Okeeydokey--This chapter is dedicated to OneTreeFan, who has been such a huge supporter of this story. I thank you kindly. Alright this is gonna be a mixed chapter with both Emily and Ethan. They have made it to the Christmas dances, so things have fast forwarded through a couple of weeks, it's three days before Christmas.

Disclaimer: Come on you know the drill already.

A Ball, A Dance and Two Special Gifts

The day after Emily agreed to go to the Christmas ball her Aunt outfitted for the occasion in a smashing red dess with all the frills. Emily felt like royalty wearing it and wished that she was at home so that she could show the dress to Ethan. Lou hadn't been feeling well so she had been staying home with Miss Emma but Emily secretly suspected that now that she was further along in her pregnancy she didn't want the ladies that came into the store to stare at her.

The day of the ball a package came for Emily from Rock Springs. She just sat it under her Aunt's beautifully decorated Christmas tree though. She would open it on Christmas morning with the package that her parents had sent and the one from Oliver. Emily had boughten gifts for her sister, brother, parents, aunt and Louise. She had also sent a gift to Ethan and she hoped that it made it there unharmed and in working condition. Then she went up stairs to get ready for this ball. Her aunt and Louise were fixing her hair so it was just so, a mass of curls that cascasded down the back of her head. While they were fixing, Emily said to Louise, "Lou, I do wish that you would go. If for no other reason than to keep me company."

"Oh, Emily, I don't think you'll have to worry about having company." Lou said.

Emily could see the mischiff in her friends, green eyes. "Lou please come."

"Em, I told you. I don't feel that it's proper or a good way for me to honor Alfred's memory. The pain of losing him is still to raw."

Emily gave up when she looked in the mirror again and saw the mischiff that had once animated her friends green eyes was gone and it was replaced by saddness and raw pain.

Lou did Emily's makeup for her, just a little to give her cheeks color and when her aunt came in she said, "Oh, Emily! You'll be the belle of the ball!"

In Rock Springs a lot of preparation of the girls and boys was going on there as well. Ethan was at home with his family, dressing in his Sunday suit. He was to go and supply some of the music for the dance that the town was having at the livery stable barn. He had also went in a few days earlier and helped clean the place up and prepare a small stage so that he and the other two musicians could perform tonight. Ethan knew that his parents were going and they were taking his three younger siblings to the Munch's house to stay with their daughter and nanny for the evening. Ethan also knew that Eliza had been hoping that he would decline playing the music and instead ask her to go with him to the dance. It turned out that is why she had mentioned it. Oh well, Ethan thought as he tied his string tie and moved it into place. He looked down at his shoes, the only pair he owned and he only wore them to church and funerals and weddings if he attended any. They were shiny and black and usually made his feet hurt.

"Ethan!" he heard called up the stairs.

"Yes Pa?"

"We're ready to go son." his father, Elliot called up.

"I'll be right down." Ethan called.

He grabbed his good jacket and guitar and looked at the package that had came a few days before from Philadelphia. He had meant to take it down and put it under his family's Christmas tree but he hadn't yet. He knew it was from Emily and he wondered if she had opened his package or if she had left it till Christmas as well.

Emily went to the banquet hall with her aunt and as soon as Howard had helped them from the buggy her aunt began to introduce her to it seemed every young man her age. She met so many of them that Emily soon felt dizzy and told her aunt that she needed to sit down. She had been poliet to each one but she also found fault with each of them too. This one had blonde hair, and Ethan's was brown, this one had brown eyes and Ethan's were blue. It seemed that each of them was measured against Ethan and all were lacking in some way shape or form. When the music began to play she danced with each that asked but never really made conversation with them.

Finally her aunt came over, "Emily, dear are you allright?"

"Yes Auntie I'm fine."

"Well I was just wondering, it seems you've danced with every young man in the room but it seems none of them can hold your attention for very long."

"Well that's true Auntie. I just oh I shouldn't say this but none of them compare to him. None of them compare to Ethan."

"Oh." her aunt replied. She took Emily's arm and led her to a more secluded place. "I have something that I want to tell you dear. I felt like you once, that's why I never married. I was in love with a young man that my father liked but didn't like. Well William was sent into the army and I'm sure you know how it ends. He was killed and after that I compared every man to him."

