E.T. Was awakened early the next morning when Elliot nearly knocked him over on the cot he was laying on as he jumped out of bed exclaiming, "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Wake up E.T.! It's Christmas morning!"

E.T. watched as Elliot bounded out of the room and thought he had never seen him so happy before, he just hoped it would last.

E.T. crawled off of his cot and waddled into the living room where he found Elliot, Michael, Gertie, and Mary all gathered in the living room around the brightly lit and decorated Christmas tree which now had dozens of big and small packages under it all wrapped up in a shiny red and green paper with shiny red and green bows tied to the tops.

"Santa came!" Gertie exclaimed running toward the first present she could reach.

"We must have been really nice this year," Michael chuckled as he sat down beside his siblings.

E.T. watched as they all selected the presents that had their names on a tag attached to them and began pulling off the bows and ripping off the paper.

Elliot opened his first present and found a brand new baseball bat and he was at once overcome with a wave of nostalgia as he remembered when when his dad would teach him how to play baseball and how he was the worst at first at batting but with his dad's persistence he was now a lot better. He opened another present and found a shiny red bicycle helmet with a purple zigzag across the top and once again he was flooded with bittersweet memories of when his dad had been teaching him how to ride a bike and how he had picked him up and hugged him when he fell down on his first ride without training wheels. With the next present he opened he found a skateboard and in the next one a pair of roller-blades and he was happy to at last find something new and completely different.

Gertie opened her first present and found a new and genuine easy-bake oven complete with pans and trays and mitts. As a happy smile lit Gertie's face Elliot thought, Great! No more mud pies! Although he was a touch unnerved at the thought of sitting through more of her tea parties with her dolls and bears. When Gertie opened her next present she found a Raggedy Andy doll which was the brother for her Raggedy Ann doll.

I am so happy to be here and to finally be able to know my long lost sister! E.T. heard the boy rag doll thinking excitedly and he was happy for it.

When Michael opened his present he found it was just what he wanted, the Atari 8000 along with games like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and The Super Mario Bros. In the next presents he opened he found a skateboard and bicycle helmet similar to Elliot's except they were somewhat bigger and longer and had a Dungeons and Dragons symbol painted across their surfaces.

The children then went to their Christmas stockings which were hung up by the fireplace. In Gertie's she found a dozen pieces of costume jewelry like beaded bracelets, shining necklaces, clip on earrings, and rainbow colored rings. In Elliot's he found a dozen pieces of rock candy which he divided generously between himself and E.T. and E.T. thought it so wonderfully peculiar that rocks could taste so good, after all the Reese's Pieces had been one thing but rocks were another thing altogether.

In Micheal's stocking he found a whole new set of a dozen marbles which he quickly showed E.T. how to play with as he would aim the biggest marble called the shooter at one and try to get it to hit as many others as it could and whichever one got the most would win. E.T. was able to enhance the game by making the marbles glow as he levitated his shooter and had it magnetically attract all of the marbles.

Mary looked on at her children as they all happily tried out their new things and she felt this Christmas was almost perfect, all that was missing was their father without whom none of this would have been possible.

Her reflective thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden knock upon the front door. She promptly went to answer it and found none other than Keys standing on the doorstep and holding four wrapped packages in his arms.

"Why Keys! What a pleasant surprise!" Mary said smiling as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Aw, come on! You knew I was coming!" Keys laughed as he set the presents down on the coffee table.

Keys then knelt down as the kids all crowded joyously around him and embraced him one after the other and he hugged them all back. Then he looked up and saw E.T.

He approached him slowly though he really wasn't far away at all. "E.T...? That is what they call you, isn't it?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

E.T. nodded with a tranquil expression on his aged face.

Keys knelt so that he was at eye level with E.T. "Do you remember me?" he asked. E.T. nodded. "I was wondering actually if you remember me from about twenty-five years ago," he said and E.T. looked at him quizzically.

"It was the evening of August 2, 1957," Keys continued solemnly. "I was little boy then about as tall as you an Elliot. You came to the site where I was camping with my family and we met, we came face to face, and you tried to speak to me but I couldn't understand your language and I got so frightened but I think I then frightened you even more because you were the first to run away. I felt kinda guilty after I watched you leave in your spaceship and I promised myself that somehow I would meet you again to tell you I'm sorry, and then I did meet you again only to scare you away again and so it must have been because of my being so intruding that you were left behind on this Earth and you nearly died from a breathing disease, but then Elliot saved you when I wasn't able to and I certainly see why you love him so much, I do too. Then you left once again in your spaceship and I never got a chance to talk to you yet again and now that I can I really don't know if you can understand my language when I tell you that I am completely sorry for frightening you the first time and the second time for what I put you through, me and my team, and now I am afraid you can't understand when I beg for your forgiveness."

A calm, serene smile spread across E.T.'s face. "E.T. understands and E.T. forgives," he said reassuringly "I just didn't recognize when we met again because you are so much taller now but now I see you never meant me any harm at all. The only thing E.T. wants to know is why you allowed so many scary white hooded men to imprison him?"

