Chapter 3

"Mister Mayor? Cole MacGrath is here to see you," reported the office secretary, peeking in on the newly elected Mayor Beaumont.

"Good! Good, send him in." A moment later, Cole and Kuo entered the room. The mayor stood and smiled as he welcomed them. "Mister MacGrath! Pleased to finally meet you!"

He held out his right hand and Cole complied. "Likewise, sir."

Then the mayor reached for Kuo's. "And I appreciate you taking my phone call, Miss Kuo. Don't know where I'd be without you."

"Absolutely, sir." She took his hand and shook it.

Then the mayor offered them a seat on the other side of his desk. "Now, Cole... I think it goes without saying how grateful this city is to have you here watching over her. Even more so, there's no one else the people would rather have than you to take part in the annual tree lighting. I hope you've had enough time to think about it?"

Cole nodded. "I'd be more than happy to do it. Just tell me when and where."

"Well," the mayor started again, "the event is tonight at eight o'clock, at the clock tower. I'll introduce you, you say a few words then light the tree."

"A public speech, huh?" Cole slanted his mouth. "Can't say I've ever done that before."

"Just say whatever comes to mind," Beaumont reassured him. "But don't say anything that would cost me my job."

He meant it as a joke, half chuckling as he spoke with a grin.

Cole paused to think for a moment. "Actually, sir. I think there is something I'll need your permission on."

"Shoot."

My friend looked to Kuo, who motioned approvingly waiting for him to continue.

"Last night I found a girl, homeless and begging on the street. I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said she wanted it to snow. Kuo has agreed to make it happen with your approval, sir."

He stopped and watched the mayor's reaction. His face twisted, estranged to the proposal. It was funny that human beings had to ask other human beings for permission to create a natural phenomenon.

"We'll only have it last until tomorrow night, and the snow should melt by the time the sun comes up the day after Christmas."

The man behind the desk laced his hands together and pressed them against his lips. He grumbled as he thought about the proposal. As questions popped into his mind he mentioned them to Cole, such as how cold it was going to get, how heavy the snow was intended to be, had he considered what the citizens would think about it. He and Kuo gave their answers that they had discussed before. After more probing and assuring the mayor sat up in his chair.

"You seem to have taken care into planning this, MacGrath. The girl's story is tragic, and this is something that could bring more revenue into the city. Already we have you for a hero, but flooding the news with your selfless charity... We'll need to make room for more building projects."

Cole frowned. In the end, politics were politics. They were always out for more brownie points to get re-elected. He did understand, however, that since the hurricane a lot of people were forced to leave New Marais to flee to safety. The population never recovered and rebuilding the town was a hefty job.

Kuo bit her lip as he started, hoping he wouldn't say something to displease the mayor

"Listen, no offense...but the girl has been through a lot. The last thing she needs is a bunch of reporters swarming her asking her a million questions." Then Cole paused, watching the man's face. He still needed authorization to make it snow. "You can have your publicity as long as you don't tell them her's or her father's name. No information that would lead them to her. If they need a story, they can talk to me."

There was silence as the two watched each other, like a game of poker.

After clearing his throat, Beaumont sat up in his leather chair and responded, "You drive a hard bargain, Cole. But without the clearance to change the weather, there would be no story at all, would there? Very well, you have my permission as long as you take full responsibility."

Cole nodded without hesitation with a grateful smile. "Of course. I appreciate it, sir. I'll be there tonight to light the tree."

Once negotiations were done, Kuo and Cole parted ways. She headed toward the clock tower to help prepare for the ceremony while he finally made his way to the hospital. If anything he wanted to get out of that office just so he could meet Connor at last.

Cole approached the counter where the hospital receptionist sat busily typing away on her computer. When he asked what room officer Williams had been assigned, she didn't ask if he was a relative or for what purposes he needed to see the patient. She only told him the room number—417—and asked that he left his Amp with her. Superheroes might not need family clearance, but rules were rules.

He avoided the elevator completely, since the electricity in his body would likely disable them, and took the eight flights of stairs to the fourth floor. Normal people might have complained about climbing the stairs, something that never bothered Cole since he climbed entire buildings for fun.

At the top of the fourth floor, he found the usual hospital wing lined with closed and open rooms alike. Computers littered the hallways and nurses buzzed to and fro caring for their patients.