"Auntie. I didn't know." Emily said. She felt like crying.

"Well I know what your going through and like I've said before. If you feel you need to leave then go honey. I don't want to see you in agony."

"No Auntie." Emily said. "I set out to do this, and I have Lou to think about. She wants to have her baby here away from all the bad memories of losing Alfred and what her family did to her. Maybe after the baby is born, then I'll consider going back to Rock Springs."

"That's my girl." Mary Anne said. "I knew you would come to your senses and go after what you wanted."

"Thank you Auntie. Thank you for caring and for understanding."

"Always my dear, always." Mary Anne said.

After that Emily found it a little easier to talk to some of the young men that approached her and wanted to dance or chat. She met a particulary sweet one named Thomas. He was bankers son but had always dreamed of moving west and becoming a gunsmith. He wanted to know everything about Rock Springs and living in the west. He was enamored with the likes of Matt Dillon, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and all the others. He seemed to read a lot of dime novels on the west as well. Emily found him nice to talk to but again compared to Ethan he was not what she could see herself tied down to.

Ethan arrived with his parents shortly before the dance was to begin. He went to the stage and began tuning his guitar and talking with the other musicians about what they wanted to play that night. They decided they would start everyone out with something a little more lively and then play something a little slower and try to alternate a little Christmas time music in.

Ethan loved the sound of his guitar, he also liked to try to come up with new songs on it, but lately all he seemed to play were things that were sad. His Ma often times told him that he used his guitar and it's music as his voice. She said that he let it express his feelings for him and that she could tell his moods just by the way he played it. Ethan found that on most counts he had to agree with her.

He watched as they played and couples floated around the floor below them. He wanted nothing more than to be where his parents were. His Ma with her pretty brownish hair shining was looking right into his Pa's eyes. They could only see each other Ethan was sure of it as they whirled and twirled and stepped in time with the music. He could see him and Emily in their place with her pretty golden hair all piled up in a fancy do, one of his hands at her waist the other holding hers as they went through the steps together. He could see her long skirts swishing and swirling around her. He got so caught up in his day dream that he almost missed the ending of the song they were playing and the start of the next one. He felt his face turn red when Paul nudged him with his leg.

THREE DAYS LATER

It was Christmas day and Emily awoke and like she had since she was a young girl she went to the window and looked out. It was snowing and Emily smiled. She loved it when it snowed on Christmas. She dressed and then went down to Lou's room. The other girl was still sleeping so Emily left and went down stairs. No one else was up except for Miss Emma and Howard. Emily had also found that if her aunt didn't have to go and open the shop she would sleep until eight or nine o'clock. She went down the stairs and was greeted by Miss Emma. She was making breakfast for them all. "Good morning Miss Emma."

"Oh good morning darling. Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough." Emily said.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Emma asked the young lady setting before her.

"Yes. Thank you."

Louise came down shortly after that. "Merry Christmas everyone." She said. She hugged Emma and then Emily.

"Merry Christmas dear." Emma said to the other girl. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes Miss Emma." Louise said. She put her hand at the small of her back and took the chair that Emily had pulled out for her. "Goodness I wish it was May already. I will be so glad when this child comes into the world."

The girls and Emma had each finished a whole cup of tea and were started on the second when Mary Anne breezed into the room. "Merry Christmas all!" she called in her chipper voice. She kissed each of the girls on the cheek and patted Emma's shoulder.

They ate breakfast and then sat down in the sitting room by the tree to open their gifts. Mary Anne bought each girl several gifts such as new dresses, hats and other finery. Mary Anne and Emily also gave Louise a few small gifts for her baby. Then Emily picked up the packages from Rock Springs. The first was from her parents and brother and sister. She laughed at the pictures from Alexandra, admired the fine lace around the edges of the handkerchiefs that Oliver had sent to her, and fell in love with the beautiful broach her parents had sent to her. Then she opened the second package from Rock Springs and she gasped. Inside was a beautifully carved jewelry box. She could see the time and care that had been taken to craft it and she wanted to cry. She opened it up and admired the blue velvet lining. She also took out the folded letter that was laying inside so that she could pass the beautiful gift to her aunt and Louise.

