Special thanks to Erin, the Kiwi that provided the words to the Australian versions of "Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Jingle Bells". Thanks mate!
 

Rated: PG

 
Rollie Tyler woke, shivering in the frigid cold air in the loft. Just bloody great, he thought, as he shook under the bed covers. The blast of Arctic cold air that had been forecast for the last three days had finally arrived and the furnace that heated the old brewery appeared to have left for Florida. The Aussie peered bleary eyed at the clock next to his bed. Bloody great, it was six A.M.; he had gotten a grand total of three hours sleep, probably less. Steeling himself to set foot on to the ice-cold floor, Rollie felt like the whole world had turned against him. It was the day before Christmas and he had been in a blue funk for almost a month. There was no joy for the special effects expert this holiday season. It was the first Christmas since Leo McCarthy had died and Rollie desperately missed his friend.

Lucinda Scott had invited Angie and Rollie to join her for a white Christmas in Vermont four days earlier. Rollie had smiled and told them to go without him, that Christmas wasn't suppose to be white and he'd just as soon stay home. However, he had actively encouraged Angie to go. He packed up the presents he got his partner and the actor, and admonishing the women not to open them until the big day, wished them a joyous holiday.
 
Rollie's gifts from them were sitting on his workshop bench along with his gifts for the Gatti family, because there was no tree to put them under. He hadn't put one up or decorated the loft in any way. This was the first time Rollie had not decorated for Christmas. Even when he didn't have much room and couldn't afford anything, there was a little something to honor the holiday. This year, Rollie couldn't find energy or interest in putting forth the effort of decorating.

Francis and Sarah had extended an invitation to the Australian to join the Gatti family for Christmas. Last year, when armored car robbers shot Rollie, he, Angie and Leo had spent the holiday with them. He had thoroughly enjoyed the time spent at the Gatti apartment, especially watching the excitement of their two young daughters. The Aussie and his tales of Christmas in the Outback fascinated the girls and they had equally charmed him. This time, he told the detective and his wife that he was sorry, but he just couldn't make it. Francis had tried to change Rollie's mind, telling him that the girls would miss him if he weren't there, but Rollie remained adamant. He didn't want his mood spoiling their Christmas. Of course he didn't tell Francis that was the reason why, he made other excuses.

Taking a deep breath, Rollie jumped out of bed and dressed as rapidly as possible. It was a relief to get his socks and hiking boots on, the floor was freezing. With a loud sigh, Rollie plodded downstairs and headed for the tiny room where the furnace was hidden.

It was almost ten o'clock when Francis parked next to Rollie's red pickup. He was digging out the Christmas presents for his special effects friends from the trunk, when Angie Ramirez hurried up behind him.

"Hi, Francis! What's up?" The pretty blonde asked the detective.

Francis jumped at the words and hit his head on the hood of the trunk. "Angie! I thought you were out of town. Grab that bag, I brought Christmas presents for you and Rollie."

"I decided I'd rather be with Rollie. Besides, he's been so down lately, I think he's really missing Leo right now."

"Yeah, I noticed he hasn't been himself. Sarah and I have been trying to get him to join us for Christmas, but he keeps refusing." Francis looked sadly at the closed doors to the loft. "I miss Leo, too, Angie and that's all the more reason Rollie needs to be with his friends now."

"Yeah, well, Rollie keeps trying to act like nothing's wrong. He thinks we won't notice anything, if he doesn't mention it." Angie and Francis shared a rueful look, as she opened the door. "What the hell? It's freezing in here!?!"

"It sure is, I think it may be warmer outside," Francis said as his breath fogged the air in front of him. He looked around, put the bags on Rollie's desk and called out, "Rollie? Are you in here?"

"Rollie! Why's it so cold in here?" Angie hollered to her boss, placing the bag she had brought in next to the others.

The only answer they got was the sound of a loud clang and clatter of metal. Francis followed Angie as she wove her way to the back of the first floor workshop. They found Rollie sitting on the floor of the tiny furnace room, a wrench lying beside him. He was nursing his right hand and looked absolutely miserable. Rollie was wearing jeans, a navy sweater and his black leather coat, but no gloves.

Looking at the shivering distress of her boss, Angie didn't know whether to be exasperated or mothering. Angie squatted down in front of Rollie, removed one of her gloves and gently touched his right hand. Angie gasped as she felt the iciness of his skin. "Rollie, you idiot, you're freezing! Come on, get up, we need to get you warm," Angie said in a firm tone. "What happened to the heat?"

"Angie?" Rollie blinked at his assistant. "I thought you went to Vermont with Lucinda."

"I came back," Angie replied dryly. "Now get up." With help from Francis, she got Rollie on his feet and moving. Angie paused uncertain what to do to get the Aussie warm. Staying in the loft was out of the question and the van would take too long to warm. Rollie needed warmth now.

Angie was debating between Rollie's pickup and sports car, when Francis spoke, solving her dilemma. "Come on, my car should still be warm." He guided the shaking man toward the doors. "Angie, see if you can find something warmer for Rollie to wear and a couple of blankets." The shorter man shook his head as he pushed the lanky special effects expert into the front passenger seat. Shutting the car door, he hurried around to the driver's side and got in. Francis started the car and turned the heat on high. He reached across his friend and angled the vents to give Rollie the most warmth. "Rollie, are you trying to make yourself sick for Christmas?"

Rollie stared at Francis with wide brown eyes, it sounded as if Francis was really mad at him. The Aussie was uncertain how to answer his friend's question. He didn't want to be sick, he just wanted the holidays over and to get back to work. When he was working, he didn't have time to think about anything, but the job at hand. Rollie turned away and looked down. He hadn't wanted to ruin anyone else's Christmas with his bad mood. Now, it looked like he had managed to mess up anyway. Why couldn't he do anything right any more? Rollie sighed silently and rested his head against the cold window, his eyes closed. "I'm sorry." The words were muffled and tiny - barely audible to the man sitting next to him.

