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They Could Be Angels

"Randolph, Nicole is here, finally."

Randolph adjusted the halo around his antlers. "Send her in, Millie."

The red panda who acted as his assistant left the office momentarily, returning with a female coyote in tow. She pushed the coyote inside, closed the door and took up her station by the Senior Guardian Angel's desk. "Nicole." Millie announced as she placed a file folder in front of Randolph.

The reindeer opened the file and made a show of flipping through it, although he was already familiar with its contents. The coyote, who was dressed in torn jeans and an oversized tee-shirt instead of the standard plain white robe, fidgeted in front of him. When he was sure that she was as uncomfortable as she could get he closed the file and sat back in his chair.

"You are late. Where have you been?"

"I was checking to see if some Muslim friends of mine had showed up in their heaven yet."

"You know that's not allowed. You have to stay in the heaven that you believed in, at least until you achieve the eighth level."

"I didn't cross the border. I stayed in the interfaith zone."

"The interfaith zones are there to allow those who were mated with someone of a different faith to be with their spouse"

"I liked them a lot, even had sex with a couple of them. Doesn't that count?"

"Nicole. Remind me of how you came to be a Guardian Angel-in-Training?"

She brushed a lock of purple hair away from her eyes. "It wasn't by my choice."

"Really? Let me refresh your memory."

The room faded, replaced by a grainy black and white image of Nicole as a rough and tumble Tom-boy. The scene jumped to her a s a teenager, dressed like the punk bands she favoured and drinking whiskey with friends behind the school. The next shift showed her in trade school, learning to be a Powerline Technician. Another jump showed her high on a pole, wearing orange coveralls and a yellow hard-hat, laughing with the lineworkers on the poles on each side of her. A quick cut showed her making out with the wolf that as her boyfriend. That quickly faded into a shot of them with their besties at a beach picnic.

"You can stop it right there." Nicole aid, interrupting the vignette. She sounded upset. "You don't have to show me these flashbacks. I remember my life all too well."

"And miss it I suspect. But we have one more scene."

Nicole grit her teeth. Flashbacks were Randolph's thing and it would probably be quicker to shut up and just let him have his fun.

The room faded away again, returning to the beach picnic. Their fun was interrupted by Nicole's flip phone going off.

"I have to go to work." The dream Nicole told her friends. "A flood has knocked out all the power south of the city."

In a blink she was back in her orange coveralls and working on a crew trying to shut off power lines that had fallen into a raging river. Cries for help made her turn her head. There at the edge of the torrent a was a kitten standing on a pile of debris. She seemed to be stuck on something.

Nicole rushed over and saw that the child's foot was wedged between a branch and a fallen power line, a big one. She could tell that it was still live from the hum of power flowing through it and the sparks it gave off when the water splashed up on the cracked insulation.

"Carefully, Kittie. Don't move. Just let me move this mean ol' power line a bit to the side." She wedged an insulated pike between the branch and the line, forcing them carefully apart a bit at a time until the cat could wiggle its tiny paw free.

"Run to the truck." Nicole said, using her free paw to swing the kitten to shore. She watched the cat run to safety, right into the arms of the Crew Chief, before turning back to the situation at hand.

Slowly, carefully, she relaxed the tension on the pike and gingerly lifted it clear of the high-voltage line. When it was free she stepped back away from it and whipped her sweat-soaked brow.

"Well," she mumbled to herself "that was intense."

Someone behind her yelled. She turned to look and that way missed the house that was careening down the flooded river toward her. The house struck the pile of debris she was still standing on and knocked it, and the power line, loose. Nicole was thrown into the muddy river, scrambling to get back in top of anything that was floating. But as the cable slipped under the surface it filled the surrounding water with thousands of volts of high-amperage electricity.

The shock numbed Nicole. She could not open her paws or reach for a hold. She could not close her eyes or her mouth, and she could no longer tread water. As she slipped down the muddy liquid began to fill her mouth and ....

"That's enough!"

The room snapped back into focus. Nicole's paws were clenched into fists.

"I remember, okay? I saved that kitten's life and then I drowned. Happy?"

"No. Happiness is a state of mind that eludes me when dealing with you, Nicole."

"My name is Nikki."

"And you know the rules, Nicole. Anyone who sacrifices themselves while saving another is automatically enrolled in the Guardian Angel force."

"But I didn't know I was going to die."

"Nevertheless, you took the risk."

"I was always taking risks."

"Yes, foolish ones mostly, but the boss has a soft spot for creatures that sacrifice themselves for others - no matter the circumstances - and it is my job to turn you into a proper Guardian Angel. You do want to be a Guardian Angel, don't you?"

Nicole thought about it.

