This is my response to the 2003 Christmas Fic Challenge. Required items were:

1. Mistletoe
2. A satin ribbon
3. eggnog lattes
4. snowpeople
5. Someone saying the line "What do you want for Christmas?"




It wasn't often that Kris Kringle pulled himself away from the mammoth duties of bringing Christmas to the world, but every now and then, there were certain people who needed his special attention. He just knew it, whether it be from a feeling he got reading their letters or a tugging at his heart that came from good old-fashioned instinct when he saw their names on his lists, he could never pass up a chance to go out and personally bring holiday cheer to these particular individuals.

This year was one of those years, and so after giving his wife the remainder of the "to-do" list that needed to be finished up before Christmas Eve turned into a hectic Christmas morning, Kris made his way to the mall in Port Charles, New York and kindly handed $500 to the man who would have pretended to be him that day for the legions of kids coming to voice their wishes. The man's eyes had danced at the gift... and Kris knew that he'd just made the family of the out-of-work engineer very, very happy. But they were not the ones who really needed him... not this time.

The mall representative was so insanely busy with last minute emergencies here and lost packages and children there she hardly noticed she had a different Santa by the hand as she led Kris to his appointed place. He chuckled at the elaborate overstuffed red chair. Why did everyone think he owned such a thing? His wife would have never let him live it down if he did.

The lines were already long, but Kris didn't mind. He actually enjoyed getting out and meeting the children in person. His favorite houses to deliver presents to were the ones with industrious children who had stayed awake and found hiding places to see if he was real. It was an elaborate game of hide and seek... him letting them catch a random glimpse here and there, them gasping and racing away to hide for fear their presents would be taken away if he saw them. But Kris never took presents away... in fact, truth be told, you had to be really, really, really naughty to not get a gift at all.

Lunch break came at 1:00 and Kris took advantage of his wife's absence to enjoy a double cheeseburger, fries and a vanilla malt. Once he'd made sure his beard was well-groomed again, he headed back out and a tingle at the back of his neck told him that the child he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.

She was about 20 or so kids back in line, her long, dark curls bouncing around her face. A white satin ribbon had been tied into it in a vain attempt to keep the twisting locks out of her face, but a few had managed to get free, and the little swirls of dark brown hair only served to add to how cute she looked. Kris could tell she was quite proud of her dress from the way she kept pulling the bottom hem out to show it off for an older woman standing to the side with a video camera in her hand. It was made of dark green velvet and had white lace trim. White tights and black Mary Jane's completed the traditional ensemble. He noticed her mother standing just behind her, a cautious hand on the little girl's shoulder.

Children continued to climb upon his lap, wishing for everything from the newest generation of Game Boy to bicycles and roller blades. One boy had genuinely made him laugh when he asked "Santa" to bring him Donovan McNabb.

"But what would you do with him?" Kris asked.

"Well, play football, of course."

Finally, the stunning little girl in green velvet practically leapt up the stairs toward him, her mother releasing her hand. The other woman who had been videotaping the child earlier walked up and took a position beside the obviously proud parent.

"Well, hello there, Little One."

The girl giggled. "My mama calls me that."

"She does?" Kris asked, exaggerating his tone of surprise for her. "Well, how do you suppose I knew that?"

She stared at him, her dark eyes glistening as she truly contemplated his question. When she had her answer, she smiled at him anew. "Because you're Santa, and Santa knows everything about little children so he can decide if you've been naughty or nice and if you get presents."

The two women who belonged to the little girl laughed, and when Kris turned to look at them, his charge pointed their direction.

"That's my mama. Her name is 'Lexis. And That's my Grandma Jane."

"And who are you?" he asked, looking back to her.

"I'm Kristina Davis."

Kris nodded. Yes, Kristina Davis. He remembered well the first year her name had appeared on his list, a question mark beside it. His wife had fretted over the tiny thing night and day and when it finally became clear that Kristina would live, the two of them had racked their brains trying to decide what to give such a strong survivor for her first Christmas. As it turned out, the only gift Kristina had needed was the one she got... her first chance to rest in her mother's arms. Kris didn't mind that Dr. Lewis had taken the credit... he knew who'd given the psychiatrist the idea... and that was all that mattered.

"So tell me, Miss Davis, what do you want for Christmas?"

