Disclaimer: Square Enix owns mostly all. xD "Silent Night" - not mine. This chapter is named after the carol, "Angels We Have Heard On High" which is one of the most fun carols to sing - along with the rest of them! x)
Here We Come A-Wassailing
Chapter Three ll Angels We Have Heard
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They were all shimmering, shimmering, shimmering like an incandescent conspiracy against him, the light maliciously ricocheting off the blinding golden surfaces to etch permanent yellow spots into his vision. Cloud blinked furiously but couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the dazzling goodies that had totally engrossed his mind, body, spirit, soul...
What the - are you listening to yourself?
"Man, stop starin' at that window display, you're startin' to creep me out."
Cloud whipped around to see Barret raising his eyebrows at him in a decidedly suspicious way, "Ain't never seen a man gawk at this sparkly junk for five minutes straight." He moved forward to also study the window display with a very wary look.
A slight chuckle escaped Cloud's lips as he scratched his neck awkwardly, "Um, yeah, about that..."
"You're lookin' for something for Tifa, aren't ya?"
Cloud instantly rove his eyes to the older man, "Wh - what? Who said anything about Tifa, what are you talking - " he trailed off when Barret continued to give him his "I-am-mighty-and-all-knowing" look. He sighed in defeat, mentally cursing Barret's superiority at times even like these, "Well... yeah, maybe it is for her..."
A smug look dawned on Barret's face, "Bwahaha, I thought so, Spikey."
"You did?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. After all, Barret wasn't the most perceptive man in the world.
" 'Course," the gunman said easily; not too faraway were Marlene and Denzel, happily chewing on their gum to outdo each other's bubbles. He peered closer at the window display so that his forehead bumped against the glass, "Why else would you be wastin' your time here? Geezalou, what a load of trash. Five thousand gil for those teeny little gems?" His eyes almost popped out.
"Yeah," Cloud said resignedly, at last turning away from the shop, "Nothing here seems right for her." That so much was true. He had come to stare at the window twice since his and Tifa's night trip to the mall, but everything on display was too flashy and meaningless for someone as deep and pure as the brunette. Now, with only two days until Christmas, Cloud was starting to feel a bit desperate.
"Have ya tried goin' inside?" Barret demanded, breaking into his dull thoughts.
The blonde warrior looked flustered, "Inside? Uhh... no, it's okay."
"What, you not man enough to march inside a jewellery shop to check their stuff out?" Barret raised his eyebrow and guffawed, "Geez, Spike, you really are a moron sometimes."
"...Whatever," Cloud mumbled as they ambled back to the kids.
Barret glanced at him and felt a slight twang of sympathy. He knew the ex-SOLDIER (well, at least in his head) was a good guy but he was always too shy to do something about Tifa. "Listen, if you really care 'bout Teef that much - which I know you do - then ya might as well take a look at everything they have. She'd love anythin' you get her, anyway."
Cloud didn't reply, but Barret's words stayed in his mind to be scrutinised and mused on as they collected Marlene and Denzel and set off for home. To say that the last week had been eventful was a bit of an understatement. With last minute Christmas preparations and eleven people traipsing inside Seventh Heaven, many occurrences, episodes, accidents and calamities had taken place.
Just to get away from all the pandemonium and lessen the numbers inside the house, Tifa suggested that Barret and Cloud take the kids out for a day.
Tifa... he thought listlessly as they marched out into the crisp, winter snow, I haven't spoken to her in ages... Yeah, too much going on.
It had all started the first morning when Cloud realised how horribly cramped his kitchen was when eleven people were squeezed around the breakfast table.
"There's gonna be a few changes to the Christmas dinner," a hearty Tifa announced from her spot, "Because both Cid and Barret are watching their cholesterol levels."
Pause.
And then -
"But I don't wanna eat a tofu turkey!" Yuffie wailed.
"Should've thought of that before you transported your skinny butt from Wutai," Cid muttered derisively, much to the consternation of Shera and indignation of Yuffie, who wasted no time in retaliating.
"Hey, it's not my fault your health is failing, old man - "
"Old? Old? I'll give you old, you - "
Whereupon Tifa hastened to explain that there would still be a very real, meaty turkey to be eaten, and that the only changes made would be healthier dishes that included more fresh vegetables.