Keys sighed with regret. "Most of them were my colleagues and I agreed with them to track you down and find out if you really were an extra-terrestrial being. We humans can be just as curious as you. And then when we saw you were dying we just wanted to try to do everything we could to save you, and when it turned out we couldn't as it seemed I was more heartbroken than I had ever been in my life."

E.T. gave a somewhat understanding smile and then looked at Keys more seriously. "Only my people had the power to save me then, but they could do nothing with you and your own crew in the way of them and this was why things turned out as they did, though perhaps it was for the best they did anyway."

"Yes, I do understand it all now," admitted Keys sorrowfully. "If there is anything we or I alone can do to make it up to you I would really like to know."

E.T. smiled thoughtfully. "I might like to tell you to stop looking for extra-terrestrial beings but then I somehow feel it wouldn't be right to, and so all I ask is that you find a more peaceful way of finding and observing them, like how me and my colleagues find and observe plant life and we study them but we never do anything they wouldn't want us to do because we learn everything we can about them beforehand so that we know what is right and what is wrong for them."

"Yes, of course we will," Keys promised. "We are in the process of developing special telescopic equipment which can see onto other planets in other solar systems and also special sonar which can track signs of other life from other worlds. And if we should need any assistance in learning about what we happen to find with them can you help us?"

"Of course," said E.T. "I'm only a phone call away."

Keys smiled and chuckled, and then to his surprise E.T. reached out his long arms and embraced him.

As the Taylor family looked on with awe there came yet another knock at the door and when Mary opened it an elderly couple stepped inside carrying a load of three big packages each.

"Great Lord!" exclaimed the old woman. "I thought that cab driver would never get us here!"

"Well, it's not like he could keep up in the traffic," replied the old man. "You could have at least given him a tip."

"Grandma! Grandpa!" the three kids exclaimed in unison as the rushed forward to embrace them and barely giving them time to put their packages down.

"Merry Christmas dears," said their grandma as she smothered them in hugs and kisses.

"Michael! You have grown into such a fine young man!" said his grandpa as he looked him over.

"Elliot, you have grown a full inch since the last time I saw you!" said his grandma bending down to look at him. "And Gertie must have grown two or three at least!"

It was then they noticed E.T. for the first time. They suddenly became very quiet though they kept smiling and after a moment their grandma spoke. "Well, who is your new friend over there?'

"Grandma, Grandpa," said Elliot proudly. "May I introduce E.T., he is an extra-terrestrial and he is my my best friend in the whole universe."

"Greetings!" E.T. said warmly to the old couple.

"Oh my Lord! A real extra-terrestrial!" the grandma gasped in joy and surprise. "I'd always hoped I'd see one someday!"

"And I'm glad it was before we checked out of this Earth hotel!" the grandpa added happily.

"You mean you really believe in aliens?" asked Michael in surprise.

"Certainly," said the grandma. "We always did, especially after the news of the Roswell Crashing of the 40s."

"We're wondering if you know anything about it?" asked the grandpa to E.T.

"They were representatives of the planet Ceala," E.T. said. "And they had come to Earth because they knew the Earth was at a time of war of prejudice and so many lives were being lost unnecessarily and as they were not as shy towards humans as me and my race are they decided to fly to one of the battlements and try to put a stop to the war by informing them of the true meaning of life and the universe and what you should be doing instead of killing each other all the time. But unfortunately there was a shortage of fuel in their spaceship, for unlike my race they fly their crafts with fuel, and so they had a crash landing a few miles from their intended destination."

"Oh my Lord!" the grandma said again. "Well, what is the true meaning of life and the universe?"

"Ah! I cannot tell you those," E.T. said. "But since you are both more than eighty years old you should find out soon enough."

"Do you know anything else that we don't know that you can tell us?" asked the grandpa hopefully. "What is the Loch Ness Monster? You see, I'm of Scottish origins and I always wanted to know."

"It is a descendant of one of the dinosaurs of the Triassic period called a Platheosaurus," E.T. replied.

"Oh my Lord!" said the grandma again. "I living dinosaur!"

"What about Bigfoot?" asked the Grandpa. "What is he? I'd always wanted to know about him."

"He is a descendant of a giant ape called the Gigantaphithicus," replied E.T. "And you need not fear him as he is more afraid of you than you are of him and that is why he prefers not to be seen, just like me and my crew were before I met Elliot."

"E.T. was lost when his crew left him behind two months ago and I took him in when he came to me," Elliot explained. "I found out he likes Reese's Pieces, and he is so smart he actually built a transmitter out of junk we had around the house and called his crew with it and they came for him, and on our way to the spaceship he actually took me flying on my bicycle while he was riding in the basket!"

Elliot remembered the night he had flown with E.T. on his bike.

Elliot had been pedaling until the ground beneath them had become too hard and too bumpy on his wheels. "It's too bumpy. We'll have to walk from he-re..." The words were barely out of his mouth when suddenly his bicycle began moving forward again seemingly on its own accord.

"E.T.! He exclaimed, not sure what he was doing now.