Heaven was boring, or at least the part she lived in was. The first Sphere was all clouds and ice and full of nice but not-quite-perfect people. Nicer than her, anyways and not quite as imperfect either. There were no perks for souls on the first three spheres of heaven, but once you made fourth level things changed you could get wings for one thing. With luck and a bit of ambition one could make it to seventh heaven; the highest level one could attain and still retain something of a personality, she had heard.

She should not have even been there, in heaven that is. She should have been in Purgatory chilling for a few eons with her own type. But, as the judge at the portal between worlds explained it to her, doing one good thing outweighed decades of non-cardinal misbehaviour. Angels-in-Training had to live in heaven, that was the rule, and the particularly deserving souls became Angels-in-Training, ergo ....

She shook her head. Ergo was one of Randolph's words. She never felt like she fit in around him or his assistant, Millie. They were both so ... so ... righteous. She sighed, it was another one of his words, but he said used it like it was a good thing. All the Angels in the upper levels talked like that ...

There were other, more interesting jobs that an Angel could do, like Avenging Angel, Messenger Angel, Angel of Love - that one sounded cool - but she did not qualify for those programs. Her only hope of getting into the upper spheres was to pass Guardian Angel training, and it was not going well.

As if he had been reading her mind Randolph opened the file on the desk again. "You are off to a rocky start, Nicole"

"Nikki." She protested, but the room was already fading.

"Your first assignment was to stop a suicidal badger from killing himself."

The mist resolved into a city street. A vision of Nicole appeared on the sidewalk, checked the address and headed for the next building. As she passed an electronics shop her head turned to look at the display of smart phones and game consoles. Her body followed it and she ground to a halt with her snout pressed against the glass, her tail wagging behind her. A moment later a black and white blur fell from somewhere above and splattered on the pavement beside her. The blood and entrails passed right through her. She bent, checked the battered badger for signs of life and, finding none, went back to ogling the display in the window.

The room returned.

"A certain lack of focus, I would say."

"Oh, come on! They had nothing like those when I was alive. Besides you said that the suicide was imminent, not that it was just about to happen."

Randolph rubbed his temples and Millie passed him a cold cloth that she materialized out of nowhere.

"Your next assignment was to prevent a wayward child from making the wrong choices in life."

The mist returned and then cleared to show Nicole drinking and smoking with a young female mountain lion. A knock came at the door and Nicole opened it to reveal four or more male dizzily bears. One had a case of beer and another had a bong that was already lit.

"We were just having a little fun before she went straight."

Randolph jumped up and slammed his fists on the desk. "SHE BECAME A PROSTITUTE AND A DRUG RUNNER!"

"Are you allowed to lose your temper at your rank? I thought Angels of your level were beyond all that."

Randolph slumped back against Millie, who massaged his shoulders and whispered encouragement into his ear.

"Say, are you two, like ... doing it? Because I was told that sex was forbidden above the third sphere."

"Those that still derive pleasure from physical intercourse display a weakness that keeps them on the lower levels."

"It's a lot more fun than playing a harp."

"The music of the spheres ... no ... forget it. You'll never understand. You were never meant for the higher levels of heaven, or the lower for that matter, but the Boss insisted that you be given an opportunity to prove yourself. Three chances are the standard though," he said with a smirk, "and you've already blown two of them. This is your last chance and if you fail you'll be sent down where you belong."

"Yeah, Purgatory."

"Or lower if you act like you act like you did the last time."

Millie picked up the file and read from it. "Did willfully engage in sexual activities with four male bears and one female mountain loin, such acts normally punishable by up to an eternity in the second circle of hell. Punishment to be suspended pending the outcome of Angel training."

"Great. Hell. Okay, what's the job?"

"The 'assignment' comes straight from headquarters. It is a fairly straightforward mission for this time of year, that being Christmas time down on Earth. You have to go down and bring the True Spirit of Christmas, the TSC as we refer to it, to a creature lacking it."

"Cool. True Spirt of Christmas, got it."

Randolph opened the file again. You are going to the town of Piety Knoll. There you will contact a creature named Raphael Jones." The room faded to show the image of a handsome grey wolf with bright blue eyes.

"Cute."

Randolph's brow furrowed and his halo blazed. "You are going down to bring the Christmas Spirit to some poor, unhappy creature, not to corrupt the morals of anyone you may encounter."

"Fine, fine. Don't get your robe in a knot. So, what's the word on wolf boy here?"

"Hmmm, the file is unusually skimpy on details." The reindeer looked up with a smirk. "You'll just have to rely on your ... good judgement." He and Millie shared a chortle.

Yep, they are totally doing it, Nicole thought as she waited for the pair to regain their haughty composure.

"Anyway, the standard rules apply. Magical travel enabled and no one will be able to see you unless you want them too, but no miracles without my approval. No changing fate or time or such, and oh yes, for this mission you will have the power to look into the hearts of others and discern their true nature."

"So, I'll be able to look into the heart of this Raphael and see when he is filled with the True Spirit of Christmas?"

