A ROMAN HOLIDAY

Part 1

By Trynia Merin

I don't own DM, Cosgrove Hall does, but Lori, Bagel and Saul Stann are my characters. This is fanfiction!

***

Lori managed to drag the rest of her purchases up the lift to the landing of her new place. It was simply by elegantly furnished, in a classical style she had chosen from the agent's roster of furnishings, unlike the ultramodern style of DM's Mayfair pillar-box. She glanced around the 'flat', noticing that Bagel had set up her electric menorah near the small Christmas tree Lori had purchased. Already it was decorated with plain white lights and silver tinsel, and the collection of white, blue and silver glass balls among candy canes and homemade ornaments amount those she had collected over the years. Some were silver snowflakes, others were bronze. Still they made a nice arrangement, topped off with the snowy white angel that spread her wings and clutched two lights at the tree's top. Here and there Bagel had arranged evergreens and silver and blue bows, mingling Chanukah with Christmas trappings. Although Chanukah was a historic holiday instead of a religious one, Bagel insisted on going all out as her family did. Three lit bulbs told Lori it was the third night, and she sighed as she hauled her last minute purchases to her bedroom. Three small bedrooms, one for bagel, one for her and one guestroom were off the main area. It was camouflaged in a church rectory of all places. She could hear the singing coming from the choir room nearby, and chuckled that the vicar's postbox was her home.

"Quiet as a church mouse," she chuckled, as she took out paper and began to wrap her presents in either silver or blue or red and green paper. When she was finished she added to the pile of presents near Bagel's menorah, and put a few under the tree for when DM and Penfold would come over for a Christmas party. She smelled latkahs and gingerbread baking in the kitchen, and smiled at the scent of hot coffee reaching her nose.

"Took you long enough to get back from shopping," Bagel said as she wandered out with her hands on her hips, wearing a plain white apron. A blue bow tied her brown straight hair back, and she pretended to look stern.

"Sorry, sis," Lori apologized as she straightened the angel atop the tree.

"You know how I worry about those last minute nuts out to finish holiday shopping," Bagel shook her head. "I made us both some coffee… want?"

"Yep," Lori smiled.

"You know you REALLY don't have to buy presents for ALL eight nights," Bagel shook her head as she saw the new presents by the menorah. "It's starting to look like Macy's here!"

"What can I say?" Lori shrugged as Bagel shook her head and laughed at all the blue and white wrapped presents stacked there. "I can't help treating my friends. Besides SOME of those are for the new recruits…"

"You mean a certain gentleman friend of the Chanukah persuasion?" Bagel teased with a glint of mischief in her eye. "Just WHEN is your beau coming…"

"Bagel, knock it off!" Lori flushed.

"Oh don't mind me," Bagel smiled as she lit the four purple candles on Lori's advent wreath. She lit another candle on her menorah, and turned to Lori with a knowing smile.

"Honestly you're worse then my cousin!" Lori rolled her eyes. "When I wrote Fifi about Saul, she was wondering if we were going to be picking out CHINA patterns!"

"Face it, he likes you a LOT," Bagel winked as she took Lori's arm and guided her to the kitchen. "He writes you EVERY week, and calls at least TWICE a week to check up on you!"

"I hope they survive agent training," Lori sighed, as she shook her head, knowing Danger Mouse was conducting the training for the four new agents, and so far had many war stories to relate trying to get the colorful group to even LISTEN to him. So far he'd been shocked at least five times by Tommie, par broiled by Gila, and simonized by Saul's hypnotic ray, not to mention coming home with clawmarks from the Alley Katt in one session on street fighting.

"Well as long as DM survives THEM," Bagel giggled as she sat Lori at the small kitchen table, and rushed over to grab the coffeepot and pour two cups of hot java. She placed a plate of freshly buttered bagels with a particularly salty smell.

"Ugh, that isn't what I THINK it is, is it?" Lori wrinkled her nose as Bagel brought out a small jar and spooned the pickled fish on her toasted bread.

"Hey, having gefilte fish is part of the fun. You should try them," Bagel said through a mouthful of the salty stuff. She washed it down with a mouthful of coffee, and watched as Lori started to spoon sugar into her cup.

"I'll stick to sugar cookies," Lori chuckled as she helped herself to a few in the shape of trees and Santa clauses. "Dang, he SAID he'd be here at two."

