39.
"Now remember, don't let Santa get away with doing any less than 12 sections of the list a day. Otherwise he won't make it through his second check before Christmas Eve."
"And make sure that the electronics that have been put through the pantograph have been boxed with enough time to be wrapped—they fall by the wayside too easily, and the request for them is higher than ever this year."
"Don't forget to switch the reindeer to double rations 2 days before takeoff. The stable elves should remember on their own, but it's always good to double check! Some of the hands are new this year."
"Send the Suit out to be cleaned the evening before Christmas Eve, so it's fresh for the big day. And don't forget to have the boots polished!"
"Oh, and make sure you—"
"Okay okay okay!" Curtis waved his hands, gesturing for the head elves to stop barraging him with reminders. "You've given me a list, remember? You even got Santa on board with using cell phones, so I can call him when I need to."
"You have my number too, right?" Elle asked, and Curtis nodded.
"Good. You can call us if you have any questions—and you should call. Don't improvise."
Curtis rolled his eyes. "I won't need to, Bernard. I've got it under control, and I'm not going to mess it up. I can be a good head elf! A great one. You'll see."
"Interim head elf," Bernard pointed out firmly, and the younger elf deflated just a little. "Don't go around telling everyone you're head elf, or they're going to think this vacation is permanent for us. You've got the keys to the snowmobile?" Curtis fished them out of his pocket and held them up. "Good. If there's even a scratch on it, it's coming out of your salary. And no joyriding!"
'You're being a real hardass, B. Maybe cut him a little slack?' Elle glanced over to find Bernard slightly scowling. He sighed, becoming slightly more benevolent.
"Okay. A little joyriding is allowed."
"Alright!" Curtis visibly brightened, and Elle felt a little better about leaving him with so much to do. He did always seem eager to prove himself. She just hoped this time, he'd really be able to impress Bernard with how capable he'd become. She sneakily gave Curtis a thumbs up behind Bernard's back, and saw his grin grow even more.
"Most importantly though, keep an eye on Frost when he shows up."
"He." Curtis considered that. "You mean Jack? I don't think he'll be a problem." It was the first thing that Curtis had said that made Elle feel unsettled. "There's no real reason for him to hang around this year. I expect his visit will be brief and to the point, don't you?"
"I'm not sure Jack has ever been brief and to the point in his entire life," said Bernard, dryly.
"The bottom line, Curtis," Elle explained, "is don't underestimate him, don't let him linger, and don't tell him more than he needs to know. If he asks about me and Bernard? None of his business. Asks about anything that doesn't involve his job as Jack Frost? Be suspicious, and respond carefully."
"Sure thing. I don't have a problem telling him to stay in his own lane." Curtis' resolve should have been reassuring, but more than anything Elle just hoped he didn't have to interact with Jack much at all.
"Just…be careful. And stay out of my office! I've left all the paperwork you'll need in yours."
Curtis rolled his eyes. "Sure Bernard, because I really want to go digging around in all your old stuff."
Bernard opened his mouth to say something rude back, but Elle snorted.
'He's got a point.'
Bernard squinted at Curtis, then offered him a half smile. He reached out and Elle handed him a clipboard that he passed in turn to Curtis. "Good luck."
"And really do call if you need," Elle reiterated as Bernard took her hand and they headed for Santa's office.
"Have a nice vacation!" Curtis called out, waving them off. "You sure need one Bernard, you old grouch," he muttered when they were out of earshot, but he couldn't help but notice that the head elf almost seemed…excited? That couldn't be right, could it? That Bernard was secretly glad to be taking time off?
Almost as unrealistic as Curtis getting a shot at playing head elf, but here they were.
"Do you think we should have warned him about Santa's plan to bring up the in-laws?" Elle asked, guilt getting the better of her. Bernard shook his head, but it was clear it was bothering him too.
"Santa said not to, that he'd give the news when he was ready. You know I was prepared to tell all the elves, not just Curtis," he reassured her, and she nodded.
"I know, I just feel bad. I mean, we're taking time off because it's a lot for us to handle, but we're letting him get dragged into it unknowingly?"
"Like you said before, if we didn't have the history we do with Jack, it wouldn't be such a big deal. To Curtis, having Jack show up once a year is a normal, run-of-the-mill part of the seasonal shift to winter. He's used to it."
"But the in-laws? You know how he is about following the rules, he's worse than you. He'll flip out."