However, that little rendezvous between Cid and Yuffie was the first of many battles that would shake the house with Cid's profanities. With Yuffie full of mischief and self-pride, and Cid's short fuse, the pointless fights were inevitable... and loud. Cloud was getting a headache from all the noise in Seventh Heaven; with so many people inside, you had to screech to make yourself heard. He had actually been glad when he received two jobs during the week.
So between all the screaming matches, the constant carolling of, "Jingle bells, Shin-Ra smells, Rufus laid an egg," that Yuffie had taught Marlene and Denzel, and the finishing touches for Christmas, Cloud had barely caught a glimpse of Tifa, much less spoken to her. She was always tied up in the kitchen with the girls, while he was left to do odd jobs with the guys.
Cloud had to admit, he did enjoy spending time with his old friends, but he resented their (enormous) company a teensy-weensy bit; he had had his heart set on a nice family Christmas dinner with Tifa and the kids.
And the unhealthiest, most traditional Christmas dishes ever.
Ah, well. Such is life.
"At least the place hasn't burned down," he muttered to himself as they reached Seventh Heaven. He was always slightly afraid of what he'd find back home, what with his - friends - roaming around inside. Barret chuckled genially.
"You remember what I said 'bout Tifa, right?"
"Yeah..." the blonde murmured evasively.
As soon as they went inside a torrent of loud voices assaulted their ears.
"Uncle Cid and Yuffie are fighting again, aren't they?" Marlene asked, with an almost nonchalant tone in her innocent voice.
"Err, yeah, sounds like it, angel," Barret agreed half-heartedly, hanging up their coats, "You and Denzel go find Cait Sith and Red to play with... your Pa will fix things up."
"If anyone can do it, you can, Papa!" Marlene said brightly. She beamed up at Barret adoringly before scampering off with Denzel to the playroom. The two men glanced at each other before entering the hot zone. They found Yuffie and Cid by themselves in the kitchen, making enough noise to deafen an elephant. Cloud's eyes trailed to Cid's swear jar propped in the middle of the table.
Looks like it's gonna be full by tonight.
Cid was performing a spiteful victory dance, laughing evilly at the furious Yuffie. Cloud looked at them warily; this was something out of the ordinary. Cid was usually seething with rage while the Wutain ninja taunted him.
"...what the heck happened here?" Barret asked, nonplussed.
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGHT NOW?" Yuffie screamed like a child, jumping up and down characteristically; Cloud swore the floor was vibrating, "YOU - YOU - "
"Hehehe, serves you right, you little brat!" Cid whooped with a manic gleam in his blue eyes. He let out a raucous spout of laughter as he dodged the tomatoes Yuffie was pelting at him, "Now you know what it feels like to have your possessions destroyed by a stupid baby! Not that I'm a stupid baby..."
"A - a baby?" Yuffie spluttered, going steadily crimson, "DON'T - CALL - ME - A - BABY!" She seized an empty saucepan from the counter and hurled it at Cid in her child-like, ninja-ish way. Cloud opened his mouth in alarmed protest, but only a squeak came out. A swearing Cid ducked at the last second to reveal an unsuspecting Vincent right behind him in the doorway.
"What's happening h - " his red eyes grew huge.
PONG!
"...urghh..." Vincent crumpled and fell backward onto the ground, the saucepan clattering noisily beside him.
Cloud and Barret stared in horror at his unconscious form.
Yuffie's anger vanishing on the spot, she took a step forward tentatively, "...Vinnie?"
Cid was also staring, wide-eyed.
"...Dang."
At that moment there was a flurry of footsteps and a breathless Tifa and Shera appeared behind Vincent. Tifa immediately gasped and bent down to him, "Oh my goodness - what happened?" She glanced up at the group of them, all still frozen in shock, and her eyes quickly met with Cloud's.
"Yuffie did it," Cid said at once.
"It was an accident, honestly!" Yuffie cried out, rushing up to Tifa and grabbing her hands beseechingly, "I didn't mean to hurt him, Tifa, the saucepan was meant for Cid!"
Shera faced her husband sternly, "What did you do now?"
Cid's jaw dropped open, "Me? I almost got walloped by a friggin' saucepan!"
The merest flicker of a smirk vanished as Yuffie turned to Shera with the most sober expression in the world, "Oh, Shera, look what he did to my beloved shuriken!" Shera patted the apparently distraught Yuffie on the back while the raven-haired girl sent a fleeting wink at the outraged Cid.
