It Must Have Been The Mistletoe
By Thomas Mc
Author's Note: This story is the second chapter af a longer story called The Policeman's Niece that is currently in production. Since this chapter is already finished and capable of standing on it's own and I have no idea how long it will take me to finish the whole story and it happens to be Christmas . . . I thought I would post this chapter tonight as a sort of combination Christmas present and advanced peek at the future story. I hope you enjoy it. (Note: This chapter was inspired by the song of the same name.)
December 2085
( 18 years after Alexander )
It was Christmas Eve and Wendy Murray was standing, with some of her friends from the office, over by the massive snack buffet. She and her friends were eagerly scanning the many tasty and expensive treats available while shooting the breeze about their lives and office gossip. The CEO of the company was hosting this year's company Christmas party in his two story penthouse apartment next to Central Park. Wendy had only been working at this company for ten months and she felt privileged to have been invited.
"I could certainly get used to living like this." Remarked Judy as she glanced around at the opulent surroundings. She spotted their boss moving toward the door to the next room while speaking to a very tall individual. She turned back toward her friends. "I wish Santa would leave the key to a place like this under my Christmas tree." She grinned at her friends as she selected a finger sandwich and popped it into her mouth.
Pam, who had just popped a bacon wrapped shrimp roll in her mouth, could only nod her agreement while chewing on the tasty morsel.
Becky grinned. "Not me." She picked up a slender tuna salad finger sandwich and dropped it onto her plate as she responded. "I'd rather find the money for a place like this under my Christmas tree." Her grin widened. "Then I could buy a nice little place of my own and still have plenty of money left to live on." She faced Wendy. "What about you, Wendy? What would you like to find under your Christmas tree?"
Wendy glanced around at the crowd then responded with a grin. "I already have a nice little apartment. And the pay at this company isn't bad." Her grin widened and a bit of mischief sparkled in her eyes as she remembered what she was hoping to see while at this party. Her company had business ties to The Wells-Chandler Foundation and Wendy had heard that there was a Wells-Chandler here at her company's Christmas party representing the foundation. "Personally, I wouldn't mind finding one of the Wells-Chandlers under my tree." Her response elicited giggles from the other girls who all certainly wouldn't mind finding a similar surprise of their own.
Wendy and her friends moved out into the crowd of partygoers with their load of snacks. As they made their way to where the drinks were being served, their conversation shifted to the latest gossip going around about the Wells-Chandlers.
An hour later Wendy was standing just inside the double wide doorway into the very large parlor and scanning the crowd, trying unsuccessfully to catch a glimpse of the Wells-Chandler that was supposed to be at this party. Despite being so much a part of the popular culture phenomenon, the Wells-Chandlers were still a very rare sight in person. New York was still the only place where they were found in any appreciable numbers.
Wendy Murray was a product of her times. She had been two and a half years old when Alexander Chandler-Wells had saved New York from the terrorist's nuclear bomb and thereby introduced the Wells-Chandlers to a very surprised world. All her life, she had been inundated with the lore of the Wells-Chandlers. The Brigit O'Donnell book and the movie based on it had both been favorites of hers. As a teenager she had pinned several posters of them on her bedroom walls and, like many young girls, dreamed of being swept away by one of them.
Wendy's thoughts drifted back to the stories that her Uncle Chuck, the policeman, used to tell her when she was a little girl. He had been assigned to special duty at the hospital where Alexander and the President had been brought in after that spectacular UN incident. On the day that Alexander's family had made their first public appearance, Uncle Chuck had been one of the dozen officers that had escorted the very unusual family through the crowd that had surrounded the hospital and up to the front doors. He told her that the Secret Service had taken over at that point and escorted them up to see both Alexander and to meet the President and his family. Her Uncle Chuck had encountered a few of them since then and said that he had always found them to be very pleasant and courteous people.
Uncle Chuck's wife actually worked at the Wells-Chandler Foundation and would often catch a glimpse of one of them passing through the building. Wendy however had never been lucky enough to encounter one of them in person.
