Disclaimer: I don't own anything, so end of story!

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It was Christmas Eve at the Hughe house. Elicia and Gracia were eating dinner and were talking.

"So Elicia, I heard your friend Ed is coming over tomorrow. Are you excited about Christmas?"

Elicia just nodded and stared at her plate. Gracia sighed.

"Mommy? Why'd Daddy have to die?"

Gracia heard that and dropped her fork.

"What?"

"Why did he have to die! Why?"

Elicia stared at her Mom with tears and then ran up to her room. Gracia watched her daughter run up the stairs with tears in her eyes.

In her room, Elicia took a box out of her dresser and opened it. Inside were pictures and a newspaper article. All the pictures were of her Dad and her together. Only one was different, it was a picture of her Dad's headtone. The article had the headline:

"Soldier Dies Today, May We Never Forget Him."

Elicia took the box and dumped everything on the floor. She spread everything out and started to cry on the pictures.

Gracia went upstairs later and opened Elicia's door. She saw Elicia sleeping on top of the pictures and closed the door. Elicia had cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Elicia was awakened by a familiar voice.

"Wake up sleepyhead. It's Christmas."

She got up and saw Ed smiling at her. Elicia jumped up and hugged him. When she got up, Ed saw all the pictures spread out on the floor.

"Hey, Elicia? Why don't you go downstairs? I'll be down shortly."

"Okay."

Ed watched as she left and looked through all of the pictures. There was one picture from last Christmas. It had Maes dressed up like Santa and he was giving her presents. Elicia looked so happy that year, but, sadly, this year she didn't even want to smile.

Downstairs, Al, Elicia, and Gracia were busy sorting the presents as Ed came down.

"C'mon, Ed! We're gonna open the presents!"

"Oh, okay Al! I'm coming!"

After all the gifts were opened, Ed and Al were both comparing each other's to see whose was better. Elicia just sat down on the chair by the window and stared at the floor.

"Oh look. There's one more present under the tree. We must've forgotten this one." Gracia said as she grabbed a small box from underneath the tree. She looked at the little gift strangely, "That's funny, I don't remember seeing this one earlier, but it says it's for Elicia." Gracia gave her the present and she opened it. Inside, there was a note that read:

I was so happy when you smiled

Your smile breaks through the clouds of gray

Far from the sunny days that lie in sleep

Waiting with patience for the spring

When the flowers will bloom, renewed again

Knowing there's more beyond the pain of today

Although the scars of yesterday remain

You can go on living as much as your heart believes

You can't be born again although you can change…

Let's stay together always.

Ed stared at the note for a little while then asked Elicia, "So, who's it from? Does it say?" Elicia stared inside the box and tears started running down her face as she picked up a picture. The picture was of her dad, Maes Hughes, who was holding her as a baby. He was smiling at her and she smiled back.

Elicia looked at Gracia and smiled, she said, "Mommy, Daddy gave this to me…"

So how did you like it? Please say it was good. I thought it was really sad too. I made my friend masha101 cry with this story so I thought Why not put it on the Internet? So please send reviews!