Third Watch, 12 Days of Christmas 2004: Day 6: Grownup Christmas List (1/1)
Title: The 12 Days of Christmas, 2004. Story 6: Up on the Rooftop
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com and faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Spoilers: Some season five stuff.
Category: Friendship Fluff/Comedy/Angst
Rating: PG
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Faith stared out the passenger window of 55-David, tense and silent as she sat beside her partner, her head leaned against the cold glass.
"Central to 55-David. What's your location?"
Bosco sighed and keyed his radio. "83rd and Pine."
"We just got a call about a break-in on 82nd and North Star Lane."
He rolled his eyes. "10-4. 55-David responding to 82nd and North Star Lane." Groaning he reached over and flipped on the lights and siren.
Drawing in a breath, Faith sat up straight, fastening her seatbelt as he drove them toward their destination.
"Sounds like another fun call," he mumbled.
"Joy to the world," she replied.
"Why the hell are we gettin' all the calls tonight? I swear Sullivan must be just sittin' on his ass somewhere doin' nothing."
"Weird. Usually the other way around," she attempted to joke.
"Yeah. Yeah."
A smile tugged at her lips and she glanced at him briefly.
Feeling her eyes on him for a moment he glanced over at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road.
"You doin' anything for Christmas?"
"What? Oh...Christmas." He shook his head. "No. Nothing."
She bit her lip and turned her head to look out the window once more as he pulled to a stop in front of the location that Central had given them. "Bosco."
"What?" He put the car in park and started to open his door.
"There's someone on the roof."
"You're kidding?" As he asked the question he reached for his gun.
"I'm not." She climbed out of the car, looking up at the roof where a large man stood.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Bosco quickly made his way around the car as he looked up at the roof. "Is that guy...dressed like Santa?" He questioned, his eyes narrowed.
She suppressed a grin--barely. "Yes. Yes, he is."
"God. This guy's a total fruitcake." With his gun drawn he took a few steps toward the house. "Hey Santa! Stop right there!"
The man looked down at them. "Me?"
"No. Frosty the snowman. Yes, you!"
"Just doin' my job, Officer."
"Your job? I didn't know being a burglar was a profession." He motioned with his gun toward the ground. "Get your ass down here."
"That's not a very nice way to talk to Santa."
Faith snorted. "Yeah, you're gonna be on the naughty list, Boz."
He looked over at Faith "Oh give me a break! This guy's a total nutcase." His jaw was tense as he looked back up at the man on the rooftop. "I'm gonna count to three and you better be on your way down here."
"Look, Officer, I've got a lot of people to visit tonight. I'm on a tight deadline here. Give a guy a break."
"And I've got a lot of paperwork to do, and I'm only on until 11, so get your ass down here!"
The guy sighed heavily, and picked up his large sack. "Look out below." He dropped the sack down to the ground, landing with a loud thud in the snowbank.
"What's in the bag?" Bosco asked as he cautiously walked over to the snowbank.
"Toys."
Keeping one eye on the Santa, Bosco reached out with one hand to open the bag. "You take these from this house?"
"Of course not!" Santa sounded offended. "I was going to deliver them. Little Jimmy's been wanting a Tickle Me Elmo since last year."
Pressing his lips together and widening his eyes Bosco nodded. He then looked over at Faith and rolled his eyes.
Faith couldn't help but smirk as she looked back at him. "Guess Santa doesn't realize that Tickle Me Elmo's been out for about six years."
"No kiddin'. Even I knew that, -Santa-." Bosco shook his head, then used his gun to motion toward the house. "Put your hands against the wall."
"You're making a mistake." Santa put his hands against the wall.
"No, I think you're the one who made the mistake." He shoved his gun back in his holster then moved over to pat down Santa, checking for weapons. "Tell me something. If you're Santa, where's Rudolph?"
Santa rolled his eyes. "The elves took the reindeer to deliver packages elsewhere."
"But I thought Santa delivered all the gifts to all the little girls and boys." He looked at Faith. "Or was that just a lie that my parents told me?"
"Do you know how many children there are all over the world? You really think I can make it to -all- those houses all by myself? I'm Santa, not God."
"Right. My mistake. Hands behind your back."
"A lot of little children are going to be disappointed tomorrow morning if you don't let me go."
"Can't your elves pick up the slack?"
"There are only so many elves, you know."
"I'm sure there are." He slapped the handcuffs on the man, pulled him away from the wall and grinned as he spoke into his ear. "Guess they'll be wantin' a pay raise after tonight, huh?"
"We don't get paid. We bring joy to children everywhere out of the goodness of our hearts," Santa informed him.
"Right. And do you know what I do for a living?" He asked as he lead Santa toward the RMP. "I arrest slime balls like you to keep all those little children safe."
Faith shook her head as she watched him push Santa into the backseat of their squad car. "What a nutcase," she mumbled.
Bosco slammed the door shut and turned to Faith. "You know the sad thing? We're gonna get to the House and there's gonna be at least 30 other guys dressed in Santa suits all tryin' to pass as Jolly Ole Saint Nick."
"Oh, the joys of working on Christmas Eve. It's the most wonderful time of the year...so I've heard." She rolled her eyes.
He walked around to the driver's side of the car and looked at Faith over the vehicle. "Ten dollars says he tells us his name is Kris Kringle when we're fillin' out the report."
"Probably." She shook her head and opened her car door, climbing inside.
"I hate Christmas," Bosco mumbled before getting in.
"I'm telling you, you're making a big mistake," Santa told them.
"That's what they all say."
"Did I forget to bring you something you really wanted when you were a kid?"
"Excuse me?" Bosco turned to look at the man through the cage.
"Did I forget to bring you a toy you really wanted?"
He was quiet for a moment then forced a chuckle. "If you were actually Santa...you'd know."
The man was silent for a moment. "You look familiar."
"Oh this is ridiculous." Bosco turned back around and started the car.
Faith glanced at him, shaking her head slightly. "Santa, you have the right to remain silent. I'd use that if I was you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bosco sat on the corner of the desk in the small office while Faith sat in the computer chair typing the report. "Okay, let's try this again, and if you say Kris Kringle one more time I can't be held responsible for what I do." He took a breath. "Name."
The man sighed and leaned against the bars of the cell. "I already told you."
"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Date of birth."
"December 25, 1892."
"That's it!" Bosco stood up and headed for the door. "Swersky! Lieu!"
Faith stifled a chuckle.
"Swersky," Bosco hollered again when he caught sight of the lieutenant in the hallway. "This jag-off keeps trying to tell us he's Santa Claus."
Swersky appeared a moment later, standing in the doorway. "What's he charged with?"
"Breaking and entering."
"Take what information you can get and take him to lockup."
He let out a breath. "I don't know if I have the patience for this."
"Then get Yokas to do it."
"Oh yeah, that's a great Christmas gift. Leavin' Yokas to deal with that big fruitcake."
"Do your job and quit griping, Bosco. It's Christmas Eve. Take his information, put him in lockup, and go home."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go back to spreading the holiday cheer," he mumbled.
Swersky shook his head and walked off.
Bosco blew out a breath and headed back into the office where he slumped down into the chair beside the desk. Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together in front of him. He then looked up at the man in the cell. "Okay. It's Christmas Eve and I'd like my partner to get home before morning so she can watch her kids open their gifts. So could we please try this again and be serious this time?"