He watched as Kristina leaned her body out a bit to eye her mother and grandmother. Alexis Davis nodded and touched Jane on the shoulder, pulling her a bit further away.

"It's a secret," Kris heard Alexis say before they were out of earshot.

"Okay, now I can tell you, Santa."

The seven year old settled herself more comfortably in his lap and then leaned toward his ear, her little hand cupped to help hide her whisper.

"I want to hug my daddy."

Her daddy... no small request. Kris could only imagine how awkward a regular human $10 an hour Santa would feel if he heard such a wish. But he didn't flinch.

"That's the only thing you want?" he asked, and Kristina nodded. "Well, then, I'll tell you what. I'm going to get to work on that right away." Kris reached down and lifted up the edge of his coat, where a gold angel pin rested. "When a man wearing this pin picks you up... that's how you'll know he's your daddy, okay?"

The little girl threw her arms around him and squeezed tight. "Oh, thank you, Santa. Thank you so much!"

Before he could say another word, she was out of his lap and running toward her mother's open and waiting arms. His attention was quickly pulled away by another approaching child, and when Kris looked back, the small family had taken their leave.

It was after 6:00 by the time he got out of the giant complex, a day filled with photographs and listening to wishes behind him. Kris changed into some civilian clothes he'd brought with him, then headed out, the angel pin attached to his scarf, in search of one of the most difficult gifts he had ever promised to deliver. But deliver it he would.

Many times, because he was thought to know all there was to know about what people did and didn't do, Kris knew people thought he had a boatload of magical powers. Really, though, it was just the ability to feel. He could feel when someone was genuinely happy, sensed when they were lying, and he could always tell when someone was breaking a rule or bending the law. That made it so he knew people really well, especially since he followed them all their lives. It was why he knew that he would find one Michael Corinthos, Jr. wandering alone on the docks as night blanketed Port Charles.

For a moment, Kris stood back and watched "Sonny" stare out at the dark, cold water. Many years earlier, letters had found their way to Kris imploring Santa to deliver things such as "A nice dress for my mother," or "for my father to come home." Then the letters had stopped coming, and Kris soon learned that it was because the boy in Sonny who believed in magic had been broken by a man so dark and vile that he turned black everything he touched. That included Sonny's heart, in many ways. But he'd remained one of the ones Kris wouldn't give up hope on. They didn't start off any more loving or kind than Michael Corinthos, Jr. had... and with any luck, that goodness would still win the day.

Moving swiftly when he saw the subject of his study getting ready to walk away, Kris put himself in the younger man's path and a collision ensued. Sonny quickly righted himself and leaned over with concern to check on the doubled over older gentleman he'd rushed right into.

"I'm--I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Oh, goodness. Just got the wind knocked out of me, I guess," Kris said as he slowly rose up, feigning discomfort.

"Well, uh, here," Sonny said urgently, "why don't you sit down a minute?"

"Why, thank you," Kris answered as he was led to a nearby bench. Sonny made sure he was settled, then sat down beside him.

"I appreciate you stopping to make sure I'm okay."

"No one wants to be the guy who ran over Santa, right?" Sonny said, a twinkle in his eye as he pointed at Kris' white beard.

"Oh, no, I guess not."

"You must get that a lot," Sonny continued. "You know, people teasing you about..."

"Oh, yes, I do... but I enjoy it," Kris admitted. "It's fun for the kids especially. Though they do like to pull on it to see if it's real. Do you have any kids?"

The smile that had been on his face dimmed a bit as Sonny nodded. "Yeah, I, uh, I have two boys."

"Must make Christmas time a lot of fun."

Kris knew of course, that he was opening a wound, but he had to in order to deliver the gift he had promised. He watched as even more sadness clouded the younger man's eyes.

"Well, uh, they're not with me this Christmas. They're with their mom. She, uh, you know, she's got 'em this year. But next year... next year they'll be with me."

"That's good. You don't want to let too many special days get away when you have kids," Kris advised. "They're so amazing when they're young."

"You got kids?" Sonny asked.

"Do I ever!" Kris teased, and Sonny's chuckle rumbled forth. "It's funny, you know, little boys... they're so much fun to play ball with or take to football games and things. But little girls... there's something about the way a little girl looks at her daddy that nothing else can replace."

