The Great Glad Tidings Tell

Spot Conlon sat on the docks of the East River, a usual hang out for the Brooklyn boys during the summer. But during the winter, no one ever neared the docks where the river breeze made everything colder, which of course was the only reason Spot had settled in the abandoned hang out for the afternoon.

He wasn't completely alone on his lone perch though against the pole he was sitting upon sat Laces, bundled up in her coat. She was expertly poking at a fire she had contained in a steel trash can top. The pair was annoyed and consumed in their own thoughts at the end of the dock.

It was the day after Christmas and Spot had been actively avoiding his boys, especially the girl. The only contact with people that Spot was allowing himself was with his birds that were left to run around more than usual because Spot was refusing to gather his normal everyday information on his own.

"Why can't you just say thank you and be done with it?" Laces demanded grumpily.

"I've told you, that's not what I want to do." Spot gritted his teeth, impatient with Laces' impatience as he started to light another cigarette.

"And I don't understand why you couldn't be like everyone else and graciously say thank you when it happened. Why you got to go run off and be sulky and mysterious?" Laces looked up at him.

Spot rolled his eyes and didn't even bother to answer her question; instead he looked off into the river brooding again. Laces slumped back against the pole, crossing her arms angrily. Critter, in all his wisdom, had assigned Laces to help Spot think over his current predicament, as it was partially her fault it had arose anyway. If Spot wasn't so stubbornly difficult, Laces would have had an easier time at her task but nothing was ever easy in Brooklyn.

The leader of Brooklyn was brooding over a way to show his gratitude for the actions of Relic. It was true what Laces was complaining about, that Spot was unlike the norm of people and didn't just easily say thank you when the event happened. Actually the boy had been so startled by the action, by the grand gesture of loyalty and care that he had quietly disappeared from the festivities into the morning. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, quite the contrary as he was overcome with a feeling that was unfamiliar to him. Spot was always able to express his direct blunt gratitude for gestures that were familiar to him on the streets. If Ruin took a punch from an oncoming attacker, if Bullseye dealt with two fighting newsboys, if Bottle Cap saved him the last twenty papers of the morning edition were all familiar actions. He understood the loyalty and nature of the streets, the idea that his boys would care for him because he cared for them was second nature. But Christmas, Christmas was auxiliary and added benefit to his pretty barren existence. He didn't understand what to do when someone truly went out of their way not for the physical needs and health of a person but for the emotional benefit. That was a different type of action that was an unnecessary type of action.

The reality was that Spot was constantly bombarded with those actions, the kind of unrestricted emotional favors that he believed to be strange. The birds of Brooklyn, the street kids that acted as the eyes and ears of Spot Conlon, were the group that provided Spot with an unconditional love that protected him. But he believed they did it out of a sense of duty and duty was something that a leader of a lodging house could understand. But Relic and Christmas, there was no duty in that action, there was only some pure attempt to please and bring happiness.

"Are we going to sit here all day then?" Laces demanded after an adequate period of silence. As a bird, she had been taught to respect silence as a form of information as Laces she had learned to gauge how much important information she could gather in less than five minutes of silence.

"If you don't hush up we might." Spot warned letting out a long drag of his cigarette.

"Might you get her a present?" Laces perked up at her own suggestion.

"A present for what?" Spot asked looking down at the girl at his feet.

"For Christmas, it's as if you were hit on the head with a hay barrel. Spot Conlon, yeah I know him, he was hit in the head with a hay barrel and doesn't remember that he just celebrated Christmas." Laces grumbled on for a few more minutes, annoyed and waving her hands around like a crazy person as Spot just watched and waited.

"Are you finished?" He demanded when Laces finally stopped prattling on.

"Do you remember what gifts are given for?" Laces responded crossing her arms.

"Don't you get cross with me," Spot tapped the edge of his foot against her shoulder, with the point harshly but with softness still.

"Don't you act daff with me." Laces countered. Spot rolled his eyes.

"Christmas has passed, remember?"

"Yes, but the spirit of the season remains. Besides, the gift will show her that you noticed her gesture and that you acknowledge her attempt even if you are too large of a figure to thank her…" Laces started muttering again.

"Quit it," Spot commanded finally tapping her on the head, a solid knock with his cane.

"Fine," Laces sighed back as she rubbed her head carefully avoiding the end of Spot's still handy cane. As a chill started to breeze through, Spot jumped down from his perch and started walking so quickly that it took Laces almost the entire length of the pier to catch up with his sudden movement.

Spot had a determined twinkle in his eye and Laces knew well enough not to bother with asking any questions of the boy when he was in such a determined state. Instead she did what she always did, followed him quietly and almost invisible to the outside world.