"I am being serious, Officer."
"Alright then. Your name is Kris Kringle and you were born in 1892. Do you have any aliases?" He asked as seriously as possible, bracing himself to keep his patience.
"Santa Claus. And St. Nick."
"Address?" He asked softly, though he already knew what the man would say.
"1225 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole."
He couldn't stop a soft chuckle from escaping him and he looked over at Faith. "You gettin' all this?"
"Oh, yeah." She grinned, shaking her head as she jotted down the information.
"Phone number? Oh wait, do they even have telephones that far north?"
"No, that's why we have the kids write or send email. Though we've been discussing setting up a hotline."
"So...how do you suggest we go about contacting Mrs. Clause to let her know you're here?"
"No need to contact her. She's not expecting me back til late tomorrow anyway."
"Right." He looked over at Faith. "You want coffee or something?"
"Coffee would be good." She rubbed the back of her neck.
"I'll go get some if you think you'll be alright here with Santa."
"I think I can handle it." She smiled faintly.
"Back in a bit." He glanced over at the man in the cell. "I'd offer you some milk and cookies but you've probably already had your fill tonight, huh?"
"A lot of people forget to leave that out these days."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You're kidding?"
"No...but sometimes they leave out a sandwich or something instead."
"Huh." He shook his head. "I'll never figure people out."
"Me either." Santa shrugged and watched him leave the room.
On his way back from the break room he paused outside of lock-up, shaking his head before heading for the office. He'd been right, there were at least 30 other men dressed in Santa suits and it looked like it would be a long time before there was room for their Santa in lock-up.
Faith glanced up at the man in the cell. "Do you have a driver's license?"
"I don't actually drive," he informed her with a soft smile.
"Just a sleigh, right?" she joked.
"Yes, and my reindeer do most of the work, so..."
"Right." She grinned and shook her head.
Santa was quiet for a moment. "You know...he wasn't always this ornery."
"I'm sorry?"
"Your partner. He wasn't always like this." He smiled. "When he was growing up he was the sweetest little boy."
She gave him a weird look. "Uh...yeah. Okay."
"I know you don't believe me, but the longer I looked at him...well, it all started to come back to me."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "So tell me about him."
"When he was nine, no wait, he was ten. Yes, when he was ten and his little brother was eight I put their presents underneath the Christmas tree that they'd helped their mother decorate." He passed for a moment, his expression turned sad and he let out a breath. "After I'd been there, their father came home and he stepped on Michael's gift. Crushed it."
She stared at him, wondering how he could know that Bosco had a brother named Michael. "Do you know Michael?"
"Of course I know Michael. I know you too, but I know so many people that it's taking a while for it to come back to me."
"Right. I forgot. You're Santa." She shook her head slightly.
"You should ask your partner about that Christmas," he told her.
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Because you're not going to believe me anyway," he told her softly.
She was silent for a moment. "You're right. I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was eight."
"That's mighty young for a little girl to stop believing."
"Well, that's how old I was when my dad got wasted on Christmas Eve and told me Santa wasn't real and I wouldn't get anything from him even if he was because I was a bad kid."
Santa frowned. "There are so many parents out their that ruin it for their children. I'm sorry, Faith."
She quickly looked up, startled by his use of her name. Feeling uneasy, she dismissed it figuring Bosco had said her name at some point while the man was in custody. "Easy come, easy go."
Bosco came back into the office carrying two coffees and a plate of Christmas bake goods. "We're in for a long wait. Lockup is booked solid." He looked over at Santa. "Apparently there's no room at the inn."
Santa smiled. "Right holiday, wrong guy."
"Sorry, it's late. I get confused sometimes." He sat down in the chair beside the desk and handed Faith her coffee. "One coffee with cream."
"Thanks," she said softly, glancing at him and taking a sip of her drink.
"I thought you might want a little snack, but I wasn't sure what so I grabbed a little of everything." He picked up one of the treats. "I'm told this is Mississippi Mud. It's really good. I think you'll like it."
She was a little surprised that he'd thought to bring her snacks. "Thank you. That was sweet."
"I have my moments," he told her softly before taking a bite and then washing it down with coffee.
"I know," she whispered.
He gazed at her for a moment then looked away. "So uh...how's the report coming?"
"It's almost done," she told him, her voice still soft.
"When it's done you can go home. It could be a while before he's moved to lockup and I don't want you missin' out on being home when the kids wake up."
She was silent for a moment. "They're not comin' over til ten."
Bosco's head quickly snapped back to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"They're not comin' over til ten. So I'll wait with you." She didn't look at him.
He held up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Whadda ya mean they’re not coming over til ten?"
"I mean, they're not coming over til ten," she repeated.
"Where the hell are they until then?"
"At Fred's."
He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to ask next.
Faith drew in a breath and then let it out slowly, reluctantly lifting her gaze to his face.
Turning toward her a little more he rested his arm on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "What's goin' on, Faith?" He asked quietly.
"He left me," she answered just as quietly.
He swallowed hard and shook his head. "No, that's not...that's not possible."
"Tell that to Fred."
"But I thought you guys...I mean, not that I was around much, but I thought everything was good."
"It was...while I was injured." She looked down at the report she was writing.
Reaching out he started to put his hand over hers but then placed his hand on the report instead so it was in her line of sight. "What happened?"
Faith was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "I got better."
His eyebrows furrowed. "But that doesn't make any sense," he whispered.
"Yeah, it does. Fred was pissed that I wanted to come back to work. He wanted...a wife who would stay home and be there all the time. That's what he's always wanted," she said softly.
"That's not who you are."
"I know."
"What a bastard." He ran a hand through his hair. "How long?"
"Day before Thanksgiving. I came home that night...all his clothes were gone...some of the furniture. And the kids," she whispered.
Closing his eyes he leaned his head back against the wall. "You didn't say a word."
"I know."
"Why?"
She shrugged a little, not looking at him. "Didn't wanna ruin your holidays, I guess."
"Can I be honest with you?"
"Yeah," she said softly.
"My holidays were already ruined."
Faith's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head a little. "Why?"
He rolled his head to the side to look at her. "What do I do every Christmas?"
She swallowed hard, lowering her gaze.
"I go to your apartment," he whispered. "And this year that..." He shook his head. "I wasn't gonna be welcome."
"You are," she whispered without thinking about it.
"What?"
"Welcome tomorrow. To come over."
Bosco stared at her. "Are you just sayin' that?"
"No." She lifted her head to look at him once more. "You're welcome to come over and spend Christmas with us. Fred's not gonna be there so there won't be any trouble."
A small smile touched his lips, but he didn't say anything. It felt strange to be happy yet sad at the same time.
"Now this is what Christmas is all about," Santa said, smiling.
He rolled his eyes and looked over at the man. "Would you kindly mind your own business? I'm tryin' to talk to my partner."
"I need to make a phone call," he announced.
"You don't have a phone at the North Pole, remember? There's no one to talk to."
"I just remembered. My right hand elf got a cell phone for his birthday this year."
"Oh. My. God." He looked at Faith. "This just keeps gettin' better."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll take him to the phone."
"I'm gonna sit right here and get fat," he informed her, pointing to the goodies he'd brought in. "And you and me...we'll talk more later."
