Essie's entire family sat in a cold jail cell, their heads lolling as they fought to stay awake, waiting for someone to release them.

Essie had apologized again and again and again for dragging her family into this mess, but she still felt like absolute shit. She could blame her parents all she wanted for her temporary insanity, but when it came right down to it, she was the one who made the wrong choices, she was the one who kidnapped Liam.

She was definitely going to go to therapy once this was all over with, IF she wasn't in prison. The good news was that everyone in the family seemed to realize that something needed to change, and there had been many apologies and promises made to one another in the long hours since they had been brought to the jail.

"Richards family!" An officer barked.

Everyone's heads shot up as they looked bleary-eyed at the officer.

"Your bail has been met, you are free to go. Esther Richards, you are on probation until further notice. Mr. Payne explained the circumstances around this 'situation' and has agreed not to press charges. You will need to meet with your lawyer as soon as possible to discuss the conditions of your probation. Any questions?"

"No, thank you," Essie said, her voice full of remorse.

They all rode quietly back to the chalet. The sun was rising over the eastern snow-covered hills, but everyone was exhausted from spending the night in jail, so they all went back to bed.

When Essie crawled under the down comforter, she noticed something that almost broke her heart...the blankets smelled like Liam. And then she remembered, she was still wearing the ring! She would have to find him and return it. But for the time being, she cherished the one last thing connecting her to him, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Late in the afternoon, everyone packed up their bags in preparation to leave the following morning. When they all sat down to dinner, Essie's father said something she thought she would never, ever hear him say.

"Well, I guess we all need to work on some things, don't we. Myself included. But for tonight, let's just be together as a family."

It was the closest Essie had ever felt to her family.

Two days later, when she returned to work, Essie sheepishly gave the gun and handcuffs back to John.

"I'm so sorry, John. I don't know what came over me. I just...had a little breakdown, I guess. And I'm going to go to therapy and try to work out some of my stress issues, and-"

John just grabbed her and squeezed her in a friendly hug. "I'm just glad you're okay, Essie. Now get out there and take some orders."

Essie's apartment seemed so lonely now, even though she'd always enjoyed her freedom before. She started thinking that maybe she should get a smaller place; it would be nice to have a lower rent payment, and maybe she wouldn't feel so alone.

She painted as often as she could, drawing upon memories from her time with Liam. She painted scenes about love and life and Christmas trees and crotchety old grandmas and ballet studios. She used imagery from her therapy sessions to put a face on some of the emotions and challenges she was facing.

All in all, it wasn't a bad way for the whole Christmas kidnapping debacle to end.

Except that every single day, it hurt like hell.

Late one night, after a frustratingly long shift at the Saloon, Essie returned to her apartment and rifled through the mail. One particular envelope caught her attention. The return address was the simply elegant logo of Artistique, one of the most popular art galleries in the city.

She tore the envelope open and practically devoured the letter.

To Ms. Esther Richards,

Congratulations!

We are pleased to inform you that we have chosen to feature your work in an exhibit at our gallery from Saturday, February 14 through Saturday, February 28. Please choose 10-12 of your paintings to enter into the exhibit. A representative will be in contact with you soon to arrange the details.

Sincerely,

The Management Team at Artistique

Essie screamed and immediately dialed her brother's number. "Louis!" She shouted at her half-sleeping sibling.

"Essie, do you know what time it is?" He grumbled.

"Guess what? The Artistique gallery is going to have an exhibit of my work! Can you believe it?"

"Oh, my gosh, Essie, that's so great! I'm so proud of you!" He said.

"Will you come to the opening with me? It's on Valentine's Day."

"Sure. Can I bring Ryan? After all, it is Valentine's Day." She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Of course, I've been dying to meet him."

"You're the best, Lou!"

"So, how are you doing?" Louis asked.

"I just told you. I'm over the moon about this!"

"You know what I mean," Louis insisted.

"I know. I'm just trying not to think about it. I'm sure he's proposed to his girlfriend by now...I was so stupid." Essie's voice quivered.

"Hey, Mr. Right is still out there. Who knows? Maybe he'll be a rich art investor who is dazzled by your work!"

"Yeah, maybe," she sighed. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll let you know the exact time for the opening. And, Lou, could you not mention this to Mom and Dad? I want this to be my night, you know."

"Sure thing, kiddo," Lou said and hung up.

Finally, the hurt was beginning to fade with the promise of new beginnings. Maybe she could start thinking about finding a bigger place instead of a smaller one; that is, if her art career really took off.

Valentine's Day arrived, along with the opening of her very own art exhibit at Artistique. Essie was a bundle of nerves and excitement, but she kept telling herself that this was what she had always wanted, so she should relax and enjoy it.

She stepped inside the gallery and saw her name on a banner over the wing where her art was on display. She gasped at the sight of her paintings adorning the easels and walls. It was just like a dream.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around to see Louis.

"You made it!" She squealed and gave him a giant hug. "And you must be Ryan," she said, turning to the man standing next to Louis. She gave him a hug, too.

"Thanks for coming, both of you. It means the world to me."

"Of course, Essie, we wouldn't have missed it for anything. But, I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"I invited Mom and Dad," Louis said apologetically.

"Louis," she whined. "I told you that I didn't want them to know. I wanted this to be my special night and now they're going to ruin it."

