A festive offering for you in response to Freya82's challenge. A bit of Dickens, a bit of a '9 lessons and carols' theme, a bit of something you're probably not expecting and no Elvis (he tried, I just wouldn't let him in.) Post series 16 but no dramatic spoilers. Happy Christmas.


A Christmas Carol

Chapter One

'Deck the halls with boughs of holly fa la la la la, la la la la

Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.'

Irish coffee on Christmas Eve was a Lyell Centre tradition long before Nikki Alexander had joined the team. Longer even than before Leo had joined but it was going to take more than three Irish coffees to get through the evening ahead, even if she drank all three of them herself.

The bar was gaudily decorated, Christmas music had been blaring since she'd arrived. And now she was sat in a corner table as far away from the decorations and the speakers as possible with a glass of wine and the Irish Coffees staring at her. She'd finished her first glass before anyone else had arrived. Not that that had been her first. She'd started rather earlier that day, a lot earlier.

On reflection it wasn't that different to many of the other days. Jack liked driving, so she made sure he drove to the scenes. She took the train home when she needed to. There was always an open bottle of something in the desk now, just something to get through the day. Something to keep the pain at bay, something to make sure she numbed herself to the daily atrocities that assaulted the quiet of the cutting room and the memories that haunted her mind.

She'd never really been keen on Christmas. She didn't know why she'd even agreed to come.

Yes she did.

Free booze.

"Oh you're here!" Came a cheery voice near her table. Nikki looked up to see Clarissa wheeling towards her, the tinsel on her wheels sparkling in the light as she moved. "Thanks for getting the drinks in."

Nikki looked absently at the three drinks on the table and across to her colleague.

"They're not yours," she said harshly.

"What's not ours?" Jack queried, taking off his coat and rubbing his hands against the cold.

"Nikki's having drinks with the Ghosts Of Christmas Past," Clarissa explained sarcastically and wheeled the chair around to turn her back on Nikki.

"Come on Nikki, it's Christmas. Lighten up for once!" he begged his accent seeming more prominent than ever.

"Why?"

"Because it's the season…" Jack began but was interrupted.

"What? The season for debt, depression and domestic violence; closely followed by the season of more debt and suicide. I'd have thought you'd have learnt that by now!" Nikki exclaimed caustically.

"Then think about the real meaning of Christmas!"

"Hah! The coming of the light of the world? Peace on earth and goodwill to all men? Where? Tell me where?"

"Just leave her Jack, if she wants to play the part of Scrooge then let her, there's no point when she's like this," Clarissa said gently. "Merry Christmas Nikki," she called back over her shoulder as she made her way towards some more festive looking colleagues.

"Bah, humbug," Nikki grumbled.

"Nikki, please!" Jack begged. "I hate seeing you like this… He wouldn't have wanted to see you like this." Jack added glancing at one of the drinks on the table.

"I can't celebrate Jack. I can't. Eat drink and be merry? What's the point? All in honour of the baby born to die? What must have that done to his mother? To know? There she is rejoicing in the safe delivery in the most unhygienic of places of a miraculous baby that should never have been when some crazy old men turn up with a gift of embalming fluid?"

"And gold," Jack interjected.

"Yes the gold I'm sure was useful."

"What must she have felt?"

"Mary?"

"Yes Mary!"

"To know her son was going to die?"

"Everybody dies, Nikki. That's why we have jobs."

"The man who gave up his life to save others," Nikki scoffed, staring back at one of the spare drinks.

"The man who willingly gave up his life to save those he loved," Jack said sagely, his eyes focussed on the same drink. "So that you and I would have life." Jack rubbed his hands again, but not from the cold this time. "So live it Nikki. Live your life. Don't get stuck in Christmas past, he wouldn't want you to," he shot a look at the other glass, back to Nikki and flicked his eyes across the room.

"Oh go and join the others," she said bitterly. "Christmas is all about celebrating with friends and family. Leave me here with mine and go and join them."

Jack opened his mouth, he tried to formulate a comment about her dysfunctional family, one dead and the one she never mentioned by name but thought better of it and left without a word. Clarissa was right, there was no point trying to get through to Nikki when she was like this.


Deck The Halls: Thomas Oliphant