"Oh Emily, this is beautiful." Her aunt said. "Who made this?"

"Ethan." Emily said softly.

"Well tell him in your next letter that he does beautiful work."

"I will." Emily said. She felt like she was going to cry. What a beautiful gift Ethan had given her. First a beautiful locket and now this beautiful jewelry box.

Later on Emily took the jewelry box and her other gifts up to her room and then she shut herself into her room. Then she sat down to read Ethan's letter. It made her cry, as usual. She could tell that there were things bubbling under the surface. Especially in his comment about how he was going to go to the Christmas dance in town but he would be supplying the music and that there wouldn't be anyone there that he wanted to dance with anyway. She was glad that he was getting ready to inessence to strike out on his own. She was also glad to hear that Oliver had struck out on his own. That was something that she hadn't known. She also didn't like hearing that Eliza Connelly had been talking to Ethan. She knew that Eliza had a thing for Ethan and that upset her a little bit. She was sure that Ethan wasn't reciprocating the feelings that Eliza was most likely flashing about, but it still bothered Emily. She knew she should sit down and write Ethan a letter of thanks but just as she was to do that, her aunt called for her and when she went down the stairs to see what she wanted she found Thomas waiting for her and she spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with him and Louise.

Things were a little crazy on Christmas morning in the Stabler household. The younger children had gotten up earlier than normal to see if Santa Clause had visited them. They were also having a birthday party for Katie that day because her birthday was the day after Christmas. After going down stairs the youngsters came back up to get Ethan. "Etan!" Katie squeeled shaking his shoulders. "Get wup Etan."

"Come on Ethan! Santa came, come on get up." Caleb said.

"Yeah Ethan! Come on." Will said.

Ethan cracked an eye open. It was hard enough to get up in the morning during the winter without having six year olds and a almost four year old coming in to get him. "What?" he grumbled.

"Come on!" Caleb said, right into his face. Katie was pulling on his hand.

"Santa Clause came last night." Will supplied.

Ethan sat up and said to his younger siblings, "Ok. You three get out of here and let me put some clothes on."

By the time Ethan made it down stairs, the trio had managed to wake their parents up as well so the whole family was in the sitting room. They opened their gifts and the boys were ecstatic with the sled that Santa had brought them and they also liked their gift from Ethan. Katie loved the doll cradle that Ethan had made and the new doll that Santa had brought her. When Ethan came to the package that was from Philadelphia he got up and went back up the stairs. He wasn't sure what was in that package and he wanted to be alone to open it. He sat down on the bed and pulled the brown paper off the package and then took out the letter from Emily. He read it and then put it with the stack in the desk drawer. Then he opened the box and was surprised to see a fine silver watch fall out into his hand. Boy, Em sure spent a lot of money on me. Now I feel kind of bad for just sending her a dumb wooden box. He hefted the weight of the watch in his hand and flipped it open. He wound it up and listened to it tick. It had a nice sound.

He put it into his vest pocket and then went down stairs again. Once there he showed it to his parents. "Who gave you this son?" Elliot asked.

"Emily."

"Goodness son, this is quite a gift." Olivia said, taking the watch into her own hands and looking at it.

"I know." Ethan said.

The family ate their Christmas meal and then they celebrated Katie's birthday. She was delighted with her cake and the candles. She didn't get any gifts because her mother told her that she had received enough gifts for Christmas and she didn't need anymore.

Later that night Ethan went up stairs and sat down to write Emily a letter. He wanted to thank her for her generous gift.

Dear Emily,

Thank you for the wonderful watch that you sent me for Christmas. What a nice way to think of me. It makes me feel like a real upstanding fellow. Again I hope you enjoyed your Christmas gift that I sent you.

Today we celebrated Katie's fourth birthday. What an affair! It was just the family but we still had a great time.

Well I best go for now, I am sure that it is getting on to time for bed. Pa and I have been having to put out a lot of feed for the cattle this winter. It has been snowy and cold here so I hope your having a better time there than we are.

I want to thank you again for your generous gift.

All my best,

Ethan