Francis watched Rollie with concern. He wasn't angry with his friend, just worried. Unfortunately, it had sounded like anger and Rollie seemed to be pulling deeper into himself. Francis thought a moment, then reached out and gently turned the Aussie to look at him. "Rollie," Francis began, then paused. When he was certain he had Rollie's attention, he continued gently. "It's okay to miss Leo. I miss him, too." The New Yorker watched sympathetically as Rollie got a slightly wild look in his eyes. Realizing the Aussie wasn't ready to face his grief, Francis changed the subject. "Why's the loft so cold? What happened to the furnace?"

Rollie looked grateful at the questions. "I don't know. I woke up this morning and the loft was cold. I was trying to find out what was wrong when you and Angie got here."

Seeing Angie coming with a duffel bag covered with the Tyler FX logo and some blankets, Francis unlocked the rear doors. Reaching behind Rollie, he popped open the door and Angie climbed into the back seat. "Why didn't you call a repair service?" Francis asked reasonably.

"I did," Rollie said, careful to not look at either of them. "I called everybody listed in the phone book in fact. With the holidays, they all said they won't have anyone available for two or three days." He glanced at Francis and Angie and gave them a wan smile. "Seems mine isn't the only furnace with problems right now."

Angie wrapped two wool blankets around Rollie, with some help from Francis. "I thought you got the furnace checked out a couple of months ago."

"Did," Rollie answered quietly, "It was fine. It's not, now." He shrugged and pulled the blankets tighter. To his friends' relief, he wasn't shivering as much as he had been.

"Well, you can't stay here with no heat," Angie told Rollie. She said a silent grateful prayer for the broken furnace. This gave them the perfect excuse to get the stubborn Aussie out of his place.  Rollie might balk at it, but there was no way Angie was leaving him alone this Christmas. Now, he would have to stay with her or Francis, there was clearly no other option.

"I don't want to be a bother," Rollie said decisively, "I can get a hotel room. No problem."

"Uh uh," Francis responded skeptically. "A hotel room. In Manhattan. On Christmas Eve? Right. No way, Rollie! You have two choices. You stay at Angie's or you stay at my place."

"He's right, boss. Me and Chiops or Francis and his family, take your pick." Angie hid her smile of satisfaction. No matter what Rollie chose, he wouldn't be shut off with nothing but his memories and grief.

Rollie hadn't been allowed to mourn Leo's death with everything that happened at the time. In clearing his detective friends and himself, Rollie's grief had been shoved aside. When it finally came time to mourn, the Aussie had quite simply been unable to release the tears that had been locked away for so long. His friends had watched helplessly as Rollie struggled to find an outlet for his grief. Francis had hoped visiting Leo's graveside and drinking the beers in honor of their friend would help Rollie. It had helped a little, but the tears remained dammed deep inside. With Christmas almost here, Rollie's sorrow was rising to the surface once more. Christmas was a time for families and Rollie had considered Leo part of his family. Now memories of past Christmases, joyous memories of days spent with Leo and Angie, and last year with Frank's family, were warring with the more recent painful memories of Leo's death.

"Rol," Angie said, "how's your hand? What did you do to it?"

Rollie replied meekly. "It's okay, Ange. I just took some skin off and banged it up a bit when the wrench slipped."

"Let me see," Angie told him. She wanted to be certain it was as simple and harmless as Rollie claimed. Sometimes, the ex-stuntman downplayed his own injuries and Angie felt she had to protect him from himself.

Rollie heaved a long-suffering sigh and turned toward the rear of the car. He tried to sit patiently while Angie checked his right hand. She was relieved to discover Rollie's skin wasn't as cold as before. He had scrapped quite a bit of skin off, leaving his knuckles and the back of his hand bloody and his hand already showed signs of heavy bruises. Undoubtedly painful, but that was all - nothing broken, nothing serious. Normally, they would put an ice pack on it for the bruising, but considering how cold Rollie had been Angie decided they could and should skip it.  A little cleaning and first aid would take care of the injuries. Good thing Rollie is left-handed, Angie thought as she released his hand. "We'll clean it up and bandage it when we get to wherever you're staying. So, have you decided yet?"

Rollie shot a glance over at Francis and then back to Angie. The nearly identical looks of determination told the Aussie there was no way he could get out of this.  He might have been able to resist one, but not both. Rollie knew he wasn't fit company, but fate had decreed he would spend the next few days at one of his friends' homes. Now, if he could just decide who should be subjected to his depression, Rollie stared at them, unable to make a choice.

Francis, tired of waiting for Rollie to make a decision, turned to look at Angie. "Angie, why don't you join us at my place. Sarah and the girls would love to have you and Rollie there."

Angie considered her friend's offer. It would be nice, if they could be together. The more friendly faces Rollie had around when the walls erected so many months ago finally came crashing down, the better for the Australian. But there wasn't a lot of room to spare at the Gatti apartment. "Frankie, I'd love to, but if I remember right, you only have one guest room."

"The couch folds out, it's a sleeping sofa. It's actually pretty comfortable. You can use that and you can bring Chiops, too. Just be prepared for the girls to spoil him rotten and to want to keep him."

Angie smiled at that. She wondered idly just how Frank knew the sleeper was comfortable. "Sounds good to me. How 'bout it, boss? Both of us and Chiops at the Gattis for Christmas." Angie and Francis held their breath as they looked to the tired man, waiting for a decision.

"Okay, you win. I'll stay, too." Rollie surrendered to the inevitable. Looking at the bag on the seat next to Angie, he continued. "What did you bring, Ange? Let me see."

"Umm, just some warmer clothes," Angie responded, doubtfully. She hesitated a moment, then passed the duffel to her best friend. He'd have to see what she had packed sometime.

Digging into the tote, Rollie immediately found the reason for his partner's anxiety. She had packed the wool sweater that Leo had picked out for Rollie's birthday, the gift Leo had not lived long enough to give. He stroked the softness of the natural wool, then dug deeper, checking the other items. "Well, if I'm going to be staying with you for a few days, Frank, I want more than just this. Especially, if it's going to stay this cold." Rollie passed the bag back to Angie.

"The last forecast I heard said this cold snap would last at least a week," Francis told his friend.

Rollie nodded, "Wait here, I'll just go grab some more stuff, then we can get out of here." Before his friends could object that he was still too cold, he darted out of the car and back into the loft.

