Nettie Wells reread the letter, her brow furrowing with deep apprehension. With a shake of her greying head, she folded the plain and slightly crumpled piece of paper and placed it in pocket of her simple apron. Unconsciously, her eyes lifted in the direction of the bathroom on the second floor where her young charge was bathing. Not once, in the nine months since Vin Tanner had been fostered by Larabee, had Nettie interfered in Chris' decisions regarding the boy. Not even when Chris had announced that he was gong to begin proceedings to officially adopt the traumatised child. They had discussed it and Nettie had expressed grave concerns... concerns she still harboured, but she had not interfered. It wasn’t her place. However, after reading the handwritten letter, Nettie knew she would need to step in for the child’s sake. Chris would be at a loss to deal with this and if he handled it badly, the child would suffer for a long time and perhaps carry the scars with him for the rest of his life.

The elderly housekeeper made her way to the entrance hall at the return of Chris' truck. She waited until she heard the approach of leather boots on the cobblestones outside and then opened the door just as her employer reached it.

Chris smiled with genuine affection. “Nettie. The snow is starting to come down. It‘s going to be cold on the streets tonight.”

“Chris.” Nettie took Larabee's briefcase and helped him out of his heavy overcoat.

“Sorry I’m late. I’ve just enough time to grab some dinner before heading off for a meeting. Travis may have a mission for us. Where’s Vin?”

“He will be down shortly,” the elderly woman answered as she hung the coat on the coat rack and placed the briefcase on the hall stand. “Before he arrives, there are some things we need to discuss.”

Chris' left eyebrow peaked. It wasn’t what Nettie had said, but the tone of her voice. A tone Chris remembered well from his teenage years when Nettie Wells would ‘put her foot down’. It hadn’t happened often, but when it had, Chris had quickly learned it was sensible to listen. Nettie Wells was far more than just Chris' housekeeper. She was family. The elderly woman had taken over the role of raising Chris after his parents had been killed in a car accident when he was twelve. When Chris had married, Nettie had stayed with the family as housekeeper. When Chris lost his wife and child, it was Nettie who had finally got through the barrier built of alcohol. Buck had tried, but Chris had effectively shut him out... shut life out. However, Nettie Wells had not been willing to give up on the boy she had raised. Neither would openly admit it, but for all intents and purposes, they were like mother and son. Their complicated relationship was a source of mystery for others. There were those who criticised Chris for allowing the woman who raised him to remain a paid ’servant’ and others who slammed the fact that Chris gave an ’underling’ so much power over, not only his affairs, but also his decisions.

“I see. The study then?”

“Very good.”

Chris led the way through the hall and into the large office, shutting the door after Nettie. By the sound of it, this was not something for Vin's ears.

Larabee took a seat at the huge, hundred year old oak desk that had once been his father’s. The live in housekeeper remained standing, her hands clasped in front of her.

“When I picked young Vin up at school today, I was asked to seek an audience with the school counsellor.”

Small creases appeared at the corners of Chris‘ eyes - a mixture of concern and an overt sign he had become instantly defensive. Larabee was well aware of the fact his guardianship of Vin was still under scrutiny.

“As part of their lessons this week the children were asked to write a letter. Vin's dyslexia made that impossible, so he dictated his thoughts to the teacher and she wrote it for him. Vin, like most of his peers, chose to write to Santa Claus.”

“He’s only eight and it’s five days until Christmas. Sounds pretty normal to me... you’ve got the Santa thing covered, haven’t you?” Chris checked quickly. Christmas shopping of any description hadn’t entered his mind. Em7 had been called out on three missions in the last week, not to mention attending a conference and training to use some of the new rifles, computer programmes and holographic equipment that Ezra and J.D. had acquired. Then there had been the death of an old friend of Josiah and Buck had been carless since the Banana had literally fallen to pieces.

The look Nettie gave Chris was one of absolute disgust. “Of course, young man. All gifts have been purchased and wrapped.”

Chris winked at her. “You better let me know what I’m giving everyone this year before I actually give it to them.”