Curiously, Cole glanced into a few open doors, finding bedridden people coughing and wheezing, spilling their guts and wallowing in their own accidental mess.

The sounds of their heart monitor slowly declining was a harsh reminder to Cole that the plague never took a break. It didn't have holidays. The hospital was constantly being filled, then emptied, filled back up again before the bodies were dumped in a compacted graveyard. It was something Cole didn't want to think about, but a cure still didn't exist. And he wasn't going to give up until one was found.

Finally, he came upon the seventeenth room where he found a dirty-blond haired man sitting up in his bed. He appeared to be abnormally skinny, the bones on his arms were more pronounced than in a normal person but not outrageously, and his cheekbones slightly protruded from his face.

The man didn't notice Cole as he was taking gracious bites out of cafeteria-made meatloaf and potatoes.

"Officer Williams," Cole spoke up. "May I come in?"

The man looked to him and gave a welcome smile, "Of course, Mister MacGrath," he ushered. "Make yourself at home."

Cole entered and took a chair near the bed. He looked the man over once more, reveling in the fact that he had tracked him down alive.

"You seem to be doing very well for a hostage," he complimented.

"They treat me well here," said the bedridden man before taking a swig of hot coffee. "The nurses said they'd let me go tomorrow now that I've gotten my strength back, as long as I keep up with the regimen they have me on. Sort of a Christmas present. Who wants to be in the hospital on Christmas?"

"That's great." Cole nodded and faked a smile.

He didn't have the heart to tell him that the reason was most likely they needed the bed space for more plague victims. Normally, the doctors were supposed to keep him until he had regained most of his muscle mass back and he was in healthier condition. But no, he was half-way done recovering, it'd be better to make room for the ones that had no chance at walking out the door again.

Maybe the logic came from the morgue being across the street.

"The sooner the better," said officer Williams, setting down his cup to look Cole square in the eye. "I've got a lot to make up for since the militia captured me."

"That's actually why I've come here, sir," Cole leaned in towards him. "I found your children yesterday, begging for money in an alley near Saint Ignatius."

For a few seconds, Connor seemed too stunned to speak. Then he shoved the dinner tray away and grasped one of Cole's hands with both of his. "God bless you, Cole MacGrath! Bless you!" He gave his wrists a few tugs for gratefulness. "Please tell me you helped them, that you got them somewhere safe!"

Cole swallowed as his heart sank like a tugboat in a typhoon. The praise was nothing new; it came with all his selfless deeds. But trying to find a way to break the news softly that one of his children had been killed was probably harder than any battle he'd ever had fighting evil.

"Uh…" He shook his head as he stuttered. "Actually, sir... your son was shot by a random gunman right after I found them.

The officer's face saddened and his hands eased on their grip.

"I caught the shooter and had him arrested. He'll be charged with murder and I'll present myself and two others as witnesses. He won't get away with it."

Connor lay back in his bed, removing his hands and slowly plopped his head on the pillow, devastated and still. He gave a hefty sigh as the corner of his mouth creased downwards and his chin wrinkled as his eyes welled up. His bottom lip trembled as he inhaled a sobbing breath.

"What about my daughter? Is she okay?"

Cole placed his arm on the mattress to come in closer to comfort him. "She's safe, I promise. I took her to the church and someone is there at all times taking care of her. They are feeding her and giving her a place to stay. When she told me how the militia came and kidnapped you, leaving her there with your wife's body, I knew I had to find you. In fact, it was the man who killed her who helped me find you."

Even with the mention of his late wife, Connor's mood seemed to brighten despite tears still dripping down his face. "Thank you, Cole. There's nothing I could ever do to repay you. As soon as I am released tomorrow, I'll be at the church to see her."

My friend smiled; unbelievably proud to have found the man he had been searching for and turn a series of unfortunate events into a Christmas miracle. "I'm sure there's nothing Lilly would want more for Christmas. She told me if it snowed tonight that she'd believe in Santa Claus." He paused a moment to laugh. "I don't think she'd expect Santa to bring her father back to her as a Christmas present."

Lilly's father laughed as well. "Yes, while everyone else gets pajamas, gift cards, and video games, we are gifted with being together again. It's the purest interpretation of Christmas there is."

