A/N I wrote this one-shot for a Christmas Competition. The prompt was a photo of an ice-skating shoe hanging on the front door.

I would like to thank my betas Frannie and Joy1208 for picking up everything I missed and helping me with this story.


The Christmas Angel

13 December 2000

Billy lay there staring at the ceiling, feeling the cold emptiness of the bed next to him. It was like a black hole that sucked all his energy and happiness. The heart of their home was gone and had been gone for three months. Each day was worse than the one preceding.

"Give it back," Rachel screamed at her sister.

"No! It's mine. You lost yours," Rebecca screeched even louder.

"No. I. Didn't!" then there was the sound of a slap and a scream.

"GIRLS!" Billy yelled as he quickly got up and opened the bedroom door.

His twin daughters were tugging on a red shirt.

"She started it."

"No, I didn't. She took my shirt!"

"It's mine!"

"Enough!" Billy said sternly. He walked up to them and took the garment in question. "It's mine now. You both miss out."

"Dad!" Rachel pouted.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you two need to learn to get on better. I can't handle the fighting so early in the morning."

"Ugh! I hate you!" Rebecca yelled as she stormed back into her bedroom.

Billy rolled his eyes. She told him that at least once a day. Hopefully, it was now out of the way for today.

"Where's your brother?" Billy asked Rachel.

Rachel shrugged, "I dunno, probably in the garage."

Billy sighed and nodded. He walked towards the back door and put on his boots and jacket. When he opened the back door, he was greeted with a gust of frigid cold air. It made him shiver, and he pulled his coat tighter around his body. His boots crushed the ice that had formed over puddles in the mud on his way to the shed.

"Jacob?" Billy called out as he slid the garage door from the opening.

Jacob didn't reply to his dad; he was too engrossed in his work. His brow was furrowed, and his tongue was sticking out as he tried to get something tightened. He was dressed in his long-sleeved, Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas that were an inch too short. Grease and dirt covered him, and he wore no shoes.

Billy walked over to him and noticed a shirt lying in the dirt next to him.

"Son?" Billy said again, this time Jacob noticed.

"Oh, hey, Dad," he said with a small smile.

"What're you up to?"

"Just working on something for Christmas."

Christmas. The happiest time of the year. Supposedly. This was their first Christmas without her. Billy felt the guilt in his stomach rise again. He should do something for the kids, but he just couldn't bring himself to touch the box in the back of his closet. It was always Sarah's thing.

"Have you had breakfast?"

Jacob shook his head.

"Let's get you something to eat, and then you need to get dressed before coming back out here."

"Sure, sure," Jake said, grabbing the red shirt and wiping his hands on it.

"Where did you find the rag there, son?" Billy asked.

"This?" Jacob asked, holding up a red shirt identical to the one the girls were fighting over. Billy nodded.

"Found it in the woodpile out back," Jake said with a shrug.

Billy sighed; goodness knows why one of his fourteen-year-old daughters had lost her shirt outside in the middle of winter. It didn't pay to put too much thought into it.

They walked towards the garage door and out into the sleet. "Aren't you cold?" he asked his son.

"No, I don't get cold," Jake replied.

Just another thing Billy should be worrying about but didn't seem to have the energy to investigate further.

Breakfast was toast, again. They didn't have the ingredients to make a hot, cooked breakfast. Billy needed to shop.

"Dad, can we go to Leah's today?" Rebecca asked. Their argument was apparently forgotten.

"Sure. Just help clear up from breakfast and make sure you do your brother's hair. Then you can go."

All three groaned.

"Do I have to?" Rebecca complained. "His hair always stinks."

"Does not!" Jacob scowled.

"Does too!" Rachel chimes in.

Billy slammed his fist down on the table and gritted his teeth. Sarah always used to do his hair, and Jake couldn't do it himself yet. It was too long for him to manage on his own.

"Those are my conditions. Then, you are free to go," Billy said quietly, trying to hide the anger in his voice.

"Fine," Rebecca agreed.

Later, when the kitchen was tidy, Billy could hear Jacob and Becca fighting in the living room. She was brushing his hair too roughly.

"Toughen up; you're such a baby."

"Am not!" he said defiantly.

Billy tried to tune them out; his patience was running thin.

Five minutes later, Billy was putting a load in the washing machine when he heard the girls call out their goodbyes.

He heard the front door open, but it didn't close again.

"Dad?" Rachel called out.

"What?" he asked, annoyed, as he stuck his head around the laundry room door. Both girls were standing still in the front door, not moving.

"Did you order a tree?" Rebecca asked.

