I do not own the Santa Clause movies but I would love to own the reindeer...
I am redoing this story, same idea but not rushing this. I need to avoid posting random things when high on sugar.
This takes place after The Escape Clause...
Chapter Seven
Frosted Tidings
xxx December 12th, 2012
North Pole
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Bernard had gone back to the Pole during Thanksgiving. Why?
First his cast had come off so he was cleared for work.
Second, he and Cadence had agreed they'd only be nice friends.
Third, Idonnea had irritated Bernard to no end and had plainly given up by herself and left.
The head elf had taken Fiona to the Pole for her work and for him to get back to his own duties.
He'd left the Miller's, telling Charlie the truth, and Kate that he was happy to meet her, good to be friends...etc.
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The council had scheduled a meeting for a few days after the start of the worst three weeks of Bernard's year.
The three weeks before Christmas were the craziest and most exhausting. Santa may get to sleep most of the 26th once he returned, but Bernard would pull the worst overtime during that time. He'd get up early on the 24th, closer to 2:30am rather than the 5am he'd usually do, and not go to sleep until close to midnight on the 26th.
The head elf would stay up during the long Christmas flight, being the only one who could react instantly to a distress call for Santa, the E.L.F.S. had to rely on time to move; once the Boss was back at the Pole Bernard was among the few strongest and trained to care for the tired reindeer and worn sleigh. The reindeer had to be closely monitored during the first six hours back, making sure they hadn't sustained any injuries or caught a chill that could lead to crippling pneumonia.
Mother Nature had been taking more time out of her work to hang around the Pole to monitor Bernard, his deadline to choose a fiance was coming closer and if he didn't...
The spirit of the earth hadn't told Santa about the little side note of an elf retiring, if they didn't have a soul mate, they turned completely human with no memories of pretty much anything, few lived very long if that was the case.
The last thing Scott needed to hear was that bit of information, within hours of Charlie back in school after Thanksgiving, he'd been placed into in school suspension, things had spiraled from there. Mother Nature had enough power in the North Pole to keep his name off the Naughty list until the Calvin somehow managed to get himself arrested.
Scott would be checking the list after the scheduled meeting, he'd find out then and add yet another weight to his shoulders. That was the last thing he needed right now.
What wasn't expected was how the meeting would end, Bernard hadn't planned on probably ever seeing Kate again, in this case...he'd be getting to know her very well.
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Jack Frost slouched heavily onto the chair in front of him; the icy pallor to his skin was actually faded, appearing flushed and uncomfortable. The winter sprite was exhausted, using the hand crafted chair as the main reason he was standing let alone conscious.
Legendary figures were just about immortal, but could still be affected by tiredness or become sick. Getting hurt was much harder, but possible.
Ice tinted bruises were ugly looking.
Jack Frost's right cheek was flushed a bright red, his left was a nasty frost bitten blue and red, the edges an awful purple.
None of the other Council members noticed how bad off he was; he was at the end of the long table and due to being quiet had been ignored thus far. The head elf standing professionally behind Santa hadn't even glanced his way.
The meeting came to an end without incident, Jack slowly shifted to stand fully, fighting against a massive headache.
"Jack! You were so quiet I almost thought you hadn't showed!"
Frost nodded slightly, a hand going to his stomach as nausea threatened to take over.
Mother Nature was moving closer, the smell of ripe apples and wheat was overwhelming to the sprite as he tried to steady his breathing.
"Jack? You alright?"
While he appreciated Sandman's concern, it didn't help. Jack ran from Santa's office, rushing through the workshop to collapse outside, coughing up gusts of frigid air that turned the fresh snow into solid, dense ice.
He didn't really notice the council had followed him. His body had turned completely blue as it poured out as much sheer cold as it could without ripping through his skin. Jack's blood had come to a standstill, beginning to freeze within his veins; least to say it wasn't pleasant, it was growing painful.
He couldn't stop, his powers only extended so far out of season for him, and it was rapidly taking its toll. Distantly he noticed someone touch his shoulder but quickly pulled back, he was too cold.
Someone was able to grip his shoulders, the heat from their hands was enough to crack the ice within Jack and stop him from freezing everything permanently.
That someone was Bernard, one of the few with enough magic to combat his at the moment. The head elf helped Jack sit rather than kneel in the snow, watching to make sure he didn't start coughing up a blizzard.
"Jack Frost, what is going on?"
Blame Mother Nature to get right to point while you're dizzy and breathless.
"Vera Summers."
With that, Jack passed out.
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Bernard leaned against his kitchen counter, arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched Carol try to rouse Jack who was laid out on the head elf's couch. While she did that, Father time and Mother Nature were arguing heatedly, almost to the point of Mother Nature shooting off her powers, Santa was kind of just lost, trying to find out what was going on.