"Okay." She offered him a small smile, then stood up, unlocked the cell door and led Santa out of the room.
Bosco stared after her for a moment, his eyes sad. He'd been riding with Faith since she'd returned to work and he had no idea that Fred had left. This definitely proved just how much they were keeping from each other now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I need more coffee," Faith informed him a little while later. "You want some more?"
Picking up his cup he looked in it then took a drink, draining his cup. "Coffee'd be good. Thanks."
"Sure thing." She offered him a smile before rising to her feet and heading out the door.
Letting out a breath he raked a hand through his hair. After looking at his watch he leaned back in his chair.
"She's lonely, you know."
He shifted his gaze to the man in the cell. "Excuse me?"
"Your partner. Faith. She's lonely."
"No kiddin'?" He responded sarcastically. "I never woulda guessed with her jackass husband leaving with her kids and all."
"Not just because of that."
His brow furrowed. "What are you talkin' 'bout?"
"She misses you too."
"Misses me? How could she miss me? I'm right here."
"The same way you miss her. Things haven't been right between the two of you for a long time."
Bosco started to respond then quickly shook his head and stood up. "You don't know anything. You're just...you're just some nut job dressed up like Santa Claus."
"So Maritza Cruz didn't change everything?"
With narrowed eyes Bosco made his way over to the cell. "Okay, who the hell are you?"
Santa Claus raised his eyebrows. "Who do you think I am?"
"Don't play games with me!"
"Who's playing games?"
He leaned his head against the bars. "I'm too tired to do this," he said softly. "Just tell me what the hell is going on here and why you insist on making me crazy."
"Maurice, I'm sorry you didn't get the roller blades I brought you when you were thirteen. Your dad took them before you saw them."
Bosco looked up, his eyes wide. "What?"
"Your dad's never been a very nice man, has he?"
"No. He hasn't, but I'm not talking to you anymore, you got me?"
"Just because you stopped believing, doesn't mean I stopped existing."
"Don't." Bosco held up his hands, shaking his head as he backed away from the cell. "Don't say that. You don't know anything. You're just some...just some..."
"Maurice." His voice was quiet. "Don't let her be alone tonight."
"Stop calling me Maurice. You don't know me."
"You and Faith can be close like you were once. Don't give up hope."
"You're insane." Bosco shook his head, not wanting to listen to the man. He didn't like how this guy who he didn't know, knew so much about him.
"She needs you just as much as you need her."
"Stop! Just stop!"
"No one should be alone on Christmas, Maurice."
He swallowed hard, but didn't respond.
Faith walked back into the office, carrying two styrofoam cups of coffee. "Here you go."
Bosco was so focused on the other man that her voice startled him. "Huh?"
"You okay?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He took the coffee from her.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to look at Santa. "Did he say somethin' to you?"
"Who? That guy?" He forced a chuckle. "The guy's got a few screws loose."
"Tell me somethin' I didn't know."
He shifted a little closer to Faith. "You didn't uh...you didn't tell him my real name, did you?" He asked in a whisper.
"What?"
"He keeps callin' me Maurice."
She stared at him. "He knew your brother's name was Michael."
"The way he's talking...he's gotta know my parents."
"You think?"
Bosco nodded his head. "He was talkin' about my dad not bein' a very nice guy and he...he made a comment about..."
"What?" she asked softly.
"That he..." He motioned toward the man. "Got me roller blades when I was thirteen but my dad took them before I saw them." Bosco ran a hand through his hair. "God, I sound just as nuts as him."
She gazed at him for a moment, then turned to look at the man who was now sitting in the holding cell.
He took a drink of his coffee before moving over to sit beside the desk. "This whole thing is really startin' to creep me out."
"I'm sure it's a coincidence. You know? He probably does know your parents and he thinks that if he feeds you enough information, we'll let him go."
"Guess he doesn't know me very well then, huh?"
"Guess not." She sat down beside his desk and picked up the report, looking it over. She glanced over her shoulder at the man in the Santa suit. "Boz?"
"Yeah?"
"When you were ten and Mikey was eight...did your dad..."
He looked over at her. "Did he what?"
"Step on one of Mikey's presents and break it?"
"Yeah," he sighed. Resting his elbow on the desk he leaned his head against his fist. "Smashed it to pieces. It was the only thing Mikey really wanted that year." He stared down at the floor. "Before Mikey made it out to the living room I switched the tags on our presents."
Faith was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Me too," he chuckled. "I ended up with a worthless fighter jet model kit, and he got the authentic NFL football I wanted."
Her eyes were sad.
His eyebrows furrowed. "How'd you know about that anyway?"
She glanced over her shoulder at Santa.
He shifted his gaze to the man. "Who told you about that?"
"No one told me. I just know."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because I know you, Maurice. I know when you're sleeping, I know when you're awake..."
"You've read too many Christmas stories, old man."
Santa simply smiled.
"We're on a deadline!" a loud voice shouted somewhere out in the hallway.
"I don't care what deadline you're on, your friend was arrested for breaking and entering and he's not going anywhere until a judge sets bail," Swersky shouted back.
"What the hell is that?" Bosco questioned as he stood up and headed toward the door.
Faith followed him, her eyebrows raising when she spotted a very short man who wore green and white striped socks, with a green pair of pants, shirt and a red and green stocking cap. "You've gotta be kidding me," she mumbled.
"Did somebody spike the coffee?"
"You. You two. You arrested Santa Claus, you morons!" The man shouted, pointing at him.
"No," Bosco informed him. "We arrested a man dressed in a Santa suit. Just like every other police officer in the city did."
The man glared at him, disgusted. "That man in there is the -real- Santa Claus. And you have to let him go right now!"
Bosco chuckled. "You must be the technologically advanced elf. The one with the cell phone."
"That's right!"
"You know, I've had about as much of this as I can take."
Faith folded her arms across her chest. "You and me both."
"Good. Then you'll let him out so we can do our jobs."
"Look, your buddy broke the law. We're not about to just send him on his merry way."
"Let me talk to him."
"Right. Like I'm gonna let you do that."
"If he's not the real Santa Claus and I'm not a real elf, then what have you got lose, jag-off?"
Under normal circumstances he would have lost his temper, but this was so absurd that he couldn't stop himself from laughing. He looked at Faith. "Did Santa's little helper just call me a jag-off?"
She chuckled. "Yeah, he did. Very nice."
He glared at them. "Better be nice to me, I'm probably the only man in the city shorter than you."
"Oh, now we're gettin' personal. But at least I'm not the only one who's on the naughty list."
He rolled his eyes. "But you're definitely on it."
"Tell me somethin' I didn't know."
"Can I see the big man, or what?"
Bosco sighed. "If it'll get you outta here. Yes."
The man dressed as an elf scuttled past him and into the room where "Santa" was being held.
"This is like that really whacked Christmas movie I used to watch every year when I was a kid. The one where the mom and her kids snowmobile out into only God knows where and they end up at Santa's workshop. Only this time...Santa ended up at ours."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "I musta missed that movie." She followed the shorter man into the room.
"Can you give us a minute?" he snapped.
"Santa, if this is your right hand Elf you may wanna tell him to lose the attitude," Bosco told him. "He's not very jolly."
