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In the aftermath, you could have heard a pin drop, a sharp contrast to the loud voices of only moments ago. Now, with only the three of them left in the Common Room - Chief, Casino and Actor - they looked at each other in sheer disbelief.After Garrison had given them the bad news, they'd decided to make the best of it. There had been holiday songs playing on the record player, drinks poured, a little pre-Christmas cheer being shared, and then it all went to hell. They hadn't been expecting it, any of them, for Goniff to basically go off the deep end, getting right up in Garrison's face like that. No, no one was happy Garrison was headed off on another solo mission, that they might be co-opted for a job or two under someone else's command, but as Casino put it, "sheesh, have some common sense, right??!"But common sense was exactly what Goniff had NOT shown, not with his words, nor with his belligerent tone and snarly expression, almost daring the officer to put him in his place. Then there wasn't anything 'almost' about it; with that last handful of scornful comments, Goniff had not only approached insubordination, he'd leap-frogged over it in true Olympic fashion, not just striving to Place but going straight for the Gold.The guys watched, jaws hanging in total shock as Goniff stormed off, Garrison, face like a thundercloud, following right behind."Goniff! Goniff, get the hell back here!" Garrison yelled, but without any response they could hear. They DID hear the kitchen door slam once, then a second time, then dead silence echoed through the Mansion. The heavy snowfall outside masked anything else they might have heard, and they figured that was probably for the best. Their ears were already ringing and they didn't need to listen to Garrison's furious lecture to add to that."Shit! What the hell just happened??! We don't have enough problems??!" Casino demanded of the other two, shaking his head in total disgust."You'd think the little Limey would have more sense! He had ta know the Warden wasn't gonna let him get away with that! Sheesh! Bet he's wishing he'd kept his big mouth shut, ya know?! Gonna be bleeding from the ears before all the yelling is over; bet the Warden's gonna keep him out there in the snow, freezing his ass off, for a good long time, too, just to remind him who's boss around here."Chief just rolled his eyes and nodded, figuring that would likely be the case. It had been a dumb move on the part of the Englishman, there was no argument there, even if Chief pretty much agreed with everything Goniff had been saying. Still, riling up the lieutenant just before he was heading out on that solo mission was something the Indian didn't see as needing to happen. The man had enough on his mind, getting things lined up in his head; he didn't need the distraction their pickpocket had, for some dumb reason, tossed out like a smoke bomb.It was obvious Actor agreed, from the impatient sigh of annoyance he gave. "We may as well have another drink. It may be awhile before they return; I imagine Craig will be pointing out the error of his ways to Goniff for some time, at least until the cold drives them back in. It was quite foolish, that entire display. None of us are happy about this newest solo mission, but making that kind of a scene, displaying that level of insubordination, that was most unwise. Of course, we must consider the source - it WAS Goniff, after all. He is hardly the soul of discretion at the best of times."And they poured another drink, and to fill the time, took turns guessing just what would be included in that lecture, what Goniff's fervent, and probably totally illogical, response might be. He'd try to talk himself out of it, of course; that was just Goniff. Would he get away with it? Probably not, not with the look on Garrison's face as he stormed out after their pickpocket.And if the supposed bulletpoints from that imagined lecture, the responses the Englishman might dream up, got more and more improbable, that was only to be expected considering the individuals and personalities involved. They'd check with Goniff later, after he dragged his sorry ass back inside, to get the lowdown. At least, they would after Garrison drove off. No sense stirring the officer up again, letting themselves in for a lecture of their own.And it did take a goodly amount of time before they got back, Goniff first, all red-faced, shivering and damp and apologetic, totally subdued, then Garrison just a few minutes later, his usual stern self, complete with that reprimanding frown still at full force.Still, much to their surprise, the whole unpleasant experience didn't seem to have too much of a residual fallout, at least not for long.In fact, Goniff seemed to perk up considerably after changing into dry clothes and rejoining them for a stiff drink. Strangely enough, it hadn't taken much for Garrison to shift into a surprisingly mellow mood too, even pausing on his way to change his own clothes in order to direct Sergeant Major Watson to fetch a bottle up to the Common Room from the office, one of much better whiskey than was in their own supply.Nevertheless, Casino, in a quiet aside, still felt the need to twit the Englishman on the foolhardiness of his