Relic stood impatiently jumping up and down outside the tiny bakery of Hannah and Annabelle. Ruin had insisted upon stopping in to say salutations in the middle of their afternoon of selling and Relic hoping to speed up the process had remained outside. Her ploy hadn't worked, as it had been ages since Ruin had left her standing outside.

Relic started watching the small children on the other side of the street. The kids were running back and forth playing with their newest toys, gifts from mom and dad masquerading as Santa Claus. She laughed at the boys trying but failing at twirling their wooden top on the snow-laden surface of the city's grounds. Her hazel eyes followed a tiny boy jump around on a stick horse that she seriously thought Jack Kelly might enjoy as much as the toddler. As the little boy reached the end of the block, Relic's eyes caught the familiar figure starring down at his feet as he hugged the brick wall of the building with his strides.

A flutter of whistles started echoing in every direction and Relic started searching for the origin of the sounds only to realize when she focused back on where Spot should be, he was gone. The little bell behind her jingled once as Ruin finally walked back out and placed a hand on the back of Relic's neck.

"Ready to go?" Ruin asked.

"Took you long enough." Relic complained grumpily. She had been just missing Spot Conlon for two days now, every time she caught a glance of him though something would distract her long enough for him to disappear.

"Cranky?" Ruin cracked a smile as he started skipping ahead of her.

"Why do I have to stand outside for ages while you go in and talk to your girl?" Relic spat annoyed.

"You could have come inside," Ruin shrugged.

"We have papers to sell," Relic complained.

"You could have kept selling them while I was inside, no one was making you do nothing." Ruin frowned. Relic's shortness with him was definitely starting to affect his cheery mood.

"Sorry, something just bothered me." Relic apologized.

"What bothered you?" Ruin asked.

"I keep barely missing Spot…" Relic sighed. Ruin stopped and turned to study his friend.

"Might you, maybe, be imagining seeing Spot Conlon everywhere?" Ruin suggested quietly.

"Why in Brooklyn would I be imagining Spot Conlon?" Relic demanded crossing her arms and daring Ruin to keep talking.

"Might you have feelings with a certain brooding leader of the lodging house we stay at…." Ruin said each word slowly, trying to make it less obvious that he was accusing his hot-tempered friend of having any having feelings for anyone. Relic threw a punch and hit Ruin in the elbow with more force than a playful fist.

"Or not, maybe not." Ruin cried out as he started rubbing his own elbow.

"I ain't never imagined anything in my whole life." Relic grumbled.

"Like when you thought Fink stole your coin pouch last week and gave him a black eye?" Ruin asked.

"That was a misunderstanding." Relic responded.

"Or when you swore that Bottle Cap was the last person to touch Spot's slingshot and got the boy bruised up for no reason…" Ruin smirked.

"I thought it was him!" Relic complained. The two were walking down a street, carefully wandering away from each other and in and out of conversation as they sold papers.

As they sold their last papers, Ruin turned around swinging his right leg above his ankle to face her again.

"Why are you looking for Conlon anyway?" He asked.

"I just, with the Christmas…" Relic tried to explain herself.

"You don't want him to say Thank you?" Ruin choked back a laugh.

"Why not?" Relic pouted.

"Because Spot Conlon doesn't say thank you." Ruin laughed.

"Well, he should." Relic frowned again.

"Go ahead and tell him that." Ruin waved his hand at Relic, daring her to try her hand and teaching Spot manners.

Spot was sitting perched on an empty crate, his eyes intent upon the working hands of Critter O'Connell. In Critter's left hand was a piece of wood that he was slowly turning as he pressed a knife into the wood with his right hand.

"You couldn't convince him of something else?" Critter muttered softly to Laces that sat near him falling asleep.

"Teach him how to do it himself." Laces yawned back.

"I should teach you how to do this Conlon," Critter nodded thoughtfully. He kept his eyes focused on the item in his hand, carefully moving his hand in minuscule movements creating small notches in the wood design.

"I prefer you to do it." Spot replied unabashed.

"Your pop taught me how to do this." Critter shook his head.

"Well you are an old timer." Spot cracked a smile.

"Watch your tone, sir." Critter warned carefully as he spun the item in his hands around.

"Have you thought about the proposal from that misfit over there?" Spot pointed at the fully asleep Laces.

"Laces is trouble enough by herself." Critter sighed.

"Relic might tame that." Spot suggested.

"Might, there is no sure thing." Critter commented.

"You have other birds that are girls," Spot pressed.

"And you have had a fancy for more than half of them too. Making my life complicated is not helping any Conlon." Critter finally shot a glare upwards at the young man sitting across from him.

"I don't have a fancy for Relic," Spot frowned.

"And I don't have Laces followed at night." Critter rolled his eyes.

