Abigail pulled the comforter up closer to her chin. The house seemed to have gotten much colder. Perhaps the snow was piling up outside. What a wonderful Christmas Eve, she thought.

The room was still dark. She kept her eyes closed willing herself back to sleep. The room grew even colder, and she swore she could hear the faint sound of a bell.

She tried to open her eyes, but she just couldn't. The sound of the bell grew louder. She moved her arm to feel for Carson, but he wasn't there.

The sound of the bell grew louder still, and her eyes remained closed.

Abigail began to cough. The air had gotten thick with dust.

She tried to move through the darkness, but her body was constricted within the sheet. Her arms were pinned to her side, and she gasped for air.

Her head swam, just as it had when she blacked out from kissing Carson. But this time she was fully awake, but her eyes still wouldn't open.

There was a light, in the corner of the room she was standing. A fire? The sun? Dust kicked up around her and caused her to cough again, only this time her eyes flew open, and the sound of the bell became her telephone.

She picked it up to answer, but there was no one on the other end.

The room had gotten colder.

Abigail fought her way out of the sheets and pulled on the first clothes she found on the floor. With her phone in her hand, she headed to the kitchen. There she found a note from Carson. Have gone to the new building—your building. Police called. 3:30 AM. I love you. C.

Abigail looked at the clock on the microwave. It was already five-forty-five.

She pressed the button on her phone to call Carson, but it went directly to voicemail. Standing in the kitchen alone, she heard the bell again.

The air around her head had cooled so much she could see her breath. Hurrying out to the Christmas tree she watched as the baby's first Christmas bell continue to chime.

She wasn't sure who was with her, but she knew somebody was there.

"Is Carson in trouble?"

The bell rang again as if somebody were madly shaking it.

Abigail ran back to the kitchen, pulled her keys from her purse, and grabbed a coat as she ran for her car. She slid on the fresh snow, tumbling to the ground. Her elbow and her butt throbbed from the landing.

Sitting in the snow on the driveway, she pressed a hand to her stomach. She thought she might be sick.

The bell on the tree hadn't been quite a surprise to her. Unconfirmed, but not a surprise. She was sure that's why the fear that swirled inside of her threatened to debilitate her.

Willing herself to her feet, she opened the car door and climbed inside.

She started the engine and warmth from the heater immediately filled the car. Without her companion, whom she couldn't see, she was sure it would've been a cold drive into town.

She headed toward the empty highway and wondered if she should call somebody. Unfortunately, she didn't know who to call or where to send them.

She was headed toward her store, which was the last place she'd known him to be.

---

Carson had heard the scream and hurried back to help the man out of the church. As he'd gone over the wall, and down into the church, he heard the creaking sounds around him as the wind kicked up.

It was then he noticed the can that had held the fire had blown over and the blanket around the man had caught fire. The man flailed, whipping flames into the air.

Carson moved in swiftly to pull the man to the ground. With his body on top of the other man's he rolled them across the snow-laden ground as another gust of wind blew through the structure, and the first beam crashed to the ground.

---

Abigail drove past the tea shop, but Carson's car wasn't there. She saw the tire tracks in the snow from the cars that must have been there earlier. Perhaps she'd passed him on the way home, but whichever spirit had been with her told her he was in trouble.

As she pulled back out to Washington, the sun now just peeking through the trees, she turned her car toward Ford Street as if compelled to go to the construction site.

From just beyond the church, she saw a fire truck racing toward the scene, as well as an ambulance.

Carson's car was on the street, the lights and engine were on, and she could see people inside.

She pulled up behind his car as a woman got out and went to her. "The man is in the building," she said as her voice shook. "He went after the other man."

Abigail started toward the fence, but a police officer stepped in front of her.

"You can't go in there," he said as he held up his hand. "The structure is unstable with this wind."

"My fiancée is in there." She reached for the gate, but the officer blocked her entrance.

Abigail looked past him to where the firefighters lowered themselves into the building. Pain ripped through her chest when she saw three forms near where the firefighters moved to. Clearly, she knew they were Mrs. Winters, Jeffery, and Justice.

The officer moved in front of her and grabbed her arms. She looked into his eyes as the blackness took over, and her knees buckled, taking her and the officer to the ground.