Rules of Engagement

by shittyelfwriter

(TEC:Reloaded) When a letter to Santa brings changes to every aspect of Elle Connelly's life, she faces personal challenges around every corner. Then, Bernard chooses her to become his number two, his right hand. There's something magical binding them together that neither understands...it's a lot for a new elf to handle, but can Elle learn to accept it before it's too late?

6. Chapter 6

6.

What was avoiding an ex like?

It was a strange thing for Ellington to wonder, to be sure. She was simply having breakfast in the kitchen, a half drunk something or other in front of her as she stared off into space. A cocoaccino, according to Jack. She had to admit, for all his glaring faults—like the size of his ego, the slightly grating 'flare' he always seemed to need to have and the fact that his jokes were downright corny most of the time—he was actually a decent teacher. She was learning how to control her newfound abilities, in spite of how difficult that was.

Annise and Dottie seemed to be on good terms again—which was very good, since Ellington hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time with either of them. It had been two weeks since her first "incident", and things had not settled between the sisters yet. Jack seemed to be very sympathetic, telling her that maybe she was better off on her own while she was still so volatile, but she still thought she would have liked her sisters' support—especially since she'd all but lost her other lifeline.

That's what had put her on her current train of thought. Since Jack had taken her under his wing, Bernard had dropped Ellington like a hot potato—and she didn't understand what she'd done to rub him so far the wrong way. Sure, she'd accidentally used her powers on him to change his mind. She'd done the same thing to Jack and he'd just seemed impressed. Maybe Jack was right, and Bernard did tend to get his knickers in a twist over small things. But she got the decided feeling this was something else entirely, and that it was her fault. Hence her wondering if her tiptoeing around Bernard was similar to avoiding an ex-boyfriend out of embarrassment.

She didn't get a second glance from him in the workshop. Yes, she still went to the workshop every day, to help the elves in any way she could. It honestly gave her a mental break from Jack's rigorous training, and she felt like she could actually do something properly there. It also seemed that when she (quite literally) put her mind to it, she could use her ability to influence moods in a good way. Wherever she went, she did her best to brighten the spirits of the elves—and sometimes, she even thought she could see the effect she had. Still, she was trying to be subtle, so it was impossible to be sure that she was actually making a difference.

And maybe it was better that way, because she was still very self-conscious about her telepathy. But she would have liked Bernard to have noticed. Then maybe he could have forgiven her for whatever she'd done to piss him off so thoroughly.

"Earth to Elle!" She was shaken from her thoughts by Jack's hand being waved in front of her face. She jumped back a little, blinking slowly. "What'd I tell you about spacing off, kid?"

Ellington sighed, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. "That if I let my thoughts wander I'm more likely to pick up on other people's," she repeated back and Jack nodded.

"Precisely. And since you're so very adverse to that idea…" The sprite trailed off, cocking his head at Ellington's morose expression. "Say, what's gotten you in such a funk, hmm? You haven't been yourself lately."

Ellington snorted softly, her eyebrows lifting as she turned her gaze down to her now lukewarm drink. "I have plenty of good reasons for not acting like myself," she admitted, chewing her bottom lip. She decided to shift the subject to something more troubling, since talking to Jack about Bernard was probably about the most pointless thing ever. Saying that they didn't get along was a massive understatement, and would only get her a headache in return.

"Jack, has the council come to any conclusions about how to help my dad? I know you're not supposed to talk about it," she added quickly, seeing his expression grow reluctant, "but honestly, if you could tell me anything at all, it would take a load off of my mind—which we both know I could really use."

Jack viewed her closely for a moment before looking around and leaning in a little closer. "Listen, from the meetings I've attended when I'm not with you, things aren't looking good. I know grandmot—that is, Mother Nature has reached out to Fate to see what the plan is for your father's life—and if it's possible for it to be altered in any way—but right now, they're stumped."