Ten minutes later, Francis and Angie were ready to go drag the Aussie back out, when Rollie came back. A heavy shearling jacket replaced his leather coat. Rollie was wearing a pair of shearling boots and gloves as well. To finish his warmer outfit, Rollie had on his black wool FX scarf. Rollie handed a FX logo carry-on bag and a bag full of presents to Angie in the back. "Okay, let's go to Angie's and collect her gear and Chiops."

Francis started to put the car in gear, then paused. "Wait a minute, our presents for you are inside. I'd better get them first."

"I'll help." Angie said and the pair headed into the old brewery.

"Why didn't you think of this earlier?" Rollie called after them and settled back into the front seat.

By the time Francis and Angie returned and placed the bags in the trunk, they found Rollie had fallen sound asleep. Seeing how exhausted Rollie looked, they tried to not wake the sleeping man. Francis reached around Rollie and carefully fastened his seat belt. The Aussie slept the entire trip to Angie's apartment and the loading of her things into the trunk. Angie settled into the back seat with her pet. Chiops meowed at the sight of Rollie and tried to climb into the front seat with him. For some reason neither of them understood the cat always tried to climb into Rollie's lap every time he set eyes on the Aussie.

"No, Chiops. Let Rollie sleep," Angie said sternly as she grabbed her pet. She was careful to hold onto the cat the entire trip to the Gatti apartment. They let Rollie sleep during the entire process of unloading the car, but finally the only thing left was to get the special effects expert inside.

Angie shook Rollie's shoulder. "Rollie, wake up. We're here."

"Hmm. What?" Rollie mumbled sleepily. He yawned and stretched as best he could in the car, then looked around. Seeing they were at Francis' place, he climbed out. Rollie rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he followed Angie inside. The special effects experts were greeted cheerfully by Sarah. After hugging the pair, she escorted them to the kitchen and sat Rollie down at the table. Chiops took advantage of the moment and leapt into Rollie's lap. Francis brought a first aid kit over and Angie stripped the gloves off of Rollie's hands. She cleaned the torn skin, thoroughly salved the injury and wrapped gauze around the battered hand.  Rollie just sat there, blinking heavily and let Angie work.

Sarah, having heard of Rollie's misadventures with the furnace from her husband while Angie was packing, had made some hot soup and brewed a pot of herbal tea, which she now served to the grateful Aussie. He smiled slightly at the wonderful smell and sipped the hot drink. Sarah had been very glad when Francis had introduced his FX friends to the Gatti family. She had always loved hot tea and frequently brewed pots of various types of tea. Unfortunately,  she knew very few people who appreciated the drink. Rollie and Angie were always ready to have a cup when they came to visit. As Angie was putting the things she'd used back into the first aid kit, Sarah brought another serving for her and Francis.

"I'm glad you both decided to join us for Christmas," Sarah told the friends. "The girls will be overjoyed to see you, when they get back."

"Thanks, Sarah," Angie smiled at the other woman, "and thanks for letting Chiops come visit, too. Where are the girls?"

Sarah's smile widened as she answered, "Visiting with their grandparents, getting totally spoiled."

Rollie noticed some cheerful, Christmasy red and green clothes hanging in a dry cleaner's bag, on the back of the kitchen door. "What's that?" He asked, curious.

Sarah laughed as Francis blushed slightly. "Frankie is playing one of Santa's elves this evening. He's going to visit the children's ward at St. Vincent's this evening."

"Yeah?" Rollie perked up. "That's really cool, Francis," the Aussie said wistfully.

Francis exchanged looks with Sarah and Angie. "Yeah, I guess it is." He paused, then said casually. "You know, Rollie, we could use a couple of more elves. Maybe you and Angie could join us?"

Rollie looked interested as he turned to look at his shorter friend. "That would be fun," Rollie started, then looked dejected "but, I'm too tall for an elf. Angie would make a good elf though."

"Are you calling me short, boss?" Angie tried to sound angry, but couldn't. She knew Rollie would love to do this for the kids. For that matter, so would she.

Rollie stared with wide-eyed innocence at his assistant. "No," then added in a stage whisper, "but you are short." His smile got a little bigger as he said it. Considering she was over a head shorter than her six foot two boss, Angie had to agree with him. To Rollie, she was short, but so were a lot of people.

"That's okay, Rollie. Elves don't have to be that short." Francis told the tall Aussie. "Why don't you and Angie come, too? The lady organizing this is bringing extra costumes in assorted sizes. Just in case, we found some more suckers, uh, volunteers."

Rollie pushed Chiops out of his lap, got up and examined the costume with an experienced eye. It did look good, very professional. In fact, it looked as if the costume had been hand stitched. He saw the red shoes with a curled toe in the bottom of the bag and had to laugh at them. It would be fun to see his friends dressed up. He noticed the pointy ears in there as well. He frowned at them. "I can do better than these ears, Frankie." They looked like the cheap Vulcan costume ears that showed up every Halloween.

"Are you offering to do the make-up, Rollie?" Francis asked. "Cause it would be great if you would. We have a really authentic looking Santa, he has a real beard and everything, but those ears are pretty lame."

"Okay, I can do that," Rollie returned to the table, shrugging. He sat down and picked up his cup of tea. Chiops immediately jumped back into his lap. "Angie, what is with this cat? Why does he always have to be in my lap?"

Angie grinned at the peeved man. "What can I say, Rol? For some strange reason, he likes you! Normally, Chiops has much better taste."

"Well, he's your cat! Why doesn't he sit in your lap?" Chiops was now staring at Rollie and Rollie was staring back.

"He's not mine. Not really. Don't you know anything about cats? They don't have owners, they own people." Angie wanted to laugh at the sight of the Australian and cat in a staring match. Anybody who knew a thing about cats would know there was no way for Rollie to win, but he seemed determined to try.

"I don't belong to him! And Chiops can just get that thought out of his head." Rollie directed his words more toward the cat than to Angie, just like Chiops knew what he was saying. Much to the others' surprise and amusement, Chiops blinked and began to groom himself, completely ignoring the man that had been the entire focus of his attention a second before. Rollie looked smug at staring down the cat and continued to eat his soup.