"No, why?"

"There's one on the front porch, blocking the path."

Billy moved closer, and sure enough, there was a beautiful, eight-foot-tall pine tree standing proud against the porch railing. It was blocking the stairs and the girls' exit.

The girls stepped aside, and he walked out to inspect the tree. There was a box below. He opened the brown cardboard box to reveal twelve glass Christmas baubles. Red, green, gold, and silver. They were beautiful and much more expensive than the ones they had used in the past.

"Oh, cool! I'm going to get the Christmas box down." Jacob said as he scurried off down the passage hallway.

"Are we putting the tree up this morning?" Rachel asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

Billy glanced at the girls, and they looked like small children again. There was light in their eyes for the first time in a long time.

"Sure," Billy reluctantly agreed.

Both girls squealed, taking off their scarves and jackets, as Billy dragged the tree inside. Jacob had already found the box of Christmas decorations and dumped the contents on the couch.

The girls quickly set to work, moving one of the couches over to make room for the tree. Then, Billy put the tree in the corner of the room and retrieved the new box of baubles from outside.

When he came back inside, all three kids worked together at stringing the lights around the branches. Billy smiled at the sight of them not fighting and getting along for the first time since...

It didn't take long for the new baubles and the old decorations from past years to be hung on the tree. Billy tried to blink back the tears as he saw all the handmade decorations Sarah had made with the kids when they were younger.

Jacob raced back to the couch and grabbed the Christmas Angel for the top of the tree. She had glass wings and a porcelain body covered by a beautiful white flowing dress overlayed with a silver pattern.

He spun around and tripped over his own feet. The angel flew through the air and crash-landed by Billy's feet. Its wings shattered, and the head snapped off at the neck.

The girls screamed when they saw the broken angel on the ground.

"Jacob!"

"What have you done?"

"You always ruin everything!"

Billy watched Jake's face turn from shocked to devastation to sadness. He buried his head in his hands and ran from the room.

Rebecca stomped her feet towards the front door and grabbed her jacket. "Are you coming, Rachel?"

Rachel followed her sister silently, and they left the house with a deafening slam of the door.

Billy grabbed the dustpan and brush from the kitchen and swept the broken angel up before discarding it in the trash. Then, he trudged down the hall to his son's room.

"Jacob," he called out as he knocked on his door. There was no answer. Billy peered around the door and found his room empty, but the window was open.

Sighing, he went to the back door and watched as his ten-year-old son disappeared into his shed. Billy wiped his hand down his face and turned back to the tree. It was missing the centerpiece, the angel on the top, just like their family.


14 December 2000

"Good morning," Charlie called as he waltzed in the front door without knocking.

"Morning, Charlie," the Black family called out from around the breakfast table.

"What can we do for you this morning, Chief?" Billy asked.

"I was in the neighborhood and just thought I would drop off some bagels if anyone is hungry."

Billy gave him a sad smile; he knew Charlie was not in the neighborhood. His friend had been dropping in and checking on them every couple of days over the past few months. Things were tight. Billy had taken leave from work to be with the kids until the new year, but it had taken a huge strain on his already limited funds.

"Yum!" Jacob called out. "Thanks."

Charlie placed the paper bag on the table, and the kids dug in. Billy noticed he was holding a Christmas tin in his other hand.

"I, um, found this on the front porch," he said, handing it to Billy.

Billy opened it up and found a batch of sugar cookies decorated with royal icing. snowflakes, christmas trees, snowmen, and reindeers, eleven in total. Billy frowned.

"Awesome!" Jacob said quickly as he snatched a snowman from the box. Rebecca grabbed a snowman, as well.

"Hey!" Rachel complained. "Where's my snowman?"

Billy quickly shifted through the box. "Looks like there were only two. Sorry, darling."

"That's not fair!" she pouted and glanced at her siblings, who quickly licked their cookies. Billy sighed.

"How about a reindeer?"

"I don't want a reindeer."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Here, just pick one."

Rachel reluctantly took the box and chose a Christmas tree cookie, staring daggers at her brother and sister.

"Where did they come from?" Charlie asked.

Billy shook his head, "I have no idea … Hey, you didn't by any chance drop a tree off yesterday?" he asked, looking towards their Christmas tree.

"No, why?" Charlie asked.

"Oh … never mind."

Later that day, the kids were all out playing, and Billy had his first chance to make the phone call he had meant to make yesterday.

"Hello, this is Brian from River's Edge Tree Farm. How may I help you?"

"Hi, Brian, it's Billy Black here."