~ o ~
Phillip Chandler-Wells first noticed her when he passed by her at the snack buffet. She was talking to four other girls as they were looking at the snacks and they had not noticed him passing within ten feet behind them. Even in the emotional noise of the crowded party she stood out. Something about the sweet girl next door nature of her emotions had caught his attention as he walked past. He was in deep conversation with the head of the company that was throwing this Christmas party as they exited that room but he still overheard her comment about finding a Wells-Chandler beneath her Christmas tree. He had overheard many such comments and more than one young woman at this party had tried to make his acquaintance. It seemed to be a common situation for him. His grandfather had called it the rock star syndrome. Though flattering, it could also become a bit tiresome after a while.
A little over an hour later he again noticed the same girl that had caught his attention at the buffet. She was standing near the parlor doorway with her back to him, looking into the parlor. Though he had yet to see her face, there was something about her that intrigued him. There was a hint of anxious frustration mixed in with her emotional state. He was a bit curious about what she was anxious about as well as simply being attracted to the emotional makeup that he felt coming from her. He was contemplating the idea that having that particular young woman on his arm would help to forestall the barrage of hopeful females that he had been encountering since he got here and he liked the feel of her emotional make-up. Then he glanced up at the top of the doorway above her head and was amused at what he saw there. He grinned to himself and decided to approach her.
~ o ~
Wendy felt a light tap on her right shoulder and, expecting one of her co-workers, turned around to see who it was. She opened her mouth to ask whoever it was if they had seen the Wells-Chandler only to leave the words unspoken as she found herself looking at a broad expanse of chest. She blinked twice, belatedly closing her mouth, then looked up to find herself staring into the leonine face of a real live Wells-Chandler who was looking back at her. She suddenly felt very warm and was afraid that her knees were going to collapse under her. Her mind had gone completely blank. Her voice seemed to be frozen in her throat leaving her totally bereft of speech. Then she was wondering what he could possibly want with her.
The Wells-Chandler smiled, his fangs peeking out then he spoke. "Hello, my name is Phillip."
At the sound of his voice she felt a shock of intense desire shoot through her. She had heard recordings of their voices and knew about this aspect of them but it did not prepare her for the effect it had on her in person. She finally managed to stutter out a response. "Ah . . . Ah, I, ah . . ." She blinked and swallowed. "Um . . . my, ah, my name is . . . aahhh . . . Wendy." She could feel the flush rising in her face. "What, ah . . . It's, ah, nice to meet you." He tilted his head to the right as his smile widened. "Ah, what can I do for you?" She blurted out.
As he gazed into her deep hazel eyes, Phillip felt a bolt of lightning shoot through him that left him momentarily speechless. He quickly recovered and his smile got even wider as he glanced upward while pointing toward the top of the doorway.
Wendy looked up and her eyes widened as she saw that she was standing directly under a holiday decoration that consisted mostly of red and green ribbons and mistletoe, running all the way across the opening. She was suddenly completely flummoxed as she contemplated the implications of her position.
Her eyes dropped back down to meet his and she felt her insides turn to jelly as he tilted his head in the most endearing way. "We wouldn't want to buck tradition." His voice made her want to melt.
Wendy managed to get herself under enough control to prepare for a quick meaningless peck, reveling in the idea as his face approached hers and her eyes closed. Then his lips touch hers and her knees began to tremble as lightning raced through her all the way to her toes. The next instant strong arms went around her and the kiss was neither a quick peck nor meaningless. Then her knees finally did give out and only his arms around her kept her upright. After a short eternity he pulled back and a sigh escaped her as she opened her eyes. Her vision was filled by his face smiling down at her and her heart was filled with a warm desire that was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Phillip was thinking that there was something about this girl that he had found refreshing and enticing. He had thought that she would be a pleasant party companion as well as buffering him from the attentions of some of the more aggressive females at this party. He had only meant to give her a friendly innocent kiss but somehow that had changed the moment her eyes had looked into his. And when their lips touched he was a stunned by the strength of the effect that she was having over him. Phillip continued to hold her until she had regained her legs then he released her and spoke again. "What do you say we wander over to the snack bar and get a little something to eat and drink?" He took her elbow and guided her over to the refreshments.
