I cannot believe how long it's been since the last update. Time just flies lately but I finally managed to finish the story and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter.


Christmas Eve – part 2

Gabriel was alone in his living room and decided to go through some personal mail. It was all Christmas cards at this time of the year. He grabbed a stack and put them on the table in front of him. He quickly looked through them, until he stopped to really read one. It was the one Sam had sent him.

Dear sir, dear Gabriel,

Merry Christmas and I hope you have a very happy New Year. I'm very sorry about the thing that happened. It was a very odd moment and I felt like a huge idiot. Particularly because (if you can't say it at Christmas, when can you, eh?) I'm actually yours.

With love, your Sam.

Gabriel slowly put the card down and thought about the words for a moment. Then he picked it back up and quickly read it again, before putting it down and reaching for the phone. He asked for a car that would immediately take him to Sam, vaguely remembering that he had talked about where he lived some time back.

Since he only knew the area, not the exact address he got out when he reached the right street and started ringing doorbells to ask for Sam. The people who recognized him were very surprised and he talked to old ladies, little children and families on his search for Sam. Finally, when he was feeling exhausted and close to giving up hope, he reached Ruby's door.

"Hello. Sorry to disturb. Does Sam live here?" he asked for the about millionth time.

"No," Ruby answered. "He lives next door."

Gabriel's face lit up at those news. "Ah. Brilliant," he said and slowly walked over to the next house.

When the door opened he was greeted by a large family and everyone was ready to go out. The adults looked at him in surprise.

"Ah, hello. Is, er, Sam in?" Gabriel asked, suddenly a little nervous, especially now that he faced his entire family.

"Where the fuck is my fucking coat?" Sam cursed as he walked down the stairs and only then looked up to see Gabriel standing in the door. "Oh, hello," he greeted him.

"Hello," Gabriel answered.

Sam quickly introduced his family and told Gabriel that they were all on their way to the school's Christmas concert because the kids were participating in it.

"How can we help, sir?" John Winchester asked.

"Well, I just needed Sam," Gabriel replied. "On some state business. But I don't want to make you late for the concert."

In the end they found a compromise and Gabriel gave the whole family a ride to the concert so he could talk to Sam in the car. But since they had a kid in an octopus costume sitting between them they didn't really do much talking. Sam apologized again for the incident with the president, trying to explain what had happened but when he tried to confess his love, the car stopped at the school and the kid jumped out of the car. But finally Sam and Gabriel had some privacy.

"I…I think I better not come in, you know," Gabriel started. "Nobody wants to see some sleazy politician stealing the kids thunder"

"No, please come. It'll be great," Sam pleaded.

"No, I'd…I'd better not. But I will be very sorry to drive away from you."

"Just give me one second," Sam asked, not wanting to let Gabriel just drive away. He had gone to school at that place and knew his way around and quickly he found the back door and led Gabriel there, so they could watch the concert from behind the stage.

On their way in they met Ellen, Gabriel's sister. She was very surprised and very happy to see her brother and hugged him tightly, not quite believing that he had really come to the school's Christmas concert. She couldn't know that Gabriel was actually there because of Sam and he didn't tell her, since she was so happy to see him.

Then introductions were made and Ellen warned Sam, "Watch that he keeps his hands off you. A couple of years ago you'd have been just his type."

"I'll be very careful. Don't try something, sir, just because it's Christmas," Sam answered and all three of them laughed at that. Then Ellen had to leave to get her kids ready for the show, while Sam and Gabriel went to find a place from where they could see the stage without being seen themselves. They listened to the performances and moved closer and closer together, almost kissing.

When the concert was over, the curtains behind the stage opened to reveal a 'Merry Christmas' sign and a kissing couple. Gabriel and Sam had chosen the worst time and place for their first kiss and the whole room could see them. When suddenly the applause stopped they realized that something was wrong and broke the kiss to see the stunned audience and some people taking pictures.

"Right. So, not quite as secret as we'd hoped," Gabriel said once he'd gotten over the shock of their discovery.

"What do we do now?" Sam asked in a hushed voice.

"Smile," Gabriel answered, which they both did. "Little bow," he added a few seconds later. "And now wave."

And waving and with big smiles on their faces Sam and Gabriel left the stage, accompanied by a thundering applause.


Balthazar knocked on Ben's door to get him to come out for dinner.

"I'm not hungry," was his stepson's answer.

"Ben, I've done chicken kebabs," Balthazar coaxed without success.

"Look at the sign on the door," Ben called and then started practicing again immediately.

Balthazar did look at the sign then. It said: 'I said - I'm not hungry'. Defeated Balthazar turned away.

