The Before Clause

Fandom: The Santa Clause

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Adventure/Spiritual

Full Summary: Who was that Santa Scott scared off the roof? How did he become Santa and was his transformation any easier than Scott's? Follow Samuel Clark through his time and see how he became the new Santa Claus.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Santa Clause or any of it's characters. I do, however, own my characters.

Comment: Forth chapter!! :3 Thanks to all that reviewed! Especially J. W. Appel for all the reviews. :3 I wish I could write you back. T-T Anyway, enjoy the chapter!! x3

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Samuel wasn't much of a drinker unless it was wine; which, is the reason why his first mug of beer was still full. Unlike John, who, had already bought two rounds for everyone in the pub in the last ten minutes. Sam, watching one of the waitresses from John from the waitress repeatedly, was getting extremely bored. Despite it being Christmas Eve, the Dirty Duck was packed with men and woman alike; some even passed out on the floor. Sam had been watching some of these woman, but, none really acknowledged him because they were either working as a waitress or they were trying to drink their sorrows away.

Finally, Sam turned his bored stare towards John, who, was drinking his fourth beer. Sam had known from long ago that John was a happy drunk; which, surprised him a bit. John would spill secrets like they were nothing and he became a little too friendly with anyone that was stupid enough to come close to him when he was drinking. Sam had found him self helping his friend into his carriage too many times to count; one time with John thanking him with a smack to the butt, and it resulted in an awkward talk the next day. Though, Sam had no right to talk, since, he to was a happy drunk; thankfully, he barely touched anything alcoholic besides wine, which, he only had during his meals.

Sam, after coming out of his thoughts, realized that John was talking a sober red headed woman. The woman looked slightly bored, resting her chin on her hand and every now and then she let out a smile and nodded. John seemed to going on and on about how wealthy he was; which, Sam guessed, was the only reason the woman would be talking to him. It's not that John was ugly, he was just extremely well feed; though, this made him look more muscular then he was. He had thinning light brown hair, with a beard to match. He was also shorter then most men, which, he was very sensitive about. John offended never stood by Sam, because it would only make him look shorter, since, Sam was taller then most men.

"I live in this mansion right outside of town," John paused to take a swing of his mug. "How about you and I go there tonight?" Samuel sighed to him self. He knew John was drunk because John knows better then to bring strange woman into his house; especially since his wife would disapprove. Though, if John were sober, he would have still have flirted with the woman. John had an arranged marriage when he was only sixteen and he had always hated the woman. Mary Fisher had hated him all the same, but, they've put up with each other for twelve years now; both having multiple affairs with other people. But, both knew better then to bring their affairs back to the house; even though John had done it a couple of times, just to have the woman he brought home being screamed at by Mary and for them to go home.

"Uh...I'm not so sure. But, how about you introduce me to your friend behind you?" the woman said, looking around John and staring at Sam. John scuffed.

"You mean Sammy boy?" another swig of beer. "You don't want to sleep with him, he's destroying an orphanage for his mill." Sam gave John a dirty look, which, John didn't even see. But, the woman didn't seem to hear John and walked over to Sam without a second thought.

"Hello, I'm Morgan Allens," the woman said, curtsying in her middle class dress. Her red hair was in a long braid over her shoulder and she looked around eighteen. Sam smirked, got up and bowed to her.

"Samuel Clark, at your service." Morgan beamed and sat down next to him, making sure to keep Sam the barrier away from John. After talking with Morgan a bit, Sam learned that she had come to the city to look for work after her father had kicked her out of the house for not marring the man he wanted her to. So far, though, she had no such luck of finding any work and had ended up here. Though, half way through their conversation, John collapsed on the table, startling Sam. Sam sighed, said goodbye to Morgan and helped John's driver with carrying John into his carriage.

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After Samuel finally got John home to a very angry Mary, he finally got to his own house. It was until he climbed into bed that he felt so tired. He snuggled into his big, soft bed and was happy that the hectic day was over. And, before Sam knew it, he was out like a light. Though, while he was snoozing, another man was making his ways around the world.