This was not the first time he had dealt with this type of overwhelmed reaction to his presence and he immediately started to work at putting her at ease. After a few minutes at the refreshment stand, he had managed to get her somewhat relaxed though she still was experiencing the sense of awe in his presence. After they had acquired a handful of tasty snacks he guided her back out into the milling crowd.
Wendy glanced around at the other partygoers and caught more than a few envious looks from some of the other females in the room. She also spotted her boss across the room. He was grinning and nodded at her. She looked back at her new companion and felt a shiver run up her spine as he smiled back at her. As they mingled with rest of the crowd she spotted her friends looking back at her in a mixture of wide eyed surprise and extreme envy.
The rest of the evening seemed to pass in a kind of magical dream like haze. Wendy was constantly wondering when she was going to wake up from this dream. Then she would glance at Phillip, just to verify that he was really there with her. Around eleven o'clock Phillip made a surprising suggestion. "It's getting late and the party is starting to wind down. Would you like to leave?"
Wendy swallowed, hardly believing what she was hearing, and barely nodded her head. "OK."
She again felt the need to pinch herself to verify her reality as he helped her on with her coat. Next she was aware that they were in the elevator heading down and she was wondering, with a combination of excitement and uncertainty, just where this was going to lead.
As they stepped out of the warm building they were presented with the vision of the city blanketed in a brand new layer of sparkling winter white as a light snow continued to drift gently down out of the sky. Wendy laughed with delight as she extended her arm, catching a few of the large snowflakes in her gloved hand. Across the street at the blocked off entrance to Central Park she spotted a red and gold horse drawn sleigh. The driver was dressed in red and white fur and had a well developed white beard and mustache, the perfect image of Saint Nicolas in his sleigh.
Phillip took a hold of her elbow. "Come on, Wendy." He started across the street bringing her along.
Before she had time to really process what was happening Wendy found herself on a midnight sleigh ride through the snow covered park with a fairly good representation of Saint Nicolas driving the sleigh. A colorful wool blanket lay across their laps, a warm cup of hot chocolate poured from the driver's thermos was in her hands, and Phillip's strong warm arm was around her shoulders. All around them the trees lining the roadway twinkled with the colorful Christmas lights while snow seemed to glisten and sparkle with the reflection of those lights. The only sound was the soft clop of the horse's hooves, the whoosh of the runners on snow and the tinkling of the jingle bells on the horse's harness. All around them the frosty air seemed to come alive with magic.
As they continued through the park they became aware of the sound of bells tolling out 'Silent Night' from some nearby church steeple that could be heard drifting through the chilled winter's night. The magical night with its Christmas lights, the soft blanket of snow, the church bells and the rhythmic clop, clop of the horse lulled Wendy into a sense of warm happy contentment. She looked over at her leonine companion to see him smiling back at her. Then he leaned in and she found herself in a long slow romantic kiss.
As Phillip slowly drew back from that totally impromptu kiss he felt her emotions washing over him and realized that he was thinking of her as more than just a pleasant evening's companion. Being who and what he was in this new age since Alexander, he had experienced his share of romantic relationships but this one seemed to have deeply touched his emotions in a way that no other woman had touched him before. He was rapidly falling for her and he could feel her strong reactions to him shifting from a simple hero worship crush to a deeper, more powerful emotion.
The driver glanced over his shoulder and smiled at the couple. "Ah, amore'." He faced back forward still smiling to himself.
After a while the snowfall began to ease up as the flakes got larger until it finally ceased completely. Wendy looked up into the sky to see a few bright stars beginning to appear as the clouds rapidly shifted eastward. A moment later the full moon came out from behind the disappearing clouds and bathed the land with a soft white glow turning the whole park into a winter fairyland.
The driver brought the sleigh to a stop as the giant Central Park Christmas Tree came into view. It was spectacular. Only the tree at Rockefeller Center could rival it.