earlier behavior. "Next time, think before you open your fat mouth, you dumb Limey! You're lucky he even let you back inside; coulda kept you out there all night. Probably woulda taken til spring to thaw you out again!"Goniff had just nodded meekly, giving a whispered "you're probably right, Casino. I'll not forget that, none of that, anytime soon, I promise. Besides, when the lieutenant gets all wound up like that, ain't likely I CAN forget, you know?"Whether it was logical or not, by the time another drink was down the hatch, Goniff was not only back to his own smiling self, he was beyond that, seeming uncommonly pleased with himself.Well, he should have been, shouldn't he, as the pickpocket smugly told himself? Worked out just like he'd planned it, which things didn't always. No, he wasn't happy with Garrison heading off in another few hours without them, probably without any backup of all, knowing ruddy HQ, but that wasn't something he had any control over.Still, arranging for a little private time, enough to talk a little, maybe, if they were lucky, enough for Goniff to give Garrison at least part of the Christmas he'd be missing, that was something anyway.Ramping up the smart remarks, the over-the-top comments and gestures, that had been enough to give him an excuse to bolt. He didn't have any guarantees Craig would come after him, but usually the man was pretty quick on the uptake, so it was likely he would.And there was that shed a few feet into the woodlot; not much of a place, true, but at least sheltered from the wind and rain, or in this case, the heavy snow, and with the added advantage of being out of view of any of the outposts or sentry rounds.He'd have fancied it up a bit if he'd had the time or the opportunity, but all he'd been able to do was sweep it out as much as he could with that worn out broom, tack those spare tarps up along the walls and ceiling to be sure the battery lamp wouldn't give a glimmer to Jerry, if they decided to do a fly over. Along with making sure the latch on the outside was easy to snap off with one quick move on the way in, just so they didn't accidentally get trapped inside if the wind tipped it into place, and a new latch put in place, this one on the inside, to keep the door closed against the wind or any unlikely intrusion.It wasn't what he'd have preferred, a bare and uncomfortable place like that, but he wasn't one for bemoaning what wasn't possible and neglecting what was. Making the most of it was what he intended. After all, Craig was headed off into who knows what kind of mess; this was the least the man deserved, some incentive to make it back home safe and sound, or at least alive and doing the best he could on the rest.And after trotting through the snow to the edge of the woods, pausing only to let Craig catch up with him just a few yards from the shed, waiting for the officer to catch his breath enough to start the lecturing Goniff knew was coming, he knew his plan had a good chance of coming together, provided Craig didn't go into heavy officer mode on him. Could go either way, the way the man was standing there, hands on his hips, glaring down at him."I know you aren't happy about me heading off alone, Goniff; none of you are and frankly, neither am I. But there's nothing I can do about it, and mouthing off like that, then taking off just because you want to chew me out some more in private, that's not acceptable. Besides, it's cold out here, the snow's getting deeper, and . . ."Goniff held up a hand, placing it firmly against the taller man's chest, putting a halt to the stream of recriminations he knew were ready to pour out. "Ease up, Craig, before you pop a gasket or something."He quickly laid out the real reason he'd taken off, had flashed that signal to Garrison, the one they used so often in the field, the 'just play along' one, followed, appropriately enough, by the just as familiar one, 'follow me, no fuss, but quick'.Garrison listened, frowning impatiently at first, then with growing comprehension leading to an amused if slightly incredulous smile, meeting the earnest, if decidedly smug one on his pickpocket's face as Goniff laid out his arguments."And you already said there's no way you'll be back for Christmas, so I thought you might like an early present. Your choice of what might be available, which is limited, I'll admit, since it's not like I 'ad any more warning than you likely 'ad. That shed over there, it's not comfortable like the cottage, but there's no time to go there, nor any real excuse we could put out, what with Meghada being likely gone til next month sometime. It's not even like the room above that sweet little pub, where I'd thought we might like to end up like before, but beggers can't be choosers, I've 'eard tell, and at least it's private, no one likely to come by, even if it wasn't snowing to beat the band."And that song Casino was putting on the record player earlier, 'Winter Wonderland', you know, along with all the rest of them songs, ''We Need A Little Christmas' and all that, that brought this to mind. Seemed like a little walk through the snow under the stars," squinting upward trying to spot those promised stars through the heavy snowfall, "well, that that might be a nice enough thing to do, least if there's a private spot for taking a little rest along the way. There might even be a basket with a few little extras waiting there, a bottle from Meghada's stock and something nice from 'er pantry, and a bit more. 