"That's true," Cole agreed. At its most basic form, without the religion, presents, Santa Claus and reindeer, the holidays were about cherishing time with family. The simplest gift is life and the presence of those you love. All the other stuff was for show and the kids who had yet to understand how valuable life was and the time spent with family. "But that doesn't mean snow is out of the question."

Connor looked to him in wonder. "Something tells me bringing families together isn't the only miracle you're capable of."

"I have a friend who's agreed to make it snow tonight using her powers. It should last through tomorrow and by the 26th we'll be back to wearing shorts and t-shirts."

"Hm," the man smiled. "Going out of your way to make a natural impossibility happen just to make my daughter happy… You truly are a saint."

"So…you'd be okay with it snowing?" Cole asked mostly because his discussion with Kuo about her concerns still lingered in his pestering thoughts.

"Sure, I don't have a problem with it. I'd just need to bundle up in extra clothes, but I do appreciate the advanced notice."

"Would you like me to bring you some warmer clothes?" asked Cole as he observed the medical gown draped over Connor's thin body.

"No, no, thank you," shook the officer's head. "I've got a change of clothes in my suitcase."

Cole looked at his suitcase, large and stuffed. Probably brought to him from a family member. "Then at least let me get you a ride. My friend Zeke can come pick you up and bring you to the church first thing in the morning."

The officer agreed. The two bid their farewells and seasonal partings before Cole left the room.

He couldn't help but glance back into the rooms filled with Plague victims. While he was curing homelessness and a separated family, others were still dying.

He tried to push it away and focus on his current goal. He may have had superpowers, but he was just one man. If he could solve world hunger in one day he would. Sometimes that seemed easier than curing the Plague.

'One thing at a time...' he told himself.

That night at the base of the clock tower, a massive crowd gathered in the square. The roads were blocked off and traffic was detoured around the area. The three of us went together—Cole, Lilly and myself—while Kuo came on her own time. She had agreed to hide out on a nearby rooftop to make the snow seem believable for Lilly's sake.

People pushed and clamored around trying to get a better look at Cole, their rough-housing made the girl apprehensive and stand closer to his side. I volunteered to do security detail for him since he was busy keeping her out of harm's way. "Calm your horses, people...and back off! You'll be able to see him just fine from the stage."

"Seems like only yesterday everyone I passed on the street chucked rocks at me. Now they throw praise around like they never hated me to begin with."

"Life's good, ain't it, brother?"

"The recognition's all well and good but...ask me again when we cure the plague."

After a few minutes of waiting, the mayor finally appeared and took his place at the podium beside the enormous Christmas tree, bigger than the one Cole had set up in the church. He was met with a gentle roar of applause from his citizens as he turned on the mic and said, "Good evening."

After everyone settled down he continued to speak.

Then a firm hand grasped Cole's arm. "Hey, Cole." He turned his head to find Nix looking not too jolly. In fact, she looked downright pissed. "What's this I keep hearing about you makin' it snow?"

"Shh," he took her hand and lowered it from his bicep. "Let's keep that on the down-low for a few minutes, okay?"

Looking down, Lilly didn't seem to hear her or grasp the exact meaning of Nix's words.

"You doin' it just for her? What about me? Did you ever think to ask me if I was okay with this?"

With his hand still on hers, he took her away from the crowd asking me to watch Lilly for a sec. He focused on the mayor's voice as they distanced themselves from the horde of people waiting for his cue. Once they were far enough away to where no one would hear them, he removed his hand and looked to her, crossing his arms.

"Alright, Nix. Are you okay with it?"

"Do I look like I'm okay with it?" She gestured to all of herself, implying that her attire was the exact opposite of what one would wear during snowy weather.

"That's nothing a quick trip to the store won't fix," Cole insisted.

Nix, being as hot-tempered as she always was, answered with, "I do what I want. Not what some know-nothing kid wants." She watched as his expression quickly began to match hers. "Come on, baby... You don't really care about her that much, do you? You just found her yesterday."

"What does that matter to you?" Cole knew that Nix tended to care about one thing—herself. Finding interest in his concerns was unusual unless they directly involved her own.

"'Cause no one gets that uptight about someone they've known for a day. You don't care about what she wants either."

