Chicago December 24 11:56PM

"Steve the alarm!" exclaimed Arthur as he jumped onto Steve's arm.

"I know, I hear it. I told you to not play with something that isn't yours. We need to get out of here before they wake up and think we are burglars." Steve said as he tried to take his arm back from his younger brother.

Steve rolled his eyes and was looking for a way out when he heard someone coming down the stairs. He looked over and saw a very scared yet calm woman coming down the stairs holding a baseball bat. "Don't move you two; I am calling the police."

Steve grabbed Arthur's hand and ran for it. He sprinted down the street dragging Arthur with him. In the reflection of a window he saw the flashing of a cop car coming. Of course the year Arthur talks him in to getting out of mission control and help him deliver presents Arthur just had to try and pet the cat and set off the alarm. Now they were going to get caught if he couldn't find some where safe to go. The lights were getting closer, so he ducked around another street corner only to meet another unexpected surprise.

There she was standing on the steps to her house all bundled in her scarf and jacket with her long brown hair waving in the cold winter wind. She looks over at them and could tell clearly that they were running from something. Great another person that has seen them in one night. This night just keeps getting better and better, Steve thought to himself. Her green- blue eyes looked them up and down and before they could dart of again she spoke the most beautiful sound he had ever heard that almost sounded like a sweet song.

"Hurry up and get in here." The two Clause boys exchanged a look before proceeding to follow her in the house. Once they were inside they were strangely greeted by a house over decorated with tons of Christmas decorations.

"Follow me into the kitchen you need to stay away from the windows until the heat out there calms down. I hope your ahead of schedule because I am afraid you might be stuck here for a while." She said as she took off her coat and laid it over the back of the chair. Arthur did the same making himself at home.

Arthur was the first to speak as he held out his hand. "Hello, I am Arthur and this is my brother, Steve. Thank you for helping us."

"Samantha, but please call me Sam"

Steve still looked shocked that they were in this beautiful strangers' house, but stranger non the less. "Why did you help us?" he finally asked.

Sam looked they both up and down one more time before answering. As she answered she took three wine glasses out of the cabinet and poured them all a drink.

"Well clearly he is Santa Clause," she gestured to Arthur with her glass then to Steve. "And your, well I don't know what you are because you are too tall and handsome to be an elf."

Arthur politly declined his wine, but Steve was in need of a drink. How was this grown adult believing in Santa? Before Steve could ask another question the front door bell rang.

"Stay in here out of sight." She went to answer the door while Steve was still beside himself. He didn't realize he was staring after her until Arthur said something to him.

"Steve why are you staring at her?"

"Arthur because clearing something in wrong with her a seemingly normal person who is an adult is ok with you being Santa Clause. That is wrong."

Before Arthur could answer she was back in the room with them. Her leaving and coming back made Steve think that she was even more beautiful than before and he never realized how petite she was until she came back. She only came to a little below the middle of his chest.

Finally, Steve asked the burning question that he had to know, "why do you believe that he is Santa and not a robber and that there even is one?"

She took a long sip of her wine before answering, "well you're going to think I am crazy, but oh well. He is clearly Santa because I have never seen so much Christmas joy in anybody's eyes before while being chased by the police. You never did answer my question as to who are you in your pins trip suit."

"I am his brother and COO of North Pole operations. You never answered the second part of my question." Without noticing he stepped closer to her. He was close enough he could touch her. He had to keep himself composed before he did something stupid.

"Why stop believing in something that no one ever proved to me didn't exists. Clearly I was right."

Arthur broke up the interrogation that Steve was trying to do by changing the subject. "So Sam what do you do here in Chicago?"

She took a long sigh and leaned against the wall. This intrigued Steve as to why answering the simplest question seemed painful to her.

"I do many things, but I am a full time firefighter at firehouse 81."

Sam walked to the sink and dumped the rest of her wine out and without turning around she told them, "it is safe for you two to leave now and finish your evening."

Steve headed straight for the door walking as fast as he could like there was a fire in there while Arthur put his coat back on.

"Thank you and happy Christmas. I am sorry about him; he is a little stressed about tonight. Are you going to be alone for Christmas?"

"No. I am going to my Dad's in the morning. If you are ever in Chicago again and need anything feel free to stop by."

"Arthur come on!" Steve yelled back into the house.

"Well good luck. Tell him to smile more it will make me like him more."

Sam followed him out on the front steps and watched as they disappeared on what seemed like zip lines into the night sky. Steve looked down at her from the S-1 and wished he know who she really was and wished he could have looked at her one more time before he rushed out, but he needed out of that house before he turned bright red and could catch his breath.

She shivered as she walked back into the house. Once she was inside she felt lonely. She cleaned up the glasses and went upstairs to climb in to bed. Once she was comfortable and in bed and almost sleep she jumped up fully awake.

"Did I really call him handsome?"