'Aving some time together, maybe making some nice plans for later, maybe a little more even, if you're of a mind, that don't sound so bad, does it? In fact, anything you 'ave in mind would suit me just fine. It IS going to be Christmas, and nothing says you can't 'ave one of your gifts a bit early."There was a teasing note in Goniff's voice, but the strained look on his face was evident in the bright moonlight. He really hated the idea of Craig going off on his own, HATED IT, but if it had to be, at least there would be this to tempt him back home again. And if he didn't make it back home, one last chance to show him all that Goniff figured he needed to know, needed to remember. Now, if the stubborn man would just give in to letting himself have that little bit of a nice time Goniff was offering!Garrison shivered, and not only from the cold. He was breathing hard, initially from chasing his impudent pickpocket through the unaccustomed depths of snow, but now from something quite different.He glanced back at the big house, then toward the wood lot just ahead. It wasn't like anyone would be out in the storm, except for the ones on sentry duty and they'd have no reason to be coming in this direction.And it WAS almost Christmas.And after Goniff's blatant show of insubordination in the Common Room, the others would be expecting Garrison to chase him down in order to deliver a firm lecture, probably a pretty long one, in response. The guys were probably laughing right now, trying to guess all that might be included in that reprimand, what Goniff might be coming up with in the way of excuses. He might as well not disappoint them by heading back right away. You could even consider it an early Christmas gift, from him to them, he told himself as he followed his smirking pickpocket toward that makeshift shelter in the woods. Garrison was still in his room drying off, changing into clean clothes, when the others took it upon themselves to deliver a few words of their own to their teammate."What's with you, looking so happy and all? Can understand the Warden, him getting the chance to really lay into you after that bullshit you were spouting earlier. But you? Why are you looking like the cat that swallowed the canary?" Casino questioned, suspicion heavy on his face. Goniff had that all too familiar 'I got up to mischief' look about him, but what the hell could he have pulled off with Garrison right there yelling at him the whole time?"I've not 'eard that expression before," Sergeant Watson commented from the sideboard with a puzzled look on his face, there to deliver that bottle Garrison had asked him to bring up from the office. "Does it mean the same as 'looking like a cat what got into the cream'? Because that's what came to my mind just now, what with that smirk on Goniff's face, and that don't make no sense either, not with 'ow out of sorts the Lieutenant was at 'aving to chase after 'im to deliver that little talking-to. Course, from 'im sending me back down for this bottle, the Lieutenant seems to 'ave gotten over that, and that's probably best with 'im 'aving to leave so quick now. Still, seems odd."For awhile they had to put a pause on the drinking and card playing, on account of Garrison, reappearing in the Common Room doorway just in time to hear all that, having that coughing fit. No doubt it was probably due to inhaling all that cold air from his chasing Goniff down and delivering that stern tongue-lashing that the impertinent pickpocket flat out deserved.And Goniff wasn't doing much better, suddenly getting choked on that last sip of whiskey he'd been getting down when Watson spoke up. Like to never had the two of them get over their coughing and choking and red faces and all, before they could put another record on the player to wind up their eventful evening.Surprisingly enough, it was Sergeant Major Watson who delivered the crowning blow to Garrison's composure on his reappearance just a little while later. Pausing at the doorway, announcing lights out in another twenty minutes, he addressed the young lieutenant in a respectful if slightly chiding voice, the faint hint of amusement in his eyes noted, if not understood, by everyone in the room."I grabbed your uniform pants, Lieutenant; will work on them and 'ave them ready in the morning before you 'ead out. Must be right slippery out there for someone as surefooted as you to lose your balance that way. Funny, I'd 'ave thought there was too much snow out there, it being too deep for you to get the knees that dirty no matter 'ow bad a tumble it must 'ave been, but looks like I was wrong. No matter. No real 'arm done. Should be able to sponge the marks, no trace left behind to tell the story, right?"Garrison cleared his throat awkwardly, careful not to look at the others, certainly not to meet Goniff's amused eyes or see that tell-tale side to side working of his jaw as Goniff tried desperately to suppress the laugh that was bubbling up inside."Thank you, Watson; I appreciate that. Yes, conditions got a little more unpredictable out there than I was expecting. Easy enough to find yourself a little off-balance. I'll have to remember that for next time, be a little better prepared." {"Maybe with a better bottle of whiskey, maybe a blanket or two to drive off the cold and cover that dirt floor. I suppose a doubled mattress, as nice as that would be, would be overkill and not nearly as easily explained if anyone stumbled across the place and took a look inside."