“The school counsellor,“ Nettie dismissed, briskly, “mentioned that Vin was quite upset when some of the older children told him that Santa was a ‘lie’. He was very distressed that his mother had lied to him.“

“Ohhhh.” Chris frowned. The Santa part was hard enough without the idea of trying to explain why Vin's mother had been less than completely truthful. This wasn’t going to be easy. The little boy had come a long way in the nine months since Chris had found him huddled under some boxes at the end of the alley behind the Saloon. Larabee had no idea of why the child was there, but the streets of Washington were no place for a child. Chris was appalled when the learned of the child’s past. At the age of five, Vin had witnessed his mother's murder. With no other surviving relatives, the boy had been sent to an orphanage... an orphanage he had run away from no less than sixty times in the three short years he had been there. The child hadn't opened up to anyone about why he had run away, or what he had seen that fateful night when his mother had been stabbed to death in front of him. The one thing Chris knew was that when he had pulled back the cardboard in the alley and the child had looked up at him, Vin had looked into his soul. In that instant, despite how unrealistic it was, Chris knew he had to make a place for the boy in his life. It hadn't been easy. He had fought court battles, child psychologists and a dozen other 'officials' but in the end, he and Vin had won. The child, while still guarded, was surprisingly relaxed around Chris. There were still nightmares but time had brought healing and the revelation of a cheeky personality and sharp wit.

“I guess I better have a chat with him and let him know how it works.“ Chris leaned back in his chair, trying to remember what he’d been told when others had stolen the magic of dear old St. Nick from him. Unfortunately, he had never had the chance of explaining this very thing to Adam.

“I’m not so sure that is a good idea,“ Nettie disagreed. It was time to ‘interfere’.

“Huh? So what do you want me to say to him?” Chris asked perplexed.

“The school counsellor gave me the letter. It is quite informative.”

“So, do we need to do some more Christmas shopping? What does the letter tell us? He wants a bicycle? I know, one of those computer game things they keep advertising on television?”

Nettie withdrew the letter from his pocket. “No. The letter tells us two things. First, Vin firmly believes in the magic of Santa Claus and second.... you need to read the letter.”

Chris reached out for the proffered piece of paper, scrutinizing Nettie's concerned face for several more seconds before unfolding the letter.

***

***

The look of pain that claimed Chris' face was palpable. The child’s words could very easily have been his own so many years before. He understood every part of the sentiment in the letter. Larabee looked up at Nettie and opened his mouth, but he had no idea of what he wanted to say.

“It provides a window into his world, Chris. He is, indeed, the most selfless child I have every come across.”

Chris swallowed and read the letter again. “Nettie, what am I.... I mean, I can’t... , I can’t give him what he wants.”

“Why not? He is an eight year old boy who views the world through the lenses of a child. What he has written provides us with a very clear understanding of how he is dealing with the tragedy that has befallen his young life. Right now, this little boy needs confirmation that all is right with those he loves. That confirmation cannot be an explanation born of adult understandings of our human existence. It must come in a form he will understand and in a way he will accept. Maturity will catch up with him quite soon enough. We must allow him this innocence.”

“Nettie, I... I just don’t know,” Chris whispered. Memories of the night he had lost his own parents and of day he had lost his wife and child swamped him.

Nettie walked around the desk and placed her hand on the shoulder of the man who she loved like a son. “When you were eight, did you not believe in Santa Claus? After the tragedy, at the age of twelve, did you not believe that your parents were in Heaven with Jesus? At the age of fifteen, did not maturity tell you that these were simplistic views of what we call life?“ Nettie paused and sighed. “My boy, do you feel I lied to you or betrayed your trust when I told you repeatedly that God needed your mother and father and that was why they had to go to Heaven?”

Chris glanced up at the woman who had raised him. A woman whose opinion and wisdom were the two things that had kept him going after the two tragedies that had befallen him. “No.” Chris didn’t believe they were lies or words that betrayed his trust.

“My explanation was a manipulation of truth provided in a form that eased your pain. We must do the same for Vin and put his mind at rest.”

Chris nodded. “So what do we do?”

Nettie's grey eyes flashed with mischief, the concern that had been there drowning. “I have an idea.”

Chris' eyebrows drew down. “Why does that look make the hair stand up on the back on my neck... and just for the record, I’m not dressing up as Santa Claus.”

“A preposterous suggestion.”