"Hey, Billy, how do you like your tree this year?"

"Oh…" Billy was a little taken back by his question.

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, no, it's lovely. I... ah, was just wondering if you knew who ordered it?"

"Oh, I have a standing order to save you a tree every year. Progress payments were made throughout the year."

Billy felt a lump form in his throat, and he tried hard to swallow it down. Sarah must have placed the order. He blinked away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Oh…" Billy replied, not sure what else to say.

"Is there something else I can do for you, Billy?"

"Um… well, ah… did she organize some new decorations to come with the tree?" Billy asked, his voice breaking on the word "she."

"No, we don't sell decorations here."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Okay… Thanks for your help, Brian." Billy hung up the phone quickly and looked away from the tree that his wife had organized. He didn't know if he could handle seeing it every day, standing there so beautifully, knowing Sarah had ordered it before her passing.


15 December 2000

It was Friday morning, and for once, Billy was the first one up. He cautiously headed towards the front door, unsure if he should be expecting a surprise or not. However, sure enough, on the porch was a little square box with a bow on top. He retrieved the present, and upon opening the box, he found a CD inside with the words "Christmas Songs."

Billy walked over to the stereo and put the disk in the player. Ten unnamed tracks appeared, and he hit the play button. The familiar piano chords followed by the strings of The Christmas Song started playing. Billy felt a sob form in his throat, and he was unable to hold it back as the deep voice of Nat King Cole filled the air.

Billy missed the sound of three doors opening and closing as he sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Daddy?" Rebecca asked quietly, placing her small hand on his shaking shoulder. He lifted his tear-stained face to look at his children. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He forced a smile, "yeah, I'm good, honey," he lied.

"This was Mom's favorite song, wasn't it?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, it was," he smiled. "Come on, let's have some breakfast, hey?"

The Blacks worked together silently, getting breakfast organized. There was no fighting this morning as they listened to the music coming from the living room. By the fourth song, they were all singing along to How the Grinch Stole Christmas.


16 December 2000

When Saturday morning arrived, Billy was not looking forward to a new surprise. The previous morning had been hard to get past, and he had a lump in his throat all day. However, when he emerged from his room, he found Jacob at the dining table with a pile of candy canes in front of him.

"Look what I found!" Jacob said excitedly.

"Wow, how many have you got there?"

"Nine!"

Billy chuckled; he shouldn't have been surprised. "Just have the one, save one for the girls, and the rest can be hung on the tree."

"Sure, Dad," he replied.

That evening, Sue and Harry had convinced Billy to bring the kids to the Festival of the Trees, Twinkle Parade in Forks. The girls took off with Leah giggling about something, probably chasing down some of the local boys, and Jake found Embry and Quil. He just hoped they wouldn't get into too much mischief together. When the night had finished, and Billy was driving them home, he smiled at the sight in the rearview mirror as all three kids were fast asleep, heads resting on each other's shoulders.


17 December 2000

"Dad!" Rachel called out, waking him from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, then blinked them to try and clear his vision. His door burst open, and all three children came running in. They were each holding a pair of ice skates in their hands.

"Are we going ice skating today?" Jacob asked.

Billy smiled, "looks like it."

The children excitedly got themselves ready, and Billy was not surprised to find a new pair of ice skates in his size hanging on the railing at the front door. He shook his head. Whoever was organizing this certainly knew a lot about their family.

They packed up the car with all the supplies they might need for the day, including a picnic lunch, and headed out towards Third Beach. Billy took a side road and followed it until they reached a small secluded lake. It was not listed on any public websites and was only known by local tribe members, so it was quiet and deserted when they arrived.

Billy tested the ice and was met with squeals of joy when he declared it was safe to skate on. The girls had done a lot of skating in previous years and looked beautiful as they twirled about on the ice. Jacob, however, was all gangly legs after his most recent growth spurt.

There were a few teasing comments from the girls, but Jake didn't seem to mind. He even laughed at himself as he ended up with a wet bum once again. Billy had strapped his shoes on and slowly skated around watching the children. Eventually, they pulled him into the middle, and each had a turning spinning around on the ice with him.


The following days passed quickly, and the kids got more and more excited each day to see what their Secret Santa had left.

Monday was a box containing seven chocolate chip muffins, Billy's favorite.

Tuesday held a craft activity where they decorated six new baubles to add to their tree.

Wednesday was a wooden Ring Toss Game for the backyard.

Thursday brought four small gingerbread houses for them each to decorate with royal icing and sweets. They made it into a competition and secretly voted on whose they liked best. Billy was surprised they didn't vote for their own creation, and in the end, Rebecca won.