He frowned. Before he could reply with something he had wanted to tell everyone who displeased his idea, he heard the mayor begin to wrap up his monologue and change topic to Cole. He shortened his protest to a simple, "I suggest you find a new change of clothes before all the stores close for the holidays."

Then he moved through the sea of people back to the stage in time for the mayor to finish introductions. Climbing the steps to the clock tower's base he humbly accepted the applauds. He approached Beaumont and shook his hand as a hand-off of attention. Stepping away from the microphone, the mayor wished him luck before moving to the side to give priority to Cole.

Now he waited for the welcoming applause and cheers to end before the beginning.

"Thank you, I appreciate the welcome." He paused for a second to think of his next words. When none came to mind he only gave a short chuckle before saying, "Unlike the mayor, I didn't plan out my speech the night before. So you'll have to bare with me here..."

This got a small hum of laughter from the attendees.

When they calmed again, Cole threw a quick outline together in his head and began to speak, saying whatever came to mind, trying to avoid as many trips between words as he could.

"A few months ago when I came to New Marais, I wasn't given the same hospitality you all give me today. People threw rocks at me...marched in protest against me. It hurt, sure. But not as much as Bertrand was hurting you all."

People looked to him solemnly in patience, reflecting on the time he spoke of.

"But I wasn't about to leave; not without giving you guys a chance to rebuild yourselves. And even though Bertrand is gone, replaced by our wonderful friend Mayor Beaumont...we've still got a long way to go."

Total silence fell upon the crowd. They listened intently, weighing each of his words as he continued.

"So many of you were left without homes...without jobs after the hurricane. Bertrand coming in only made it worse. But I still won't leave—not until these hard times pass. And even after then, I'll still be here for you. That's why I'm here tonight to light the tree... Because from here on, the future can only get brighter. We can only move forward, out of the tragedy and into better lives. Let us take this time to cherish friends and family; because like me, they'll always be there for you—through good and bad times. And with that being said..."

He stepped back from the stand and the audience waited anxiously to watch him display his marvelous powers. With a quick flick of the wrist, a small bolt lightning shot from his hand and into the lowest tier of lights. Connected by a series of circuits, the electricity traveled through each tiny bulb, filling the tree with a myriad of color one by one. At the end of its journey, the star at the top glowed brilliantly, inviting more cheers and claps as the people rejoiced in the tree's magnificent light.

Beside me, Lilly squirmed and giggled. "It's just like magic!"

"Yup," I smiled at her, removing the sunglasses from my eyes to fully enjoy the spectacle. "He's pretty magical alright."

Cole waited again, this time for many seconds, for the crowd to rest. He looked to Kuo high above atop the building across the street who flashed him a thumbs up.

"There's just one last thing I'd like to say."

The gathering of people looked to him with expectant gazes. His powers and the tree had completely changed the mood of the scene to a more cheery disposition.

"Yesterday I found a little girl, homeless and alone on the street. I brought her to Saint Ignatius to give her a hot meal and a place to sleep. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she told me that Santa didn't exist because it never snowed in New Marais."

Another small scattering string of laughs resounded for a moment.

"If I told you it was going to snow tonight, would any of you believe me?"

There came a clatter of "no's" and negative answers.

"Then you all might want to look again..."

With a subtle hand gesture, he gave Kuo the signal.

She gathered her powers, delicately focusing on chilling the air in the area. Then in one burst of energy, she sent ice into the sky. With everyone distracted by looking at the clouds, Cole used his powers to agitate the electric bonds in the clouds to cause it to rain. With Kuo's powers combining with his, the falling water had magically transformed into snow on the way down to Earth.

The flakes came slowly at first, causing the people to gasp and clamor in awe. Then it started to really snow, turning their hair and shoulders white with powder.

I watched as Lilly became astounded, taken aback. She held out her hand, catching a nearly perfect snowflake in her palm. It was cool to the touch and melted between her fingers. A smile came across her face bigger than I had ever seen a kid smile. Laughing with glee, she began to jump around with unbridled joy.

"It's snowing! It's snowing!" She spun around trying to catch it in her mouth.

Looking to Cole, I could easily say the same about his smile. It had been a long time since he was that happy; since before he had his powers. It reminded me of the look he had on his face when he talked about Trish after he first met her.

I didn't doubt she was on his mind. But if Lilly was just as important to him as she was, who was I to say this was a bad idea?