discoveredinalj | Discovered in the Wassail Bowl - 22nd December

Christmas Repar-tree

Doyle let out an unhappy sigh as the frozen rain continued to tap on the windscreen. He shivered and pulled his scarf tighter around his neck.

“Any idea why the girls called us in?” Bodie asked as he turned the Capri into the CI5 carpark.

“Not a clue, mate,” Doyle replied. “Ruth only told me that we were needed.”

They parked the car and ran through the wet weather into the building. Murphy met them by the door and told them to head to the VIP lounge.

Sally and Ruth were in the rest room when Bodie and Doyle wandered in. They were surrounded by boxes of what looked to be holiday decorations.

“Hello, ladies!” Bodie greeted them with a smile. “What’s going on in here?”

Susan looked at Ruth and nodded with a smile that made both of the lads a little nervous. “You boys are just in time to help set up the tree for tonight’s Holiday party.”

Bodie started to back out of the room.

Before he could escape, Ruth added, “Cowley’s orders.”

Doyle’s face lit up as he looked through the stack of boxes set on the floor. “Haven’t had a tree for years. Sounds like fun!” He reached for a string of lights.

Bodie stared at him. “Are yew fir real?”

“What?” Doyle winked at him. “I’m pine.”

Bodie raised an eyebrow and nodded his willingness to join in. “Just don’t get too sappy.”

Susan rolled her eyes and Ruth groaned.

Doyle waved a hand at the two of them. “I guess we’ll be happy to help you spruce things up.”

“Yeah,” Bodie chimed in, “leaf it to us.”

They untied the tree and set it in its stand. Doyle turned to Susan. “Do you want us to start on the baubles? How do you want to hang them?”

“Ornamentaly, my dear Watson,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

“How did the op go?” Ruth asked as she uncovered a plate of Christmas cookies. "Did you get all the info?"

Bodie, eyeing the biscuits, replied with a laugh, “Ol Cowley will be sitting on pines and needles until he gets the report from the Special Branch.”

Doyle watch as Bodie reached a hand wrapped in glittery threads towards the cookies. “Careful there, mate. Get those decorations near your mouth and you could get a case of tinsillitis.”

“Very funny, Doyle." Bodie looked to Susan and asked, “May I please have a chocolate biscuit, miss?”

“I guess the question is,” Doyle challenged, ”have you been knotty or nice?”

“I’m the nice one,” Bodie insisted, tangling the silver strands into Doyle’s hair.

“Son of a birch, Bodie," Doyle yelled. “Get that stuff out of my hair!”

“Sorry,” Bodie pouted and detangled his partner.

They all started decorating the tree, hanging ornaments and tinsel.

“Looks quite nice,” Doyle remarked when they’d finished. “You girls should take a bough.”

Ruth sighed .

“One more thing to add,” Susan said and wrapped a blanket around the base of the tree.

Bodie’s rubbed his hands together – his face lit up and Doyle groaned, “Don’t-“

Bodie ignored the warning. “Why do Christmas trees wear skirts?”

Everyone looked at him.

“So you won’t cedar roots!”

“Enough with the puns,” Ruth sighed again. “You’re berks are definitely not the Two Ronnies!”

“Maybe not,” Bodie conceded. “But you have to admit - we have great chemis-tree!”