The air was chilly as the sun was setting on the December night causing Misty to button up her coat and pat her husband inside to make sure he wasn't being squashed. Luckily for her he was still out from the sedative she gave him and had hoped he would remain so until she could get back home and have him in familar surroundings.She would have left him at home but his recent actions have caused her not to trust him. She hated the thought of seizing him like property but he was not in a good state of mind and ultimately if he was thinking clearly he would see her logic.

 Being her first Christmas as an ascended being as the government put it Misty was all alone in this new life. She could still contact her parents and friends by letter or phone but it was impersonal. Having always been close to her parents and older brother Misty was feeling extremely homesick. The other womenwere nice enough but she still didn't really know any of them and Christmas was always her favorite holiday. She had fond memories of her father dressing up as Santa and playing the part to near perfection, at least in theyes of her eight year old self.

Right about now she would be exchanging gifts and getting ready to sit down at the family table and enjoy her mother's home cooked turkey and other fixings. Thinking of these things were incredibly painful because her family was alive and well but couldn't be aware of their little girl's location......yet. She had been told once more information was gathered all could be reunited for visits arranged but right now that was of little comfort to her.

Misty was interrupted by the squirming in her inner jacket pocket alerting her to her husbands awakening.  She reached inside her jacket and gently pulled him out careful to shield him from the cold winters night.

"Sshhh little one" she whispered as she saw his eyes struggle to open. She could feel his tiny pulse race and feared him having a heart attack if he awoke now. As much as she hated doing it she had no other choice , she pulled out another tiny vial in her left pocket and injected him with a second dose of sedative this time with a little more dosage. It took only a few moments before his wiggling subsided and his eyes stayed shut. His breathing slowed along with his heartbeat and Misty took him to her gigantic face and gently gave him a kiss leaving his face wet and red from her lipstick.

"It's gonna be ok little one, I love you and we'll get this right' she said in a hushed loving tone to his sleeping form.  She didn't know what she would do without Darron as he was her only link to her old life.

Misty took her husband and gently placed him back inside her coat pocket buttoning it up again to her bosom. Recent studies showed the beating of a heartbeat was soothing to men as it opened up a dormant part of their minds where they went into an almost infant like mindset of when they were babes with their mothers.

Misty had just hoped somehow someway she could soothe his fears and remind him of how he loved her once.

As the wind blew from the Northwest it brought an even chillier front causing any exposed skin to feel the freeze. The smell of burning wood and the sight of Christmas lights took Misty to a comfortable memory of helping her brother and father decorate the house as a warm fire burned in the living room. Warmth and love filled her childhood home along with the smell of her mothers delicious cookies she had always seemed to sneak when not being guarded.

Thoughts of home flooded her mind as she quickened her pace until she saw the neatly decorated front yard of the one woman in this neighborhood she had grown comfortable talking with twenty three year old Sarah Smith. Sarah had come into the community much the same way as Misty had, both were once shy women who were in the medical field. While Misty was dealing with the physical Sarah dealt more in the mind of the human.

She was a deeply intuitive woman with a very calming demeanor who brought you to ease as you confessed even your darkest fears. Her big soulful eyes were like a open window to a soul pure and kind.

Sarah had first reached out to Misty one night when she found her crying on a park bench. Never having met the woman she approached her slowly and started a small chat. She could tell Misty was having a hard time adjusting and understood her mindset. Like Misty , Sarah also grew up in a close knit family. She had always been a daddys girl and when she had contracted the growth it was extremely difficult to bare. Her father being a Marine veteran had always taught her life never dished out more than a person could handle and when confronted by issues remember it was how you faced it and handled yourself.

Her mother was a very religious loving person who never passed judgement on her daughters decisions and let her know no matter what she was loved by her and Jesus.

Having been a psychologist in training Sarah had been able to train her mind to be open with her problems and sort them out. She too had been a young woman who had recently wed a fantastic young marine who had just been sent home from Iraq after being hit by a roadside bomb. He had lost his left foot in the process and had been fitted with a prostetic.

It was extremely difficult for the two as he often dealt with post traumatic panic attacks often waking up in a cold sweat lunging at an invisible enemy. He would often fall into a deep dark lapse where he could remember seeing women and children being used as weapons.

Added on to his problems was the sudden growth of his wife Sarah who had always been his guiding light. She was his rock and he didn't know what he would do without her. Her own issues threatened to crush him as she seemed to be the only person he could tell about what happened.

This is why when she gave him the option of divorce after her growth he had firmly told her " You are me and I am you, without the other I am just a wilted flower with only a season of bloom left." He had no idea why he worded it like that but his message was recieved and Sarah had broken down crying after he decided to stick with her.

With her own understanding of how hard a new life could be Sarah could identify with the woman she met cying in the park. After hearing of her issues wth Darron Sarah offered to help her in any possible way.

Misty had initially declined any sich help but after what she discovered tonght it became clear what was needed. As a light snow began to fall Misty walked past the neatly lit front yard chuckling at the giant blow up moose and rang Sarah's doorbell.

After a few moments the door came open and Sarah warmly greeted her. Sounds of Santa Baby played in the background and the warm welcoming home of Sarah greeted her as she was invited in. The house was decorated so nicely it looked like Martha Stewart herself lived there.

Surveying the living room she spotted what could possible be the biggest artificial tree in the room ( according to the scope of things)

A familar smell of cookies filled the air and sitting in a specially crafted lounger sat Sarah's husband who greeted her before turning his attention back to the tv where he was watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. The tiny little man was wearing brightly colored Christmas pajamas and down by his left ankle Misty noticed the prostetic foot. She tried to look away to avoid the awkwardness.

Srah looked at Misty and could read her emotions. " Misty is he here?"

Misty unzipped her jacket and gently pulled the sleeping form of her husband. She held him there in her cupped hands as the brown eyed Sarah inspected him closely. She noticed the cuts on his face and his missing hair and knew Misty could never do such a thing so it must have been self inflicted.

" Sarah I don't know what to do, I found him with a butter knife tonight. I had to remove him from his quarters and bring hime here."

Sarah took a moment before answering "Misty I do believe I can help you but it won't be easy." Misty looked at her almost begging for help.

"Yes anything please he's all I have left."

"Ok honey heres what has to be done...."