This time Sonny looked away entirely, his body shifting so he could look down at the dock rather than at his companion. Kris knew that it was likely if he were a mortal man, the conversation would have ended right there. But his ability to read people also translated into a knack for getting them to feel comfortable and to open up... and it worked now as it had so many times in the past.

"I, uh... I have a little girl, too."

"You do? Oh, I bet she's a beauty."

Sonny wiped his hand across his mouth to hide the slight quiver in his chin, and he cleared his throat twice before he spoke again. "Well, I imagine she is. I, uh... I don't see her. You probably read all about that in the papers, though."

"Should I know you from the papers?" Kris asked, looking to block any chance of Sonny cutting off his explanation.

"You don't?"

Kris shook his head. "Nah. I hate the damn news. Haven't picked up a paper or watched a TV report in forever. Everything I need to know I hear over at the coffeehouse."

"Which one?" Sonny asked.

"The Cozy Cubby. Best conversation spot in town."

Sonny smiled. "I sell coffee to them."

"Well, there you go," Kris said. "Small world. If I drink your coffee, we're practically family. Anyway, you were saying, about your little girl..."

He stood up but didn't move away. It seemed Sonny just needed to be on his own two feet in order to tell the rest of his story.

"I found out when she was about a year and a half old, I guess, that she was mine. It, uh... I didn't handle it well. I was mad at her mother, and I... well, I messed up."

"That's the problem with being human," Kris observed. "All the chances to mess up."

"Yeah," Sonny agreed. "And, well, then some stuff went down. I had tried to change businesses, but that didn't work out, and then, uh, I got sick for awhile. It was good, you know, in a way 'cause I found out some stuff about why I'm the way I am, and now I take care of that so it doesn't happen again... but when I was sick, I, uh... I got so mad at her mother that I grabbed her arm... hard... too hard... well, I just knew, you know, that I shouldn't be around them."

"So you gave her up?"

"Eh," Sonny shrugged and walked in a circle, then sat down again. "I took the easy way out. Easier to walk than deal with my problems."

"Then," Kris said, "but it sounds like you've dealt with 'em since."

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe. Anyway, after that, my wife and I split up and so then I had to fight over my boys... Kristina was better off not being around all that."

"Hey!" Kris exclaimed. "I knew you looked familiar. I've met your little girl. She has your smile."

"Y-you, you know Kristina?" Sonny's voice showed he was suddenly both concerned and curious.

"Yeah. Large mocha and a hot cocoa with extra whipped crème. They come into Cozy Cubby all the time. Alexis and Kristina Davis, right?"

The younger man nodded mutely, unsure if he should ask anymore. Kris decided not to wait for him to make a choice.

"Though lately, Ms. Davis is big on the eggnog latte. Oh, yeah, I see them in there all the time. That little one, oh, she's a gem. So smart and pretty as a picture."

"That's no surprise," Sonny offered, a small grin peeking out despite how sad his heart felt. "I mean, you know her mama."

"That I do. That I do."

Kris paused. He knew if he said outright that Sonny should go see them, the man's fears would choke him and make him run the opposite direction. What Sonny described as having been "sick" had been a devastatingly close call with bipolar disorder. He had spiraled farther out of control than ever before, and only Kevin Collins' rigid intervention had brought his patient back. Sonny had lost a lot in the days that followed... his wife, his supposed best friend... but he had fought his way back, and now it was time for him to finish the rest of the journey in front of him.

"Well, I should probably get going," Kris said, standing up with a bit of difficulty to keep his "injured" cover in place. "But you should stop by the Cozy Cubby for a cup of coffee some time. Matt does a hell of a brew."

Sonny stood as well, shaking the hand the Santa-like stranger offered. "Maybe I'll do that."

"You should." Kris took a few steps toward the stairs, then he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "You know, children are very forgiving. All they really want is to know you love them."

"What if their mothers aren't so forgiving?" Sonny asked.

"Well, then," Kris answered, chuckling, "you do a lot of begging, buy her a lot of flowers, and wait her out."