"He gets cranky on Christmas Eve. Deadline's rough, you know," Santa informed them.
"Right." Smiling, Bosco nodded his head, deciding to play along. "Getting all those toys to every boy and girl has to be very difficult."
"You have no idea."
"Obviously."
"Can we please have a moment?"
"Unless he's your attorney we're really not allowed to..."
"Oh, he is."
"I'm not even gonna question that." He glanced at Faith then nodded toward the door.
Shrugging, she headed out into the hallway.
Bosco glanced at the two men, shook his head then followed Faith.
"This has to be the most bizarre Christmas Eve ever."
"That's something I definitely agree with you on."
"Boscorelli, Yokas." Officer Smith came down the hallway.
He turned to look. "What's up?"
"There's packages in the locker room for both of you."
"Packages for us? From who?"
"They say from 'Santa.'"
Bosco rolled his eyes. "Everyone thinks they're Santa these days."
Smith shrugged and headed away.
He looked toward the locker room. "Well...we got nothin' better to do until Santa's lawyer leaves."
"Guess not." She glanced at him, glanced back at Santa and his "lawyer" and headed down the hall toward the locker room.
Entering the locker room Bosco glanced around then made his way to his locker. His eyes widened when he saw the gifts wrapped in green and red paper. "Somebody went all out."
"No kidding," she murmured, moving over to the package with her name on it. "To Faith, From Santa. PS, 'Better late than never.'"
"You wanna open yours first?" Bosco asked as he straddled the bench and sat down.
"Sure, why not?" A spark of excitement flittered through her and she couldn't help but smile as she tore the paper off the package.
Seeing her smile made him smile as well as he watched her. "What'd ya get?"
She stared at the open box before lifting a doll out and holding it up, her eyes wide.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Who would give you a doll," he asked quietly.
"Bosco...this is the doll I wanted when I was eight," she whispered.
"Get outta here," he said softly. "No way."
"I'm serious." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Open yours."
He stared at her for a moment then grabbed the large box in front of him, quickly pulling off the paper. "Roller blades," he murmured.
Faith remained silent.
Biting his lip Bosco pulled the lid off the box to look at the item inside. He smiled as he picked up one of the skates. "They're my size," he said in amazement.
"Bosco...who left these for us?"
"I don't know, maybe we should see if anybody saw..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at the box once more, finding an envelope with his name on it.
"What's that?"
"I'm not sure." He set down the roller blade and picked up the red envelope. For a moment he stared at his name written in gold before turning it over and pulling out a sheet of paper. He glanced at Faith before unfolding the letter. "Maurice. I'll deliver Michael's gift to your apartment, and use this to make sure..." He stopped reading aloud and swallowed hard.
"To make sure what?" She shook her head.
"She's not alone," he whispered, his voice barely audible. He stared down at the two tickets that had been with the letter.
"Who?" she asked in confusion.
"Faith, that guy..." He shook his head, pushed himself to his feet and hurried out of the room toward the office.
She stared after him for a moment, before following him down the hall.
"Okay, how the hell did you--" Bosco cut himself off and his eyes widened when he got into the office with the holding cell. He stepped back into the hall. "Lieu!"
"Bosco, what's wrong?" She looked into the room, her eyes widening when she saw that the holding cell was still closed and locked...but no one was inside.
"Swersky! Where is he?" Bosco hollered as he made his way toward the front desk.
"Where is who?" Swersky shook his head.
"That guy." He pointed toward the office. "Santa and his Elf."
"What do you mean where is he? He better be in his cell!"
"Well he's not! And there's no way he coulda gotten outta here without someone noticing!"
There was a loud sound from up above them and Faith looked at Bosco for a moment before heading for the exit.
"No way." Bosco shook his head as he jogged after Faith.
She pushed the door open and stepped outside in time to see Santa and his elf on the roof. "You better get down from there right now!"
"Faith," Bosco whispered.
"Merry Christmas!" Santa called down, waving at them as he climbed into his sleigh.
He stared wide eyed at the man then glanced down at the two tickets in his hand. This didn't seem possible, but unless he was dreaming there was no way to explain it except that this man really was who he said. "Are we really seein' this?" Bosco asked Faith.
"Either that or we're both havin' the same freaky assed dream," she mumbled.
"On Dasher, on Dancer! On Prancer and Vixen! Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen! On Rudolph!"
He watched in amazement as the reindeer he'd heard about in stories came to life before his eyes.
Faith stared open-mouthed as the sleigh seemingly flew off the roof, pulled along by the reindeer.
"Nobody's gonna believe us," he whispered.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Santa shouted, waving as his sleigh disappeared.
"I'm not even sure -I- believe us."
"No kiddin'." He looked down again at the two tickets he still held in his hand, noticing how the metallic lettering seemed to sparkle in the street light. "Faith?"
"Yeah?" She hadn't torn her eyes from the sky.
"What are you doin' tonight?"
She blinked a couple of times and finally looked over at him. "Nothing."
"It turns out there's a special late night performance of the Nutcracker tonight," he told her softly.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"I've got an extra ticket," he whispered.
Faith gazed at him for a moment. "Are you askin' me to go see the Nutcracker with you?"
"Yeah." He nodded his head.
She shifted her gaze to the sky once more, then back to him. "Yeah."
"I knew he was for real when I read the note."
"This is all..." She shook her head.
"I'd say none of it makes any sense, but...it kinda does."
"How does this make sense?" She looked at him.
"You and me barely talkin' to each other and then we get a call and find Santa up on the rooftop." He paused. "He knew, Faith. It wasn't about the doll or the roller blades or Mikey's gift."
"It was about us," she whispered, her eyes widening a little.
He nodded his head. "It wasn't just about whether or not we believed in him," he murmured.
She swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. "It was about...if we still believed in each other." Her voice was barely audible.
Bosco smiled softly and nodded his head.
Faith held his gaze, unable to look away.
The smile slipped from his face. "I didn't know about Fred," he whispered.
"I know," she whispered back.
"If I'd known, Faith..."
She nodded slightly, lowering her gaze to the snow-covered ground.
"Earlier, when I said we'd talk more later. I meant it."
"Our shift's over," she said softly.
"Do you wanna go to this thing tonight or just go somewhere and talk?"
"Let's get some coffee," Faith whispered. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's perfect."
A smile tugged at her lips and she hesitated a moment before sliding her arms around his waist.
He wrapped his arms around her. "It's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back," she whispered, closing her eyes.
After a moment he pulled back slightly. "Merry Christmas, Faith."
"Merry Christmas, Boz." She smiled.
"We'll have to get you a pair of roller blades," he told her with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, so I can break my neck?"
"That's not exactly funny, Faith," he said softly.
"Oh, come on, Boz. Can you picture -me- on roller blades?" She grinned.
"Well I didn't exactly picture us talking again, so picturing you on roller blades now isn't so hard."
"We'll see."
"Come on." He nodded toward the building. "It's getting cold out here. We should go change and go find an open coffee shop."
"Sounds good," she said softly, her eyes full of warmth.
"Yeah. Yeah it does," he whispered. Resting his hands on his gunbelt he looked at her for a moment. "I missed you."
A soft smile stretched across her lips. "Ditto."
"Guess this Christmas doesn't suck after all," he told her with a smile before turning and heading for the building.
