A Christmas Miracle (Colby, OC-Grangers from Idaho, G)
Originally posted 12.29.07 for the n3_challenge: Holiday celebrations...
Title: A Christmas Miracle
Characters/Pairings: Colby and The Grangers from Idaho (all original characters)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,197
Summary: A surprise gift arrives for Christmas in Idaho...
Spoilers: slight spoiler for 4.03 - Velocity
Notes/Warnings: This is pre-series fic, and from the perspective of an OFC-Colleen Granger, aka Colby's mom. Her thoughts on Christmas tug at my heart strings. Be warned in case she does the same to you.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
Colleen Granger took a step back from the task she’d been focused on so that she could admire her work. Just as it had been every Christmas for the 35 years she had lived in this house, the biggest and best Christmas tree that could be found stood before her in the corner of the living room. Bits of old tinsel hung from the branches mingling with hand made ornaments, antique bulbs, pictures in frames of Christmas’s from years past and of course there were the Christmas lights that her grandsons insisted she put on the tree.
She smiled softly as she thought of Joey and Dylan, still so young and full of the merriment that should have come this time of year. Christmas had always been about family and about laughter…but she was finding it exceedingly difficult to remember that now as she reached out and ran her hand across the picture she’d just hung from the tree.
It was a picture of her boys…all of her boys. Her Matthew sat with their oldest son Philip balanced on one knee and their youngest son Colby cradled securely in her husband’s strong arms. And they were all smiling back at her…reminding her of that time some years ago when she’d taken the picture.
She felt familiar tears coming to her eyes as she traced her finger tip across the smiling face of her husband. “I miss you, Matty,” she breathed. “I miss you, so very much,” she said again, remembering that it had been 13 years ago to the day that he’d been taken from her.
She wasn’t even sure why she still cared about such things as Christmas…but every year, she still had a tree. She still hung the stockings over the fireplace. She decorated and baked, and she’d done so even before Joey and Dylan were born. She did it for her boys…her boys who were now grown men, with lives of their own.
Philip had a wife and his two sons, and Colby…well, only God knew where Colby was - fighting in some distant land, all because he thought it was what his father would have wanted.
She wiped at the tear that trickled down her cheek as she took a calming breath. She knew Colby was okay…she knew that he was still out there somewhere. She’d not been given word otherwise, even though she’d received a letter from him a few weeks ago. He always wrote her letters before he had a serious battle to face. He never told her that, but she knew. She knew her son well enough to know that he would write her to make sure she knew he loved her. He would write her to ask her to be proud of him and to know that he was doing what he thought was right.
She didn’t have much time to think more about it when she heard a car door closing outside. Her gaze shifted to the large picture window and even from where she stood, she could see the two and four year old forms of Dylan and Joey squirming to be set free from their car seats. They were at grandma’s house…and they knew it. She smiled in earnest as she quickly bundled up the last of the ornaments, shoving the box behind the tree before Dylan and Joey bounded inside, calling for her.
“I’m in the living room boys,” she answered, making one last pass of her hand over her cheeks so that her grandsons wouldn’t know she’d been crying. She smoothed her dress out as well as her hair and waited patiently for the two little cherub faces that had given her a reason to look forward to every day.
She heard the thudding of their feet as they made a mad dash for Nana, watching them as they rounded the corner into the living room. But before they could run and jump into her waiting arms, both boys stopped and stared in awe at the tree behind her.
She gave a smile as she stepped aside to let them have full view as she once again cast a glance back at the tree. “What do you think boys? Did Nana do a good job?”
When they didn’t say anything, she looked back at them and found that both of them were nodding their heads - their mouths still open in awe as they looked at what had to be the most enormous tree they had ever seen. Colleen couldn’t help but chuckle, thankful for the laughter as Philip and his wife Grace stepped into the room.
“You’ve done it again, mom,” Philip smiled as he stepped past his sons into the room to kiss Colleen on the cheek. “You’ve found a way to leave my hoodlum sons speechless. You really need to teach me your secret.”
“Now, son, you know how this family is about highly confidential information,” she teased, welcoming his kiss before she gave a smile of acknowledgment to Grace.
She opened her mouth to say something else but before she could, there was a knock on the door.
Looking around the room, knowing that every one she loved that could be here was already there she puzzled, “Now who could that be?”
She excused herself from the living room before she could see the knowing glance that Philip exchanged with his wife before he gathered his family - tearing Dylan and Joey away from the tree long enough to scoot them all closer to the entrance way to the house. He wanted to be near when his mom opened the door.
Colleen was absolutely puzzled about who would be knocking on Christmas Eve when they knocked again and she moved to open the door.
It took her just a second to react with a gasp as both her hands came to cover her mouth.
“Hi momma,” Colby smiled as he stood before her in his Class A uniform, his cap tucked under his arm with his duffel bags resting on the porch.
“Oh my god,” Colleen finally breathed, pushing open the screen door almost as though she were still not believing what she saw. And then she reached out and touched her youngest son…her hand feeling the warmth of his cheek. She felt the roughness of his hand as he moved his to cover her own and she knew…she wasn’t dreaming. The very next second, he was in her arms and the tears she’d fought back earlier fell from her eyes…not in sadness. No. These were happy tears…the happy tears of a mother whose son had finally come home.
She savored the way his strong arms tightened about her as he hugged her, his own voice cracking with the emotions he felt as he whispered to her, “I’m home momma…I’m home for good.”
Instantly she pulled back to look into his eyes. There was something different there…a distant pain of memories he wanted to forget, but there was also hope and truth. He was home and she was sure she’d never been given a better Christmas gift than that.