They moved faster and faster picking up speed until they came to a cliff in the middle of the road. Elliot held his breath and closed his eyes as he felt them speeding off the cliff and taking a dive. However, instead of falling they rose up into the air again as if an invisible hand had pushed them up into the air.

Then to his astonishment they began gliding upward higher and higher somewhat like when he was pushing himself upward on the swings at the playground. Looking around he saw the trees falling below them farther and farther away.

Elliot continued pedaling his bicycle as fast as he could. "Not so high! Not so high!" he exclaimed as his heart tightened in his chest and he felt like it burst both from fear and from pleasure.

E.T. obeyed and they soared just overhead of the tree tops. I'm flying! I'm flying! Elliot thought as he laughed as he screamed with happiness and exhilaration.

They soared gracefully through the air and passed by the moon shining full in the dark night sky.

"You flew on a bicycle!" his grandpa exclaimed. "When I was your age if I wanted to fly on anything I'd tie myself to a kite!"

"E.T. came back here to spend Christmas with us!" Elliot continued. "Me and him have this strange connection, too. I can feel anything he feels at any time even if we are in completely different places."

"That is because you have a great feeling of empathy for life," said his grandpa wisely. "It runs in your family. I can always feel what your grandma feels at any time and place myself.

Elliot looked lovingly at his grandparents and felt that with them and E.T. and Keys here this was the most perfect Christmas. Then he looked down and felt it was still missing his dad being here.

"Mom, where's Dad?" he asked.

Mary had been dreading this question ever since yesterday and she still had no idea how to answer though she would have to try now. "Elliot... he," she began but never got to finish for just then there was another loud knock on the door. Grateful for the distraction she went to answer it and was curious as to who else could be here now.

When she opened the door to her surprise and Elliot's great joy they found his dad standing there.

"I'm sorry I'm a bit late," he said. "May I come in?"

"Oh my! I -I mean of course!" Mary said in shock and disbelief as she stumbled to the side and let him in the doorway.

"Dad!" Elliot exclaimed as he ran up to him and embraced him hard and tightly. "I thought you were in Mexico?"

"I was," he said. "But I've come back because I love you and I want nothing more than to be with you right now."

After he and Elliot hugged for a few more moments he looked up and noticed E.T. for the first time and he knew at once he had to be an alien being of some kind, the strangest thing was he felt as if he had known he was here all along. He approached him and could somehow sense that the alien already knew about him.

"Friends and family are the only thing worth celebrating in this life,"said E.T..

"It is true," he said.

They all enjoyed Christmas day together and it was just after dinner that E.T. announced it was time for him to leave. "They'll be coming for me any minute," he said. "We must get to the landing site before dark."

Elliot nodded in understanding. "Before you go I want to give you something." He went up to the stocking hung by the chimney which had E.T. written on it and took out a bag full of Reese's Pieces. "Here, take these back with you," he said."

"Thank you, Elliot," said E.T. as he thought about his companions being able to finally taste this miracle candy themselves.

"I have something for you, too, E.T.," said Gertie. She went over to the tree and took a small green bag from under it.

"It isn't much, but it's the best I could do on such short notice," she said as she handed him the bag.

E.T. reached into the bag and pulled out a small fuzzy light brown teddy bear with a pale pink ribbon tied around its neck.

"Hello. Will you be my friend?" asked the teddy bear to E.T.

"I hope you like him," said Gertie.

Tears filled E.T.'s big blue eyes as he smiled toothily at Gertie and exclaimed, "I love him!" He was so happy to now have one of the marvelous little beings known as stuffed toys to be able to take home with him and get to know it and show it to his companions. He threw his arms around Gertie and embraced her in a thankful hug.

Gertie smiled glad that she actually had succeeded in giving E.T. the best present she could. "What are you going to name him?" she asked.

E.T. thought for a moment. "Zrek," he said at last.

Then they all, the Taylor family along with the grandparents and Keys, piled into the car and drove E.T. to the bald spot in the forest where his spaceship was to pick him up.

Very shortly after they arrived, about five minutes later, the spaceship descended from the heavens and parked itself onto the ground in the center of the landing site.

Then everyone gave E.T. a big goodbye hug and when it was Elliot's turn he grasped E.T.'s hand and said, "I love you so much, E.T., and I always will! You mean so much to me, you have made a real difference in my life. I have to know if I will see you again."

E.T. smiled as he looked up at Elliot with his big, warm, kind, wisdom filled blue eyes and said, "You will, Elliot. I promise you will, for you mean so much to me to and have also made a real difference in my life, and perhaps even the whole universe as we speak. Remember you are very special kind of human being, and never forget it."

Elliot hugged E.T. again, and then E.T. with the bag of Reese's Pieces in one hand and the teddy bear in the other, walked up the gangplank of the spaceship. Once he was on board the doors closed and it rose into the air as it had the last time flying higher and higher until it was the first star in the sky, and then zoomed away leaving behind a rainbow trail of vapor in its path.

A/N: The end of this story and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. I really do want to write a sequel to it (probably TWO sequels). Please leave your reviews and mention in them if you can what you might like to have in a sequel.