Christmas Eve Night:
Bernard fidgeted. He was sitting in Santa's room with him, and Curtis. Curtis was looking smugly at Bernard while Bernard seemed to be staring off into space.
"Bernard, you're fidgeting." Santa said as he got ready to deliver presents. "I told you, you didn't lose your job!" Curtis frowned.
"I'm NOT fidgeting and I know you said I didn't lose my job." Bernard snapped, then he started shifting in his seat. Santa gave Curtis a look, but the elf only shrugged.
"How could you think you'd lose your job? Yeah, Curtis did do a really great job with those toys and he did add some fantastic things to this watch, and that WONDERFUL-"
"Alright, alright, I get it know." Bernard said angrily, and Santa smiled from behind his chair.
"Then loosen up a bit! It's Christmas tomorrow!"
"I know that Santa. I'm happy, see?" Bernard turned toward Santa and gave him a smile. Then he frowned again and turned back around.
"You're just jealous of me because-" Curtis began, but Santa quieted him.
"What are you so upset about? You helped that family, well, at least for now, you're still Head Elf, you made that girl happy-" Santa saw Bernard shift in his seat when he mentioned Vivs. "Oh. I get it." Santa started grinning at Bernard as he flushed. Curtis stared at them curiously.
Santa walked around the chair, waving his finger at Bernard. "I get it.... I know what's bothering you." Bernard rolled his eyes.
"I brought you some cookies!" burst in a voice as Mrs. Claus burst into the room with a big tray and a big smile.
"I'm gonna be eating cookies all night, Carol, I don't need these!" said Santa, but he did reach for some. Carol moved the plate away.
"These are for our new returning Number One." she said, smiled, and giving the tray to Bernard. He mumbled a thanks.
"Why is he so down?" she asked worriedly. Curtis watched the two of them talking, then Mrs. Claus suddenly gave out a long, "Ooooooooh!" Then she turned to Bernard. "I see! I remember all those letters we used to get from her. How sweet she was."
"Yeah she was." said Santa, still grinning at Bernard.
"I don't see what's going on here!" shouted Curtis finally, taking Santa and Mrs. Clause by surprise.
"I kissed a human alright!!!!!!!!!!" Bernard said angrily, then she stalked out of the room.
He left them all staring wide eyed after him. Then Santa, his eyes still wide, said, "I didn't know that part."
*
Viviane sat by the window, yawning loudly. She was staring at the moon, with 'The Night Before Christmas' next to her. The same fake Christmas tree was still next to her, but the family had taken out all their old ornaments again and decorated it as much as possible, making up for the other Christmases they missed.
Vivs yawned again and she heard footsteps coming down the steps. It was her dad, and she smiled at him as he sat beside her.
"I think you should go to bed." he said.
"No! I'm waiting for someone!" she said, and she looked outside her window again.
"Honey, just because your mom and I are back again, doesn't mean Santa's back." he said, sighing sadly.
"No. There's one thing wrong with your sentence."
"And what is that?" he asked.
"You said it doesn't mean he's BACK. Santa hasn't left. He's been here every single year, but you, being normal parents, just don't believe in him anymore. Am I right?" Vivs stared at her dad with her usual, 'You know I'm right' look.
Her father sighed, and held Vis next to the tree on their couch like he used to do when she was little. "Santa isn't real, honey. I feel so weird, saying this to my adult daughter."
"I'm not an adult yet!" she said. "And Santa IS real, dad. I know you used to believe in him at this age too." Her father looked startled.
"Look, dad, I know these things. TRUST me. If I told you how, you wouldn't believe me. Besides," she leaned against the window sadly. "I'm hoping someone else will come too."
Her father watched his daughter intently. "What's wrong?"
Suddenly Vivs started to get mad inside and she stood up and glared at her father. "I kissed an elf, alright!!!!!!!!!!!!" then she stalked out of the room, leaving her father surprised, and confused.
*
"Vivs!" someone said loudly and she sat up in her bed with a start. "Vivs, it's just me."
"Oh. Bernard! Oh my gosh! Is San-"
"Shhh! Yes. He is." Bernard smiled, but she could barley see it in the darkness of her room. "I wanted to tell you that-" Bernard stopped, and sounded sad. "The elves, the need me back there. And so does Santa. But, since tomorrow's Christmas, the next few months might not be so busy. I might be able to come and visit."
Vivs was silent for a moment. She understood. "I can't tell anyone about you, can I?"