"I think you'll be surprised," Louis told her.

The next thing she knew, her parents were weaving their way through the crowd at the gallery, waving to get her attention.

"Hi, Mom, hi Dad," she said with a fake smile plastered on her face. "I'm glad you could come, but can you please, for once, not ruin this for me."

Abigail came up behind them and gave her sister an excited smile.

Then Essie's dad spoke. "Of course, baby girl. This is your big night. And I must say, I'm very impressed."

Essie's jaw dropped and she stood, frozen to the spot. Finally, she recovered her manners and said, "Are you sure you're my dad? Because my real father would be all over my case right now about how art isn't a real career and I should get serious about my life."

"Essie," Abigail interrupted. "Mom and Dad have been going to therapy. And it's really working."

"Wha-?" Essie was speechless again as her mother embraced her.

"We're so sorry, honey. For not taking the time to see how talented you really are. Your work is amazing."

Mr. Richards chimed in. "It is stunning, baby girl. I'm so sorry we ever doubted you."

Essie was beyond words, so she simply invited her family to get a closer look at the work she had on display. Her most prominent piece was an ethereal work called Mistletoe. The sprig of festive green was the focal point, but beneath it were two lovers, clouded by snow, sharing a sweet and meaningful holiday kiss.

It was by far the best piece she'd ever done. And by the end of the night, it was gone. It was the first one sold that night, and she couldn't have been happier. But it felt a little bit like she had sold a piece of herself. Sure, she had sold her work before, but she had never put so much of her heart into a painting before this one.

After the event was over, a very exhausted Essie made her way out to her car. She was just inserting the key into the door lock when someone grabbed her from behind and slipped a blindfold over her head.

"Stop!" She screamed and struggled to get away, but she was quickly overpowered by the incredibly strong stranger behind her. One hand came over her mouth and another subdued the rest of her body. She squirmed and pushed and struggled, but to no avail.

Fucking Karma, she thought bitterly as she was shoved into the backseat of a car. Her hands were tied and she was belted into the vehicle. Well at least the psycho cares about my safety, she thought.

She figured she had better save her energy for an escape, so she sat quietly while the vehicle drove to some unknown destination.

When they stopped about fifteen minutes later, the same strong hands unfastened her seat belt and pulled her gently out of the car. When she was fully standing, she shoved violently against her captor and felt him fall away from her. She started to run, but she had no idea where she was going.

Soon, however, she heard, "Essie, don't run! I don't want you to get hurt!"

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Liam?"

And then the strong hands were on her again, wrapping her in a hug from behind. "You have something of mine," he whispered into her ear.

"I know, I was trying to figure out how to get the ring back-"

But Liam's hand covered her mouth again so she couldn't speak. She was led inside of some kind of building. When they stopped, Liam said, "I want to show you something."

He released his hold on her and took off the blindfold.

She gasped as she surveyed a large, spacious room with several large windows open to the street. The walls were shabby brick and the whole room was bathed in a yellowish-white light from hundreds of fairy lights strung around the ceiling.

"Where are we?" She asked in awe.

"This is my new business. It's my own architecture, art and interior design firm. All in one convenient place. What do you think?"

"Liam, it's just incredible. What a fantastic idea! It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it because I have a question for you."

"What's that?" She asked furrowing her brows. "To stay away from you forever? Like a restraining order?" She laughed nervously.

"No," he chuckled. "I want you to be my partner. You know, run the art and interior design branch of the business. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing," he said, playfully.

"Are you serious?" She squealed. "Absolutely, I'd love to!"

"And look," Liam said, motioning to a painting that sat covered by a drop cloth in the center of the room. "I just acquired my first piece. What do you think?" He slipped the cloth off the painting, letting it drop to the floor.

Essie burst into tears when she saw her painting, Mistletoe, there on the easel. Then she turned to Liam and said, "Thank yo so much!" And she flew into his arms, hugging him tight.

They stood and held each other for a while, and then she realized that it was probably not appropriate to linger for so long. After all, Liam was most likely engaged by now.

She stepped back awkwardly and said, "I...I'm sorry. I guess I have to be more professional now that you're going to be my boss."

"Partner," he corrected her. "But there's still the other issue – you have something of mine."

"Oh right," she said. "The ring. Yes, I still have it and it's in a safe place and I was planning to get it to you, but I hadn't looked up your name of phone number yet and to be honest, I wasn't really ready to see you because I was so humiliated and-"

"Essie," he whispered, taking her face gently in his hands. "Will you be quiet? I wasn't talking about the ring."

She looked at him, thoroughly confused. "Liam, I don't have anything else of yours, I promise."

"You do," he insisted. "You have my heart." And then he kissed her sweetly, passionately, a little forcefully, until she practically melted in his arms.

When he broke the kiss, he said, "I love you."

She was almost too dumbfounded to speak, but she managed to whisper, "I love you, too, Liam. I love you so much." And then she kissed him back with everything she had.

They held each other for a long time, kissing and cuddling and making plans for their new business.

Finally, Liam told Essie with a huge grin, "About the ring...I want you to keep it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that is the end! What did you all think? Good, bad, happy, sad, stupid, sappy? 

To all of my wonderful readers - Have a Merry Christmas!!!