A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to my little Santa Clause fanfiction featuring Bernard the elf (and my OC). This story is going to look into the history of Santa and the elves. I will also try to explain the magic used in the movies in a logical way. I will also attempt to show the mechanics of the elves and where they come from. I hope it all makes sense.

Most of the chapters will start with a flashback from Bernard's life. Let me know if you like this format. This story will be a bit heavier than the movies, but there will be nothing too dark. It is still a Christmas story, after all. I will try to write everything before the end of the year to keep with the season. As a note, this takes place around the same time as the Santa Clause 3. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

300

The young boy raced through the village at top speed, barely outrunning his pursuers on his four-year-old legs. Despite his appearance, he had been alive for 20 years. The kids chasing him knew it, and that was the problem. The boy had lost his green hat, and his pointy ears were clearly visible to everyone. Bernard was an elf.

"Get back here!" shouted one boy.

"We just want to play!" said another.

Bernard lowered his head as a rock was hurled his way. He did not want to think what would happen if the children caught him. At least they might let him live, unlike the adults. He knew he was not welcome in the village, but he needed to find food. He had no one at home. Not since the accident.

"Just leave me alone!" Bernard cried. "I didn't do anything to you!"

"You're a dirty elf," the oldest child of 12 sneered. "What other reason do we need? You're bad luck!"

"Hey, I thought elves could do magic!" said the first boy who had spoken. "Why don't you perform a magic trick for us, elf boy?"

Bernard wished he could use magic to get away from the kids, but he was not old enough or experienced enough to use magic this far from home. The little he could do, he focused in his legs to help him run faster. Unfortunately, magic did not help him avoid tripping on the rock that fell in his path after being thrown by one of the boys.

Bernard sprawled across the ground, groaning at the impact. By the time he rolled onto his back, he was surrounded by kids with wicked grins. He hated children. They always had to draw out his torture.

"My dad says you get magic from a special rock," said one of the boys, throwing a rock in the air and catching it again. "He says you're hogging it all to yourselves because you don't think humans are worthy. Well, we're going to find that magic rock and take it from you! And you're going to lead us to it."

Dread filled Bernard. That was what they were after? He was used to being picked on for being an elf, but this was the first time anyone said they wanted to steal elf magic. The others would be furious with him. They would kick him out, and he would have nowhere to go. He would die on his own. How had it come to this? He really was useless.

"Leave him alone," said an older, adult voice. Bernard turned his head to see a young man had approached the boys, his expression hard and stern. His whole body froze. What did this man want to do with him?

"We found him first, mister," said the boy who threatened Bernard. "He's ours."

"You do not own him. You cannot do whatever you want with him."

"Sure I can. He's an elf, see?" The boy pointed to Bernard's ears. "He's not supposed to be here."

The man did not appear phased. "It is not for you to enforce the rules, and to harm another makes you the offenders. Now leave before you force me to take action." He took a step towards the group.

The boys cast each other uneasy glances. "Fine," said the oldest. "Adults spoiled everything." He turned and ran, and the others followed behind him.

The man's expression softened as it turned on Bernard. "Are you alright?"

Bernard scooted back in the dirt. "Stay away!" His heart hammered in his chest. Adults were worse than kids.

The man frowned. "I'm not going to hurt you, kid."

"I'm not a kid! I'm 20-years-old."

"So, it's true. Well, I've still got five years on you. My name is Jacob." He held out his hand to the elf.

Bernard eyed the hand warily. No one had ever acted friendly toward him before. It had to be a trick. "Bernard." He ignored the hand and stood on his own.

Jacob returned his hand to his side, not appearing offended. "Well, Bernard, where do you live?"

Bernard stiffened. "I'm not telling you. You can't steal our magic!"

Jacob frowned. "That was not my intention at all. I was wondering why you were in the village."

Bernard did not know why he should tell him this information, but then he thought the man might start accusing him of something wicked. "I came for food. I wasn't going to steal anything. I was picking up scraps." Digging through the trash was how he had been noticed, and those boys had a great time picking on him for it.

Jacob appeared almost sympathetic. "You don't have enough food? Don't you have family or friends to help you?"

Bernard cast his gaze to the ground. "No." Despite his age, his body was still too young for him to really look after himself, and young elves did stay with their parents until they were fully developed. Unfortunately for Bernard, his parents had recently met tragedy, and he had no other family.

"If you need food, I can help you out."

Bernard glared at him. "No! I don't need your help." Who knew what this man would ask in return?

Jacob held up his hands in a defensive position. "I do not mean to offend. I just want to help. I mean you no harm, but I understand if you do not trust me. Perhaps you will give me a chance the next time we meet."

Bernard eyed him suspiciously. "Doubtful." He did not plan on running into him or any other human again.

