DISCLAIMER: See chapter 1 (I'm just putting this in every few chapters as a reminder that I only own Cordelia and her parents…nothing related to the Santa Clause movies).

A/N: This chapter may be a bit confusing, since it'll jump from location to location, and back to a different location. It'll be mentioned before the switch where the next part will be.

Over the next few weeks, Cordelia got gradually settled into her new life. It seemed that she was, all along, one of the elves. She learned the ropes around the Research and Development department with ease which impressed Curtis, Quentin, and Bernard.

"So . . . are you sure that she's your sister, Bernard?"

The Head Elf turned to his #2 elf and shrugged. "I don't know, Curtis. She's got proof that she is a member of my family, but there is also the possibility that she could have bought it on . . . what's that enternet site called?"

"Its internet, Bernard. I think the site you're referring to is . . . Ebay?" Quentin said.

"Close enough. Ebay . . . that's it . . . anyway, they sell everything on there. She could have seen it on there, liked it, and bought it."

"But how would she know it belonged to you?"

"Curtis, I wear the pin on my beret," he said pointing to it. "She probably saw it when she arrived."

"I think there is some sort of connection between you two," Quentin spoke up. "What the connection is isn't realized yet." The two elves in charge looked at each other. Bernard realized that Quentin was right. There were many similarities between him and Cordelia - not only in appearance, but also in their mannerisms.

~*~ Meanwhile, in the Chemistry Lab ~*~

Glassware was clinking together and several elves were working away as they were busy preparing next year's at-home chemistry sets. The mounds of chemicals which needed to be diluted were piled at the edge of the room. Of course, they were kept in special containers in an attempt to keep them from mixing.

Adam, one of the few elves who regularly worked in the Chem Lab, was just about done making another set when he realized that he had omitted one of the chemicals. He walked over to its bin and took a sample, preparing to water it down. As he was shutting the little faucet and preparing to go dilute it, his ears picked up on a 'drip . . . drip . . . drip . . .' coming from the direction of one of the more potent chemicals (of course, only used in gifts for Chemistry teachers).

He didn't bother going to investigate, knowing that it was out of his league. He found the overseer, Isidore, and quickly brought him over. He bent down to see it and looked back up to the elf. "Go find Bernard. Tell him he's needed in here immediately." Adam nodded and quickly left the lab. Isidore looked down and saw that it had been leaking for awhile. *We need to petition Santa for better bins . . .*

~*~ Meanwhile, at the pond on the edge of Elfsburg ~*~

"So . . . how well do you two ice-skate?"

Abby and Judy looked to each other and smiled. "We're pretty good," Judy said with a smile. "After all, we've been doing it for about 1,100 years."

"Right," Cordelia said turning towards the pond. "I forgot about that." She skated onto the pond and geared up for a triple-axle. Successfully pulling it off, she smiled. "You won't need to do that for awhile. Let's begin by teaching you the basics." The two skated out onto the pond to begin their figure-skating lesson.

~*~ Back to the Chemistry Lab ~*~

"What's the problem, Isidore?" Bernard quickly slid on safety goggles and rubber gloves as he headed over to the leak. The overseer pointed it out and immediately the next words out of the Head Elf's mouth were, "You stay. Get everyone else out."

"Yes, sir," he said. About 5 minutes later, the only people in the room were Bernard and Isidore.

"There's nothing I can do right now," Bernard said after looking at it. "Is there anything you can use to contain the chemical that's already spilled?"

"I can try and find something."

"Good, because if I'm remembering right then these two chemicals are explosive if combined. I'll tell Santa we need new bins, though I doubt he'll put up a fuss about it." Bernard stood up and began to head back to the door, failing to notice the crack beginning to form from pressure on the other bin. He failed to reach the door before the bin split, spilling out the other chemical.

~*~ Back to the pond ~*~

As the ground shook with a rumble, the three girls fell onto the ice. "Are you okay?" Judy looked around as the other two girls were picking themselves up.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, Cordelia," Abby said as she picked herself up. They looked up towards the town and could see a plume of smoke rising into the air.

"Don't worry," Judy said. "Our town fire squad will take care of it."

"Are you sure they won't need our help?"

"They'll be fine," she said back. "Come on, let's get back to our lesson . . ."

~*~*~

Curtis stood on the hill about 10 minutes later, overlooking the pond. He could see the three girls skating there, having fun. Their fun would end quickly, though - especially Cordelia, if she was who he thought she was. After all, Bernard and Isidore were involved in a fatal accident at the Chem Lab . . .

Don't you just love cliffhangers? J TBC, but please review!!! Merry Christmas to all!