"BILLY:" "God, they say that You are Love." "( voice echoes )" "If that's true," "I sure could use a little of You right now." "MAIRE:" "I know I've had my doubts, but right now, I am so confused." "If You are out there, I really need to know." "BILLY:" "I just don't know what to do anymore." "BOTH:" "I don't know how to reach her/him." "MAIRE:" "If You could just send a little sign." "Something." "Anything that will give him the strength to let go." "BILLY: to hold on." "( straining )" "Oh, come... ( straining )" "BILLY:" "I could pretend that I'm some sort of expert, but why?" "I mean, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I just spent the last nine years in a marriage, and never once knew what I was doing." "I hope your homeowners' is paid up there, Billy." "( chuckles ) Hey, George." "Glory!" "How many lights you got on the old casa?" "Well, I tell you." "However many it takes." "( laughs )" "Wait till you see what I'm getting ready to do with this evergreen tree right here." "Yeah?" "What do you got for me today?" "Oh, I got two for you today, Billy." "One's a Christmas card, and the other one's from a Haggerty and Kaufman." "Haggerty and Kaufman?" "Yep." "Billy!" "Careful!" "Geez, that was something!" "You okay, Billy?" "Huh?" "Are you sure?" "That was a heck of a fall." "Yep." "I'll be off then." "Here's hoping your day gets better." "Attaboy." "BILLY:" "The divorce papers that George delivered that morning made me feel like I'd been hit by a truck, which reminds me of an old truism." "Nobody ever gets into a car thinking they're gonna crash." "I guess the same can be said about marriage." "It's like I always knew disaster could strike, but I always thought it would happen to the other guy." "Then I realized, to all the other people in the world," "I am the other guy, and it was my turn to crash." "♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪" "♪ Fa la la la la la la la ♪" "♪ 'Tis the season to be jolly ♪" "♪ Fa la la la la la la la ♪" "♪ Don we now our gay apparel ♪" "BILLY:" "Look at 'em." "Clueless fools." "Don't they know what they're getting into?" "I mean, sure, we've all heard the vows, but do we really get the meaning?" "Can I help you?" "For richer..." "MAN:" "Spare change?" "For poorer." "In sickness..." "And in health." "Till death do us part." "But what happens to all those promises, hm?" "Are they just words?" "Empty amulets of hope against a false reality?" "You ask me, Harry Nilsson said it best in a song." ""You're breaking my heart, you're tearing it apart, so forget you."" "And I cleaned that last part up." "MAIRE:" "First of all, you should know that I agree with almost everything Billy has said." "Once upon a time," "Billy Taylor was my best friend, my lover, and my business partner." "We were good." "No, we were great together." "But then, somehow, everything started to change." "Slowly but surely, we started to change." " What's this?" " A better number." "I can tell you weren't too impressed with our last offer." "You're definitely getting warmer." "But I'll need to talk to Billy about this." "Why am I suddenly worried that you're not too sure about selling?" "I'm sure." "Billy isn't." "In fact, he's actually downstairs right now, so maybe we can pick this up on Monday." "Basically, Miss Reed, we started Poet's Walk with one purpose in mind." "That was to remember that special occasion even if you don't." " Or can't." " Exactly." "And you know how a will or a trust has an executor?" "Well, we are the executors of well wishes." "You mind if I ask why Billy doesn't wanna sell?" "I mean, what if he says no?" "Oh, he won't." "Don't get me wrong, Billy's my partner, and I want his blessing, but I started Poet's Walk 11 years ago." "Well, here's my cell in case you need to talk." "Letting go isn't easy." "How did you know Billy and I are breaking up?" "Uh, at the, um, risk of looking completely insensitive," "I didn't." "I thought we were still talking about the company." "( chuckles ruefully ) We were... until we weren't." "Sorry." "Life has been kind of a cluster lately." "It's all starting to blend together." "While we're on the subject, I've been through that, too." "So my offer to talk still stands." "Billy." " Oh, hey." " Sean." "Sorry." "I thought he was here to run an audit, not a marathon." "You can be such a charmer sometimes." "Really?" "I was going for rude." "I'll try harder next time." "Seriously, what is he still doing here?" "You know why he's here." "And you're still listening?" "He just upped the offer." "A lot." "Fine." "Tell him to up it again." "Here you go." "That's our life." "Your call." "Wow!" "That was very easy for you, huh?" "But then again, I guess you already know what it says, huh?" "You don't have to be so mean, you know." "This is not what I want." "I don't want this." "I don't want a divorce." "I want you." "Billy, please." "We've