A/N: As promised, a Christmasy one-shot starring Gabriel. Sherlock only actually appears in this story as a photograph. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock Holmes. I know, its a shock.
Gabriel scratched his head as he stood in front of the Nativity scene on the altar. He was supposed to be helping to polish the wooden pews, but he'd gotten distracted by the figurines. The scene showed the Holy Family in a rustic wooden barn with animals sitting nearby. There were also these three other guys standing off to the side holding all these gifts. They looked like kings but they had cold eyes. Gabriel wasn't sure he liked them. Sister Anne said that they were wise men who came to bring presents to the baby Jesus. Well if they were so wise, why didn't they get the baby out of the barn? Everybody knew that babies shouldn't be outside. And what kind of presents were those anyway? Frankenstein and birds? That just didn't make any sense. Even still, Gabriel was struck by the figure of Mary. There was a statue of her in the church all the time, but this one was much prettier. This statue showed her wearing a pretty blue robe and she was actually smiling at her baby. Sometimes when he would get sad that he didn't have a mum, Gabriel would go and look at the statue of Mary and pretended that she was his mum. It made him feel a little bit better.
"What are you doing, boy?" Gabriel gasped and dropped his dustcloth. Sister Anne swept down the aisle, already shooing him away from the altar. He didn't like Sister Anne much. He preferred Sister Margaret, but she had left the convent a couple of months previous. She had been much nicer to him. Sometimes she would even play. Sister Anne was far too serious. "You aren't supposed to be up there! And why aren't you wiping down the pews like you were told?"
"I'm sorry, Sister Anne," he mumbled. "I just wanted to look at it."
"Hmph," she snorted. "Four year old boys can never look with their eyes. They always touch and touching leads to breaking." She steered him down the steps and into the sanctuary. "Hurry up and finish. This room needs to be sparkling before the service begins. It's Christmas Eve, you know!"
Gabriel nodded and watched as she rushed back up the aisle and away. With a sigh he took up his cloth and began wiping at the front pew again. When Sister Anne said he needed to finish before Mass, it meant that he was supposed to be out of sight before people came. Gabriel didn't think that anyone knew that he lived there. He'd gotten into so much trouble for talking to one of the kids that came to church one Sunday. He wasn't sure why. Like it was some big secret. He worked a little while longer and finally decided that it was as clean as it was likely to get. He could see that it was dark outside the windows and people would start to arrive soon. He took one more look at the Nativity before making his way out. Otherwise they might find more work for him to do.
OoOoOo
When people started to arrive for Mass, Gabriel made himself scarce. Not only was he not supposed to mingle with the parishioners, but it made him feel sad when he saw all the kids with their families. He knew that he was supposed to be thankful that he had a warm place to sleep and food to eat, but he couldn't help being envious. The Mother Superior said he was very wicked for being that way, but he couldn't help it. He often imagined what it would be like to have a mum to make him cookies and kiss his cheeks. Or a daddy that would play games with him and give him hugs whenever he wanted them. Mr. Rhys was nice, but it just wasn't the same. Gabriel watched kids with their families while they laughed together and held hands and prayed. Sometimes he just wanted to cry because he felt so guilty for being jealous.
"Hello, little boy." Gabriel stopped and turned at hearing the small voice behind him. There was a little girl standing there staring at him with big eyes. She was wearing a red dress with a big green bow. She looked so pretty that Gabriel blushed, suddenly very self-conscious of his ragged clothing and messy hair.
"Hello," he croaked.
"I got lost. Can you help me?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Where you going?" His voice was tense and he sounded angry.
"My mummy and daddy are in the church. I helped light the candles, but now I can't find them."
Gabriel nodded. "Come on." He led the little girl through the hallways and passages, using every shortcut he knew, to deliver her back to the sanctuary. Sure enough, her parents were there, standing in the back waiting for her. She spotted them and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Gabriel and squeezing him. "There they are."