"Why you little - "
"Don't start now!" a distressed Tifa exclaimed, effectively cutting Cid off. Cloud and Barret immediately rushed over to pick Vincent up. His head lolled to the side and his long hair grazed over the ground.
"Should we take him upstairs?" Barret asked.
"Yeah, take him to a bed... he's out cold."
Tifa slowly turned back to Cid and Yuffie as Cloud and Barret carried Vincent upstairs. Cid was shooting a deadly glare at Yuffie, who flashed an angelic smile back under the safety of Shera's arm.
"Okay," the mistress of the house said patiently, putting her hands to her hips. She took a step forward and then jumped up in disgust, "Ugh - why are there tomatoes smeared everywhere?"
---
Vincent finally came to after twenty minutes of being knocked out; Tifa wouldn't allow him out of bed though, so he was confined in the kids' room while everyone took it in turns to come up and keep him company. He felt rather embarrassed; much worse injuries he and all of them had endured, and yet here he was, stuck in Denzel's bed, being treated like a dying hospital patient.
There was a knock on his door and he sat up straighter, expecting Tifa with more pillows just to keep him comfortable. Instead in walked a meek Yuffie, her expression guilty and apologetic as she tiptoed in.
"Hi, Vinnie..."
"Hello, Yuffie," Vincent said affably. He knew she would be up sooner or later, being the only one who hadn't visited him in the past three hours. According to Red XIII, it was because none of them thought it was a good idea.
The ebony-haired girl bowed her head as she moved closer and set a saucer of hot tea on his bedside table, "Cid asked me to take this up to you."
He raised an eyebrow bemusedly, "He's not mad at you anymore?"
Yuffie shrugged nonchalantly, her sheepishness evaporating as she perched herself on the side of his bed, "He said seeing you get hit by a saucepan put fresh heart in him. Besides, everyone's told me off already, so I think I've got what I deserve without him giving me the silent treatment, don't you think?"
His mouth twitched; sometimes, Yuffie's carefree disposition intrigued him.
"...This is good," Vincent murmured, surprised at the sweet and aromatic taste of Cid's special tea, "What's in it?"
"No idea... you know Cid, such a tightwad about his 'secret ingredients'," Yuffie rolled her eyes as she pulled out a candy cane, "Want it?"
He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He had to admit, it didn't feel as strange or foreign as it used to. Lately, he'd been rather amused by Yuffie's antics, whether it be her loud, terrible singing or the little wisecracks that drove Cid up the wall.
"So have you been having fun?" she asked, tongue between her teeth as she tried to pull the wrapper off her treat.
A dull ache flashed across his head as Vincent put the cup of tea down; he grimaced.
"It's good seeing everyone again," he said quietly, studying her with amused eyes as she struggled with the candy cane, "...My first real Christmas in a long time, I guess - "
Her candy cane suddenly snapped in half, bits of peppermint spraying everywhere, many specks of it landing on his face. Yuffie looked up at him sheepishly. Vincent stared back with an unreadable expression. He could've been mad, she did not know, however...
"Puehehehe!" she cracked up laughing, her dark eyes dancing with mirth. Vincent blinked, faintly mystified. "Oh my gosh, Vinnie, you look so funny - " Here she paused to look at him again and redoubled into another laughter fit.
He looked at her perplexedly, intently studying the happiness on every feature of her face and her crinkled eyes. She looked so endearing and childish that he had to remind himself that Yuffie was indeed growing up - she was, after all, almost nineteen. And it showed, with the little red hat perched on her head and her shoulder-length dark hair that she had got cut stylishly with very thin ends.
His mouth twitched once more and Vincent tried hard to repress the growing laughter inside of himself. With dignity, he snatched the broken candy cane from her hand, effectively cutting off her laughter.
"H - hey!"
"I think I want this now," he said placidly.
Yuffie looked at him, then grinned cheekily, "Suit yourself, Vinnie - " he wished she'd stopped calling him that, " - but you still looked ridiculous." Muffling her last few giggles, she stood up a little to reach out and brush the candy cane bits off his face.
A tingly sensation suddenly ignited on his cheeks as her fingertips lightly grazed over them; an electrical surge that left his face feeling numb, and then flushed. Vincent's eyes immediately flicked up to her and he knew at once that she had felt it too; she had withdrawn suddenly, looking a little unsettled. She caught him looking and blinked, alarmed.