Phillip jumped out of the sleigh and offered his hand to aid Wendy as she stepped out onto the fresh sparkling snow. They stood there on the mall looking at the giant Christmas tree and the surrounding park. The fresh snow was sparkling with all the colors of the Christmas lights. Wendy was totally enthralled by the beautiful scene. After a few minutes and another kiss they returned to the sleigh and continued through the Park.
A short time later they had again stopped and the two of them stood beside the Romeo and Juliet statue. Five minutes later Wendy was looking over at the lighted Belvedere Castle when a snowball hit her shoulder. She turned to see Phillip standing there gazing up at the sky, trying to look innocent. Then almost by reflex she reacted without thinking. "Oooo, I'll get you for that." She scooped up a handful of snow, compacted and threw it in one well practiced move, actually catching him by surprise when she hit him squarely on the side of the face. She was momentarily mortified at her temerity and his very surprised look.
Then he grinned wide showing all four fangs. "Ah, ha, so that's the way it is." He scooped up and threw a snowball nearly as fast and smoothly as she had. Then the battle was on and the snowballs were fast and furious as the two of them ran, dodged, threw and laughed.
From the sleigh, the driver observed the crazy snowball fight with great amusement and cheered the combatants on in their epic battle. The squeals, howls, roars and laughter of the two participants echoed through the park making the occupants of another passing sleigh grin in response to the sight.
Phillip ducked around behind a large clump of bushes and Wendy zipped around the other side of the same clump, ready to catch Phillip, by surprise only to find that he wasn't where she had expected him to be. She turned around just in time to catch a snowball square in the chest. He ducked around another thick stand of trees and she took out after him. As she came around the trees she collided with him and they both went down into a large snowdrift.
After a short spurt of playful wrestling Phillip lifted her out of the snow bank. They were both covered head to toe in partially melted snow and she was starting to shiver.
Phillip chuckled. "You look a bit cold. Maybe we should get you home so you can dry out and warm up." He wrapped his arm around her and walked her back to the sleigh. As he helped her into the sleigh he called out. "Central Park West, please." Then he climbed in and pulled the comforter up around both of them.
With a laugh from the driver and a crack of his whip, the sleigh pulled out as Phillip wrapped his arms around Wendy to help warm her up.
Soon they were back where they had started, across the street from her boss's apartment building. Phillip hustled her into the nearest taxi and they were on their way to her apartment in Brooklyn. The warmth inside the taxi soon took the edge off her chilled state and her shivering stopped, but the goose bumps didn't go away because they were caused by the presence of his arm around her shoulder.
Very shortly they pulled up in front of her apartment building. Phillip helped her out of the cab and walked her to the front door of her apartment building. "It was a real pleasure meeting you and I really enjoyed your company this evening." He then pulled the door open for her.
Wendy paused indecisively in the doorway and faced Phillip her heart pounding as she contemplated what she was about to say. "Um, ah . . . would you, ah, like to come up a while for, ah, for coffee, or something?" 'Real smooth move, Murray.' She thought sarcastically to herself as he looked back at her. She could feel the blush rising in her face under his scrutiny.
After a moment's pause Phillip smiled. "That is very kind of you. I think I can come up for a little while." Then he followed her through the door. They entered the elevator and she pressed the seventh floor button.
As they approached the door to her apartment Wendy was thinking to herself. 'Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're getting in way over your head. He'll take one look at your dinky little apartment and know how far out of your league he is.' She opened her door and they entered. Her eyes went to the darkened Christmas tree over in the corner by the small artificial fireplace. Then she scanned the room thinking that it was awfully small but at least it was reasonably neat and clean.
The first thing that went through Phillips mind as he saw her apartment was 'cozy and homey'. Wendy opened a low chest behind the sofa and pulled out a few blankets. Two of them she spread on her sofa, which faced the artificial fireplace, the third she placed on the easy chair.
