It's a Chrismukkah miracle!

I can't believe it has taken me almost 2 years to write 6 chapters! If anyone is still reading this, I'll be amazed. But here it is, the final chapter. It's unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own fault – plus the fault of the bottle of wine I have just consumed. I've lost my muse for writing, so please don't flame the poor quality. Enjoy and a slightly belated Merry Christmas to you all!

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When Sandy woke the next morning, he was surprised to find himself alone in bed. The empty space where he expected to see his wife was still warm and her imprint remained in the bedding. He listened carefully for the sound of movement downstairs and heard the gentle clatter of mugs. Looking at his watch, he realised he had slept in later than usual.

He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. For a moment last night he had relaxed, allowing himself to get lost in the music of the Broadway show. This morning, however, reality was back and he knew he only had one more day to make a difference.

Wrapping his robe around him, he stumbled downstairs. Sophie, Seth and Ryan were scattered around the kitchen, talking jovially amongst themselves. They all acknowledged his arrival and he returned their greeting – a gentle slap on Ryan's back, a ruffle of Seth's curls and a kiss on the cheek for the Nana.

"Where's your mom?" Sandy asked Seth.

"On the phone," Seth answered.

"She's planning something," Sophie commented suspiciously, shooting Sandy a questioning look.

Sandy raised his eyebrows, his face blank as he wondered what his wife was doing. He hoped that she had called her father to make peace. As much as Caleb Nichol was not his favourite person at the moment – or ever – he was still concerned about how much Kirsten was hurting. He hated her silence. He knew the way she fought her demons, keeping her feelings locked up until breaking point. She was putting all her energy into him right now, encouraging and supporting him as he tried to find a way to help the Nana, hoping that her own problems would go unnoticed. As soon as they were home, his energy would go into helping her; for one more day, he needed to focus on his mother.

He watched her now. She was upbeat this morning, enjoying the conversation with Seth and Ryan – sharing in their jokes and laughter. He knew that Seth had reached out to her yesterday and Sandy was also happy to see a change in her relationship with Ryan.

Amongst all the feelings he had felt since she had told him about her diagnosis, the most common feeling was one of regret. Not of the past; Sandy knew that nothing he could do would ever change the past. But he wished their relationship could be different. She had always felt so distant from him. He had never felt connected to her, not like the way he felt connected to Seth, and no matter how hard he tried, Sandy felt like he might never be able to change the way they were.

Interrupting his thoughts, Kirsten's voice echoed through the halls and became louder as she entered the kitchen, the phone still held up to her ear.

"Thank you very much. We'll see you in an hour," Kirsten said, ending the conversation and dropping the phone onto the counter. She greeted them all cheerily. "Good morning!"

"See who in an hour?" Sophie asked.

Kirsten's eyes sparkled with mischief. "You'll see. We have to leave in 30 minutes, make sure you're ready," she told them.

"Ready for what?" Seth asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now go and get ready," Kirsten instructed, pulling his chair out from under him to make him stand up.

"Well, how do I know what to wear if you don't tell me where we're going?" Seth feigned vanity.

Kirsten laughed. "Dress warm. Now go."

Seth stuck out his bottom lip playfully, but left obediently. Ryan followed him before Kirsten could give him the same treatment.

"What are you planning?" Sandy asked suspiciously, finally speaking.

Kirsten grinned. "You'll see."

She moved across the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. Sophie watched as Sandy's eyes followed her, looking between the two and suddenly feeling out of place in her own kitchen.

"Well, if we're working to a timetable, I'm going to go and get ready," Sophie announced, standing up from her seat and leaving them alone.

Sandy moved over to where Kirsten was stood, leaning his hip against the counter to look at her.

"What are you up to?"

Kirsten turned to look at him. "You'll see," she repeated again. She rested her hand against his chest and leaned towards him, kissing him softly. "Trust me."

"I do."

Kirsten smiled. "You should go and get dressed, we have to leave soon."

Sandy nodded, pushing himself upright and dropping a kiss onto her temple before heading upstairs.

As instructed, everybody was ready to leave in half an hour. A taxi drove them into the city. Seth's voice filled the car with anecdotes and jokes, keeping them all entertained as they drove towards the unknown.

Sandy was the first to realise where they were going. The buildings and trees were familiar from only the night before. He frowned, shooting his wife a confused look. Kirsten simply smiled, her eyes telling him to be patient. Eventually, the taxi pulled up outside the Rockefeller Centre. As they piled out of the car, Seth spotted some familiar faces by the ice rink.

"Hey, it's Uncle Joel and Abby – and cousin Jeffrey."

He started towards his family. Ryan looked back towards Kirsten, who gestured her head to follow him. His head gave a slight nod as he did as she said. Kirsten turned her head to find Sandy and the Nana giving her identical curious looks, and she couldn't help but smile at the overwhelming similarity between them.

"Come on," she encouraged, setting off after the boys.

They followed her towards the edge of the ice rink where Sandy's family were huddled together. Seth was in the middle of his cousins. They all shared the dark Cohen hair, Jewish awkwardness and geeky demeanour.

