Hello my lovlies! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I was planning on having it done in January, but I just got so busy with work and other stuff that I had no time to write. Thanks for being so patient while I got my stuff together :). I also want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or even just read this story. I appreciate you so much! This chapter was actually the inspiration for this whole story, believe it or not. I'll actually go into a little more detail about that at the end of the chapter. I just don't want to spoil anything yet. I also wanted to let everyone know that I've got an idea in my head for another little fic in the May You Always Universe. It'll be a one shot about Jack Frost. Again, I'm not going to go into too much details because, spoilers, and it won't be out until sometime after this story is finished, but I thought I'd let y'all know now in case you're interested. :)

Man, I can really ramble can't I? I'll stop so you can get to reading. See you at the end of the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Santa Clause movies, nor do I claim any ownership of writing prompts that can be found on thefakeredhead website.

4. March '96

"So, what kind of things do you do around here when I'm on vacation?" Scott asks.

Bernard glances up at him, his attention mostly still on the conveyor belt he'd been working on. Scott had wandered down into the main workshop floor just in time to see the machine grind to a halt and start to smoke. He'd rushed over to help, but the Head maintenance elf, Patty, had gently pushed him aside so she and Bernard could see to it instead. The short red-haired girl was busy trying to fix something in the motor that had short-circuited, her Head Elf handing her any tools she needed. Scott feels extremely awkward just standing there, but it didn't feel right to just walk away to a different part of the room. He figures he could at least talk to Bernard while he waits to see the conveyor belt fixed. It is what he'd come down to the workshop floor for anyway,

"Lots of stuff," the elf answers, "We go over the efficiency levels for each department and reassign any elves who maybe aren't happy working where they are, or who realized during the year that they'd be better suited elsewhere. We also monitor the happiness of anyone who celebrated Christmas and start building the toys for any kids who've already started sending letters."

"Some kids really send letters this early? How come I haven't seen them?"

"Because you're on vacation. We keep them for you until the first of April. But, yea, quite a few kids send 'em this early. Usually it's because there's something they really really want. We try to make sure those kids get exactly what they ask for, because if they don't it tends to affect how much they believe in Santa Claus."

Scott steps to the side as another maintenance elf comes forward to bring Patty a part she'd radioed for a few minutes earlier. "It's got to be pretty easy to get them exactly what they ask for since we know so far in advance."

"Eh..." Bernard shrugs, finally standing up to give the girl more room to work. "It kind of depends on the Santa. If they're not all that bothered with going the extra mile to keep all the children as happy as possible, then sometimes stuff slips through the cracks. We try not to let it happen, but... we're elves, not genies. We can't grant everyone's wishes without some help from the big guy."

"That makes sense. I hope we didn't miss anyone's presents last Christmas... Wait, are you saying there is such things as genies, though?" Scott jokes.

Bernard opens his mouth likes he's going to answer, but he hesitates, and then looks down to start messing with the radio hanging on his belt. "What are you doing down on the workshop floor, Santa. You're on vacation, you're not supposed to be bothering with any of this stuff yet. Do you need something?"

"Hey, I live here! I can be on the main floor if I want to be." Scott grumbles.

Bernard rolls his eyes and then gives the taller man the same look he's seen him give the elves when they're testing his patience. Scott sighs and scuffs his foot against the bright tile floor. He's feeling a little awkward again.

When Bernard starts to tap his foot, Scott throws his head back and lets out a groan, vaguely wondering if he looks a little ridiculous doing so. "Fine. I came down here because I needed to talk to you about something."

"I'm a little busy at the moment. Can it wait until this evening?"

"I guess so..."

Bernard narrows his eyes as he studies his boss. Scott resists the urge to squirm under the elf's penetrating gaze. If Bernard ever decides to retire from being Head Elf at the workshop, Scott thinks the boy should take up a job interrogating criminals for the police. No one could resist spilling their secrets when they're being looked at like that. Bernard asks, "are you just saying you can wait because you want to avoid talking about whatever it is?"

"No! Of course not. If I did, I wouldn't have even mentioned it."

"But you didn't mention it at first. You started asking about the workshop and genies."

"Hey, now, you were the one to bring up genies-"

"Enough with the genies!" Bernard rolls his eyes in a very dramatic way, and Scott suddenly wonders if it's possible the boy could roll them right out of his head. "What's going on, boss?"

