A/N: Thanks, Brian! I'm glad you like it. Just a few more loose ends to tie up. ;)

Chapter 20

"Alright, have a seat everyone," Nate said. "Food's almost ready to be served, but before we eat, I'd like Clint to say grace."

Clint nodded his thanks, and looked around, seeing he had everyone's attention.

"Before I do so, I'd first like to say a little somethin'. You see, a friend recently realized he was much like the prodigal son who'd gone away from home, and then when he returned, nothing to show for his own efforts, his father still welcomed him back with open arms. We are all like the prodigal son, perhaps at different stages of the journey, but we're all like him. The reason we can all come back to our heavenly Father and that He'll welcome us back with open arms, is because Jesus came to Earth to carry our sins. And as we'll read in the Bible later tonight, that started with the occasion we're celebrating tonight – Jesus' birth. God wants to be together with us, at Christmas and forever."

As he spoke, he'd made eye contact with everyone present. In some eyes he'd seen recognition, in some curiosity, and in others gratitude. Satisfied everyone had listened to the words, he nodded, closed his eyes and said grace. When he was done, Nate thanked him, and looked around. "Alright everyone, let's eat!"

Soon everyone was eating, and there was no shortage of conversation. Paul and Oliver sat next to each other, with Lynn on Oliver's other side, conversing with Nellie Hebert. While talking to the doctor, Paul looked over at his daughter who sat between Beverly and Clint. They hadn't made any overt signs that they had admitted to each other they loved each other, but Paul suspected they had. Sometimes they would exchange a particular look, and the tension he and Tippy had witnessed the day before was gone. He would bide his time though, and see if others would notice too.

Tippy was currently too occupied with her husband to even think of it. She was just so happy to have her husband back! Steven had just finished explaining his whole journey to his wife and everyone else who sat close enough to hear it. "I'm really grateful to the Turners though. Jethro and Ruth just welcomed us into their house with no charge, and allowed us to celebrate Christmas Eve with them."

"Jethro and Ruth Turner?" Nancy asked.

"Yes," Steven nodded. "Very kind people."

"We'll have to send them a thank you card or something," Tippy said. Steven smiled at her. "That sounds like a brilliant idea."

Clint looked at Nancy with narrowed eyes, and leaned towards her. "Do you know this Jethro and Ruth Turner?"

Nancy shook her head. "No… but I know someone who may…" she said mysteriously. Clint raised his eyebrows, but it was clear Nancy wouldn't explain, so he shrugged and listened to something Raul explained.

"So, you said you were spending time with a bus driver's family?" Paul asked. Oliver nodded. "Yes. They were kind people. Can you believe it, they were actually some kind of crisis family. Even now – and they're both pretty much retirement age… or above – they are taking care of a little girl."

"Sounds like you certainly had the right bus driver," Paul commented.

"Yes. Major Doss seems to think it was more than luck." Oliver snorted. "They were religious folks too. It seems as if everywhere I turn these past few days, I run into another one of them. And they're all saying these crazy things about Jesus having 'saved' us all. And that stuff doctor Cassidy said just now, about this, what was it, this prodigal son. I don't get that. To me it just sounds like complete nonsense. I mean, who would ever associate himself with a son who's got nothing to show for himself, and his father would just take him back like that." He wouldn't, that's for sure. He had plenty to show for himself, yet his father wouldn't even give him a pat on the shoulder, let alone welcome him with open arms.

"I would," Paul said calmly. Oliver Crane shook his head. "Yeah, but you're one of them."

Paul nodded, and decided he would share a little of what had happened to him. "And until yesterday, I wouldn't have considered myself a prodigal son either."

That got Crane's attention, and uncertainly, he looked at the man sitting next to him. "Why is that?"

"Because yesterday, I didn't consider myself as lost." Paul wondered how much he should tell the doctor, then decided it didn't matter. "You see, I considered myself a Christian, but I didn't live like one. I went through the motions of going to church, but I didn't read in the Bible anymore, and I didn't pray anymore either. My relationship with God had entirely disappeared, or so it seemed. Yesterday evening, in church, for the first time in years I listened to the words the preacher said, and I realized how far I'd wandered. I wasn't living the life I was supposed to live. So I told Him, asked for forgiveness. You see, doctor Crane, I'd tried to fill the emptiness with earthly relationships, but the emptiness remained. It's only the relationship with God that can fill it."

Paul saw Crane was listening intently, and continued. "We often want people to confirm our abilities, because we want them to love us. What Clint said earlier, he meant that God loves us anyway, even if we have nothing to show for it." He paused, then added. "That friend Clint spoke of? That's me, doctor Crane."

Oliver looked at him in surprise. "I doubted whether God would want me back. After all, I'd just ignored Him for years. Clint reminded me of the prodigal son."

Paul wasn't finished yet. "Let me tell you this, doctor Crane. We ourselves are the cause of that emptiness, of our loneliness. God wants to bridge the divide that we cause, and to do that, He made the sacrifice of sending His Son to the earth. It's up to us whether we accept Him as our Saviour. The ball's in your court, doctor Crane."

Oliver didn't want the man to know how much his words had affected him. "Hmm, well, thanks for the explanation, but I think I've had enough religious talk during the past few days to last me a lifetime."

Paul accepted it, and moved on to another topic.

Ms. Donna DeWitt had been watching the snowy scenery pass by, when she heard her destination being called over the speakers. She had been thinking about her life and her friends. If she hadn't been going over to her family's, she would have been sitting there with the rest of them in the Jacksons' living room. She didn't regret leaving though. She hadn't visited her family in years, and to do so now was even more special, because Christmas had always been an important time of the year.

She grabbed her bag as the train came to a halt. She wondered who would come pick her up. With a bounce in her step, she exited the door, and looked around.

"Hey Dob!"

Upon hearing her nickname, she immediately turned around and smiled widely when she noticed her brother coming towards her, waving excitedly. She put her bag down and was immediately enveloped in her big brother's strong arms. "Hey Bob! So good to see you!"

She had missed this man. For years, when they had both been taken in by the Turners, they had gone just about everywhere together, as if they'd been joined at the hip. A slip of the tongue by Jethro when he'd tried calling Donna and Bob at the same time had resulted in 'Dob', and somehow the name had stuck. 'Bob and Dob' was how they'd been known through junior high and high school, and the nicknames were still used at home.

"Likewise Donna, likewise!" Robert said seriously, releasing her again. "Hey Dob, guess what. Mom and Dad did it again."

"Did what again?" Donna asked, linking her arm through her brother's, who had picked up her bag and slung it across his shoulder.

"Found new charges. Oh, but they already left this morning. Don't worry. Jen – you know Jen? – well, she'll tell you all about them. She was particularly taken with this grumpy doctor fellow, though I liked the Army guy better. Well, you know how Mom and Dad are, they took 'em in for the night when the trains wouldn't ride last night."

Donna grinned. That was indeed so common for her parents, she almost didn't know better. It was good to be home again.

TBC

A/N: I know that Donna's adoptive parents show up in one of the episodes of Season 5, but I've never seen that episode. So I've used my own imagination. Hope you don't mind.