Ellington sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration—which would have been impossible, if it had been in its usual curly state. She'd taken to straightening it over the past week or so. "How can they be stumped?" she asked, sounding both bewildered and irritated. "You all have so much magic between the, what five or six of you? Why can't somebody just cure him?"

"Despite what you humans may think, we can't just 'magic' something better, Elle," Jack replied, trailing a finger around on the tabletop and leaving a miniscule track of frost in its wake. "There are forces at play that just can't be contested, or things fall out of whack in a major way." He paused and shuddered in mock disgust. "Ugh, I almost sounded like Bernard for a second there."

"But why Fate?" Ellington asked, still pressing for details while she had Jack engaged. "What does he do that he's the deciding factor in my father's outcome?"

"Well, what is your father's fate?" Jack said, arching an eyebrow. "The answer is in the question: he's got his fingers in everyone's pie. Fate can be a bit…how to put it? Hands off in his approach to managing his duties. Most times, with individual people he just lets things go the course. Getting him to take especial interest in your father's life takes some time and convincing—but Tara thinks he'll be replying to her messages soon."

By "Tara", Ellington gathered that Jack still meant Mother Nature—who he had also obviously let slip was his grandmother? She'd have to ask about the family dynamic sometime when her own wasn't such a mess—but then, from what Bernard had been saying, Jack's family had some drama as well. Why did her thoughts have to keep going back to Bernard? Ellington took an angry sip of her drink, her free hand clenching into a fist on the table. Everything was messy and complicated and while Jack was honestly growing on her in a way that not only covered mentorship but also bordered on friendship, it wasn't the same as it had been with Bernard. She missed him, missed following him around like a bit of a lost puppy and learning things from him. Maybe she had been a burden after all, and that was why he'd left her to Jack's watch as soon as he could. Why did she always have to make her friends dislike her in the end?

As frustrating as that endless cycle of wondering was, it was all she had at the moment. Jack seemed to notice that her mood had only worsened, and he gave the table a little attention gathering pat with his hand. "Why don't you take the morning to yourself? I think you need to take a little time to deal with your emotions before we attempt our next lesson. It won't help you any to have too much on your mind," he pointed out, and Ellington nodded.

"Thank you, Jack. I could honestly use it." She looked down at the table as Jack stood up, pushing his chair in.

"No problem, Elle. You know how to find me when you're ready to start." Jack gave a nod or two to the kitchen staff as he made his way out, weaving through the crowd with his elbows lifted as if to keep them away from the heads of the elves. Ellington couldn't help but smile at the sight until she heard a voice in her mind.

'So, he calls you Elle too now?' She jumped in her seat, turning around to find the head elf standing behind her and casually reading a progress chart as though the conversation were only secondarily important. Her face softened before she hid the expression, narrowing her eyes at his tone.

'At least he talks to me at all,' she retorted, examining the sleeve of her sweater before turning back around in her seat. She found it much easier to communicate mentally than she had at first, but with Bernard it was always exceptionally simple. She had wondered why before, but thought it better not to press the subject.

'After how hard he worked to be your mentor? He really ought to.' Bernard's slightly bitter note couldn't be missed even in thought—and if it could, the overwhelming feeling of jealousy that hit Ellington next definitely couldn't be.

'Well considering how he wasn't forced into it, I think he's pretty appreciative of my company,' she replied stiffly, unable to keep back the pang of hurt she felt at the way Bernard had been treating her. For the first time the elf glanced over at her, the remorse on his face apparent. So he did feel bad, after all. But was it because he'd been shirking his duties as her chaperone, or because he actually missed her?

Ellington didn't feel like sticking around to find out. With a tense sigh she got up from her place, taking her cup to one of the elves doing dishes nearby and thanking them. She set her hand on their shoulder, sending a wave of good emotion their way before moving to leave the kitchen—which unfortunately meant brushing right past Bernard. "Excuse me," she murmured out loud, keeping her eyes averted and on her phone as a means of seeming busy. She heard a faint sigh and the sound of shoes following after her once she was in the hall.

