A/N: I'm not sure if I'm happy with this chapter. It's short, but sweet I guess. My laptop is on the fritz, so I can't update as much as I thought I could right now. =/

~Destiny


Bernard entered th e workshop more than just a little confused. He knew that Caycee had, indeed, just kissed him, but he didn't quite understand why. He was a tad iffy on understanding what her being a winter nymph meant, but he was completely lost on the whole deal between her and Frost.

Santa noticed him and waved him over, "It's about time you joined us! You are the hero of the season, after all."

"I have to sleep at some point, Santa."

"You choose now to sleep? But it's Christmas! You're supposed to be celebrating. Tomorrow is for sleeping."

He raised an eyebrow, "We start preparations for next Christmas tomorrow. I'm head elf. I can't sleep."

"Yes, you can!" Santa rolled his eyes, "This is why I made you help out with the glee club. You need a break every now and then. You work too hard. Have you even talked to Caycee yet? She's woken up from her coma."

"Yeah, and she's blue. I am at a complete loss about her. What the hell happened to her? I know there's something about a nymph…"

He sighed, "Look, Bernard, she's not talking to me or Carol. We're not her real parents. Mother Nature really is her mother. She is one of two winter nymphs. Jack is the only one who has survived the curse. She probably needs someone she can rely on more than ever. That person is usually you."

"I know that, but… It's a lot to swallow."

"Tell me about it."


Caycee yawned as she entered her room. She was partied out. It had been a whole day of celebrating and avoiding her parents and Bernard. She couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to kiss him awake. What had she been thinking? What was he thinking?

Before she got into bed, a light bulb went off in her mind. Smiling slightly, she snuck out of her room and down the hall. She stopped in front of his door and took a deep breath before entering the danger zone.

Bernard looked up from where he was sitting on his bed, "Caycee?"

"B, I'm sorry about this morning… I don't know what came over me…"

"Don't worry about it."

She sat next to him on the bed and placed her head on his shoulder, "Tell me a story? Like you used to?"

"I don't think I remember how to tell stories… It's been a very long time."

"I'll start you off. Once upon a time…"

He laughed, "Once upon a time there was a girl."

"Was she pretty?"

"She was the most beautiful girl in the North Pole, and she helped the elves and always made them happy. She was the joy of the workshop."

"What happened to her?" She yawned.

"Caycee, stop asking questions and let me tell the story!" He laughed, "Nothing happened to her except that she fell in love with a legendary. It made her happy, but it was the start of a new era that one particular elf was not too keen about. She was always with this man who was as cold as ice. She seemed to need him like she needed oxygen. The elves were forgotten, and he watched her grow distant from him. It made his heart ache.

"Then, one day, something changed. She was back, but she was drastically different. As it turned out, she was special. Amazingly so. Yet, this came with a price. She found out about some lies that had been told, and she was stricken with grief and angst. However, he still… He still loved her with all of his heart." Bernard looked at her and saw that she was asleep. He didn't know how much she had heard, and a small sad sigh escaped him. He gently lay her down on his bed and kissed her cheek, "I still love you, Caycee… Good night, my little nymph."