When Friday morning arrived, Billy woke with a smile on his face for the first time this season. However, when he opened his bedroom door, he was surprised to be greeted by the smell of pancakes. He walked quickly to the kitchen and found three plates stacked high with hot, fluffy pancakes. Billy's heart squeezed a little when he remembered that Sarah was the last person to cook pancakes in their little kitchen.

His sadness was quickly erased by the eager faces of his children, who raced out to start their breakfast.

"These are delicious," Jacob said with a mouthful of pancake and maple syrup.

Billy went over the TV and put the Christmas CD on again. He had played it a few times since that first day, and each time he became less and less sad.

As the first song filled the air, Rachel quietly looked down at her plate and said, "They taste just like Moms."

"They've even added the cinnamon like she used to," Rebecca said.

The room fell silent as they ate quietly.

After a few minutes, Rachel asked, "who do you think is leaving gifts to us each day?"

They all looked towards their father. Billy had been thinking about who it could be, but so far couldn't think of anyone who knew all these details about them.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Billy asked.

"Whoever it is must know how to cook," Rebecca added.

"And, they know what things we all like," Rachel said.

"And, our shoe sizes," Billy chuckled.

"I know who it is," Jacob said like it should have been obvious. They all turned to him, waiting for him to explain. He looked back at them, "it's Mom."

Everyone froze at his words; they didn't even breathe as Bing Crosby sang the famous words, I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.

Both girls got up simultaneously and flew to their room in tears.

"Jacob," Billy said in a warning tone, his voice straining with emotion.

"What?" he said, confused.

"You know that can't be possible. You shouldn't have upset your sisters like that."

Jacob frowned, "why can't it be her?"

"Jacob!" Billy said sternly. "Enough." His heart was tugging painfully in his chest and waging war on his emotions. He was struggling to keep his anger at bay.

Jake stood up abruptly, "you tell stories of cold ones and men who turn into wolves, but the thought of Mom hanging around to look after us is too hard to believe?"

"Jacob," Billy said his name sadly now.

"No! She can't be gone. She is still here!" Jake yelled before racing out the back door.

Billy closed his eyes as his tears silently fell down his cheeks as he listened to the cries of his girls coming from their bedroom.


23 December 2000

The following morning no one seemed excited to get up, except for Jacob. He hadn't waited for the girls; they were still in their room. Slowly he opened the front door and collected the little package on the step. Inside was two Christmas DVDs.

He put the first disc in the machine and started the movie, keeping the volume low. Miracle on 34th Street started playing, and he remembered that this was his Mom's favorite Christmas movie. Jacob snuggled up on the couch under a soft patchwork quilt that she had made.

It wasn't long before Rachel joined him on the couch, followed closely by Rebecca, who sat on the other side of him. He made room for them and ensured they were also under the blanket.

When Billy finally emerged from his bedroom, he saw his children cuddled up together. He kissed the tops of their heads over the back of the couch before starting breakfast.

Billy joined them on the couch, and they ate breakfast as they watched the movie. It was a bit of a squeeze to fit them all on the one couch, but no one commented. Billy spread his arms out across the back, and they were long enough to encompass all the children.

When the movie ended, Jacob quickly got up and put the second movie on, Home Alone. This was the kid's favorite. He tucked himself back in next to his Dad and Rachel and pulled the quilt back over his legs.

No one tidied the kitchen; no one mentioned leaving the house that day; no one got out of their pajamas; and no one said much at all, for it felt like they were in a bubble, and they didn't want the moment to end.


24 December 2000

When the girls woke extra early on Christmas Eve, they went to Jake's room to wake him up. All three kids tip-toed down the hall in the dark and opened the front door.

Rebecca went outside and picked up the wrapped box from the porch. She placed it on the dining table, and they all unwrapped it together. Rachel took the honors of opening the box carefully, and all gasped as she removed the object inside.

Their Christmas Angel that had been broken twelve days earlier had been fixed. However, it wasn't just fixed; it somehow looked perfect again; no cracked lines were visible at all.

The girls helped push a chair up close to the tree and held onto Jake's legs while he stood on the seat and placed the angel carefully on top of the tree.

When she was safely back where she belonged, they stood back and looked at their tree. Her glass wings reflected the lights off the tree, shining little spots all around the room.

Billy had been watching silently from the hall. He smiled through happy tears now that their angel was back.

If you ever visit the Blacks, take a look at the mantle. No matter the month, there, in a special place of honor, you will find a Christmas Angel watching over her family.