been over this a thousand times." "Well, let's go over it a thousand and one." "We have become two completely different people." "Maire, we've always been different." "That was one of the things I loved about our relationship." "You love the fact that we're nothing alike anymore?" "No." "I love the fact that our differences didn't matter." "I loved that we loved who we are." "Right now, there's this massive irritating factor." " Everything that I do gets under your skin." " And everything I do is wrong." "Like dismantling the company." "Our marriage." "You're right." "You're wrong." "Look me in the eye." "Hey." "Look me in the eye, and tell me honestly that we don't make awesome partners." "I'll sign it right now." "We do make awesome partners." "But that's the problem, not the solution." "If we're not talking about business, we have nothing to talk about anymore." "Who's talking about business?" "Maybe I'm talking about the carnal definition of awesome." "Why does it always have to come down to the lowest common denominator with you?" "I'm sorry." "Was calling you an awesome lover insensitive of me?" "Billy Taylor, you are the most..." "Irritating?" "Irritating?" "Irritating?" "Irritating?" "Stop." "Stop!" "( sighs )" "I am not in the mood." "See, now I'm confused, because if we're still talking about the lowest common denominator, and you're not in the mood, I'm all too familiar..." " You gonna throw that at me?" " Don't tempt me." "Are you gonna seriously throw that at me?" "You know what?" "Go ahead, babe." "I dare you." "Fire away." "Me and you both know you couldn't hit the broad side..." " ( groans )" " Ooh." " Oh, God." "Are you okay?" "Billy?" "Sorry." "I forgot my notepad." " Just..." " Get outta here, man!" "SEAN:" "Have a nice weekend." "I am so sorry." "I didn't know I was actually gonna hit you... there." "Where's the pen?" "I could use some caffeine." "You?" "No, thank you." "( gasps ) I can't believe you just did that." "The papers blew out..." "You tossed the papers out the window." " I was sitting there..." " How utterly typical." "I didn't do anything." " Very mature." " What is this window open for?" "Billy, don't just stand there." "Get down there and get them!" "Hey, mister." "Uh..." "Sweeper guy." "Stop." "No, no, no." "No!" "Oh!" "( whistling )" "MAN ON RADIO:" "A storm is on the way, folks." "Don't get your hopes up, but we may have a white Christmas." "( radio turns off )" "( doorbell rings )" "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." "( sighs )" "( "Jingle Bells" playing )" "Billy." "Hello?" "( scoffs )" "Anybody home?" "Billy." "( music continues playing loudly )" "( laughs )" " What are ya doin'?" "Sorry." "The door." "( turns music off )" "Billy, what is going on with you?" "This place is a pig sty." "I don't know, Maire." "Maybe my give-a-damn switch broke when you moved out." "Well, get it fixed." "It's gross." "( sighs ) What are you looking for anyway?" "I'm looking for a pair of clean underwear." "Okay?" "I know there's one around here somewhere." "I'll wait downstairs." " Hey." " Hey." "This is a nice surprise." " What's goin' on?" " Is this me?" "Nope." "I just kinda made her up." "She's great though, isn't she?" "I just assumed you sketched her from a picture of me when I was a little girl." "Maybe." "Subconsciously." "You've always been my muse." "We should turn her into a Mother's Day card." "Or a Father's Day card." "( sighs ) What's goin' on?" "Uh..." "I, um... brought over another copy of the divorce agreement." "Hey." "Are you absolutely certain you wanna do this?" "I think we're forgetting what Dr. Sheila said in therapy." "It's perfectly natural for us to still be attracted to each other." "( whistling )" "( whistling grows louder )" "I'll get it." "I'm not moving until it's signed." "( whistling continues )" "There you go." "Now you can be responsible for ruining our lives with a swipe of your pen." "I'm not about to ruin anything." "( whistling stops )" "I believe Dr. Sheila made a lot of sense when she said sometimes, in order to save a relationship, you have to end it." "I know, and I agreed." "That's why I ended the relationship with Dr. Sheila." "All right?" "You..." "Funny." "No!" "What... ( chuckles )" "Come on, Maire." "If that's not a sign, I don't know what is." "GIRL:" "Do we have any almond silk?" "I'm hopelessly lactose intolerant." "Why is my T-shirt wearing a little girl?" "Um, excuse me, little girl." "What are you doing here?" "( doorbell rings )" "If that's for me, I'm not here." "Neighbor kid?" "Somebody get that, will ya?" "Hello?" "Sh." "I'm not here, remember?" "( doorbell rings )" "Who ya hidin' from?" "No one, but if a seven-foot man brandishing a flaming sword is at the door, play dumb." "Oh, my." "( doorbell rings )" " Maire!" " Remember now." "Ix-nay on the ittle irl-gay." "It's the UPS guy." "Maire?" "Don't you just love