Phillip smiled and nodded at Wendy. "Why don't you change into something dry?" He nodded toward the artificial fireplace as his smile widened. "And I'll light a fire."
She grinned at his fireplace comment. "I'll be right back." She remarked as she ducked into her bedroom.
Phillip examined the fireplace. It had a built in electric heater and low power blower that forced the hot air up past the glowing fake logs and a collection of randomly sized red and yellow streamers. There was also a bed of ground glass with yellow and red lights that shone up through it. When turned on, it made a very convincing illusion of a roaring fire over a bed of hot coals and ash. Phillip flipped on the switch then, glancing around, took off his long hooded cloak, his leather vest and his sweater and hung them on the coat tree over by the door. The layered look that was normal dress down in the tunnels had become a currently popular fashion style thanks to the clothing style of his male kin that had appeared in public. Next he went over to look at the Christmas tree.
He could still feel her confused and rapidly fluctuating moods and, due to his sharp sense of hearing, he soon became aware of Wendy talking to herself in her bedroom. The combination was fascinating and he smiled to himself as he shamelessly listened to her barely audible clothing debate.
Wendy stood before her open closet staring indecisively at her clothes and mumbling under her breath her heart pounding in nervous uncertainty. "Now what are you going to do, now that you've got a Wells-Chandler in your living room? What do you wear?" She shifted through her clothes and stopped at her sexiest little black evening dress. "Do I go for sexy?" A wash of desire crashed through her as she glanced over at her closed bedroom door. "What are you thinking, Miss Murray? He just came up because he is a nice polite person. He wouldn't be interested in you that way." She shook her head as a wave of resigned disappointment swept through her and continued shifting through her clothes. "He will probably leave as soon as he can politely get away and I'm cold." Reluctant acceptance rolled through her as she grabbed her most comfortable warm-up outfit. "This will have to do." She stripped off her wet clothes and changed into the warm-up suit. She looked at herself in the mirror. The warm-up suit may have been very casual but it did hug her curves rather nicely. "Good enough." She shrugged at her image and turned away from the mirror.
When she opened the bedroom door the first thing she noticed was that he had removed his cloak. That was a good sign, wasn't it? Those long hooded cloaks seemed to be very popular with the Wells-Chandlers and had been making a big comeback in the fashion world as a result. As she entered the living room she noticed that Phillip was standing next to the Christmas tree looking puzzled.
"Um, the lights on the tree won't come on. I haven't had the time to get them fixed." She explained.
He looked over at her and nodded with a half smile. "I noticed." He also noticed that she actually looked fairly nice in her green warm-up outfit that nicely set off the color of her hazel eyes.
She crossed into the small kitchenette then glanced back through the door at Phillip. "I have coffee, tea, hot chocolate . . ." She glanced back in her kitchenette noticing the bottle of wine that had been a twenty-first birthday gift from her younger brother and shrugged feeling a combination of emboldened uncertainly and hopeful embarrassment. "wine?" After about a second of silence she looked back out at Phillip.
Phillip found himself speculating over the possibilities of the choices offered, then when she glanced back out at him he responded. "Wine sounds intriguing." He felt her hopeful emotional response to his words and decided that wine was a good answer.
A few minutes later she came back carrying a tray of snack foods, two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. She set all of it on the coffee table in front of the warm fake fire. "Aren't you too cold in those wet things?" She asked then turned bright red with embarrassment at the possible implications of her question and the possibilities of a yes answer. She didn't really have anything for him to change into and an image of him standing before the fire without clothes had flashed through her mind.
He chuckled at the flashes of emotion that passed through her and the adorable way she had blushed. "No, not really." He replied as he pulled up one sleeve exposing a very furry arm. "I have built in insulation to help protect me from the cold." He smiled warmly at her which made her heart do a little flip-flop. "Besides the warm air coming from your fireplace should have me dry in no time." He glanced over at her audio system that was located on the other side of the fireplace from the Christmas tree and gestured to it. "May I?"
She shrugged. "Sure, go ahead." The fact that he seemed in no hurry to leave was finally beginning to register and hope was beginning to blossom in her heart.