"Well, you better get on home." When Bernard did not move, Jacob smiled. "I'm sorry." He turned around. "Now I will not see the direction you go."

Bernard did not know what this guy was about, and he did not want to stick around to find out. He slowly walked backwards, careful not to make a sound. When he was far enough from the man, he fled in the direction of the forest. He only slowed when he was safe within the confines of his home.

2005

"Have you identified the intruders?" Bernard asked the head of security. His eyes darted across the computers and monitors in the control room, trying to pick up on something.

"Yes," said the female elf.

"Then let's get rid of them!" said a male elf.

"They're on foot," the female said, typing on her computer. "Six feet. It's a human and a dog."

Bernard furrowed his eyebrows. "Someone is walking their dog in the North Pole? That doesn't make any sense. They must be part of an expedition."

The head of security shook her head. "They're the only living creatures around for miles."

"Maybe they got lost," suggested another male elf.

"I'll take a look," Bernard said. He brought up the periscope that allowed him to view the land above their domed city. At first, all he saw was snow. Then he spotted a blurry image, so he adjusted the periscope. "I see them. It is a dog and... a woman." He tried to get a better view, but he could not zoom in further.

"Are they coming this way?" asked the female.

"Unfortunately, yes." But at least that would give Bernard a better look at the intruder. If she was hostile, he would soon know it. He waited, but her movements were slow. Then, suddenly, she fell face first in the snow. The dog immediately covered her with his body.

"The movement stopped. What's going on?"

Bernard's heart dropped. "She collapsed in the snow."

Silence enveloped the small room. "Well," said another female after a minute, "that takes care of that problem."

"Yes," the first female agreed. "Threat averted."

"Wait," Bernard said, "we're not going to help her? She'll die if she remains out there for long."

The elves exchanged looks. "We have secrets to keep, and-"

"Who cares about that? There's a life on the line! If you're not going to send for help, I'll do it myself." Bernard started for the stairs and nearly ran into Scott. "Santa!"

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Scott said, placing his hands on the elf's shoulders to steady him.

Bernard hesitated. Would he tell him to back down? "There's a woman outside who's collapsed in the snow. I need to save her."

"Then we better get going!"

Relief passed through Bernard. "Right. Come on!"

The two of them made it outside as quickly as possible, ignoring the elves that shouted out questions to them. Bernard braced himself against the cold wind that affected him more outside the dome. He could not see anything in the snow, so he headed in the direction the periscope had shown him, Scott on his heels.

Finally, he spotted a brown lump in the snow. He slowed when he reached the area, and upon examination, he recognized the breed as a St. Bernard. The dog lay across the young woman, who appeared not much older than 20. Her eyes were closed, but he could see her breathing. The dog's breath was even shallower, and he was frigid when Bernard touched him. The creature probably spent too much energy transferring heat to his human.

"I'll get the dog," Scott said. "You get the girl."

Bernard nodded. He doubted he could lift the large animal. As soon as Scott got him out of the way, the elf bent down and carefully lifted the woman into his arms. She was dressed relatively warm with gloves and a knit had out of which flowed blond, curly hair. Gazing at her face, he knew he had to wake her up but did not know how without risking injury. Her eyes fluttered open, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Hey there," he said gently. "Are you with me?" He kept his eyes on her while he followed Scott through the snow.

"Where am I?" the girl said. "What happened?"

"You collapsed in the snow, but don't worry. I'm going to take care of you."

"Are you an angel?"

The question surprised Bernard. "No."

The woman's eyes flickered to his ears. "You're an elf."

Bernard tensed. That was not something he wanted to admit, but he had to keep her talking to make sure she did not fall asleep. "Yes..."

She smiled. "We did it. We made it to the North Pole. I knew it existed."

"'We?'"

"Me and Rufus, my dog. Is he safe?"

"Yes. My... friend has him."

"Good. Rufus is my best friend. He's all I have. We're alone in the world."

Bernard's throat tightened. "You're all alone?"

"Yeah." The girl yawned, causing his heartbeat to speed up.

"Hey, don't fall asleep!"

"But I'm so tired."

"If you fall asleep, your body temperature will drop to match the outside temperature. If it gets too low, you will die!"

The girl yawned again. "You know a lot about the cold."

"Of course. I've lived here most of my life."

"What's your name?"

"Bernard."

A smile flickered on her face. "Nice to meet you, Bernard. I"m Brooke."

Bernard had to focus on entering the city, so he tore his gaze away from her. "We're almost there. I'm going to get you some help." He and Scott wound their way through the city until they reached the healing ward.

"We have patients coming through!" Scott shouted.

Healer elves scrambled outside the building, some looking on in alarm. "What's wrong?" said one of them.

"Hypothermia," Bernard said. "A human and a dog. We need to act quickly!"

The elf nodded. "Follow me!"