Amazon?" " Young lady." " Hm?" "Where do you think you're going?" "To put some clothes on, silly." "My little booty is freezing." "Um..." "( knocking on door )" " Hi." " Mr. Taylor?" "Yes, sir." "I'm Officer Evans." "This is..." "Pamela Burke, Child Protective Services." "Nice to meet you guys." "Thank you so much for coming." " Please come in." " Thanks." "Right in here." "This should be interesting." " What color should we do the shoes?" " Mmm." " She said her name was Taylor." " Red." "Hello, Taylor." "I'm Chuck Evans, and this is my friend Pamela." "How about the hair?" "Mmm, yellow." "Yellow, it is." "Blondes have more fun." "Hi, Taylor." "Oh, no." "This is Taylor." "Oh." "I see." "What do you think?" "I think this is way off my jurisdiction." "I don't..." "I don't understand." "What do you mean?" "Mr. Taylor, Child Protective Services protects children." "We were told the subject in question was much, much younger." "I'm not a professional, I've never had any kids." "It might be hard for me to judge." "But she looks like she's around eight years old." "Well, I am a professional, and you can take it from me, that isn't what eight looks like." "You say she just showed up." "Yeah." "Out of the blue." "She came in the kitchen, she opened the fridge, she was looking for food." "She was wearing my T-shirt." "Why was she wearing your T-shirt?" "I don't know." "Maybe to keep from running around naked." "So you wanna just cut to the chase?" " You wanna press charges?" " Why?" " Trespassing." " Absolutely not." "This poor little thing's..." "I'm just trying to get her home." "Okay." "( clears throat )" "How'd you like to go for a ride with me, young lady?" "Look, I keep trying to tell you." "This isn't about me." "It's about this little girl." "I've seen what I needed to see." "All right, come on, Taylor." "We're gonna go for a nice little ride." " Hey!" " Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Taylor." "What the..." "Hey, get me out of these cuffs." "What are you doing?" "Get me out of these cuffs!" " Burke, go get back-up." " No, no, no, no." " Burke, you don't need to go for back-up." " Burke, get over here!" " Get these off me." " Yes, sir." "Get me out of these cuffs right now." " Where's the keys?" "Where's the keys?" " On my left." "On my left." "Left pocket." "Left pocket!" "Man, left!" "My left!" "Right here!" "Now!" "Outside pocket." "Get it, get it, get it." "BILLY:" "One moment." "False reporting, and obstructing a police office in the course of his duties." "Any questions?" "I wouldn't know where to begin." "Thank you." "Have a good evening, sir." "( laughter )" "Have you ever played bubbles like that?" " No." " Oh." "Oh, I'm Santa." "Here, Santa." "Your bubble hat." "( both giggling )" "Hi, Billy." "How's Officer Chuck doing?" "I tried to remind him it was Christmas, but he wasn't feeling very charitable." "Taylor asked if she could take a bath while we waited for you." "She said she's never had a bubble bath before." "I didn't know how bubbles would feel." "I didn't think they would tickle your nose." "Maire, can I speak with you for a minute?" "Um, first, take a look at this." "What do you think this is?" "Can we do that a little bit later?" "I would love to speak with you out in the hall, please." "Like now." "( sighs )" "Think we should take her to see a doctor?" "The question is, can the doctor see her?" "Billy, calm down." "Everything is gonna be okay." "It's gonna be okay, Maire?" "There... these..." "I feel like I'm waiting on an alarm clock to wake me up out of a..." "I don't know if it's a dream or a nightmare." "It's definitely a dream." "( giggles )" " BILLY:" "You realize what you just said." " What?" "Dreams." "They are very nice, but they can be very painful when they go away." "Are you telling me to wake up?" "I just don't want you to get hurt again." "I don't want anyone to get hurt." "Especially not her." "And just so you know, I pressed pretty hard for answers while you were outside." "And?" "I don't believe she's lost." "In fact, I think she knows exactly where she is." "Why not?" "What are you saying?" "This isn't random, Billy." "It's not an accident." "She insists she's in the right place." "But either she won't or she can't tell us why she's here." "Why?" "She said it's against the rules." "Whose rules?" "She won't say, but..." "look at her." "She acts as if being here is the most natural thing in the world." "Hey, Maire, you're talking about a girl who is or isn't there." "Okay?" "There is nothing natural about this, and why are we the only ones who can see her?" "I don't know." "Here's something I do know." "Until we figure this out, we are all in this together." "And the only thing we can do... is take care of her." "This doesn't sound like you." "What's that supposed to mean?" "You have always been the realist." "You're the pragmatic one." "♪ TAYLOR:" "Up on the