"That means we can't call emergency services either," Bernard said as he poked and prodded Bill's ribs. "They see this mess and they'll call the police for sure."

"Is Stephen...ouch...is Stephen okay?" Bill asked.

"Yes, there's nothing broken as far as I can tell, but I really think you both need some x-rays just to make sure."

"Same problem...ouch...damn it, Bernard," Bill said, flinching as Bernard touched another tender spot. "We walk into emergency looking like this, and they'll ask too many questions."

Standing near enough to hear the conversation, Toni's eyes traveled from Laura and then to Bernard. "If they need help, call for it. Don't worry about me."

"Sweetheart, no one's calling anyone. It's too risky," Laura said, grabbing Toni's hand, the movement causing pain to radiate up her arm.

Seeing Laura wince, Toni called out, "Um...Bernard...can you please take a look at Laura. She's hurt."

"Oh, will you please stop worrying about me. It's just sore," Laura said.

"Let me see," Bernard said, walking over to them.

With a huff, Laura pushed up her sleeve. "It's just a bruise."

Viewing the damage, he asked, "Does it hurt to move it?"

"It aches, but that's all," Laura said, carefully flexing her arm. "I'm fine. Really, I am."

"Well, it doesn't appear to be broken, but you should probably get an x-ray."

"Then it's settled," Toni said, looking at the doctor. "Call emergency and get them here. I'll take my chances."

"Toni-" Laura began.

"We'll go to different hospitals," Stephen shouted. "We can just tell them we were in a pub fight. This time of the year, it happens all the time."

"Stephen's right," Bill chimed in. "If he goes to one up here, and I wait until we're closer to home, there won't be a problem. No one will ever know."

Toni stood there listening as those she didn't even know tried to protect her. Strangers who knew so little yet cared so much was something she wasn't prepared for and the emotions she had kept at bay since stepping into the lounge began to show. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked around the room.

Battered husbands with bloodied faces claimed they were fine, while wives who knew better tried not to show their concern. A doctor's wife, who had arrived earlier that day wearing cashmere and cologne, no longer seemed to care that her hair was a mess, and her makeup was smeared. Somewhere along the way an earring had been lost, and the bracelets that had once jingled and jangled on her wrist had been removed. Now, sitting on the floor, she tenderly held a bag of ice to her brother-in-law's face as his pregnant wife looked on, and talking in whispers, the three exchanged grins filled with love.

A woman with sadness in her eyes stood alone in the corner. Framed by errant strands of brown hair, her face looked younger than her years, but the girlish freckles could not hide her grief as she watched victims receive care...but she was a victim, too. A casualty of the truth, she looked as pummeled as those sitting on the floor, but while they were offering words of comfort to each other, she remained penitent and silent.

Two who were not strangers to Toni sat near the fireplace, and she watched as Eleanor washed the blood from William's knuckles and raised his hand to her lips to gently kiss away the pain. He was the one who had come to her defense. Throwing down a gauntlet, he hadn't cared about age or strength or ability. He cared only about her. A few days earlier after she had fallen from a ladder, he had held her in his arms and without words assured her he would protect her, and he had kept that promise without blinking an eye. There was once a time when Toni believed no man would ever make his way into her heart, but as she took an unsteady breath, she knew she had been wrong. One had...and he would remain there forever.

Toni's eyes followed the owner of the house when she came back into the room. Disheveled like the rest, while her clothing was still flamboyant, her effervescent nature had disappeared.

Nancy Shaw was a woman who had once only judged on looks and appearance, but the reality that monsters can hide behind handsomeness had just slapped her in the face. Boastfully proud of her family, to all that would listen, she had always painted a portrait of bliss and beauty, but standing there now she saw the truth. Physical features didn't matter. Scars were just marks and grandchildren were gifts not to be flaunted, and all of a sudden she felt so small and so stupid. Looking around, she grimaced at the furnishings that once seemed so important. The upholstery that had taken weeks to find, the custom-fitted drapes in the perfect shade of raspberry, and the lamps with their silk shades trimmed in gold brocade had all been ruined in an instant, and she found herself smiling because she didn't care. Things were just things, easily replaced...but families were precious.

She was still proud, and her heart grew larger with the feeling, but it wasn't because her family was handsome or beautiful. It wasn't because they were learned or rich. It was because they stood up for someone unable to stand for herself, and none of them, not one, had concerned themselves with anything but Toni's well-being. Yes, Nancy was proud...but this time it was for all the right reasons.

