A/N: Wow, thank you for all the reviews, I never thought this would be so popular! I will try and write something for all the pairings you have requested eventually - I need to come up with ideas first. This one is Dixie/Jeff - wrote this in advance to posting this! :)
~Mini Peacelet~
Wintry Advent
2. Angel
Dixie was perched on the edge of one of the material seats in the ambulance station staffroom, elbow propped on the wooden chair arm and chin resting on her knuckle as she stirred the stainless steel teaspoon around the mug of steamy tea vacantly. The sugar had dissolved ages ago and the elements that contributed to a proper brew were definitely combined together; the heat was rapidly evaporating into the atmosphere. But the female paramedic was too engulfed in a trance to notice.
"Dix? Earth to Dixie?"
The blonde glanced up blankly, snapping out of her potent daze, and observed Mac. How long had he been there? She didn't have a clue. Big Mac had entered the restroom and deposited an abundant cardboard box onto the table. There are sparkly trimmings of tinsel poking out the edge of the box where it had been resealed poorly at the end of last year which mutedly informed Dixie that her colleague had located the Christmas decorations.
"Are you okay, Dix?" He asked as he plonked himself down on the chair next to the female, tone laced with concern and compassion, "You looked in deep thought."
"Yeah, as fine as I'm gonna be I suppose." She exhaled a long, forlorn sigh and dropped the spoon in the mug, concluding that her hot beverage would now be cold - not that she actually fancied it anymore anyway. "Did you want something?"
"No, no not particularly. I just bought in the Christmas decorations. And I was asking you what's in the bag." Mac gestured to the black, leather holdall on the floor, positioned to the side of Dixie's feet.
Dixie diverted her gaze to the carpeted floor, her features immediately succumbed to misery and a numbing heartache that only ever disappeared temporarily, never permanently. "Jeff's ashes are in there, I went to scatter them this morning but I couldn't do it." She dipped her head, poignancy rich in her wavering voice that was no more than a feeble whisper, "How can I even think about Christmas without Jeffrey? I can't be happy without him."
"I know it's hard, Dix. But it will get easier." The former porter tentatively rested his hand on his fellow paramedic's arm; a silent sign of moral support, "Jeffrey wouldn't want us moping around, he'd want us to be happy and to live our lives to the full."
"I just miss him so flipping much, though."
"We all do, we all do." Big Mac regained his equilibrium and treaded over to the box and opened it, then rummaging around until he located a certain item. The angel that sat on top of tree, radiating so proudly. "See this." He produced the angel from the cardboard box, "We will put this on top of the tree because this is what happens to all the good people, they are angels in the sky watching over us now. He'll be watching over us in here - not that he already isn't - whilst we drink tea and eat all the custard creams and whilst we remember all the good times we had with him."
"He used to love this angel." Dixie stroked the feathery edge of the angel with the delicate pad of her thumb tenderly, "I had no idea why. But he always insisted that we put it on top of the tree in here. I used to argue and say that the star was much better. I'd let him have the angel on top of the tree every year if he was still here."
"I know," He sympathised, Jeff's death had shocked the entire ED - it had been so sudden and tragic. Mac assembled the artificial Christmas tree and added the multicoloured lights, twinkling tinsel and numerous baubles before allowing Dixie to position the angel on top. "Would you like me to come with you, so you can scatter Jeff's ashes?" He offered cautiously as he perceived the blonde clasp the holdall into her hands.
She nodded, "Yeah, yeah please."
Together, they both clambered into the ambulance and Big Mac twisted the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. This would be Jeffrey's final journey before he would be laid to rest. When they arrived at their destination, Dixie climbed out the ambulance with her husband's ashes and padded towards the cliff edge.
The ground was still crisp from the morning frost, the lush, green strips of grass had been sprinkled with a wispy glisten of elegant white dust. In the near horizon, the turquoise waves rippled placidly, rolling gracefully up the shingle beach before retreating back to the icy ocean. It was cold. The temperature was still fluctuating around zero degrees celsius, and every time Dixie exhaled a breath, a cloud of white haze hovered from her lips.
She devoured the rural landscape intently, she had never been here prior to now but Jeff had always loved this place. And it was the perfect location to scatter his ashes, so tranquil and serene. He deserved peace.
Dixie tilted her head back, gazing up into the crystal-blue sky with only the occasional fluffy cloud adorning the block of bright colour. "Are you listening Jeffrey?" It was a delicate whisper, tiny teardrops forming a glassy texture over her pupils. "This place is beautiful, I can see why you liked it here."
"You'd better be somewhere, and you'd better be happy, because I'm so flippin' mad at you for leaving me." The blonde was ready to crumble - all over again - a single tear rolled onto her cheek as she dropped the lid of the wooden box and allowed the ashes to stream out, carried by the calm breeze and scattered over the land.
She stared back at the sky and nodded contently, "I know you are up there with the angels, and I know you'll be watching over us all. But as long as your happy, that's all I've ever wanted." Mac flicked the sirens on for a couple of strident blares so he captured Dixie's attention. He didn't want to rush her but there was only so long they could be absent with an ambulance. "Goodbye Jeffrey."