house top, reindeer paws ♪" "♪ Out comes little Santa Claus ♪" "♪ Down through the chimney, lots of toys ♪" "♪ For all the little girls and boys ♪" "♪ Ho, ho, ho... ♪" "I don't know how or why yet, but you have to remember, what's happening is not real." "She's not real." "What do you say we trade these bubbles in for some warm jammies and a bedtime story?" "Sure." "Can you read a Christmas one?" "Of course." ""My time is nearly gone." "I will, said Scrooge."" "( locks window )" "BILLY:" "Yep." "There we go." "Taylor, what are you doing?" "I thought you were gonna help us make a snowman." "I think I'll just watch." "Okay." "Billy." "Can you give me a hand?" "We're gonna have to build Frosty without Taylor." " Count of three." " All right." "One, two, three." "( both straining and grunting )" "♪ Frosty the snowman ♪" "♪ Was a jolly, happy soul ♪" "♪ With his corncob pipe and a button nose ♪" "♪ And two eyes made out of coal ♪" "♪ Frosty the snowman ♪" "♪ Is a fairy tale, they say ♪" "♪ He was made of snow but the children know ♪" "♪ How he came to life one day ♪" " ( cell phone rings )" " I gotta take this call." "♪ There must've been some magic... ♪" "Hi." "No, no, no." "Whatever you do, don't let Maddie touch it." "♪ When they placed it on his head ♪" "♪ He began to dance around ♪" " Can I help with the lights?" " You sure can." "♪ Oh, Frosty the snowman ♪" "♪ Was alive as he could be ♪" "♪ And the children say he could laugh and play ♪" "♪ Just the same as you and me ♪" "♪ Frosty the snowman ♪" "♪ The sun was hot that day ♪" "Looky, guys, isn't it pretty?" "It's fine." "♪ ...before I melt away ♪" "MAIRE:" "Taylor." "Oh, no." " No!" " Hey!" "No, Taylor!" "( gasps )" "Billy." " Sweetheart." " BILLY:" "Hey." "( mutters )" "Get down here now." "MAIRE:" "Taylor!" "She's upstairs." "Taylor!" " Taylor." " Taylor?" "Where are you, honey?" "Taylor!" "BILLY:" "Taylor?" "Taylor?" "Why are you hiding, honey?" "You're mad at me." "No." "We're not mad." "We just, um..." "Well, we were..." "We don't understand how you were..." "I'm so sorry." "Taylor." "Is this why no one else can see you but us?" "Hm?" "Are you... are you an angel?" "I should've told you guys, but I was afraid you'd send me away." "Please don't be mad." "Why would we be angry with you?" "Because I ran away." "From heaven." "Why did you run away?" "Because I wanted to..." "I wanted to see what it would be like to have real parents." "In that case, can I tell you a little secret?" "We always wondered what it would be like to have a little girl." "Really?" "Yes." "So you've made us very happy by coming to live with us." "You're not gonna send me away?" "No." "We'd never send you away." "Well, in that case, would it be okay if..." "Go on." "Would it be okay if I call you Mommy and Daddy?" "Oh, yes." "Mommy and Daddy would be wonderful." "( squeals happily )" "( crying )" "Is Mommy okay?" "Yeah, she's gonna be fine." "I'll be right back." "( Maire sobbing )" "You okay?" "( crying )" "Look at me." "I'm shaking." "I've been so angry for so long," "I've forgotten what it's like to believe in miracles." "And now you have one." "But, Maire, what's next?" "I honestly don't know." "But she did say she wanted to live with us, right?" "I'm not trying to upset you, okay, but there is a reason why she's been hiding." "If she's a runaway..." "Someone will be looking for her." "I think she's in big trouble." "Then we can't take any chances." "We are not letting her out of our sight." "♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪" "TAYLOR:" "Mommy." "MAIRE:" "You have no idea how much I love hearing that." "TAYLOR:" "I love saying it, too." "But I don't understand something." "Why do we have to go to work again?" "Well, don't people have to work in heaven?" "Sure, they do." "But mostly, they just work on being better souls." "We're supposed to work on that, too." "But unfortunately, most people have to work for money down here." "Why is money so important?" "Because that's how we pay for things." "What kinds of things?" "Mmm..." "Christmas presents." "You better step on it then." "We don't wanna be late." "Oh, Sean." "They're beautiful." "But you shouldn't have." "Yes, I should." "It's my way of saying thank you for all the patience you've had with me and answering all my questions." "Oh, brother." "What a butt kisser." "Uh, ahem." "( chuckles )" "Let's you and I sit on the couch." "Why don't you take my desk?" "I'm gonna be in the store most of the day." "Oh, okay." "So this is Sean." "Huh." "He crossed your mind several times this weekend." "I'm kinda wondering what makes him so special." "Check out the starch on his collar." "You could cut fruit on that edge." "Bet he even starches his undies." "And Mom, I hate to tell you this, but he's actually wearing whitey tighties." "( giggles )" "Something funny?" "Uh, no." "Computer." "Mom, do you ever wish you didn't have