spend the holidays with his parents in the morning. But she was staying here. She'd told her mother that a group of kids were staying for the holidays and spending it together, but the truth was that she just wasn't ready to go home. Here in California, she was living on a high. Going back home would take her back to her old world, her world with John.

So, she stayed alone in her apartment while everyone else went home. It was shaping up to be a pretty lonely Christmas Eve. Natalie was watching Rudolph and The Abominable Snowman on TV. Another Roxy tradition. She'd seen the programs numerous times, but there was nothing else better to do. Taking a sip of her spiked eggnog, she heard the doorbell ring. Debating whether to answer it or not, she figured it was someone looking for one of the Christmas parties in her building. It would be some half-drunk teenager dressed in a red Santa hat and carrying a bag full of presents – not what Natalie wanted to see tonight. But, she answered the door anyway.

"Chase?" She opened the door, surprised to see him. "What … what in the world are you doing here? I thought you were in Connecticut?"

"There's a huge snow storm in New Haven and my flight was cancelled. You mind if I spend Christmas Eve with you?" A Christmas without snow. She'd gotten used to the Pennsylvania weather. Here, it was still nearly 80 degrees.

"Of course not," she stepped aside to let him in the door. "I'm just watching TV and I'd planned on drinking the night away. You're welcome to join me." He smiled, holding up a bottle of wine he'd brought with him.

She had thought it was going to be a horrible Christmas, maybe even worse than some of them when she was a kid. Instead, she and Chase spent all night talking about their families and growing up. He wasn't that much different than her. Yeah, he'd grown up in the rich family his whole life, but his parents had been as absentee as Roxy.

"Oh my God, Mom, this is amazing. I mean, really amazing. You should make this more often." Viki stood at the sink, cleaning a pan, as she watched Natalie eating out of the corner of her eye. "You think I could take the rest of it home? We have nothing in the house. John refuses to let me go grocery shopping. I went like a month ago and spent $300 on junk food. John apparently didn't like that." She took another bite of the lasagna. "But, hey, can I help it if his kid wants to eat Oreo's and chips for breakfast?"

"Why don't you just spend the night here? Victoria is already asleep. There's no point in waking her up. You can stay in your old room." Natalie nodded. She was still focused on the lasagna in front of her.