He was done with the United States, passed through Ireland, and just got through with Scotland by the time Sam was fast asleep. Finally, Santa Clause got to Birmingham. He went from house to house until he stopped at one particular home. If the people from the town saw him do this, they would wonder why he even went to the house. Samuel Clark lived alone; besides his butler, one cook, and young bodyguard that is. Though, Shelton had come to the house for Franklin, Sam's twelve year old bodyguard; Sam had rescued him from the streets about four years previous.

Ever since then, Santa had come to this house to deliver presents for the boy. And, he beamed in pride for him, since, he was extremely well behaved for his age and, even for a boy that lived on the streets 'til he was eight, learned to read and write quickly. Franklin was honest and polite and had always wished happiness among everyone that he had come in contact with. Santa had always enjoyed bringing joy to this house.

He stepped out of his sleigh and on to the snow covered roof. As he made his way to the chimney, he smelt something foul. He hastily checked under his boots and saw that he had stepped in some bird droppings. He then quickly banged his left boot on the roof, trying to scrap it off. Finally, when he was sure he had gotten off as much as he could, he made his way to and down the chimney.

Sam, who felt like he had just fell into wonderful sleep, was awaken by a noise coming from the roof. It was a thumping sound, like someone was stomping their boots on his roof. This startled him and he quickly jumped from his bed. In his nightgown, he ran off to get his riffle from the wall. For once, he was actually happy that he owned one. The only real reason he owned it in the first place was to go hunting with John and some of his friends. Though, Sam wasn't very good at walking quietly and he got frightened so easily that he shot at anything that moved out of the corner of his eyes; this included the wind, leaves, water droplets, and even some of John's men. These are the reasons why he was never invited back to hunt again. And, it was also another reason why Sam was very cautious when picking the riffle up.

He quickly ran outside, not noticing a sleepy Franklin coming down the stairs right when he slammed the front door shut. Sam walked away from the house a bit and looked up. He saw a man in a red suit on his roof. The man was also holding a sack; which, from where Samuel was standing, he wasn't sure if it was full or not. A burglar? on Christmas? How atrocious! Sam thought, glaring at the man. Samuel brought the riffle up close and aimed. He planned to scare the man off the roof by shooting above his head; hoping that the man will drop the sack and run off. Even if Sam couldn't hunt worth a damn, he had pretty good aim for someone that never practiced; which, wasn't saying much, but, it was something at least.

Just as the man walked all the way down the roof, Sam aimed and was grabbed by Franklin.

"Don't shoot him!" Franklin screamed, afraid of what had just done. Though, when Franklin had pulled on his arm, he angled it down, and, even if Sam wasn't planning on hitting the man, that is what he had done instead of scaring him. Sam had let out a gasp and Franklin was staring wide eyed at the roof as the man swerved backwards and landed with a thud on Sam's roof. When this happened, Sam turned angrily at Franklin.

"I wasn't going to shoot him! I was going to scare him off!" Sam yelled at Franklin, who, had his head down. It was rare that Sam got angry at Franklin; it was usually Thomas who yelled at the youth. "What were you thinking?! You know I get startled easily!" Though, after he let out all his angry and worry on Franklin, Sam felt a little better, but, he did feel bad that he yelled at Franklin. Finally, after a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh, patted Franklin's shoulder, and looked back up on the roof.

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Franklin finally let out. "Very, very sorry!"

"It's alright. I'm sure the police will understand...At least I hope so. Well, either way, I'll just bribe them," Sam decided, talking more to him self then the Franklin. "Now the only problem is to get on to the roo-" Sam was interrupted by slamming into a ladder; which, he was almost positive wasn't there before. He rubbed his nose while glaring at the ladder.

"Are you alright?" Franklin asked, coming up next to him to make sure he wasn't having a nose bleed. Though, Sam just waved him away, not wanting him to see his embarrassment. Franklin then turned his attention to the ladder.

"Where do you think this came from?" Franklin asked, amazement in his voice. Sam shrugged.

"Let's go find out." Sam climbed the steps fast, wanting to see this burglar up close; though, Franklin took his time, he wasn't very good when it came to heights. Once Sam was on the roof, he pulled Franklin up next to him. Then, Samuel saw the clothes of the burglar, or, at least he was pretty sure. He walked up to them and was surprised that the body was no where to be found. Franklin was right beside him.

"I say, do you think he's running around nude?" he asked, amused. Sam wasn't sure, but, he pulled the coat up.

