Eclair stretched out in the booth her and Bernard were sitting in. He had to admit their meeting was very productive. Even though he was still sure that Curtis had purposely not come tonight he wasn't complaining. Unlike most elves Eclair was able to work, eat , drink and make it fun all at the same time. They were able to create the entire dessert menu (with things Bernard actually liked) and possible dishes and drinks that would go well with her sweets. He could see she was a very hard worker, every time he made a mention or suggestion about something her attention would be all on him and she would even jot down notes or say something under her breath. He would find himself sometimes distracted by those lips.

Anytime she would say something he couldn't hear, if she chewed on her bottom lip, specially when she smiled at him. When she raised her arms above her head and gave a small groan of her muscles stretching, it was like magic to him.

"Bernard, I wish I could work with you on events all the time, you are the easiest person I've ever worked with," she said taking the last bite of her meatloaf. Bernard felt his chest swell with pride and he smiled at her across the table.

"Really, I thought chefs and other bakers were easy to work with since you're in the same job description," he said. Eclair shook her big hair and leaned forward on her elbows that she had sat on the table.

"Oh no because everyone thinks they're an artist or whatever," she said.

"And what are you," he asked smirking at her. She smirked back at him and bite her bottom lip.

"I'm a baker Bernard, some may call my family and I artist or baking masterminds and genius's but we just call ourselves by our honorable names, bakers".

"Is that why you wanted to become Head Baking Elf"?

"Oh no, honestly I wanted the job to prove to myself that I could do it, my family of course has been baking for the North Pole for centuries but none of them were ever head bakers". Eclair leaned even closer to Bernard and kept the excited look on her face. "What about you, why did you become Head Elf"? Bernard was actually stunned for a moment. No one had ever asked him why he had became Head Elf, everyone just assumed he wanted to job. Who wouldn't want his job, being Santa's right hand elf had a lot of perks to it. The best cottage (besides Santa's of course), the best vacation time, you got to meet some of the most amazing and powerful people that humans thought were just fictional if his job sometimes left him wanting to pull his hair out and left him stressed he loved it.

"I honestly don't remember anymore, I've been doing it for so long I don't even remember putting in for the position". Bernard fiddled with his cup and swirled the remaining juice around inside. "Most of the time the job isn't that great, everyone depends and falls on you for answers, any one mistake can lead to catastrophe…...but I still love my job".

"Well I know I am not the only one who thinks you're doing a great job, I mean Curtis pretty much idolizes you," Eclair said. Bernard's mouth hung pen for a moment and looked at her shocked.

"Really"? Eclair laughed.

"Of course, he's always talking about how smart and calculating you are, he wants to be Head Elf like you one day".

"Wow I honestly thought he was just being annoying….oh I'm sorry I didn't mean-"!

"It's completely alright Bernard, I've known little I know he can be a little pest sometimes who over analyzes everything and trust me when I say he's gotten us into plenty of trouble but he's a good friend".

"He's lucky to have a friend like you". Eclair felt another blush come on and she tapped her open palms against the table.

"Now for all our hard work I think we deserve a little treat," Eclair reached out to an elf who was waiting tables and tapped her as she almost passed by. "Hi I was wondering if we could get two Spirits of Christmas Past please, full size"?

The elf got a huge smile on her face and looked at Eclair and Bernard's face in excitement. She shook her head fast and ran to the kitchen. When the waitress left Bernard reached over and tapped Eclair on her hand.

"Did you just ask her to bring us The Spirit of Christmas Past," he asked. He nodded happily. "Like the actually spirit because I don't think I want to look back when I was in diapers".

"Oh no, you see The Spirit of Christmas Past is a drink they serve here, it's eggnog mixed with some white chocolate and kiss of peppermint schnapps and around the rim of the glass is covered in marshmallow cream and peppermint candies," Eclair said. Her explanation was so good that she got the attention of other elves and they were literally leaning out of their seats to listen to her description. Bernard got nervous and waved his hands in front of him.

"I don't think I should drink, I have work tomorrow ," he said. All the elves around them laughed at his reason and he turned his head all around and back to Eclair who was caught in a fit of giggles herself.

