| ~Chapter 11~ Langres, France ~ December 24th, 1914 Christian was at his wit�s end. He�d nearly grown immune to the explosions and screaming surrounding him day in and day out, physically and mentally. He sat hunched in his usual spot of the middle of his tent with a dazed look on his face. He blinked as he recalled the battle earlier that day. A wind swiftly flapped the tent walls and Christian shivered at the December breeze. The only thoughts keeping him warm were of Satine and the name Sara. He could spend all day thinking and imagining the face of his baby daughter, trying to hold an image of his wife and child sitting in his home. A grenade exploded in Christian�s mind causing him to close his eyes tightly. The war was everywhere around him, even when he wasn�t on the field. �I�ll be home for Christmas�� he whispered neither to himself nor to anyone else. He picked up a nearby stick on the ground and rearranged himself so he was sitting on his knees. Christian leaned forward onto his elbows and etched the words into the ground, as if hoping they would be sent to his love through some higher power. He sang softly the words in his heart, holding back tears. �I'm dreamin' tonight of a place I love Even more then I usually do And although I know it's a long road back I promise you�� Christian�s lips quivered and his head bowed down to touch the ground in the frustration and falsity of his words. He sniffed and let a tear fall as he continued etching and singing his song for Satine and Sara. �I'll be home for Christmas You can count on me Please have snow and mistletoe And presents under the tree Christmas Eve will find me Where the love light beams I'll be home for Christmas�� Christian let out a choked sob and almost relinquished as he thought out the next words carefully, letting the tears fall freely. �If only in my dreams.� �God�� he muttered, looking up to see the familiar sight of his brown tent�s ceiling, praying that he�d wake up to find dream true. �Christmas Eve will find me Where the love light beams I'll be home for Christmas�� He fell onto his stomach and rested his head on his hands, not bothering to etch the words that he sang through tears into the dirt floor of his quarters. �If only in my dreams� If only in my�dreams�� �Satine,� he breathed, turning his head and falling asleep lying on the ground of his tent. The thoughts that filled his subconscious of home; truth, beauty, freedom and love, were soon replaced by explosions and screams of agony. The war had taken him over, and his spirit was nearly crushed. As he slept, however, his song carried its words magically through the brisk winter air to Satine�s ears beneath the Christmas tree in Reims� December 24th, 1914 ~ Reims, France Satine felt cold air blow through the flue of the fireplace as she shivered for a brief moment. Christian� The moment then passed, and Satine relaxed again. She sat with her perfect baby in her arms. She didn�t think she could ever tire of hearing little Sara gurgle. She was even starting to smile, a beautiful trait she had obviously inherited from her father. Satine ran a gentle finger over Sara�s cheek and followed her eyes as they went to the candles in the windows. It was Christmas Eve and Satine was at home in her cozy living room with her one month old baby resting happily in her arms. �I�m so lucky,� Satine whispered to herself. Yet, she couldn�t stop a tear from falling down her cheek. She missed Christian so much. Knowing that she would see him in a few months helped ease the pain a bit, but knowing that she would have to leave little Sara brought a whole new emptiness inside her. Sara let out a contented sigh as Satine held her closer and gently rocked her back and forth. They stayed like that for several moments when Catherine poked her head into the living room. �Miss Satine?� she asked meekly. �Oh Catherine, I said you could have the rest of the holiday off. Go out and enjoy yourself,� Satine said with a kind smile. �Oh thank you, Miss Satine. I just wanted to come wish you and the little Miss a merry Christmas,� she replied. Satine kissed Sara�s cheek and responded with a wink, �We both say thank you. And a very merry Christmas to you, too.� Catherine was hesitant to leave when she finally pulled something out from behind her back. It was a parcel wrapped in brown paper with a string tied around it. Satine craned her neck and gasped when she saw the writing on the box. It was the handwriting she had come to love with all her heart. Christian had managed to send her something. �Th-thank you,� Satine breathed, still holding Sara, who was almost asleep, close to her chest. �Merry Christmas,� Catherine whispered and silently made her way out of the room. Satine gently placed Sara in her cradle and made her way to the package. She kneeled down on the soft carpet that smelled of pine from the enormous Christmas tree no more than a few feet away. She took dainty fingers and untied the string and slowly pulled back the flaps of the box. Satine parted the packing paper and smiled as she pulled out a stuffed bear with a bright red bow tied around its neck. A small piece of paper lay on it that read: To my beautiful Sara, Merry Christmas, precious. I think of you always and count the minutes until I can come home to you. Love forever, Daddy Satine had to take a few deep breaths to steady herself from having a nervous breakdown before taking the bear and handing holding it in front of Sara. Her tiny hands lifted and touched the soft fur. Sara cooed and smiled at the nice feeling on her fingers and the comforting image of her mama standing above her. �This is from Daddy, sweetheart,� Satine murmured and placed the bear in the cradle for Sara to sleep with. Satine returned to the box and kneeled in front of it. She dug daintily through it, her breath held slightly in anticipation of her own gift. For a split second, she wasn�t sure if she was to receive one, but the moment passed as she retrieved an envelope. �Satine� was written in gorgeous script from the hand of Christian, and Satine shivered at the smell of the paper as she took it out slowly. She unfolded it, reading the words of her love by the light of the fire. In this horrible place, I cannot express what you mean to me. Nothing tangible can show to you my feelings. You are my life, Satine. These words I write for you; my life. Unforgettable, that's what you are Unforgettable though near or far Like a song of love that clings to me How the thought of you does things to me Never before has someone been more Unforgettable in every way And forever more, that's how you'll stay That's why, darling, it's incredible That someone so unforgettable Thinks that I am unforgettable too Unforgettable in every way And forever more, that's how you'll stay That's why, darling, it's incredible That someone so unforgettable Thinks that I am unforgettable too Until we meet again my love, and after that still, I am yours eternally, Christian Satine rested the letter on her lap with shaky hands. She wouldn�t cry; she couldn�t. The love she knew would nearly burst inside her for Christian couldn�t break her. She would see him again sooner than he knew. Their love would never die, and that was the thought that made her smile, and the thought that was unforgettable to her. Song used ~ �I�ll be Home for Christmas�, written by K. Gannon, W. Kent, B. Ram �Unforgettable�, by Nat King Cole |