"Ellington…" She didn't stop or turn around, still crowd weaving her way towards R and D, where a programmer named Lewis was waiting for her to take a look at some sound cards he was producing. "Elle!" She rolled her eyes and finally turned around at almost the exact moment a hand landed on her shoulder, finding her practically nose to nose with the head elf. Brown eyes peered at her in surprise, but Ellington refused to budge.

"What." Her reply was flat and unamused. "Two weeks of the silent treatment and now you want to tell me what I did wrong? Well I hate to break it to you, but I'm busy too. Between Jack's lessons and bouncing between departments to help whichever elf needs me, and wondering if my sisters are okay because they have both been ignoring me, and your cold shoulder…" Ellington trailed off, feeling a familiar throbbing in her right temple that told her she was close to losing control of her powers. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, un-fisting her hands at her sides.

"I've got enough going on, so if you have something negative to add to the mix then please, keep it to yourself. You know, like you've been doing so well since Jack became my mentor." She turned to leave, feigning disinterest in his reply simply because of how upset she really was when she felt his hand grip around her wrist and the hallway faded from view around her.

Confused, Ellington gave a little shriek only to find it stolen from her throat. Wordlessly, she was transported somewhere else, some place she didn't recognize. An office? Still somewhere at the Pole, based on the red and gold embossed wallpapering.

'My office,' Bernard clarified mentally, and for the first time she realized he was the one who'd moved her. She turned to find him looking guilty and unsure, his hat a little more crooked than usual. She almost found it endearing in an odd way before she realized she was still mad at him and didn't want to be there.

"I said I didn't want to talk if—"

"I never said it was a negative thing I wanted to talk about," Bernard interjected, and Ellington's mouth fell shut.

"Well it must be important if you've brought me here," she pointed out, looking around the room with mild interest. "I didn't even know you had an office."

"Mostly use it for paperwork," Bernard replied with a shrug, going over to close the door. "Take a seat?" Seeing that Ellington frowned and looked as if she might just leave instead, he sighed. "Please?" he tried in a slightly more patient tone. She deliberated a long moment before moving to take a seat on the desk, instead of in one of the chairs. She didn't need to feel like she was in the principal's office by any means.

Bernard seemed a little miffed by the defiance, but wasn't in the mood to contest it.

"So why am I here?" Ellington asked once the door had been closed, which only seemed to serve to make the situation that much more serious. She looked down at the table on either side of her, taking note of the items there in an effort to not freak out and do something accidentally by losing control of her emotions. A letter opener, tape dispenser, normal desk stuff. Paperwork, stacked in two neat stacks on the far side of the desk by a lamp; some of it appeared to be sections of the naughty and nice list. No computer—apparently Bernard kept things low tech. There was also a small red velvet box, the kind that looked a lot like an engagement ring belonged inside. Ellington's stomach did a strange, upset flop. Did Bernard have a girlfriend? The idea hadn't occurred to her before, considering how married he seemed to be to his job.

Bernard seemed to hesitate and consider where to stand, which was a little amusing considering that it was his office. Ellington couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he came to stand in front of her, hands behind his back as he viewed her strangely. "I wanted to give you a proper apology," he admitted, and Ellington let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Oh?" she replied, picking the box up off the desk almost compulsively. It was like something in her mind was prodding her, egging her on to touch it, hold it in her hands. She traced her fingers over the embossed lid, giving it an experimental toss before looking up at Bernard and finding his eyes wider than dinner plates. "Sorry, I don't know what I'm doing. Is this expensive?" She cringed at how stupid and disrespectful it was to touch his stuff when he'd brought her here out of respect, and moved to set it down.

"Nononono!" Bernard dove forward to grab at the box before she could place it back on the desk, as if he needed to catch it before she broke it. He took it from her, scowling at the tiny package for a moment before shooting her a dirty look. "You can't just toss this around, it's…" His face twisted into confusion. "Wait." He held up the box in front of his face, so that it was eye level with both of them. "You can see this?"