"Anyway, I'm sorry about - about knocking you out earlier."
Her voice was soft, more subdued than he'd ever heard it. And it was sincere. Apology was not something Yuffie Kisaragi did very often - if not at all - and Vincent was a little startled.
"It doesn't matter," he murmured in his low, deep voice, "After all, it wasn't intentional... or so I heard."
"Yup, meant for Cid, all the way," Yuffie's face brightened, "Why would I ever want to knock my dear Vinnie out?"
Vincent permitted himself a small smile, "You're Yuffie; I wouldn't know why."
"Pfft... well, I guess you're right," she chuckled merrily and his smile widened. She felt her heart lift pleasantly; Vincent sure didn't look bad with a smile on his face, he should do it more often...
"I think... I think this is my first real Christmas in awhile, too," she admitted timidly, sitting back on the side of his bed and taking a bit of the candy cane for herself.
"Having fun?"
Yuffie grinned broadly.
"Time of my life."
---
Barret was the last one to go upstairs; shooting Cloud a meaningful look, he turned around to lumber up the staircase. Cloud stayed in his armchair for a little bit, listening to the end of the Christmas carol warbling in the CD player.
"Si-i-ilent night, ho-o-oly night. Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace..."
Pure light... radiant beams... Cloud's blue eyes were glazed over in deep thought, mostly mulling over the jewellery stop that still dazzled in his mind. He really need to get that Christmas present for Tifa now... she was doing so much for everyone, and what was she getting back? He hadn't realised just how much she had to cope with until Vincent got hit by a saucepan (those words kinda made him want to snigger) and he witnessed the telltale signs of her stress as she ran about the place, trying to make Vincent feel better and getting dinner ready for all of them.
And now he felt guilty. And ashamed. And unworthy. And a total selfish prat.
Cloud flicked the CD player off, replacing the CD in its case and putting it back on the shelf. He glanced around the deserted living room and his eyes fell upon the lovely Christmas tree. He had been the one to put that star up...
He quietly approached the kitchen. Everyone had cleaned up after themselves, but there were still plates left over that had held the food, and the counter still needed to be wiped. And of course, Tifa was the one to clean up the mess. He found her by herself at the sink, wiping the dishes. Cloud's heart filled with aching guilt and he noiselessly moved around her, taking the dish out of her hands as she passed it over to the rack. Tifa immediately looked up at him, startled.
"Tifa, let me do these," Cloud said softly, taking the cloth from her other hand, "And go get some sleep."
"Cloud..." her eyes glistened with (could it be?) joy and she surprised him by stepping forward and burying her face in his chest. Cloud let out a slow, deep breath as she wrapped her arms around his middle.
"I missed you," she breathed out.
Those words felt like icy shards to his heart as Cloud cradled her head gently, "I - I missed you, too, Teef." He shut his eyes painfully, squeezing her a little tighter, his shame burning inside of him. It felt like years since he'd spoken to her, let alone held her... and he was going to treasure this moment.
She felt so tiny and vulnerable in his arms. Cloud shifted his head down to plant a gentle kiss in her hair and finally pulled away; if he held on any longer he wasn't sure if he could let go. Tifa smiled wearily up at him and only then did Cloud see just how tired she really was.
"I'm sorry, Cloud," she murmured softly, "I know you wanted a quiet, family Christmas, but..."
Had he been that obvious? Ashamed that she was apologising about something so trivial, so frivolous, Cloud tenderly lifted a strand of dark hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Hey, don't apologise, Teef. It's far from your fault. Besides, it's... fun," he finished up with a lopsided smile.
She giggled but it quickly wore away and she looked more exhausted than ever. Cloud felt crushed; was this what he had let happen to her, the girl he'd promised to protect no matter what? Heavy with remorse, he took her hand and led her to the staircase.
"You can't enjoy Christmas if you're sleeping through it, Tifa," he told her gently, "Get some rest, okay? I'll take care of everything."
The raven-haired maiden smiled warmly down at him, saying softly, "Good night, Cloud." Too bad he was glancing down at the floor, because he missed the message her brown-red eyes were conveying in all their pure beauty; I love you.
"Night, Tifa."
