jack remembers yeahhhh.....and myles and howie, i couldn't stop laughing, this is great...can't wait what jack is going to do with the information that he's got......this is so great...i'm so loving it.

Just caught up on your wonderful
story kav more soon please Lin

Oooooh!! Remembeeerrr!

I love this story Kav!!!

Em

fine.... I'll try to be patient sweet dear Kav....


I see where you're going here.... Jack better hurry up so Myles doesn't freeze waiting for his turn....

I'm thinking that at this point Jack's hand are much better (or safer) being idle!

Howie with sled dogs - I do love your Howie. Sorry flip but he is just so perfectly in character, comic relief, yet a reminder of so much that is important.

WOW....what a post.....at least Myles tried to apoligize.....though.....ummm

~laura michelle~

There was something methodically soothing about the way Mrs. C's fingers wove in and out. The rag dolls piled up at an impossible rate as she plied Jack with questions in her soft, lilting voice.

"I can see that you want this gift to be special. One that she will carry in her heart for the rest of her life. One that tells her your heart is taken..."

He was squirming with embarrassment as the woman fussed over him, her nimble fingers whipping stitches with her golden needle and silver thread, vanquishing his impossibly torn Sunday best trousers. She'd chattered like a magpie as she worked, told him he had a good heart but that it was taken...

"Still mulling things over, I see," Mrs. C hummed quietly. "I wish I could say there's no rush, but I'm afraid that our solitude is about to be most rudely...."

A crash at the back of the store broke the spell and Jack leapt protectively in front of the old lady, his gun drawn.

"Heart throb, indeed," she murmured, "Where did I put my smelling salts?"

"Don't shoot!" an abominable snowman with a familiar voice shouted out in alarm.
"Sheesh, Jack, between you and Myles, well, you don't make a body feel welcomed."

"Depends on the body," a second mountain of snow mumbled through chattering teeth, "now a nice curvaceous warm-blooded little..."

Mrs. C cleared her throat so forcefully that her usual parchment-dry voice carried with surprising force.

Myles peered through the dripping clumps of snow that perched along his eyebrows. "Sorry, didn't realize there were ladies present," he apologized with as much aplomb as possible for a frozen statue.

"Picked him up out back -- fool wasn't even wearing any gloves!"

"How far out back?" Mrs. C asked curiously.

"Far enough that I debated which was closer -- here or there."

"Here or there where?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Do put your gun away, dear. Much as I appreciate the dashing way you brandish your weapon, it is a bit disconcerting to an old toymaker like myself. I don't even make toy guns any more." She shuddered distastefully as she made her way around Jack to assess Myles' condition.

A hearty thwack on the back sent the snow flying and Myles into a fit of coughing. "Nothing a nice steaming hot cup of cocoa with a pinch of candy cane won't cure," she pronounced cheerfully and bustled away to prepare the homemade remedy.

Jack looked from the sodden men to the light sprinkle of snow visible from the front window. "This is impossible!" he declared, an anxious frown marring the features Mrs. C. was shamelessly admiring.

"The only thing impossible, Jack, is impossibility itself," she sighed contentedly as she carried a tray with two steaming Santa mugs and a handful of Frosty the Snowman cookies on it.

"Jeez, thanks Mrs. C. I think your cooking is what I miss most about the Nor..." Mrs. C crammed a cookie into Howie's runaway mouth.

"You, more than anyone, know the rules, dear boy," she said firmly.

Howie nodded with chipmunk-cheeks and watering eyes. He coughed a spray of cookie crumbs and took a swig of cocoa, sighing sublimely and then elbowed Myles in the ribs.

"I saved your bacon, eh? Didn't I? Eh? Lucky for you I was out back running errands with my dog sled or..."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Howard. You should know better to say that," Mrs. C looked at him disapprovingly.

"Did you say dog sled?"

"Oh yeah -- you and Sue should bring Levi around to meet the girls. Eight prime beauties, bound to be a match for the wonder dog among them!"

Jack accepted without resistance the chair Mrs. C pulled up and gently pushed him into. "Howie you don't have a dog. We'd know if you had a dog."

Howie snorted. "You think you FBI types know everything...well have I got news for you." He clamped his mouth closed at a warning look from stern blue eyes. "Well, I would have... if I could talk abou it. Let's just say I get to borrow them for Christmas. It's the only time the magi...north wind flows backwards and I get to see my old friends."