He'd never been very good at begging or waiting, but Sonny had often imagined what it would be like to go hat in hand to Alexis and ask her for the chance that her deception and his baggage had denied him so far. One time, he'd even driven to the house she'd bought just a few miles from where Brenda used to live. He'd parked a mile away and watched as Alexis chased Kristina around the yard with a hose as Kristina sprayed her mother with much tinier bursts of water from a water pistol. They'd been so happy. He'd imagined that if he walked up to them, their smiles would both fade away, and Kristina would cling to Alexis in fear at his presence. So instead of walking up and saying, "Can we please start over?", he had started the car and driven away.

By the time Sonny snapped himself out of his musings about lost chances and unfulfilled wishes, he was alone. The stranger with the white beard seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Sonny looked around him, confused. How had the old man gotten away so quickly? Shrugging, he started to walk away himself until his eye caught a black cashmere scarf sitting on the bench.

"Must be the old man's," Sonny said aloud to himself. He picked up the fine piece of fabric and ran his hands down it. When his gloved fingers touched a metal object, he looked down and found a gold carved angel pin fastened to one part of the scarf.

"Can't let you lose this, old man. It looks pretty special. Well, I'll leave it at that coffeehouse. They'll give it to him."

Set on his course, Sonny tried to fold up the bulky item so it would fit in his coat pocket, but it was a losing battle. Instead, he took the scarf and draped it over his own neck before heading over to the stairs and out to the parking lot.

*****

"One hot cocoa with extra whipped crème for you, Miss."

Kristina giggled as she took her cup from Matt, holding it carefully in both hands.

"What do you say?" Alexis prompted.

"Thank you, Matt."

"You got it, Little D. That eggnog latte okay, Ms. D.?"

Alexis nodded. "Perfect per usual."

Matt smiled and went back to restocking the shelves behind the counters as Alexis helped Kristina get her cup safely to the table before she climbed up into a chair. The little girl had already had a full Christmas Eve between her visit with Santa and lunch with Lady Jane, but Alexis had decided that with nothing left to do but enjoy Christmas Day tomorrow, a stop at their favorite hang out was in order. Poor Matt had to work until 10, but he didn't seem to mind. The steady flow of people running in for last minute gifts of coffee and cups and chocolate covered beans kept him busy enough, and a few other regulars were on hand getting in a little private time before they began a non-stop period of family togetherness.

"Mmm. Mama, this is so good."

Chuckling, Alexis reached over and wiped a dollop of whipped crème off the side of her daughter's mouth. "I'm glad. So when we get home, since you got to come have your special treat, I get no arguments, right? Bath time and bed."

"I know, so Santa can come."

Before Kristina, Alexis had imagined if she ever had a child she wouldn't bother with the whole notion of Santa. After all, she wasn't big on make believe, and pretending there was some mythic being who delivered presents to the whole world in 24 hours seemed ridiculous. But there was something about that innocence of childhood that had captivated her once she became a mother. Every year, she helped Kristina form her letter to mail off to the North Pole and watched her daughter's eyes sparkle as she contemplated what she might want this year. It turned out, actually, that Alexis was already starting to dread the time when her little one decided she was too old for Santa.

"Is Uncle Jax bringing that lady?"

Alexis picked up her cup and took a quick sip before answering her daughter's query. "Skye? Yes."

"How come she looks at me that funny way?"

It had taken a lot for Alexis to agree to let Jax bring Skye around Kristina given the history the two women shared, but Skye had changed a lot since her last fall off the wagon. Finding out that she was a Webber had been unnerving to say the least, but Luke's determination had finally unearthed the truth and a DNA test had finally put the matter of the woman's paternity to rest for good. Lesley Webber had been wonderful about helping Skye to learn of the father she had never known... and Skye had managed to help Luke convince Nikolas to bring Laura home. Together, the three of them had gotten Laura back into the world, and though she wasn't quite as she had been, she was home with her family once more.

Alexis hadn't spoken with her much over that time, her hard feelings toward Skye too strong to be overcome very quickly. But Jax and she had started seeing each other again, and finally, Alexis had agreed to at least have lunch with her and talk. Skye apologized for what she had done in trying to take Kristina away, and though it took many, many more months of talking, the two had finally reached an accord. Then the big test had come... Alexis and Kristina had joined Jax, Skye and Lady Jane for dinner. Skye was very good around Kristina, keeping a comfortable distance so as not to put Alexis on edge, but the little girl was right, it was hard to miss the sense of loss that you could see in Skye's eyes when she looked at Kristina. It was only later, when Jax had told her that Skye couldn't have a child of her own, that Alexis finally understood the full depth of pain in her gaze.

