Nick and Riley both stood watching Uriel fly away and disappear into the vast distance of the night sky.

“I thought you loved that bird?” Nick chuckled, still gazing up at the night sky, trying to find any hint of Uriel’s flatter.

Riley reached her right hand out to Nick’s face to bring his focus back on her. “It’s Christmas again,” she smiled. “Merry Christmas”

“It’s also our anniversary. One year ago, you came back into my life!” Nick smiled at her as he brought her body closer to his.

“You have to let me fly away too,” Riley retorted pulling away just in time to miss Nick’s hint of wanting to kiss her.

“What?” he pulled away from her, somewhat annoyed from the confusion that Riley was bringing to him.

“I came back to help you get your relationship back with your mother. I’ve done that, so now my job is done. And because the job is done, I have to go back now.”

“Go back where?”

“Where Uriel went!”

“What?” Nick’s intonation changed from being confused to being angry. “You’re not making any sense to me Riley! What the hell is this all about?”

Riley placed her hand over Nick’s face as she allowed it to brush down to his face, then balling her hand into a fist. “Look,” she said as she revealed her hand accompanied by two pieces of jewelery.

Nick reached for it and he found a familiar set; a necklace with a pendant with the shape of a teardrop, and a ring with a stone in the shape of a teardrop as well; the same right that Jane had given Riley.

“This is your pain,” Riley said while taking the necklace from Nick. “And this is your mom’s pain,” and did the same taking the ring from Nick. “I’ve taken them from you and her; I’ve taken both of your pain away, and now you can both be happy.”

“Yeah, you did, but why do you have to go away? Where will you go? I…I’m confused!”

“I died that day, Nick. That day when we had that fight and I got hit by a car, I died!”

“No! No, you can’t be…Riley you can’t be dead because you’re…remember? My mom and…you…no, this is one big sick joke, isn’t it? This is your idea of getting me back all those times that I played practical jokes on you, right?” Nick said as his heart began to raise and felt panicked.

“I came back because I made a promise to myself that I will always take care of you, and now that I have done that, I have to go now, it’s time for me to go”

“No,” Nick whispered. “I lost you once, I can’t lose you again!”

“You’ll never lose me because I’ll always be here, Nick,” Riley smiled at him as she gently pressed her palm against his chest to feel his heartbeat. “I’ll always be in your heart if you let me, always!”

“Don’t leave me”

Riley leaned her face closer to his as she gave him one small kiss on the lips followed by another brush on the face. “You’ll find her one day and then you’ll see that it’s her that you belong to”

“But it’s you, I’m giving my heart Riley, I’m giving it all to you. You can’t just leave!”

“I have my memory of you, I have my ‘once upon a time’ with you, but she will come to you with your heart in hers and then you’ll see that I was right. Always remember that, always!”

A sudden gust of wind rushed through the two of them as chills overtook Nick’s entire body. His body began to shiver as tears began to flow out of his eyes but never falling on the ground, as it seemed to have just disappeared in thin air.

“I love you,” Riley whispered as she moved away from him, her nightdress dancing vividly with the gust of wind. Her eyes never left his as one more sudden gust of wind fell and within an instant, Riley was gone again.