Fiero grinned, showing straight white teeth. He relished a challenge and would like to try his hand at pipe shimmy-ing. He'd never attempted something so daring before. Tonight seemed to be a night for brave deeds. It pleased him immensely.

"All right," he said, putting his hands on the chilled metal.

He hoped nothing would happen to her wreath. She seemed to be very fond of it, and he didn't want her devastated by its loss or disappearance. That would be just horrible. An awful end to an evening.

He concentrated on propelling himself upward until he couldn't anymore, about ten feet above the ground. The he concentrated on keeping himself relatively light as he pulled himself up hand over hand. It was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be. He thought about calling down to Holly and warning her of the unexpected exertion, but was unwilling to admit that he found his ascent taxing.