"You have me followed?" Laces perked up with her eyes still closed.

"Just seeing if you're awake or faking it." Critter laughed.

"Sleeping," Laces yawned resting her head again. Critter smiled as he worked on the tiny details of the face of the wooden creature he was working on.

"So decide if the problem is Laces or the problem is me, and choose carefully." Spot's lip was set in a tight thin line and his jaw was locked.

"I believe sir, the problem is everything." Critter shook his head.

"Everything." Spot snorted.

"She is much less of a problem as a bird than as a newsie." Spot continued after moments of tensed silence.

"Possible." Critter nodded.

"And so?" Spot asked annoyed.

"You are still the leader of Brooklyn?" Critter asked, scrapping off a piece of wood.

"Yes." Spot nodded with a frown.

"And I am still the leader of the Birds, so mind your own business." Critter snapped back. Spot rolled his eyes but remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon.

As the night stars started to twinkle in the dark overcast evening sky, Relic climbed up onto the rooftop of the Brooklyn Lodging House. She was greatly hoping that Spot Conlon might be mysteriously sitting atop the rooftop, having a secret meeting or smoking a private cigarette. But there was no such luck for the newsgirl this night. She found the rooftop alone, quiet and cold under the blanket of stars.

She tugged on her maroon coat and sat down to look up at the stars. Even if she didn't' find Spot Conlon, it didn't mean she was about to admit defeat so easily. She lit a cigarette and started puffing away on her own, quietly debating the many ways in which she could manage to trap the elusive blond boy that lead the Brooklyn boys.

She sat there for the length of an entire cigarette and as she was begin to stand up to head back into the warmth of her own bunk, someone placed their arm on her shoulder. She jumped nervously looking up into the darkness to see the outline of the body of a boy. After a few blinks, she noticed the blond hair and the harsh blue eyes that were so familiar yet so distantly unknown at the same time.

"Spot?" Relic whispered.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Spot asked quietly before settling down next to her.

"No." Relic responded immediately, confused by his sudden presence. They sat in silence for an awkward moment before Spot spoke again.

"Here," He pushed out his right hand, holding a dark object. Relic immediately shot out her hand, like a greedy child and grabbed the object. She felt the pointy edges and smooth surfaces, gathering that it was of wood far before actually realizing it was a craved object. She held her eyes closed as she examined it with her hands, carefully running her fingers and then her palms against the item. Finally she opened her eyes and examined the object in the small shreds of moonlight.

"It's a bird?" Relic asked softly. The item in her hand was indeed a small bird craved from wood with details of large eyes and short wings.

"Yes." Spot nodded. He didn't make eye contact instead he just started lighting his own cigarette.

"For me?" Relic asked.

"Yes." Spot responded again as he placed the smoking cigarette into his mouth.

"For?" She probed though Relic knew. She understood the gesture, the gift offering of thanks.

"Christmas." Spot responded with a shrug. There was silence again as Relic examined her bird with both her hands cupped over the object as if someone were going to steal it.

"Did you like it?" She whispered.

Spot Conlon puffed at his cigarette slowly and deliberately thinking. A part of him knew that she would never just accept the present he offered, that she of all people would want an explanation.

"Yes." He nodded. "Did you like it?"

She smiled as she petted the tiny bird in her hand and nodded.

"Yes." She responded.

"Well alright then." Spot smiled as he handed her his half finished cigarette and lit another one for himself. The silence between them now was not awkward, nor forced, nor full of unknown mystery. Relic and Spot had come to an understanding between themselves and they were now comfortable just sitting with each other, admiring the sensation of the season under the very star of Bethlehem. Brooklyn was a strange place where sensation happened between the daily drudges; the miracles were small but magnificent when studied on with a naked eye. Brooklyn was a place where dreams did come true as easily as they were crushed and friends; friends were loyal even past the grave. Brooklyn was a borough of roughagens and vagabonds, crooks and thieves but all with a heart of gold and fists of lead and steel. But it was a place for hearts of gold, loyalty and trust on the right and on the left with grit, grind and violence. Things were never easy, never calm, never anything simple in Brooklyn.

"Relic," Spot sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas." Spot smiled.

"Merry Christmas." Relic laughed.

~*~The End~*~

Author's Note: I argued, as a writer for half this story to make this the Relic Birds Origin Fic. But I could not as a friend, or a writer, take away such an opportunity from a friend to write their own history in terms of a universe. So I didn't, though I hinted at it often and did set up the background for it extensively. I decided against it about two chapters before ending it. So I hope you enjoyed Relic's Secret Santa Story, especially Miss Relic, as it was for you! I loved writing it!

Also if you didn't notice, the title and all chapter titles are based on O Little Town of Bethelem. ;)