Merry Christmas, guys! Woo, only one month into joining FanFiction, and it's already two days til Christmas!

This was just a little two-parter I decided to write for Christmas, since I'm sure as the Overlord is evil that I'm not gonna finish my Christmas Carol in time. Good grief!

I'll post the next part tomorrow, as i'm almost done with it XD. Hope you like it!

Part One: I Miss Him

Nya Walker gazed out the window out into the snowy afternoon. It was two days before Christmas, December 23rd, 1943. Her husband, Captain Jay Walker, was overseas in England, working in a hospital in London. It was hard for her when he was called to the war two years ago. They had just had their fourth child, a little girl named Mary, and their other children, then seven-year-old twins Jack and Julia, and five-year-old Max, were terrified to hear the news that their daddy was going to England in the midst of this catastrophic war.

When Nya voiced both their and her own concerns, Jay had assured her, with that same gentle smile of his he had specially for her, that he'd be home by Christmas. "You can count on me," he'd said, kissing her on the cheek.

That was two years ago, and he still wasn't home.

Nine-year-old Jack playfully threw a snowball at his brother. "Come on, Max!" he called. "Stop building that snowman and play with Jules and me!"

Seven-year-old Max shook his head. "Nope, I'm not stoppin' 'til it's stopped," he said stubbornly, pounding snow almost ferociously into his snowman.

Jack's twin sister Julia asked curiously, "What's he s'posed to be?"

"He's s'posed to be a nasty German soldier," Max said solemnly, glaring at the snowman with contempt. "I'm gonna let Daddy kick 'im over when he gets home."

"But Dad isn't coming home yet," Jack pointed out. Julia stepped on his foot. "Hey, what was that for?" he demanded.

"He's gonna come home," Max said. "Don't you remember? He said he'd be home by Christmas!"

"But he said that two Christmases ago!" Jack protested. Julia stepped on his foot again, harder this time. "OW!"

"Don't stifle his hopes, Jack!" Julia scolded. "Mary doesn't even remember Dad, and just because Mom told her Dad would be home soon, Mary thinks he's gonna be home by Christmas too!"

"Aw, you sound like Mom," Jack muttered.

While the twins were bickering, Max finished his snowman. "There! All done!" he said. Noticing that his two siblings weren't paying attention, he slyly scooped up a snowball in his blue-mittened hand and threw it. It hit Jack squarely in the face.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. Max grinned. A few seconds later, Jack was grinning back. "I'll get you, Maxie!" He balled up another hunk of snow and threw it at his younger brother, hitting him on the jacket. Max retaliated with another snowball, but instead of hitting Jack, it hit Julia.

"Oops," Max squeaked at the look on his sister's face.

"This means war, Max Walker!" Julia yelled, and threw a snowball at him. Soon, snowballs were flying all over the Walker's front yard, and Max, Jack, and Julia were shrieking with delight as they pelted each other with snow.

Inside the house, Nya watched her children's snowball battle with amusement. "Oh, those kids," she said out loud, smiling as she saw the kids' gleeful faces as they battered each other with balls of ice and snow. "They're just like their father. If Jay were here, he'd be laughing and shouting with the rest of them."

Her smile faded slightly as she thought of her beloved husband. She couldn't think of Jay's bright blue eyes, playful smile, tousled auburn hair, and light voice without imagining him in his captain's uniform, fighting on the battlefield. Even though she knew that last part was her own imagining, she couldn't help wishing he was there, celebrating the Christmas season with his family. Especially since this year, her brother Kai and his wife, Candy, were coming to visit for Christmas Eve service and Christmas Day. Because his work as a biochemist was too important for him to go to war, Kai hadn't been called to Europe.

"Mommy?" A small hand tugged on her skirt. Nya glanced down to see her youngest daughter, Mary, gazing up at her with baby-blue eyes. Nya felt a twinge of pain. Mary had gotten her father's looks, just like her oldest, Jack, did. Whenever she saw either one, it reminded her of her faraway husband. "Are you okay?" Mary asked.

Nya smiled. For a girl of almost three, Mary was remarkable perceptive. "I'm just thinking, sweetheart," she said, turning away from the window. "Do you want to go outside?"

"Not yet," Mary replied. She looked at her mother inquisitively. "You thinkin' 'bout Daddy?"

Nya tried to hold her smile. "Yes, I am," she said quietly.

"He's thinkin' 'bout you too, Mommy," Mary said. The way she said it, so resolutely, yet so faithfully, made Nya almost think it was true.

"I wish it was true," she said. "I know your father loves me, and I'd like to think he was thinking about me, but I don't know." She rested her chin in her hands.

"If he wuves you, Mommy," Mary said solemnly, "he'd always be thinkin' 'bout you."

Nya's smile became more sad. Mary was wiser beyond her years, that was for sure. "You're right," she said, eyes filling up with tears. "He would."

"Can I go an' play ou'side now?" Mary asked.

"You may," Nya said. "Just get your coat, mittens, scarf, hat, and boots on, and tell Jackie, Maxie, and Julie to play nice, okay?"

"Okay," Mary said happily, skipping off.

Nya turned back to the window, gazing back up into the cloudy blue winter sky. "Oh, God," she whispered softly, "please bring Jay home. Please bring Jay home for Christmas."