"Yes. When a heart is filled with TSC it will glow red like a cheery Yuletide hearth."

"What's a hearth?"

"A fireplace"

"Gas or electric?"

"Wood ... or coal, if they still use that in Piety Knoll."

"Or peat." Millie contributed.

"Yes, I suppose, but that is not important. When you change a heart from dark to a warm red your mission is complete. So, off with you, and ... well ... good luck."

"Gee, did that hurt as much as it sounded? Anyways, thanks, and say hello to your red-nosed cousin for me." Then, in the manner of those on heaven's business, Nicole shot out of the room, the sphere and the Kingdom of Heaven like a streak of light.

"Is it a sin to hope that she fails?" Randolph asked Millie as she began to massage his shoulders again.

"Technically, yes. But you'll be forgiven if you are really, really sorry."

* * * * * * * *

Nicole did not know where she was going exactly but assumed that Randolph the brown-nosed reindeer would set her down in the right spot.

She materialized in a corridor of an older building, one with marble floors and real wooden doors with pebbled glass panels, the kind where they wrote you name with gold leaf in the old days. She examined the door in front of her and was not surprised to see "R. Jones, Public Defender" painted on it. As she looked down at the door a wisp of white on the edge of her vision drew her eyes to her clothes.

"Bastard." She mumbled. Randolph had changed her casual clothes for some kind of angelic white robe thingy that looked like Queen Victoria's nighty. A shadow was looming inside the office as someone prepared to leave. She only had a second, but fortunately for her wardrobe choices did not require miracles and everyone in the first sphere of heaven could make them. With a snap of her digits the robe vanished and her torn jeans and tee-shirt reappeared. For good measure she added tall black boots with lots of chrome with a matching belt.

She was trying to check in the cloudy glass to see if her purple highlights were back when the door opened. The large grey wolf that exited came out backwards as he struggled to hold a briefcase and a pile of gift-wrapped parcels while closing the door. Not expecting anyone to be lurking right outside he bumped into Nicole, knocking her to the floor, where he tripped over her, dumping his parcels and briefcase in the process.

"Jesus, Raphael, watch where you're going!"

The wolf rolled over to regard the coyote with the purple tinted hair with questioning eyes.

"Do I ... know you?"

"Uh, no. Not yet."

"But you know my name."

"I, uh, heard it ... when I was asking about the lawyers in this town."

"Oh!" he said as he stood and helped her to her feet. "You need a lawyer. I'm afraid as the Public Defender I can only take cases assigned by the court; the impoverished, destitute or itinerant. I don't recognize you from town, though. Are you itinerant?"

"No, I'm straight, but I'm not from around here."

"Look," he said as she stooped to pick up his briefcase and the presents, "why don't we go someplace warm to discuss this? It's Christmas eve and they turn the boiler off early in this old monstrosity."

He looked at her again, noting her skimpy attire. "Don't you have a coat? It's below freezing outside and the snow is up to your knees."

"Oh, sure." She reached under a solid bench and manifested a pea-jacket and wool watch cap out of his sight. "It got knocked to the floor when you fell on me."

He led her down the corridor to a set of solid double doors that opened onto the town square. A number of creatures were bustling about, including a tough looking ram in coveralls. The ram whistled and waved at them as the pair passed on the far side of the square.

The wolf called back loudly "I'll be over as soon as I can, Ezra. Got to attend to some business first."

The ram waved acknowledgement and turned back to a group of creatures that were struggling to decorate a huge spruce that was growing in the middle of the park at the centre of the square.

"That's Ezra Cohn, the town maintenance guy. He's Jewish but he helps with the Christmas decorations every year since ... since anyone around here can remember. The name Ezra means 'helper' and he certainly is that."

They entered a dinner with some awkwardness as the wolf tried to get the door for Nicole but couldn't because his paws were still full. Inside they took a booth in a quiet corner. He asked her if she would prefer a coffee or a cocoa.

"Coffee, black."

He shouted an order for two coffees to the old poodle in a waitress uniform behind the counter.

"Come'n right up Mister Jones."

They sat in silence until the cups had been delivered and the poodle had returned to her station behind the counter.

"So, Miss ... or is it Missus?"

"Just call me Nicki."

"Nikki. Is that short for Nicole?" He saw the way her eyes narrowed and knew it was true. "Nicole is such a beautiful name. It means 'Victorious', but I'll bet you knew that."

"Not really. You have a thing for names, don't you?"

"Yes. I find their origins and how they relate to one's personality very interesting."

"Right." And Raphael obviously means nutcase, she added to herself.

"Raphael means 'he who heals', actually."

There was an awkward silence as Nicole wondered if she had spoken out loud and he waited patiently for her to tell him why she had sought him out.

"Soooo ... you're a Public Defender. I'll bet you see all sorts of pain and depravity in that job."

"Yes, I suppose."