Title: A Christmas Miracle
Characters/Pairings: Colby and The Grangers from Idaho (all original characters)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,197
Summary: A surprise gift arrives for Christmas in Idaho...
Spoilers: slight spoiler for 4.03 - Velocity
Notes/Warnings: This is pre-series fic, and from the perspective of an OFC-Colleen Granger, aka Colby's mom. Her thoughts on Christmas tug at my heart strings. Be warned in case she does the same to you.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
Colleen Granger took a step back from the task she’d been focused on so that she could admire her work. Just as it had been every Christmas for the 35 years she had lived in this house, the biggest and best Christmas tree that could be found stood before her in the corner of the living room. Bits of old tinsel hung from the branches mingling with hand made ornaments, antique bulbs, pictures in frames of Christmas’s from years past and of course there were the Christmas lights that her grandsons insisted she put on the tree.
She smiled softly as she thought of Joey and Dylan, still so young and full of the merriment that should have come this time of year. Christmas had always been about family and about laughter…but she was finding it exceedingly difficult to remember that now as she reached out and ran her hand across the picture she’d just hung from the tree.
It was a picture of her boys…all of her boys. Her Matthew sat with their oldest son Philip balanced on one knee and their youngest son Colby cradled securely in her husband’s strong arms. And they were all smiling back at her…reminding her of that time some years ago when she’d taken the picture.
She felt familiar tears coming to her eyes as she traced her finger tip across the smiling face of her husband. “I miss you, Matty,” she breathed. “I miss you, so very much,” she said again, remembering that it had been 13 years ago to the day that he’d been taken from her.
She wasn’t even sure why she still cared about such things as Christmas…but every year, she still had a tree. She still hung the stockings over the fireplace. She decorated and baked, and she’d done so even before Joey and Dylan were born. She did it for her boys…her boys who were now grown men, with lives of their own.
Philip had a wife and his two sons, and Colby…well, only God knew where Colby was - fighting in some distant land, all because he thought it was what his father would have wanted.
She wiped at the tear that trickled down her cheek as she took a calming breath. She knew Colby was okay…she knew that he was still out there somewhere. She’d not been given word otherwise, even though she’d received a letter from him a few weeks ago. He always wrote her letters before he had a serious battle to face. He never told her that, but she knew. She knew her son well enough to know that he would write her to make sure she knew he loved her. He would write her to ask her to be proud of him and to know that he was doing what he thought was right.
She didn’t have much time to think more about it when she heard a car door closing outside. Her gaze shifted to the large picture window and even from where she stood, she could see the two and four year old forms of Dylan and Joey squirming to be set free from their car seats. They were at grandma’s house…and they knew it. She smiled in earnest as she quickly bundled up the last of the ornaments, shoving the box behind the tree before Dylan and Joey bounded inside, calling for her.
“I’m in the living room boys,” she answered, making one last pass of her hand over her cheeks so that her grandsons wouldn’t know she’d been crying. She smoothed her dress out as well as her hair and waited patiently for the two little cherub faces that had given her a reason to look forward to every day.
She heard the thudding of their feet as they made a mad dash for Nana, watching them as they rounded the corner into the living room. But before they could run and jump into her waiting arms, both boys stopped and stared in awe at the tree behind her.
She gave a smile as she stepped aside to let them have full view as she once again cast a glance back at the tree. “What do you think boys? Did Nana do a good job?”
When they didn’t say anything, she looked back at them and found that both of them were nodding their heads - their mouths still open in awe as they looked at what had to be the most enormous tree they had ever seen. Colleen couldn’t help but chuckle, thankful for the laughter as Philip and his wife Grace stepped into the room.
“You’ve done it again, mom,” Philip smiled as he stepped past his sons into the room to kiss Colleen on the cheek. “You’ve found a way to leave my hoodlum sons speechless. You really need to teach me your secret.”
“Now, son, you know how this family is about highly confidential information,” she teased, welcoming his kiss before she gave a smile of acknowledgment to Grace.
She opened her mouth to say something else but before she could, there was a knock on the door.
Looking around the room, knowing that every one she loved that could be here was already there she puzzled, “Now who could that be?”
She excused herself from the living room before she could see the knowing glance that Philip exchanged with his wife before he gathered his family - tearing Dylan and Joey away from the tree long enough to scoot them all closer to the entrance way to the house. He wanted to be near when his mom opened the door.
Colleen was absolutely puzzled about who would be knocking on Christmas Eve when they knocked again and she moved to open the door.
It took her just a second to react with a gasp as both her hands came to cover her mouth.
“Hi momma,” Colby smiled as he stood before her in his Class A uniform, his cap tucked under his arm with his duffel bags resting on the porch.
“Oh my god,” Colleen finally breathed, pushing open the screen door almost as though she were still not believing what she saw. And then she reached out and touched her youngest son…her hand feeling the warmth of his cheek. She felt the roughness of his hand as he moved his to cover her own and she knew…she wasn’t dreaming. The very next second, he was in her arms and the tears she’d fought back earlier fell from her eyes…not in sadness. No. These were happy tears…the happy tears of a mother whose son had finally come home.
She savored the way his strong arms tightened about her as he hugged her, his own voice cracking with the emotions he felt as he whispered to her, “I’m home momma…I’m home for good.”
Instantly she pulled back to look into his eyes. There was something different there…a distant pain of memories he wanted to forget, but there was also hope and truth. He was home and she was sure she’d never been given a better Christmas gift than that.