"Who would THAT be?" Bagel grinned, as Lori got a faraway look in her eyes.

"Don't go there," Lori cautioned as she sipped coffee and spat it out. "UGH!"

"Next time don't sweeten your joe while you're thinking of your beau," Bagel further teased.

"If you keep this up, I'll ask you what you got your sweetie for the holidays!" Lori shot back as she wiped coffee off her plate.

"Honestly, the BIG deal people make about Chanukah," Bagel mumbled. "It isn't like it's a religious holiday… it's purely historic…"

"Bagel, I know ALL about the Maccabees," Lori said. "You're preaching to the choir. Eight nights of oil burning in the temple instead of one… the ruined temple at Jerusalem… etc…"

"I know, but try telling that to someone who is just showering you with gifts and making the mailman work double duty,' Bagel said as she pointed to a new tea cozy, three boxes of chocolates, and assorted teas stockpiled on the counter. No doubt Penfold was insistent on following the 'proper' Chanukah tradition.

They heard a knock at the door, and Lori started up, as Bagel continued to watch her. "I'll get it," she volunteered as she rushed over and opened the door. Lori tensed, expecting anything at this point.

"Ohh, for me?" asked Bagel. "Lovely…"

"No miss, you don't owe me anything," said a cheerful delivery person. A Scottish terrier held a bouquet of a dozen long stemmed red roses, and Lori's jaw dropped as Bagel turned around with a big grin on her face.

"Uh oh," Lori mumbled as Bagel walked right past her and into the kitchen.

"Let me see… a vase… hmmm…"

"Who are they from…"

"Nobody you'd be interested in," Bagel teased.

"Give me a break!" Lori groaned as she tried to grab the attached card away from Bagel. "Now give that here!"

"Oh no, you're too embarrassed to know," Bagel said as she slit open the card, after plunking the roses into a suitable crystal vase. "Hmm, to a special someone…"

"Gimmie!" Lori cried, snaking out her telescopic tail and snagging the card from a chuckling assistant. She snatched it from the hamster's fingers and stormed off to her room to open it. Bagel giggled at the look of mortification on Lori's face. It was all in fun, but she wondered if she had hurt her friend's feelings.

Lori slammed the door and opened the card. Her heart was pounding fast as she took the lovely greeting card from the blue envelope, and read the words written there in a casual yet flowery script. A warm flush came over her face, and she felt the cheer of the holidays overcome her at the message:

"A very merry Christmas to a lovely lady. What can I give except my heart? I know I don't QUITE get the reason for the season because we're not the same faith, but where it counts the feeling is mutual. Looking forward to seeing your lovely self later today. Love Saul."

Love, Saul, she pondered. Not sincerely or yours truly, but love. Dare she think that was possible? She had dated her fair share of agents, but something seemed far different about him. It wasn't the fact he was a rock star turned agent, or a handsome mouse that was the envy of millions of fans. Rather it was a warm feeling that told her he meant far more to her then many other suitors had over the short time they had known one another. Dare she think they had a possible future, considering the differences in their religious beliefs? Christens and Jews WERE known to have successful marriages… but under a certain tradition, if a mother was not Jewish, the children were also not. She and Saul had never even discussed the possibility of carrying things further, and soberly she realized she probably SHOULD bring up the subject.

"Oh for crying out loud, Jesus was Jewish," she mumbled.

What other people called them. Christ killers, and such. It was the Romans who had performed the crucifixion, even if the Jews had condemned Him to die. And the Romans were the infrastructure for the first church, which expanded over the last 2000 years. Yet a sweeter and kinder beau she had not known. He had asked questions about her tradition as she had about his, and they tried to find common ground. Sighing she sat down on the bed, and looked at the picture of them on her nightstand.

***

A knock sounded at the door, and Bagel rushed to answer it. She saw the gentlemouse behind it, sans makeup, with his dark brown eyes fixed into hers, and curly black hair falling over his shoulders. He was a black and white mouse, with white paws, and patches of black and white fur, his furry face white with black patches around his ears and forehead, his crisp white shirt left unbuttoned three buttons to reveal his furry black chest. His long tail curled gracefully, swishing nervously back and forth as he held a few gifts wrapped in silver and black, among a few in festive Santa and Christmas tree paper.

"L'chayem," he smiled to Bagel, who returned the greeting.

