The first week with Scott Calvin was one of the strangest weeks of her life. Tabs felt as if she was in a fog for most of it, still attempting to adjust to this new reality. She was amazed at how clean Calvin was. He was a neat freak. In watching the movies throughout her life, Tabs had always just assumed he hired house cleaners. But she quickly discovered, after setting a coffee on the end table without a coaster, that Calvin was obsessed with a clean place.

"No coaster, no coffee," he had grunted, tossing her a dish cloth to wash the small ring while he went and got her a coaster.

Perhaps the biggest surprise had been how kind he was. She shouldn't have been caught totally off guard, since by the second movie his kindness shone through, but Tabs had always attributed that to his becoming Santa.

It made sense, though. There had to be something that had compelled Laura to fall in love with him, something beyond his cocky swagger and strange sense of humour.

Most of her time was spent settling in - things like figuring out the method to the madness of his kitchen, identifying the nearest grocery store, and what amenities were nearby. So far, her favourite find had been a quaint bookstore a few blocks away, featuring a small coffee shop as an extension. Taking the time to read, taking the time to go somewhere outside of the house, gave her time to escape the crushing loneliness she was feeling.

Even though it had only been a week, it had been enough time for reality to set in. She might never see her family, her friends, her dog, or her school again. Her hopes and dreams for the life she wanted to live might never be realized if this world was where she would remain. And, of course, it was still difficult to accept that the world she had always dreamed of being sucked into wasn't filled with as much sunshine and rainbows as she had hoped.

She quickly settled into a routine of heading to the bookstore after finishing dinner prep in the early afternoon. The walk took about twenty minutes, crossing through the busy residential neighbourhood and into a small commercial area with a few shops, a couple restaurants, and a grocery store.

On this particular day, Tabs was thrilled to make the walk. The sun was shining brightly, cutting the cruelty out of the cold air. Snow crunched under her feet, and her breath fogged in front of her as she walked. During her first trip there, she was pleased to discover the books seemed to be pretty much the same as from her world, and had picked up a couple that had been on her to-read list for a while.

She clutched The Count of Monte Cristo to her chest while she walked, looking forward to the snuggling into the corner table with the comfy bean bag chair and a hot coffee.

The bells on the door chimed as she entered, and the store clerk flashed her a smile. It smelled of damp must and crisp paper, the kind of smell one hoped to find in an old library or store. It was the alluring smell of books, the one that gave a sense of warmth and comfort.

"Back again?"

"It's the best spot to read in town," she replied cheerfully, heading to her usual spot. The solace provided by positioning herself in a corner, by a window where the world felt open and accessible, almost made her feel like she was home again. She always took a similar position when out on 'writing dates' with her friends at any of the coffee shops in their small town. Something about it fostered creativity and took her away from the real world as much as it made her feel like part of it.

The barista, a tall college-aged student with thick black glasses and floppy brown hair, winked at her as he set to work on a latte. It was nice having a place that felt familiar to her, where people knew what her order was, and were content to let her disappear into her books for a while.

A few moments later, the barista brought over her steaming coffee.

She hadn't failed to notice the young man was fairly attractive and he seemed to perk up whenever she walked in. Part of her wondered if she would really ever see Bernard again anytime soon, and even if so, if she should just forget about the dark-haired elf. After all, she was human. And, as it seemed, she might have options. Would it be so bad to start a life here? To give up on the dreams of moving to Elfsburg once Santa went?

"I added a splash of hazelnut on the house."

Tabs smiled, inhaling the deep, nutty scent of the hazelnut mixing with the fragrant aroma of the espresso. One of her favourite smells in the world. "Thanks, Jed. That's sweet."

Jed nodded, glancing at her book with interest. "The Count of Monte Cristo, huh?"

"I've only ever read it in French before, and I really wanted to read the English version to compare. The French version was beautiful, but it can be hard to fully appreciate the depth of the story when you're trying to translate it as you read."

Jed crossed his arms, looking impressed. "In French? Was this just for fun or?"

"Oh, goodness no! I love French, and I'm fairly fluent, but when I read it's for pure enjoyment. No, this was for a school assignment in high school. We had to read it in French and do a book report. It was quite the challenge."

"I can imagine." He smiled again. "I'll let you get off to historic France then."

Tabs smiled, then took a sip of her latte before diving into her book. She was several pages in when someone nearby cleared their throat.

"Is this seat taken?"

Bernard's voice sounded like music to her ears, and she looked up with a wide smile. Jed was cute, but his appearance didn't make her heart thunder in her chest the way Bernard did. The elf had traded his usual outfit for a pair of faded blue jeans and a casual black button-up shirt. His braids had been replaced by long, curly locks of hair that fell across his forehead. She flushed slightly, realizing that she was staring, mesmerized by his dancing eyes.

"Only by you," she stammered, realizing only after the words had left her mouth that it could have sounded flirtatious. She would have kicked herself if she could, mortified that her social awkwardness and anxiety were coming into play. Biting her lip, she prayed she could keep herself calm and her typical anxiety-babble wouldn't trigger from the nerves she was now feeling.

The elf didn't seem to notice as he settled into the bean bag chair across from her. Tabs felt her anxiety lessen and internally sighed in relief. Deep breaths, woman. Deep breaths. Bernard reached over and picked up her latte, sniffing it.

"Hazelnut. Nice touch," he commented, then put it down and slid it back towards her. His eyes lingered for a moment on her book, his eyebrow momentarily raising, before he looked at her directly.

"So how have things been going?"

Tabs snorted a laugh in reaction. "This is by far the most ridiculous thing I have done in my life. Seriously, how he believes this entire thing is beyond me. He hasn't even questioned our story once."

"Maybe it's Christmas magic?"

Tabs glanced up to see if Bernard actually meant that or if he was being facetious. The expression on his face was completely serious. Her internal desire for magic to exist was currently at battle with her logical half, the part that still couldn't fully believe any of this was real. And even when it did accept it, even in recognizing she was in a place where magic thrived, it still could not accept the actual involvement of magic in everyday life.

As her logical side won the internal argument, she blinked and said, "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't kid about Christmas magic," he said quietly. Much to Tabs relief, he didn't look offended - just serious. Contemplative, even. "Some of it can be explained, like the way it works through us. But other aspects? It is its own life form, its own entity. Christmas magic has caused some pretty incredible, unexplainable things before."

A pensive expression crossed Tabs face for a moment as she pondered his words. The movies had never delved into anything beyond the limited access of Santa and the elves. The only thing she really knew was that it was the belief of children around the world that gave the magic continued life.

"Would Santa's magic begin to work even before he fully accepts who is he?"

"Yes, the moment he puts on the suit and accepts the clause. The entire transfer begins immediately." Cocking his head to the side, Bernard smiled, realizing where she was going with this. "The magic could be making him believe what he needs to believe."

She found herself silently thanking whoever was in charge of this world, of this universe, for this small gift. She honestly didn't know what she would have done if the council had merely bid her to find a new life, or if Scott hadn't bought the ridiculous lie. And while there was so much she needed to figure out, at least this was working out in her favour.

"Well, at least someone - or something - is on my side here."