"And I'll bet you're overworked, tired all the time, a bit depressed, maybe?"

He frowned. "It does make for long days, being the only Public Defender in town, but our crime rate is relatively low, so it's not really that much of a burden."

"But it's sucked the spirit right out of you, hasn't it?"

"No, not actually. I really love my work, and I can't wait to get into the office each morning to see what new creature needs my help."

"Too busy to celebrate Christmas though, I suppose. No one to share it with anyway, I guess."

"Oh no. I'm on my way home to my family right now. Here, this is my partner." Raphael held out a phone who's home screen was showing him and a large male doberman hugging while wearing formal attire. "That was from our wedding. And here is one with the kids." He swiped the screen and the photo was replaced by one taken on the beach. He and his partner each had a child in their lap, a male coati in his and a female grey otter in the doberman's.

"Andre is from Argentina. We adopted him first but then the Asian agency we had registered with contacted us the next day to say that LingLing was available so we decided 'why not?'."

Nicole frowned. "Why not indeed. You haven't misplaced any of the town's money, have you?"

"No."

"Being blackmailed by an illicit lover, perhaps?"

"No!"

"Been held back all your life by circumstance and a needy family?"

"No. Just who are you anyway, Nicole, and why are you asking these kinds of questions?"

She bit her lip. There was no rule that said she had to keep her identity or mission a secret, not from her target anyway.

"Okay, I'm your Guardian Angel."

"An angel?"

"Yes."

"You?"

"YES."

"Oh, come on, who put you up to this? Was it Brutus in Fines and Taxes?"

"No, I am really an Angel and I am here to bring the true spirit of Christmas back into your life."

"I don't know which is more absurd - you being a Guardian Angel or you thinking that I don't have the spirit of Christmas."

"I am, but do you really .... have the true spirit of Christmas that is?"

"That depends. What's your definition of the true spirit of Christmas?"

Nicole shifted nervously on the bench. "Well, you know ... it's all about loving Jesus and stuff. Celebrating the birth of the Big Guy's son."

"Is that what you think? I believe, and this is only my personal opinion mind you, that it's more about what he stood for and what he preached: faith, love, hope, kindness, forgiveness ... that kind of thing. It's about feeling those things in your heart, not just your head, especially at this time of year."

Mention of his heart reminded Nicole of her special power. She stared at his chest and in a few seconds she could see a warm, intense red glow shining though his shirt.

"Shit, what are you, a friggin' saint?"

"No, I don't think so." Then he gave her a look reserved for those who have announced that they were Napoleon. "Are you sure that you're an angel?"

Nicole snapped her digits and now she was dressed in the flimsy robe from earlier but with a tinfoil halo and cardboard wings. Several more snaps saw her transition through several other stereotypical angel outfits from several cultures and periods. Raphael's eyes went wide but the waitress, who stopped by to refill their coffees, did not seem to notice.

"Okay. I'll give you that one." He said after the waitress had retreated. "But is that and the glowing heart thing all you can do?"

Nicole sighed and buried her head in her paws on the table. "I'm new at this, okay? And I'm not doing so well. You were my last chance to get a promotion, get moved up to the fourth sphere of heaven and to get some wings. Now they're going to toss me out the gates and leave me where I land, whether that's in purgatory or hell."

Then she raised her head as a thought struck her. "Wait! How about you claim that you had lost the Christmas spirit but suddenly found it again after I had a little chat with you? You could make up a summons or an aphi-david thingy or whatever attesting to it. Randolph would never know."

Raphael shook his head in disappointment. "You know, you are very cynical for an angel, and a bit dishonest. I thought the standards were higher than that."

"Well I wasn't supposed to be there." She gave him a quick rundown of her life, a brief, angry description of the circumstances of her death and finished with her mission to bring the true spirit of Christmas to someone in this town. "So you see, I didn't ask for this. Forth Heaven is only slightly less boring than the lower three levels but it beats sitting on a cloud all day discussing plants with Adam and Eve, although I can't even have that if I fail this mission."

"Gee, I'm sorry, Nicole. I didn't realize. Maybe I can help though."

"You'll sign an aphid-whatever?"

"No. That would be dishonest and I'm sure they would know; it would go badly for both of us. But I do know pretty much everyone in this town. One of them must need a little TSC."

"Sure." She said, sarcastically. "A small town like this must be full of poor, wretched souls. Overflowing practically."

"We have our share. There's Old Thrifty Crumpet, for example. He owns the bank and the low-rent units most of the poor folk live in."

"That sounds like a good one. Let's go."

She reached across the table and grabbed his wrist.

"Wait! I have to pay for the coff- ...." but they vanished with a poof, although after they were gone a five that had been in his wallet drifted down onto the table; enough to cover two coffees and a generous tip.

* * * * * * * *

(poof)

They reappeared in a large, dimly lit office in an upper floor of a dark mansion on the edge of town.