He watched her ascend the stairs and waited until he heard her bedroom door being shut before creeping up himself. His timid countenance was replaced with a grimmer one as he opened the door to the children's room and went inside.
Everyone was waiting in there. On Marlene's bed were Yuffie and Denzel, their heads together, and Marlene sitting in Shera's lap with Cait Sith in her arms. Red XIII was curled on the rug where Cid was outstretched, while Vincent was sitting up in his bed. Barret had seated himself serenely in the armchair.
"Hey, kid, what's up? Why'd you call all of us up here?"
"Alright, everyone," Cloud let out a sigh, trying to shake off his feelings of guilt, "I'll make this quick. Well, we all know there's only two days till Christmas, and I was just wondering if I could... make a request that everyone behaves." They all stared at him like lumps of clay and he added hastily, "For Tifa."
"Ooooh," suddenly, everyone was nodding knowledgably and exchanging smirks, "For Tifa. Of course."
"Hey," he said defensively, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Marlene and Denzel chorused like little cherubs, though Cloud didn't miss the big grins they flashed with the other adults.
"This is like a conspiracy," he muttered to himself, making the others chortle, "Well, anyway, you know how hard she's working for us all, so I thought it'd be nice if... if we didn't cause any more trouble for her. Especially at Christmas."
"What d'ya mean?" Yuffie asked curiously.
"It means we become peace-loving folks," Barret remarked, "A bit hard for some of us."
"Hey!"
Cloud sighed again, "Right... that means no fighting, no screaming for no reason, no bad singing - " he looked pointedly at Yuffie, " - no throwing tomatoes across the room, or saucepans for that matter. Just... behave. And try to help out with whatever you can. Well, come to think of it, this only really sticks with you two," Cloud looked at Cid and Yuffie again.
She quirked an eyebrow, "Behave, huh? What do I get outta this?"
Cloud frowned, "What do you get? What is this, a contract?"
"Hey, I'm not getting bossed around for nothing," Yuffie said persistently, "If I have to keep my mouth shut and be all boring the next few days, I want something in return."
"What?" he could barely believe his ears and was about to flat out refuse when something pushed itself to the front of his mind; Tifa. This was for Tifa, after all. To make life a little easier for her, to have a nice, uneventful Christmas where the healthy vegetables weren't being tossed around the ceiling. She had been unselfish her whole life; now it was Cloud's turn.
"...Fine," Cloud relented resignedly, "What do you want?"
She grinned, "You seriously don't know?"
"...I'll pick up some more materia for you," he muttered, turning away from her gleeful expression, "What about the rest of you?"
Cid looked thoughtful, "Hmm... I could use some elbow grease for my new rocket. You can come by Rocket Town and help me next year."
Cloud stood stock still for a moment, "...Okay." I can't believe I have to make a deal with these people just to get them to behave decently.
The pilot looked jubilant, "Thanks, kid."
Dreading the fate he was setting himself, Cloud glanced across the room. Red XIII, Cait Sith, Shera and Vincent all shook their heads, saying that they didn't want anything from him, thanking him for letting them spend Christmas at his house, and finishing up by promising to help Tifa out as much as possible. Such a shame, that the least troubling people of the house weren't getting any rewards. Cloud gave them a very grateful look. On my list of favourite people...
Barret was along the same lines, "Owe heaps to you for takin' care of my Marlene already, so... nope. Oh wait," he looked a bit sheepish, "Just one little thing. Since Vincent's gonna be sleepin' in my bed for the next few days, can I take over yours? Heh. I don't do well on couches or the floor... ain't good for my back."
Cloud nodded with the air of someone surrendering over the last thing they have. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at the children. Instinctively, his gaze softened and his voice was more mellow.
"Marlene, Denzel?"
He knew it was a mistake the moment they looked up at him with that terrible gleam in their bright eyes.
"We want you to kiss Tifa!"
Cloud was so taken aback he leapt backward into the door, "Wh - what?"
Everyone else had broken up into hearty laughter. "I should've said that!" Yuffie exclaimed. Cloud shook his head and hushed them all quickly, the laughter turning into stifled chuckles and snickers.
"So will you, Cloud?" Denzel asked innocently.
"I - I..." Cloud was at a loss to what to say, not least because the 'request' had come out of the mouths of two little kids. Finally, he said slowly, "Denzel, Marlene - I can't do that. It's not fair to her."