"Hey big brother!" Joel greeted Sandy with a bear hug and a firm slap on the back.

Sandy ruffled his younger brother's hair. "Hey little brother! Hey Abby," Sandy turned to embrace his sister. "What are you all doing here?"

"Kirsten called us," Abby answered, her eyes flicking towards Kirsten in recognition. "She asked us to meet you here and told the kids to bring their ice-skates."

"We're skating? Awesome!" Seth cheered.

"We are?" Sandy was surprised.

Kirsten nodded. "I hired the rink for an hour. I thought we could have some fun."

Sandy smiled, noting her emphasis. He clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. "Ok, let's skate!"

The crowd around him cheered before dispersing to find their skates. Sophie was dragged away by her youngest grandchild, Ela, who was talking animatedly.

"Come on, dude, let's go and find some skates," Seth encouraged Ryan.

Ryan hesitated, looking unsure.

"Ryan?" Sandy questioned.

"I, uh…I've never been skating before," Ryan said quietly.

"Oh, you'll soon get the hang of it, don't worry," Sandy said.

"Yeah, Ryan, and you haven't seen my mom's attempts at skating yet either," Seth joked.

"Hey!" Kirsten protested.

Seth shrugged at her and Kirsten shook her head at him. Ryan looked over his shoulder at the ice rink, where some of Seth's younger cousins had already taken to the ice. He rocked back onto his heels, pushing himself into a walk. He took a deep breath determinedly.

"Ok, come on," he said to Seth.

"Alright!" Seth followed into step behind him.

Sandy felt a pair of arms circle around his waist and a chin rest of his shoulder.

"I'll make you a deal," Kirsten's soft voice spoke in his ear. "I won't hold on to the edge if you don't."

Sandy smiled. "You know, honey, Seth's right about your skating…"

Kirsten slapped his arm playfully. As she did, Sandy caught her hand and pulled her in front of him, pulling her body against his.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Kirsten smiled. She nodded her head in the direction of the ice rink. "Wanna skate?"

"Sure."

Sophie, meanwhile, was leaning against the edge of the rink, watching her family enjoy themselves on the ice. It was rare to see them all together. The last time had been Jeffrey's Bar Mitzvah four years ago. Sophie loved to watch them interact – Sandy with his brother and sister; Seth with his cousins. She wrapped her arms around her body to keep herself warm, watching as one-by-one they skated by her, always calling out hello as they passed by.

Seth was racing his cousins, balancing easily on the thin blades after years of skateboarding. Ryan, however, was wobbling along the edge of the ice rink, his ankles rocking from side to side as he tried to balance. Sandy and Kirsten kept to the middle of the rink, skating alongside Joel and Abby. Joel and Abby were more at ease on the ice; Sandy soon remembered the skill of skating while Kirsten's hand gripped Sandy's tightly as she tried to avoid falling over.

Sophie backed away from the edge of the ice rink, seeking a cup of coffee from the local vendor to keep her warm. She wrapped her fingers around the hot paper cup and inhaled the rich smell.

"Can I get one of those too, please?" a familiar voice asked over Sophie's shoulder.

Sophie turned and saw Kirsten behind her, her hand extended to pay the vendor.

"This was a very popular idea," Sophie commented, gesturing towards the ice rink.

Kirsten didn't respond, preferring to ignore the snide comment. Instead, she settled on one of the seats overlooking the ice rink, watching the figures gliding round.

"You know, Sandy only wants to do what's right for you," Kirsten said over her shoulder.

She heard Sophie sigh irritably.

"If you're here to tell me…" Sophie started.

"I'm not here to tell you anything," Kirsten interrupted. "I'm here to ask you to let Sandy help you. He wants to and…and you need it. And no matter what you think, there's nothing wrong with accepting help."

Kirsten spoke softly, each word pronounced carefully. She waited in silence, surprised when Sophie sat down on the seat next to her.

"What would you know about accepting help? You've always had everything you're ever needed," Sophie said.

"That's not true," Kirsten argued. "Besides, this isn't about me. This is about you and Sandy. He's a good man. No matter how hard you try to push him away, I know he won't give up."

"I'm not trying to push him away," Sophie contended.

"Then what are you trying to do? You have an amazing son, do you even know that?" Kirsten asked. "He's kind and warm and generous. Everybody likes him, everybody respects him. You might not realise it, but he is all those things because of you. You're his mother, you raised him to be the man he is and you should be so proud of him."

"I am proud of him," Sophie said.

"Well maybe you should tell him that," Kirsten said. "Because I don't think he knows."

"Why do you care so much?" Sophie asked curiously.

Kirsten smiled. "Because it's Chrismukkah."

A commotion on the ice rink caught their attention. They both looked up to see Ryan spinning around on his back in the middle of the ice. Kirsten jumped to her feet, but was immediately calmed by the sound of laughter that came floating towards them.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to join my family on the ice," Kirsten said. She started to walk towards the ice rink and paused, turning back towards Sophie. "Please think about what I've said."