Scott huffs. "Okay, okay. I need to ask you a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes, but I didn't want to do it on the workshop floor because... well it's kind of a weird question. But if you're busy you can just meet me this evening in my office."

Bernard frowns, narrowing his eyes a little in suspicion. "Well, if it's important, I can meet you in a half an hour? I just need to make sure the conveyor belt gets up and running again..."

"Great! I'll see you later then."

Scott passes the time pacing his office, fiddling with all the knickknacks and toys lining the shelves and cluttering every surface. He hadn't used the office much his first month here and he really hasn't been in the room at all while he's been on vacation, so the place still carries a lot of the Santa before him in it. His predecessor had chosen to paint the walls a dark, deep shade of blue that was very reminiscent of the color the ice walls that surround their home take in the dark months of winter. The trim is a muted gray that matches the dull silver tile on the floor and the furniture is all made of heavy dark-stained wood. The high-backed chair behind the desk is shiny, black leather and not the most comfortable, at least not to Scott. The seats on the other side for anyone who visits the office are wooden with thin hunter green cushions. The area around the fire place is a little cozier at least. The over-sized armchairs are a soft blue velvet, brighter than the paint on the walls, and there are several fuzzy throw blankets in varying shades of gray thrown over their backs and in neat piles on a shelf. The mantle is lined with antique clocks in different shapes and sizes.

Scott doesn't hate the room, but it just... isn't him. Bernard has said he can redecorate the office- and his bedroom- if he wants. The elves would love to make any changes that would help Scott feel more at home. He thinks he definitely wants to do things a little differently in the office, starting with the paint on the walls. It's just not as cheery as he would expect Santa Claus' office to be.

There's a knock at the door, so Scott calls for whomever it is to enter. Bernard walks in, looking a little flustered as he talks into his radio. "I don't care what Theo told you, Curtis, absolutely do not let him try and fix that sewing machine by himself. Those things are seriously heavy duty and I can already imagine how he'll end up hurting himself if he messes with it. Call over to Maintenance and get someone there to go do it."

Without another word, Bernard switches off the radio and hooks it back onto his belt. He nods to Scott and then immediately walks over to one of the armchairs by the fire and plops down in it. Scott pours a cup of cocoa for each of them- he'd called down to the kitchens and asked Abby for it about ten minutes ago- and then walks over to take a seat as well.

"Everything okay?" he asks as he hands the elf his drink. Bernard murmurs his thanks and takes a long sip.

"Yea," the Head Elf answers, smacking his lips as he sets the cup down onto the table between them. "Curtis said he just got a call from Theo about one of the machines in the stuffed animal department breaking. Theo wanted to try and fix it himself but..."

"Afraid he might hurt himself?" Scott asks with a laugh.

Bernard snorts. "No, I know he'll hurt himself. I'm just afraid of how badly it might be. He once broke a finger trying to shut a window."

"How-"

"I have no idea how he managed to do that, he just did. So, I'd rather someone else fix the sewing machine before I end up having to rush Theo to the doctor again."

Scott laughs, a little in awe at the Stuffed Animal Department Head's ability to injure himself. Bernard smiles, but then changes the subject. "So, what did you want to ask me about?"

"Um..." Scott hesitates. He doesn't exactly know how to broach this subject. Ever since his meetings in February, Scott hasn't been able to get what Louie said out of his mind. He still can't believe the entire town heard about the police looking for him last Christmas. He knows he doesn't care about what people think about him, but... "okay, so I was thinking about how everyone in Lakeside thinks I kidnapped my own son, which is just crazy by the way, and I know you said Charlie would be fine as long as I was there for him- and I want to be there for him because I know I wasn't doing a very good job of it before. I already missed a lot with Charlie- school recitals, soccer games- I don't want to miss anything else, but I'm kind of nervous I might screw something else up or make it harder for him. If you were with me though I think I'll be okay because you can make sure I don't mess anything up. And Charlie really likes you so-"

"Whoa, Santa, take a breath!" Bernard interrupts. Scott stops, and then quickly realizes he is out of breath from his rambling. He inhales deeply and lets out a slow exhale. "Good. Now try again."

