(Tyler's pov)

As I sang before the people of St. Mary's, I could feel the presence of God and His angels swirling around me. But, despite how powerful it was, and how it glorified God, I wasn't sing for them. The beauty and ethereal voice was not for them.

I was singing for Josh, and only for Josh.

When the music stopped, and my song was done, I was met with the thunderous applause of the congregation.

I've never felt anything more powerful than hearing the people of St. Mary's express their gratitude and appreciation for the holiest of hymns. They must've really been touched by my voice, or at least I hope they were.

Looking out into the crowd, I could see Josh standing up among the congregation. He was clapping out loud, louder than the rest of them. I can faintly see the tears that he shed.

Josh was the only one I heard, and I can only hear him, for I know that he was just as touched as everyone else in the crowd.

I smiled to the congregation and gave a light bow. I turned to Father Thaddeus, who sat behind me in his priest chair. He gave me a nod of approval. He really liked my performance.

The Midnight Mass was concluded with a candlelight vigil and everyone singing the hymn, "Silent Night". Father Thaddeus dismissed us in prayer, and the service was over.

As I stepped down from the stage, several people came to me and congratulated me. They told me how blessed they were to hear me sing. I immediately thanked them before meeting with more crowds of people doing the same.

At last, I reached my family's pew. My mother embraced me and kissed me on the forehead.

"My dear son, that was so wonderful!"

"Thanks, mother."

My father nodded in agreement with his wife.

"You did very well, Tyler. God is pleased with you."

"Thank you, father."

Zack and the rest of my younger siblings also expressed their love and gratitude for the song. In between the time I spoke to each of them, I silently prayed to God that their souls would be protected.

I looked over to Josh's family's pew. I saw Josh's sisters; Ashley and Abigail, crying with tears of joy. Jordan looked over to me and uttered, "good job", through his lips.

Miss Byrne came over to me and gave me a hug.

"That was wonderful, dear Tyler."

"Thank you, Miss Byrne."

"I hope Father Thaddeus lets you sing more. You have so much potential."

"I hope so."

As the parish started to empty out, my mind drifted over to Josh. He was no longer in the building, and I started to wonder where he was. He was the only person that I wanted to see.

Instantly, I remembered that after very Mass, we would meet in Mary's garden outside of the parish. It was our secret place to go where we opening shared our love for each other.

After waiting for the crowd to die down, I told my parents that I wanted to go home with Josh. They agreed, as they knew how close we were, but they did not know our secret.

They will never know our secret.

~

Upon exiting the parish, I was instantly met with the scene of Christmas lights and the twinkling of the stars. The air was cold and breezy, but I felt the warmth of God's shield cover me.

Just like in the song, tonight was a holy night, and the stars shined bright. Christmas may be in 4 days, but the Savior's birth was meant to be celebrated early.

Wrapping myself in my black coat, I walked down the brick steps and turned to my right. I walked through the long stoned road surrounded by roses that eventually reached the entrance of Mary's Garden.

The garden itself felt like Heaven with its beautiful flowers of every color of the rainbow. The lantern lights beamed a golden yellow, and the moon was clear and glistening.

As I entered the heavenly wonderland of the holy mother, I saw Josh sitting on a lonely bench looking at the statue of Mary. I wanted to call out to him, but I was afraid others would hear. So, I approached him.

When Josh saw me, he stood up and went to the center of the garden, and that's when I ran into his arms. Josh lifted me in the air and span me around before holding me in his arms and kissing me.

We connected our foreheads together. His warm hands cupped my cheeks, and my hands rested upon his soft chest.

"Tyler, your song..."

Josh tried not to weep, but holding me in his arms couldn't stop him.

"It was beautiful, my love."

I smiled.

"It was for you, Josh. I did it for you. It wasn't just for God, the song was meant for you. You are the reason why I want to sing."

Josh hugged me to his chest and kissed my fluffy hair.

"I don't ever want to let you go, darling." He said.

"Me too, baby."

