Angels    Angels by M Megan ONeil

 Author's webpage: http://www.angelfire.com/la/KnightScribe/index.html

  

 DISCLAIMER: I promise to put them back no worse for wear when I'm done,
please don't sue me. 

 RATING: PG 

 PAIRINGS: none 

 NOTE: sequel to "Peg O'My Heart" 

 Angels 

 (c) 1999 by M. Megan O'Neil 

 She looks so happy. God Almighty, the place hasn't changed. No, that's
not true. It has. It looks...liveable? Is that the word I want? Much
different than when I was here. Seems like another life, another person.
Now she's running around in the snow. Get back inside kid, before you
freeze your little butt off! Guess I shouldn't complain. I'm glad she
likes the gifts. I hope she like hers. The tree looks nice. Not quite as
perfect as I pictured it in my mind, but pretty. Yow! The kid's got an
amazing set of lungs! I guess she unwrapped the ice skates. Yep! There she
goes, right down to the river. Enjoy kid! Glad you like the presents. 

 I don't ever remember there being any Christmas in that shack, happy or
otherwise. Of course, it wasn't like it was the greatest place to live in.
It looks really nice since they rebuilt it, but I can't believe anyone
would willingly move this far out. Oh mama, what did you ever see in that
bastard? He would have killed us. He did kill you. Why didn't we leave? It
couldn't have gotten any worse! It wasn't like we had a decent amount of
food or a place to live with him! I hated this place. It still manages to
scare the hell out of me. I don't why I come back here every year. I guess
I just want to make sure she doesn't doesn't have those kinds of
Christmases. Even poor kids have a right to a little magic. Guess I better
head back. Dad, I miss you. You always tried to make me forget this place.
But you couldn't. 

 She turned and walked back over the hill, unaware she was being watched. 

 Benton Fraser watched, quietly hidden in the woods near her. She seemed
so sad. Her face had shown many emotions in the time he had known her:
aggravation, anger, exasperation, amusement, and...a fleeting look which
he hoped he hadn't imagined, but never sadness. Something below that hill
was holding her interest. He could see nothing but a dilapidated old cabin
and a little girl running around outside. An adorable little girl, to be
sure, but an ordinary little girl. He knew she would be angry if she found
out he had followed her, but her behavior had been so strange the past few
weeks, he had felt it was his duty to make sure she was alright. He
blushed slightly. It was his duty, yet he had considered the possibility
that it could have been someone she was seeing. He felt guilty over how
wrong he had been. She was leaving. Quietly, he moved down the hill. 

 "Kit! Kit?" Jessie Tyler put her hands on her hips in annoyance.
"Katherine Rose Tyler, where are you?"	"I believe she went down towards
the pond." "What the-" She whirled around to face a handsome man whose
friendly  

 blue eyes eased her guard. "That kid! I'm sorry, you startled me. No one
really comes out this far from the mining camps. Are you hunting?" 

 Benton shook his head. "No, actually, I came here following Insp-uh, a
friend and I saw her on that hill. I thought you might know her, but she
did not come down this way as far as I know." 

 Jessie's brown eyes widened and she leaned on the porch in interest.
"Someone was standing on that hill up there? For how long?"  "Well, I
really couldn't say-" "You said you know her? What does she look like? Who
is she?" Surprised, Benton was rather at a loss for words. "Ma'am, you
have  

 no idea who she is? I though perhaps she was an estranged relative or..."


 He trailed off as he watched the woman lean against the wooden post, an
odd smile spreading across her face. She was not an unattractive woman,
but her face showed the life of poverty and backbreaking work. Her dress,
while clean and neat, was obviously second-hand. Jessie Tyler finally
spoke. "I think you know our Christmas angel." Benton's face must have
showed his confusion, for she laughed and led him in. His eyes took in the
festive holly decorating the room, the large Christmas tree the crowning
glory to this small room. 

 Sitting next to him at the kitchen table, Jessie explained as best she
could. "Look, me and Kit, that's my daughter, the kid you saw running
around? Well, we lost my husband about five years ago. He was killed in a
mining accident." Her voice shook as she struggled to maintain control.
"Well, when Tom was alive, we never had much, but we had a little more
than we have now." She looked him in the eye. "Not that we were rich or
anything, 'cause most everybody's struggling around these parts. But we at
least had a decent house over our heads. Kit was three when he was
killed." Benton leaned forward, listening sypathetically. He had heard
many stories concerning the poverty of the miners of Cape Breton Sound,
yet had never known anyone from that life personally. "Please go on." 

 Jessie took a breath, drumming her fingertips on the table. "Well, I
didn't have enough money, so we lost the house. And, well, we stayed with
people, even camped out a couple of times." She let out a bitter laugh.
"It was bad. Well, I did odd jobs, anything I could do to make sure Kit
didn't go hungry. Saved up a little and found this place. It looked like
something from the pits of hell, it was so rundown." She smiled. "But
Tom's buddies, they came and they helped me out and rebuilt this place.
One of the old guys told me the last time this shack had been lived in,
the guy ended up burning it to the ground. Something about him killing his
wife. He told me maybe it was time this place saw a little happiness." 

 Fraser smiled as he listened. This was the strength he envied; the
strength that made one carry on when it was impossible. The strength that
people like Meg Thatcher and Ray Vecchio possessed. "You said something
about a Christmas angel?" Laughing, Jessie nodded. "I'm getting to that.
Kit was five at the time and Christmas was rolling around. I didn't have
any money for extras, least of all Christmas presents. Well, Christmas Eve
come around and we didn't even have a tree and all Kit could talk about
was how Santa was going to be mad because there wasn't a tree." Her face
held that odd smile. "And then, the funniest thing happened. I was upset
that I couldn't even get Kit one Christmas gift. Somebody knocked on my
door and it was the old man who runs the store in town. He and four guys
came in carrying a tree, food, presents, you name it!"	Entranced, Benton
leaned forward. "Who gave it?" Jessie shrugged. "I don't know. To this
day, I still don't. But he  

 helped decorate and set up the tree and I started cooking that night. You
should have seen my little girl's face when she woke up the next morning.
All she could say was 'I told you Santa would find us.'" 

 Benton laughed. "I can imagine. And you still don't know who it was?"
"Is."  "Eh?" "Mister, I still have barely enough to get by, but every
Christmas Eve,	

 the same thing always happens. Almost makes me believe in magic. And it
makes Kit happy. I don't know if your friend is who does it, but whoever
it is, I'm grateful." He smiled, wondering if she would ever know how
happy she had made someone. Her reasons were her own, but he hoped she
knew someone watched over her as well. "Mom! Hey, who's he?" A red-haired
little girl came running in, clutching her brand-new ice skates
protectively. 

 Jessie stood up, brushing away a tear. "Hey sweetness. This is-" He
offered his hand. "Constable Benton Fraser, ma'am." 

 "Kit, this is Benton and he's going to join us for Christmas dinner!" "Oh
ma'am, really, I couldn't impose-"  Turning to him, Jessie Tyler shook her
head. "I insist." Kit jumped up in the chair next to him. "Yeah, Mom cooks
pretty good!"  

 "Pretty good?! Kit Tyler!" 

 Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men...Merry Christmas.