a conscience?" "What are you talking about?" "I'm trying to say that there are two sides to every coin." "He never lies, he honors his mother and father, donates a lot of time at the Boys and Girls Clubs, and supports two charities." "But... just because he rides his bike to work, and rescued his dog from a shelter, doesn't mean he's perfect." " Mom." " Mm-hmm." "Are we done with work yet?" "I think I just gave myself a sick headache." "( whispers ) I got this." "Here's that quarterly report you asked for." "Oh." "Is there anything else you'll be needing?" "No." "I think this should be it." "Okay." "In that case, I'm outta here." "You're not leaving, are you?" "I was planning to buy you lunch." "You know, I'm suddenly not feeling well, and I don't wanna get you sick." "Don't worry about me." "I never get sick." "You can never be too careful." "He's so perfect, even germs avoid him." ""Dude, buy some boxers."" "Daddy, we're home!" "BILLY:" "I'm up here." "And guess what." "You were right about Mom's work." "What about Mom's work?" "Daddy said all I had to do if I wanted to go Christmas shopping today is be really obnoxious when we got to work." "Oh, really?" "You two are in trouble." "I'm gonna get you!" "Daddy, help." "Yeah, you better run." "Daddy!" "I'm gonna get you." "I'm gonna get your dad, too." "What do you think?" "Wow!" "Oh, Billy." "It's beautiful." "( mock groaning )" "Is it really for me?" "I get to have a room of my very own?" " Your very own." " ( squeals )" "Whoa!" "( laughs )" "TAYLOR:" "What's down here?" "I'll tell you what's down here." "Christmas ornaments." "Boxes and boxes." "Wait until you see this." "( taps box )" " ( Billy gasps )" " TAYLOR:" "Wow!" "There must be hundreds." "And hundreds." "I tell you, what we used to do is pick out the ones we like certain ones, and put them on the tree, but I'm thinking, since this is a special Christmas, maybe we'll try and hang each and every one of 'em." "And when I get home tonight, maybe we can trim the tree together." "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever." "( chuckling )" "Be good." "You, too." "All right, so, what do we have to do?" "We have to take these upstairs, and dust 'em off, and then we'll hang 'em on the tree." "Come on!" "Hello?" "Is somebody down here?" "Let me know when we're back online." "Yeah." "There you are." "You've been gone a while." "Everything okay?" "Everything's fine." "We're just..." "our server's down." "Nothing we can't handle." "Is there something you need?" "Yeah, but I, uh," "I don't know if I should ask now." "You seem a little preoccupied." "Okay, um, these returns you gave me, they're from 2008." "I don't think you want me to re-evaluate the business based on these numbers." "You'd owe me money." "Yeah." "I'm sorry." "I guess I am a little preoccupied." "For what it's worth, I feel for you guys." "Breaking up isn't easy." "How long have you been married?" "Nine years." "Jen and I made it four." "What happened?" "Three tours of duty were hard on us." "After I left the army, I was determined to build my business." "I was on the road a lot." "Jen was wrapped up in her own career." "Kids?" "No." "No, thank goodness." "She went her way, I went mine." "It was a clean break." "No baggage." ""Up Scrooge went, not caring a button for that." "Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it."" "Mommy's home." "Hey, kiddo." "Come lay down." "Read with us." "Okay." "Actually, we'll be through in a minute." ""But before he shut his heavy door, he walked through his rooms to see that all was right."" "See." "Come on, Mommy." "Lay down by me." "If you insist." "Actually, you can finish." " Billy, stay." " Yeah, Daddy." "Stay." "I got a lot of work to do, sweetie, that I should've started two hours ago when your mom was supposed to be home." "So good night." "Night." "Okay." "( clears throat )" "Where are we?" "That grouchy old Scrooge is about to be toast." "The first ghost is coming." "All right." ""He had just enough collection on the face..."" "Taylor said she had a fun time dusting off the old ornaments today." "She also told me the rules for decorating." "She said the number-one rule is you have to put all the ornaments on the tree facing out." "Since they've been in a box all year, the least you can do is give them a nice view." "( laughs )" "Otherwise, they become ornery-ments." "Get it?" "Yeah." "Actually, I think the number-one rule should be don't keep a little girl waiting when she wants to decorate a Christmas tree." "I'm sorry." "I've been putting out fires all day." "Oh, really?" "Let me take a wild guess." "I bet old Sean Miller was there to save the day, huh?" " ( slams down mug )" " I said I was sorry, but I didn't do anything wrong, so don't go there with me." "I hardly think I owe you an explanation." "I don't really think I'm asking for one, Maire." "Okay?" "I now know where I stand." "All I'm saying is, next time, maybe you wanna think about Taylor." "Don't you think I wanted to get home to her?" "Why do you think I'm still..." "What?" "( scoffs )" "You don't have to stop, sweetie." "You can finish." "Why do I think you're still here?" "Look... even though you've been sleeping on the couch for a week, I thought things were changing for the better." "We haven't even used the word divorce in almost a week." "I was hoping that Taylor would be more than a distraction, but now I can see that I'm just fooling myself." