The story of Christmas past.

Sheldon stares at Alexa's shocked face misinterpreting her reaction. He looked away, reached down for the scattered decorations, and began to stuff them in the box. First thing in the morning he would be getting rid of them himself.

"Tell me about your grandfather," he heard her say and he paused to look up at her. "Please."

He stood up and found himself, to his surprise, began to speak. What was it about this woman that caused him to do the total opposite of the things he set out to do?

"Jonas McIntosh was a wild man. He had no self-control and was believed to be the one who would have destroyed the foundation of his very existence.

He was the only child of my great-grandparents, and at one point in time, they lost hope that he would ever find himself or gain control over his life.

He had the wild highlander streak of our Scottish ancestors and it raged wild within him. It was a fear that it would consume him, so it was told that Great-grandmother Anna sought the one thing that this family believed in: angels.

She asked his guardian angel to provide him with the way home. To seek the true soul that was trapped within her wild, wayward boy.

It was said that coming home the day before Christmas Eve from some party out of town Jonas was met by an angel who opened his eyes to two things.

The girl who carried his child in secret and the family who he was destroying with his careless, carefree ways. He was given 24 hours to right his wrongs with the aid of the stone that carved that angel."

Alexa stared at the angel and felt an overwhelming sense of awe. She was not the only one. Only this time the stone was given to her and not to Sheldon himself. Her only question was why?

He was the one with the foundation of angels and the family history to prove it, while all she had was the need for a chance to have the life she desired.

Why her? she wondered. And why were their stones different?

It dawned on her that this must be an important factor. She had some research to do.

"Do you believe in the legacy you have been given Sheldon?" she heard herself asking.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. Life takes you where it wants to, how it wants to without your consent so what does it matter if I believe anything."

"Because as much as life is the driver we are the ones going on the journey. My journey has been a hard one until I decided to take a different route and let life become the passenger instead. Your uncle did that. Even though he found his self-control after some helpful clarity of course," she told him and fingered the marble as things slowly fell into place.

"He chose physical and emotional stability, and that is why you are here today, and also why I got a chance at a life I can slowly begin to call my own," she said and handed him the angel with a sweet smile.

"We all have to fall before we can get up. There has to be something to open our eyes that has been made close by some unwarranted invasion, attack, or circumstance."

He stared down at the angel as her words washed over him. He felt emotions surge through him that he did not want to face. He had to get out of here.

Alexa was offering him a balm to his emotions and heart that he was not ready for but he could feel it breaking into the cocoon he had wrapped himself in.

He could not face it just yet. He croaked a 'good night it's late' and high-tailed it out of the room before he started to convince himself it was ok to rise above the pain and live again. Before he started to believe he, too, had a guardian angel.

Alexa looked down at the box of decorations and began to slowly and carefully sort through its contents. Her Shady Stranger, with his mystical stone, now had a higher meaning. This was no coincidence or witchcraft, this was destiny.

She was destined to be here, but if she intended to have the outcome she desired, she had to convince Sheldon there was hope. But how? When she didn't know why he lost hope in the first place.

One thing she knew, however, was that she had loosened a notch on his heart strap. He had not reacted adversely to her relating Jonas's experience as a stepping stone to him moving away from his pain.

That was a start, right? Knowing he was Mr. Scrooge when it came to personality.

Maybe the next step was to bring Christmas in the Angel's Cafe figuratively. She needed to reach that heart that Scrooge McIntosh had locked away, but first getting some sleep was the best thing to do. With a refreshed mind she can set about having him a believer once more.

Furthermore, why should she let all these great decorations go to waste?

Sheldon knew he should have followed his mind. Alexa was bad for his emotional and mental stability. The way she had stood there and brought to light the purpose that Jonas had found by believing and making the right choice had bored into a part of him he thought impenetrable.

But here he was running like a scared kid to his office to hide away, but it was too late. The seed was planted and he was beginning to feel like he wanted to walk the path she had set out on already.

She had briefly opened up about her past and how she had regained control, but whatever had caused her to fall from the mark was not as awful as the one he had to walk around with both mental and physical.

He slumped into his chair as his heart raced in his chest. He had to calm himself. With deep breaths, he began to push all emotions out of him.

He wanted so badly to let go, but he was so afraid to face the pain he had to let go. He was afraid to be vulnerable but he was also tired of being miserable.

He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep with thoughts that tomorrow he would be back to his old self. Alexa had just caught him off guard that's all.
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Hey guys 😊

Is it safe to say Sheldon is once again becoming a believer? Who knows.

Leave some comments and vote 😄