Phillip scanned through her library then made a few selections. Soon the room was filled with soft Christmas music as Phillip sat down next to Wendy. He picked up the wine bottle, looking at the label. It was actually more of a sweet inexpensive desert wine but he thought it would do nicely for a cozy evening before the fire. He used a claw to cut the seal then used the corkscrew to open the bottle.
He had decided during their sleigh ride that he definitely wanted to get to know her better and now he just needed to convince her that he really was interested in her. He poured the wine then set the bottle aside and took one goblet while handing the other one to her. "To mistletoe and Christmas Eve snowball fights." He grinned at her with just a hint of smolder mixed in.
Wendy felt a shiver of delight run up her spine at his toast and the look he gave her as they touched goblets.
Phillip sat back and took a sip of his wine. He could tell that he was definitely getting through to her.
Wendy glanced shyly over her goblet at her guest she was beginning to wonder if there might really be something more going on here. Maybe her strong interest in him was not so unrequited after all.
~ o ~
The music from her audio system had gone from Christmas music to easy listening to very romantic. The wine bottle was empty, Philips clothes had long since dried out and Wendy was leaning into him as his arm encircled her shoulders. She could hardly believe this was really happening. She had been enjoying a nice glass (well actually more than one glass) of wine while cuddled up in the arms of the rather magnificent Phillip Chandler-Wells. The warmth of his attention washed over her and left her breathless.
Phillip figured that she had finally become comfortable in his presence and accepted that he was really interested. Wine, cuddling and romance had followed. It was after one o'clock Christmas morning and he could feel her slowly dozing off.
~ o ~
Wendy woke up feeling a bit disoriented and glanced around at her living room. The Clock showed just after two in the morning. She found herself momentarily wondering if it had all been a dream. Then her glance was drawn to the corner where her tree sat. On the floor she saw half of what must be Phillip sticking out from under her Christmas tree. She couldn't help grinning as she thought about what she had said to her friends at the Christmas party and now there he was under her tree. Then with a comment of, "Ah ha!" The lights on the tree came on. Phillip wriggled out from under the tree and grinned up at her. "It was just a loose wire in the plug."
Phillip stood up and looked at the lighted tree. "That is much better." He sat back down next to her then looked at her. He noticed the way the twinkling colors of the Christmas tree lights reflected in her eyes and felt the desire and hopefulness rise up in her as she gazed back at him. He leaned in closer and felt those emotions explode as she realized what was happening. Then their lips met and a warm feeling of love washed over them as his arms went around her. There was no possible doubt about the meaning of this kiss.
He finally pulled back and was once again gazing into her eyes. "You know, I never really believed in love at first sight . . . until tonight." He tilted his head a bit as he felt the emotions of hope, desire and love swell within her at his words. "And being an empath, I can tell that you are feeling very much the same as me."
Wendy blinked as the meaning of his words sank in then she blushed with embarrassment mixed with exploding hope. He knew how she was feeling and had said that he was feeling the same way.
Then his lips again met hers and all thoughts fled from her emotionally overwhelmed mind as they both sat there cuddled together staring at the fake fireplace basking in the warmth of each other's presence. Wendy's attention was drawn to the song that had just started playing.
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That feeling everywhere
It must have been the pretty lights
That glistened in the silent night
It may be just the stars so bright
That shined above you
Our first Christmas
More than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, Saint Nicholas had his fingers crossed
That we would fall in love!
It could have been the holiday,
The midnight ride upon the sleigh
The countryside all dressed in white
That crazy snowball fight!
It could have been the steeplebell
That wrapped us up within its spell
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
Our first Christmas
More than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, St. Nicholas must have know that kiss
Would lead to all of this!
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That made me love you!
On Christmas eve our wish came true
That night I fell in love with you
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
~ o ~
The End
'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.
Words & Music to the song It Must Have Been The Mistletoe are by Douglas Konecky & Justin Wilde.
YouTube = www . youtube . com/watch?v=cD7NmzQjKDg