Gabriel shrugged and started to walk away.
"Little boy," the girl said, running back to Gabriel. "Thank you for helping me." She held a candy cane out to him and offered a warm smile. He couldn't help smiling back as he took it.
Later, as he sat in the kitchen by himself, his mood had gone from bad to worse. He thought about the little girl when she ran up to her mum and dad. She looked so happy and they looked happy to see her. At first he was so sad because no one was ever that happy to see him. And then, the sadness had descended into something much more sinister. Now, as Gabriel sat here by the hearth all alone, he was furious. It wasn't fair that his mum and dad had left him here in this awful place. This place where no one paid him any attention at all except to shout at him. The angry tears on his cheeks were slowly drying and leaving streaks that glistened in the firelight. He gripped the candy cane the girl had given him tightly in his fist, taking great delight in breaking it up piece by piece and throwing it into the fire.
"Oy, Gabriel!" Mr. Rhys, the caretaker, bustled through the door. "I hoped I might find you here."
"Hi, Mr. Rhys," Gabriel replied darkly.
"A happy Christmas to you, boy!" he said, sitting down beside Gabriel and clapping him on the shoulder.
"Sure," Gabriel said. "Happy Christmas."
Mr. Rhys narrowed his eyes. The boy looked extremely unhappy for a child on Christmas Eve. "What's the trouble, Gabriel? You seem awfully sad."
"I'm fine."
"It's Christmas Eve. No one should have such a long face on Christmas. It's the happiest time of year!"
Suddenly, Gabriel's anger exploded and he jumped up. "No it isn't! It isn't happy at all!"
"What do you mean?"
"What's so great about Christmas? It's not so great for me. I don't get presents or treats. Nobody even notices I'm around except to tell me to clean the pews or stop running. I can't even go outside because it's so cold! I hate Christmas!" Gabriel exclaimed before bursting into new tears.
Mr. Rhys embraced the little boy and let him cry against the sleeve of his coat. "Gabriel, you mustn't be so sad."
"Why not?"
"Well you must have faith that everything will turn out. You know, even the baby Jesus didn't have much of a Christmas. He was born in a barn. His parents were in a strange place without any money."
"But those wise men came with those stupid presents. They weren't very good presents, but at least he got one." Gabriel sighed and threw the last piece of candy into the fire.
"Well that may be true," Mr. Rhys conceded. "But you have something he didn't have back then."
"What?"
"Back then was before Saint Nicolas."
"So?"
"Well, Father Christmas. If you're a very good boy and you keep your faith, then you can ask Father Christmas to grant your most secret wishes."
Gabriel glanced sideways, looking a bit skeptical. "Really?"
"Of course! So tonight when you go to sleep, be a good boy and say your prayers. And then humbly ask Father Christmas for what you want. And maybe he'll grant your wish." He smiled and ruffled Gabriel's hair.
"What if he doesn't?"
"Father Christmas, like the good Lord, works in very mysterious ways. Sometimes it may seem that he isn't granting our wish when really, it just takes longer than we think. But you have to keep your faith. That's the point." Gabriel looked confused and Mr. Rhys laughed. "But for now, I'll give you this. Happy Christmas, boy." Mr. Rhys held out a small, wrapped gift.
His eyes lit up. "Can I open it now?"
"I insist!" Mr. Rhys replied.
Gabriel laughed as he tore into the package. He wasn't careful with the wrapping. It was wrapped in the front page of a newspaper from London, but the shiny green bow was so pretty, that he wanted to keep it forever. After all, it was the first Christmas present he'd ever received. Slowly he unwrapped a heavy book that had beautiful gold script on the front. "Wow! Thank you, Mr. Rhys!"
"It's a book of fairy tales that belonged to my son when he was alive. I thought you might like it. He doesn't need it anymore." Gabriel was puzzled by Mr. Rhys's sudden sadness. But as he flipped through the pages of the book, he was fascinated by the illustrations inside. "Anyway, after the holiday, I'll help you learn to read that book if you like."