"Okay. I was wondering if there's any chance you'd want to help me with something for Charlie?"

Bernard blinks. "Oh. Of course I would. He's a great kid. I'd be glad to help."

"Really? Thanks, buddy, I really appreciate it!"

"No problem," Bernard pauses, and then gives Scott a curious look. "Wait, why couldn't you ask me that on the workshop floor?"

"Um... Well..."

Bernard sits up straighter in his chair and pins Scott with a look that brooks no argument. "Santa."

"Okay," Scott mumbles, "the thing I need help with is... chaperoningafeildtrip."

"Come again?"

Scott sighs and lets his head fall back against the chair with a thunk. "Chaperoning Charlie's field trip that's coming up in two weeks. I told Laura and Neil I would do it last time Charlie called up here."

Bernard stares at him. "I-I don't... how am I supposed to help with that?"

"Well..." Scott hesitates, "I kind of told Laura to write your name down on the list of chaperons. She said she'd just tell the school you were Charlie's cousin. Family is allowed to chaperon as long as they're eighteen and you look eighteen."

"You told..." Bernard stops, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a slow exhale. Scott's seen him do this whenever he's feeling particularly frustrated. "Santa, that's not what I thought you meant when you said you wanted my help with something."

"I know, I know, but I'm freaking out a little bit here. I've never chaperoned a field trip before. Laura and Neil are the ones who do. But you told me to be there for Charlie and he's really excited I'm coming. What if I get there though and the teachers all think I'm some crazy criminal or the kids won't listen to me or-"

"Santa!"

"What?"

Bernard sighs. "It's fine. I'll do it. I kind of have to anyway."

"You do?"

"Well, yea, I already said I would. I'm a fae, I can't go back on a deal."

"I didn't know that..."

"Don't think too much on it," Bernard huffs. "next time I'm asking what the favor is before I agree to do anything for you. Where's this field trip going to be at anyway? They going to a museum or something?"

"No, it's a hike through the forest at one of the State Parks."

"A hike? It's March, and in Illinois!" Bernard splutters through a sip of cocoa.

Scott lets out a grunt of frustration. "I know, but someone on the school board thought they should do more to show the importance of being outside and getting exercise. If it helps, I think it's supposed to be a little warmer that day."

"So like, what, in the forties?"

"Something like that," Scott says. Bernard groans and gives him an exasperated look. "Hey, at least it's not as cold as the pole!"

Two weeks later, Scott is woken up by the shrill beeping of his alarm clock. He looks over at the bright red numbers with bleary eyes, grumbling when he sees how early it is. He pushes himself out of bed and stumbles over to the bathroom so he can shower and get dressed. Judy had promised them last night to have a nice warm breakfast waiting for them by the time they woke up. Once he's ready, he grabs his wallet and the backpack Abby had packed for him with hiking supplies: bottles of water, bug spray, a first aid kit, and a few other things Scott didn't think was necessary for a hike that would only take half the day, but Abby insisted it would be better to be over-prepared. He goes downstairs to the kitchen, greeting the few elves already there. Judy waves him over to a table. He sits down and immediately starts digging into the plate of food she places in front of him. She lets him know Bernard said he would meet him on the workshop floor. He just needed to see to some stuff first before they left.

Scott calls out a goodbye to the kitchen elves as soon as he finishes eating and makes his way to the main floor. Bernard is already there, wearing a heavy, hunter-green coat with a sweater the same color and light washed denim jeans, standing in the Naughty and Nice Center as he calls for the elves to gather around. Scott is a little surprised at how many are already here this early in the morning, but he figures maybe Bernard wanted to talk to as many of them as possible before they left for the day. Curtis is there with him, grinning at his Head Elf like a cat that ate the canary. Bernard just looks annoyed.

Scott walks up at the same time Quintin does. The shorter boy is wearing a bright orange jacket, a green knit scarf, and a purple knit hat that is pulled low to cover the tips of his pointy ears. Quintin yawns widely, "Morning, Santa."

"Morning. Why are you dressed like that, or do you always come to work all bundled up?"

"He volunteered to go along today in case we need any help with your group of kids." Bernard says, without looking their way. He was too busy having a staring match with Curtis. "Don't worry about any of the adults noticing an extra person there. Quintin can use his magic to hide from them."