"If the north wind flowed backwards that would make it the south wind you ninny."

"Ah, Myles is reviving at last. Stout of heart -- he'll recover in no time," Mrs. C beamed. "Here, have another swig of the candy cane cocoa, dear."

"Apparently Howie chooses dog sled as his preferred ground transportation since he has issues with flying," Myles announced with a shrug. "I'm just reporting what he told me on the way over here. Where is here by the way? It's about as quaint as Santa's village in Toyland." He stood up to take a look around, leaving a string of puddles in his wake.

"Why thank you, dear, I like to think of it as a home away from home at this time of year," Mrs. C bustled about clearing the dishes. "Jack -- don't forget your reason for stopping by," she reminded him pointedly.

Instantly alert Myles peered across the cluttered store at Jack. "This can't be the same store..." he exclaimed in disbelief, striding to the door and opening it wide. But there was his car, parked exactly where he had left it across the street and there was just a light dusting of powdered snow skimming the surface of the trunk and hood. "What the..."

"Either step in or out but either way close that door. You're letting in a draft," Mrs. C complained.

Myles complied and whirled on the little old lady. “Just what is going on here? Why could Jack get in the front door and I couldn’t? And what's the square footage of this store anyway? How many city blocks does it take up? What kind of permit do you need to operate a dog sled in this city?” He was nose to nose with Howie by now who staggered back nervously.

“Hey now. I’m not doing anything illegal. I just run them back and forth between here and…there. I’m not hurting anyone. Lose the prune face Leland, don’t you know it’s Christmastime? You better watch what you say – especially here. Santa has big ears you know.”

“I refuse to listen to your drivel any longer. We’re adults, Howie…at least three of us in this room are and we know there is no such thing as San -- ”

The lights flickered, dipped and extinguished all together plunging them into darkness.

Howie....very funny.....


~laura michelle~

I loved this! That's the Myles we know. Too funny!

Given the flickering lights and the darkness, I'd guess that something big is about to happen.

Uh oh! Where's Sue when you need her? Or maybe Jack has learned enough from her - and his time spent in the Christmas Store - to help this time.

I love how everything has come full circle, Kav. I'm a greedy girl - can't wait for more! (And just because I want more doesn't mean I want this to end......I believe that the Polar Express is a looooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg train...and it won't hurt my feelings if the story is too!

Oh! And might I just add that Jack-protecting-Mrs. C-drawing-his-gun-facing-the-unknow-abominable-snowmen is just

MYLES!!!!!!


I thought we that out of you on the train...

Come on.... just close your eyes and think

You know, for an FBI agent, Myles isnt very bright.

I think just about everyone that breathes knows that is real.

I too liked Jack protecting Mrs. C. And as for this story, I think we've all used just about every adjective in the book to describe it and I am quickly running out of them. Another awesome post!

Wonder what Jack will get Sue?

Back in the darkness of unbelief! This is great Kav!

Surely, she's had enough run ins with Jack by now to know to always keep them handy

Mrs. C and Howie - She certainly has her hands full with him and Jack both under one roof, doesn't she?

Ummm....yeah... Myles... probably not the best place to say that!

Kav -

I have been saying this quite a bit lately, although I doubt with the patience of Mrs. C.

Myles shouldn't have said it - now he will have to admit that he is scared of the dark!

As for you Kav - why do I think I would recognize you by your description of Mrs. C?

Bad move Myles. The answer is "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

Kim

another fantastically wonderful post, love super protective on the ball jack hudson

cath

"Heart throb, indeed," she murmured, "Where did I put my smelling salts?"

yes I agree If its jack were talking about Lin

I laughed at almost every paragraph in this post! You've got Howie and Myles down so perfectly and Mrs. C leaves me rolling! Of course Jack, the hearthrob, got me, but so the little things like Myles saying that the north wind would then be the south wind. Oh my! Did you laugh when you were writing this?

I must admit that I'm concerned about the electrical situation. Jack still hasn't picked out a gift. I love how it has come full cirlce!

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Even Mrs. C isn't immune!!!

Myles, don't even voice that there is no Santa - we know different!!!

Joy

lol love the "you ninny"

LOL

oh myles you knowthat there is a santa...you are so going to be in trouble mister.

howie go ad tell them...no...don't tell them they don't deserve it.

love it kav..it's amazing

Adults can be so ignorant at time. there isn't a santa, what a load of collywoddle!!!