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It's supposed to mean that... you're right, I don't think things are gonna work out." "Fine." "Fine." "I know you're not very happy with me right now, but I only ran away because they started talking about a divorce, and nobody loving anybody anymore." "I just had to do something." "As you can see," "I'm in a real pickle down here." "I sure would appreciate a little free advice." "Hi, sweetie." "Hi." "Everything okay?" "It seems a little chilly in here this morning." "Yes, but, um..." "I'm glad you're here." "There's something very important I need to talk to you about before I go to work." "Oh?" "It's about me and Dad." "Yes?" "( Christmas music playing on record player )" "That's so weird." "I've just gone completely blank." "I have no idea what I wanted to talk to you about." "I have this sinking feeling it was really important." "While you're working on the old memory banks," "I have something I wanted to talk to you about." "Okay." "Why do people say "fall" in love?" "I suppose people say fall in love because it's kind of a helpless feeling." "Why do you ask?" "I was wondering what made you fall in love with Daddy." "The first thing I noticed about your dad was... how handsome he was." "( "12 Days of Christmas" playing )" "He still is handsome, right?" "Yeah." "But he was always on his game." " His game?" " You know." "Cool." "And he was so polite." "I think he was the first guy I ever met who had perfect manners." "Most of all," "I admired his intelligence." "I thought he was really talented, too." "He was a very serious poet back then." "He always seemed to say the right thing." "And... ahem... he was very romantic." "( Billy belches loudly )" "( singing off-key ) ♪ Five golden rings ♪" "♪ Four calling birds, three French hens... ♪" "I don't know about you, but I'd say he hasn't lost a step." "( laughs )" "All right, you go play." "I have work to do." " Okay. - ( Billy continues singing )" "But can I just ask you one last question?" "Yes, you may." "Is it true that creative types tend to be a little over-sensitive and sentimental?" "( laughs ) Yes." "And you can add needy, temperamental, and stubborn to that list as well." "Yeah." "Artists are nothing like us thick-skinned, Uber-logical business types, are they, Mommy?" "I never thought about it like that." "But I suppose not." " Why?" " I was wondering." "When was the last time you told that sentimental fool in there what a great catch he used to be?" "You know, way back when." "Probably way too long." "Something tells me, as a thick-skinned," "Uber-logical type, you already knew that, didn't you?" "Thanks, Mommy." "Thank you." "( Billy passes gas loudly )" "Those creative types, such free spirits." "You're not exactly helping me, you know." "( knocking on door )" "BILLY:" "Come in." "Hi, Dad." "What you doing?" "Well, you said my stubble irritates you when I kiss you." "So I prefer kisses over stubble." "Does this mean that you're gonna clean up your act, too?" "Huh?" "Me and Mom were trying to remember what you looked like back when you were a serious rhymin' Simon, and a great catch." "Really?" "She said you used to be on your game, and you had style, too." "She told you..." "let me see that." "You tell her... that I still very much have game." " Right?" " Cha!" "Right?" "!" "Matter of fact, contrary to what your mom says, clothes do not make the man." "Yeah, but don't you think T-shirts without mustard stains might help?" "Possibly." "But I believe that it's all in the 'tude, baby." "And I am still a very dangerous man." "Does Mom have 'tude?" "Oh, your mom was the queen of 'tude." "I mean, she was..." " She was hot." " Hot?" "She really knew how to spice things up." "You mean she could cook?" "You might say that." "( chuckles )" "What happened?" "I don't know." "I guess she just got tired of cooking." "All right, let me have that." "You're gonna get me in so much trouble." "Come here." "All right." "Ready for the world." " Thanks for the shave." " You got it." "Hey." "No need to tell Mom about our conversation, hm?" "I think that went well, but don't forget to remind him that he could do better." "( growling )" "You can do better." "( owl hooting )" "BILLY:" "Hey." "You look really nice, Dad." "Thank you." "You smell good, too." "What's the occasion?" "It's no