"At least it's stopped snowing." Sadie murmured to herself as she glanced upwards to the slate gray sky. Pulling her coat more tightly about herself, she returned her gaze to the cobbles and bits of snow here and there. She watched where she was walking. The snow and ice made the walking a little perilous in places; but she managed. She was in no particular hurry, yet she didn't lolly-gag either. There was a point to this little excursion, after all.

It was Christmas Eve and before Sadie settled into the merriment of celebrating with the Deli crew, and Mat, of course, she had another old friend to visit. This was her third visit to this old friend. She couldn't garner the strength needed to visit more often than that. As she walked, memories flashed through her head. Was it that long ago? Four years, since she'd spent Christmas in the presence of the little fireball that had become her best friend, and the only sister she'd ever known.

As Sadie rounded the corner and the tall gates of the Fraternity house appeared, she sighed softly. They hung ajar, neglected, forgotten, overgrown with vines. She couldn't recall how long it'd been since the brothers went their seperate ways. Her already heavy heart thumped dully as pain constricted her throat. "No." She shook her head and brought her icy hand to her throat to massage it. No, she wasn't going to cry.

Slipping through the gates, her feet crunched softly along the gravel path that ran parallel to the long arching road that lead to the main house. At one time, every light in the house would be burning and the sounds of the brothers celebrating Christmas would have been heard. But now, the windows remained darkened and silent. She thought about the many friends that she had met in that house and a wan smile appeared on her face. Sadie couldn't help but wonder how they were doing; if they were all well. She hoped so.

Skirting around the dark house, towards the back and the gardens, Sadie walked in that slow, mechanical pace of a person lost in memory. She remembered the parties, the brothers always so inviting and happy to have one more join in on the fun. She shook her head and brought her hand up to her face. An errant tear was wiped from her cheek. She wasn't sure when she'd started to cry. A shrug of her shoulders, once begun, half done. Why that axiom came to mind, she hadn't a clue. Then, with a startled laugh, she realized it was something Rosie used to say to her quite often. "Once begun, half done."

And that was why Sadie was here, on the grounds, in the first place. She'd come to wish Rosie a Merry Christmas and to talk to her about the Deli and other goings on. She wanted to introduce Mat, even if it were just a mental image projected from one friend to another. Sadie held no magical abilities and did not fool herself into thinking that Rosie could actually see or hear her. But to lay her hand on that stone and to talk to the wnid did have a way of consoling the soul. And Sadie's soul was sore and in need of that comfort.

The path turned sharply and Sadie found herself staring down at the large, blue hole in the ground that had served as the main swimming pool. The area around it set with flagstones, it had been the center of many a party during the warm, hazy summers. If she closed her eyes, she could see the brothers racing about, throwing each other into the pool. Games of water polo and Marco Polo. How many times had she been thrown in by the likes of Dirk and Julian? With a shake of her head, her eyes opened to reality.

The pool had been drained when the last of the brothers finally left the house. The groundskeeper had stayed on until his untimely death. After that, the grounds had settled into a sad, slow ruin of the neglected. Dirt ringed ice in the bottom of the pool. The plants and shrubs grown up and untamed, now. Small trees, scrub oak from the look of them, sprouted up between the flags. It was a sad sight. Sadie turned to leave.

She walked a bit further, in silent reverie. The path through the gardens was becoming over grown with vines and thick roots from trees. Carefully, she stepped over the roots and avoided the barren vines that waved gently in the soft, frigid breeze. It was like they were beckoning, welcoming the only human contact that they'd had in a year's time. She paused for a moment and gazed longingly at a bench next to the road. Her eyes closed and she could see two blond heads, small and bobbing up and down as they ran down the path. What had happened to those boys, she wondered. Jake and George, the twins that had come to live in the house by ways of their own precocious natures. The older men had adopted them as nephews. They'd be around twelve now, nearly teenagers.

Her eyes opened as the memory of another little boy, one much closer to her heart, appeared. Daniel. She had helped to care for her best friend's only son. How was he doing? How was his father? Sadie didn't know. They'd lost touch when she became owner of the Deli and too busy to keep in contact with the people from her past. A slow smile creased her cheeks. She was sure they were doing well. They were good people and life had a way of working out for the good people.

