AN: Hello everyone, I apologize for the formatting of the chapter, the site wouldn't let me put the version I had in Word. I'm working on the next chapter now and am hoping to have it out to you soon.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Happy reading!

Chapter Seven: Minute after Midnight

"I come here with no expectations, only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is and always will be...yours." ― Jane Austen

As Bernard promised, he stayed with us until the 29th of December. He spent his days with Allie and his nights and early mornings with me. The more time I spent with him the harder I knew it was to let him go. I spent the entire day working, hoping that I would finish before he had to leave. Unfortunately, he had to go before I really could get much time with him.

"Hey Tanya." I greeted as she came over to my department, "What's up?"

Tanya and I had been working together for years, she had been one of the only friends I had that was remotely around the age I was pretending to be. I would cover for her whenever she had a date. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had one tonight, it was New Year's Eve.

"Thought I'd clean up your section for you, so you could leave early." Tanya responded, "There's a cute guy outside, said he was your husband."

"Bernard?" I questioned surprised. He wasn't supposed to be back until mid to late January at the earliest. I mean if he had come to visit earlier than he thought, I would be stoked since I didn't really get to see him while he was here. That wouldn't make his visit any less surprising though.

"When did you get married?" She asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We eloped a couple of weeks ago." I answered, "It was kind of sudden."

"Uh yeah!" Tanya retorted, "I'd say it's a bit sudden! What are you, pregnant?"

My face reddened at the thought. I had never even kissed Bernard, let alone slept with him. Not that I would be opposed to the idea of either.

"No, I'm not pregnant." I rebuffed, "We really haven't had much time to be together."

"Well, here's your chance." She smiled, before looking me up and down, "But not in that."

"What do you mean not in this?" I asked, looking down at my uniform.

Tanya pulled a dress off the rack, her smile only growing. It was a burgundy scoop neck sweater dress that I had my on since it came to the store. She also grabbed a pair of cream sweater tights and brown knee high boots with brass buckles on the sides and flannel on the inside of the shoes.

"What are you doing?"

"Buying these for you." She responded, "You think I'm going to let you go out there looking like that?"

"I did, yeah."

"Consider them a belated wedding gift." She told me as she rung them up and paid for them. She then took off all the tags and gave them to me, "Now, go get changed so I can do your make-up."

"Make-up? Why?" I asked as she started to nudge me towards the fitting rooms, "It's just Bernard."

"That's not a good way to start off a marriage." Tanya replied plainly.

"We've known each other forever." I told her, "He's seen me in much worse than a uniform."

"Well, now he'll see you looking your best and'll fall all over you."

Tanya pushed me into the fitting room and closed the door behind me.

"Don't take too long," She added, "I'd like to close up before midnight."

Shaking my head, I decided to just change. The quicker I could get through whatever Tanya wanted, the faster I could see Bernard. After I changed into the outfit, I looked into the mirror. It reminded me a little of the way I used to dress when I lived in the Pole. It had been more modern than the styles I used to wear, but it still retained the feeling. I let my hair out of the French braid that it had been kept in all day and ran my fingers through my hair to separate it out, which turned my straight, fine hair into a volumized mass of waves and curls.

"Hey Tanya, there's a white knitted hat and a gray peacoat-" I started to ask as I walked out of the dressing room, but she interrupted before I could.

"Ringing them up now." She told me, "Already thought of that, you can pay for them when you're ready."

"I can pay for them now, I'm all set." I responded, digging my wallet out of my bag. I paid for the peacoat and hat and then put my wallet back into my bag along with the gray beanie I had worn here. "What am I going to do with my other jacket?"

"You're going to let me borrow it because I forgot mine." Tanya answered putting it on, "Now let me do your makeup so you can go already, the poor guy's probably freezing."

"I doubt it." I responded, "It's much colder where he grew up."

"Where's he from?"

"Canada." I responded quickly. Tanya nodded in acceptance of the lie and then went to go get what she needed. "Nothing too ridiculous." I called after her.

"You'll take what I bring you!" She called back. Tanya had never been one to argue with, everything was always her way. There never was and never will be a highway option. I never minded it though, her choices were usually fantastic.