She saw Bernard shake his head. "Now I know how Charlie feels. Sorta." Vivs smiled a little bit.
"You can still write letters." Bernard pointed out.
"Yeah, if the mailman doesn't leave them in the mailbox because it's addressed to an Elf." she said.
"You don't need to put it in the mailbox." said Bernard. "You see, if you right a letter to The North Pole, and put the name of Santa or Mrs. Clause of an elf you're writing to on it, just that name, then though it into the wind on a windy day, trust me. It'll get there." Vivs smiled in the dark at his words, then she kissed him, thinking it would probably be the last kiss she could give him before he left, only he kissed her too, and they both kissed each other for a long time. Then Vivs looked at Bernard and said, "I yelled at my dad today, when he came down telling me there was no Santa Clause."
"Were you waiting for him?"
"Yes." she said, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Then I has an outburst and yelled, 'I kissed an elf, alright?' at him." she said, and the elf could feel her laughing.
"Really? I had an outburst about you too, back in the North Pole."
Vivs laughed. Suddenly the light turned on and both of them looked up, then Bernard relaxed when it was just Santa. Vis was standing still, staring at Santa with big round eyes.
"Sorry, Vivs, Bernard. But we gotta go!" he said. Bernard patted her on the back as she still stared at him, then joined Santa at the door. Santa waved goodbye to the girl, then they were suddenly gone. Vivs blinked, then she started shouting for them to wait, and ran down the stairs. Her parents, who were resting together on the couch, heard her screaming and jumping on the porch and ran over to her. The two twins came running down stairs as well.
"Vivs, what is it? Oh my gosh!" Her mother stopped short, and her father was close behind.
"My word!" was what he said.
"What's wrong? HOLY COW!" shouted the twins, and they even dropped their blankets.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" shouted Santa as he waved down fro his sliegh at the stunned family. Bernard was waving too.
"Hey! It's Vivs' Elf Boy!" shouted Tim, pointing. "Whoa!"
"AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!" The sleigh went off into the distance and the whole family smiled, laughed, cried, and hugged as they watched it fly away. Then Vivs' father turned to her with a look on his face.
"What?" Vivs' asked nervously.
"You DID kiss an elf, didn't you!"
(One more chapter!)
Bernard fidgeted. He was sitting in Santa's room with him, and Curtis. Curtis was looking smugly at Bernard while Bernard seemed to be staring off into space.
"Bernard, you're fidgeting." Santa said as he got ready to deliver presents. "I told you, you didn't lose your job!" Curtis frowned.
"I'm NOT fidgeting and I know you said I didn't lose my job." Bernard snapped, then he started shifting in his seat. Santa gave Curtis a look, but the elf only shrugged.
"How could you think you'd lose your job? Yeah, Curtis did do a really great job with those toys and he did add some fantastic things to this watch, and that WONDERFUL-"
"Alright, alright, I get it know." Bernard said angrily, and Santa smiled from behind his chair.
"Then loosen up a bit! It's Christmas tomorrow!"
"I know that Santa. I'm happy, see?" Bernard turned toward Santa and gave him a smile. Then he frowned again and turned back around.
"You're just jealous of me because-" Curtis began, but Santa quieted him.
"What are you so upset about? You helped that family, well, at least for now, you're still Head Elf, you made that girl happy-" Santa saw Bernard shift in his seat when he mentioned Vivs. "Oh. I get it." Santa started grinning at Bernard as he flushed. Curtis stared at them curiously.
Santa walked around the chair, waving his finger at Bernard. "I get it.... I know what's bothering you." Bernard rolled his eyes.
"I brought you some cookies!" burst in a voice as Mrs. Claus burst into the room with a big tray and a big smile.
"I'm gonna be eating cookies all night, Carol, I don't need these!" said Santa, but he did reach for some. Carol moved the plate away.
"These are for our new returning Number One." she said, smiled, and giving the tray to Bernard. He mumbled a thanks.
"Why is he so down?" she asked worriedly. Curtis watched the two of them talking, then Mrs. Claus suddenly gave out a long, "Ooooooooh!" Then she turned to Bernard. "I see! I remember all those letters we used to get from her. How sweet she was."
"Yeah she was." said Santa, still grinning at Bernard.
"I don't see what's going on here!" shouted Curtis finally, taking Santa and Mrs. Clause by surprise.
"I kissed a human alright!!!!!!!!!!" Bernard said angrily, then she stalked out of the room.