Angie laughed, totally amused by the actions of her boss and pet. "Frankie, I'd love to be an elf. Count me in." She said, returning to the topic at hand.

"Great, I'll let Mrs. Simms know. How about you, Rollie?"

"Sure," Rollie, warm and relaxed by the tea and soup, answered sleepily, "whatever."

"Sounds like you're ready to go back to your nap, boss." Angie looked at him with an experienced eye. It seemed Rollie had gotten a lot less sleep last night than normal. Not that he ever got a "normal" amount of sleep. As long as she could remember, Rollie had possessed a disrupted sleep pattern. He would sleep a few hours, be awake awhile, then sleep again. He repeated that pattern two or three times a night (or day, if they were working nights). The only time he seemed to get the recommended hours of sleep was when he was drunk, drugged or sick. Lately, sleep had appeared to be a lot less than was "normal" for Rollie. "Just how much sleep did you get before the furnace broke down?" She asked, curious.

The Aussie blinked at the question and thought about it for a moment. "Three hours... I think."

"Three?" Angie asked skeptically.

"Well, maybe. It could have been two." Rollie shrugged.

Francis and Sarah looked concerned at Rollie's response. Angie sighed, shook her head at them and said, "Go back to sleep, Rol. We'll wake you up in plenty of time to play elf."

"Okay. Sarah, thanks for the lunch." Rollie said, stumbled to his feet and ambled off to the guest room and his temporary bed.

"Two, three hours? Angie, that's not good. How much sleep has Rollie been getting lately?" Francis spoke anxiously.

"Not enough," Angie spoke calmly as Chiops leapt into her lap. "We can all see that. Look, I've known Rollie since I was a kid. He's never gotten the proper amount of sleep, ever. But he usually gets enough... for him."

Francis and Sarah nodded at the blonde's words, looking concerned.

"We all know he's been down lately," Angie continued. "Well, I think Leo's death is finally getting to him and I think he's been having nightmares. That's happened before, too. Until Rollie opens up and let's that out, he is not going to get enough sleep. That's going to happen, soon. I know that, I can feel it. We just have to be ready and be here for him when it does. Okay?"

"Okay, Angie." Sarah answered.

"Okay, Angie." Francis echoed. "You've known Rollie a lot longer than we have. If you think he's going to be all right and that's what's happening, we'll be here for him." Francis hesitated, then continued. He wanted to say this, he wasn't sure if he would ever get to say it to Rollie, but he wanted to tell Angie. "I just want to say one thing. One of the best things... maybe the best thing Leo ever did for me was to introduce me to you two, Angie. To share your friendship with me. You know, I think Leo knew that it was good for me, that he wanted that and I really appreciate having that friendship. You and Rollie are the best! One of the things in my life, I know I would never want to change is knowing you, Rollie and Leo."

Angie smiled gratefully at Francis. "Thanks, Frankie. It's one of the best thing's Leo did for us, too. But it's especially good for Rollie. He's never had many close friends. He has a lot of friends, but not friends, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I think I do know what you're saying, Angie." Francis frowned for a moment, thinking. "He's always there for everybody else, but hardly anybody is there when he needs them. And it's like he doesn't expect anybody to be there when he needs help. Except Leo and you."

Angie nodded. "And you now, Francis. But yes, I think that's it. I think it goes back to his dad never being there when Rollie needed him... And I think part of it is Rollie thinks he wasn't there when his mom needed him. Rollie's never understood there was nothing he could do, not really, he just blamed himself. So he thinks he doesn't deserve the help he naturally gives everybody else."

Francis nodded thoughtfully "I can see that."

"Angie, how long have you known Rollie?" Sarah asked curiously.

Angie thought for a moment, doing some quick mental arithmetic. "Thirteen years now."

"Wow," Francis said, startled, "I knew you had known each other a long time, but not that long!"

"Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to believe, too. It sure doesn't seem that long." Angie sighed, "And to think I almost ended it, before it could start."

"What do you mean?" Francis asked, he always wanted to know more about his friends.

"Well, let's just say I was a total brat and almost ran Rollie off in the beginning, okay?" Angie replied, embarrassed by the memory.

"That's okay, Angie," Sarah told her, "you don't have to explain. The main thing is you didn't run him off and you're really good friends now."

"The best! I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for Rollie after my dad died." Angie sighed. "He kept me going then. And whole." She remembered like it was yesterday, Rollie walking up to her in the lawyer's office and pulling her into his arms without saying a word. She finally broke down and cried in the safety of that strong loving embrace. She had been in shock when Manny was killed in the explosion, and had only shed a few tears until that moment. Angie shook herself. Now, somehow, she had to give Rollie the same release he had given her. She frowned as she continued. "I should have done more when Leo died. I... I knew what Rollie was doing and I just let him do it. I should have paid more attention."

"Angie, stop that," Francis said sharply. "We all knew what Rollie was doing. You tried and so did I. There wasn't anything, anyone could do until Rollie was ready to accept it. You did pay attention and you've done the only thing you could do. Angie, you stood by Rollie, waiting until he was ready. Sometimes... sometimes that's the way it has to be. But now, he is almost ready and you're here waiting, ready and willing to help him handle it. That's all Rollie could ask for, that's all anyone could ask for. Don't blame yourself, for something you couldn't help."

"I know you're right, Frank," Angie answered, "I just wish..."

"Yeah, so do I. But life isn't perfect and it sure isn't fair. So we deal with it, the best way we can." Francis smiled brightly at his wife and friend, then jumped up. "Well, if we're going to have a good Christmas, I have some calls to make."

Angie nodded, "We'll probably take the van and do the make-up at the hospital."

"Okay, and I'll let Mrs. Simms know you're coming." Francis placed a comforting hand on Angie's shoulder. "Just you wait Angie. Rollie's going to be okay and it will be a good Christmas. You'll love helping the kids and so will Rollie. I know the kids will love having Rollie there!"

"Yeah, they will, he's just a big kid himself. I think this is just what Rollie needed for Christmas. We usually try to do something like this, but this year, there just wasn't any time to arrange it." Angie laughed, "Rollie's never gotten to play elf before. I can't wait to see him dressed up like one."