When Tanya came back, she had a small basket full of testers in her hands. Did I really need all of that? I didn't think I looked too bad when I saw my reflection.

"Do I really need all that?" I asked her with a tilt of my head.

"No, most of it is trying to figure out your color palette." She responded, "I have one I want to go with, but it's always good to have multiple options."

"How about we just go with the one so Bernard doesn't have to keep waiting?" I suggested. While Bernard didn't mind the cold, he did mind waiting. He had never been the most patient elf in the world. He tried, but it had always been very difficult for him. I highly doubt he could have changed a personality trait like that, that he's had for over a millennia, over the course of a couple of centuries. After a few moments, Tanya agreed and shuffled through the basket to find the exact testers she wanted. As she slowly applied the cosmetics, I couldn't help but remember why I had taken a break from it in the first place. Every few decades I didn't bother buying them. I used them all throughout the Victorian Era and Edwardian Era, the twenties, during and right after World War II, and this past decade. The nineties didn't seem like an important decade to fiddle with makeup so far.

When Tanya finished, I quickly thanked her as I hopped out of the chair I had been sitting in. Hastily, I put on the peacoat and hat, and then I headed out the door. Bernard had been standing right outside the door, looking much more human than when I had last seen him. Instead of his corduroy pants and an ornate Christmas sweater, he was in jeans, a button down lavender and black striped shirt, and black blazer. It was a look that would take a little getting used to, but it wasn't unwelcomed.

"You look handsome." I complimented. He looked back at me with a small smile forming on his face, "Sorry, I took so long."

I wasn't going to ask him why he was here, it didn't matter. He was here and he came to see me. There was no reason to ask why. If I were to ask how, the answer would most likely have something to do with Quentin, new tech, and magic.

"You're worth the wait." He shrugged, "Always have been."

"Any plans for the night?" I asked, slipping my hand into his.

"I was actually about to ask you that." Bernard responded, "Do you want to have dinner?"

"There isn't anything open close by." I hesitantly pointed out.

"I've already thought of that." He took my bag out my hands with his free hand and slung it over his shoulder, "Alessandra's spending New Years with Charlie, so it'll just be us and I was thinking of making you dinner."

This suggestion was rare and always welcomed. Bernard's mother was a kitchen elf, who had spent many years developing and perfecting recipes used in the Pole. By the time Bernard was 600 years old, she had been made head of the department and had started teaching Bernard all of her recipes. His brother, David, had never been interested in learning how to cook, taking more of an interest in their father's profession and going into E.L.F.S. training, so their mother focused all of her attention on Bernard. It broke her heart when he had been placed into a different department. There hadn't been an opening in the kitchens when it came time for Bernard to start working. In the centuries I knew him, he had only cooked for me a handful of times. Every single time, it had been for New Year's. Every New Year's Eve that we managed to find ourselves together, we would sneak into the kitchens and he would cook the most amazing meals I had ever tasted. Right before I had left the Pole, it had started to become our yearly tradition.

"You have no idea how much I'd love that."

Allie's POV

"How did you know your way around the workshop?" Charlie asked me curiously. Neither of us had been able to sleep, so instead we stayed up and talked. We had nowhere to go tomorrow and no one was up to catch us.

I debated for a moment whether I was going to be completely honest with him. There was so much I wanted to tell him and a lot that I just couldn't. So, I kept it as simple as possible.

"My dad was a Santa Claus." I stated, his eyes widened and his jaw started to slowly drop. "Since my mom was an elf, we got to live in the pole. It was our home, we ended up here by accident years ago."

"Will I get to live at the North Pole?" Charlie asked.

"That's up to your parents, but maybe they'll let you stay for a while." I answered, "You should be able to see your dad. I didn't know too many Claus kids before I came here, so I can't really say what happens on that end. Sasha knew plenty though, she kept an eye on a lot of them. She worked in the Naughty and Nice department."

"Do you think they'd let me work there?"