He left them all staring wide eyed after him. Then Santa, his eyes still wide, said, "I didn't know that part."
*
Viviane sat by the window, yawning loudly. She was staring at the moon, with 'The Night Before Christmas' next to her. The same fake Christmas tree was still next to her, but the family had taken out all their old ornaments again and decorated it as much as possible, making up for the other Christmases they missed.
Vivs yawned again and she heard footsteps coming down the steps. It was her dad, and she smiled at him as he sat beside her.
"I think you should go to bed." he said.
"No! I'm waiting for someone!" she said, and she looked outside her window again.
"Honey, just because your mom and I are back again, doesn't mean Santa's back." he said, sighing sadly.
"No. There's one thing wrong with your sentence."
"And what is that?" he asked.
"You said it doesn't mean he's BACK. Santa hasn't left. He's been here every single year, but you, being normal parents, just don't believe in him anymore. Am I right?" Vivs stared at her dad with her usual, 'You know I'm right' look.
Her father sighed, and held Vis next to the tree on their couch like he used to do when she was little. "Santa isn't real, honey. I feel so weird, saying this to my adult daughter."
"I'm not an adult yet!" she said. "And Santa IS real, dad. I know you used to believe in him at this age too." Her father looked startled.
"Look, dad, I know these things. TRUST me. If I told you how, you wouldn't believe me. Besides," she leaned against the window sadly. "I'm hoping someone else will come too."
Her father watched his daughter intently. "What's wrong?"
Suddenly Vivs started to get mad inside and she stood up and glared at her father. "I kissed an elf, alright!!!!!!!!!!!!" then she stalked out of the room, leaving her father surprised, and confused.
*
"Vivs!" someone said loudly and she sat up in her bed with a start. "Vivs, it's just me."
"Oh. Bernard! Oh my gosh! Is San-"
"Shhh! Yes. He is." Bernard smiled, but she could barley see it in the darkness of her room. "I wanted to tell you that-" Bernard stopped, and sounded sad. "The elves, the need me back there. And so does Santa. But, since tomorrow's Christmas, the next few months might not be so busy. I might be able to come and visit."
Vivs was silent for a moment. She understood. "I can't tell anyone about you, can I?"
She saw Bernard shake his head. "Now I know how Charlie feels. Sorta." Vivs smiled a little bit.
"You can still write letters." Bernard pointed out.
"Yeah, if the mailman doesn't leave them in the mailbox because it's addressed to an Elf." she said.
"You don't need to put it in the mailbox." said Bernard. "You see, if you right a letter to The North Pole, and put the name of Santa or Mrs. Clause of an elf you're writing to on it, just that name, then though it into the wind on a windy day, trust me. It'll get there." Vivs smiled in the dark at his words, then she kissed him, thinking it would probably be the last kiss she could give him before he left, only he kissed her too, and they both kissed each other for a long time. Then Vivs looked at Bernard and said, "I yelled at my dad today, when he came down telling me there was no Santa Clause."
"Were you waiting for him?"
"Yes." she said, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Then I has an outburst and yelled, 'I kissed an elf, alright?' at him." she said, and the elf could feel her laughing.
"Really? I had an outburst about you too, back in the North Pole."
Vivs laughed. Suddenly the light turned on and both of them looked up, then Bernard relaxed when it was just Santa. Vis was standing still, staring at Santa with big round eyes.
"Sorry, Vivs, Bernard. But we gotta go!" he said. Bernard patted her on the back as she still stared at him, then joined Santa at the door. Santa waved goodbye to the girl, then they were suddenly gone. Vivs blinked, then she started shouting for them to wait, and ran down the stairs. Her parents, who were resting together on the couch, heard her screaming and jumping on the porch and ran over to her. The two twins came running down stairs as well.
"Vivs, what is it? Oh my gosh!" Her mother stopped short, and her father was close behind.
"My word!" was what he said.
"What's wrong? HOLY COW!" shouted the twins, and they even dropped their blankets.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" shouted Santa as he waved down fro his sliegh at the stunned family. Bernard was waving too.
"Hey! It's Vivs' Elf Boy!" shouted Tim, pointing. "Whoa!"
"AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!" The sleigh went off into the distance and the whole family smiled, laughed, cried, and hugged as they watched it fly away. Then Vivs' father turned to her with a look on his face.
"What?" Vivs' asked nervously.
"You DID kiss an elf, didn't you!"
(One more chapter!)