Glancing toward Alice, Nancy sighed. She had tried earlier to console her, only to be shooed away, but Nancy Shaw didn't take no for an answer, especially not from one of her children. Going over, she stood in front of her daughter and opened her arms. Alice slowly shook her head again, silently pleading that her mother leave her be, but Nancy didn't listen. Pulling her daughter into a hug she offered the comfort only a mother could, and although Alice tried to fight it, once in her mother's embrace, the floodgates opened...and her healing began.

"Toni, are you all right?"

Slowly turning around, Toni looked into Laura's eyes. Lost in the pools of green staring back at her, Toni thought about Laura's question. Was she all right?

It had always been her greatest fear, and it had gnawed at her psyche since the day she had left Thornbridge. If ever she was given the opportunity to pay back what had been done to her, would she become the murderer she had been convicted of being? As Toni thought about her answer, a smile came to her face.

She had never imagined she would run in fear, but that's what she had done, and afterward, when she finally did have the chance, when the advantage was hers to give back what had been done to her, she couldn't do it. She didn't want to. She didn't need to. Her reasons didn't matter any longer, and she wasn't about to lose her freedom because of him. Retribution wasn't worth the price, and suddenly she realized that she was all right. She was okay. Not perfect...far from perfect...but she wasn't a murderer. She wasn't evil waiting to happen. She was just a person with a few bad years. A woman with a few quirks, but most of all she was a survivor who finally figured out how to survive. It's easier to cope with life when you realize that you're not a monster...you're just human, and you have all the frailties to prove it.

As she waited for Toni to answer, Laura stood by her side looking up at her in amazement. After all that had happened, Laura had expected to see fear or hesitancy, some small sliver of panic, but instead she saw a smile. Confused, Laura touched Toni on the hand. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Toni's smile grew a wee bit larger as she gazed back at Laura. "Yeah...yeah, I think I am."

"Is Dad asleep?" Laura asked, seeing her mother quietly close the bedroom door.

"Yes, it didn't take long," Eleanor said, going over to join Laura on the sofa. "How about Toni?"

"I helped her with a bath and then got her into bed. She was exhausted."

"I wish she would have gone to emergency with your father. I know Bernard said her lungs sounded clear, but-"

"Mum, I couldn't bear to force the issue, not after all she went through today. He said he'd check on her Saturday, and until then we'll just keep an eye on her. Okay?"

"Speaking of Saturday, I hope you didn't mind that I offered to have Christmas dinner here. Between the memories of today and the state of Nancy's lounge, I thought we'd all be a bit more comfortable."

"No, of course not, but I was a little surprised everyone agreed so quickly. After everything that's happened-"

"That's exactly why they agreed, Laura."

"What do you mean?"

"I think this year we all have a reason to be extra grateful for the family we have. Don't you? We came together today. We put aside our petty differences and our opinions, and acted as one. It's what a family does. Today opened our eyes as to just how much we care for one another, and when you realize that, you don't want that feeling to end. I think we're all looking forward to the chaos of Christmas. To the laughs and the memories, to the endless jokes about your ornaments and to the questions that I'm sure your cousins are dying to ask. After pain comes healing, and I think that Christmas...this Christmas...will give us all a chance to heal a bit and to love each other even more."

"I never thought about it that way."

"That's not all you didn't think about."

"Huh?"

"You do realize that you called your father Dad earlier. Don't you?" Eleanor asked with a grin.

"Did I?" Laura said, looking away.

"Oh, Laura, you're such a dreadful liar."

Turning to face her mother, Laura sighed. "I've been daft, haven't I?"

"You had your reasons."

"No, all I had was a chip on my shoulder, for as long as I can remember."

"Well, apparently it fell off today."

"Yeah, it did," Laura said, wiping away a tear. Sniffling back another, she said, "When I saw Ron beating him up...I don't know, something inside just...just let loose. All of sudden, he wasn't just an acquaintance. He wasn't just this man that I saw a few times a year. He was my dad, and he was defending the woman I love. He wouldn't have done that if he...if he didn't...if he didn't care for me."

Reaching over, Eleanor took Laura's hand. "He loves you, Laura, and you, my darling daughter, love him, so please stop trying to avoid the word."