Bernard shrugged. "Guess he's in for a surprise?"
"B…"
"You two headed out?" Santa was already in the doorway to his office, accepting a stack of letters from a mail elf. He seemed relatively at ease for someone who Elle knew was currently seriously worried about his life choices, job, family and love life all at once. She envied that level of composure, just a bit.
"Yes sir, we just left Curtis with what he needs to keep things running smoothly while we're away," Bernard said, also seeming oddly at ease considering the circumstances. Was Elle just more stressed out than everyone else or was she just worse at handling it? This was getting to her.
"Good! We'll sure miss seeing you two around. Enjoy your trip though! Send a postcard. And if we're lucky, I'll bump into you on Christmas. Wouldn't that be something?"
"Sure would."
"Please let Carol know, I'm sorry we couldn't be here when the baby is born." It had been bothering Elle, and she didn't want to leave without saying so.
Santa grinned. "Why don't you tell her yourself?" He stepped aside, and sure enough Carol was not far behind him. She came over from the sofa in the office, a hand on her stomach.
"I'm not mad," she said with a laugh. "You worry too much, Elle. I know better than to take something like this personally. If I had what you have going on upstairs, I don't know how I'd keep it under wraps."
"Thank you for understanding." Elle found herself with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
"Of course. You two take some time for each other! It's well deserved."
"You can call us any time, Elle's number is saved in your phone and if that doesn't work, you can always send a letter."
Santa looked surprised. "Aren't you two going to be traveling all over? How will I know the address?"
Bernard's face fell in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No?"
The elf sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Santa. It's been over 12 years. 'He sees you when you're sleeping? He knows when you're awake?' You're Santa. You'll know where we are."
Scott frowned. "That's all very well and good, Bernard, but I thought you two might want some privacy. I don't necessarily want to see you two when you're sleeping—or not sleeping, I don't know what your after hours agenda looks like."
"Oh geez." Bernard ran a hand down his face quickly. "Okay listen. The red and white striped stationary is magical. Put it in the matching red and white edged envelope, throw it in the post, it'll get to us regardless. No peeking in on us required, sound good?"
"Peachy."
"Great."
Elle wasn't sure why he needed to get so flustered about it, but she had to admit: it was kind of funny to watch him squirm. Even Santa seemed highly amused.
"On that note, I think we're settled?" She suggested, and both she and Carol laughed.
"See you both after Christmas."
They went straight to Bernard's house after that, seeing as Elle had already gotten her bags from her suite and left them with his for a more convenient departure. It felt odd, leaving the Pole. Even though it was just for a short time, a few weeks only, Elle felt a strange anxiety about setting foot back on non magical turf—specifically, in human spaces. She hadn't been in a city besides Elfsburg or Crystal Springs since she'd first arrived from Seattle a year or so before.
"Don't be nervous." She felt Bernard's hand on her shoulder, felt it pass down her back to her waist just before he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm going to be with you the whole time this time, aren't I?"
"Yes." It felt good to say so out loud. One of the biggest things they had to work through on this vacation especially was the constant fear of something going wrong—specifically, something that would cause them to lose each other. And while Elle was happy that they would get a chance to confront and conquer that fear, she was also nervous to have to face it again.
"Good. Now, I've made sure you've got your phone, luggage keys, ID and passport, some petty cash in case of expenses, an extra pair of gloves, three hair ties, our list of places we're going, as well as a list of our reservations so we don't lose track. Don't wanna have any problems remembering where we're staying or anything." He pointed out each thing on the dining room table as he spoke, and again Elle was surprised. "I wouldn't be worried if it were one or two stops, but we're going to be away for a few weeks and it's easier than you'd expect to lose track."
"You really did plan this out, didn't you?"
He shrugged. "It's the minimum, really. You've travelled before, you know how it is. Better prepared than sorry." He nudged her side playfully. "Besides, you helped didn't you?"
"Yeah, maybe a bit."
"Yes, you did. And now, we're going to take some time for ourselves—and for you especially, to rest." He frowned. "You brought them, right?" He asked quietly. Elle nodded.
"They're in my bag. I'm supposed to take the first dose first thing tomorrow."
"Okay." He took a deep breath, offering her a smile. "We should get going then."
"Jacqueline and her family are expecting us?"
"I called ahead this morning, yeah. The hot shots were especially excited at the idea of presents, it's gonna be tough getting them in the house without them seeing or worse—opening them at once."