Ellington looked confused, swinging her feet below the desk a little. "Yes, and it was dumb of me to touch it without permission. Must be special, people don't just buy rings for fun, do they? Or maybe they do, what would I know. Anyway, you were saying?" She bit at the nail polish on her thumbnail nervously, suddenly feeling very on the spot—especially since Bernard wouldn't stop staring.

Then all of a sudden his trance seemed to be broken, and he rushed forward to shove the box into her hands. "Can you open it?" He asked, seemingly equal parts anxious and hopeful.

"W-why?" Ellington asked skeptically, fumbling with the box as she tried to take it from him. "Easy, easy! Is this some sort of enchanted box or something? Like only you're supposed to be able to see it?"

"Something like that," Bernard replied, looking as though he felt a bit woozy.

"You might want to sit down," She suggested, and without much more prodding Bernard sank back into one of the chairs opposite his desk.

"Good idea."

Appeased, she turned her attention back to the box, examining it closely. "It doesn't have a lock on it. Part of the enchantment?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Bernard replied with a shrug. Ellington looked up in confusion.

"What do you mean? Isn't this a gift for something—someone?" she asked pointedly, feeling a considerable amount of satisfaction and relief when Bernard squirmed in his seat and tugged his hat further down on his head.

"No," he said, borderline sulking, and she couldn't help but smirk. That only served to make him fidget more. "I mean, it could be. I don't know! It's complicated."

"Alright, take it easy. Most ring boxes have an occasion attached, it wasn't an unreasonable question." She gave the lid an experimental tug before sighing. "Well, I can't get it open. Can you?"

"Of course not," Bernard said, jumping up out of the chair and taking the box back. "If I could, why would I be asking you to?"

"Good point." Ellington was honestly a bit baffled by the whole situation, but figured she'd brought it on herself by picking the box up in the first place. Bernard went around the desk and stuffed the box into a drawer, under some things from the sound of it. She folded her hands in lap, awkward for the first time in the conversation.

"Anyway," Bernard continued, raising his eyebrows as if still surprised at the mild detour the discussion had taken. "I brought you here because it was quiet and a good place to make a proper apology."

"An apology," Ellington repeated skeptically. "You're apologizing?"

"Is it that surprising?"

"You just don't strike me as the apologizing type."

Bernard frowned as though he was going to argue that before shaking his head, waving both hands in a dismissive way. "It doesn't matter. All I'm trying to say is—" He paused, staring for a moment before his gaze dropped to the floor and he mumbled something.

"Excuse me?" Ellington tilted her head, confused by his change in behavior. Bernard sighed and looked up, setting a hand on top of his hat.

"I'm sorry I abandoned you when Jack came into the picture," he blurted out, and Ellington was surprised by the honesty. "I felt like you were being irrational, wanting anybody to teach you instead of the best person for the job."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Bernard," Ellington reminded him, crossing her arms. "And anyway, I didn't see anyone else offering to teach me, did you?" Bernard sighed and looked away, and Ellington laughed out loud. "Wait wait, I get it. You wanted to teach me?"

"Why is that so ridiculous?" He asked, his voice going slightly high in irritation. "We both know that we have a mental connection already, and I'm more than qualified to teach you. It was the obvious choice, but Jack got everyone so caught up in his idea that—"

"Bernard," Ellington interrupted, still half laughing. "No offense, but you're already busy as hell. Asking you to make twice as much time for me in your already busy schedule is insane."

"It could've worked," Bernard defended, mimicking her crossed arms without thinking. "And it would have been better than hardly seeing you at all, which is what we've got now."

Ellington couldn't help but smile, giving him a knowing look. 'What, do you miss me?'

'Well…yeah,' Bernard admitted, and Ellington couldn't even repress the happiness that she felt at that. He smiled suddenly, and she knew that she must've accidentally sent the feeling to him as well. She was still working out how to keep her emotions to herself, so it wasn't too out of line; but it still embarrassed her a bit. 'I mean, at the risk of sounding clingy, I'd kind of gotten used to having someone tag along with me, you know? Curtis used to be the number two elf, and I used to have someone as a sort of sidekick on the rounds—even if it was Curtis. And since you got here, well…it was actually enjoyable.'