Sophie stared at her daughter-in-law for a moment, before nodding slowly. She watched as Kirsten skated precariously towards Sandy, seeing him catch her in his arms and hearing the sound of his deep laugh echo off the frozen water. She thought about what Kirsten had said, and about what Sandy, Seth and Ryan had said in the days before. As she looked around at her family, she felt more determined than ever to fight the cancer that was invading her body, but she also conceded that couldn't do it alone. Joel and Abby did all they could, but they had their own families to take care of. So did Sandy she conceded, given the distance between them. Maybe it was time to accept that she needed help after all.

"Nana! Nana! Did you see me spin?" the cries of Sophie's youngest granddaughter, Ela, echoed as she came running into her arms.

"Oh no, sweetheart, I didn't," Sophie answered, pulling her granddaughter close. "Will you show me again?"

The young girl nodded, taking the Nana's hand and pulling her towards the edge.

"Are you going to join us, Nana?" Seth teased as he skated by, slowing down to stop in front of her.

Sophie stood with her hands on her hips. "You know what, Sethela, I think I just might."

Seth stood open-mouthed as Sophie collected a pair of skates from the booth. Sandy pulled up behind him.

"What's going on?"

"Nana's going to skate!" cried Ela.

"But Ma…"

"Sandy Cohen, don't you dare ruin my fun," Sophie scolded lightly. "Just help me onto the ice."

Eyebrows raised, Sandy glided closer and held out his hand. His eyes caught his mother's and she winked at him. "You see, son, I do know how to ask for help sometimes."

Gripping Sandy's hand tightly, Sophie took her first step onto the ice. She wobbled and Seth rushed to her other side to keep her on her feet. Sophie thanked him and she let them lead her around the ice rink. As her feet moved one after the other and the wind blew through her hair, Sophie felt more alive than she had in a long time.

---

Sandy put the last bag into the taxi and closed the trunk with a heavy bang.

"Ok guys, we're ready to go," he announced.

Seth was the first to embrace the Nana.

"Goodbye, Nana," Seth said, enveloping her in a hug.

Sophie squeezed him tightly. "Goodbye, Sethela. And thank you," she murmured in his ear. "See you soon?"

Seth nodded, yes.

Sophie turned to Ryan. "It was very nice to see you again, young man. You're welcome here any time you'd like to visit, just like anyone else in the family," she told him.

She left a kiss on his cheek, smiling as he blushed. She then turned to Kirsten, who moved in awkwardly to say goodbye.

"Take care of yourself, Sophie," Kirsten said. Sophie nodded, accepting her embrace and surprising her by squeezing her hands as they separated.

Kirsten gestured for the boys to get into the taxi, climbing in after them and leaving Sandy to say goodbye.

"It was good to see you, Ma," Sandy said.

"And you, Sandy," Sophie said. "Now, about this hired help you want to employ…"

"Really?" Sandy said hopefully.

"I have some ground rules," Sophie said sternly. "Just twice-a-week. I don't want someone coming in and disturbing me every day. I have absolute veto over who this person is. And…"

"And?"

"And if I agree to this, then I want you to promise me that you'll visit me at least once-a-month," Sophie ordered.

Sandy smiled. "Ok, Ma. I can agree to those ground rules."

He pulled his mother into a hug, holding her close. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Sophie returned the sentiment.

The pulled apart and Sophie lifted her hand to his cheek, touching him lightly with her fingers. Sandy took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Goodbye, Ma. See you soon."

Sophie nodded, finding herself disappointed that their visit was over so soon. She watched him walk around to the other side of the vehicle, opening the door to climb into the backseat with Kirsten and Seth.

"Sandy!" she called before he had followed his family into the taxi.

"Yes, Ma?"

Sophie moved closer to him and took his hands in her own. "I just wanted to say…I'm very proud of you, Sandy Cohen. Everything you do, everything you've become – I'm proud of you."

Sandy felt his eyes swell up with tears. "Thank you, Ma."

Sophie nodded. "Get going, you'll miss your flight," she said stoically.

Sandy leant forwards and kissed her cheek, before finally climbing into the taxi and ordering the driver to start. He sat quietly in the back and felt Kirsten's hand entwine with his.

"Are you ok?" Kirsten asked softly.

Sandy nodded.

"She'll be ok," Kirsten said. "She's got that Cohen stubbornness which means she'll never give up."

Sandy smiled, turning his head to face her. "It's obviously rubbed off on you."

"What do you mean?" Kirsten frowned.

"Your dad," Sandy answered softly.

Kirsten smiled wryly. "It's ok. I'll talk to him," she appeased him.

"I'm glad," Sandy said. He relaxed, snuggling down into the back of the taxi and sighing softly. "I can't wait to get home."

"Me too," Kirsten agreed, tipping her head to rest on his shoulder. "Do you think we'll ever have a peaceful holiday?"

Sandy chuckled, pessimistic. "Maybe next Chrismukkah."