“Alice?” Lara’s voice penetrated Alice’s self-loathing enough to cause the blonde to look up.

“Hey Lara! Come join my Missing-Dana-Pity-Party!” Alice replied cheerily patting the couch next to her.

“Um… okay.” Lara relented, eyeing Alice oddly. “So, she broke up with you, too?”

“Yup!” Alice replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

“How much have you had to drink?” Lara asked.

“6 cups of coffee… why?” Alice replied, again taking a sip, which was more like a gigantic gulp, of coffee.

“Spiked with what?” Lara continued her interrogation with a laugh at Alice’s expense.

“Bailey’s. It’s really creamy.” Alice grinned, waggling her eyebrows.

“Okay,” Lara leaned forward, prying the coffee cup out of Alice’s hands. “Enough for you.”

“But…” Alice attempted to argue, but Lara cut her off with a stern command.

“Enough.”

“Fine.”

“Alice!”

“What?” Alice asked, glancing at Lara with confusion.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Alice!”

The journalist turned around to see Dana standing behind her, hands placed sternly on her hips.

“There you are. It’s time for you to come with me.” Dana turned to her read-headed ex, “Thanks for calling me, Lara. I appreciate it.”

“Wait, you mean…” Alice asked, glancing around, still dazed and confused.

“I saw you popping pills, Alice. And that with coffee and liquor? You could seriously hurt yourself.” Lara shook her head. “I don’t want that.”

Dana started to drag Alice toward the door.

“Where are we going?” She queried, still glancing around the room.

“Somewhere where you can get some help.”

“So, why aren’t you with your family?” Jenny asked, placing the ornament’s hook on a tree branch.

“I don’t know.” Carmen replied, shrugging, “I guess I couldn’t stand to see them. Not after my mother… Well, she was a jerk.”

“Oh, no. Not a jerk!” Jenny mocked, giggling.

“Shut up. It’s a lot for me to insult my mother. It’s against the ten commandments.” Carmen added warily.

“Oh, no. God will smite thee!” Jenny continued poking fun at Carmen, still giggling.

“Yeah, I know it sounds stupid.” Carmen said, sighing. “But it’s how I was raised.”

“I know what you mean.” Jenny said, smiling encouragingly and reaching into a stocking she had placed on the ground. “Candy cane?”

“No, thank you.” Carmen laughed.

“Come on, it’ll match the Santa hat. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be in good cheer?” Jenny replied, still grinning. “I mean, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?”

“I guess.” Carmen relented, grabbing the candy cane and placing it in her mouth. “Ho fucking ho.”

Shane glanced around the street. She couldn’t believe she’d let him leave. She couldn’t believe she was still here. A couple walked by, mumbling to each other as they headed probably toward an apartment so they could be alone together, like she should be with Carmen. It was Christmas Eve, for Christ’s Sake! And here she was, sitting on a snow-covered bench outside of her hotel room, wondering why she’d let her father leave, why she cared that he left, why he needed to have that god damn picture.

One week ago

Shane slammed the door as she walked into the hotel room. She walked right up to his suitcase and flung it across the room, letting her anger run wild.

“This is for Carmen!” She yelled, kicking it so hard it flipped several times before landing on its side, letting its contents spill out onto the floor. She turned to go to sleep when she noticed something on the ground amongst the clothes and several packets of white powder. She kneeled down and picked it up, it was a small photo of a man holding a child in his arms. She recognized the man in the photo right away. It was her dad, but he was young. Too young for the child to be Shay. She flipped the card over and read the scribbled writing on the back. December 29th, 1979. Her birthday.

“Oh, Christ.” Shane muttered, standing up and pulling on her coat and hastily shoving the picture into her pocket. “I have to find him.”