A/N : So, I've had the idea for this plot jumping up and down in my poor brain for a while now, and decided to give it a shot :) It is based on the Nanny Christmas Special (Oy to the World", but it has nothing to do with my contribution to the Advent Calendar, I have other fluffy plot bunnies running around for that :) And GOD, was it more difficult than I thought… I had to listen to my Christmas songs list, and it's not even Halloween yet… ^^'
Genre: Romance/Fluff
Rating: K+
Title:"Taming the weather forecast" a Christmas tale
"It was a cold mid-December night, the kind of night where people cuddle around a cosy fire with hot cocoa or mulled wine. The kind of night where not even a cat could be seen rummaging through frozen bins. The kind of night alight with the echoes of the Christmas songs chimed by children all around town. The kind of night where families would dress their Christmas trees with their favourite baubles and shiny scarfs.
On those winter nights, Christmas cheer and freezing temperatures brought people together alike. In the North Pole, where Santa Sheffield lived, those nights brought the snowball fights and the marshmallow dips. In the morning, the candy canes, the sugar plums and the mallow cakes that grew in the gardens seemed to have royal icing on them. All around the town, the little elves baked with their moms, watched Christmas movies, and were delighted by the numerous activities of the holiday season. In the workshops, the elves repaired or built all the presents that would make people so happy.
But how would they know what to make, you ask me? Did they receive a list from each child in every country?
No. Not everyone sent their list to Santa. But he had a machine, a wonderful piece of Christmas technology, that had been given to him by a snow fairy. Everyone's wish was sensed like a radio transmission, and the Elves tried to ensure that it would happen. For some, the wish was a toy, for others, money to make a difference, and some only wished something to take place. Those were the most difficult presents of all. For all Santa Sheffield's powers – and distributing so many present in 24 hours was quite a feat – he could not ensure world peace, vanquish hunger or make you less lonely on the feasts. So, the elves made do, and gave something they still wished, under the direction of Chief Alfis.
He was the Director of the elves' workshop, and handled Santa's list. He was very clever and, for an elf, his size was not too tiny. While Santa was pretty, his braincells were not too sturdy and could not handle the pressure of more than the delivery. It was Alfis who made the decision, and handled the pressure. He was the Richelieu to his Louis.
It was also Alfis who handled the organisation of the Christmas feast and karaoke. Every year, he made a good Elvis impersonator. But, more importantly, he had always handled the mood of C. C. the Abominable Babcock, the ice princess with stormy thoughts who could be quite rude.
While she blew and blazed, he annoyed and teased. In response, she created blizzards, made the ice sturdy, and transformed the town into a giant Mr Freeze factory. Last year, a Nanny's intervention had given the elves respite from Babcock's attacks when she had hooked him up with the rain man.
This year, however, and this mid-December night, the ice princess was nowhere in sight. The snow had barely dusted the roofs, the ice could not hold the weight of a shoe, and you could forget about the temperatures that made the houses so cosy. It had been like this for the last few months since C. C.'s return. No one had seen her since, and she seemed to hold on her blowing winds. The news made Santa and the other elves very cheery, but it only served to make him more dour and broody.
He had to admit that he missed the sparring with the snow blowing hussy. All that cheer made him unhappy and lonely without the weather lady. Would there be no snow or blizzard anymore? Was his foe not going to change the town into a sub-zero? He realised that he had to see her now. Maybe he could fire he up, and everything would be like before. Maybe teasing her would make him less of a bore.
Making sure that no one saw him slip out, he made his way to the tower of ice and shadow, knocked three times on the door and, when it opened, made his way to the elevator. When he arrived at the top floor, no one was about. No Rain Man, No Ice Princess. He felt quite down. But Alfis decided he would simply wait for her to turn up. He sat down on an armchair, and counted the minutes.
After an hour, he was bored and had a frozen butt, so he got up, and decided to decorate C. C.'s living room. From a twig of evergreen, he grew a pine in full bloom. He put a stocking on the chimney, and holly at the windows. Knowing she loved sweets, he decorated with any bonbon he could think of: there were mallow cakes and sugar plums, candy canes and mints, shortbread and mince pies, and pralines, and he even turned on some Christmas music.
The noise woke up the Abominable Babcock from her restless sleep. She went to the living room and found Alfis making his way to her kitchen after having redecorated. Her mouth was open in shock. Was it a prank?
"A-Alfis?"
Her voice startled the elf, who nearly had a heart attack.
"Well, look what the wind dragged in!" he said with a big smile.
"What... are you doing here, Santa's little helper? What's with the decorations, and the silly smile?! Is it another one of your jokes?" the ice princess had been anxious to see him after she had returned from her trip around the world with the rain something, who had been altogether boring. She had craved the tall elf's annoying presence, had wanted to impress him with all the new weather tricks she had learnt at the Resort for her icy performance.
"I missed you, my yearly foe and annoyance. I decided that this year, since you did not want to appear out of your tower, I would bring Christmas cheer to make your mood…."
"Less dour?" she finished with a sort of smile. He nodded in rely. It was good that they could realise when the other wanted to be nice.
He chuckled and added "Indeed. But maybe the décor lacks in ice."
She laughed at that and created delicate garlands and spider webs of intricate patterns and lacy fests. Frost lightly dusted the sweets and the candy canes. Afterwards, they had a good dinner, which Alfis prepared. He teased her and she blew a freezing breeze in his face.
Feeling happier that night, Alfis slept on her sofa while she created for him the snowy winter wonderland that he had admitted to love.
After that night, Alfis and the Not-So-Abominable Babcock were inseparable, and the weather was stable and, once more, typical of the North Pole. He called her while at work, and they had picnics, and dates and snowball fights. They were friends and in love, and had fun galore. They married on Christmas Eve, and never spent any other Christmas alone or bored.