Kerry jerked as she felt a hand on her back. She turned "Randi?"

Randi carefully tucked in the side of Kerry's shirt. "Sorry Doctor Weaver, I was trying to be subtle. Aren't you off?"

"You invade my personal space, tuck in my shirt, and call me Doctor Weaver in the same two seconds, sometimes you're quite... a unique person Miranda." Kerry inclined her head towards the clerk, "Aren't you off too?" Randi shrugged, "How long have I been walking around... like I was?"

"Since this afternoon, wouldn't worry though. That's what lab coats were made for, right?"

Kerry sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow night Randi."

Randi gave a jaunty salute, "Yeppers. Merry Christmas Eve Doctor Weaver."

Kim slowly pinched the pie crust around the edges of the dish. Her mother watched her oldest daughter as she mixed the pie filling. "What happened Kimberly."

Kim shook her head and made an annoyed noise as her thumb broke the dough. She carefully put it back together. "Nothing Mom. I just did something stupid and am still paying the price months later."

"Was it illegal?"

"No."

Nancy took the pie plate from her daughter and started filling it. Kim took more dough and started rolling it out for the second pie crust. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Not in the short term, in the long term... maybe, probably."

Nancy sighed, "Oh, hon..."

Kim sighed, "I'll live Mom."

Nancy wrapped a hand around her taller daughter's waist. "Kim, sometimes life is about more than living but loving too."

Kim groaned, "Ma, you sound like the opening titles of some cheesy TV show."

Nancy took Kim's hands and placed them back on the dough, "Do you love her?"

"I cheated on her mom. She has every right to be pissed as hell at me. To make matters worse, today I didn't think, and now... I..."

Nancy put the covering over her mincemeat pie and made sure she wasn't looking at her daughter when she spoke the next words, "You had sex with her."

"Mommm..." Nancy smiled as after a few moments Kim sighed, "Yeah." Kim paused again, pinching the crust. "What am I supposed to do now Mom?"

Nancy thought for a moment, "Have you considered proposing? Seems to work for the guys. I believe Molly wanted to kill your brother before he proposed, and look at them, still married."

Kim made a face, "No way. I mean, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I get that now, but words won't do, not this time. And proposing... no, that's a shortcut that she'll see right through."

Nancy took the second pie crust from Kim, "Sometimes the shortcuts is what both people need. And words are all we really have in the end Kim. Actions can lie too..."

Henry sat in the back seat of his mother's car with a pinched look on his face. They had just visited Sandy's grave and were on their way home for dinner. Kerry glanced a couple of times in the rear view mirror before she spoke to her son. "Is something on your mind Henry?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and Kerry gripped the steering wheel a bit harder as her heart skipped a beat. That had been what Sandy would do when she was making a hard decision. Finally he spoke, "May I go with Fiona to the candlelight service Mama?"

Kerry read between her son's lines, "And Kim?"

Henry didn't move for a second, then nodded, "Yes... Fiona said it would be okay with them if it was okay with you. But she said I had to ask you Mama."

Kerry didn't answer her son until she helped him from the car. "You really want to go?" Henry nodded, "Okay. Do you want to tell Fiona before she goes home or do you want me to?"

Henry seemed to remove the world from his shoulders and he hugged Kerry and smiled, "I will Mama. Thank you Mama."

Fiona popped her head into the kitchen, her coat and winter hat still on. "Hey Mom. I'm home. Hey big sis. Can we use Dad's car and pick up Henry on our way to church tonight?"

"Does Doctor Weaver know about this?"

Fiona rolled her eyes, "Of course Mom."

Nancy peeked in the oven, "Sure, of course we can." She turned to her elder daughter, "Are you okay with it Kim?"

Kim wiped her hands on a towel, "Yes. I love Henry." She left the kitchen without another word and

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Now if only you'd get your head out of your ass and do something about your love for Kerry."

Fiona chuckled, "Mom..."

"What?"

Fiona shook her head, "You'll tell me when we're leaving, I totally hate James Joyce and I have like... a sh... boatload of the book left to read."