"Well, Little One, Skye just thinks you're wonderful. And she wishes she had a little girl just like you."

"That's silly," Kristina said. "I'm the only me."

Giggling, Alexis leaned over and nuzzled her forehead against her daughter's. "Yep, and you're mine, mine, mine, mine, mine."

Mother and daughter both erupted into laughter, and as Kristina's smile grew wide, Alexis was reminded that, in fact, the child she adored so much wasn't really entirely hers. Those dimples reminded her every time.

She hadn't spoken to Sonny in forever. Alexis could still remember the feeling of shock that had overwhelmed her when her decision to finally tell Sonny the truth--a move prompted by seeing how hard he was working at making a good life for his sons--had led them to a heated confrontation that ended with him leaving a hand-sized bruise on her right arm. The look on his face when he realized what he had done... it sent a river of sadness mixed with sympathy flowing through her even now.

He'd been horrified... so much so that he had called Kevin Collins, who was back on staff at GH in the wake of Cameron's departure, and asked the doctor to help him. Kevin's diagnosis had been easy enough to make, but difficult to deal with. Sonny had been in such a state of depression that he'd needed to be hospitalized... and his life hadn't been the same since the day he'd agreed to sign himself in.

Alexis had picked up the phone a hundred times to call him when he got out. She understood now what had driven him to such heights of rage and to such lows of self-loathing. She wanted to tell him that. But before she ever got up the nerve to call, the letter had come.

[I]"I can't be with her... not until I know this won't hurt her. Please take good care of our daughter."[/I]

It had been paper-clipped to a set of documents Sonny had signed, formally withdrawing his request for custody. The whole ugly fight between them had lasted a mere five weeks... and yet it had done so much to hurt them both.

Over the years, she had wondered if he might show up one day, but he never came, and Alexis felt that it wasn't her right to push into his world when it was her who had chosen to leave it. But when Kristina did ask periodic questions about her father, Alexis answered them.

[I]"What color eyes does my daddy have?"

"Brown. Deep, dark brown."

"Does my daddy like canols?"

"Cannolis, and yes, he does."

"Do you think my daddy would like having a little girl?"

"I think your daddy loves you very much."[/I]

Sighing, Alexis drew a long sip of the hot liquid in her cup and watched as Kristina licked half her remaining whipped crème up with her tongue. 'No matter what, Sonny, what we made together is amazing... she's amazing,' Alexis thought. Nothing could take that from them, not even their own demons or stubbornness.

"Hey, Little D.," Matt called out. "I'm outta whipped crème."

"Yay!" Kristina yelled. "Can I, Mama?"

"Go ahead."

The little girl bounded off her chair and raced into the back room where Matt kept a special supply of whipped crème cans on a low shelf so that Kristina could "help him" restock the supplies. She loved to help, and some days, when they weren't too busy, Matt would even let her think she was working the gigantic espresso machine.

Alexis laughed as the head of long, flowing curls disappeared under the double doors she ducked under rather than pushed open. She then looked over toward the tinkling of the door and watched as a young couple walked in and realized they were standing under a perfect sprig of mistletoe. The girl--probably 17 at most--looked down shyly and the boy smiled. Then they kissed modestly on the lips, giggles escaping them both. The two then moved to the counter and Matt walked up to help them as another man walked in through the door. Alexis glanced back toward the kitchen, looking for Kristina. And it was while her head was turned that she heard the words that stopped her heart.

"Empty the cash register... now!"

*****

It seemed like it took forever, like it lasted hours instead of the 40 seconds or so it had probably really taken. Sonny had put his hand on the door to open it, his eyes spying Alexis sitting at a table in the back corner of the coffeehouse when a flash of light had grabbed his attention. The gun had a chrome finish, and it reflected the white Christmas lights that illuminated the mirror behind the counter. Sonny took in the man's stance, saw the frightened customers nearby and noted the terrified expression of the clerk who was staring down the barrel of the semi-automatic.

But it was Alexis his eyes went back to, and when he saw her looking nervously over her shoulder, it dawned on him that Kristina wasn't with her. His gut clenched as he wondered what was happening, and then 50 things seemed to happen at once.