"Take pictures, Angie." Sarah spoke up. "Of both of them, I want to see this, too!" Her husband blushed as he moved toward the phone.

"I'll make sure I get one of all of us together." Angie smiled happily at the mental image.

Three hours later, Rollie was up again and driving Sarah crazy. Rollie was worse than her two daughters combined. Francis and Angie had gone to get the presents for the girls that were hidden at his father's restaurant. Sarah hadn't expected the Australian to wake up so soon, but when she remembered what Angie said earlier, she decided she should have known better. By the time, Francis and Angie returned, Rollie was happily making chocolate krispies in the kitchen.

Francis looked curiously at what the taller man was doing. "I didn't know you could cook, Rollie."

"Of course, I can cook Francis," he replied, miffed at the same comment in less than two hours. "I don't know where everybody got the idea I can't cook."

"Maybe, because you usually don't cook, boss," Angie answered cheerfully. It was a relief to see Rollie happy again, even if there was a sense of sadness under it.

"That's just 'cause Rick thought the blood and guts was soup one time." Rollie chuckled at the memory. "He swore he would never touch anything on the stove at my place ever again. And he didn't, either. I didn't want to risk someone else making the same mistake."
 
"I thought I'd make enough to take with us for the kids and some to leave here." Rollie looked questioningly over at Francis, after all this was his to-do.

"That's good, Rollie," Francis said, "I'm sure the kids will love them." He hesitated a moment, he hated disappointing his friend. "Mrs. Simms doesn't think she has a costume that will fit you. She has some that are big, but we think they may be too big." He eyed the thin form of his friend. "They're for someone with a lot more weight than you have."

For a second, Rollie looked stricken, but it was quickly covered up. "That's okay, Francis. I'll just do the make-up." He added in a cheerful tone, "And hand out the krispies."

"No, damn it! It's not okay. We want you to be an elf, too! Don't you have something we can make into an elf costume?" Remembering what Rollie normally wore, Francis doubted his friend had anything that bright and colorful, but maybe there was something. Maybe they could go buy or rent something, but it was probably too late.

"This late?" Rollie was touched that Frankie wanted him to do this so much. He thought carefully about what he had around the loft. Jeans, T-shirts, sweats, and black suits just wouldn't cut it. Surely, though with all the odds and ends left lying around the workshop, there had to be something. That was when he remembered, did he still have it though? "Hmm, maybe. If I still have it and can find it."

"Find what, boss?" Angie thought she knew all the junk they had in the loft, leftovers from their work and Manny's. She didn't think any of it was appropriate for an elf costume for the tall Australian.

"Something," Rollie answered mysteriously, "from a long time ago. It's not exactly an elf, but it's definitely Christmas."

"What?" Angie widdled. She sounded just like a kid attempting to pry a Christmas secret from her parents.

"You'll see." That was all they could get out of the lanky Aussie. Whatever he had thought of wearing, he was keeping it a secret. Teasing, or perhaps, to lower the expectations if he couldn't find it - whatever it was. The friends would just have to wait to satisfy their curiosity.

Not too much later, the three friends piled into the car and headed over to the loft. Angie and Francis immediately climbed into the FX van. Angie started the engine and let the large vehicle start warming up. Rollie disappeared up the steps to his bedroom. Even in the van, the others could hear him rummaging around and muttering. In a surprisingly short period of time, Rollie came downstairs carrying a large case. It looked just like dozens of other cases the special effects experts used everyday and there was no hint as to the contents. Rollie just smiled when Angie asked him what was in the case.

While Angie went inside to meet with Mrs. Simms and get her costume, Francis changed in the van and Rollie set to work on his make-up. By the time, Angie returned, Rollie was impatient to get her done as well. The men waited discreetly outside as she changed clothes. Angie stuck her head out to say "ready" to the bouncing Aussie and he quickly set to work turning the beautiful blonde into an elf. Angie and Francis looked unbelievably realistic by the time Rollie was done. The children stuck in the hospital were in for a real treat when they saw these Santa's helpers.

Rollie did one final check of the make-up jobs. "Looks like you're all set. Why don't you go join Mrs. Simms and Santa Claus, I'll be along in a few minutes."

"Are you sure you won't need any help?" Angie asked.

"No, I can handle it." Rollie rocked on his heels as he waited for the "elves" to leave.

"You're sure?" The blonde elf asked again.

Rollie sighed and rolled his eyes. "Positive. Go! The sooner I get started the sooner I'll be done."

"You know where to go, right boss?" Angie asked as they left the black van.

"Yes, I remember, Ange. Now get out of here!" The Aussie shook his head in exasperation at his assistant's persistence. He watched in relief as the two elves entered the hospital. Finally! Rollie hummed a Christmas tune as he turned toward the box he had brought, it was time for a little 'FX-mas' magic.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Simms gasped at the sight that appeared before their wondering eyes fifteen minutes later. She was impressed by the elves, but this... this had to be one of the most amazing sights she had ever seen in her twenty-five years of organizing this Christmas 'gift' for the children's ward. Angie and Francis were speechless at the sight.

Rollie didn't look like a human or an elf either. He looked like a combination of the two with something else thrown in for good measure. Just what the something else was, the friends couldn't decide. He was dressed in green pants and shirt. Not a bright green or a dark green, but a pleasing quiet green. In contrast, he wore a deep red bush hat, vest and soft boots. Embroidered on the vest, hat and sleeves were patches that proudly proclaimed him as part of "Santa Claus Special Helpers - Southern Cross Division". The patch had a Santa mounted on the back of a kangaroo under a night sky that showed the Southern Cross.  The kangaroo wore a green Santa hat and its pouch was full of presents. Rollie's ears matched the kangaroo's in size and shape, and were covered in soft fur. The same soft fur covered a tail that rose up proudly behind him in a sweeping arch. The fur was short until it got close to the end of the tail, where it was long and silky. The fur carefully matched Rollie's own soft brown hair. It would be easy to believe the ears and tail really belonged to him. Soft fur covered most of the visible skin and where Rollie didn't have any fur was now a soft brown.