Gabriel's eyes lit up and he nodded. "Yes, thank you!" He threw his arms around the old man's neck and hugged him tightly.
"You're welcome, boy." Mr. Rhys gave him another affectionate squeeze and stood up, gathering the remnants of the paper he'd used to wrap the book.
"Oh wait, Mr. Rhys! Can I keep this paper?"
"Well… sure, Gabriel. What are you going to do with it?"
"I want to save it." He took the paper from Mr. Rhys and flattened it out. Gabriel laughed when he saw it. "Look, Mr. Rhys! It has a picture of that man with the hat." He didn't know why, but he liked the look of that man. He was always in the newspaper and the postulants would sometimes read him the articles. He caught bad guys in London and had all kinds of adventures. Gabriel thought he might like to go to London someday. It seemed such an exciting place.
"Seems a bit nutty, that one," Mr. Rhys said, pointing at the paper. "Anyway, it's getting late. You'd better go to bed so you can make that wish to Father Christmas." With a wink and another hug, the old man swept out of the room leaving Gabriel alone.
"Hmmph… Father Christmas. There's no such thing," Gabriel said to himself, gathering up the book and the paper. "Wishing on Father Christmas is just silly," he said to the picture of Sherlock Holmes. If there was such a thing as Father Christmas, how come he'd never brought Gabriel a gift? Not even so much as some chocolate. Unless of course he hadn't brought it because Gabriel was a bad little boy. Maybe he was. He'd broken that statue and walked on the plants and cried during church. Maybe he was just as bad as the Mother Superior said. But then again… what if Mr. Rhys was right? What if there really was a Father Christmas who would grant wishes to good girls and boys? He said that all Gabriel had to do was have faith and believe and his wish would come true.
Finally he shrugged and got down on his knees by the hearth. He put his hands together like he'd been taught and closed his eyes. "Okay, Father Christmas. I'm not sure I believe in you yet, but Mr. Rhys does, so maybe this will work." He looked around to make sure no one was watching before he continued. "So… this might be kind of a stupid wish, but I wish that I had a mummy and daddy like the little girl I saw. Really nice ones that will like me and not scold me too much. They can tuck me into bed at night and give me hugs and read to me. That's all I really want for Christmas, so if you are real maybe you can get that for me. Please?" He squinched his eyes closed as if it might make his wish carry more weight. "Please let my wish come true."
OoOoOo
Margaret had to get out of town. She just had to. When she left the convent, Margaret thought she could just start over. She'd move into her little cottage in Faringdon and all would be well. But she just couldn't do it. Everyone knew her as Sister Margaret and she was so haunted by what had happened at St. Christopher's that she just couldn't face one more day in this place. She needed to run away. To go someplace, anyplace where no one knew her name. Christmas Eve was as good a day as any to start her life over again.
She wasn't taking much. Just a few clothes and her train ticket. It would probably be better if she just disappeared. Looking around the cottage, she knew she was going to miss it. Her mother had left in to her in her will, but she hadn't set foot in the place since she went to the convent. It had provided so much comfort the last few months. She would actually miss it. Especially the old fireplace. She smiled, holding out her hands and warming them by the embers that still burned from the last fire she'd ever burn in this old place. Only one more thing to do: the letters. The lady who had come to the convent four years ago and given birth to Gabriel left three letters in her care. She hadn't been sure what to do with them, so here they were. She'd thought of leaving them at the convent, but if the Mother Superior found them, she'd destroy them. Not knowing what to do, Margaret decided just to leave them. Perhaps somehow, with the Lord's help, they'd find their way to the right people. She locked them in a small box along with the lady's driving license. "Irene Adler. Sounds like a made up name," Margaret mused. With one last look around, she left, locking up the door behind her.
She never remembered how she didn't put out the fireplace.