"I got 'em, Matt!"

Kristina popped up from under the double doors of the kitchen, three cans of whipped crème held precariously in her arms. The robber turned toward the sound of her voice. Kristina saw the gun and screamed. Alexis dove toward her daughter. And Sonny Corinthos moved faster than he'd known he could, the tinkling of the bell from him opening the door enough to pull the gunman's attention toward him. But before he could get decent aim, Sonny was on him, and he drove the man into the counter, his full weight driving the impact home. A few flashes of movement followed, the gun clattered to the ground, and before anyone really had had time to understand what was going on, Sonny had the would-be hold-up man on the ground, his right arm twisted painfully up and behind his back so that he couldn't move without agony.

"Someone grab the gun and put out of reach," Sonny yelled. The teenage boy who had come in earlier with his girlfriend did as Sonny commanded, carefully handing the weapon to Matt, who put it on the shelf behind him.

"I'll call the police," Matt said.

Sonny nodded, and then as he made certain he had enough force at work to keep the man beneath him contained, his eyes frantically began to scan the room for the two people he needed to see before he could breathe again.

"Alexis? Alexis, are you all right?"

There was a moment of silence... a second long beat... and then the unmistakable sound of a child sobbing broke the quiet.

"We're okay, Sonny," she called back. Slowly, Alexis emerged from behind the counter where she had managed to pull Kristina. Their daughter was cradled against her, tears streaming down her terrified face, but they were both okay.

"We're all right."

Within minutes the police arrived and took the suspect into custody. They wrote down statements from Sonny and Matt and the rest of the occupants. Mac had personally gone over to talk to Alexis and Kristina since the little girl knew him from when she came to stay with Georgie sometimes when Alexis couldn't find a sitter. Finally, though, the activity began to lessen, and Sonny was free to walk across the room to where Alexis sat, cuddling a still visibly shaken Kristina.

"It's okay, Sweet pea. Everything's fine now."

"I-I know," Kristina answered back, trying to sound brave.

He stopped once he reached the table, but Alexis quickly motioned for him to sit down in what had been Kristina's chair. Sonny did so, though now that he was finally so close to them both, he wasn't sure what to say.

"If you hadn't been here..." Alexis said, her eyes closing as the "what if" filled itself in for both of them.

"Hey," he said, reaching out to touch her hand where it lay against Kristina's back. "Don't do that. It's Christmas Eve. Supposed to be a time for miracles, right?"

"I've never been more grateful for one in my life." Her eyes opened and locked with his, and Sonny drew in a deep breath to steady himself.

"Me either," was what he said when he finally spoke again.

Kristina's head popped up then, her hand rubbing at her eyes, which burned from both crying and from being sleepy. She looked over at him, turning a bit in her mother's arms so she could get a better angle to study him.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing to him.

"My name is Sonny," he said. "You okay?"

She nodded, then tiled her head back so she could look at Alexis. "Did he stop the bad man?"

"He sure did," Alexis told her. "He was very brave."

Kristina immediately shot her eyes back to him and smiled. "Thank you, Sonny, for stopping the bad man."

When she opened her arms to him, Sonny felt his throat nearly close he was so overwhelmed with emotion. Alexis nodded, indicating that he should accept the offer, and so Sonny reached out and pulled Kristina into his own lap so she could wrap her arms around him tightly. It was the best hug Sonny could ever remember feeling in his life... and considering the hug her mother had once given him on the very night this child had been conceived, that was saying something.

"Oh, you are a good hugger," he whispered.

Kristina sat back and smiled at him, preparing to speak. Sonny wondered if something was wrong when, instead of saying anything, she slammed her finger into his chest. He looked down to see her pointing at the gold angel pin on the scarf the stranger had left on the waterfront bench that evening.

"He brought you! He brought you!" Kristina threw her arms around his neck again, this time squeezing so tight, Sonny could barely breathe. "He said he would bring you, and he did! I knew he could do it!"

Alexis was stunned by her daughter's sudden outburst, and she folded out of the chair so she was crouching beside where Sonny sat, her hand on Kristina's back.

"Kristina, what are you talking about, honey?"

The little girl reluctantly sat back again, though her hands remained locked around Sonny's neck. "My Christmas wish. I told Santa I wanted to hug my daddy, and he told me my daddy would have this on." She excitedly pointed to the gold pin that rested on Sonny's black scarf. "And he's wearing it, so that means he's my daddy!"

