The ride back from Greensboro was going to be a long one. All of them knew that. Leah sat in the back between Amy and Matt. She had rested her head on Amy’s shoulder and Amy had an arm around her holding so she felt safer. Once they had gotten out of the house Leah had frozen in the driveway. She was protesting to leave once she thought about what she was doing. Two people she hardly knew but felt she knew more than anyone she had ever known had turned up and now she was leaving with them like she had no ties to hold her down. But she did. Simon. He would find her; she knew that and she wasn’t prepared for the consequences.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Matt had introduced Leah to Shannon and Shane but both guys knew to expect a frosty reception so they weren’t offended when she didn’t’ want to talk to them or go close to them.

Leah felt safer leaning against Amy than she would have against Matt. She knew he would never hurt her but he was a guy and the only guy she knew she could trust was the one she was going to help. The one that needed to help her. Together she knew they could save each other.

Jeff lay in bed once more. It was dark outside and he had the curtains shut, blocking any cold moonlight that was beaming don from entering the room. He hadn’t done anything but go to the toilet and shower since Matt, Amy, Shane and Shannon had disappeared. He had asked his father but he had given him a vague reply.

Jeff wanted more than anything for Matt to be there and hold him like he had always done when he hurt. He knew it was sad for a 24-year-old man to want his brother to hug him but Jeff didn’t care, he needed all the support he could get and Matt was always there for him. So where was he know?

Jeff knew it was the day before Christmas Eve but he didn’t care. He couldn’t have what he wanted for Christmas so why bother with it?

“Jeff son.” Gil said as he opened the door to Jeff’s room. “Do you want to come and hear the carol singers? I know how you always loved them.”

Jeff rolled over to face his dad. He let his feet drop from the bed to the floor. “I’m not in a Christmas mood dad.” He said quietly so

“Son, please for me.”

Sighing, Jeff got to his feet, as he knew how he had acted towards his dad in the past few weeks and he could at least do this for him.  “I’m sorry dad.” He said as he staggered out of the door past Gil.

“He could here the sound of the soft voices coming under the front door. He walked slowly and stood by the window near the door. He crossed his arms over his chest and listen to the soft sounds of the eight girls and three boys. Gil joined his son.

Jeff felt tears fill his eyes as he listened to the words from ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.

Have yourself a merry a little Christmas

Let you heart be light

From now all our troubles will be out of site

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the yuletide gay

From now all our troubles will be far away

Here we are as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more

Through the years we will all be together

If the faiths are alive

Hang a shining star above the highest bough

And have yourself a merry little Christmas night

Oh, have yourself a merry little Christmas night…

Jeff wiped the tears away that now stained his face. He backed away from the window and went and sat in the corner of the sofa. The line from the song ‘From now all our troubles will be out of site’ was stuck in his mind. His troubles would never be out of site. Isn’t the old saying ‘Out of site out of mind’? For Jeff he knew it would never be neither. ‘Faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us once more’. He gave out a cold grunt as he thought about it. Where the friends that were dear to him? Why weren’t they near to him? Why weren’t they there when he needed them?

Jeff got up and opened the sliding doors that lead out to back garden, Liger ran happily out into the snow expecting Jeff to throw his ball he had dropped at his feet. Jeff bent down and picked it up. He looked at it before throwing it the length of the garden, Liger happily running after it. Jeff meanwhile walked over to the trampoline that sat to one side of the garden. He climbed on and lay down in the middle of it, staring up at the night time sky. The floodlight lit the garden and Jeff heard Ligers soft footsteps trot back into the house. He placed his hands behind his head and watched the stars.

Shannon pulled up into the driveway of Gil’s house and the five of them stepped out. Matt took Leah’s case and Amy helped her walk. Shannon also placed an arm around Leah, helping her, to his surprise she didn’t shy away, she just placed her arm around him and took more weight of her sore and tired legs. Matt opened the door and let the three in first Shane followed and Matt went in last, closing the door behind him.

“You found her!” Gil said as he came out of the kitchen. He looked Leah over, her clothes dirty, her face covered in bruises and her obvious physical pain.

“Yeh we did.” Matt said. “Dad this is Leah. Leah this is mine and Jeff’s dad Gilbert.”

“Nice to meet you Leah.” Gil said offering her a warm smile.

“You too Gilbert.” Leah replied as she looked up at him. She half smiled back.

“Please call me Gil.”

“Ok, nice to meet you Gil.” Leah looked around the big living room. “Where’s Jeff?” she asked anyone in the room.

“He went outside.” Gil said looking over at the doors.

Leah walked with Amy and Shannon’s aid to the door. Amy opened it and Leah let go of both her and Shannon.

Leah spotted Jeff lying on a trampoline. She slowly made her way over to him. She stood and watched him for a minute before she plucked up the courage to speak.

“Jeff.” She spoke in a soft and shaky voice.

Jeff’s head lifted from them trampoline. His eye met hers. “Leah.” He whispered in shock. “But how…why?”

“They came and found me.”

“But you left me, you left me alone.”

“I’m sorry Jeff. I had to. I didn’t want to get into a relationship I wasn’t ready for and you didn’t understand that.”

“I didn’t I know but you didn’t need to go. And when you did you went back to him. How could you? After all we talked about?”

“Jeff I had to go back there I know no other way of living.”