"This is breaking and entering."

"Don't worry, no one can see us, and I didn't break anything ... yet."

"Where are we?"

"Thrifty Crumpet's home office. That must be him sitting by the fire."

In a wing back chair turned half away from them Raphael saw an old black rat who was wrapped up in a tattered robe and wearing threadbare slippers. The room was bare of decoration. The rat was sipping something that looked cold and vile from a bowl.

Nicole rubbed her paws together. "Thrifty indeed. Yeah, he looks like a likely candidate. Any suggestions on how to turn the Christmas spirit on in him? A favourite sled I can bring back? An old flame he still pines for?"

Before Raphael could answer a soft knock came at the door. The rat called out "Enter" and the door opened to reveal an Airedale with pince-nez glasses and drooping mustaches.

"That's Scotty McPhee, the only private lawyer in town, and Crumpet is his main client." Raphael whispered in her ear.

"You can speak normally; they can't hear us."

"Oh, okay."

The lawyer approached the chair the rat was seated in and drew a sheath of papers from his briefcase. "The overdue rents and mortgages, Mister Crumpet."

The rat took the papers and gazed at them one by one through narrow eyes.

"This family of raccoons is delinquent for the third month in a row." The rat noted. "What is their excuse?"

"The father lost his job at the factory when the new machines were installed, and the mother is too sick to work. They have managed to scrape together enough for half the rent, though." The dog passed a cheque to the rat.

"He worked at my factory?"

"Yes, Mister Crumpet."

The rat passed the cheque back to his lawyer. "You know what to do with this."

"Yes, Mister Crumpet."

The Airedale stepped over to the fireplace and tossed the cheque into the flames.

"The bastard!" Nicole exclaimed. "He'll claim they didn't pay and use it as an excuse to evict them."

"Have you already issued them a receipt for their payment?" The rat asked.

"Yes, mister Crumpet."

"And now," Nicole added, "he'll ream out his lawyer and make him go get that receipt back."

"Good. If they ask why the cheque was not cashed claim that it was a bank error that we are insured for and that repaying will be too much of a fuss and bother. And tell the General Manager at the factory that we are starting a training program for whatever sort of trade does the maintenance on those machines. Make sure he gets the Raccoon's name as a prime candidate."

"Yes, Mister Crumpet."

Nicole's jaw dropped. "Wait ... what th- ..."

"I see that we still hold the mortgage for the orphanage."

"Yes. As it was a personal loan from yourself I'm afraid that there is no way that we can transfer it to them without naming you as the benefactor. But if I may make a suggestion, they are a charitable institution and the deduction would help defer a large amount of your personal taxes."

"Bah!" The rat waved him off. "Have the holding company we use for the soup kitchen buy the mortgage and transfer it to the shell company that runs the mission and then gift it to the Board of the Orphanage."

"The Town Council and church elders, who are also stockholders, will not like that."

"That's why we're not going to tell that pious bunch of dullards. Now, did you get the toys for the orphans?"

The Airedale snapped his digits and servants waiting in the hallway entered carrying baskets full of colourful toys and dolls.

"Oh, the children will love these." The rat squeaked.

"Nicole ..."

"Yeah, gimme a second." The coyote walked around to face the chair where the old rat was pawing at the pile of toys. She concentrated and frowned as Crumpets chest glowed bright red.

"Damn ... I mean, Darn it." She turned back to the wolf, who looked apologetic. "Anyone else?"

* * * * * * * *

(poof)

The appeared inside what looked to be a dusty library. A white-tailed doe that looked to be on the upper side of forty, if not more, was closing up for the day.

Nicole noted her plain business attire and half-glasses. "What's her story?"

"Virginia Darling. She has never married. She runs the library which is jointly funded by the Town Council and the old Church, the one the founding fathers of Piety Knoll built." He gestured, and Nicole looked in that direction. Her angelic vision pierced the walls of the library and all the building between them and a dark, grey stone edifice sitting on a hill overlooking the town.

"Ugh. They call that a church?"

"They are from a sect that does not believe in flashy displays or outward signs of opulence. They don't like music, dance or any other form of frivolity either. The church elders also make up the Town Council. They have morality clauses for all the creatures that work for them."

"How did you get in, being, you know ... "

"Gay?"

"Yes."

"I'm appointed by the State."

"Oh. But Virginia is not, therefore ..."

"She cannot engage in any sort of relationship outside of marriage for fear of losing her livelihood. Too bad, but sort of fitting, as Virginia means ..."

"I can guess, but still a bummer for her. All that pent-up frustration and working here in this dull place is sure to wear down the Christmas spirit over time."

"Maybe you should peek inside her just to be sure?"

Before Nicole could concentrate the doe turned and headed for a door marked 'Librarian', entering and closing it behind her. Nicole and Raphael followed, passing through the door with no effort. They were surprised to find the small office empty.