Confusion was the predominant thing that Alexis felt right now. She didn't doubt that Kristina had made just such a wish. It explained her desire for privacy when she had visited Santa earlier. But what were the chances that such a huge coincidence could have unfolded like this? What in her imagination was making her think this up? Or was it just that she'd somehow overheard Alexis mention "Sonny" and "daddy" in the same sentence at some point and was putting two and two together?

At the moment, though, how Kristina had uncovered the secret was irrelevant... out it was... and Alexis felt in her heart that she had just been handed a magical opportunity to make right what had so long been wrong.

"You're right," she whispered, Kristina's eyes lighting up as she gained confirmation. "Sonny is your daddy."

Sonny looked as shell-shocked as Alexis felt, and she imagined that he, too, was trying to figure out how their daughter had figured out this particular puzzle. But he smiled, leaving those thoughts behind for a moment as Kristina flashed her dimples at him.

"See, told ya!"

He laughed and folded their little girl into his arms. "Yep, you did."

Another hug, one of about a million Alexis imagined would be exchanged over the next few days as questions were answered, discussions were held and father and daughter began to get a sense of one another. A moment later, though, Kristina leaned back and looked from Sonny to Alexis.

"Mama, can we go home now?"

Alexis nodded and gathered up their things. It didn't seem to be a question that Sonny would see them home. Given the frightening experience they had all been though, and in the sudden frenzy of pulling on coats and hats and picking up packages, Sonny forgot to leave the scarf behind or even ask about the old man. He simply held tight to his daughter and looked at her mother with grateful eyes as they headed home together.

Kristina dozed in the car as they drove in silence, but the minute the engine was turned off in the garage, her eyes popped open. The second Sonny had her unbuckled and out of the car, she had his hand and was dragging him toward the door that led to the back yard.

"Little One, it's late," Alexis called out, but she was met with a very serious look and a very quivery bottom lip.

"Just a minute, Mama, please? I want to show Daddy what we made."

It was hard on a good day to deny Kristina something when she asked so politely. On a day like today, when Alexis had come so close to losing the life she loved more than her own, it was impossible.

"Two minutes, and then it's pajamas and story time."

"Yes, ma'am," Kristina yelled as she threw the door open and pulled on Sonny's hand. "Come on, Daddy."

Sonny just went for the ride. "Just take what life gives you, Sonny, and stop trying to control it." That was the advice Kevin gave him all the time. And so the man who had just strolled into his daughter's life after seven years of absence followed her into a snow filled back yard. Lights came on when their movement triggered the mechanism, and Kristina raced ahead, and threw her arms out.

"See?"

"Ah, I do see," Sonny said. "Snowmen."

Kristina rolled her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips. "Snowpeople. Mama says they're snowpeople."

Sonny couldn't hold back a laugh. Why did that not surprise him in the least?

"See, there's a mama and a little girl... and this one is the daddy."

The mama snowperson had on glasses and a cardboard briefcase stood beside her. The little girl had a rainbow scarf on and ice skates sitting beside her. The daddy snowperson was wearing a tie.

"You know, I don't wear ties very often."

Kristina walked toward him and Sonny bent down and picked her up. She fit into his arms like she'd been meant to be there all along.

"Well, what do you like?"

"Um... I like... "

"Canols. Mama told me that."

"Cannolis," Alexis corrected, "and it's time for you to head upstairs to jammies, missy."

Kristina wanted to protest, Sonny could read it on her face, but she'd made a promise, and she was sticking to it. Grudgingly, she started to move in his arms so he would put her down, but her arms locked tight around his neck again as her feet hit the ground.

"You have to spend Christmas with us, Daddy. Santa brought you for my present, so you have to."

Sonny looked up at Alexis, and she walked forward, one hand coming to rest on Sonny's arm as she leaned down and kissed the top of their daughter's head.

"Of course Daddy can spend Christmas with us. Now... jammies."

Kristina squealed with delight then she kissed Sonny noisily on the cheek before doing the same with Alexis. "I'll be ready for my story in five minutes."

"Okay," Alexis called out, her arms wrapping around herself to fight off the cold that was settling in more now that it was getting so late.