Nancy made a shooing motion. She smiled as she heard Fiona's coat hit the chair in the hall. "Ah, my children..."

Randi's head came up, "Ooh, did you buy the pies."

Randi could feel as Abby laughed and the brunette looked up from the journal she was reading. "Hell no. Bought pies to Kerry Weaver's house. Nope. Maggie made an Apple and a Pumpkin."

"Oh..."

Abby put her journal aside and lay back in Randi's arms. They were both reclined on the couch. Abby had been reading the Journal of Emergency Medicine and Randi had been asleep until the pie thought had popped into her head. Both Maggie and Joe were already asleep. "You know Kerry's an amazing cook. Doing the whole turkey thing, and probably a load of other crap that's amazing, definitely can't appear with store bought anything."

"Is Luka still on track to get here?"

Abby looked upside down at Randi, "You need to chill out, okay. Please?"

"Okay, okay. Want your present?"

Abby closed her eyes, "Nope. I'm gonna stay right where I am and do nothing until I have to get up so Joe doesn't find us in here."

Randi rolled her eyes, "Wanna set an alarm Mrs. Claus?"

Abby poked Randi in the stomach, "Hey now. My Christmas spirit was shot all to hell by Maggie when I was a kid, Joe's gonna believe in Santa for as long as he wants to. Got it?"

Randi smiled, "I love you."

"You're okay too..."

Randi gave Abby a poke back in the ribs. "Funny." Abby rolled over so that they were face to face. "Thought you weren't moving?"

Abby kissed Randi. "Changed my mind. Oh.. and I love you too Miranda."

Henry sniffed and kept wiping at his eyes. Kim frowned down at him. She felt a shudder go through him and decided that he needed to talk more than they need the words and songs of the candlelight service. She grabbed his coat and guided him by the shoulders to the outside steps of the big white church.

They both sat. "What's wrong Henry?"

"It was Mama Sandy's favorite song..."

"O Holy Night?" Henry nodded and Kim hugged him to her. "You know that she's with you always. When you're listening to the song, so is she. And now, or at any time of the year you can talk to her, can feel her." Kim touched the middle of Henry's chest, "She's right there."

Henry put his hand over Kim's, trapping it there "Kim. Why'd you go away?"

Kim pursed her lips and scooted closer to Henry, removing her hand and putting her arms around him as he shivered. "I made a mistake Henry. A bad one. A big one."

Henry looked up at Kim, "So, say you're sorry. Then Mama will hug you and it'll be okay again. I broke one of Mama's vases from Mr. Mlungisi. She was sad, but when I said I'm sorry Mama forgave me and hugged me."

Kim gave Henry a squeeze, "This is different than a vase kiddo."

"Don't you love my Mama?"

Kim nodded, "I do."

"And Mama loves you."

Kim nodded again, "I believe she does." Kim paused and took a moment to figure out how to phrase what she was trying to say. Henry was smart, but he was still a kid. "This isn't about love Henry, or even forgiveness, this is about trust."

Henry frowned, "Mama doesn't trust you?" Kim nodded, "How do you make her trust you again Kim?"

Kim narrowed her eyes at Henry, "Can you... make... your Mom do anything Henry?"

Henry's nose wrinkled a bit, "How do you ask her to trust you again?"

"I'm not sure bud. But..." She tickled his ribs and he squirmed with a giggle. "I don't want you to worry about it so much Henry. Can you do that for me? Your Mom's a big girl and so am I..." She ruffled his hair, "Don't worry. Please."

Henry sighed, "I'll try."

"Ooh..." Kim let go of Henry and retrieved a wrapped present from her bag, "I almost forgot. I got you a present."

Henry held it in his hands, "May I open it?"

"Of course." Kim paused, "unless you want to wait until tomorrow morning and open it with your sister and Mom."

"Oh, yeah."

They both looked up as the church doors opened and people started streaming out, "Ready to go home?"

Henry didn't answer, but threw his arms around Kim and he hugged her until there was a cough. Kim let go and turned to face her little sister. "Fiona, could you get Henry home?"

