discoveredinalj | Discovered in the Christmas Tree: Day 28. Post 1 of 4. The Night before Christmas.

I will be posting four times today. Each post contains a poem (three tongue-in-cheek and one serious) by me, and a number of icons, which you may take, alter, etc. (Credit and comments would be good.) Post 3 will be a response to today's prompt (paper chains).

Many thanks to

kat_lair and

pushkin666 for the beta, and to

trialia for advice on how to post icons in a sensible fashion.

CI5's night before Christmas.
(with apologies and thanks to Clement Clarke Moore)

'twas the day of the reckoning; not even squad A
dared argue with Cowley. There'd be hell to pay.
They'd fiddled expenses. He knew that they had
and they knew that he knew it and that he was sad.
So Anson chain smoked while Jax stood on one foot
and Murphy was wondering where he should put
the nice leather jacket he'd now have to hide
in case Major Cowley should abruptly decide
to call in the fruits of their legerdemain
and make public property public again.
The thought of the jacket all wrinkled and torn
or even worse, 'smoked', if by Anson worn
made poor Murphy wonder why he'd ever thought
they could fiddle expenses without getting caught.

BDBDBD

But what was that noise they could hear on the stair?
A bound and a thump... and a rip-roaring cheer
went up from the agents. They now stood a chance.
Bodie came in - with Ray in advance.
They'd always distract the old man with their tricks.
He'd want to be seeing them now, before six.
While they were in there (on the carpet no doubt)
The rest could conveniently let themselves out.
Tomorrow was Christmas; not even a Scot
could choose to be mean on the festival. Not
that that meant he would ever forget
but they'd have until Boxing Day morning to get
rid of the evidence then, with no clue
to suspected wrongdoing, what could Cowley do?

BDBDBD

'The Cow wants to see you,' somebody cried
then Betty was ushering them sweetly inside.
The major was sipping a dram of good scotch.
It wasn't on offer. 'How did you botch
the easiest job, your assignment today?
How could you let the wrongdoer get away?'
He sounded annoyed and he spoke with a growl;
he looked at the pair with a thunderous scowl.
'Well, sir,' said Bodie, 'we tried to gun down
the criminal fleeing the centre of town
but the shops were so busy - it's Christmas you know -
and we thought you'd prefer us to let the man go
than to catch in the crossfire a shopper or two
so we watched while he ran then we came back to you.'
'And brought,' added Doyle with a hint of a grin,
'the bag that he dropped - want to see what's within?'

BDBDBD

'I suppose so,' sighed Cowly then watched as they poured
out the contents, producing a veritable hoard
of silver and copper and notes aplenty:
some fives; lots of tens; the occasional twenty.
'That's better in here than out there in the street,'
he said, and the IRA won't get the treat
of the guns they were hoping for. That's a relief!
You've done quite well, lads; that's my honest belief.'
And now there appeared (in the midst of the pile)
two glasses of scotch, which made the lads smile.
'What shall we do with the cash, sir?' Ray asked.
At once the top agents were seriously tasked
With ensuring the money went where it would do
the most good, and our intrepid heroes just knew
that the best Christmas use of the money they'd brought
was to help other agents by whose sides they'd fought.

BDBDBD

They didn't discuss it; the need was so plain
to make the expenses books tally again.
There was something left over, not really a lot
but enough to buy all of the agents a tot
in the pub where they gathered. A cheer rose once more
to our lads who had saved them, as often before.
Anson was offering them each a cigar.
Jax ordered a second full round at the bar.
Murphy was praising them up to the skies
For saving his bacon, and bought them mince pies.
He said they deserved them for saving his jacket
They drank and then Bodie declared he was knackered.

BDBDBD

Ray drove the Capri and they parked at his flat.
'A nightcap?' he asked and thought that would be that
But the joys of the evening had turned Bodie's head
and the pair of them ended entangled in bed
and there they remained until Christmas day.
'That was the best Christmas ever,' said Ray .