"I, uh, I don't have a present for her," Sonny said once Kristina was safely inside. He was surprised when Alexis laughed.

"I don't think a thing she unwraps is going to compare to you just being here, so don't worry about it."

Sonny nodded as Alexis led him inside and shut the door. She had already started the gas fireplace before coming out, and the house was getting toasty and warm.

"I, uh... Alexis, I know I should have talked to you before now, but..."

"And I should have called before now, but..."

They stood there, the obvious not needing to be said aloud to make it known to them. But there were things that needed to be said.

"I'll never forget what you did tonight," Alexis confessed, tears stinging at her eyes as she remembered the fear she'd felt only a few hours earlier.

"If I'd lost you two..." Sonny's voice cracked as he realized just how close he'd come. "I don't even want to imagine what the world would be like if I couldn't wonder anymore what you two were doing."

Alexis felt moisture escape her lids and run down her face as she stepped forward and touched her hand to his cheek.

"Well, guess what? You don't have to wonder anymore."

Sonny nodded, his own tears running over her fingertips where they lay on his skin.

"Merry Christmas, Sonny," she whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Alexis," he answered back.

"Story!"

The two parents laughed in unison at their daughter's emphatic request, and they climbed the stairs together and read "The Night Before Christmas" to the child that had alternately torn them apart and bonded them together. When Kristina was sound asleep, they left her room and Sonny helped Alexis place all of their daughter's gifts around the tree. When they were finished, Alexis led Sonny to one of the guest rooms. They knew they had a million things to talk through, but neither wanted to bring the weight of all their should haves and could haves into this Christmas that had suddenly become so perfect. Instead, they bid each other good night, each wondering at the odd sequence of events that had brought their family together tonight.

It was hours later when Kristina climbed from her bed and snuck downstairs quietly so she wouldn't wake the grownups. She found him placing an envelope on the tree.

"Santa."

Kris smiled at the sound of her whispered greeting. He turned and put a finger to his lips to remind her to be extra quiet. She tiptoed toward him and when Kris knelt down, the little girl threw her arms around him with all her might.

"Thank you, Santa. Thank you for my daddy."

She pulled back and Kris nodded. "You're welcome," he whispered. "And now you have to promise to have lots of patience. Your mom and dad are gonna have some stuff to work out, okay? But you have faith... and I promise, it will all be all right."

"Okay, Santa, I promise."

Kris sent the girl back to bed then and hurried off to the rest of his duties. He had hundreds of thousands of gifts left to deliver, but none, he knew, as important as the one he had delivered here.

The sun was barely up when Sonny wandered down the steps and found himself alone in the living room. He smiled at the tree and the bounty of presents beneath it. He had imagined this would be one of the worst Christmases of his life, with Carly refusing to let him see the boys this year even for a few hours. But now here he was with Kristina and Alexis, a sense of permanent joy emblazoned on his heart. He wasn't sure how it had happened... he was only thankful beyond measure that it had.

He was surprised when he saw the envelope sitting in the branches of the tree when he got closer to rearrange a few gifts. He didn't remember that from last night. Curious, Sonny picked it up. He was stunned to see his name on it and to realize the script was not Alexis' handwriting.

"Dear Michael," the note inside read, "once upon a time a boy I knew wrote to me and asked me for things to help those he loved. This year, one he loved wished for him to come home. There is no greater gift than a second chance."

Sonny looked around, wondering at who could possibly be responsible for the note. Something gnawed at him as he checked around and found the house locked up tight. Shaking his head, he walked over to his coat to slide the letter in the pocket so he wouldn't lose it and so he could inspect it later. That was when he saw the black cashmere scarf and remembered why it was he'd gone to the Cozy Cubby in the first place last night.

Sonny flashed on Kristina's declaration that "Santa" had promised her daddy would be wearing the gold angel pin. How could anyone have known he would have that pin, especially when he hadn't even had it in his possession until just a few minutes before...

Grabbing the scarf, Sonny moved it through his hands searching for the pin. He found it finally, in the soft folds of fabric, but he found it wasn't alone. There were three pins now... three angels... and they fit perfectly together, just like they'd been meant to be together all along.



If you can't have a little magic at Christmas, when can you? Happy Holidays, Everyone.

Commentary?

Contact the author