We let go of each other, but still kept our hands connected. We walked around Mary's garden for a while and talked about the Christmas plans.

Our families planned to meet on Christmas Day, along with some of our extended family. Josh's family were all separated, but we all agreed to let them come. However, Josh did not want to be separated from me on Christmas.

He wanted to be with me, to love me and to care for me. He wanted to sit with me and watch me open his gift. He wanted only me for Christmas.

I agreed with him. I too wanted to be with Josh on Christmas. I wanted it to just be with two of us, but as the son of Kelly and Christopher Joseph, I felt it was still my duty to stand with my family.

But, I told Josh that if he came over on Christmas Day, we would stay hidden in my bedroom and only come out for the Christmas dinner and prayer.

The agreement was made, and we kissed to it.

~

When we reached the center of the garden again, Josh and I noticed something was a bit different. There was somebody there sitting on the bench in front of the statue of Mary.

Looking distantly at the bench, Josh and I saw that it was a young girl alone in the dark. Although we couldn't see her face, the girl was youthful with long wavy hair and golden skin.

As we walked over to see the girl; my hand stayed grasped to Josh's.

"Who is she?" I whispered.

"I don't know." Josh replied.

"Have we ever seen her before?"

"I'm not sure."

"We'll find out."

We eventually reached the bench where the young girl sat. Josh and released our hands. Our love was to be protected and no one can know about us. Not even this new girl.

The girl heard our footsteps and lifted her eyes away from Mary's statue. Her eyes were now on us.

Looking at the girl with the wavy hair and golden skin was indeed very beautiful. She reminded me of my little sister. She looked at Josh and I for a moment, but put her head down in shyness.

Josh and I looked at each other and were unsure on what to do, but my curiosity got the best of me and I lifted my hand to wave at the young girl.

"Hello."

The girl heard my voice, but kept her head down.

"Hi..."

I kneeled down in front of the girl. I wanted her to see my face.

"Who are you?"

She didn't respond.

"Are you from here?"

"No..." The girl replied. "I'm not."

"How did you come here?"

The girl partially lifted her head to me. Josh remained silent and stood near me.

"The priest." She said. "He found me, and brought me here."

Knowing that she was brought in by Father Thaddeus, it was apparent to me that this girl needed help. She had no home and no family who cared for her. I pitied her. I didn't want her to be alone.

Extending my hand to her, I could see that the girl was beginning to trust me.

"Let me help you."

The girl took my hand and stood to her feet. She was petite and small but very graceful.

"Tell, what is your name?"

The girl took a deep breath and spoke with confidence in her voice.

"Ellaria."

Hearing her name, I was fascinated. No one in the town of Columbus had never heard the name, "Ellaria", and that really interested me.

"What's your name, sirs?" She asked.

"I'm Tyler Joseph." I replied.

I turned to Josh and introduced him.

"This is my best friend, Joshua Dun."

Josh waved his hand.

"Wonderful to meet you, Ellaria."

"You can call me, Ella." The girl said. "My name can be a tongue twister sometimes."

I chuckled, then extended an offer to her.

"Please, Ella, let us help you. I know we must met, but I can see you need some place to stay. I'll take you to Father Thaddeus. He can help you out."

Ella was reluctant at first, but she agreed. She had been a lonely girl for a very long time, and now she had new trusted friends, which was me and my dear Josh.

Extending my arm to her, Ella took it and rested her other hand upon it. I wanted to reach out and grab Josh's hand, but I knew that I couldn't. If Father Thaddeus saw us, we would be publicly shamed.

The three of us stood side by side and walked back into the parish to see Father Thaddeus and beg him for his help for our new friend, Ellaria.

~

A/N: hey my dear friends, it's Hannah! i hope you enjoyed this chapter. it's my favorite so far, and the story is now kicking in! please let me know what you think!

updates will be limited to once a week due to school starting, which is tomorrow! im going into my third year of college!

i hope you guys are having a wonderful day! please don't hesitate to ask me any questions! love yall, thank you for sticking with me!