'To be completely honest, I um...I miss you too,' Ellington replied, glancing shyly down at the floor. 'I mean, sure, I'm learning a hell of a lot from Jack about how to manage my telepathic skills, but besides that? He's always talking about himself, and he looks down his nose at everyone here. I miss going places with you, even if it was only to run simple errands or rounds.' She looked up ruefully, a sideways smile on her lips. 'I suppose that sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't it?'

Bernard chuckled, breaking the silence in the room and reminding Ellington of how strange it was to be having a silent conversation like this. 'No more than I was,' he replied, and she immediately felt less self-conscious. She'd forgotten how he put her at ease, and with all of the stressful things going on in her life, she'd grown to miss that terribly. "So can we stop being mad at each other now?"

Ellington laughed. "You were mad at me too, huh?"

"Well, I mean. It's possible that in my irritation, I felt like you picked Jack over me." Bernard stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and shrugged, looking away carelessly, but there was a slight smirk on his lips.

Ellington couldn't help but snort in amusement. "As if. Jack's a decent guy from what I've seen, but his personality is a little too large for my liking. Puts me on edge."

"All understatements, in my opinion." Bernard looked at her sideways for a moment, then moved forward to rifle through a stack of paperwork. "I'm glad I brought you here though, because there's something else that I wanted to show you." He came to a section of paper with green and white striped edges, pulling out a few sheets and double checking them. "Hop up," he ordered, and immediately Ellington slipped off the table to stand beside him.

They appeared to be a series of graphs, charting something in weeklong periods. "What am I looking at?" she asked, biting at the inside of her lip thoughtfully. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for.

"Elf morale records. How high the Christmas cheer was in the workshop on any particular week," Bernard clarified, one finger tracing the line on the chart. "In this case, the week before you arrived"—he pointed at the first chart— "the week after"—the second chart— "and the two weeks since you've been working with Jack. See anything notable?"

Ellington frowned, looking up at him in confusion. Bernard pursed his lips and redirected her gaze back to the table. "Look, Elle."

She did, and it was easy to find what he was talking about. The week after she'd arrived the morale had had a major spike, but after she'd developed her powers—after she'd taken to helping the elves hands on and using her telepathy to improve optimism where she could—it skyrocketed. Her expression shifted to amazement, and she looked up again to find the head elf looking practically triumphant.

"And you thought you weren't doing anything helpful up here," he said, half reproachfully as he nudged her. Ellington ducked her head, smiling softly.

"I didn't think anyone would notice," she admitted. "Heck, I wasn't even sure I was doing anything, after all. These abilities of mine are pretty sporadic right now, and half the time I can't get them to work properly even with what Jack's taught me. In fact, I think one of the only times I really can is when I'm talking to you." She looked down at the papers in his hands one last time, a look of uncertainty crossing her face. "Are you sure that isn't just coincidence?"

"To be completely straight, the only time we've seen such a dramatic and obvious lift in spirits was when Scott finally moved North for good," Bernard replied, setting them back on the stack and turning to lean against the desk. "It's pretty clear that it isn't just a freak occurrence, especially since the only thing that's changed is, well, you."

Ellington nodded, actually feeling a bit grateful for her abilities for the first time since she'd gotten them.

"That brings me to the third reason I brought you here," the head elf went on, and Ellington looked over in surprise.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Bernard's tone was light, but something in the way he crossed his arms made her think that this was the most serious part yet. "I was just wondering what your plans were, you know. When this is all over, when we sort everything with your father out."

Ellington was surprised by his confidence that things would work out, which wasn't something she could say she shared. "If," she corrected, running a hand through her hair. "And I don't really know. I guess I'll just be happy to see my family in one piece again. Spend as much time with them as I can."