"Where did she go?"

Raphael spotted a bit of light coming from the edge of a large bookshelf behind the desk and pointed to a semi-circular line in the dust on the floor.

"Secret room."

"In a Library? You don't have any unaccounted-for serial killers around here, do you?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but regardless, she can't hurt us in this state."

Nicole gathered her courage, mentally preparing herself for a satanic alter surrounded by body parts and perhaps with the walls decorated by the skins of a few victims and stuck her head through the layer of books and the wooden back of the shelf.

At first she was sure that she had been right about the serial killer theory as several candles were burning at some sort of shrine in the small room. But instead of an effigy of the Prince of Darkness there was a framed photo of the ram that Raphael had talked with in the square. The wolf's head joined hers on the far side of the secret door as she tried to figure out what was going on there.

"Hey, that's Ezra." Raphael said when he saw the photo.

Nicole studied the table where the candles were burning and saw that even though the candle holder had nine candles only three were lit. She was vaguely familiar with Advent candles but thought that there should only be four of them. She asked Raphael if they had a local custom of using more there.

"No. The Town Council doesn't hold with lights or other bright displays this time of year. Not pious enough, according to them. But this has nothing to do with Christmas. That's a Menorah."

"A men-whatsis?"

"A Menorah. Jewish people light them at Chanukah to celebrate the miracle of the lamps, I think. It's an eight-day celebration and they light one more candle each night, using the one in the centre to light the others. This year Chanukah started on the twenty-second of December, so this would be the third night. Three nights, three candles."

"Virginia Darling is Jewish?"

"Not outwardly. She wouldn't be working here if she was. The Church Elders only hire from their own congregation."

"But Ezra is Jewish, and he works for the town which is run by the same people."

"That's different. For one thing the Elders consider that kind of work beneath them, and for another they wouldn't get funding from the state if they couldn't prove that they were following the diversity regulations. So Ezra gets to do all the dirty work, but Virginia ... I can't figure that one out."

The doe was reading from a sheath of papers as she rocked and sang softly to herself. Nicole pulled the rest of herself into the tiny room and read the top one over the deer's shoulder.

"It's a love letter, from Ezra." She used her angelic vision to scan the rest layer by layer. "They all are. Looks like she secretly converted and married him years ago. They have a cabin in the woods behind the town works station." She read further and blushed, possibly for the first time. "She, ah, can't have babies, but they still enjoy ... they have a good time together."

"I don't suppose that she could do with a dose of TSC?"

Nicole leaned over the doe and checked out her chest.

"It's glowing red too. Full of the true spirit of Chanukah I suppose."

"There many dwelling places in our Father's house." Raphael said.

"Yeah, that's right." Nicole responded, thinking of the heavens set aside for other faiths and the interfaith zones. "How did you know?"

"John 14:2, where Jesus says 'In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" One possible interpretation of that is that people of various faiths or sects all have a place in heaven."

"I didn't take you for the religious type."

"Oh, I was before I came here and met Hector, my partner."

"Your going to tell me what Hector means, aren't you?"

"Constant and faithful companion."

"Figures."

They pulled back out of the room Virginia had set aside to practice her faith and walked toward the wall of the office, pondering.

* * * * * * * *

They walked through the wall to the square outside, where Ezra Cohn and the others had finally gotten the decorations on the tree. Ezra made a show of plugging it in and thousands of lights burst forth, illuminating the entire square in brilliant colours. The assembled mass cheered and then broke out in song, but on the edges several people in dark grey and black overcoats quietly lurked, drawing back into the shadows when the light touched them.

"Who are they?" Nicole asked.

"Church elders and Town Council members. They hate the annual tree lighting ceremony, but they can't do anything about it because the land was bequeathed for that purpose by an anonymous donner fifty years ago."

"Hmpph. I could guess who."

"Yes. In any event, all they can do is prevent any of the town resources from being expended to maintain it. The decorations and labour are all donated, and Gus works on it on his free time."

"I don't hear a generator. Who's paying for the electricity to light it up?"

Raphael frowned in thought. "I don't know. The line comes from somewhere in Mayor Clyde's house, but I don't know where he finds the money to power it. He is rumoured to be getting a kick-back or two though."

"It's getting late. I only have until midnight to get this done or I'm toast. Let's go check him out."

They found the mayor in his office, watching the tree lighting ceremony through the window and working on his two sets of books. He was a portly porker who looked more jolly than evil so, having learned her lesson, the first thing Nicole did was to look into his heart.

"Oh, for Chri- ... somebody's sake. Not him too!"

"Glowing red?"

"Practically on fire."

"I should have guessed. Clyde means 'warm hearted'." Raphael wandered over and glanced at the duplicate legers while Nicole mumbled under her breath about names that would suit the wolf better than Raphael, in her opinion.