Jen

Oh! Now look what you've done Myles!!! There of course is a santa!!

No Santa ???

Myles, you don't say that in front of Mrs C !!!!

Jack, how many more clues will you need?

Gasp! now look what you did Myles.

I just caught up with this MAGICAL story, Kav.



Now Jack and Myles are gonna relive their experience they had when they were kids ...

shakes head Myles, Myles, Myles...do you every learn?

You might just find that you will enjoy the season a great deal more if you learn to accept the true spirit of the season you know....

Great post Kav!

Can't wait for more!

BLT

Sheesh Myles, turning every place you go into darkness huh?

Collywoddle, Jen? Oh please can Tara use that in a sentence sometime soon?!


"Now you’ve gone and done it, Leland." Howie's mournfully exasperated penetrated the gloom.

"Oh dear, I was afraid this would happen. Don’t worry everyone…I have a candle. It never hurts to be prepared. There. Now isn’t that better?" Mrs. C’s head bobbed eerily from the surrounding blackness, her face barely illuminated in macabre shadows.

Happy Christmas thoughts. Jack saw her – the little girl that looked like Sue imploring them to remember. He could hear Myles’ ragged breathing and sensed the barely veiled panic emanating from the man. In his mind’s eye he saw the hand of a boy – his hand – reaching out to help, but falling short. It was the little girl – Sue – who chased the shadows away that day but like Myles, he knew that this was impossible…

Mrs. C’s candle gutted out on a mournful sigh. "Jack – don’t disappoint me now. You’ve been doing so well," she implored.

An image of Sue wishing him a Merry Christmas the first year she joined the team entered his mind, her smile like a bright beacon. They’d exchanged hockey jerseys – the exact same colour and number – unbeknownst to each other. He had opened his in the back of a taxicab in a hopelessly gnarled traffic jam on Christmas Eve. It made him feel instantly at home, even though he knew his flight was delayed and Santa had a better chance of making it to his home in Wisconsin before he did…

"Lovely, dear, quite splendid, actually." Mrs. C’s voice sounded thick with tears. She sniffed and in the dawning light he could just make out her plump little hand retrieving a lace handkerchief from the sleeve of her blouse. "Now Myles, surely in all these years since last we met you have a good Christmas memory to draw from."

Myles cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked warily around at the grotesque shadows that seemed to be closing in. The little bit of light that clung to him from Jack’s memories slunk away and he felt the darkness surround him once again. And then Jack was at his side, casually bumping into him in the dark and the blackness brightened to a hazy gray.

"What about that first Christmas party Sue and Lucy threw? If I remember correctly you won over Mrs. Thomas and earned Sue’s undying gratitude. I think she actually gave you a Christmas hug…"

"Ah – you know she did, Hudson. You’re just jealous because she hugged me first…" Myles snapped back mustering a teasing smile.

"As a matter of fact, the lady hugged me months earlier -- just days after we first met. And it was a very enthusiastic hug too." The light around Jack sparked and crested into a brilliant glow as he remembered the feel of those soft curves pressed all too briefly against him.

"Tone it down, Jack – we don’t want to burn the place down now do we?" Mrs. C rebuked gently.

Myles squinted at the bright light that seemed to glow from the old lady. "What kind of flashlight do you have there? Can I get one?"

"We all carry them," Mrs. C said before Jack could answer. "You just need to know how to turn yours on. Why don’t you tell us what you did to celebrate Christmas last year?"

Myles faltered, and so did the light.

"C'mon, Leland," Jack urged, "I know it had something to do with Sue."

"All my good Christmas memories have to do with her," Myles answered gruffly.

"It drove me crazy not knowing what you were up to..." Jack admitted, a tinge of jealously still apparent in his voice.

That had Myles grinning. "I enjoyed driving you mad, Hudson. You are so transparent when it comes to Sue and she was totally oblivious, sure you were enjoying all the festivities with Allie..."

"Don't rub it in, Myles. That isn't what the Christmas spirit is all about," Mrs. Claus warned impatiently.

Myles, feeling suitably chastened, stuffed his hands in his coat pocket and couldn't quite meet Jack's eye in the dimly lit store. "Right. Well, Sue just doesn't take no for an answer. Most stubborn woman I've ever known. I guess I don't have to tell you that. Be forewarned, Jack, she'll make your life some kind of..."