"This is a very nice suit, I admit. It seems to be expensive. The loon must have stolen it," Sam said with a frown, but, he dug around in it's pocket. Finally, he came to a card that said something about putting on the suit, but, it was dark and Sam couldn't see that well. Finally, he picked him self off the ground and examined the coat. It was big, probably John big, but, it seemed warm enough. Sam, who, was in his nightgown, was freezing and saw no harm in putting on the jacket. Once he did this, he noticed something that seemed impossible to miss.

"Uh...Sir. There seems to be...animals on the roof," Franklin said at the exact moment Sam saw them. There were nine reindeer's attached to a huge, red sleigh. Sam quickly went over to the sleigh and looked in it. Franklin, who had just noticed that Samuel had the red jacket on, quickly grabbed the rest of the man's clothes, just in case Sam wanted those too and quickly followed Sam on to the sleigh. But, as soon he was on the sleigh, Sam tried to wave him off.

"It isn't safe on here, Franklin. Get off," Sam said. Though, when Franklin hesitated, Sam got frustrated. "Go! Go!" But, right as Franklin was about to get off, the reindeer reacted faster and started running. Both were thrown back into the sleighs seats and Sam quickly grabbed the reins, but, it seemed no matter how hard he tugged, the reindeer wouldn't slow down. Closer and closer until the first of the reindeer was only a few centimeters from the edge. Sam quickly covered Franklin's eyes with one hand, and with the other he covered his own; feeling death come to them.

But, when he peaked again, they weren't falling to their death. No, quite the opposite. They were flying! Sam was so surprised by this, he let his hands fall to his side, letting Franklin see again. Franklin gasped happily and then looked down; though, he quickly looked back inside the sleigh when he realized how high they were.

"This...this is amazing," Sam said, blinking. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but, it was very amazing indeed.

"Sir...do you understand what this is? It's Santa's sleigh!" Franklin said, a huge grin on his face. Then, it faded as quickly as it had appeared. "That means you shot Santa!" Sam blinked at Franklin, just then realizing what he had done. Though, Sam barely believed any of this was real; he was probably just dreaming. When he was young, he hadn't really believed in Santa Claus, but, his sister did, so, he didn't want to ruin it for her. But, when he was ten and she was seven, Caroline and their mother got into a big fight around Christmas time and she told her that Santa didn't exist. This broke Sam's heart and he didn't want to ruin it for Franklin.

And, then, the reindeer skidded to a stop on another roof. Though, it seemed where they stop was about a twenty minute ride from Sam's home. And, Sam didn't want to seem paranoid, but, he was sure the reindeer were staring at him, waiting for him to do something. He looked behind him to stare at the sack that 'Santa' had. It looked empty, but, Sam picked it up to move it out of the way when it went up into the air and lifted Sam up with it.

"W-What's going on?" Sam asked, stunned. Franklin seemed as surprised as him.

"I-I'm not sure, sir," he said. The sack floated Sam over the chimney and then he somehow squeezed through the tiny chimney, into the fireplace. But, he didn't land so smoothly. Actually, he landed on his butt, coal covering his face and clothes. He walked out of it coughing. Now, I'm sure, the last thing a child expects to see is Santa, tall, scrawny, wearing a nightgown with his red coat over it. It's quite a sight actually. And, that is what a little boy saw when Sam came out of the fireplace.

"...Santa?" the boy asked, very confused. He rubbed his eyes, looked up at Sam...and did it once more. Sam sighed. He wasn't actually planning to be Santa, but, sure, why not.

"Yes, yes. I'm Santa. Please go back to sleep," Sam asked. When the boy lied back down, Sam started to panic. When Sam had first picked up the sack, it had been empty. But, just as he lifted it up, it was heavy as if something was inside it. Puzzled, Sam walked over to small pine tree with festive red berries and popcorn on it. He put down the sack and unloaded a couple of toys; all wrapped in a dark green fabric, tied together with a lighter green ribbon. Sam quickly dragged the sack over to the fireplace and stuck his head in. He had no idea how he was suppose to get out.

But, just then the sack floated back up and into the fireplace, pulling Sam along with it. Then, he was back on the roof, where Franklin was waiting. Sam quickly hurried over to the sleigh and put the bag behind them. He grabbed the reins and waited. Then, he realized that he had to say something.