Quintin lets out a snort. "I don't know if it's "volunteering" if your Head Elf tells you you're going."

"No, but it is when your best friend says you are."

Scott laughs when Quintin sticks his tongue out at the taller boy. Bernard ignores him and just continues his staring contest. When it goes on for another few minutes without either of the boys saying anything, Scott finally asks "what's going on, you two?"

"I'm just waiting," Curtis says, his grin stretching even wider across his cheeks.

"Jingle bells," Bernard grumbles, lifting his gaze to the ceiling. He turns to face the crowd of elves, calling out to them to get their attention. "Okay, real quick everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that Santa, Quintin and I are going to be gone for the day. Lyla, I want you running Research and Development today. Any major problems, you can radio me or Quintin, I'll have mine on me. But make sure it's not something you or someone else can't handle please. For anything else... Curtis is in charge."

"Yes!" Curtis cheers, bouncing up and down. He looks at the other elves in the room. "Okay! That was everything. Back to work, please!"

There's some sleepy mumbles of agreement- and a few elves call out wishes for the group to have a nice time- and then the crowd disperses as everyone heads to their departments. Bernard leans down to grab two backpacks that are shoved underneath a control panel for the center. He hands one to Quintin and slings the other one over his shoulder. Curtis is still bouncing happily on the balls of his feet and Scott can't help but laugh, "Excited, Curtis?"

"Yes! I've been waiting for this forever. Bernard never leaves me in charge, even though I'm his Number Two Elf."

Bernard frowns at the younger boy and says, while stressing every syllable, "un-o-ffi-cial."

"Thir-ty five years," Curtis says, perfectly mimicking the Head Elf's testy tone.

"Okay, okay," Scott interrupts, hoping to stop them before they can start bickering. "Bernard, we need to leave for Laura and Neil's soon or we're going to be late."

"Oh, right. All ready to go, boss?"

"Yep, I've got my bag right here. Good luck with being in charge today, Curtis. I'm sure you'll do great."

Bernard adjusts the strap of his bag and then steps forward so he can grab Scott's and Quintin's hands. Scott feels the soft warmth of the elf's teleportation magic start to spread along his fingers and palm, lingering where his pulse thumps in his wrist. He prepares himself for when they'll be whisked away- Scott rather likes the almost lazy way the magic moves them in that shower of sparkles, though Bernard has told him before it takes a lot of concentration for him to make the process feel so effortless- when he's distracted by Quintin.

"Bye, Curtis," the elf says in a teasing, sing-song voice. "Have fun burning the workshop down!"

Curtis gives an affronted squawk at the same time Bernard chokes out a surprised laugh. Scott chides the boy, "Quintin! He doesn't mean that, Curtis. You'll be fine!"

Scott doesn't get to hear the boy's response to the other elf's teasing. The three of them are teleported away and Scott is surprised when he stumbles as they land in the Miller's driveway. But, he supposes, Bernard probably wasn't focusing on having a smooth landing. He was probably too busy laughing. As soon as he can Bernard slips his hands free of the others' grasps and uses them to stifle the chuckles tumbling past his lips.

"Bernard." Scott frowns at him.

The elf nods his head in understanding as he settles down. He looks at Quintin. "That was funny, but you totally have to apologize when we get back."

"I know, I know," Quintin says with a good-natured grin.

Scott hears the front door open and the next second Charlie is sprinting out, no jacket on and the laces of his hiking boots undone, shouting hello to his dad. Scott leans down so he can scoop Charlie up as soon as the boy reaches him. His son laughs, the sound unusually loud in the quiet, early morning air. He feels his lips stretching up into a smile. "Hey, sport!"

"You made it!" Charlie says, pleased. He spots the elves standing beside his father. "Hi, Bernard! Quintin? I didn't know you were coming too."

Quintin waves at the boy. "Hey, Charlie! Yea, hiking sounded like fun so I thought I'd tag along."

"Awesome! Can we leave now, Dad?"

Scott sets his son down. "Yea, let me just go grab lunch and the car keys from your mom."

