Mac watched on in horror as Veronica's friends swarmed the scene.
Back-Up arrived first and cornered the Strangler's little brother.
Wallace arrive a moment later and spied the refrigerator through the flames. "Oh, hell no!" He exclaimed with a shake of his head before diving headlong in to the fire.
"Righteous!" The Strangler air-guitared in Wallace's honor. "Rock-n-Roll!"
"Lets." Said Logan from behind the Strangler and his all but worthless disciple.
The would-be killers whirled to find Leo, Logan and Eli standing amid a cloud of cracking knuckles and patience. It was only one heartbeat later when all hell exploded.
Logan flew at the Strangler in a furious rage and Leo leapt on the murderous stooge.
Vinnie closed the gap toward the flaming pool. "Oh my god! KID! KID!"
Eli spun on him. Veronica… The thought went through his mind and without hesitation he dove in to the flames.
Eli was greeted by a surprised Wallace pointing at the hole in the fridge and the padlocks.
Suddenly, Veronica poked a finger out of the gap and waved it slightly.
Eli thrust his hand in to the refrigerator; ripping the seal and making it flood faster.
Wallace grabbed the bottom half to pull down while Eli lifted the lid with all his might.
Then Eli adjusted his approach. He jammed his foot against the bottom and pulled with all his might.
Another splash sounded behind them and they saw Logan flying in to the pool back first at though thrown.
Logan spied them and swam like hell to get over just as Wallace mimicked Eli to force the lid open.
This is it. Eli thought. She either dies now or we save her now. There's no second chance now. The box is too far open.
Wallace could feel himself blacking out. He had been underwater too long but he refused to leave without her. He threw all his weight in to it and pushed for all he was worth.
Logan grabbed the lid and dug his whole foot in the gap, stood on the fridge and pulled.
Finally, the door pulled free!
Veronica seemed to be floating lifeless, but her head moved slightly and suddenly Logan was on her and paddling for the flames above.
Wallace broke the surface first and inhaled a nasty combination of gas fumes and smoke. He struck at the water to try and keep the flames at bay.
Just then, The Strangler kicked away from Vinnie and hefted his stereo over his head.
"Fry little fishies!" He called out with a whoop, and then he threw the stereo towards the pool.
A single shot rang out but it was too late. The radio was trailing an extension cord in its wake and headed for the crowded pool.
"No!" Mac cried out in frustration as the radio arced ominously towards Wallace's head.
When suddenly…
Aaron Echolls stepped in front of Mac and put a hand to her shoulder. "Hi Cindy. I'm the ghost of Christmas Future."
"NO!" Mac pressed past him but the scene was gone and once again she was standing in the Sinclair house.
There were no decorations this year.
No lights and no cheer.
Mac could hear soft sobbing down the hall.
"Don't make me do this." Mac said. "Please…"
"It's really out of my hands." Aaron shrugged. "You can stand here all night… Or you can walk down the hall."
Mac swallowed. "I know what happened. Lauren died without my kidney. Now take me home!"
But Aaron simply shook his head and whispered. "Go see."
Mac walked slowly down the hall.
Madison was clutching a picture to her chest and sobbing.
It pained Mac in a way she never would have thought possible.
"It's not Christmas." Madison wept. "It's just not Christmas without you!" She clutched the picture tighter. "It's not fair!"
Her father stepped in to the room. "No Maddie. It's not." He sat down quietly on the bed. "But we have to be strong."
"Stronger than Mom?" Madison asked.
"Definitely." He said sadly. "Madison… Your mother just never recovered from … from losing Lauren but… Suicide is always wrong Madison. Always."
"Mom?" Mac said softly, thinking of that woman who pressed her hand to the window of her car, oh so long ago…
"It wasn't just Lauren, was it?" Mac asked Aaron from down the hall. "She never recovered from…"
"From losing her daughters. No. She didn't." Aaron finished. "From losing you, to suicide and then Lauren to disease. We thought you needed to see this."
Mac strode, angry, back down the hall and met Aaron's eyes. "That was a lousy thing to do."
Aaron took her shoulder and they warped down the hall in to Madison's room.
"This!" Aaron told her. "Is what you were meant to see."
And as Mac and Madison's father rose and left the room with a shaking breath, Madison – convinced she was alone – laid back the picture of herself, her mother and her little sister, from her chest in to her lap…
And she pulled a concealed razor blade from within the frame and then, very slowly, began contemplating her wrists.