Finally she came to the stone and the rose bushes that surrounded it. It was a startling relief that the rose bushes were blooming, bright and beautiful. The broad leaves, still a deep, lush green. A testament to the windower's magic and the depth of love that he had for his befallen wife. The beautiful tribute an alive and breathing core around a winter's sleeping garden around it. Slowly, Sadie approached the stone and lay a soft hand upon the darkness. Her fingers splayed, a sharp contrast of white fingers against the black stone.

"Rosie." She spoke quietly and just the single word. So much she wanted to say, the thoughts whirled in her mind and made her dizzy. Her eyes closed once again and she sank to her knees in the soft ground before the stone. Of course, she knew that Rosie wasn't actually there. Dean had her cremated and kept the ashes. She idly wondered if he still wore the rose petal shaped pendant. She couldn't blame him if he hadn't. LIfe goes on for the living. It was a fact of life.

Her fingers trailed along the etchings in the stone. They were soft, rounded and worn now. "Rosie," she began. "It's been nearly two and a half years since I've seen you." Tears clouded her vision and she struggled for the words. "I've missed you, so much. I've been doing my best, the Deli's doing well. Dirk's come back to help. There was a storm and the city was ravaged. But the Deli wasn't hurt too badly. And now we've got two pastry chefs and..." She continued on, talking of the Deli's daily business was keeping the tears at bay. She was talking business, and that kept her aching heart out of it.

The one sided conversation turned towards more personal matters. "I've met somebody, Rosie. You know me, I pushed him away. But each time I did, he came back. His name is Matthew, not the guard from the Fraternity. He's the delivery guy. And he's so funny, Rosie. I really think you'd like him. Persistant, stubborn and it's so nice to be held. He's been so wonderful, Rosie." An image of Mat's face appeared behind her closed lids and she sighed with a small smile. "I think I'm falling in love, Rosie. And it's frightening. I don't know what to do, but it feels natural to be with him."

There was a crunching in the gravel behind Sadie and she turned with a startled gasp. Her hand to her throat, the other quickly drying her face. She had to crane her head to look up into the face of the person who had walked up. A relieved sigh heaved her shoulders when she recognized Dirk's face. They exchanged grim smiles as he walked up to the other side of the stone from Sadie. They didn't exchange words, and Sadie bowed her head once again to continue her one sided conversation, albeit silently.

Dirk watched Sadie for a short while, before he began his own silent conversation with the deceased friend. He took a lean against the dark stone and ran a hand through his blond hair, grown to his shoulders. They sat in a silent companionship for nearly an hour before two more sets of footsteps could be heard coming up the path. Slowly, as if summoned, more and more of the brothers that knew Rosie, came to visit. Soon, there was a small semi circle of men standing before the stone. In odd triplets and duos, they stood. Hands upon shoulders and heads bowed in that way only mourners can perfect.

It was Julian, of course, that broke the silence and tension with a high pitched giggle. A memory of Rosie helping at a Halloween party had illicited the small laugh. But it was enough. The brothers began smiling and laughing amongst themselves quietly. With promises of keeping in contact, phone numbers exchanged, the brothers soon left Sadie and Dirk all alone, once again.

Dirk had a cigarette in his mouth now, his cheeks sinking in with each inhalation, his nose flaring as the smoke billowed out of it. He held out a hand to Sadie and she smiled as she took it. "Let's go." Rising to her feet, Sadie dusted off her knees. Then, with her hand in the crook of Dirk's elbow, they slowly made their way out of the gardens. The dark heads and body shapes of the other brothers disappearing into the mist ahead of them.

Sadie sagged against Dirk as they passed through the gates. "Merry Christmas, Dirk." She murmured softly, then straightened herself. Her shoulders squared and her spine stiffened. Her yearly pilgrammage was over, the only time of the year she allowed herself the indulgence of mourning her friend was over. "But we've got work to do tonight. So be at the inn, in uniform tonight. Make sure you bring Jacent." She grinned with a wink as she parted ways. It was time to get back to work.