"Uh...Go?" It was more of a question then a command, but, the reindeer listened nonetheless. The reindeer ran and once again they were flying. Hours went by with Sam doing the same thing at every house the reindeer stopped at. They stopped at too many houses to count, but, finally, it seemed that they were done. By then, Franklin controlled the reins, since, Sam was growing tired.

"I...I think we're done," Sam said, breathless. Franklin smiled.

"Back home then, sir?" Franklin asked.

"Yes, please," Sam nodded.

"Home it is then," Franklin said, mostly to the reindeer. Though, as more hours past, Sam fell asleep in the sleigh and Franklin knew something was wrong. They were heading towards a snow storm and it was getting colder by the second. Finally, the reindeer landed on a sheet of snow and just stood there. The landing had knocked Sam awake, and, as he rubbed his eyes to make him self more awake, Franklin was trying to get the reindeer up and moving again.

"This isn't home, you twits!" Franklin yelled at them. Though, he wasn't really angry at them. He just felt ashamed that he couldn't even get him and Samuel home. And, a bit of frustration for them not listening to him.

"W-what's going on?" Sam asked, sounding sleepy.

"The reindeer's dumped us in the middle of nowhere," Franklin said, sounding ashamed. This alerted Sam awake completely as he looked around; though, you can't see much in a snow storm.

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no." Sam said, getting out of the sleigh and walking out into the snow. "This isn't good at all." Just then, a boy came out behind a pole that wasn't there a second ago. The boy smiled at Franklin, then at Sam.

"Oh, hello good sir. Do you mind telling us where we are?" Franklin asked. But, the boy didn't even look at him. He was staring at Sam, who, had become very uncomfortable with the stare. The boy then motioned Sam to get back into the sleigh, which, Sam obeyed. The boy then went over to the pole and pushed a button on the side. Suddenly, the ground started shaking and they started to go down. Both were amazed at this contraption.

Finally, when the sleigh had reached the bottom of the hole, Franklin jumped out. Though, Sam barely noticed because he was taking in the room he was standing. It had kids all around, with pointed ears. Sam had a pretty good guess that they were elves. Some cleaned the sleigh, while others feed the reindeer that had been let free from the sleigh. The room was painted in lots of colors, though, most used was the color red. It was then he noticed Franklin was gone. He turned around, trying to find him.

"Franklin? Franklin!" Sam called.

"Keep it down, will yea'? Some of us are trying to work," a voice behind said. Sam twirled around and looked down to see an elf with curly dark, dark brown hair. He seemed taller then most of the elves and more stern.

"Who are you?" Sam asked.

"The names Bernard. Welcome to the workshop, Santa," Bernard said, turning away from him to check how the other elves were doing. Sam followed.

"It's Samuel Clark. Not, Santa. And, could you, please, explain to me why I'm here?"

"Because you're Santa, Santa." When Sam opened his mouth to protest, Bernard held his hand up to stop him. "Look. You shot the old Santa and then put on his suit...well...half of the suit. But, it doesn't matter because you put on the coat." Though, when Bernard had said he had shot the old Santa, hurt was in his eyes. He had been right after all. Sam put his hand to his forehead, messaging it. This wasn't real. None of this night had been real. And, all he wanted to do now was wake up from this dream. Finally, he looked back at Bernard.

"Okay, let's just say I believe you. I'm the new Santa. Where am I exactly again?"

"In the North Pole, of course!" Bernard said, frustrated by his ignorants. Sam ignored his frustration.

"Right, right. What do I do exactly?" Bernard sighed.

"Look, I don't have time for this. Judy will explain it all to you later."

"Judy? Who's Judy?" Just then a small elf girl came up next to him, with long red hair and a soft smile.

"Follow me, please," Judy said. Sam looked over at Bernard, but, he was gone. Then, Sam wondered again where Franklin had run off to. With a sigh, Sam followed the elf to who knows where. Though, when he was walking behind Judy, there was something in the pit of his stomach, screaming something to him. Something about this being real. But, Sam decided to ignore it.

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Sorry this took so long to get out. This has been a very busy week. I hoped you liked the chapter and more will be up soon, I promise. ^^ Review please! :3