"Uh huh," Bagel nodded with a knowing smile. "If you're looking for a certain sweetheart of yours, she's brooding in her bedroom…"

"Aww rats, I hope I didn't embarrass her," Saul blushed cutely as Bagel ushered him in.

"C'mon in, let me take your coat and scarf, I've got some hot coffee… and those go over there…." She said shooing him in. He placed several presents by Bagel's menorah, and a few under the tree, which Bagel guessed, were for Lori.

"Am I late?" he asked shyly, a sharp contrast from his rock star persona. Bagel guessed he had the heart of a musician, sensitive and fair, judging from his long graceful fingers that had calluses from playing the guitar. She knew the debate raging through his mind regarding Lori, for it mirrored her own dilemma.

"Oh no, you're just in time. Maybe you can convince Lori to get her head out of the bedroom before the others arrive…"

"The joint looks great," he glanced around. "And this is for you…" he handed her one of the presents. Bagel smiled as she tore off the wrapper and saw the fruit slices and marzipan there.

"Thanks, you did pick Lori's brain. These are my FAVORITES!"

"Sweets for the sweet assistant… I hope I didn't overdo it sending those flowers…"

"Nah, she'll get over it," Bagel shrugged. "So, is the Drill sergeant killing you yet?"

"Uh, let's just say we're all paying our dues. I can't help think that DM has it in for me… he seems harder on ME then the others… I mean Gila's a pain in the tail, but he isn't riding him nearly as hard as he is I. N matter WHAT I do, that guy doesn't let up! What's his deal? Is he playing the dad from heck role on Lori's behalf?" Saul joked as he took the cup of coffee Bagel handed him.

"Um, let's say that DM is protective of Lori, since he's dating her cousin…" said Bagel slowly. "I think he wants to prove that you're worthy of her… no offense…"

"And I thought MY parents would be a pain," Saul joked.

"When are you introducing her to them?" Bagel asked.

"I'm going to ask her to come to NYC to meet them, later this week, for New Years," Saul smiled as he patted his coat pocket. "I have two tickets for a first class air trip… if she's game…"

"I'm sure she'll love it."

"Thanks to you, she'll know the drill," Saul said with a knowing wink at Bagel. "Since you said that your family practically adopted her…"

"Yeah, but Lori, I think she'll be MORE worried bout what DM thinks of you. I mean I have the feeling he'll give you the THIRD degree…"

"He already did," Saul sighed as he put down his coffee and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. He wore nice designer jeans with black boots, the Star of David shimmering silver at his throat. It was small, and not so obvious, but still present there. He glanced at the small nativity scene that Lori had over the fake mantelpiece, and sighed again, before his eyes rested on the menorah.

"Don't worry, if its MEANT to be, then you'll find a way," Bagel said.

"That's just it. She sometimes asks me WHAT I believe, and well, I'm not sure of what to tell her," said Saul as he looked gloomily at Bagel. "I mean for you and me, it's not so much WHAT we believe as how we live. Some of us don't even believe in God, but we stick to the traditions. I mean I believe in God, and I follow MOST of the traditions, but Lori has this thing about belief…. And I understand it for the most part… but I feel like part of her's just hidden from me… I know about the belief in Jesus and all, but there is this WHOLE thing about having God like a personal friend, and I guess… some of us don't always see that…"

"You think of God as abstract?" Bagel asked slowly.

"Yep. I mean he DID create the universe, and he's the Author of all things, and the Mater of the universe. I went through Hebrew school and all, but Lori doesn't understand how I can believe in God and not be constantly looking over my shoulder for 'manifestations' and 'works of faith.' I live a good life… I'm good to others… I contribute to charity… I follow the Ten commandments for crying out loud!"

"To Christians, deeds alone don't matter," said Bagel slowly. "To them it's belief. Belief in Jesus, God, and all the works of faith. At least to the Lutherans and Protestants… I hear the Catholics believe in both deeds AND belief… and a CLOSE personal relationship with God through the persona of Jesus Christ."

"It's hard for me to grasp," Saul sighed. "I love her Bagel…"

"Wow," Bagel said slowly. "You used the 'l' word?"

"I guess I did," Saul blushed.

"Christians also say that God is love," Bagel shrugged. "Figure that out…"

"Huh," mumbled Saul, deep in thought.