"Of course. And…after that?" She didn't understand why he seemed to be so hesitant to come out and say whatever he was getting at, but she decided to indulge him.

"After that, go back to figuring out what college I'm going to. That's what I was doing before all of this happened, anyway. Feels like a hundred years ago by now." She stared at the door, thinking about how strange it would be to settle into the life of an ordinary college student after all she'd seen recently. The real world felt so far away from the Pole. "At least, so long as I'm able to control my abilities so that I'm safe to be around non magical people. But I suppose if Professor X can do it, then so can I."

"X-men?" Ellington nodded, and Bernard repeated the gesture thoughtfully.

"It'll be weird though, after all I've seen up here over the past few weeks. Going back to the ordinary, non-magical world is gonna be…strange. Disappointing, probably. This place has really started to grow on me, you know? With how nice everyone is, and the climate is great—I mean, Winter has always been my favorite season—and being able to actually help with something, in a way that doesn't leave me feeling like an addendum at the end of the day…" Ellington trailed off, realizing how pitiful that sounded. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, it'll take me a little while to get back in the swing of things, but hopefully I'll figure out some sort of a plan."

Bernard turned to look at her, a curious expression on his face as if he were very invested in her answer. "What if you didn't have to?"

A bit taken aback, Ellington drew her head back in confusion. "What do you mean?"

To her surprise, Bernard seemed completely serious. "You're good at what you do here, Elle," he told her, gaze open and earnest. "Helping the elves, keeping spirits bright—you're exactly the kind of person we could use."

"You—" Ellington faltered, trying to process what she thought he was getting at. "You're not suggesting I stay here," she said with wide eyes.

"You'd make an amazing elf," Bernard said with a slight shrug, and Ellington looked away, flabbergasted.

"Funny, Jack's said the same thing to me several times over." She rolled her eyes. "Or something to that effect, once you remove the sarcasm." Still, she was shocked at what Bernard was suggesting. "So you're saying I should come back here, to work for you?"

"Work for Santa, technically," Bernard corrected. "And becoming an elf, at that. It's not really a permitted thing to have humans on the payroll and all. But we'd work together, if you're interested. I'd like to offer you the position of elf number two."

Ellington stared openly at him. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" He had a point, he did seem completely earnest about it.

"Well, I'm not stupid," Ellington went on, feeling her pulse speed up a bit at all the excitement. "Isn't being the number two elf a big deal around here? Or did you just make it up to give me something to do," she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him.

Bernard laughed, and Ellington felt her heart do a funny little skip. "Nah, we've had a number two elf before. I promise!" He added, seeing her eyes narrow further. "Remember, I told you earlier: Curtis was our last, but he had one too many mistakes and eventually ended up turning in the title for something more up his alley."

"Mistakes?"

"He made a toy replica Santa to stand in for Scott while he went to visit Charlie. The thing went mental and decided the whole world deserved coal for Christmas—almost cost us the day."

"Yikes."

"With a capitol Y. And then there was the time when I left him in charge for a while and he inadvertently gave Jack the keys to destroying Christmas as we know it."

"Jack tried to destroy Christmas?" Ellington raised an eyebrow. "I knew he was keeping something from me."

"I doubt it's something he likes to remember often." Bernard almost brought up another, bigger incident Jack had caused, but decided that it wasn't quite the right time. "Bottom line is, he gave up one of the biggest secrets relevant to Santa and Jack stole the coat from Scott. It was an ugly mess that eventually got sorted out, and when it was all over, I came back and took on my duties as head elf again. Curtis for his part narrowly avoided being fired by being sent back to R and D."

"Kinda sounds like management isn't really his thing," Ellington murmured, and Bernard hummed in agreement. "Maybe he's got a face no one listens to?"

"Something like that." Bernard looked over to find Ellington fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket, her eyes on the floor. "But I think you do."

"You sure about that? Not about my face, but about the management thing," she clarified.