"No. It doesn't," she whispered, following him into the building as she took one last glance at the sky.
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com and faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Spoilers: Some season five stuff.
Category: Friendship Fluff/Comedy/Angst
Rating: PG
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Faith stared out the passenger window of 55-David, tense and silent as she sat beside her partner, her head leaned against the cold glass.
"Central to 55-David. What's your location?"
Bosco sighed and keyed his radio. "83rd and Pine."
"We just got a call about a break-in on 82nd and North Star Lane."
He rolled his eyes. "10-4. 55-David responding to 82nd and North Star Lane." Groaning he reached over and flipped on the lights and siren.
Drawing in a breath, Faith sat up straight, fastening her seatbelt as he drove them toward their destination.
"Sounds like another fun call," he mumbled.
"Joy to the world," she replied.
"Why the hell are we gettin' all the calls tonight? I swear Sullivan must be just sittin' on his ass somewhere doin' nothing."
"Weird. Usually the other way around," she attempted to joke.
"Yeah. Yeah."
A smile tugged at her lips and she glanced at him briefly.
Feeling her eyes on him for a moment he glanced over at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road.
"You doin' anything for Christmas?"
"What? Oh...Christmas." He shook his head. "No. Nothing."
She bit her lip and turned her head to look out the window once more as he pulled to a stop in front of the location that Central had given them. "Bosco."
"What?" He put the car in park and started to open his door.
"There's someone on the roof."
"You're kidding?" As he asked the question he reached for his gun.
"I'm not." She climbed out of the car, looking up at the roof where a large man stood.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Bosco quickly made his way around the car as he looked up at the roof. "Is that guy...dressed like Santa?" He questioned, his eyes narrowed.
She suppressed a grin--barely. "Yes. Yes, he is."
"God. This guy's a total fruitcake." With his gun drawn he took a few steps toward the house. "Hey Santa! Stop right there!"
The man looked down at them. "Me?"
"No. Frosty the snowman. Yes, you!"
"Just doin' my job, Officer."
"Your job? I didn't know being a burglar was a profession." He motioned with his gun toward the ground. "Get your ass down here."
"That's not a very nice way to talk to Santa."
Faith snorted. "Yeah, you're gonna be on the naughty list, Boz."
He looked over at Faith "Oh give me a break! This guy's a total nutcase." His jaw was tense as he looked back up at the man on the rooftop. "I'm gonna count to three and you better be on your way down here."
"Look, Officer, I've got a lot of people to visit tonight. I'm on a tight deadline here. Give a guy a break."
"And I've got a lot of paperwork to do, and I'm only on until 11, so get your ass down here!"
The guy sighed heavily, and picked up his large sack. "Look out below." He dropped the sack down to the ground, landing with a loud thud in the snowbank.
"What's in the bag?" Bosco asked as he cautiously walked over to the snowbank.
"Toys."
Keeping one eye on the Santa, Bosco reached out with one hand to open the bag. "You take these from this house?"
"Of course not!" Santa sounded offended. "I was going to deliver them. Little Jimmy's been wanting a Tickle Me Elmo since last year."
Pressing his lips together and widening his eyes Bosco nodded. He then looked over at Faith and rolled his eyes.
Faith couldn't help but smirk as she looked back at him. "Guess Santa doesn't realize that Tickle Me Elmo's been out for about six years."
"No kiddin'. Even I knew that, -Santa-." Bosco shook his head, then used his gun to motion toward the house. "Put your hands against the wall."
"You're making a mistake." Santa put his hands against the wall.
"No, I think you're the one who made the mistake." He shoved his gun back in his holster then moved over to pat down Santa, checking for weapons. "Tell me something. If you're Santa, where's Rudolph?"
Santa rolled his eyes. "The elves took the reindeer to deliver packages elsewhere."
"But I thought Santa delivered all the gifts to all the little girls and boys." He looked at Faith. "Or was that just a lie that my parents told me?"
"Do you know how many children there are all over the world? You really think I can make it to -all- those houses all by myself? I'm Santa, not God."
"Right. My mistake. Hands behind your back."
"A lot of little children are going to be disappointed tomorrow morning if you don't let me go."
"Can't your elves pick up the slack?"
"There are only so many elves, you know."
"I'm sure there are." He slapped the handcuffs on the man, pulled him away from the wall and grinned as he spoke into his ear. "Guess they'll be wantin' a pay raise after tonight, huh?"
"We don't get paid. We bring joy to children everywhere out of the goodness of our hearts," Santa informed him.
"Right. And do you know what I do for a living?" He asked as he lead Santa toward the RMP. "I arrest slime balls like you to keep all those little children safe."
Faith shook her head as she watched him push Santa into the backseat of their squad car. "What a nutcase," she mumbled.
Bosco slammed the door shut and turned to Faith. "You know the sad thing? We're gonna get to the House and there's gonna be at least 30 other guys dressed in Santa suits all tryin' to pass as Jolly Ole Saint Nick."
"Oh, the joys of working on Christmas Eve. It's the most wonderful time of the year...so I've heard." She rolled her eyes.
He walked around to the driver's side of the car and looked at Faith over the vehicle. "Ten dollars says he tells us his name is Kris Kringle when we're fillin' out the report."
"Probably." She shook her head and opened her car door, climbing inside.
"I hate Christmas," Bosco mumbled before getting in.
"I'm telling you, you're making a big mistake," Santa told them.
"That's what they all say."
"Did I forget to bring you something you really wanted when you were a kid?"
"Excuse me?" Bosco turned to look at the man through the cage.
"Did I forget to bring you a toy you really wanted?"
He was quiet for a moment then forced a chuckle. "If you were actually Santa...you'd know."
The man was silent for a moment. "You look familiar."
"Oh this is ridiculous." Bosco turned back around and started the car.
Faith glanced at him, shaking her head slightly. "Santa, you have the right to remain silent. I'd use that if I was you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bosco sat on the corner of the desk in the small office while Faith sat in the computer chair typing the report. "Okay, let's try this again, and if you say Kris Kringle one more time I can't be held responsible for what I do." He took a breath. "Name."
The man sighed and leaned against the bars of the cell. "I already told you."
"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Date of birth."
"December 25, 1892."
"That's it!" Bosco stood up and headed for the door. "Swersky! Lieu!"
Faith stifled a chuckle.
"Swersky," Bosco hollered again when he caught sight of the lieutenant in the hallway. "This jag-off keeps trying to tell us he's Santa Claus."
Swersky appeared a moment later, standing in the doorway. "What's he charged with?"
"Breaking and entering."
"Take what information you can get and take him to lockup."
He let out a breath. "I don't know if I have the patience for this."
"Then get Yokas to do it."
"Oh yeah, that's a great Christmas gift. Leavin' Yokas to deal with that big fruitcake."
"Do your job and quit griping, Bosco. It's Christmas Eve. Take his information, put him in lockup, and go home."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go back to spreading the holiday cheer," he mumbled.
Swersky shook his head and walked off.
Bosco blew out a breath and headed back into the office where he slumped down into the chair beside the desk. Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together in front of him. He then looked up at the man in the cell. "Okay. It's Christmas Eve and I'd like my partner to get home before morning so she can watch her kids open their gifts. So could we please try this again and be serious this time?"