"Bernard, we all have work tomorrow and the drink is called that because it's brings you back to your childhood, it won't get you drunk I promise," Eclair said. It didn't seem like Bernard was going to get much of a choice though. "Besides it's like my great-grandma always said, 'you should always have a drink when you bake' and she loved to incorporate a drink into all her treats". The waitress had came back and with a fellow waiter who cleared their table from all the bowls and glasses and silverware. As soon as that was cleared the waitress put down two large steins and Bernard had to admit Eclair's description was pretty spot on.

"So your great-grandma liked to make alcohol infused desserts," he said nervously as he looked at the steins. Eclair smiled at the stein in front of her and rubbed a finger against the designs as she looked over at Bernard.

"No, my great grandmother just like to have a drink before, during and after she made something," Eclair said with a laugh in her voice. The two stien's that were made of glass, they had beautiful snowflake designs that seemed to be moving and falling from an unknown sky on the stein. Inside they had the eggnog that she had spoke of and he could see the white chocolate floating in and out of the eggnog. Bernard looked at the top of the glass and saw the marshmallow cream and peppermint bits with a touch of blue sugar dust.

It took Bernard being surrounded by the rest of the elves in the Red Sleigh to even realize that the drink was still in front of him. He watched as Eclair's cup started to rise from the table and he and the others watched Eclair lift up her stein with a big smile on her face as she looked at the contents inside that was coming closer and closer to her lips. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she started to gulp the drink down. Bernard looked back at his drink and in the corner of his eyes he could see a few elves staring at him anticipation, waiting to see if he would follow in Eclair's example. Bernard straightened himself in his chair and took the handle of the stein with a hard grip and lifted it with all his strength and tilted it to his lips.

The first thing he tasted was the peppermint and then the eggnog as it swirled around the white chocolate. He could feel popping in his mouth and he could see gold sparks behind his eyes. Bernard, like Eclair drank his drink until it was completely empty and he couldn't even help himself. He didn't even know when the elves around them started clapping and cheering as the two finished their drinks. When Bernard opened his eyes he saw Eclair with blue sparks flowing around her head and watched as her head followed them as the spinned around her head. Suddenly he to was surrounded by blue sparks that spinned around his head and he smiled and laughed as he watched them and looked back at Eclair. He couldn't stop himself from laughing he felt like he was a little kid again, with no worries, no work, a time where all he had to worry about was which action figure he didn't have.

"See I told you it wouldn't be bad and look you even drank the entire thing in one sitting," Eclair said. Bernard laughed again and shook his head.

"I think I'm having a little too much fun with you Eclair," he said. He took out his pocket watch and was surprised to see that it said it was ten o'clock. When did it get so late, had they really been there for four hours. "Wow, I can't believe how late it is, I should be getting you home".

Eclair leaned forward on the table, making her hair brush against Bernard's forehead and gasped when she looked at the time.

"Oh my, I think you're right, I was planning on starting work at six," she said reaching for his coat and gloves.

"So was I," Bernard said smirking as he reached for his coat as well.

"You don't have to walk me though Bernard, I know you must have some important things to do in the morning," Eclair said walking towards the door and stopping to look back at Bernard. He shook his head and stood besides her as he fixed the collar of his coat.

"I can't just let you go home in the middle of the night by yourself, what kind of gentlemen would I be," he asked. They were about to walk to the exist when an old and fluffy elf man walked in front of them and gave them a big smile.

"Now you two big time elves should know the rules by now," he said in a Scottish accent. Both Bernard and Eclair looked the old elf and them at each other in confusion. What was he talking about, they both thought to themselves. They finally understood when the old timer smiled again and pointed to the doorway above them. Mistletoe, Bernard thought to himself, the one tradition that no elf could get out of. They both looked up slowly at the door way and they both jumped, making themselves even closer than before. Bernard gulped as he look down at Eclair who was looking up at him. As much as he wanted to he couldn't kiss Eclair, this was the first time they had spoken more than a few sentences to each other. It was the first and only day he had the courage to even spend time with her and that was only due to Curtis's manipulation of the situation.