"Wonderful. Some kind of wonderful. I know. I'm counting on it."

"Yes -- well just so long as you don't forget that, Hudson. It may have taken me a bit longer to warm up to our Miss Thomas than the rest of the team..."

"A bit longer?" Jack couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice and the light around him dimmed markedly.

"Jack! That will be enough! Go on Myles, you were going to tell us about last Christmas," Mrs. C prompted kindly.

"I've come to appreciate Sue's tenacious streak, though I don't mind saying I've cursed it on more than one occasion. Like last Christmas. She wouldn't leave me alone when I told her I was swearing off the festive season entirely. Showed up on my doorstep with a Christmas tree and the gaudiest decorations you've ever seen. Nothing like the designer trees my mother commissions. It was real too. I was picking up pine needles for months afterwards. She made me watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' and Levi shed all over my favourite lounge chair," Myles remembered fondly. "Then she coerced me into helping her deliver those blankets for the homeless shelter. She about wore me out that last week before Christmas. Took me to a mall and picked out three children's names from the angel tree. Three! She said I could afford it. Helped me spend every pretty penny buying up games and toys and underwear. What child wants to get underwear for Christmas?"

"I can see her doing that," Jack said with quiet pride. And he could. They had all endured Myles' seasonal rantings, barely paying attention to his sarcastic comments so similar to the ones from years past. Miserly Myles was on his soapbox again, that’s what Jack had thought. But obviously Sue had looked past Myles' sarcasm, recognizing it as a plea for help and she had taken action.

Sue was good at spreading Christmas cheer and she had undoubtedly shared a wealth of it with Leland. Jack didn't think it was possible, but his love for her immediately grew ten fold as did the light around him.

"Sheesh Jack -- could you turn it down a few watts? You're worse than Rudolph!" Howie complained, shielding his eyes against the brightness with his hand.

"You need to spread it around, Jack, now that you've got the knack," Mrs. C explained.
"Try directing some of your light over to Myles. He's still in the shadows."

"Uh -- sure," Jack said uncertainly, looking at Myles skeptically. He wasn't any good at this touchy feely stuff and if the old lady expected him to hug Myles she'd be sorely disappointed because he just wasn't going to do it. Laughter flooded his mind; hers along with a jolly Ho Ho Ho.

"You hear that?" Myles asked in wonderment.

"Yeah -- must be the workers in the back," Jack brushed it off. His light dimmed and he felt Mrs. C's keen disappointment and guiltily tried to make amends. "Uh, look, Myles. I'm glad that Sue decided to help you celebrate Christmas last year and I'm sorry that I didn't..."

"No need to apologize, Jack," Myles suddenly said, stiffly formal. He was cloaked in gray again.

"I think there is," Jack cut in quickly. "I should have...noticed...more. That's what makes Sue so special. She sees things in a way that no one else does. In spite of everything we see at work every day she still manages to maintain an almost innocent quality. I used to think she needed to toughen up. Now I hope she never does. She wouldn’t be Sue then. It makes me feel like I need to watch over her, protect her…"

"Only you realize that it's she who is really watching over you when you didn't know you needed it," Myles finished.

"Yeah, something like that. So -- what's she roped you into this year?"

"What makes you think she has?" A bit of Myles' old defensiveness crept back into his voice.

"The ritual lunches that take you through the park only you're never at any of the restaurants along that street," Jack said with a knowing grin.

"You've been spying!"

"I'm trained in surveillance you know. So, where is Sue taking you every week?"

"You might call it a Christmas secret -- one that only Sue and I share," Myles retorted.

"There's still time for me to figure it out before Christmas, Leland," Jack boasted.

"Not if I have any say in the matter."

"Landsakes, but you're worse than a pair of naughty ten year olds bickering over every blessed thing just to hear the sound of your own voice," Mrs. C threw her hands up in resignation and bustled back to her worktable. "Well anyhow the light's returned and that's something."

"You ought to have an electrician come by and check out the wiring. These old places can be tricky and you seem to get a lot of power failures," Jack felt compelled to point out.

"Funny -- the blackouts only happen when you're here, dear," Mrs. C shot back with a nod of her head. "Now if you gentlemen would let me get on with my work..."

Jack didn't take the hint and neither did Myles and they both poked through every nook and cranny of the store with Howie trailing behind them offering his own brand of wit and witticism.