"I am being serious, Officer."
"Alright then. Your name is Kris Kringle and you were born in 1892. Do you have any aliases?" He asked as seriously as possible, bracing himself to keep his patience.
"Santa Claus. And St. Nick."
"Address?" He asked softly, though he already knew what the man would say.
"1225 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole."
He couldn't stop a soft chuckle from escaping him and he looked over at Faith. "You gettin' all this?"
"Oh, yeah." She grinned, shaking her head as she jotted down the information.
"Phone number? Oh wait, do they even have telephones that far north?"
"No, that's why we have the kids write or send email. Though we've been discussing setting up a hotline."
"So...how do you suggest we go about contacting Mrs. Clause to let her know you're here?"
"No need to contact her. She's not expecting me back til late tomorrow anyway."
"Right." He looked over at Faith. "You want coffee or something?"
"Coffee would be good." She rubbed the back of her neck.
"I'll go get some if you think you'll be alright here with Santa."
"I think I can handle it." She smiled faintly.
"Back in a bit." He glanced over at the man in the cell. "I'd offer you some milk and cookies but you've probably already had your fill tonight, huh?"
"A lot of people forget to leave that out these days."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You're kidding?"
"No...but sometimes they leave out a sandwich or something instead."
"Huh." He shook his head. "I'll never figure people out."
"Me either." Santa shrugged and watched him leave the room.
On his way back from the break room he paused outside of lock-up, shaking his head before heading for the office. He'd been right, there were at least 30 other men dressed in Santa suits and it looked like it would be a long time before there was room for their Santa in lock-up.
Faith glanced up at the man in the cell. "Do you have a driver's license?"
"I don't actually drive," he informed her with a soft smile.
"Just a sleigh, right?" she joked.
"Yes, and my reindeer do most of the work, so..."
"Right." She grinned and shook her head.
Santa was quiet for a moment. "You know...he wasn't always this ornery."
"I'm sorry?"
"Your partner. He wasn't always like this." He smiled. "When he was growing up he was the sweetest little boy."
She gave him a weird look. "Uh...yeah. Okay."
"I know you don't believe me, but the longer I looked at him...well, it all started to come back to me."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "So tell me about him."
"When he was nine, no wait, he was ten. Yes, when he was ten and his little brother was eight I put their presents underneath the Christmas tree that they'd helped their mother decorate." He passed for a moment, his expression turned sad and he let out a breath. "After I'd been there, their father came home and he stepped on Michael's gift. Crushed it."
She stared at him, wondering how he could know that Bosco had a brother named Michael. "Do you know Michael?"
"Of course I know Michael. I know you too, but I know so many people that it's taking a while for it to come back to me."
"Right. I forgot. You're Santa." She shook her head slightly.
"You should ask your partner about that Christmas," he told her.
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Because you're not going to believe me anyway," he told her softly.
She was silent for a moment. "You're right. I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was eight."
"That's mighty young for a little girl to stop believing."
"Well, that's how old I was when my dad got wasted on Christmas Eve and told me Santa wasn't real and I wouldn't get anything from him even if he was because I was a bad kid."
Santa frowned. "There are so many parents out their that ruin it for their children. I'm sorry, Faith."
She quickly looked up, startled by his use of her name. Feeling uneasy, she dismissed it figuring Bosco had said her name at some point while the man was in custody. "Easy come, easy go."
Bosco came back into the office carrying two coffees and a plate of Christmas bake goods. "We're in for a long wait. Lockup is booked solid." He looked over at Santa. "Apparently there's no room at the inn."
Santa smiled. "Right holiday, wrong guy."
"Sorry, it's late. I get confused sometimes." He sat down in the chair beside the desk and handed Faith her coffee. "One coffee with cream."
"Thanks," she said softly, glancing at him and taking a sip of her drink.
"I thought you might want a little snack, but I wasn't sure what so I grabbed a little of everything." He picked up one of the treats. "I'm told this is Mississippi Mud. It's really good. I think you'll like it."
She was a little surprised that he'd thought to bring her snacks. "Thank you. That was sweet."
"I have my moments," he told her softly before taking a bite and then washing it down with coffee.
"I know," she whispered.
He gazed at her for a moment then looked away. "So uh...how's the report coming?"
"It's almost done," she told him, her voice still soft.
"When it's done you can go home. It could be a while before he's moved to lockup and I don't want you missin' out on being home when the kids wake up."
She was silent for a moment. "They're not comin' over til ten."
Bosco's head quickly snapped back to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"They're not comin' over til ten. So I'll wait with you." She didn't look at him.
He held up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Whadda ya mean they’re not coming over til ten?"
"I mean, they're not coming over til ten," she repeated.
"Where the hell are they until then?"
"At Fred's."
He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to ask next.
Faith drew in a breath and then let it out slowly, reluctantly lifting her gaze to his face.
Turning toward her a little more he rested his arm on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "What's goin' on, Faith?" He asked quietly.
"He left me," she answered just as quietly.
He swallowed hard and shook his head. "No, that's not...that's not possible."
"Tell that to Fred."
"But I thought you guys...I mean, not that I was around much, but I thought everything was good."
"It was...while I was injured." She looked down at the report she was writing.
Reaching out he started to put his hand over hers but then placed his hand on the report instead so it was in her line of sight. "What happened?"
Faith was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "I got better."
His eyebrows furrowed. "But that doesn't make any sense," he whispered.
"Yeah, it does. Fred was pissed that I wanted to come back to work. He wanted...a wife who would stay home and be there all the time. That's what he's always wanted," she said softly.
"That's not who you are."
"I know."
"What a bastard." He ran a hand through his hair. "How long?"
"Day before Thanksgiving. I came home that night...all his clothes were gone...some of the furniture. And the kids," she whispered.
Closing his eyes he leaned his head back against the wall. "You didn't say a word."
"I know."
"Why?"
She shrugged a little, not looking at him. "Didn't wanna ruin your holidays, I guess."
"Can I be honest with you?"
"Yeah," she said softly.
"My holidays were already ruined."
Faith's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head a little. "Why?"
He rolled his head to the side to look at her. "What do I do every Christmas?"
She swallowed hard, lowering her gaze.
"I go to your apartment," he whispered. "And this year that..." He shook his head. "I wasn't gonna be welcome."
"You are," she whispered without thinking about it.
"What?"
"Welcome tomorrow. To come over."
Bosco stared at her. "Are you just sayin' that?"
"No." She lifted her head to look at him once more. "You're welcome to come over and spend Christmas with us. Fred's not gonna be there so there won't be any trouble."
A small smile touched his lips, but he didn't say anything. It felt strange to be happy yet sad at the same time.
"Now this is what Christmas is all about," Santa said, smiling.
He rolled his eyes and looked over at the man. "Would you kindly mind your own business? I'm tryin' to talk to my partner."
"I need to make a phone call," he announced.
"You don't have a phone at the North Pole, remember? There's no one to talk to."
"I just remembered. My right hand elf got a cell phone for his birthday this year."
"Oh. My. God." He looked at Faith. "This just keeps gettin' better."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll take him to the phone."
"I'm gonna sit right here and get fat," he informed her, pointing to the goodies he'd brought in. "And you and me...we'll talk more later."
