Jingle All The Way Chapter 2

After a day filled with laughter and a great big reunion, Adam sat on the window box in his room that looked out over the quiet snowfall that fell lightly outside the lair.

It was beautiful. There was no denying it.

He was certainly glad to be home.

Sipping his mug of hot chocolate he sighed and thought back to the horrible game that he was trapped inside of with his friends.

The horrors that they had been through would've been enough to kill them all if it had gone on any longer.

He wondered though where the rest of the Glader's were seeing as how they weren't here.

Did they all not exist? Were they just figments of the game that he had grown to love and trust?

He had been having too much fun being overwhelmed by his friends, parents and elves to really think much of it.

But now as he sat alone, he thought of Frypan, Clint, Jeff, Winston, Zart and the many other Glader's that he felt like he had spent his whole life with.

Where were they? And were they even real?

He turned when he heard his door open and smiled softly when Bernard walked in with a plate of cookies and some milk.

"Whatcha got there mate?"

He asked as Bernard took the seat next to him and placed the plate down in between them.

"Just coming by to see if you're okay. And to tell you that I'm really glad to have my best friend back…"

Bernard said as he turned and looked out over the quiet snowy evening.

Adam nodded and met his best friend's green eyes which held a sadness that he knew all too well.

"I was just thinking about everything that's happened. I was just wondering if the others in the game were real…Or if they're just a part of a fantasy world that never existed at all."

Bernard reached up and removed his green elf hand before running a hand through his messy black hair.

"I don't really know to tell you the truth. I know that they aren't here now but that doesn't mean they're not somewhere else in the world right now as we speak. I'd like to think that they got returned to their families too. But I think we'll never really know to be honest."

He said carefully before he took a cookie off the plate and held it out to him.

"What I do know is that we've been best friends since we were born and that whenever you don't feel good, you always need a cookie and some milk to cheer you up. If I remember correctly it works every time."

Adam felt himself tear up as he gently took the cookie and bit into it.

Taking a swig of milk, he rubbed the crumbs off his face making Bernard laugh quietly.

"Yup it still works. See? I know you better than anyone."

He teased making Adam give him a playful shove.

"Well alright then, it's getting late and we both have a whole day of fun to look forward to in the morning. But oh, before I forget, someone that you may have forgotten about wanted me to give you this. She said that even though you may not remember, it will help you still be connected to one another."

Bernard said as he stood up and took a small gift box out of his pocket along with a letter written on pretty giftwrap paper.

Adam put down his glass of milk and furrowed his brows as he took the letter and gift box in his hands and examined them carefully.

When he looked up to ask Bernard about the box, he found that he was once again alone in his room and it was close to midnight.

Slowly he unwrapped the box and lifted the top off and was surprised to find a necklace that looked like a locket.

Picking it up, he held it in front of him as he took in the glass locket.

Opening it carefully, his face scrunched up in confusion as he saw that there was nothing but a blank place for a photo and what looked like a miniature version of mistletoe.

Gently laying it down onto the window seat, he tore open the letter and read its contents several times before the words sunk in.

Dear Adam,

I cried happy tears when I found out that you were back. I've missed you for a long time and I hope you haven't forgotten about me. But if you did, I wanted to give you this. This locket was supposed to be your Christmas present from last year, but I never had the chance to give it to you because you were rendered unconscious from that stupid game. I was devastated when Bernard told me that they couldn't find a way to turn the game off and bring you and our friends back. But now that you're back I'd consider it nothing less than a miracle. I have a feeling that you will have trouble remembering who I was to you so I charmed the mistletoe inside the locket to have a direct connection between my magic and yours bonding us together. We always talked about permanently bonding but I know you won't remember that. I hope for you to get to know me again and that we can perhaps rekindle what we once had.

I love you forever and always,

A

Adam felt tears fall from his eyes and down onto the letter making the words smudgy and dark.

He gave the letter a kiss before setting it on his nightstand and slipped the locket on.

He may not remember her very well, but he knew that it was from Amelia.

Her letter tugged on his heart strings and he made a promise to her silently that he would go looking for her tomorrow.

The thing was, he didn't remember anything about her except vaguely what she looked like.

The apparent love that he had for her was now gone and he desperately wanted to get it back.

Because if it was one thing he knew, she had been special to him and for her to tell him she loved him was all he needed for confirmation.

As he changed into his pajamas and tucked himself into bed that night, his fingers held the locket close to his heart as he drifted off into a deep sleep with images of Amelia playing in his head.