Rollie's ears pricked forward and his tail twitched in a very lifelike manner, as he grinned at his friends' surprise. "Like it?"

Angie was the first to recover her voice. "Like it? Boss, it's great! I think I'm jealous."

Rollie smiled and casually flipped his tail in front of his face, he preened the silky fur. The white gauze of the bandage Angie had wrapped around Rollie's hand was in sharp contrast to his brown fur and skin. A lot of attention to detail had gone into this costume. It wasn't something that had just been thrown together in a spare moment, but showed a lot of thought and preparation into what would make it most realistic. "So, where's Santa?"

"He should be here in a few minutes, Mr. Tyler." Mrs. Simms answered.

"Please, call me Rollie," he responded gallantly. "I don't think I've ever met a Mr. Tyler."

Mrs. Simms beamed in delight, "It's so good of you and Angie to take time to help us out. And at the last minute, too. I'm glad now I didn't have a costume for you, this one is magnificent. The children will adore you!"

"Rollie and Angie do special effects for the movies." Francis told the gray-haired matron. "Now, I guess Rollie is a walking special effect." He smiled proudly at his tall friend. "It's enough to make me believe in Santa!"

Rollie twitched one ear in his direction as he cocked his head to one side. Rollie began to say something in response, but was interrupted by a loud "ho, ho, ho". Mrs. Simms and the friends turned to find Santa had arrived.

"What's this about believing in Santa?" The jolly old gentleman looked the way Santa Claus should look, with a silky white beard and hair. His costume was as perfect as Rollie's. It was a rich red suit trimmed with soft white fur, the shiny black boots and belt finished it off perfectly. "Looks like I'm going to have some very special helpers this year, Mabel." He looked over the elves and Rollie with approval. "Very special helpers. Ho, ho, ho!  I'm Santa, of course, and you are?"

"Santa," Mabel Simms exclaimed, happy to see her old friend again this year. "This is Francis, Angie and Rollie." She indicated each of them as she introduced the three friends.

"G'day, Santa!" Rollie beamed, his oz accent more pronounced. "Uh, I guess it's more like g'evening."

"Good day, indeed Rollie!" Santa's eyes twinkled merrily. "Shall we take the presents to our little friends now?"

The merry band of Santa and his helpers swiftly collected the sacks of gifts that Mrs. Simms indicated. The sacks matched Santa's outfit exactly. Rollie peered closely at his sack as he juggled the bag and the box of chocolate krispies he had brought with him. Yes, it looked like the sacks were cut from the same bolt of cloth as Santa's costume. Rollie was delighted by the effort that had gone into making this a special Christmas.

"Come on, Rollie, get your tail in gear!" Angie called gleefully. The Aussie's tail twitched and Rollie hurried to join his friends in the elevator. Angie grinned innocently up at her boss as he pretended to glare at her.

Santa and his elves entered the children's ward with a loud "Ho, ho, ho!" The kids looked wide-eyed toward the jolly old man and his helpers. With squeals of joy, the ones that could scrambled over to surround the foursome. They were distracted from Santa by gasps of delight from the bed-ridden children. They were the first to see Rollie peeking around the door like a shy animal wondering if it was safe to come out of his hiding place. The kids squealed again and would have surrounded Rollie, but for Santa's quiet words. "Carefully, you mustn't scare my friend away. Come in, Rollie, come in. There's nothing to fear from my little friends. They're just like the ones you play with Down Under." Santa and Rollie worked together perfectly, as if they did this everyday.

Rollie stepped cautiously inside the room, looking everywhere with wide brown eyes and perked ears. As if receiving an invisible signal, he relaxed and tumbled happily over to one of the children, a pretty little Hispanic girl, about four years old, sitting up in her bed. The pair gazed at each other in wonder, until Rollie broke the spell with a bright "G'day!"

The girl gave him a huge smile and a big hug. She was delighted by her newest friend. The other children took this as a sign and danced around Rollie and his new friend. He looked at all of them with a huge grin and said another cheerful "G'day!", his tail twitching in excitement. The children cheered and clapped. The parents and the nurses and doctors that worked in the ward watched the magic that had entered the hospital with equal delight. It was good to see the children so happy!

"Now, Rollie, we have to give our friends their presents. Where's your bag?" Santa reminded his tall helper. With a chirp and a comical look of dismay, Rollie scrambled out the door returning with his sack and box of krispies. Those words brought the kids around Santa and his elves, their eyes bright with excitement. Cheerfully wrapped gifts were pulled from each bag, handed to an excited boy or girl by one of Santa's helpers. When it was time to give the gift to one of the sicker children, it was always Rollie that scrambled and tumbled over to their beds. Each child gave the delightful creature a hug and gently stroked his soft fur. Whispered thanks went into the perked attentive ears. They always received whispered welcomes and gentle hugs in return.
 
Only one child did not join the excited chatter, a little boy in the bed in the farthest corner from the door. White bandages showed sharply in contrast to his warm brown skin. The boy couldn't have been more than six and he lay there, his back turned away from the happiness that filled the rest of the ward. Finally, the only gift that remained was his and Rollie approached the small boy on quiet, cautious feet, his ears swinging back and forth with uncertainty. He looked at the child's nearby parents with concerned eyes. They smiled sadly at him. The father shrugged and indicated that he should go ahead. Rollie gently touched the boy's arm and carefully placed the present between the child's body and the wall. The boy pushed both present and hand away, moving closer to the wall. Rollie's tail and ears drooped in dejection.

The boy's mother motioned Rollie over. She whispered to the Aussie. "Michael's best friend died recently.  He misses her so much."

His father continued sadly, "Michael was hurt when he fell out of a tree in our backyard. He knows he isn't suppose to climb the trees yet, but he did it anyway. He won't tell us why."

Rollie sighed and stared at the far wall, not really seeing it. He walked carefully over to Michael's bed and sat down on the edge. "Michael?" He whispered, then paused to consider, but what else was there? "Michael, my best friend died, too." Michael turned over to stare silently into Rollie's sad eyes. "It hurts doesn't it, missing your friend. I think I know why you climbed that tree." Michael continued to regard Rollie solemnly. "You wanted to get closer to her, to say good-bye."