Bernard hurried into the hospital building. At one of the healer's signal, he placed Brooke on a bed. Then he backed away as the healers surrounded her. Scott dropped off the dog nearby. Bernard stood against the wall with baited breath. There was a flurry of activity, and he could not hear everything that was said. However, he did pick up on a few key statements.

"We lost the dog," said one of the elves.

"We're losing the girl," said another.

"Let's try magic."

"It's not working."

"We don't have enough power."

"There's nothing else we can do."

Suddenly, there was silence. The elves stood around the girl, staring. Bernard glanced at the heart monitor and saw activity. "What are you doing?" he said. "She's still alive!"

"But we've done everything," said Alex, the male elf in charge of the ward. "Our magic is not strong enough to save her."

Bernard took a deep breath. "Then I'll do it. My magic is strong enough."

The elves exchanged looks. "I agree you have more experience and skill than all of us combined, but it would still almost drain the power from the Star Shard. It could cause you a lot of damage."

Bernard knew the elves would have limited access to magic if he did this, and that could put them behind with Christmas so close. And yet, looking at Brooke and how alone she was, he felt compelled to help. "It doesn't matter. I have to try."

"I could do it," Scott offered. "As Santa, I have more access to magic."

Bernard looked at him. "This is a very delicate manner. She needs to be warmed in just the right way. Have you ever saved someone from hypothermia?"

Scott frowned. "No. Have you?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know that."

"There's a lot of things about me you don't know." Bernard returned his gaze to Alex. "I'm going to do it. Give me some space."

Alex motioned for the others to step away from the bed. "Good luck."

Bernard took a deep breath and approached Brooke. Her crystal clear blue eyes fluttered upon when he looked down at her. "Bernard?" she said in a weak voice.

"I'm here," he said. "I'm going to save you now."

Brooke smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. This is going to take a lot of work. Just stay awake for me, alright?"

"I'll try my best."

Bernard had to take her at her word, for he needed to stop talking to focus on his task. Her jacket had already been removed, so he easily slipped his hand under her shirt and placed it on her bare stomach. He shivered at the intense cold that hit him. This was bad. He closed his eyes to block out everything else.

Bernard focused on connecting to the Star Shard in the center of the city. He drew on its power for strength. He let the magic building inside of him until it felt like it would boil over. Then he molded the magic into a gentle heat. He brought the heat to Brooke where he touched her skin and then gradually spread it outward. When her body was filled with the magical warmth, he increased the temperature. He continued slowly in this manner, always careful to not make a mistake.

"Whoa," one of the elves whispered, "it's working."

"I know," said the lead healer. "Bernard is amazing."

"That feels good," Brooke said with a lopsided grin when Bernard looked at her. "Nice and warm."

Bernard used his free hand to check her forehead. When she felt normal to him, he removed his hand and stepped back. "You can check on her now."

The healer elves surrounded Brooke once more. After a minute, Alex said, "Amazing. She's completely fine."

Bernard let out a breath of relief. "Good." He felt drained but satisfied.

"She needs to rest now. You can wait outside." The elf looked Bernard up and down. "It looks like you could use some rest yourself."

Bernard nodded. There was a gathering area outside the healing ward that contained benched and tables. He all but collapsed on the right side of a bench. Now that the emergency was over, he could feel his body aching from his use of magic. This would take awhile to recover. If it saved that girl's life, though, it was worth it.

"That was a pretty brave thing you did there," Scott said, sitting on the left side of the bench.

"I only did what I had to do. And it's not over yet." Bernard glanced at him. "Did I leave enough magic for you to find anything out about her?"

"Brooke Wilson. Age 22 from Kugluktuk, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto Scarborough with a major in creative writing last spring. She currently has no job or living arrangements. She is without family or any friends that I can find."

Bernard gazed at the floor. "She's all alone. So, why is she here?"

"That I could not figure out. You'll have to ask her."

Bernard frowned. "Why me?"

"You're the one who saved her."

"That doesn't make me responsible for her."

"Actually it does," said Curtis, popping up out of nowhere. "I came as soon as I heard the news."

Bernard held in a groan. "Not now, Curtis." He did not have the energy to deal with him.

Curtis ignored him and held up a book. "Do you realize how many rules you have broken? You let an outsider into the heart of the North Pole!"

Bernard glared at him. "She was going to die!"

"Calm down," Scott said. "We can figure this out without exposing our secrets."

Curtis huffed. "I sure hope so."

The door to the medical building opened, and Alex stepped out. "The woman is awake and stable," he said in response to the questioning looks. " She wants to talk to you, Bernard. If you're feeling up to it, of course."

"Don't mess this up," Curtis said as the head elf stood.

Bernard pushed himself. "Everything will be fine. I've got this. I'll find out where she wants us to drop her off." And then this whole saga would be over.