They argued afterwards about who saw it first. The perfect gift for Sue. It would obviously come from Jack, but Myles' practiced eye assessed its value well above the price range of a salaried government employee. He slunk back to the cash desk while Jack vividly described to Howie what he would do if the snitch dared snitch to Sue.

“Not one word, Howie or I'll string you up with Christmas lights and hang you from the Hoover Building flag pole...” he heard Jack threaten in a menacing voice.

“Ah – still filled with good cheer, I see,” Mrs. C said sarcastically upon Myles' approach.

“When you know Howie as long as we have you'll understand that it takes a certain...finesse...to deal with him,” Myles explained loftily. The lights flickered on and off. Myles looked up at the ceiling suspiciously. “Fluorescent bulbs, you probably got a faulty batch.”

“I don't think the bulbs are what's at fault.”

Myles shrank under her penetrating glare. He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, we'll be out of your way in a matter of minutes since Jack has found what he's been looking for, though he didn't know it until I pointed it out to him.”

“Myles is there a purpose to your rambling? Because time is running out. Even Santa himself can't hold back the clock forever.”

“Jack's on his way over here with his purchase. I know he can't afford it but he's right – it's the perfect gift for Sue and she deserves it, so give him a bogus price – one that he can afford and I'll make up the difference. Now, shhh, don't let on that we've had this little chat...”

“Bless my soul, a Christmas miracle!” Mrs. C clasped her hands to her breast with a rapturous smile as Christmas lights blazed brighter on every tree in the store. “I always knew there was a good heart somewhere under that stuffed shirt.”

Her rapture turned into utter euphoria when she saw the small box Jack placed on the counter in front of her. With trembling fingers she snapped it open and gazed at every exquisite detail of the ring nestled inside. “It’s the snowflake diamond!” She gasped in apparent awe. “There hasn’t been one crafted since…well it’s been a very long time.” She twisted the ring on her own finger lovingly. “Just like real snowflakes, no two are the same.”

Jack couldn’t take his eyes off the ring, perfectly displayed in the plush red velvet-lined box. He couldn’t look at it without seeing it around Sue’s finger. He knew the second he saw it that it was hers, but if the ring was as rare as Mrs. C claimed, there was no way he would be able to afford it. Regretfully he eased the lid down, shutting out the twinkling radiance of the ring. “I guess it’s pretty valuable, huh?”

“Immeasurably,” Mrs. C agreed. “I don’t think I could put a price on its value.”

Jack knew she spoke the truth, but it still shattered something inside of him to hear her blunt agreement. “Something this rare…this expensive…should be kept in a safer place, Mrs. C. Anyone could come in here and…”

“No dear, that’s where you’re wrong. No one but you could come in here and find it. Each snowflake diamond is specifically created for one deserving couple. It’s an honour to be chosen. The kind of love that you and Sue share is indeed rare.”

“But I could never afford…” Jack protested when Mrs. C pressed the red box into his hand.

“Nonsense, you’ve already paid for it in full,” she corrected him placing her hand against his chest, “from here. Your heart, Jack Hudson, is the price of that snowflake diamond and if Sue accepts it, as I know she will, then both belong to you.”

I am officially reduced to a puddle of sentimental mush!!

Thank you for such a wonderful bedtime post!

My husband thinks I'm nuts now.

I'm officially hanging on every word.


Perfect. Too beautiful.

I love how I can see and hear every nuance.

The idea of a specially crafted diamond like the one Mrs. C. handed to Jack is so beautiful. The fact that Myles wanted to surreptitiously pay the balance was touching.

Aww, that was sooo nice! I like Myles! *swoons*

a snowflake dimond...
no two the same..

kav i'm melting here, that was wondefully tender

cath

oh a pretty Ring.... YEAH.....

and male bonding at it's finest...

so sweet...
update soon.

How do you do it Kav....make me float on and and make my go faster!

Beautiful, just beautiful in every way -- what a post -- what a story -- what a writer!

WOW....that is so sweet.....amazing....

~laura michelle~

WOW kav that was wonderful please let sue except
the snowflake diamond ring from jack
post Kav Lin

Fabulous!

Oh My! I would qoute the whole passage if I could. I love the snowflake diamond and the explaination of it. Now Sue, all you have to do is say YES!

Kim

Kav... I don't know how you spin it!


luv it. How you feeling?