Nearly two hours later, Scott finds himself standing in the parking lot of Castle Rock State Park near the start of the trail they'll be taking today, Bernard and Quintin waiting by his side. They watch as Charlie's and another teacher walk around and separate the students into groups. Scott is happy he chose to take the car up instead of riding in the school bus. He'd heard some parents complaining about how tightly the teachers had packed everyone in to the seats. Considering they have nearly sixty kids with them though, Scott can't really blame them. Charlie's teacher, Mrs. Levard Scott has to keep reminding himself, walks over to him. There are a handful of kids following behind her. Charlie, who is one of them, races past her so he can reach his dad first. Scott grins down at him and ruffles his hair.

"Okay, Mr. Calvin and... I'm sorry dear, what was your name again?" the woman asks, looking at the taller elf standing beside Scott.

"Bernard," the boy answers, reaching up to slightly tug down the black beanie he's wearing over the tips of his ears.

"Right. Well, here is your group of kids. Everyone's got a name tag on so you don't have to try and remember all those different names. There's ten kids in each group, just so you know, but every group also has two chaperons so it should be fine."

"Mrs. Levard," a girl with short blonde hair and bangs that look like she might have tried to cut them herself says, "how come our group has eleven?"

Scott tenses as the little girl looks right at Quintin. Mrs. Levard, though, doesn't even glance his way. "You don't, dear. Bernard is Charlie's cousin and he's going to help Mr. Calvin chaperon today."

The children standing around look up at her, clearly confused, but the teacher is too busy checking something on a clipboard in her hands to notice. She excuses herself a moment later so she can go check on something with another group. The kids watch her leave and then turn to stare at Scott instead.

Quintin clears his throat and jokes, "um, I guess Mrs. Levard can't count?"

The kids around them laugh and, after hearing a whistle blow from one of the teachers, go to line up single file near the start of the trail. They'll be going up in groups every few minutes, that way each group has a chance to look around at the scenery without being rushed by the group behind it.

"I told you no adult would notice," Bernard says with a smirk as they follow behind the kids.

"How did that work so easily?" Scott asks.

Quintin shrugs at him. "Believing is seeing. You know that."

"And Mrs. Levard obviously doesn't believe in elves."

"But she saw you?"

"Because I let her," Bernard explains. "Magical creatures can put up a veil to hide themselves from humans. It doesn't work on children, of course, because kids normally still believe in some kind of magic and if you believe in it, you see it.. But, nowadays, that belief isn't normally strong enough for them to realize what we, or even you for that matter, are. You might have an occasional child realize we're magical, though it'll happen to you way more often than us. But the adults never will unless we drop our veils and let them, or they're somehow connected to the supernatural. And that's really rare"

"I didn't know all this..."

"It's in the handbook. There's actually a whole section on elf magic in there if you want to know more."

"Hm, maybe I'll have Curtis make copies of those pages for me. He seems to know where everything is in that book."

Bernard snorts. "No kidding. He's the only elf who's ever read that thing cover to cover and I know he's done that multiple times."

"What about you?"

"Nope. That thing's way too long."

Scott laughs and is about to agree with his Head Elf when one of the teachers comes forward to motion their group up the path. He adjusts the straps on his backpack and leads the way up the hiking trail. It's almost too cold to be up here, but it is rather pretty. There's still snow on the ground- the spring sun won't be out to melt it all away for a couple more weeks at least- but the branches above are bare so Scott can see straight through the tree tops up to the steely gray clouds above. The crunch crunch crunch of snow beneath their feet echoes around the forest, mixing with the excited laughter of the children as they walk. Even in the last stretch of the chilly season, the smell of winter lingers - that cold, wet scent that's just so fresh and crisp. They walk for about an hour, the trail alternating between long stretches of flat ground to steep, steep hills. Scott calls for the group to take a rest at the top of one of the hills. He can hear some complaints from the kids about sore feet and being tired, the loudest complaints coming from Quintin- who is red-faced and huffing and puffing as he tries to catch his breath, each exhale misting up in front of his face like steam leaving a teapot.

Quintin leans over when they stop, hands placed on his knees to hold himself up. He huffs in between inhales, "this is it... this is my life now. I've climbed this hill and now I will die upon it."

"Oh, for the love of sugar plums, shut up" Bernard laughs. "We've only been hiking for an hour. We used to spend all day traveling on foot."

"I hated it then and I hate it now!"