"Was it wrong for me to hate him for what he did?"

"No, because what he did was wrong."

"Why didn't he ever tell me that he cared about me? I mean, we've seen each other almost every year, but he never said a word. He never tried...he never tried to make a connection with me."

"Have you ever wanted to ask for something, but believed you didn't have the right to?"

Thinking for a moment, Laura said, "Yeah, I suppose."

"I'm not saying that it's a good reason, but by the time your father figured out what a fool he'd been, you were already old enough to make it perfectly clear you didn't want anything to do with him. Why ask the question if you're sure of the answer?"

"He wasted a lot of time."

"You'll get no argument from me on that one."

"How do I tell him, Mum? How do I tell him that I love him?"

"I think you'll figure it out."

She looked up from the table as her daughter walked into the kitchen, and taking off her reading glasses, she asked, "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep. It's hard to find a comfortable position when you're the size of a chalet," Peggy said, waddling to the stove.

"Yes, I remember," Nancy said with a giggle. "Would you like me to make you some tea?"

"No, I've got it," Peggy said, filling the kettle. "Are there any of those biscuits left?"

Getting to her feet, Nancy smiled as she pointed to the table. "You sit and I'll get you something."

"Mum-"

"Peggy...sit!"

With one hand pressed against her lower back, Peggy slowly made it to the table, and sliding into a chair, she snickered seeing the stack of old issues of The Weekly Sun piled on the table. "Honestly, Mum, you really need to stop reading this rubbish."

"It's not rubbish," Nancy called back as she plated some biscuits.

Glancing at one of the headlines, Peggy said, "No, and I suppose aliens landing in Edinburgh last week is God's honest truth?"

Laughing, Nancy walked over and sat down, placing the food and the tea on the table. "Okay, well that bit was rubbish, but there are some good stories in there, too."

"I suppose."

"Thank you for agreeing to stay the night. I would have been worried sick if you had tried to make it home tonight."

"Well, Stephen was in no shape to drive and his parents were more than happy to keep the boys for the night. They'll no doubt be spoiled rotten by the morning," Peggy said. Seeing her mother frown, Peggy quickly added, "No worries, Mum. You'll get plenty of time to spoil them at Christmas."

Nancy beamed, and looking at her daughter, she asked, "How are you holding up? Is the baby okay?"

"He's fine, Mum," Peggy said, rubbing her belly. "He's been kicking and moving about like he's trying to rearrange something in there."

"I was worried. What with everything that went on today. You're so far along-"

"I'm not that lucky," Peggy said with a laugh. "He's got a few more weeks of cooking before it's time for him to appear, and he knows it. Besides, you keep forgetting what my husband does for a living. If I got stressed out every time I thought Stephen was in danger, I'd be a basket case."

"Well, you are my strongest daughter. I'll give you that."

"Speaking of daughters, I heard you talking to Dot on the phone earlier. How's Alice holding up?"

"She's doing okay. Emma was apparently a bit curious about why they were going to stay with Bernard and Dorothy, but Cora's much too young. Luckily, I think with Christmas being only a few days away, it will help everyone forget about what happened...at least for a little while."

Watching as her mother rearranged the tabloids, Peggy asked, "How about you? How are you doing?"

"Considering that two people almost died today, my lounge is in shambles, and my son-in-law apparently is a shit of massive proportions, I'm doing rather well."

"Yeah?"

"I had a brandy a little while ago. It took the edge off," Nancy said tittering to herself as she picked up her reading glasses. Noticing that Peggy was getting up, she asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I just have to pee again. Be right back."

Turning back to the newspapers, Nancy picked up the next in the stack and slowly began to scan the pages. Muttering as she dismissed article after article, by the time Peggy came back, Nancy had her nose buried so deep in a tabloid, she didn't even notice her daughter was there.

Gathering her plate and cup, Peggy placed them in the sink. "I think I'll try to get some sleep. You should, too." Reaching the doorway, Peggy stopped. "Mum, did you hear me?"

Startled, Nancy looked up. "I'm...I'm sorry, dear. Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I'm going to bed. Do you need anything before I go up?"

Looking at the newspaper in her hand, Nancy said, "Yes. Do me a favor, Peggy, and hand me the phone."

"Mum, it's after midnight. Who could you possibly need to call at this hour?"

Tossing her glasses on the table, Nancy leaned back in her chair. "The police."