"I don't think 'All Knowing' and 'Wise Ass' are the same thing, but Cato is an old Latin name for the former. Hmmm ... one of these ledgers is the official record, and the other shows all the kickbacks and bribes that are being paid by the Town Councillors and other business owners to keep the Mayor from reporting them to the State authorities. It adds up to a tidy sum."

"Where's he stashing it? Under his bed? In a box behind a brick in the garden? The Cayman Islands?"

"He's not keeping it. He's using it to fund the projects that the rest of the Town Council refuse to spend tax money on, like the soup kitchen, the orphanage and the shelter."

"Now what?"

"Well, we could try the jailhouse."

(poof)

* * * * * * * *

Jails are often a place of pain and misery, especially at Christmas when loved ones are separated. Raphael informed her that the jail in Piety Knoll, while small, had a particularly bad reputation because of the Bulldog that ran it.

Standing outside the jailhouse they could hear banging and clanking coming from somewhere inside and see smoke pouring out of the chimney.

Nicole put out a paw to stop Raphael from walking through the wall. "Let's get this over with first ... what's his name?

"Justice. And it's a she, not a he."

"The meaning is obvious, but Justice isn't a girl's name."

"Her father wanted a boy."

"Whatever. Let's see what depravity she's up to in there."

They found her in the jailhouse kitchen, baking cakes and sugar cookies. Those that were done she had decorated with coloured icing depicting Christmas trees, Santas and Angels.

Raphael examined them while Nicole covered her eyes from the glare of TSC coming out of the large canine's chest.

"Huh, she always claimed that the baked goods came from some liberal-pinko prisoner's advocacy charity. Guess she doesn't want to tarnish her tough-dog reputation. Hey!" He said, pointing out one of the Angel cookies. "This one looks like you."

"Let's get out of here."

(poof)

* * * * * * * *

"I've never seen such a bunch of happy, well adjusted orphans."

"It's the toys, I think. Makes them feel that they haven't been left out at Christmas."

"It's the rat's doing ... but his tenants are still poor, and miserable too I bet."

(poof)

* * * * * * * *

(poof)

"They are all here in the square? Singing Christmas carols? Don't they have a cold dark flat to go home to?"

"Crumpet's places are not that bad, really. True, they are small and plain but everything works and he keeps them clean."

Nicole turned her back on the happy crowd, but she could see late arrivals showing up. They included the jailhouse boss, who was passing out leftover cake and cookies, all the while grumbling about Socialist-leftist advocacy groups. A large doberman leading a coati in one paw and a grey otter in the other was turning his head this way and that, looking for his partner. Movement caught from the corner of her eye proved to be the Librarian and the Town Maintenance worker slipping away while everyone else was occupied.

Her shoulders slumped.

"Looks like I'm out of luck. Think the Drug Store has any sunscreen left this time of year?"

Raphael pointed to the grey figures lurking just outside the light cast by the tree. "What about those council members and church leaders?"

"I checked. They're out of bounds. Those righteous bastards already think that they know God's will and have all the Christmas spirit they need. A senior Avenging Angel will deal with them when their time comes."

"Hmmmm ... You don't know anyone else that's a little self-centred, maybe a bit too ambitious, a little crass, or does the right thing but for the wrong reasons?"

She looked at him and could not help but note how he was staring back at her with a critical look.

"Hey, wait a second, who's working who here?"

"Hasn't visiting all these people taught you anything about the Christmas spirit?"

Nicole looked around at the happy faces, at the orphan kids carefully putting the last touches on the manger scene, at the people who were helping each other, the look of hope on the faces of the poor, the look of joy on the faces of their children, and the warm red glow that was emanating from one and all ... almost all.

On the edge of the square stood one of the younger members of the grey church. He looked confused and nervous, unsure and wary. He turned to leave but before he could the Mayor spotted him and, moving like an ice breaker through the sea of revelers, closed in on the fellow. He clasped the dog's paw, wringing it merrily with a huge smile of welcome plastered across his face. He pulled the dog in grey toward the tree. The dog scowled and tried to break free, but by then others had seen him and had gathered round, greeting him like a long-lost friend, clapping him on the back, shaking his paw and offering warm, spiced wine.

Soon the grey dog's heart began to glow like all the rest and a smile spread across his face as he joined the citizens around the tree. Nicole saw faith, hope, love and charity, even forgiveness on the faces around him.

"Aw, Jesus ... I mean, yeah, it's about Jesus, but I get your point from earlier. I guess I should be thinking more about others than about myself. Maybe if I grovel enough Randolph will let me stay in the program or at least in First Heaven. It isn't all bad there. Maybe Adam could give me a few tips on growing poinsettias and I could come back and help you guys decorate next year?"

"I'd like that."

Suddenly they were plunged into darkness, the gloom accompanied by moans of disappointment. Nicole spun on her heel. The lights in the tree and the surrounding decorations had gone out. From the edge of the crowd came cruel laughter.