Vera Summers, the herald of the Summer Solstice and Season.
There was also Fiona Bloom, and Anise Rowan, Spring and Autumn. Jack was obviously winter.
For the last forty years, Vera hadn't been to the North Pole, nor had she attended any council meetings. Even Jack made sure to get to at least one a year.
Another reason Vera was such a problem, she didn't believe in the Legendary Figures, even if she was one herself. She could still use her powers, just refused to care about her duties. Mother Nature had been the summer spirit for the past five decades.
Jack had gone to try and get Vera to return to the Council, she'd gone into a fit and punched the other sprite with a fist heated like a hot grill in July. While most figures couldn't harm one another, the heralds were extremely potent to each others powers, reacting just as strongly or more so as the seasons themselves.
Bernard sighed softly, half in relief, half in anxiety as Jack finally stirred, he was still an awful sick blue color, but he was breathing normally and able to sit up without help. The bruise on his cheek had settled to a swollen purple and black color, beginning to heal slowly and fade away into the pale skin.
"Enough!"
Fiona stood in the doorway to Bernard's apartment, glaring heatedly at Mother Nature before she turned to Jack.
"What do I need to do?"
Frost groaned slightly as he stood, still weak and dizzy, but stable enough to remain upright. "Contact Rowan, I've got a snowstorm in Sweden that needs to be kept in check before it hits Germany, trying to avoid snowing out their late fall harvest. And there's snow coming down over the Rocky Mountains that can't be allowed to move too fast, she can ignore the system over the great lakes."
The spring herald nodded, moving to grab Bernard's "house" phone and punching in a number, hopping up on the elf's counter next to him and beginning to play with his hat while the phone was tucked between her ear and shoulder.
Mother Nature had moved past furious and was now so upset she wouldn't speak, sitting down when Father Time just about shoved her into a chair before sighing and glancing at Scott.
"Vera Summers is the herald of the season summer, she hasn't been the best at her job for awhile now and when she gets angered by any of us there's serious problems. The least shell do is go after Jack to the point he can't control his season, leaving her open to let loose hurricanes and storms all over the world. And just to be ornery she'll pick Christmas Eve night to be her worst."
Scott groaned faintly, just what he needed, another seasonal herald with a stick up their-
"Jack? She wants to know what to do about the rain off the coast of Antarctica."
Frost sighed, coughing a little, "Freeze it and shove it inland, been meaning to refresh to snow down there for a while."
As Fiona relayed the message, Mother Nature composed herself enough to get back in the conversation.
"I've had it with that little nymph, she either comes to the Solstice meeting or is degraded, I am not tolerating anymore outright disrespect from yet another herald! If she doesn't straighten up, the summer sprite is eliminated from the council, see how she likes that bit!"
Father Time didn't get the chance to argue, the earth lady had already vanished, probably off to go yell at Vera Summers.
The old time keeper sighed heavily, "This is isn't going to end well. Bernard, remember you have 12 days, 10 hours, and a little less than 40 minutes to find someone before I come to escort you down to the mortal world, I'd rather you not lose your memory."
Santa gaped at the old man as Bernard nodded, he'd known all along why there was a deadline, he could even feel some of his powers slipping.
"Oh, and Charlie will be released from custody in approximately ten minutes, someone paid his bail, and the charges will be dropped in 19 hours and seven minutes."
With that he was gone, leaving Jack swaying a little on his feet, Carol with a hand over her mouth in shock, Fiona absently fiddling with the end of her sash, and Scott in sheer panicked shock.
Bernard closed his eyes, pinching the the bridge of his nose as he sighed loudly, feeling Fiona's reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Bernard? What did he mean lose your memory?" Carol asked in a near whisper.
The elf sighed, "If I don't find a soul mate by Christmas Eve, I turn mortal and lose my memory of just about everything, that's why so few of us retire as an elf finding their true soul mate is rare, kinda why we live so long in the first place."
Scott shook his head, a hand rubbing at his eyes before he looked to his number one.
"What's this about Charlie?"
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Charlie rolled his eyes minutely when the officer unlocked his cell, another led him to the front lobby and handed him his phone, wallet, MP3, headphones, and key chain. Cheryl Woods waited for him, the look of pure frustration strong in her eyes.
Politely thanking the reception officer she grabbed Charlie's upper arm, half dragging him from the building to her waiting truck.
The entire ride to the Miller's and Anderson's house, Charlie stared vacantly out the window.
At school four days ago, they had to fill out fake background checks, including detailed information on their parents. The teacher had thought Charlie was just being rude when he said he couldn't do anything for his dad after he'd filled out Neil's information, the older woman threatened to have Charlie dismissed for the rest of the week in out of school suspension.
Charlie lost it.
I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation...
You're livin' in the past of a new generation...
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