"Why hello there little one" Crowley said kneeling down in front of the small grave of the little girl that would have been very much a niece to him. He ran his hand over the small grave marker brushing away the frost. Halt and Pauline stood behind him, Pauline was biting back tears Halt slipped his arm around her to comfort her. Crowley turned to take in the couple "what a looker you would have been, ey?" he said with a smile "provided of course you took after your mother which I'm sure you would have" Pauline smiled softly at the mans words as he spoke to her and Halt's child as if she was sitting in his lap "though I'm sure you would have been quite the handful with that streak of your father in you" Pauline smiled a the man beside her and gave her a soft smile back. Crowley stood contented now that the couple was smiling again "good bye little one I'll be sure to come visit again soon. Your mummy and daddy love you very much," he said brushing the frost from his knees. He took the few steps that distanced him from the couple and stood before them "you should have told me... no one should have to suffer through something like this alone." Pauline looked at Halt "we know... we just didn't want to drag anyone else into it... it was complicated enough." Crowley smiled "and getting married to him isn't complicated?" he said with a wolfish grin. Halt eyed him with a look that could melt snow Crowley just held up his hands in surrender.
The small group returned to the cabin in the trees that night to talk and enjoy the holiday together. They cheered up rather quickly after the visit with the ease of Crowley's humor on hand. When night fell Pauline offered for Crowley to stay in the spare bedroom but he politely declined knowing the couple would want to celebrate the holidays in their own way that night. He stopped at the door "Halt don't forget you have patrol of the north wood in the morning then you can go on your winter break you have been gone a long time you could use it but there has been a problem up there with wolves and some of the woodsmen are getting edgy" Crowley said. Halt nodded "I'll take care of it first thing in the morning" he nodded. Crowley smirked "I'm sure you will..." he said snidely. "good night" Halt said with an air of finality to cut off the somewhat implying remark. "Happy Yule" Crowley said stepping off the veranda "Happy Yule" the couple called after him before retreating back into the warmth of the cabin tonight together.