"Drink some water, Quintin." Scott chuckles as he hands the boy one of the bottles from his bag. The elf takes a few messy gulps from the drink, not even caring when some of it spills down his chin. Scott leaves him to go check on the other kids, making sure they all drink some water and seeing if anyone needs anything else. After about ten minutes, Scott calls for everyone's attention. "Alright, break's over guys. We're falling too far behind the other group. I don't want the next one running into us."

"You're not kidding about falling behind," Bernard remarks as he looks up the path. "I can't even see the group in front of us anymore."

"Eh, we'll probably start to catch up to them when they take a break."

Everyone grabs their things and starts following Scott up the trail again. They walk along another flat section, and then down a steep hill, before reaching a fork in the path. There's a sign with two different trail names on it and an arrow underneath each name- one pointing left, the other right- to tell you which path is which. Scott studies the sign and then looks at the new trails. There are footprints in the snow leading down both of them, but he can't see anyone so he doesn't know which belong to the other group and which might be other hikers out today.

"Uh, San- I mean, Scott, you do know which way to go, right?"

"Not... not exactly."

"What?"

Scott whips around to face his Head Elf, his heart skipping in panic. Charlie grabs his sleeve though, stopping the anxious spluttering that was just seconds from leaving his lips. "Just check the map, Dad."

"Map?"

"Yea. Mrs. Levard told all the chaperons to grab one right before we started hiking. They were right next to Bobby Lawson's dad."

Scott looks away from his son and at Bernard, who's eyes are as wide as saucers. "D-did you grab a map?"

"No! Did you grab a map?"

"No!"

"Wow," Quintin says with a snort. "You guys are bad chaperons."

"Not now, Quintin!"

"What are we gonna do, Bernard." Scott groans, letting his face fall into his hands. "We can't be lost. We have ten kids with us!"

"Calm down, we'll figure this out. No need to panic-"

"No, I knew something like this was going to happen. How-" Scott pauses when he sees some of the kids staring at them. He grabs Bernard by the arm and, after telling the kids to wait there for a moment, walks further down the right path until he's sure they won't be able to hear them. "How do I always manage to screw stuff like this up?"

"You didn't-"

"Yes, I did. All I had to do was look out for Charlie and these kids, and I couldn't even manage that. Why am I such a failure as a dad-"

"Scott!" Bernard interrupts, and there's fire in his voice. The kind of flames that stop you in your tracks and make you listen. Where the speaker means what they say and they won't hear any arguments. "First of all, no, you're not. I didn't grab a map either, so this is as much my fault as it is yours. I was the one talking to you when we should have been listening to Charlie's teacher. Second of all, where is all this coming from? You've always struck me as more of a self-assured kind of guy."

Scott sighs, "I am.. or I was. I don't know. I just keep thinking about what my real estate agent said to me last month, about how the whole town thought for weeks that I took Charlie and ran off. I normally don't care what people think about me, and I figured by now I wouldn't be so bothered by this, but..."

"But this isn't just about what people think about you," the Head Elf says, his eyes widening like he's just solved some great mystery.

"What do you mean?"

"You're worried about what people might think about Charlie now, or Laura and Neil, aren't you?"

Scott scuffs his boot against the ground, staring at the hard-packed snow. "I mean... Yea, I guess I am. If this was all just about me, I'd say to heck with it. Let them think what they want to about it. But it's not. Laura and Neil forgave me so easily, I'm sure people are probably judging them for that. And Charlie... I don't know if people are still treating him the same at school or if the other kids think he's weird or something for disappearing with me for that month. You know how kids can be sometimes."

"Yea, I do," Bernard says with sad huff. "Is this why you were so worried about doing a good job on the field trip today?"

"Yea. I just wanted to prove to everyone that I'm trustworthy. I'm tired of being a bad dad."

"You're not a bad dad," Bernard insists. Scott scoffs. "Hey, I mean that! You're not, and if you don't want to take my word for it, take Charlie's. He thinks you're pretty great."

Scott looks over at his son, who is laughing at something Quintin is saying. "You think so?"

"I know so, boss."

Scott feels his lips tilting up into a smile, and he's just about to thank his Head Elf, when he's interrupted by a voice coming from behind the kids. Another chaperon, Jessica O'Hara's mom his mind is telling him, comes up the path and stops when she reaches the kids, looking at Scott and Bernard in confusion.

