Page 25 of A Beginner's Guide to Christmas Miracles
“You’ll have to read the message,” Minos grumbled. “Demons know it’ll just follow you around if you don’t.”
“I’ll do it!” Adam volunteered. “I can give you the general idea. That ought to satisfy the alarms, although I’m not really sure you’ll need our help anyways,” Adam admitted cryptically.
Adam and Minos shared a knowing look, but Nach had no idea what they were thinking. Adam sort of shrugged and nodded his head toward him and Beck, and Minos shrugged back and nodded, and it was all rather odd.
Adam then cleared his throat and focused on one of the many messages. “They are always so pompous,” he mocked, then he started reading. “It has come to our attention, blah blah blah… hmmm…” he mumbled under his breath a bit. “Nach! You didn’t just performonemiracle!” he cried, stopping and looking over at Nach.
“Well, I mean, I didn’t think the restreallycounted as miracles. Just little trifling things, surely,” Nach defended.
Adam laughed delightedly. “My, my—you have quite the list of transgressions according to them!” He read through them under his breath, and yes, it was a rather long list. Adam smiled at some, gave awww’s at others, and eventually, after quite a bit of time, must have reached the bottom of the list. “Damn, Nach, you don’t do anything by half measures!” he laughed.
Nach just blushed, and Beck hugged him a little tighter. “I spread joy! It’s my job!” Nach defended.
“You certainly do!” Adam giggled. “I especially liked the ‘post-coitus cleanup’ miracle.”
Beck groaned, and Nach mumbled, “I didn’t think thatreallycounted as a miracle.”
“Nachielus, you have a very loose interpretation of miracles,” Adam laughed. “But here’s the serious part,” he continued, going back to reading. “Not permitted topside, blah blah blah, the unfortunate solstice incident”—Adam snorted at that—“unsanctioned miracles, blah blah blah…” Adam got quiet as he finished reading, then he sighed.
“How bad is it?” Nach asked softly.
“Pretty bad. They’re calling for your immediate return, mountains of paperwork, and a demotion that would include a block on your ability to perform miracles,” Adam admitted. “It also has a cease and desist warning for communication or contact with any mortal souls whatsoever.”
With that, the writing disappeared. Nach supposed its job was now complete since the message had been delivered, even if he hadn’t read it himself.
“Well, I just won’t go,” Nach pronounced. “What else are they going to do to me? I’m already being demoted, according to the letter. So I won’t go back. They can take away my ability to do miracles. I can live like a mortal soul. I’ll miss bringing smiles to people’s faces and bringing joy to others’ lives, but I’ll do anything and give up anything to stay with Beck,” Nach admitted. He loved his job, but Beck was worth more to him than everything else.
“Hey,” Beck interrupted. “That’s bullshit.”
Everyone turned to look at Beck, including Nach. Maybe he’d read this all wrong? Fudge, did Beck not want him around?
“Nope—no sad face. You are absolutely staying with me, and I love you, and no ‘leadership team,’ or whatever the heck they are, are stopping that. So wipe that sad look off your face,” Beck demanded.
Nach breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s bullshit,” Beck continued, “is the idea of you not doing your job and bringing joy to people. Nach, youareyour job. You created a whole holiday built around joy, for fuck’s sake. Sure, you did it with some miracles, and sure, you did a lot of miracles over the past few days, but those only accounted for half the smiles that you brought to people. Playing Santa at the center, smiling and waving to everyone we meet, helping people in stores, complimenting everyone who made every drink or food item you consumed over the last few days… Nach, my beautiful, sexy angel, youarejoy. Maybe you help that along with a miracle or two, but you do it even without those. You’ll keep on bringing people joy even if those assholes take away your miracle ability,” Beck finished.
Nach looked at Beck in wonder. His elf was right, and he could keep on bringing joy even without miracles. What would he do without Beck? He was about to kiss him again when Adam interrupted that train of thought.
“I like him,” Adam whispered to Minos, nodding his head toward Beck. “He’s a keeper.”
“Yes, he reminds me of someone,” Minos chuckled, staring pointedly at Adam.
Nach would have gotten warm fuzzies over the demon and his human (because they were cute together), but he had a bit of a crisis on his hands.
“So, what do I do?” Nach asked.
Suddenly, a shrill, high pitched noise sounded. Everyone in the room groaned. Not again.
“What the hell isthat?” Beck demanded.
“That,” Minos stated calmly, “is a recall notice. It is meant to transport the recalled individual to management’s office.”
“Oh hell no,” Beck said, grabbing onto Nach even harder, like he could prevent him from being transported away. “They arenottaking him!”
Nach admitted to himself that he was more than a little concerned. If they forcibly recalled him… But the sound, shriller and louder, blasted out again, and still nothing happened.
Adam smirked. Minos grumbled a laugh. Beck stared at them both like they’d lost their minds. Nach was feeling similar.