"How..." Michael swallowed, "how did you know?"

"I did that once, when I was older than you." Rollie paused to consider how much he should tell. "Except, it wasn't a tree, it was a mountain. I... I wanted to say good-bye to someone I loved very, very much and... I thought if I went up there I could. 'cept she wasn't there and it didn't make any difference."

"Did the grown-ups yell at you? For... for doing that?" Michael whispered back.

"No," Rollie answered truthfully, he knew Michael would know if he lied about this. "They wanted to, but 'cause I was hurt so bad they didn't.... Did your mum and dad yell at you?"

"Yes." Michael looked at Rollie with unhappy eyes. "They... they don't understand."

"I bet they would if you told them," Rollie assured him. "They yelled because they love you very much and you scared them a great deal."

Michael considered that statement, uncertainly. "Does it get better?"

"Yes," Rollie promised. "Oh, it still hurts sometimes, sometimes a little bit, sometimes a lot, but you remember the good things and that makes it better. Remember that, Michael, remember the good times. It... it helps." Rollie blinked as a few silent tears fell from his eyes. "And Michael, your friend can hear you just fine, without climbing trees... or mountains."

"Thank you," Michael whispered, touching the bandage on Rollie's right hand. "For understanding... and explaining. And, I will tell mom and dad, why I..."

Rollie nodded. This little boy sounded much too old and knowing for his age, Rollie thought sadly. This shouldn't happen to children. He looked up and realizing that the entire ward was looking at them, gave himself a shake. He bounced to his feet, determined to bring the joy back into the too quiet room.
 
Rollie tumbled all the way across the room and landed in a pile, next to the large box of chocolate krispies. With a series of happy chirrups, Rollie opened the box and asked "Anyone want to try my chocolate krispies?"

The mobile children descended on top of the Aussie with cries of delight at the offered sweet. They looked uncertainly at each other for a moment, then Rollie popped one into the open mouth of a little girl with a broken arm. She grinned at the taste and the treats were quickly passed out to the other children. Everyone was enjoying the candy, even the adults, because Rollie had made certain he brought a lot.

Angie looked around at the happy children and asked, "Should we sing some Christmas songs?" This was greeted with a chorus of approval. With a sly glance toward her unaware boss, Angie broke into 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas'.
 

"No, no, no. That's not the way it goes," Rollie interrupted, surprising the others, but not Angie.

Angie had hoped Rollie would sing his own version of the familiar Christmas song. It was a wistful sort of hope, because Rollie was extremely reluctant to sing anywhere near his pretty assistant. A long time ago, she had teased the Aussie so much about his singing and his songs, that Rollie had stopped in self defense. As she got older and wiser, Angie wished that she hadn't shut the Australian up. If her memory was correct, Rollie had a fine singing voice. One of her most vivid memories of the first Christmas Rollie had spent with her and her father was Rollie singing the Australian version of the song. He hadn't made it past the fifth day of Christmas, before he couldn't take her interruptions anymore and stopped. Maybe now she would hear him sing the whole song. This time Angie intended to stay quiet. "Okay, smarty! Then, how does it go?" Angie held her breath and waited.

Rollie grinned at Angie, she could see he knew exactly what she was doing. "Like this," he told her and started singing.
 

Angie was pleased that her memory had been accurate, Rollie had a pleasing tenor voice.

"How do you get an emu up a gum tree?" One of the older children asked Rollie, puzzled. He remembered emus from his picture book and they couldn't fly, so how could they get up a tree?

Angie squirmed at the question. No she thought, don't. Santa caught Angie's eye and winked at her. "Why, Christmas magic, of course!" Santa told the child.

"Oh! Okay," The boy said, satisfied.

Rollie got a pained look and his ears and tail went down, but he continued to sing.
 

"What's a pink galah?" piped a young voice from one of the beds. Angie moaned to herself. It looked like the kids were going to take up where she had left off. Now, Rollie would never sing anymore.

"It's a bird, very noisy and nosy." Santa told the little girl. "Now, everyone be quiet, so Rollie can sing," he told them, gently but firmly. The children settled down on the beds, waiting patiently for Rollie to continue. "Rollie, please sing for us." Santa asked his dejected helper.

Rollie twitched one ear up carefully and looked around the room. The other ear came up and his tail swept back and forth. After taking another good look around and giving a long suffering sigh, Rollie started to sing again.

Rollie looked around carefully before continuing, but no one asked what a jabiru was.

Angie grinned happily at Santa and mouthed "thank you" to him as Rollie continued through the verses of the song. By the time Rollie successfully made it to the twelfth day, his tail was back up and it was keeping time with the cheerful tune.

Rollie ended the song triumphantly to clapping, cheers and laughter. But, it was getting late and time for Santa and his helpers to leave the children to their sleep.

"Thank you for coming," Doctor Whittier told the visitors. "We are very glad you made it. Aren't we children?" The man smiled at his young charges enthusiastic response.

"Please, just one more song before they go," the request by the little girl Rollie had first approached was echoed by the other children. Even Michael was sitting up watching the visitors with interest and a wistful smile. "Please Doctor Whittier! Please Rollie! One more before you go!"

Rollie's ears tilted toward the doctor and his tail curved into a question mark. The doctor laughed, "Okay, just one. Then you all go to sleep. Santa and his friends have a busy night ahead, you know."

The children nodded in solemn agreement, it was indeed a very busy night coming for Santa and his helpers. They settled into their beds and waited expectantly for Rollie to sing for them.
 
Rollie looked around the quiet room, reached up and pulled thoughtfully at one ear. Angie grinned as the Aussie tried to think of what to sing. She moved over to him and whispered in his ear.

Rollie nodded at the suggestion and sang. It was a song even the youngest child knew, but like the "Twelve Days of Christmas", it was different.

By the time, Rollie reached the end of the happy song, everyone was singing the chorus with him. It was a joyous way to end their holiday visit. Santa, his helpers and Mrs. Simms left to a chorus of "thank you"s and "please come again"s. Everyone except Rollie  chattered happily on the ride down. They all agreed that it was so much fun, they had to do it again. Angie noticed how quiet her boss was and kept a careful eye on him. Whatever he was thinking about was very serious.

