Roger could feel the cold again,but he wasn't cold in the way he should be exposed to the elements as he was. In fact, he couldn't see his breath when he exhaled. His hands, bare, seemed to open and close without the typical effects that frigid temperatures would bring. As they had arrived back at the crash scene he pondered his mortality again.

"This must have been some car." Bert exclaimed from the driver's seat. "It's a shame you fed it to a tree" She tsk'd. "I remember my last car. It was a wood grain and green station wagon. It had vinyl upholstery, and a plastic dashboard, why I don't even think I had FM radio."

Roger shook his head, he couldn't believe they were talking about his car.

"I don't care!" He roared. "Why did you show me those things? Chrissy was so hateful and cruel." He stopped and swallowed "And what I did to Holly, that is just inexcusable, and I lied to Chrissy too!"

Bert remained in the car. "That was the point Roger. We can't move forward without first examining our past, and yours with Holly and Christina is sorted at best."

Roger sank to his knees. "I don't want to see anymore. I know exactly what Holly thinks of me today. She thinks I had sex with that bleach blond whore. She was willing to sell herself for a piece of Spaulding but I said no. I did the right thing, but how will Holly ever know? No, I want to be gone from this place. Holly has forgiven me more than anyone could expect her too. This time, she will never take me back. I am officially alone in this world."

Bert appeared to have not heard Roger. "Say, what does this button do?" She asked, poking at it. Suddenly the radio glowed green. Roger could hear static, as if the broadcast was miles away, but still was being received. He remembered he had been listening to Christmas carols last he had it on, but this sounded more like a sermon of some kind.

"There is a destiny that makes us brothers. None goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own."

Bert clicked the button again and inhaled deeply. "Such beautiful and true words. No man, no matter how lonely truly goes his way alone, wouldn't you agree, Roger?"

He could feel his anger building. "Enough of this charade. Do you expect me to take philosophical advice from what, some televangelist? Let me guess what he's doing tonight." Roger waved a hand into the darkness. "I bet he's sitting in his million dollar mansion stuffing dollar bills in the g-string of someone who isn't his wife. Then tomorrow morning he will stand at an altar with the little woman by his side, crying in all of the appropriate moments so that some blue haired old bitty will call in and donate to his cause. No thanks"

Suddenly Bert was by his side. Her hands on his upper arm. "Roger, that isn't some Beverly Hills preacher, no that is the late Reverend Doctor John Ruthledge. He died in 1946."

"What? How? Forget it" Roger said, pulling away and tumbling into the snow.

Bert attempted to cover a laugh. "Come on, it's time to go." She reached her hand out for his.

"No, I'm done. Just let me freeze to death." He said quietly.

"Roger, if I thought that is what you wanted I'd gladly go sit on that tree over there and wait, but you don't now come on."

Definitely, Roger crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you being so nice to me? When you were alive you protected Holly from me, and were even willing to sabotage Ed's marriage to Rita if it meant I'd go away."

Bert looked skyward "Why does this have to be so hard?" An answer never came. "We all have a cross to carry" Was her response. "Now take my hand."

Once again Roger sighed, but complied.

The pair arrived at Holly's current home. The one that up until that morning Roger had shared with her. He smiled when he smelled her perfume, but quickly remembered why they were there. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, smell her hair, nibble on her neck and tell her how sorry he was that Alexandra had caused their current strife. Then when, not if, she forgave him he would make every promise under the sun in an attempt to make her believe him. Alas, he was only an observer here, but that didn't stop him from sitting on the coffee table across from the couch where she sat wrapped in a warm throw that normally was draped over it.

The phone rang. Holly threw the blanket from her and padded across the room to answer it. Roger could feel the breeze as she went by, but she was completely unaware that she had spectral company.

"Hello" She answered gruffly.

As before Roger couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but from the look on Holly's face the person annoyed her.

"I don't care. No Gilly, I said I don't care."

There was a pause during which time Holly leaned up against the bar that separated the living room from the galley kitchen.

"Look, I agree you should send the non essential peronelle home. It's a no brainer. The news crew and one camera man can handle the noon news cast. Of course you'll need to stay to get the holiday movie loop started. After that, lock the place up. It will keep until the 26th."

Roger watched as Holly pulled her lower lip inward. It was a habit she had when she was debating something. But it was quickly gone, and her eyes flashed with anger.

"Gilly, damn it, I told you when you called earlier that I don't care what he does or who he does it with. If you want to clear this with Roger then you call him. Don't bother me again, damn it"

Holly slammed the phone down. It immediately rang again but she picked it up and dropped it back into the cradle. She went to the kitchen where she pulled out a wine glass and a bottle of wine. As the phone rang again she swore lightly but ignored it, allowing it to roll to voicemail.

