„Shee, you'll just be perfect!" said Sophie „come on, you have to go! I used to love these parties when I was little…"
„Oh, Sophie… when you were little…"
„Go. Meanwhile, I'll go and take a look at Foster's. Kevin!" thus, Sophie called her fiancé. They got engaged just a week before.
„Can I go, too?" Shaula 2 said, exiting Sheila's room.
„Wheee! Shaula 2 is comiiing!" jumped Bety.

„Shee, you're beautiful! Don't be so grumpy, okay?"
Sheila sat in the backseat of Sophie's car, holding a box of Christmas cookies and a tiny envelope. No perfume smell this time.
„Have a good time!" Sophie let her out „and Shee, try not to be a snobbish outcast by leaving out these parties, okay? Bye!"

Sheila, still not too happy about the whole thing, entered the school, where the Christmas party had just started. Though she was dressed in a long, dark pink dress, with big earrings, hair tied up artistically and all, and as much she used to love being the centre of attention, now she'd have given anything just to be elsewhere. Forcing a smile, she placed the cookies on the buffet table, and, ignoring the boys asking her to dance, she sat on a chair in a corner, and stared at the little envelope. She had to make a hard decision.

„Kevin!"
„Sophie, really, as much as I love you, imaginary friends?"
„Don't try to tell me you never had one!"
„It's not that! I… yes, I used to… but…" Kevin winced.
„Kevin, come on! Pleeease!"
„Sophie, the party…"
„I'm not here to party at Foster's! I just want to give these Christmas cookies and say hi to my friends in there!"
Kevin sighed and followed her.

Obviously, Terrence too had noticed Sheila, who was truly amazing that night. But he avoided looking at her. He still couldn't get over it.

Sheila caught a moment when Terrence was not looking, and slipped the envelope inside his winter cap, hanging beside his coat. He had to notice it before leaving the party.

Back at Foster's, everyone was busy decorating the house.
„Wilt!" shouted Shaula „here are all these candles and glass balls, I can't reach the higher levels of the tree, will you… oh. Hi there, Sophie! Who's him?"
„This is Kevin!" and Sophie showed up her engagement ring „he's a famous basketball player. We're just here to wish all of you merry Christmas, and give these cookies."
„Basketball?" Shaula put down the decorations „ooh, I know someone you'll like! WILT!"
Kevin suddenly shivered as he heard the name.
„What's wrong?" asked Sophie.
Wilt walked down the stairs bringing some candy canes.
„I'm here, Shaula, just brought these…"
That moment he saw Kevin. They held each other's stare for a couple of seconds.
„What's happened to you, Wilt…?" whispered Kevin, tears already running down his face.
„Kevin…?" Wilt dropped the candy canes.

Sheila really started to get bored. The boys drooling after her were annoying, the girls giving her jealous looks too, and Terrence never seemed to look in the right direction.
Then suddenly her heart jumped. Terrence walked to the coats and hats, ready to leave. He first tried to put his hat on, when something fell out of it. The envelope.

„I guess they'll have plenty of things to talk about" sighed Sophie „that's when I say it was destiny…"
Shaula smiled, the heart on her chest started to glow.
„Ah… uhm… Shaula?" she asked Shaula 2 „I still can't fly good enough. Will you help me decorating the tree?"
„Sure, no problem!" Shaula 2's eyes flashed red, then the heart on her chest glew of a pale pink, as she took off to hang the candy canes and glass balls.

Terrence winced as he read the 2 poems. Then he suddenly dropped the paper and his hat, and ran towards the exit.
„Terrence!" Sheila jumped up and ran after him.

„Goodbye!"
„Sophie…" Kevin took her hands „did you really…?"
„Yes… I saved Wilt's life 15 years ago. Shaula!"
„Yes?" both fairies appeared at the door.

„Terrence!" Sheila stopped him just at the door.
She just opened her mouth when applause and cheering came from the room. She looked up and saw the reason: they were standing under the mistletoe…
„Kiss! Kiss!" shouted everyone.
Boys started to envy Terrence, while girls didn't envy Sheila at all.
Terrence wasn't looking happy at all: in fact, he seemed to loathe Sheila that moment, there and then.
Sheila blushed, closed her eyes, gently placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a tender lip kiss.
Silence fell in the room as they parted. A second later, Terrence turned around and ran off into the night.
„Terrence!" Sheila immediately ran after him, without caring about the muttering in the room, like What? Why does she care about him…?

„Kevin, just…" Wilt arrived at the door.
„Ooh!" said Shaula 2.
„What?"
„Look where you're standing!"
„Oh, man! Please!" Shaula shook her head „not the mistletoe!"
„Kiss!" cheered Sophie, Kevin and Shaula 2.
Wilt took Shaula in his arm and lifted her up.
„No… please…" she said, and quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek „okay. That was enough."

„Terrence!" she finally reached him in the middle of an open, snowy field.
He just stood there, staring at her, with an inexpressive face.
„I…" she began, but stopped. She couldn't decide what to say.
She moved a step forward, but her high-heeled shoes, already pretty buried in the snow, slipped and she fell to her knees. Trying to get up, her hands almost froze when she put them down. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Then Terrence gave her his hand, helping her to stand up.

Sophie, Kevin and Shaula 2 soon left.
„Wilt… I"m sorry" said Shaula.
„For what?" he smiled at her, while they kept on hanging decorations.
„You know… it's not that I don't like you, just…"
„It's okay, Shaula, don't worry!"
Shortly after, they went outside to put on the Christmas lights. As it was done, Shaula turned to Wilt and took his hand.
„Friends forever?"
„Friends forever."
„Wilt! By the way, I still have that adoption certificate! No one can adopt you, 'cause you're ALL MINE!"
She hugged him.

Sheila and Terrence stood there a while, holding hands.

„I'd better call Shee…" Sophie quickly dialed her number.

Ring!
„Oh! I'm sorry!" Sheila answered the phone.
As she told Sophie to pick her up at the school in a while, Terrence, unnoticed, scribbled something in the snow with his foot. By the time Sheila turned back to him and hung up, he was gone.
„Oh, no!" she was near to despair when she noticed some writing in the snow.
FORRGIVAN.
„Woohooo!" Sheila laughed happily, and threw herself back in the snow. She didn't feel the cold any more.

Epilogue

Now, 3 months from the events, everything is back to normality again.

Shaula's and Wilt's friendship seems to be incredibly strong. The fairy now is quite popular among the friends of Foster's, as she's kind and helpful, just like her best friend. Even Bloo seems to have accepted her finally.

About Sheila and Terrence, they're not a couple yet. But they're talking to each other again, and a friendship is slowly building. Sheila has actually helped him sometimes with his homework, and they had a gigantic snowball fight the first day of school.

And, yes, in case you were wondering, Sheila caught a terrible cold that Christmas night. But it didn't matter – she thinks it was her happiest Christmas ever. She began to feel some long forgotten feelings again: love, friendship, inner peace.

And both Shaula and Sheila are happy this way.

THE END