"Right," he said to himself, because Ben certainly couldn't hear him anymore over the sound of the drums.

Finally it was time for the concert and when Ben and Balthazar walked up the steps into the school Balthazar tried to adjust Ben's hair. Ben didn't like that and almost hit Balthazar with his drumsticks.

A while later his big moment had finally come. He was on stage with the band and most importantly Jo and he was playing the drums, while she was singing 'All I want for Christmas is you'. When the song came to its end, Jo suddenly pointed at Ben when she sang the part about what she wanted for Christmas and his face lit up in a huge grin. But then she turned and pointed at other people at random, making Ben's smile disappear immediately. He'd had hope for a second but it was gone again.

"Benny! Fantastic show!" Balthazar called when he pushed through the doors in the backstage area after the concert to find his stepson.

"Thanks. Plan didn't work, though," Ben answered, looking sad.

"Tell her then."

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her that you love her," Balthazar told him.

"No way. Anyway, they fly tonight," Ben answered.

"Even better. Ben, you've got nothing to lose and you'll always regret it if you don't. You've seen the films kiddo. It ain't over till it's over."

This convinced Ben. "Okay, Dad. Let's do it. Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love." They left the school building to find Jo but were only in time to see her get into a car to drive to the airport.

"It's okay, we'll go to the airport. I know a shortcut," Balthazar told Ben and they left immediately. But when they arrived there, Jo and her family had already checked in and gone through security. Balthazar tried to persuade the security guard to let Ben through but he wouldn't let him go without a ticket.

Balthazar quickly thought about the options and then bent down to Ben. "Do you want to make a run for it?"

"You think I should?" Ben asked and Balthazar nodded.

While another passenger, who couldn't find his ticket, distracted the guard, Ben slipped past him unnoticed and ran through the hallways and after a short stop quickly made it through the metal detector. Another security guard tried to stop him but only got a hold of his jacket and pulled it off Ben but the boy kept running, until he reached the right gate.

When he was almost there, standing in a walkway with glass walls, he could see Jo and her family just getting ready to board the plane. He called through the glass but she didn't hear him, so he ran on to reach her before she was on the plane.

She was already in the line to get on the plane when he got there but he was lucky that the airline employees were distracted by Bobby singing his song and stripping to it on television like he had promised, so Ben had no trouble sneaking past them. Finally he was there and he called Jo's name, who turned around immediately.

"Ben?"

"I thought you didn't know my name," Ben said, surprised.

"Course I do," she answered and smiled at him.

Right that moment two security guards, who had chased after Ben through the airport caught up with him and he had to go with them, back to where his dad was waiting for him. He went with a smile though. Jo knew who he was.

Just as he was telling Balthazar that everything had gone well, his dad told him to turn around and he found Jo standing behind him. She had followed him back to the public area of the airport. Without saying a word she pressed a small kiss on his cheek, smiled and then turned and left to catch her flight.

Ben could hardly believe what had just happened and smiled even wider as he hugged Balthazar who felt very happy for his son.


After the concert was over, Ellen finally had some time to speak to her husband about what she had discovered about him.

"Tell me, if you were in my position, what would you do?" she asked him innocently.

"What position is that?" he wanted to know, not suspecting anything.

"Imagine that your husband bought a gold necklace and, come Christmas, gave it to somebody else," she started.

"Oh, Ellen…" he started, realizing he'd been caught but Ellen interrupted him before he could say more.

"Would you wait around to find out if it's just a necklace or if it's sex and a necklace or if, worst of all, it's a necklace and love? Would you stay? Knowing life would always be a little bit worse? Or would you cut and run?" she asked, close to tears now.

"Oh, God. I am so in the wrong. A classic fool," Zachariah admitted.

"Yes, but you've also made a fool out of me," Ellen said, tears rolling down her cheeks now.

Zachariah looked at his wife and suddenly knew without a doubt that she was worth so much more than Ruby could ever be and that the thing with Ruby would never go further than the necklace. He would not give up on his wonderful wife and his loving family. He would fight for her to make her stay and give her anything she wanted.

Ellen looked at him with teary eyes and saw his decision in his face and the way he looked at her. She saw his guilt about hurting her and that he still loved her and wanted her to stay with him.

"Was it just a necklace?" she asked him quietly, hoping that the answer would be yes, because she could deal with that. When he nodded she felt better already and gave him a small smile, telling him she'd give him another chance but that she needed some time for this wound to heal.

When their kids came back from changing out of their costumes she quickly wiped away her tears and hugged them tightly. She'd give Zachariah another chance and keep the family she loved together and hopefully one day she would be able to trust her husband, whom she still loved, again.