I woke to my alarm clock. Karl apparently did too and came to my 'rescue'. The 'rescue' was Karl latching onto my leg and not letting go. Today I had to work. I knew that much. Robin, I hoped had the day off. If she didn't I was sure most of my day would be trying to explain that Karl was not my boyfriend in any way, shape, or form. Then there was the thing of Karl. What was I supposed to do with him while I was working? I couldn't leave him at home. I could take him with me but after Christmas work was usually phone calls, and paper work. Maybe I could get him to staple paper. That'd work.

I quickly sewed Karl's new hat and threw his old one in the laundry pile. I'd do that once I got home for the night. I think Karl would enjoy watching laundry go around and around in the machines. I don't think he'll know how to fold the clothes, but I'd let him try…keeping him away from my underwear though.

I changed into my business clothes and I drove to work with Karl in my passenger seat. He looked excited. I'm not quite sure if he got the whole concept of working, but it was worth a shot. I had a rubik's cube in one of my desk drawers if anything else failed I'd give it to him and he could play with that.

"Let's go Karl." I grabbed him and held him like a child. I also had a few folders that I put behind him so it wouldn't look like I was holding air. Unfortunately, once I got inside the building I had to wait for the elevator to get to my floor. Who else had to be waiting for the elevator too? Robin.

"Ellie! Oh my, you're here. I thought you'd call in sick since you had Karl." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"It's not like that." I tried to explain. I can't say Karl's a dog. Maybe I could convince her I was babysitting.

"Of course not. So details! Tall? Short? Blonde? Redhead? Eye color? Cutiness? Age? Job?"

"Short, brown, hazel, he's cute, and he has no job because it was a kid I was babysitting."

"Oh…" Thank goodness she believed it. "Well I got a cousin coming into town. He's a real-estate agent and…"

"No thanks, Robin. The last date you set me up on did not end well." It was true. The guy was a nervous wreck since his wife left him. He panicked at just about everything and even when I asked if he just wanted to leave he didn't. I later found out his ex-wife had been there in the restaurant and he was trying to spy on her new boy toy. "I don't need a man to define me."

"Oh course not! But you'll need a date to the New Year's party!"

"I'm not going." Like I wanted to be around a ton of drunken co-workers? No thank you. I've been working for the company for years and I have yet to go to that stupid party. Instead I'd work that night so I could get the pay instead of losing it on drinks.

"Oh come on! You got to go! It'll be fun!"

"No."

"Loser." She muttered I could just make it out.

"You know I think I saw Tom this morning. He was with that red haired receptionist." We didn't have a receptionist with red hair.

"What! You've got to be kidding me!" She stormed off the elevator on our floor. Hopefully, that would take her until lunch to figure out there was no receptionist to fit that description.

'That's what you get when you date co-workers.' I thought. "Alright, Karl, let's get to work." I opened my office door. It had a bunch of different stuff scattered around. I had a bookshelf filled with binders with lists of toys that had failed, it also a teddy bear on the top shelf that I'd forgotten about, my desk had several stacks of papers. I'd to have them all done before I left today.

I got the rubix cube out and set Karl on the floor in the corner and gave it to him. I doubt anyone would've seen the rubix cube floating on the floor by itself. The people I worked with were so unobservant.

Megan, the secretary on our floor, came running into my office. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"That the red headed receptionist in the lobby seduced Tom and forced him to choose between her and Robin and he choose her!" Megan was all excited about the gossip of the week.

"What red headed receptionist?" I loved doing this to my co-workers. Robin wouldn't be able to trace it back to me.

"What?" She was confused.

"We have Eric, Rachel, and Kevin as receptionists. Eric is married and is a blond. Rachel has black hair and like three kids. Kevin is like 66 years old. Last I checked he had gray hair."

"Must be another building." Megan frowned. "I'll have to find out!" she rushed off to figure out who the receptionist was.

I couldn't wait to see what the rumor would be at the end of the day. Hopefully, it would be something so outrageous that it wasn't believable. I loved it when the rumors became so outrageous it hilarious to point out the little flaws. I just remembered I'd forgotten to leave a note for Jack if he showed up at my apartment again…oops.


North had covered most of the globe. In Australia, he had found Jack trying to find Bunnymund's Warren. "North!" Jack said. "Oh am I glad to see you! Ellie found one of your elves."

"Ellie?"

"Ellie Bennett, Jamie's aunt, she found an elf and is taking care of it."

"Where?" He asked. The sooner he found Karl the better. He didn't remember an Ellie Bennett being on either his naughty or nice list. He did remember her and her brother years ago they were on and off the naughty list. The two were normally on the naughty list, but always did enough good deeds to put them on the nice list.

"Um…" Jack had no clue where he was when she saw him. "I'm not sure. It was the mid-west."

"Show me." North pulled Jack into his sleigh. North threw a globe in front of his sleigh and they were on their way.


A/N: Another Cliffhanger. I'm sorry I'm so mean, but you're all so impatient I can't help myself. Don't worry the waiting will be over soon.

Guardian vote is:

Imagination 5

Joy 3

Belief 4

Faith 6

Innocence 1

Childhood 1

Vote! (not that it really means much) but it's nice to know what you think. If you give me a great argument for one maybe I'll be persuaded. As always review :) I love to hear your thoughts and feelings.