“Good.”

“He would recognize you in an instant. Besides, this Santa Claus needs to be larger than life with a magic you don‘t have.” A smile formed on Nettie's lined face and she bounced her eyebrows once.

“Go on,” Chris encouraged, warily.

Nettie's smile split.

**********

Chris had been home for a good half an hour before Vin came down stairs. The little boy’s shoulders were drooped, while his bright eyes reflected a pain and confusion they hadn’t for some time.

“Hey, chum. Thought you must have drowned up there,” Chris welcomed from the head of the dining table.

Vin didn’t reply. He made his way to his seat and sat down, avoiding eye contact with Chris.

“Problem?” Larabee inquired.

Vin shrugged as only a child can.

“Elbows off the table, young man,” Nettie instructed as she placed a plate of pasta in front of the boy.

Vin withdrew his arms and stared into the plate. He felt so lost and empty. Not only was Santa just a story, but his mother had lied to him. She had lied!

The two adults at the table exchanged a glance. Nettie quietly left the room, while Chris rose to his feet, walked across to Vin and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Come on, son.” Gently, he coaxed the devastated child off the chair and into the lounge room.

They sat down side by side as they always did when Chris needed to talk to Vin. For a long time neither spoke.

“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, son.” Chris’s voice was soft and mellow, but it still echoed above the crackling fire in the fireplace.

Vin sighed. He lifted his tiny, confused face to Larabee. His wide, sky blue eyes looked directly into Chris’ heart begging for help.

Larabee waited, placing a hand of reassurance on Vin’s arm.

“Chris, Santa isn’t real, is he?”

“Who told you that?” Larabee asked gently.

Vin continued to stare at his guardian. Since he had lost his mother, Chris was the person whom he felt closest to. The one person he honestly felt he could trust. “My mum said that Santa brought presents so we wouldn’t forget Jesus’ birthday and that Santa, Jesus and God were all good friends.”

“But?” Chris prompted

“Billy Thompson said that his brother told him that Santa is just a story for little kids and my mum was lying to me.”

“I see. Well, he’s wrong.”

The blue eyes widened with hope. He’d been offered something to cling to. “Really?” Vin pleaded.

Chris smiled, slipped his arm around Vin and drew the child into him. “Your mum and my mum both knew a lot more about it than Billy Thompson’s brother. My mum told me that... what was that?” Chris asked, glancing toward the window. “Did you hear that?”

“Huh?”

Chris rose, deposited Vin on the ground and walked across to the window. “I thought I heard something.”

Vin joined his guardian at the curtains. “I don’t hear....” The child’s voice faded. His pupils doubled in size as he saw something he would never forget. In the sky above the Ranch, illuminated in the light of the full moon, was a bright red and gold sleigh. “Chris! Look! It’s Santa!”

The child spun around and raced for the door. Larabee watched him go and all of the misgivings he’d had about Nettie’s plan disappeared. He’d seen the pure relief in Vin’s face - his mother hadn’t lied to him. In years to come, he would understand this in a different form.

Larabee met the wily old housekeeper in the hall and nodded his thanks. Together the two followed their young charge outdoors.

**********

Vin raced down the path in his slippers and robe, his eyes glued to the sky above. Overhead, the sleigh circled silently and then began to descend.

Frozen and unable to do anything but gape, Vin watched as the sleigh landed on the newly fallen snow only a few feet from him.

“Ho, ho, ho,” Santa boomed in a voice so loud that the glass in the windows of the ranch shook. The huge man stepped from his sleigh and strode up to Vin. The little boy tilted his head back slowly. Santa smiled down at him from his great height. “Well, hello there. It is good to see you, Vin.”

“You... you know me?” Vin stuttered in wonder.

“I know all good children I visit each Christmas.” Santa glanced across to the porch and winked at the two adults before crouching down in front of Vin.

Withdrawing the child’s letter from his pocket, Santa handed it to the little boy. “I got your letter. I don’t get many letters that tell me not to bring presents.”

For several seconds Vin couldn’t reply. This was Santa! He was speaking to the real Santa, not one of the store Santas the real Santa paid to help him out at Christmas. This was the real Santa. His mother had told him Santa was real and here he was. “I thought that maybe you could speak to Jesus and ask him to tell my mum I’m okay.” The words tumbled out of Vin’s mouth. Tears welled in his young eyes as the entire situation overwhelmed him.