"Okay." She offered him a small smile, then stood up, unlocked the cell door and led Santa out of the room.
Bosco stared after her for a moment, his eyes sad. He'd been riding with Faith since she'd returned to work and he had no idea that Fred had left. This definitely proved just how much they were keeping from each other now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I need more coffee," Faith informed him a little while later. "You want some more?"
Picking up his cup he looked in it then took a drink, draining his cup. "Coffee'd be good. Thanks."
"Sure thing." She offered him a smile before rising to her feet and heading out the door.
Letting out a breath he raked a hand through his hair. After looking at his watch he leaned back in his chair.
"She's lonely, you know."
He shifted his gaze to the man in the cell. "Excuse me?"
"Your partner. Faith. She's lonely."
"No kiddin'?" He responded sarcastically. "I never woulda guessed with her jackass husband leaving with her kids and all."
"Not just because of that."
His brow furrowed. "What are you talkin' 'bout?"
"She misses you too."
"Misses me? How could she miss me? I'm right here."
"The same way you miss her. Things haven't been right between the two of you for a long time."
Bosco started to respond then quickly shook his head and stood up. "You don't know anything. You're just...you're just some nut job dressed up like Santa Claus."
"So Maritza Cruz didn't change everything?"
With narrowed eyes Bosco made his way over to the cell. "Okay, who the hell are you?"
Santa Claus raised his eyebrows. "Who do you think I am?"
"Don't play games with me!"
"Who's playing games?"
He leaned his head against the bars. "I'm too tired to do this," he said softly. "Just tell me what the hell is going on here and why you insist on making me crazy."
"Maurice, I'm sorry you didn't get the roller blades I brought you when you were thirteen. Your dad took them before you saw them."
Bosco looked up, his eyes wide. "What?"
"Your dad's never been a very nice man, has he?"
"No. He hasn't, but I'm not talking to you anymore, you got me?"
"Just because you stopped believing, doesn't mean I stopped existing."
"Don't." Bosco held up his hands, shaking his head as he backed away from the cell. "Don't say that. You don't know anything. You're just some...just some..."
"Maurice." His voice was quiet. "Don't let her be alone tonight."
"Stop calling me Maurice. You don't know me."
"You and Faith can be close like you were once. Don't give up hope."
"You're insane." Bosco shook his head, not wanting to listen to the man. He didn't like how this guy who he didn't know, knew so much about him.
"She needs you just as much as you need her."
"Stop! Just stop!"
"No one should be alone on Christmas, Maurice."
He swallowed hard, but didn't respond.
Faith walked back into the office, carrying two styrofoam cups of coffee. "Here you go."
Bosco was so focused on the other man that her voice startled him. "Huh?"
"You okay?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He took the coffee from her.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to look at Santa. "Did he say somethin' to you?"
"Who? That guy?" He forced a chuckle. "The guy's got a few screws loose."
"Tell me somethin' I didn't know."
He shifted a little closer to Faith. "You didn't uh...you didn't tell him my real name, did you?" He asked in a whisper.
"What?"
"He keeps callin' me Maurice."
She stared at him. "He knew your brother's name was Michael."
"The way he's talking...he's gotta know my parents."
"You think?"
Bosco nodded his head. "He was talkin' about my dad not bein' a very nice guy and he...he made a comment about..."
"What?" she asked softly.
"That he..." He motioned toward the man. "Got me roller blades when I was thirteen but my dad took them before I saw them." Bosco ran a hand through his hair. "God, I sound just as nuts as him."
She gazed at him for a moment, then turned to look at the man who was now sitting in the holding cell.
He took a drink of his coffee before moving over to sit beside the desk. "This whole thing is really startin' to creep me out."
"I'm sure it's a coincidence. You know? He probably does know your parents and he thinks that if he feeds you enough information, we'll let him go."
"Guess he doesn't know me very well then, huh?"
"Guess not." She sat down beside his desk and picked up the report, looking it over. She glanced over her shoulder at the man in the Santa suit. "Boz?"
"Yeah?"
"When you were ten and Mikey was eight...did your dad..."
He looked over at her. "Did he what?"
"Step on one of Mikey's presents and break it?"
"Yeah," he sighed. Resting his elbow on the desk he leaned his head against his fist. "Smashed it to pieces. It was the only thing Mikey really wanted that year." He stared down at the floor. "Before Mikey made it out to the living room I switched the tags on our presents."
Faith was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Me too," he chuckled. "I ended up with a worthless fighter jet model kit, and he got the authentic NFL football I wanted."
Her eyes were sad.
His eyebrows furrowed. "How'd you know about that anyway?"
She glanced over her shoulder at Santa.
He shifted his gaze to the man. "Who told you about that?"
"No one told me. I just know."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because I know you, Maurice. I know when you're sleeping, I know when you're awake..."
"You've read too many Christmas stories, old man."
Santa simply smiled.
"We're on a deadline!" a loud voice shouted somewhere out in the hallway.
"I don't care what deadline you're on, your friend was arrested for breaking and entering and he's not going anywhere until a judge sets bail," Swersky shouted back.
"What the hell is that?" Bosco questioned as he stood up and headed toward the door.
Faith followed him, her eyebrows raising when she spotted a very short man who wore green and white striped socks, with a green pair of pants, shirt and a red and green stocking cap. "You've gotta be kidding me," she mumbled.
"Did somebody spike the coffee?"
"You. You two. You arrested Santa Claus, you morons!" The man shouted, pointing at him.
"No," Bosco informed him. "We arrested a man dressed in a Santa suit. Just like every other police officer in the city did."
The man glared at him, disgusted. "That man in there is the -real- Santa Claus. And you have to let him go right now!"
Bosco chuckled. "You must be the technologically advanced elf. The one with the cell phone."
"That's right!"
"You know, I've had about as much of this as I can take."
Faith folded her arms across her chest. "You and me both."
"Good. Then you'll let him out so we can do our jobs."
"Look, your buddy broke the law. We're not about to just send him on his merry way."
"Let me talk to him."
"Right. Like I'm gonna let you do that."
"If he's not the real Santa Claus and I'm not a real elf, then what have you got lose, jag-off?"
Under normal circumstances he would have lost his temper, but this was so absurd that he couldn't stop himself from laughing. He looked at Faith. "Did Santa's little helper just call me a jag-off?"
She chuckled. "Yeah, he did. Very nice."
He glared at them. "Better be nice to me, I'm probably the only man in the city shorter than you."
"Oh, now we're gettin' personal. But at least I'm not the only one who's on the naughty list."
He rolled his eyes. "But you're definitely on it."
"Tell me somethin' I didn't know."
"Can I see the big man, or what?"
Bosco sighed. "If it'll get you outta here. Yes."
The man dressed as an elf scuttled past him and into the room where "Santa" was being held.
"This is like that really whacked Christmas movie I used to watch every year when I was a kid. The one where the mom and her kids snowmobile out into only God knows where and they end up at Santa's workshop. Only this time...Santa ended up at ours."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "I musta missed that movie." She followed the shorter man into the room.
"Can you give us a minute?" he snapped.
"Santa, if this is your right hand Elf you may wanna tell him to lose the attitude," Bosco told him. "He's not very jolly."
"He gets cranky on Christmas Eve. Deadline's rough, you know," Santa informed them.