It was his truthful, tight voice that wiped the smiles off the others' faces; everyone was aware about Cloud and Tifa's feelings toward one another. Everyone, that is, except themselves. Their friendship was too sacred and beautiful to risk, and AVALANCHE knew that.
Marlene and Denzel appeared to notice the serious tone of his voice, too. Their faces fell and they glanced at each other unsurely.
Cloud coughed guiltily, "...Do you guys want to go to the Gold Saucer after Christmas?"
The children immediately perked up, springing to their feet and bouncing on the bed, "Yeah!"
Thinking about all the promises he'd made, Cloud swallowed the lump in his throat, "Alright... then that's that. Just remember to - to act like civilised people, okay? We need some peace and quiet in this house."
"You have a deal, Chocobo-head!" Yuffie ruffled the kids' heads fondly before blithely trotting out the room, "G'night, everyone! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, can't wait to get my hands on that new materia... Hehehe, thanks Cloud!"
The rest of them retired to their rooms, exchanging good nights with each other. Cloud scooped up Marlene and tucked her and Denzel in the one bed; the little girl at one end and Denzel at the other.
"Cloud, can you save all the homeless people?" Denzel asked softly as Vincent dozed off.
His brow furrowed curiously, "I'm afraid not... why?"
"Oh, we were just gonna ask you to do that instead of taking us to the Gold Saucer," Denzel replied, his voice becoming more drowsy, "Hmmm... then do you know when Jesus is gonna visit our city?"
Cloud was now feeling very confused. With a small smile he put a hand on the boy's forehead, the same forehead that had once bore an ugly Geostigma scar. He glanced over at an attentive Marlene as he spoke gently, "He's with us always, Denzel."
"But when he is gonna come here, Cloud?" Marlene struggled up.
Perplexed and feeling a twinge of worry, Cloud pulled her closer to him, "Why are you asking?"
"Tifa told us how he fed five thousand people with only a tiny bit of food," Marlene explained impressively, looking seriously at Cloud, "And Denzel and I've saved our pocket money - enough for five loaves of bread and two fish."
"If we could just get them to Jesus, Cloud," Denzel said wistfully, "He could feed the world."
Cloud just looked at the two children - his two children, and an indescribable emotion filled his heart. With a warm, heartfelt smile, Cloud pulled them both into his strong arms, hugging them close. Marlene giggled as Cloud's spikes tickled her.
"I - I don't know when he's coming," he murmured softly, "But we can always help. You know that orphanage we visited two months ago?"
They nodded.
"We'll go again and bring them some food and clothes, okay?"
Happy smiles lit their faces, "Okay!"
Cloud smiled tenderly and tucked them in again. He left the bedroom in a peaceful, tranquil state, his spirit soothed and comforted. All the way through his counter-wiping and teeth-brushing he was mindful of everything that had transpired that day. Cloud smiled ethereally as he remembered his embrace with Tifa and the little conversation with Denzel and Marlene.
He exited the bathroom and opened the door of his bedroom, jumping when he found Barret spread on his bed, snoring loudly. Blinking in alarm, Cloud hastily backed out and shut the door. He stared at it.
Right... that deal with them all.
But even that failed to dent his good mood. After all, at least there would be peace during Christmas.
Cloud rearranged the pillows and blankets on the sofa Vincent had been sleeping on, musing over the little twist in his Christmas break. He smiled. He suppose he was glad to have his loyal, supportive friends over to celebrate with, even if they were a little loud sometimes. He was glad to have a nice warm house and everything he needed, he was glad to be responsible for the welfare of two orphans, and he was glad he had Tifa, the most beautiful soul in the world, to love with all the tenderness of his heart, even if she didn't know.
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A/N: That little heartfelt story about feeding the world was something I read this morning from a book called, "What They Didn't Teach Me In Sunday School" by Rob Parsons. It was really touching for me! (: Thank you very much for the reviews, and I hope you keep reading! Oooh, and I'm sure many of you have picked up the little tidbit I got from one of the best sit-coms ever, "Everybody Loves Raymond" in how the Thanksgiving/Christmas feast is changed due to Barret/Cid/Frank's cholesterol levels. So I disclaim that! x) Happy New Year, don't ruin your necks by staring too long at the fireworks! (Like I would...) l o v e - msq.