"Maybe." I smiled at his unwavering curiosity, he was so excited for his dad to be Santa Claus. It was an excitement I hadn't seen too often on any of the kids of legendary figures growing up. None of the Easter bunnies wanted the egg basket. It took forever and a day to eventually taken on the role of Father Time, which was a problem since his sons seemed to live too much in the present. The only two who I've seen to take their father's place because they wanted it were the Miser cousins: Jack Frost and Aiden Blaze.

Jack and Aiden were the youngest sons of 'Snow Miser' and 'Heat Miser'. While their names aren't similar to the names given to them in the Rankin Bass short film, it is what they are most well known as. Most humans have only heard of Jack and those who have seen the Rankin Bass film remember the two brothers who control the weather. No one has ever heard of Aiden, but it's supposed to be that way. Jack, due to his narcissism, always pushed to be the center of attention in every room he walked into even if it was at the expense of others who had been more deserving. For centuries, he pushed to be a main player in the Christmas season. While he hadn't quite had the gull yet to upstage Santa, he did draw enough attention to himself to be put on the Legendary Council, which was a first for a season herald. The other three have never seen and will never see that luxury. There's a herald for every season:

Jack Frost: Winter. He brings in the season and is supposed to help with the winter holidays, having the most to do at Christmas, and control the winter weather in the areas that need it. If it's freezing outside and there's ice and snow everywhere blame him.

Isla: Spring. She keeps the peace between Jack and Aiden while helping with Easter. She's not as important as Jack or Aiden, she has the ability to tamper down Jack's, so that Aiden can eventually go do his job.

Aiden Blaze: Summer. He brings in the season and controls the warmer weather throughout the year. He never assists with a holiday unless he has to intervene against Jack and thaw him out.

Orla: Autumn. She keeps the peace between Aiden and Jack while helping with Halloween. Like Isla, she's not as important as Jack or Aiden. She has the ability to tamper down Aiden's powers, so that Jack can come in and take over.

Two out of the four heralds are some of the kindest souls you'll ever meet, while the other two are the most challenging. Jack was difficult no matter what situation and Orla only was pleasant to be around for Jack, not that he enjoyed her company. I've only ever known him to be fond of one person and that was Heidi.

"When my dad leaves for the North Pole, do you and Sasha have to go to?" Charlie asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Maybe." I answered. There wasn't a plausible way for us to stay, we didn't age like humans did. We'd have to be human to stay, and even if I wanted to, it'd be unfair to Sasha to stay. I wouldn't make Sasha stay behind, she's been wanting to go home for so long. That's the thing about being an elf, even if your only half. Once you've found your one, you don't fall in love with anyone else.

"I don't want you to go." He responded.

"Neither do I."

Sasha's POV

"Are you sure you can't come back earlier?" Bernard asked as we started to clear the dishes, "The elves have missed you..."

I melancholily listened as he continued to persuade me to come back or at least visit the Pole while Scott (whom he only referred to as Santa) was going through his transformation. And while he fumbled around the words, I knew the meaning behind them. It was the same little verbal dance we used to do centuries ago, a dance I intended to change. We've been apart for too many years - 394 if want to be exact, but who's counting. That's only 143,810 days where I have regretted not getting out of that sleigh or going back for my locket later. One hundred forty-three thousand eight hundred ten days, I missed being with Bernard and regretted not telling him how I felt sooner. Where I missed out on the possibility to start new life with him. I'm lucky I got this second chance to be with him and I wasn't going to screw it up this time, not when I knew he felt the same way. I couldn't go back to the Pole so soon though, it wouldn't be fair to Allie.

"I've missed you too," I responded, pulling at his hand gently to turn him to face me, "but I can't. I have Allie and she loves it here, I don't want to pull her away before I have to. And when Scott accepts the truth, he's might need help getting everything done. The earliest I can comeback is Thanksgiving."

Bernard sighed and looked down, knowing that was the answer he was going to receive. I lifted his chin, so he would look back up at me, "If it were just me, I would leave with you now. I wouldn't have even left the Pole."

As Auld Lang Syne started to play on the radio, I leaned in and kissed him softly. As I started to pull away, he pulled me back to him.