occasion." "I just felt like cleaning up." "Dress up a bit." "For some strange reason." "You look nice." " Guess what's for dinner." " What's for dinner?" "Stir-fry." "Stir-fry?" "!" "That's my fave!" "I didn't know you knew how to make stir-fry." "I didn't either." "I just felt like I should cook something spicy." "Dig in." "Mmm." " How is it?" " Oh, yeah." "Is it too hot?" "( coughs )" "( stammering )" "He likes it hot, don't you, Dad?" "( coughing )" " Have some more." " Okay." "Mmm!" "Oh, it's too hot." "No." "Are you kidding?" "I'm glad you like it." "I do." "A little burn is good." "He really likes it." "Is there more rice?" "( Billy singing ) ♪ It came upon 'a midnight clear ♪" "♪ That glorious song of old ♪" "♪ From angels bending near the Earth ♪" "♪ To touch their harps... ♪" "Daddy." "Yeah?" "I'm so glad I'm here." "Being with you and Mommy is just like I always dreamed it would be." "♪ Still through the cloven skies they come ♪" "♪ With peaceful wings unfurled ♪" "♪ And still their heavenly music floats ♪" "♪ All o'er the weary world ♪" "Hey." "Hey." "I, uh... have to admit." "Watching you two cuddle is the best Christmas present I've ever received." "I'll tell you something." "That little girl in there, she knows more about living in the moment than we do." "( laughs )" "Yeah." "Speaking of moments, you sure you're in the right one?" "Is that okay?" "Okay, you two, be good." " Have a good day." " Bye, Mama." "Bye, cutie." "Bye." "Out of the cold." "What?" "Did you forget something?" "Ooh!" "Didn't see that one coming." "( chuckling )" "All set?" "I should go." "What?" "Sorry, but... someone's waiting for me." "I thought we'd be finished by now." "You can't go now." "We're so close." "I'll tell you what." "Why don't we kill two birds with one stone?" "We can grab a bite and just go over the contract one last time." "You're right." "We should wrap this up before Christmas." "I just need to make a call." " It's done." " It's done?" "Let me see it." "Oh, no, you don't." "Let me see it!" "It's a surprise for both of you." "All right." "Can I wrap it before Mommy comes home?" "Mm-hmm." "Sure." "But I have a feeling, kid, that your mom's gonna be a little bit late tonight." "She's been working late a lot, huh?" "Yeah." "However, running your own business is a big responsibility." "What if we really surprised her and bring it to her office?" "I don't think..." "Okay, let's do it!" "Need some wrapping paper?" " Yeah." " Coming up." "In regard to deal points, there is one item we need to discuss." "Okay." "Creative control." "That's nice." "What about it?" "It states here corporate will have final edit on all art renderings and written copy." "Yeah, uh... that's pretty standard stuff." "I wouldn't worry about it." "But that's not what we talked about." "I can't ask Billy to subject his work to a copy editor." "I mean, his art is what has made Poet's Walk what it is today." "Why don't we just relax and have a glass of wine?" "We can discuss that later." "Okay." "Okay." "( both chuckling )" "To the future." "♪ I'll be home for Christmas ♪" "♪ You can count on me ♪" "♪ Please have snow ♪" "Dad." "♪ And mistletoe ♪" "♪ And presents... ♪" "Look, I'm hoping you'll consider a new offer." "Oh?" "When the deal is done," "I want us to get to know each other better." "Outside the office." "Daddy?" "What's the matter?" "♪ For Christmas ♪" "♪ If only in my dreams ♪" "Why is Sean holding Mommy's hand?" "Let's go, pumpkin." "We'll give Mommy the present later." " Hi, Mom." " Hey, kiddo." "Sorry I'm so late." "Where's Daddy?" "He went to bed." "But I waited up for you." "How about a story?" "I'd love to read to you." "Actually, I thought I'd tell you a story tonight." "Okay." "That sounds fun." "Once upon a time, the angels of heaven gathered to celebrate Christmas, and sing hymns of praise." "I love it already." "But while they were singing, a dark and mysterious stranger interrupted the song by strolling in through the Great Hall." "Uninvited." "And who was this dark stranger?" "Nobody would say his name, but he was allowed to walk freely amongst the angels." "He even greeted many of them by name." "What did he look like?" "They say he was one of the most beautiful angels anyone had ever seen." "As all the angels fell silent, he broke into a song of his own." "What song did he sing?" "Donatello wouldn't say." "Wait a minute." "Who's Donatello?" "Someone who looks out for me." "So anyway, when the stranger's song was finished, he was allowed to take anyone who wanted to go with him." "Did anyone go?" "Yes." "The stranger tempted many away." "And what was Donatello doing while all this was happening?" "He said it was painful to watch, because even as the angels who fell broke ranks, they knew they were making a terrible mistake." "Why didn't he try to stop them?" "Because he knows that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." "I