} The parting the following morning was awkward all around - Garrison anxious to get going on the job but not wanting to leave them behind, not only because he knew he could probably use their help, but also for not knowing what HQ might get up to, who they might send the guys out with; the guys having much the same concerns about HQ and their machinations, along with not wanting the lieutenant out there on his own, knowing how much trouble he could get himself into that way.Casino was the one who broke the heavy silence accompanying that one last drink - this time, ersatz coffee strengthened with a jolt of whiskey - they were all sharing, a forced joviality in his rough voice."So, okay, you got one early Christmas gift anyway, Warden, what with you getting to go out and blow something up, or pull off another con, or whatever the hell you're gonna be doing. You always seem to get off on shit like that. Anything else on your Christmas list, something you're really hoping for Santa to bring you, something we might keep in mind for when you get back?"Garrison, one hand already on the doorknob on his way to head down the stairs and out to the vehicle waiting below, paused, considering how to respond. He knew what was on his list, alright, right there at the top, but how to say it without sounding sappy?{"But is sounding sappy all that bad, really?"}Deciding it really wasn't, or if it was, that they'd probably forgive him, he turned and smiled affectionately at the four men sitting there - HIS men, his team - each silently wishing him well, meeting each of their eyes in turn before facing Casino at the last."Yes, I've had one gift already, but as for the rest - it's just like the song says, Casino. 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', - - - all of you, here, safe and sound and in one piece, when I get back."Then, to temper the embarrassingly sappiness he recognized that message undeniably revealed, he quickly added, "WITHOUT me having to do any retrieve and return errands for anything you might have made yourselves free with, without any of you being under arrest, and without any of you being involved in anything else on my basic DO NOT DO list. See if you can't manage that, okay, guys? That will be more than enough in my stocking to make me happy."And the fervent round of "do our best", "you got it, Warden", "I sincerely hope so, Craig", from Chief, Casino and Actor. And from Goniff, a stern look from anxious blue eyes, along with the casually offhand comment of "sounds like a plan, Lieutenant. Same goes for you, though, about staying out of trouble, I mean; you'd best remember that, and come back safe and sound and in one piece, just like you said. Be right disappointed if you don't."And Garrison nodded in quiet understanding, both of what was said and what was left unsaid. "I'll do my best, Goniff, I promise."And he left to fight another battle in another place, leaving them to fight their own. At least, he hoped his guys would be kept together if they were sent out anywhere, hopefully with someone trustworthy, and maybe, if luck held out, he'd get back and the next battle they'd go out to fight would be as a full team once again.At least he'd already had a little bit of Christmas cheer, more than he'd thought to have, thanks to his enterprising and imaginative pickpocket. Maybe, if he made it back, WHEN he made it back, he could see that his guys had some Christmas cheer of their own. A little late, maybe, but maybe that wouldn't matter so much.What was it Goniff had gotten in the habit of telling them, that a holiday was just a state of mind and could happen any ruddy time they wanted it to? More than once even, if they were of a mind? Garrison was starting to think that, along with a surprising number of other things his pickpocket came up with, that sounded just about right; in fact, was something he could wholeheartedly get behind.And a third song whispered to him softly, as it had when the record had played the familiar refrain the evening before in the Common Room, and he once again heard the words that offered a warm if slightly melancholy reassurance.'I'll be home for Christmas, You can count on me. - - -I'll be home for Christmas, If only in my dreams
If only in my dreams.'Taking a deep breath, he resolutely tucked those words and many others safely away into the back reaches of his mind, listening wistfully as they slowly faded away, and started to work out the details of that masterful con job he was going to need to pull off while derailing the quite different hopes of a cunning double agent currently causing havoc for the Allies.Then, taking one last look in the rear view mirror at the big house rapidly disappearing behind him, he turned his focus to the job ahead. There'd be time enough for dreams later, at least he hoped so. No guarantees, of course, but he could always hope..