"Hey, everything okay here? I thought we were supposed to stay far enough away from each other so the kids would have plenty of time to look around at everything?" she asks.

"Right," Scott says as he and the elf walk back over to the group. "We actually had a little trouble. My map uh... fell out of my backpack at some point and I didn't realize it until we got to this little fork in the road. I didn't know which path we were supposed to take, and I didn't want to take the wrong one so I figured... we'd just wait here until the group behind us came along."

Mrs. O'Hara nods in understanding, thankfully believing Scott's lie, but frowns at the boy beside him. "Don't you have a map too? You're helping Mr. Calvin chaperon aren't you?"

"Um..." Bernard hesitates, pulling at the ends of his hat. "No. I didn't grab one. Guess I'm not a very good chaperon."

The woman slips her backpack off her shoulder and unzips it so she can pull out her own map, tsking as she does. She does give Bernard a kind smile when she looks back up at them though. "You just need to pay more attention to instructions, sweetheart. But I'm sure you've been very helpful to Mr Calvin today."

She points them in the right direction- the left path- and then tells them to go on ahead so there's some space between their groups again, explaining it's time for hers to take a break anyway. Scott thanks her and then he and his group set off again, this time with a little less worry sitting inside his chest.

The first hike took a little over two hours before they reached the parking lot again. Mrs. Levard, who'd been in charge of the first group, tells Scott that everyone is eating lunch inside the buses so they can warm up a little. It's another hour and a half before everyone makes it back and eats. Some of the kids waiting go to the forests edge so they can have a snowball fight, and Scott and Bernard can't help but laugh when Charlie sneaks up behind Quintin and shoves a handful of snow down the back of the boy's jacket. After lunch there is another hike, this time on a different path and with instructions for each kid to find special signs talking about the different plants and animals and insects that can be found in the woods. It's a fun little scavenger hunt, and Charlie is very happy to be the first one in his group to find the last sign. Bernard at one point even uses some of the magic only he has as Head Elf to coax a doe into walking along the path right in front of the kids, making sure none of them see him do it of course. The children stare in silent awe as the animal glances their way, and then wave goodbye as she gently skips off back into the trees.

By the time they make it back to the buses and cars, evening is approaching and everyone is exhausted. Scott lets Charlie's teacher know he'll be taking his son back home and then he and the boys all climb into Laura's car. Bernard plops down into the front passenger seat and quickly clips his seat belt on. He shivers. "Hurry up and turn the heat on. I'm freezing."

"Alright," Scott says, starting the car, "give it a sec' to warm up."

"That was really fun, Dad! Thanks for being my chaperon," Charlie says from the back seat.

"Anytime, sport. You fellows ready to head home?"

"Oh, no," Bernard says, "you are taking me to get the greasiest cheeseburger you can find as payment for writing my name down as chaperon without asking me first."

Scott snorts. "That's what you want in return? A cheeseburger?"

"Oh, Dad, can we get milkshakes too?"

"Yes, that." Bernard grins and gives Charlie a high five. "I want that too."

"I can't believe all you want is dinner." Scott laughs.

"I can." Quintin says, shaking his head at his Head Elf, a knowing smile on his face. "Bernard loves to eat, more than anything."

"Really?"

Bernard nods his head and leans back more comfortably in his seat, a dreamy smile lighting up his face. "All the different ways there are to make food? My favorite things you humans ever invented."

"Okay," Scott chuckles, putting the car into drive. He feels so much lighter now, like he knows for sure he's done a good job today. "Cheeseburgers and milkshakes it is then."

Did you guys enjoy that chapter? I hope so! If you want, let me know what you thought of it.

The thing I wanted to mention down here, and you may have noticed I mentioned thefakeredhead in my disclaimer, is where the inspiration for this story came from. I was scrolling through Pinterest one day when I saw this writing prompt from that website that to me just screamed- interaction between Quintin and Bernard! It got me thinking about when that would happen and it somehow snowballed from Scott taking the boys with him on one of Charlie's field trips into this entire story. Funny how that stuff happen sometimes, huh? The prompt was just a dialogue prompt for the "I've climbed this hill and now I will die upon it." It was just so funny to me, I don't know why. Just thought I'd share this little tidbit with you. Stay safe and happy and I'll see you next time!