Santa smiled at the child and picked him up in his massive arms. “She already know, son,” he assured softly.

“How?” Vin asked, wiping away his tears with the back on his sleeve.

Santa pointed to the sky above them. “What do you see?”

“Stars?” Vin asked, confused.

“At night, people in Heaven open their windows to look down on those they love and the light from Heaven shines out through each window creating stars.”

Vin gazed up at the sky above. Mesmerized, he focused on the brightest star in the sky. “You mean... my mum is looking out of her window now at me?”

Santa nodded and then lowered the little boy to the ground. “Vin, I don’t usually allow people to see me, or come out before Christmas, so I have to ask you to promise me something.”

Vin nodded up at the giant. “Don’t tell anyone we've spoken and ignore those who don't believe in me. If you don't believe, I disappear....“ There was the sound of rushing wind, Santa leaped sideways and vanished in front of Vin’s eyes.

The child gasped. “I believe in you, Santa!“ he cried, terrified that Santa had disappeared forever. No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the rushing sound accompanied the return of the red clad giant.

“I know you do, son. I have to go. Don‘t forget what I‘ve told you... and no peeking on Christmas Eve.”

Vin grinned. Santa patted him on the head and stepped back into his reindeerless sleigh. “Where are your reindeer, Santa?”

“They are resting up for Christmas Eve. My sleigh flies without them, but the fuel costs a fortune. You be a good boy.”

“I will,” Vin promised, watching as the sleigh silently lifted into the sky. The sleigh hung above Vin for several seconds, Santa boomed another ho, ho ho and then the sleigh shot off at light speed, disappearing into the night.

On the porch behind Vin, Chris Larabee sighed. “That’s another one I owe you, boys.” He didn't know how J.D. and Ezra had pulled off this bit of magic, but obviously the new holographic equipment was working perfectly. And as for Josiah... who was hiding behind a black screen only a few feet from Vin.... Chris owed him big time.

Vin stood staring at the spot the sleigh disappeared for only a split second before turning and racing up to the house.

“Chris! Chris, did you see him?”

“I sure did.” The excitement of youth had returned to Vin’s face, but there was more too. Overwhelming relief twinkled from his blue eyes.

“My mum was right. She didn‘t lie to me.”

“Of course not.” Vin stared up at Chris and once again, just as they had the first moment they had met, each found he was looking directly into the other’s soul. They shared a bond that was so much more than their mutual tragedies. Chris couldn’t explain it, but he felt it to his core.

Vin reached for Larabee’s hand and pulled his guardian down the path after him. When they reached the exact spot where the sleigh landed, the child pointed up into the sky and whispered. "Did you hear what Santa said?"

Chris nodded, lifting his own gaze to the star-covered sky. Before long, he too was drawn in by the amazing sight God had created.

"That means you aren't alone either, Chris. Sarah and Adam are at a window looking down on you too," Vin whispered. Chris Larabee slipped his arm around his boy - his boy and no judge or social worker could tell him otherwise.

“I know.”

For a long time they stood together, gazing up at the stars, drinking in the love and security they had in each other.

"I wish I could..."

"What?" Chris asked.

"I wish I could wish them a Merry Christmas."

Chris scooped Vin up in his arms. "We can do that,” he claimed with confidence. “It will have to be loud."

Vin grinned. "I can shout pretty loud.“

“Me too. On three?"

"One..." Vin counted.

"Two...."

Both tilted their heads back and filled their lungs for a shout that needed to reach the stars. "Three!”

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

Eventually the words echoed out, but the love didn't. Chris and Vin remained side by side, leaning on each other, staring up at the stars... sharing a window into each other’s soul.

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© December 2004 Brigitta B. : This relates only to the creative property in this story. The distinctive way the story unfolds, the specific dialogue and unique situations are mine. I acknowledge that some of the characters and settings belong to DC comics and I thank them sincerely for turning a blind eye so I can borrow them. (g) No infrigement of copyright was intended and no profit has been made from this story... so, please don't sue me. It wouldn't be worth your while.