"Right." Smiling, Bosco nodded his head, deciding to play along. "Getting all those toys to every boy and girl has to be very difficult."
"You have no idea."
"Obviously."
"Can we please have a moment?"
"Unless he's your attorney we're really not allowed to..."
"Oh, he is."
"I'm not even gonna question that." He glanced at Faith then nodded toward the door.
Shrugging, she headed out into the hallway.
Bosco glanced at the two men, shook his head then followed Faith.
"This has to be the most bizarre Christmas Eve ever."
"That's something I definitely agree with you on."
"Boscorelli, Yokas." Officer Smith came down the hallway.
He turned to look. "What's up?"
"There's packages in the locker room for both of you."
"Packages for us? From who?"
"They say from 'Santa.'"
Bosco rolled his eyes. "Everyone thinks they're Santa these days."
Smith shrugged and headed away.
He looked toward the locker room. "Well...we got nothin' better to do until Santa's lawyer leaves."
"Guess not." She glanced at him, glanced back at Santa and his "lawyer" and headed down the hall toward the locker room.
Entering the locker room Bosco glanced around then made his way to his locker. His eyes widened when he saw the gifts wrapped in green and red paper. "Somebody went all out."
"No kidding," she murmured, moving over to the package with her name on it. "To Faith, From Santa. PS, 'Better late than never.'"
"You wanna open yours first?" Bosco asked as he straddled the bench and sat down.
"Sure, why not?" A spark of excitement flittered through her and she couldn't help but smile as she tore the paper off the package.
Seeing her smile made him smile as well as he watched her. "What'd ya get?"
She stared at the open box before lifting a doll out and holding it up, her eyes wide.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Who would give you a doll," he asked quietly.
"Bosco...this is the doll I wanted when I was eight," she whispered.
"Get outta here," he said softly. "No way."
"I'm serious." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Open yours."
He stared at her for a moment then grabbed the large box in front of him, quickly pulling off the paper. "Roller blades," he murmured.
Faith remained silent.
Biting his lip Bosco pulled the lid off the box to look at the item inside. He smiled as he picked up one of the skates. "They're my size," he said in amazement.
"Bosco...who left these for us?"
"I don't know, maybe we should see if anybody saw..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at the box once more, finding an envelope with his name on it.
"What's that?"
"I'm not sure." He set down the roller blade and picked up the red envelope. For a moment he stared at his name written in gold before turning it over and pulling out a sheet of paper. He glanced at Faith before unfolding the letter. "Maurice. I'll deliver Michael's gift to your apartment, and use this to make sure..." He stopped reading aloud and swallowed hard.
"To make sure what?" She shook her head.
"She's not alone," he whispered, his voice barely audible. He stared down at the two tickets that had been with the letter.
"Who?" she asked in confusion.
"Faith, that guy..." He shook his head, pushed himself to his feet and hurried out of the room toward the office.
She stared after him for a moment, before following him down the hall.
"Okay, how the hell did you--" Bosco cut himself off and his eyes widened when he got into the office with the holding cell. He stepped back into the hall. "Lieu!"
"Bosco, what's wrong?" She looked into the room, her eyes widening when she saw that the holding cell was still closed and locked...but no one was inside.
"Swersky! Where is he?" Bosco hollered as he made his way toward the front desk.
"Where is who?" Swersky shook his head.
"That guy." He pointed toward the office. "Santa and his Elf."
"What do you mean where is he? He better be in his cell!"
"Well he's not! And there's no way he coulda gotten outta here without someone noticing!"
There was a loud sound from up above them and Faith looked at Bosco for a moment before heading for the exit.
"No way." Bosco shook his head as he jogged after Faith.
She pushed the door open and stepped outside in time to see Santa and his elf on the roof. "You better get down from there right now!"
"Faith," Bosco whispered.
"Merry Christmas!" Santa called down, waving at them as he climbed into his sleigh.
He stared wide eyed at the man then glanced down at the two tickets in his hand. This didn't seem possible, but unless he was dreaming there was no way to explain it except that this man really was who he said. "Are we really seein' this?" Bosco asked Faith.
"Either that or we're both havin' the same freaky assed dream," she mumbled.
"On Dasher, on Dancer! On Prancer and Vixen! Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen! On Rudolph!"
He watched in amazement as the reindeer he'd heard about in stories came to life before his eyes.
Faith stared open-mouthed as the sleigh seemingly flew off the roof, pulled along by the reindeer.
"Nobody's gonna believe us," he whispered.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Santa shouted, waving as his sleigh disappeared.
"I'm not even sure -I- believe us."
"No kiddin'." He looked down again at the two tickets he still held in his hand, noticing how the metallic lettering seemed to sparkle in the street light. "Faith?"
"Yeah?" She hadn't torn her eyes from the sky.
"What are you doin' tonight?"
She blinked a couple of times and finally looked over at him. "Nothing."
"It turns out there's a special late night performance of the Nutcracker tonight," he told her softly.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"I've got an extra ticket," he whispered.
Faith gazed at him for a moment. "Are you askin' me to go see the Nutcracker with you?"
"Yeah." He nodded his head.
She shifted her gaze to the sky once more, then back to him. "Yeah."
"I knew he was for real when I read the note."
"This is all..." She shook her head.
"I'd say none of it makes any sense, but...it kinda does."
"How does this make sense?" She looked at him.
"You and me barely talkin' to each other and then we get a call and find Santa up on the rooftop." He paused. "He knew, Faith. It wasn't about the doll or the roller blades or Mikey's gift."
"It was about us," she whispered, her eyes widening a little.
He nodded his head. "It wasn't just about whether or not we believed in him," he murmured.
She swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. "It was about...if we still believed in each other." Her voice was barely audible.
Bosco smiled softly and nodded his head.
Faith held his gaze, unable to look away.
The smile slipped from his face. "I didn't know about Fred," he whispered.
"I know," she whispered back.
"If I'd known, Faith..."
She nodded slightly, lowering her gaze to the snow-covered ground.
"Earlier, when I said we'd talk more later. I meant it."
"Our shift's over," she said softly.
"Do you wanna go to this thing tonight or just go somewhere and talk?"
"Let's get some coffee," Faith whispered. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's perfect."
A smile tugged at her lips and she hesitated a moment before sliding her arms around his waist.
He wrapped his arms around her. "It's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back," she whispered, closing her eyes.
After a moment he pulled back slightly. "Merry Christmas, Faith."
"Merry Christmas, Boz." She smiled.
"We'll have to get you a pair of roller blades," he told her with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, so I can break my neck?"
"That's not exactly funny, Faith," he said softly.
"Oh, come on, Boz. Can you picture -me- on roller blades?" She grinned.
"Well I didn't exactly picture us talking again, so picturing you on roller blades now isn't so hard."
"We'll see."
"Come on." He nodded toward the building. "It's getting cold out here. We should go change and go find an open coffee shop."
"Sounds good," she said softly, her eyes full of warmth.
"Yeah. Yeah it does," he whispered. Resting his hands on his gunbelt he looked at her for a moment. "I missed you."
A soft smile stretched across her lips. "Ditto."
"Guess this Christmas doesn't suck after all," he told her with a smile before turning and heading for the building.
"No. It doesn't," she whispered, following him into the building as she took one last glance at the sky.