"In the time you've been here, I've seen the elves in better spirits than I have in years. I've seen how you help them, how they listen to you and how natural the interaction is. Not to mention, I actually enjoy being around you, which isn't something I can say for a lot of people." He gave her a little nudge again, and she looked up with a slight flush on her cheeks. "I honestly think you're the most qualified person for the position that I've seen in years—even in spite of you being human. If I didn't, I wouldn't be offering it to you. It's not the kind of job I can offer someone offhandedly."

Ellington watched him for a moment, sending a slight mental probe in his to see if his feelings were as forthright as it seemed. From what she could tell with her budding mental abilities, he seemed to be telling the truth—which was more shocking than if it had all been a joke, really. "You sure you want to offer it at all? Now's your chance for takebacks, and I won't get mad," she offered, still entirely skeptical of what he was saying she was capable of. She could hardly manage her own thoughts, and he believed she could help him manage the entire workshop? Doubtful didn't begin to cover how she felt about that.

"Look," Bernard said, moving to stand in front of her. "I'm not really one for admitting I want help. But from you, I actually do, and I mean that. Truly." He seemed to really want her to say yes, which was surprising. In a matter of minutes they'd gone from not talking back to friends and then to plans for the future, and Ellington had a bit of a case of whiplash.

"I…" She tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound like she was ungrateful or uninterested (because neither were true), but she didn't know how to let him down gently. "This isn't a decision I can really take lightly," she admitted, scratching her ear nervously.

"Of course not," Bernard conceded, taking a step back and giving a slight sigh of relief. "I was only hoping you'd consider it. I know it's a massive leap of faith for you, and I wouldn't expect you to just say yes," he said with a slightly embarrassed laugh, and Ellington could immediately tell he really had hoped that, but then had realized post haste how foolish that idea was. "That would be crazy!"

"I really will consider it, Bernard," she said seriously, not letting him make too light of the situation. "It was a very kind thing of you to offer, and while I can't say I was expecting it…I'm honored." She offered him a smile, still processing what a turn her afternoon had taken.

"What can I say? I'd hate to see you go," Bernard said, and his words were just a little bit more gentle and fond then Ellington would have expected from him. They both had a moment where they just smiled at each other like they had some sort of secret, but what, neither of them knew. The silence was broken when Ellington's phone buzzed against her hip in her jacket pocket, and she blinked and looked away with a blush and a frown.

"It's Jack, he's wondering where I am," Ellington explained with a slight groan. She didn't even have to check her phone to know. "Every time he turns his thoughts my way it's like someone left the freezer door open on my brain." She rubbed at her temple and forced a smile.

"You had better get going, I've kept you long enough," the head elf said, moving out her way and going to open the study door. He felt a bit flustered and fidgety, though if you'd asked him he couldn't have told why.

"Nonsense, this was important," Ellington replied with absolute conviction. She shoved her hands in her pockets and went out into the hall, trying to orient herself with where in the workshop she was. If she wasn't mistaken, she was somewhere on the second floor near Santa's suites. She still recognized the stretch of wallpaper from her trip to see the council weeks before. She turned to give Bernard a wink before heading off in the direction of the doors to the courtyard. "Don't be a stranger!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Bernard called back, smiling in spite of himself. Besides the beginning, things had gone better than he expected. A frown formed on his face once she was out of sight. The beginning. That reminded him: he needed to try and figure out why Ellington was the only other person who could see that ring box, and he thought he knew just the person to ask.

---

Disclaimers:
I am not Disney or Disney affiliated and therefore do not own any rights or credits to any characters, concepts or places portrayed in or from "The Santa Clause 1, 2, or 3". The only thing I own is my own creative work and original content and characters, including the Connelly family, the Emissary Clause and Elle herself.

Many characters and concepts are borrowed/used shamelessly from the works and headcanons of SafyreSky, all rights and credit go to her for coming up with such incredible ideas. These include but are not limited to the Legate concept, Jacqueline Frost and the portrayal of many other non-canon/canon characters.