Bernard felt like he was going to panic, this is why he stayed away from mistletoe it was evil a evil little plant. On one side he would finally get to feel those soft lips against his like he had been dreaming for the last hundred years but on the other hand it wouldn't be something that she would exactly want….unless she did want this. Oh this was just too much for Bernard, he could handle having to break out Santa from jail, having to teach the new Santa how to be Santa but kissing a girl under the mistletoe and he was as shaky at a Christmas jello. Bernard was starting to contemplate the idea of running until he tasted cinnamon against his lips. That sweet, fiery burst of cinnamon that you tasted in a gingersnap and he felt the warmth behind it as it pressed softly against him. He didn't even realize that in the middle of his inner panic attack he had closed his eyes. When he opened them he saw Eclair, sweet Eclair with her coppery red hair with her sweet lips pressed against his.

By the time his body had figured out that he wanted to kiss her back she pulled back and ran out the door. Bernard stood there for a few seconds before nodding to the old elf who slapped him hard on his shoulder as Bernard ran out behind Eclair. She wasn't too far ahead when he reached he, he could still see the blush on her cheeks as he made hi was next to her. She looked over at him in corner of her eye but she quickly looked ahead of her when she realized he was looking back at her. He wasn't really sure what to say, thank you maybe, why, can it happen again?

Before he knew it they were what he assumed was her house. She stayed quiet as she twisted the fingers of her gloves out of anxiousness. He tried to think of a way to maybe help ease the tension but it always ended up being awkward in his mind. Maybe he should just walk away, but then she would think he was rejecting her. She hadn't even confessed anything though so their was no real rejection, should he confess maybe?

"I'm sorry for back at the sleigh Bernard, I don't know what came over me, I should've just yelled out 'I smell gingerbread burning' but you know…." Eclair looked up from fiddling with her fingers and looked Bernard from the top of his head to the boots on his feet and tried to hide the smile that was coming on her face. "I've always thought you cute you know but I was always too shy to approach you, even after I became Head Baker".

Was this really happening right now, Bernard thought to himself as he listened to Eclair suddenly pouring out her feelings for him.

"I mean you're just so cool and you're such an inspiration to everyone...agh what am I doing, I'm sorry to keep you Bernard just forget everything I said and I'll see you back at the Workshop tomorrow," she said opening her door in a hurry. Without even thinking Bernard stepped forward and grabbed Eclair by her wrist. He spun he into her chest and as soon as their noses brushed against each other Bernard closed his eyes and took a leap of faith as he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against hers. He felt her give out a small gasp but she quickly collected herself and pressed back against his lips.

There they were, letting the snow fall down on them as they kept each other warm in their own embrace. Bernard moved back slowly from Eclair and watched her slowly open her eyes and blink at him, like to make sure he was real.

"Um...Eclair I was thinking…..maybe we could walk to work together tomorrow, I could pick you up around 5:30 maybe," he said out of nowhere. Smooth, he thought to himself but Eclair just smiled and nodded her head fast up and down, so fast that he thought he hair tie was going to come out.

"Sure, sure that sounds great….I could make us some hot chocolate for the journey," she said shyly. Bernard nodded just as quickly as she did at him, not knowing what to say. They both looked down at their now interlocked hands and then back at each other. Eclair this time closed her eyes and pressed a quick peck against Bernards before letting go of his hands. A big goofy smile appeared on his face and he touched his lips as he watched her go in and stand in her opened door. "I'll see you tomorrow"?

"Yes, of course...I'll see you in the morning," he said before turning around. He stopped mid walk and looked back at Eclairs door and was happy to see it was still open with her standing there and looking at him. Bernard ran back to her and pulled her close to him and gave her a hard kiss on the lips. Bernard felt the corners of her lips rise as she giggled and pressed back just as hard against him, holding onto the collar of his coat to bring him closer to her. After a few minutes they finally parted, trying to catch their breath and Bernard gently pushing her into the door.

"I better go before you get a cold….I'll see you in the morning," he said. Eclair nodded her head and gave him a small wave before she closed her door. Bernard turned away from the door and sighed as a big smile rested on his face. There was a pep in his step as he walked down and he looked around him to make sure no one was watching as he leaped in the air and gave a silent cheer. He didn't see a certain elf though who had been waiting for Eclair to come home safely. Curtis smiled over the steam of his chocolate and gave a thumbs up.

"Good work sir, I was starting to think I would have to call in a missing elf report," he said as he sat down in his chair and opened back to the chapter he had ended on. "Things are definitely more interesting around the shop now".

The End