Downstairs, the friends carefully folded up the sacks to be put away for next year. Rollie looked startled as he tried to fold his up. "Umm, I think I missed one." He said, ashamed. How could he have missed a present? A missed gift meant a disappointed child.

The others looked at Rollie surprised. They didn't remember any of the children being left out. "Are you sure, Rollie?" Mrs. Simms  asked. She was positive all the children had received their presents. Rollie nodded sadly as he pulled a small box out of the sack and passed it to her. She looked at the tag, then smiled at him. "No, you didn't miss one, Rollie," she told him gently. "It's for you."

"For me?" Rollie was floored. How had a gift for him gotten into the sack? He looked suspiciously as his friends, but they seemed as surprised as he was. "How?"

Mrs. Simms laughed lightly and looked around. Yes, her old friend was gone again. "I don't know how. But it's happened a few times before. When we've had extra special helpers."

"You did it!" Rollie looked at the woman.

She just shook her head. "No, it started about twenty years ago, when our current Santa joined us on these occasions. "Open it, I bet it's something very special."

Rollie carefully took the gift. He examined the tag, but didn't recognize the handwriting. He unwrapped it and opened the wood box. Tears stung his eyes as he looked at the silver pocket watch. It was very similar to the one he had given Leo. The watch was different though, in that it had a cover protecting the face. He removed the watch from it's case and examined the outside. Where he had engraved "To Leo, Always time to hoist a few, Rollie", this one said simply "Magic". He opened it up. Tears ran unnoticed, silent and unchecked down his face as he stared in surprise.

Angie worried by the emotional response, carefully lifted the watch from Rollie's trembling hand. She gasped as she looked inside.

Francis moved to where he could see as well. "Leo," Francis whispered in disbelief. Inside the watch was a picture of a smiling Leo and Rollie, arms around their shoulders.

"But how?" Angie asked in bewilderment. She looked to Mrs. Simms. "Who could have done it?"

"Santa Claus," Mrs. Simms told them. "At least that's how I think of him. He never told us his name." Francis looked at Mrs. Simms in disbelief. She went on to explain. "The first year he came, our Santa showed up drunk. Just like "Miracle on 34th Street" and just like the movie he showed up, looking so much like Santa Claus it took our breath away! We didn't question it, we needed a Santa too badly and he was perfect." She shrugged, "He's been coming ever since and every once in a while..." She nodded to where Angie was holding Rollie, his shoulders shaking with the tears he had finally released. His talk with Michael had created the first cracks in the dam of tears, the watch and picture had completed the process. She reached out and gently raised his chin. "This Leo, he was very important to you?"

Rollie nodded "He was my best mate. And Frankie's partner. He... he died earlier this year." He bit his lip, uncertainly. "I... I... couldn't cry for him. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't cry!" A fresh wave of tears came from the stricken man.

"Shh, shh," Angie soothed, "it's okay, Rollie. It's okay. Let it out. Let it all out."

"You see," Mrs. Simms turned to Francis, "the gifts he leaves are always important, something that's really needed by the one who receives it. And the recipient is always special and extra deserving. Sometimes I actually find myself believing..." she trailed off for a moment, "oh, you probably think I'm just a silly old woman."

Looking at his friends, Francis shook his head. "Maybe not, Mrs. Simms. Maybe... sometimes... like right now, a cop can believe, too."

"Well, I'll go now." Mrs. Simms told Francis. "I've intruded enough. Tell them thank you for me, especially Rollie. The children needed what they brought today."
 
"I will," Francis answered, "and thank you." Francis carefully reached out and rubbed Rollie's back.

Rollie looked up and sniffed. He smiled apologetically at Angie and Francis. "Sorry for the waterworks."

"No!" Francis said firmly. "You have nothing to apologize for Rollie. You've needed this for a long time." Francis hastened to reassure his friend.

"Francis is right, you have nothing to apologize for Rol. It's been a long time coming. You going to be okay now?"

"Yeah," Rollie laughed, slightly startled. "Yeah, I think I am,  Ange. I feel... good. For the first time in what feels like a long time, I feel really good." He smiled at his friends, a smile free of the sorrow that had haunted him so much recently. "Now, let's get out of here. Sarah's going to wonder what happened to us!"

"Damn," Angie said softly.

"What?" Rollie looked at his partner, puzzled. "What?"

"I forgot to take pictures!" Angie answered. "I promised Sarah!"

Rollie laughed at her. "Well, come on then, take 'em now!"

"But I wanted pictures of Santa and Mrs. Simms, too!" Angie told him.

"Well, it's too late now. Maybe next year." Rollie consoled his partner. "But, you promised Sarah pictures of us, not Santa. So take them and we'll get out of here."

"I'll get the camera and the PDA." Angie hurried off to the van.

It didn't take long to get pictures and digital images of Francis and Rollie at their finest (and silliest). Rollie insisted on taking some of Angie and Francis. Then Francis insisted on ones of Angie and Rollie. With an appeal to a nurse just coming on duty, they got pictures and digital images of all of them together.

The make-up was quickly removed and the happy crew returned to their street clothes. Rollie hummed merrily to himself as he drove them back to the loft. Angie and Francis just watched him indulgently. After parking the van inside, they went to get into Frank's car. Rollie paused to look up at the clear night sky. Even with the bright lights of the city, a few stars managed to shine down on them.

"A penny for your thoughts, Rollie." Angie said, concerned.

Rollie look down and smiled at her. "You'd be wasting your money, Ange." He looked at his two friends, my closest friends now, he thought and his smile widened. "Merry Christmas, Sweetie! Merry Christmas, Frankie!"

"Merry Christmas, Rollie!" Francis returned the greeting.

"Merry Christmas, Rol!" Angie answered back.

"Thank you." Rollie said simply, meaningfully.

"For what, Rollie?" Angie asked, puzzled.

"For putting up with me," Rollie held up a hand to still their protests, "and for being here and for being my friends. My best friends." Rollie reached out and pulled his shorter friends close in a big hug. Angie and Francis gladly returned it. Christmas was indeed, very special this year.