"This is the Holly Lindsey and Roger Thorpe residence…" The message began, but was quickly stifled when Holly pulled the cord from the wall causing the phone to fall to the floor with a clatter.

"Leave me alone!" Holly yelled at the casualty. She went back to the kitchen and poured a large glass of red wine which she downed in three heavy swallows. She poured a second, doing the same.

Roger jumped up from the coffee table. "Easy there Holly, you don't need to do this" He tried to reason, but she couldn't see him. In fact, even though he was standing directly in front of her she walked right through him, wine bottle and glass in hand.

She slammed the wine bottle on the table and finished what was her third glass of wine before she wrapped herself in the throw again. Slowly her hand reached across to the coffee table and retrieved a book from it. Roger recognized it immediately. It was a leather bound collection of poems that he had given her when they were first married. Even though they had lived together in the months preceding this moment he wasn't aware that she had kept it.

Roger moved to the back of the couch where he perched himself, unseen and felt above her head. He could see the page to which she had turned. It was a poem by Tolkein, All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter. It was completely appropriate for the day, but also appropriate for them in general.

"All that is gold does not glitter

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither

Deep roots are not touched by the frost.

A light from the shadows shall be spring;

Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,

The crownless shall again be king"

Roger breathlessly recited every stanza out loud, even though he knew only Bert could hear him. He wiped a tear from his eye when he was done.

Suddenly Holly stood, the wrap falling to the floor. Quietly she stood in front of the roaring fire, contemplating the flames as they licked the brick lined walls. She considered the weight of the book in her hand. Slowly she opened the front cover and pulled out a family photo. Roger sported a mustache then. She traced it with a finger before looking at herself. She had seen the photo a thousand times, but this time she studied it. It was the only photo from their marriage where she looked and felt genuinely happy. She replaced the photo, and hugged the book to her chest. Her eyes closed, she exhaled heavily and then without warning threw the book and photo into the fireplace.

"Holly, no!" Roger yelled, he rushed to the fireplace, but even if he had been in his mortal form he would have been too late to save either piece.

He watched silently as Holly went back to the kitchen. From a cabinet above she pulled out a container of pills. Roger recognized them immediately. They were prescribed for her migraines and while he was certain she was developing one he also knew the consequences if she mixed them with alcohol. He stood and went to Bert who silently watched from the corner of the room.

"Listen, you have got to do something." He pleaded. If she mixes those pills with alcohol the consequences could be deadly."

"I'm sorry, we're only here to observe, but we're done here. It's time to go"

Roger gripped her shoulders tightly. "Please, I will do anything. Please stop this. You have to let me stop this. Please" He begged, but was met with a fluid sensation that meant they were on the move again.

"Damn it Bert, you could have done something back there" Roger cursed, but Bert simply directed his attention to the other red head in his life.

They had arrived in the middle of Blake Marler's living room. She was pacing the floor, the telephone pressed against her ear.

"Mom, this is Blake, again. Look, I know you are mad at Daddy, and believe me if what you told me is true then I'm furious." she shook her head "Anyway, don't let him ruin our plans for Christmas Eve. Ross and I have a very special gift we want to give you, but I'm getting kind of worried. The news is saying the weather is just going to get worse, and well, they may order a shelter in place directive. Come on Mom, just come over and we can figure out this Daddy thing together." She sighed. "Ok, well, I love you."

Blake pulled a pillow into her middle and sank into the couch. She hugged the pillow close to her, and pondered how badly the day had gone. This was not how it was supposed to be. They were to be spending the day as a family. Holly and Roger should be glowing from their engagement, and then from the gift that she and Ross were going to give them, but it had all gone to hell.

Blake was so entranced in her own reverie that she didn't hear Ross come in.

"Hello, Ground control to Mrs. Marler, come in Mrs. Marler" Ross said with a nasally voice.

"Huh, what? Oh Ross, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously" Ross responded, stepping over the tree that he brought home for the pair to decorate.

Blake stood and went to Ross, crushing him in her arms. "Let me take my coat off, you're going to be covered in sap and snow, Honey" He said despite wrapping his own arms around his wife.

"Why did this have to happen today of all day's Ross? Why did Daddy have to let Alexandra ruin everything?" Blake cried.

Behind her Ross pulled off his heavy gloves and tossed them on the couch. He lifted her chin with a bare finger. "Everything isn't ruined. It's Christmas Eve, we have each other and now we have Charlie."

Blake grinned despite herself. "Don't you think it's a little early for baby names? We don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet"

Ross's smile was even wider. "I meant the tree, besides Charlie Marler, he'd get his butt whooped on the playground"

As Ross's smile widened, so did Roger's eyes. "Chrissy's pregnant, well I'll be. Holly is going to be thrilled, I think, maybe. Grandma, she isn't going to like being called that."

As Roger mused, Bert reminded him to observe, which he did with renewed interest.