Kim turned back and kissed the top of Henry's head. "I'll see you sometime soon bud." And then she walked down the sidewalk away from where the Legsaspis had parked.

Fiona glance between Henry and her sister's retreating back. Nancy appeared. "Should we... wait? Follow?"

Nancy shook her head, "Let her have her time alone Fiona. I bet you're tired Henry."

Henry nodded and let a gigantic yawn out.

"Then let's get you home so sugar plums can dance in your head."

Kim barely made it around the side of the church before a spasm shook her chest. She tried to hold herself up on the wall, but the strength had gone out of her and she slid to the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks.

It started snowing again and Kim looked up in to it. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry..."

"I find it is always more constructive to apologize to the one you wronged Ms. Legaspi, though God does hear you as well." Kim squinted up at the white haired Reverend that had been her pastor since she had been Henry's age, "Rev?"

He held a hand out and Kim stared at it, "I do not want to oversee your funeral because you caught your death by my church." Kim took the hand and stood, "Now I saw you duck out of my service with that young man. We can talk." Kim didn't move, "Come, come, let's get you warm. Frozen tears are hell on your skin."

Kerry thought Henry had fallen asleep as she tucked in her son. But he hadn't, "Mama... you should trust Kim."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I said that you forgave me when I broke the vase, that you could forgive her too."

Kerry folded her hands in her lap, "And what did she say?"

Henry pushed himself up a little, "That it wasn't about forgiving her, but that you didn't trust her."

"And?"

Henry bit his lip, "Uh, that I shouldn't worry..."

Kerry smiled, "And are you worrying?"

"Oh, well, yeah. But you should trust her Mama."

Kerry stood and pulled up Henry's covers, "Did she say that?"

Henry made a pffftt sound, "No."

Kerry kissed the top of his head and smiled, "Have sweet dreams my favorite son."

Henry let go a big yawn, "I will Mama... love you."

"I love you too Henry."

The pastor and parishioner sat across from one another, both silent. They both had a mug in their hands filled with hot chocolate.

It was Pastor Stephen who spoke first, "So, when you were speaking to the snow... what where you sorry about?"

"Henry, the boy... I hurt him. I... screwed up and he became collateral damage. His mother warned me that we shouldn't... try again, but I always have all the answers."

Pastor Stephen took a sip of his cocoa. "This Henry, how old is he?"

"He'll be seven in January. He's smart for his age, but he's still a little kid who first lost his mother, then he lost Courtney."

Pastor Stephen held up a finger, "I thought you were in love with his mother?"

Kim frowned, "I am. He had two mothers."

Pastor Stephen shook his head and sat back, "Right, right, sorry. It's late and at this late hour same sex marriage makes my head hurt."

Kim's frown morphed into confusion, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I've married more than one gay couple, at least in the eyes of God, still you are just people and I was raised in the one man, one women dogma, so sometimes I forget that there are families out there with two mothers or two fathers. So, it sounds as if Henry has been through the ringer and you feel as you did more harm."

Kim sighed, "He hugged me like... like... he hugged me in a way I've never been hugged by a kid. Even by my nephew or niece, or my little cousins. He expects Kerry and I will get back together."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

Pastor Stephen gave a short nod, "Then you should."

A choked laugh escaped from Kim, "You make it sound easy. She has no reason to trust me, and I can't think of a damn reason why she should." Pastor Stephen cleared his throat and Kim turned a bit pink, "Sorry Rev."

Pastor Stephen stood and Kim followed suit, "Now, I assume that you want my opinion? Otherwise you would have told me to pound sand outside." Kim nodded, "Talk to her Kimberly. Perhaps you will find that she is more willing to trust you again than you think. After all, we're all simply human. And human beings make mistakes. It's what we do after those mistakes that make the difference."

Kim put her hand out. Pastor Stephen took it, then pulled her into a hug. "Merry Christmas Kim, and never forget that God loves you."

"Even when I'm fu... screwing up my life?"

Pastor Stephen pulled away with a smile, "Especially then Kimberly."