"It was bound to fail, heathens, blasphemers!"

Nicole stepped forward. As she did she solidified and her clothing changed, but instead of the flimsy robe she was now dressed in a pair of bright orange coveralls and a yellow hard hat.

"Step aside folks. I'm pretty good with electricity, let me take a look."

"Raphael!" The doberman cried, suddenly seeing his mate standing right in front of him. "There you are! Where have you been?"

"Helping someone out."

"So, what else is new?"

Nicole found nothing wrong with the string of lights so she followed the cable back towards the mayor's house. The high-voltage line that supplied the junction box all the decorations were plugged into looked to have been severed with an axe; sabotage, she realized. One of the grey folk must have snuck around behind the tree while everyone was busy welcoming the one who defected.

"I'll have this fixed in a jiffy." She assured Raphael and his family, who had followed her, along with half the town. She reached down and pulled a pair of insulated pliers from her tool belt, the same tool belt she had been wearing when she died, she realized, and went to work.

"It's too dangerous to work on it while it's live." The Mayor said. "Maybe we should wait until we can track down Ezra, to shut the main line down."

"No, it's okay. I know what I'm doing."

Raphael looked concerned. "Are you sure, Nicole?" Then he whispered in her ear. "While you're physical your body is subject to the same rules as everyone else, so if you kill it before your mission is complete ..."

"Have a little faith, 'Rath'. This is the one thing I was ever good at."

The crowd watched silently in apprehension. Each wire she stripped and spliced made the tension rise. Sparks flew and the townsfolk gasped in unison when she tested the polarity by running the pliers across the ends. Then with a quick twist the last one was reconnected, and the assembled crowd was once again bathed in the warm light from the tree. Nicole in particular was illuminated by the light of the star on its tip.

"Look Daddy, she has a halo." LingLing said, pointing at the circle of light around the silhouette of Nicole's head.

Raphael laughed, and even Nicole smiled.

The Mayor stepped forward and shook her paw vigorously. "What can we pay you for your help, stranger?

"It's Nicole, and I don't need anything except, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay and join in your celebration."

There were call of agreement and assent from those close enough to hear before they turned to return to the square and the festivities. Raphael's family joined them, but he lingered behind with Nicole.

The wolf stood in front of her and tapped her on the chest. "Looks like you did give someone the Christmas spirit."

She looked down. A red glow was penetrating the orange coveralls.

Her head filled with wonder. "Yeah. Hey, wait a minute! How can you see that?"

"I guess hanging out with you the excess just rubbed off on me."

"I don't buy that, Randolph is too stingy with the special powers, besides, you warned me about killing this body too. How did you know about that?"

The wolf smiled, a smile that was almost, well angelic. As he did his clothes changed into a robe similar to the one Randolph wore, the robe of a senior Angel.

"Alright, I confess. Years ago I came here on a similar mission, but I had to convert most of the people in town. What you see now, the way they love and laugh and the joy in their hearts, something that appeared only when I was done, it fascinated me. You see, I was never of this world, having been brought into being as an angel in the time before the fall of Lucifer. Since then I was assigned to healing lost souls stuck between the spheres. I was due for a promotion but needed to broaden my experience by taking other types of Angelic assignments. This was my first mission on Earth, and I fell in love with the place, as well as with Hector. So when I was done I asked for something else instead or a promotion ... to be made mortal. I still have a few lingering powers, though."

"Like seeing into people's hearts?"

"Yes. That and making souffles. It takes an angel's touch to get them to rise just right."

"Raphael, can I stay too?"

"I'm afraid not, Nicole. You've had your time on Earth, but that doesn't mean that you can't visit sometimes." He took her by the paw and led her back to the square where his family was waiting for them, transforming back into his regular clothes as they went. When he released her she found that he had left a bulb from the Christmas lights in her paw, a red one. As she looked it started to glow on its own. She squinted at it. Inside was an image of the town square, complete with all the citizens, Raphael, his family and her. If she concentrated, she could zoom in on anyone in the image, and those that were moving in the square were also moving in the bulb. It was live, she realized.

"Come join us again next Christmas. Until then, keep this as a memento. You can hold it and see us while you're between assignments up there in forth heaven."

"You mean?"

"Yup, I can see those wings sprouting already." He fell silent as they came within earshot of the others.

Raphael's children broke free of their other father and rushed forward as they approached. They grabbed Nicole around the legs, hugging her fiercely as the clock in the Town Hall struck midnight.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy." The little ones cried as the last tone faded away. "Merry Christmas Nicole."

A tear in her eye, Nicole crouched down and returned the hugs.

"Were we the first to wish you Merry Christmas, Miss Nicole?"

"Yes. Yes, you were. The first in a very long time. Thank you both." She said as she stood and looked at the smiling townsfolk gathered around them.

"And Merry Christmas, everyone."