A/n: Thank you so much to princeessyuki08, Applejax XD, starrat, keacdragon and flowerchild23 for your reviews of Chapter 24! I don't have much to say about Chapter 25, so I'll just let you get to it! Please enjoy and as always thanks for Reading, reviewing, favoriting and following!
"Jess can you take a look at this, I think I did something wrong." One of the painter elves asked her. The team was working on some new drum designs and the diagram was less than ideal. Jess and Bernard were to blame for this error as neither wife nor Husband would agree on a final design. Eventually Jess decided to press forward with her own plans and because of her inexperience with toy making there were more than a few bugs.
"Sure Dottie, I'll take a look." She wiped paint residue off her hands before going over to assess the situation. Jess immediately noticed the problem. Rather than being gold and red as the diagram called for, the drum was painted gold and bright pink.
"I used the number thirty five paint just like the diagram said." Dottie insisted, handing Jess the bottle of paint in question. The head painter took it and inspected its contents.
"It's nothing you did." Jess sighed. "It's my fault, when I was mixing this batch of paint I wasn't paying attention. I'll get you a new one." Running a hand through her hair in frustration she made her way back over to the paint station. After giving Dottie a proper bottle of number thirty five paint, Jess toured the department to ensure no one else's paint was mixed poorly. Back at the paint mixing station she sat with her head in her hands. What else could go wrong? She groaned.
"Um, Jess?" Judy questioned the painter elf nervously.
"Yeah?" Jess replied, trying not to snap at the kitchen elf.
"The Naughty and Nice elves asked me to give you this." Judy held out a small rolled up piece of paper.
"Is this from the Naughty and Nice machine?" The semi-automated machine only spat out the names of kids who'd been exceptionally kind or rude. "Let me guess..." The younger elf sighed. "Charlie Calvin - Naughty List." She read from the scrap of paper. "Judy, I think it's time for me to talk to Santa about this. Do you think you could bring some hot chocolate to his office?"
"I'll get up there as fast as I can." The kitchen elf promised before scuttling off to the kitchen.
Jessie let herself into Bernard's office where he'd been hiding all day. If they were going to talk to Scott about Charlie, they might as well tell him about the Mrs. Clause as well.
"Have you been sleeping in your office?" She accused, pointing at the disheveled cot against the wall.
"I've been busy." Was all Bernard managed to get out. He had been busy, but Jessie's attitude lately had made it easier for him to find excuses to work late.
"Whatever. Listen we've got to tell Dad about the Mrs. Clause. Every day that we wait is more time he could be using. Plus this came through the Naughty and Nice machine." Jess handed her husband the rolled up paper.
"Charlie's on the naughty list?" Bernard gasped. He'd watch Charlie grow up since he was eight years old. He'd been such a sweet little kid, it seemed impossible that his Brother-in-law could have done something so bad to end up on the naughty list. Curtis walked into the office whistling his favorite Christmas tune. He stopped when he saw Jessica and Bernard glaring at each other from opposite sides of the desk.
"Oh, you two are obviously in the middle of something. I'll just be going." Curtis said.
"Curtis, you have to tell Santa about the Mrs. Clause right now." Barnard ordered.
"But he's so happy!" Curtis frowned. "And why do I have to be the one to tell him? He's your father-in-law."
"Because, I'm the head elf!" Bernard shrieked. "I don't give bad news."
"Powerhungry." Jessica coughed which caused Curtis to giggle. "Why don't we all tell him?" She suggested. "Where is he now?"
The three elves found Scott rolling in the snow, a pile of elves on top of him. It was apparent that Santa and the elves has just finished a game of tinsel football. The rules were easy enough to understand, as it was just flag football with braids of tinsel.
"Santa!" Bernard called out as the football players dispersed. "We need to talk."
Scott didn't know if it was the serious looks on Bernard, Jessie and Curtis' faces or the fact that his daughter and son-in-law were in sudden agreement, but the father of Christmas could feel in his gut that something was seriously wrong. He allowed Jess and Barnard to escort him up to his office where Judy was already waiting with a tray of warm hot cocoas.
"Oh you guys pre-ordered the cocoa?" He smiled, plucking a pewter mug from Judy's tray. "So what's this all about?" He questioned as he settled behind his desk.
"It's Charlie, Daddy." Jess sighed. Bernard handed Santa the same scrap of paper his wife had presented him earlier.
"Charlie our Charlie? Oh no." Scott groaned. "Listen guys, this has got to be a mistake."
"The Naughty and Nice elves don't make mistakes, sir." Bernard assured him grimly.
"How did this happen?" Scott marveled. "Charlie's never been in any troubled before." Jessie and Bernard exchanged a look.
"Well..."
"What do you mean well?" Santa snapped at his daughter.
"The last three or four months Charlie's been going through a rough patch." Jess explained. "Bernard and I told the other elves not to say anything to you because I thought I could handle it, then Judy brought that slip from the machine this morning."
"I can't believe you two!" Scott remarked. "Charlie is my son and if he gets himself into trouble you can't keep things from me! I'll have to go down there and talk to him. I guess things could be a lot worse, we can get Charlie back on the nice list in seconds. You really had me scared when you said you had to talk to me."
"Great! You told him!" Curtis exclaimed with relief as he shoved the magnification machine into the office. "Now let's get you dressed for that meeting!" He was talking about the Legendary Figures Meeting that was scheduled to begin in a half hour.
"Oh I can't have the meeting here." Scott shook his head. "I really can't I'm going to have to see Charlie."
"Number two tell him now." Bernard demanded.
"Tell me what? Guys come on." Scott looked around the room at three of his most important elves. He really didn't have time to play guessing games.
"Santa, there's a clause..." Curtis began.
"That would be me." Santa acknowledged impatiently.
"No, I mean there's another Santa Clause." Curtis sighed.
"Curtis in case you haven't noticed this time of year the malls are filled with other 'Santa Clauses'." Scott said.
"He means the contract kind of clause." Jessie interjected.
"Exactly." Curtis agreed. "When the last Santa fell of your roof and you put on his coat, you found this." He pulled out the white business card and Scott recognized it immediately.
"Right, He who wears the coat takes on the responsibilities of Santa Claus. And the rest would be history right?"
"But it seems our number two elf," Bernard stared down at Curtis bitterly. "overlooked the single most important detail in the history of Christmas!"
"Wow, one mistake in nine hundred years." Curtis mumbled unapologetically.
"Look." Bernard instructed as he swung up the largest magnifier on the machine.
"Okay..." Santa squinted as he tried to read the very small white font. "The card holder acknowledges a woman of his choosing...true love...not valid in the state of Utah...holy MATRIMONY? I've gotta get married!"
"Yes, it's the Mrs. Clause." Bernard gulped.
"Well, what if I don't want to get married?" Scott asked, stepping away from the magnification machine. As he said that, his jolly stomach shrunk before their eyes.
"The de-Santification process has begun!" Curtis shouted.
"De-Santification? Are you telling me that in that clause it says if I don't get married...I don't get to be Santa anymore?" Jessie, Barnard and Curtis didn't say anything, they just looked back at him sadly. Scott was heartbroken. The past eight years as Santa had been the best years of his life. "What-what about the kids? What about the elves? What about you guys?" He looked from his daughter to her husband with concern.
"It's not completely hopeless." Jess tried to cheer him up. "You still have time..."
"How much time do I have?"
"Twenty eight days." Bernard answered him.
"So I have to find a wife by Christmas?" Scott sighed.
"Christmas Eve actually." Curtis corrected. The three elves watch in horror as Santa's beard began to shrink just as his stomach had minutes ago.
"Christmas is getting complicated." Santa complained.