It had been so long, but the wait was finally over.
She was coming back home.
It'd been years since they last seen one another,
To him, she was second to none.

She had moved away so a few years ago,
There had been no opportunities here but one,
But she couldn't take that chance, not yet.
There was still much to do out there.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out
the slightly battered picture from his wallet.
She grabbed for her clutch and opened it,
the top picture, as always, was the one she wanted to see.

The morning had gone by quickly,
her train wasn't due until that evening,
but he wanted to be sure to not miss it...
to not miss her....not again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Last night was sleepless, she kept remembering that night.
The night she left this town...
He couldn't be there to see her off.

He sat on the bench, pulling his coat tighter around.
It was an hour past noon and the cold of the air cut through.
The shivers that went through his body were less from the
chill than the thrill of having his love return.

She thought about the day they met,
She had been so shy--she's never shy...
But there was something about him
always standing off silent, alone.

His eyes slid shut, he didn't even realize,
he was looking back to when they met.
She looked so beautiful, angelic...
There was no way she'd go for him...

The hours ticked by
He stubbornly fought the cold
She fought back the flutter of butterflies
They would be together again soon...forever.

The sun began to set and the chill started to cut deeper.
The attendant walked past and knocked softly on her door.
She selected a glass of hot apple cider to warm her body,
Her heart and spirit already burned hotter with each mile.

He refused to leave his bench, even as the lights around
hummed to life, it was nearing the end of December.
Evergreen and cinnamon fragrance perfumed the air,
Strands of colourful lights began to turn on across town.

Half past six O'clock, the train was two hours away.
She leaned against her window, her breath fogging the glass.
With her dainty finger, she doodled a heart on the glass
She added their initials and kissed it for luck.

He checked his watch and left his post briefly to grab a drink.
The vendor was on the deck, steps away.
He fumbled with the dollar bills, his fingers numb from the cold.
And pressed the buttons, never looking away from the track.

She sipped on her cider and remembered the nights they shared
she began to hum one of their many shared songs.
He took a sip of his drink...yuck...coffee.
He fumbled again with the bills in his pocket and got his Hot Chocolate.

Far off, the sound of church bells could be heard, 8 rings,
She'd be home soon, and his excitement grew.
Her phone buzzed as the alarm she set went off.
She reached for her bag and checked one last time.

All the years were almost at an end, only minutes remained.
They seemed to drag on, each yearning for the other
But it was finally over, they would be together
And they'd be together from that day forward.

Standing on the dock, he noticed something strange....
The sky had opened up and show was drifting all around.
For God knows how long he'd sat there on the bench,
staring at the tracks and oblivious to the snow in his lap.

Ahead cattle had gotten loose and the engineer slammed the brakes.
The train lurched and she almost was flung from her couch,
her bag ripped from her hands, followed by a sickening sound.
She looked in horror at the small box on the floor as hear heart sank.

She scooped up the box, it rattled as she did.
Months of searching for the perfect gift...wasted...
He looked at his watch, half-past eight...the train was late.
He tucked his hands into his pockets, trying to get feeling back.

Her eyes teared up as she put the box back into it's bag.
It's silver wrapping paper crumpled from the impact.
Inside had been a crystal heart with their names....
She promised her heart years ago...this one was to remind them.

His fingers fumbled in his pockets, finding a small object, he smiled.
He let his fingers flow around the cold, round token he carried....
Years ago he promised her his love, tonight he'd show her.
He'd waited years to see her, to give her what he now held.

The call came for everyone to hold on, the train began to move again.
She sat as her eyes filled with tears,
her heart breaking, matching the gift that rattled overhead.
She knew he'd understand...but it still tore her up to lose it.

Nine had passed, Ten had passed.
He got up to stretch and walked to the edge of the platform.
A gust of wind kicked up, catching him off guard
Luckily he caught himself before falling over the edge, he stepped back.

She stared at her phone, Ten Thirty...she should be in his arms...
...in their home....warm, safe, and comfortable.
He thought he heard a train whistle and squinted against the wind.
Something WAS coming, it wasn't his imagination....this time...

The train finally entered the station, only two and a quarter hours late...
After three years, it didn't seem so bad, but to the lovers, it felt longer.
She wiped her eyes and found her feet, legs numb from the long ride.
He searched the windows for her face, trying to find the door to stand near.

She turned to grab her things, the package rattled noisily,
her heart flopped again and her coat smeared the heart she drew on the glass.
He moved closer, looking more frantically...he couldn't see her lovely face
She couldn't have changed that much...did she miss the train?

He closed his fist around the small, metal object and kept to his search.
She started toward her cabin door and took a breath.
She began to waddle down the thin corridor with her bags.
She'd be happier without the walls and all the other people being so close.

He paced the platform, weaving among the crowd, searching for any sign.
She stepped off the train, he had just passed, she had been looking down.
She looked around, there were way too many people here and she froze.
The next passenger bumped into her, causing a yelp to come from her lips.

Even amongst the crowd murmurs and loud chatter...even after all the years...
He was sure he'd heard her. He stopped and stood straight, looking around.
The last passengers got off the train as she stood, still frozen to the spot
Too uncomfortable to move. His eyes darted amongst the crowd.

She bit her lip and tried to scan the faces...he wasn't there.
She slowly turned, looking through the happy people for her reason for coming back.
He searched the commotion, listening for her voice, her call, turning carefully
As each turned fully around, they finally caught site of their love.

Deep brown eyes looked ahead into steely blue.
Both stood, locked in silence...not sure if it was a dream....
Afraid to move...afraid the dream would end.....
Again...like it had so many nights before.

"..." his lips silently mouthed her name
"..." her lips mouthed his name back in unison
Before he could step forward, she jumped into action.
She flung herself into his embrace so hard, she nearly sent them both flying.

His arms found their place around her thin frame as she found hers against his chest
She buried her face in his chest, half hiding the joyful tears and the rest
hiding from the cold and taking in his scent, the cologne she loved so much.
He softly stroked her hair and closed his eyes, fighting back his own tears.

After what felt like an eternity...they had each other again,
They were together once more....forever more.
He gently pulled back and touched his frozen fingers to her cheek
She winced in shock from it but didn't have time to shiver before he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, I always will."
"I love you, I always have."
They smiled at each other as the crowd dispersed.
She remembered her gift and started to look down.

"What's wrong m'ija?"
"I...brought something for you...but..." she said sadly
She pulled out the damaged box with it's silver cladding and shook it softly.
It's jingle seemed to echo over the fading crowd

"They stopped the train too fast....I found a beautiful heart....
for when I gave you mine. My special gift to you...is broken."
He looked at the box as the next song began to play on the speakers overhead.
He took the box in his hand and pried the silver ribbon and  bow from it's top.

Setting the box down, he pulled out his gift, a simple flair button,
and pierced the bow with it's pin, he gently slipped his frozen fingers
under her collar, attaching the bow to her shoulder and smiled.
I already have the only things I could ever want...you...and your love.

The song picked up overhead and she snuggled into his arms again,
They began to sway gently as the snow fell around them.
He hums the song until it gets to the part he most wants her to hear.
She hums along with him, the same song she hummed on the train.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, this is all I'm asking for.
I just want to see my baby standing right outside my door" he whispered
"Oh I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true. Baby, all I want for Christmas is... " she answered.


"You"

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"All I Want for Christmas" Written and Copyright Mariah Carey & Walter Afanasieff No claim of ownership is made over the above listed song.