guess the same could be true about a family." "Are you trying to tell me something, sweetheart?" "Just that we missed you tonight." "I am so sorry." "You and Daddy must be terribly mad at me." "And I deserve it." "No, not mad." "Worried." "Come here." "Out of the mouths of babes." "Morning." "Are you still talking to me?" "( chuckles ) Yeah." "Good morning to you." "I'd like a divorce, please." "Look, I don't know what you guys saw, but it wasn't what it looked like." "Mmm." "I'll make sense of that later." "Meanwhile, I thought you were gonna have your junkyard dog of a lawyer send over another agreement." " Well, I..." " 'Cause trust me, Maire, third time's the charm." "( sighs )" "Okay." "I admit it." "He hit on me." "And you responded." "I..." "I should've moved my hand quicker." "I..." "I just got so flustered." "I'm sorry." "Yeah." "You are." "Fine." "Fine." "( Maire and Billy arguing indistinctly )" "I'm ready." "You won't need earthly souvenirs where we're going, little one." "( arguing continues )" "( sobbing )" "Now, now." "We must hold fast." "God's plans are revealed in His own good time, not ours." "Taylor would never leave me." "Taylor!" "Taylor?" "Taylor." "Taylor." "Taylor." "( crying ) Taylor, where are you?" "( crying continues )" "She's gone." "Of course she is." "We let her down." "( sobbing )" " Donatello?" " Yes, little one." "I don't think I'm gonna be very good at this." "Oh?" "I felt them slipping away, so I cheated." "Cheating is such a harsh way to look at it." "Why don't we just tell the Boss you improvised?" "You knew?" "Who do you think pushed the box into plain view when you were in the basement?" "But that means you broke the rules, too." "( chuckles )" "When they see the present, they'll figure it out." "They'll know who I am." "What were you really trying to accomplish?" "I wanted to help 'em love again." "That is very noble." "Then why didn't it work?" "( whispering )" "Surprise." "I thought you were on a plane." "I felt bad about the other night, and, um, I just wanted to apologize in person." "I didn't mean to push." "No apology necessary." "So we still have a deal?" "Uh... actually, I've decided to think about it over the holiday." "What's there to think about?" "To be honest, there's a number of things that aren't sitting well with me." " Such as?" " Billy." "Say no more." "I didn't take it personally, and I understand why you turned me down." "I'm also willing to wait until Billy's completely out of the picture." "Page 15, section 34, paragraph one, artistic control." "We discussed this." "It's standard procedure." "And I told you," "I won't subject Billy's work to a copy editor." "Billy is creative." "I'll give you that much." "But as an illustrator, he is way too rough around the edges." "We both know it." "I couldn't disagree with you more." "I have seen his artwork come to life, literally." "This company, it can and it will do better without him." "You've been planning to dump him all along." "I wouldn't worry about your ex." "He's about to be very well-compensated." "More than he deserves, if you ask me." "Artistic control is a deal breaker." "Nobody will give Billy artistic control ever." "I have." "And I always will." "Okay." "Now I understand what this is about." "It's not business." "You're still in love with Billy." "( intercom buzzes )" "Maire?" "Yes." "I've got a special "D" for you." "Just sign for it." "Can't." "It's certified." "Um, I'll be right down." ""Tara."" "I'm Maire Taylor." "Sign here, please." "Thank you." "And Merry Christmas." "You, too." "How cute." "Who sent it?" "Looks like a kid wrapped it." "Donatello." "( phone ringing )" "Billy." "Maire." "Can you come home?" "Yeah." "It should've been so obvious." " What?" " Come with me." "We had an eight-year-old angel." "That's how long it's been, Maire." "Her name really was Taylor." "But her first name was Tara." "It's our Tara, from our miscarriage." "I know why she came." "Her little brother needs to be born." "What?" "I think he's already on his way." " Really?" " Yeah." "♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪" "♪ With the kids jingle belling ♪" "♪ And everyone telling you be of good cheer ♪" "♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪" "Say Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Hi." "Hi." "Can you look at the camera?" "There we go." "Oh, sweetheart." "There you go." "Hey." "Oh." "Merry Christmas." "Say Happy Taylor Christmas." "To a first Taylor Christmas." "( laughing )" "( whimpering )" "What's wrong?" "Oh, poopie, that's what's wrong." "We got a poopie!" "Here you go, Daddy." "You wanna change the poopie?" "( muttering )" "Okay, here we go." "♪ There'll be mistletoe-ing and hearts will be glowing ♪" "♪ When loved ones are near ♪" "♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪" "BILLY:" "Merry Christmas, Tara." "We love you."