"Oh boy. I'll take the presents directly to Jacqueline's floor then, they're less likely to know if I just poof them to a safe hiding space. She'll know where to put the gifts."
"Good plan. I'll head in the front to distract Fino and Fiera's attention."
"We make a good team, you know that?" Elle said, smirking, and Bernard grinned, pretending to be taken aback.
"Number two, are you flirting with me? That's unprofessional."
"So is taking your co-worker on a one-on-one vacation," she pointed out, and he shook his head bemusedly. "Good thing our boss seems to really support our fraternizing."
"Don't remind me."
Not twenty minutes later they had locked up Bernard's house and poofed out of the Pole, arriving just outside of Frost Mansion. Elle shot him a confused look.
"Inside the gates? Shouldn't we have rung in?"
"They're expecting us," he explained, "and I didn't see why we should walk all that way with our bags."
"Fair enough." Elle turned her thoughts towards the upper floor of the building. 'Hey Jacquie, mind if I pop up to your floor first to keep the presents away from the kid siblings?'
There was a pause, and then the familiar chill of Jacqueline's presence crept along their connection. 'Sure thing! I'm just finishing getting ready, come on up.'
"See you in a few?" Elle said to Bernard, and he nodded. She kissed his cheek and poofed upstairs, just outside of the door to Jacqueline's room. She knocked twice just as a warning before entering, her bag still in hand.
"Coming, just a sec!" There was a loud thunk, the sound of running, and Jacqueline appeared at the door. "Oh good! You let yourself in! Hello! Come in, come in! That's a nice stack of gifts there. Is there one for me?" Jacqueline asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Perhaps," Elle said, grinning. "Where can we hide these?"
"You could leave them in plain sight and the chances of the twins finding them are slim to none. They very rarely come up here," Jacqueline said, throwing her blue peacoat on over her white sweater. "To freeze dry or not to freeze dry, that is the question," she mumbled, picking up a white ear flap hat with braids and a pom-pom and eyeballing it.
"Good to know! They're heavier than they look, believe it or not." Elle set them down next to the sofa and straightened out her back. "I dunno, what do you normally go with when going into human spaces? I'd think they'd ask questions about freeze dried hair—but then again, maybe they'd just think you'd dyed it."
"It depends on the time of year, actually. Around this time, I'm usually just invisible. But I'm thinking that since it's the Christmas market, nobody's gonna question snowy looking hair. Or pointed ears, for that matter!" Shoving her hat into her coat pocket, Jacqueline ran both hands through her hair, the straight brown fast becoming curly white. "Perfect," she said with a grin, grabbing her gloves and shoving them into her other pocket, eyeballing the gifts.
Elle caught her looking at them and narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Do I need to worry about you trying to open your gifts early or are you old enough to know better?" she asked with a smirk.
Jacqueline had already slunk over to the gift pile and picked out the first one wrapped in blue. "No," she said, shaking the package. "I'm just putting them away properly. You know, just in case." She placed the blue one down and grabbed the other gifts, gently shoving them under her bed, the blue one joining the others after one last shake. "Those are heavy! What did you get the twins? How have they not been naughty?!"
"They asked for more than one gift this year, I got them the thing Santa isn't bringing." She shrugged. "Apparently 'naughty' is subjective? They've been good this year compared to some other years. At least, that's what the naughty and nice staff told me. They're the ones keeping records." Elle grinned. "I'm just glad cause I wanted to bring all your gifts. And maybe because it'll be funny when you find out what it is."
"I'm this close to grabbing my gift and shaking it some more pal, why must you torture me so."
"Let's just hope you've been good too! Could be coal in there, you never know," Elle teased, chuckling and shoving her hands in her pockets. She looked up at the clock and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Speaking of the fiery kiddos, I bet they're giving Bernard a run for his money. Maybe we should go and check on things? I'd love to say hi to your mom and dad before we dip."
"Oh, absolutely! I'm sure the twins are already climbing him like a tree looking for gifts, and Dad's probably having a hard time pulling them off." Jacqueline slid her maybe-coal back under the bed, grabbed her wallet and shoved it in a pocket inside her jacket. "Mom's probably trying to force feed him already, to boot. I'll make sure to slide those gifts under the tree sometime in the next few days when the fireballs are out," Jacqueline finished, making her way into her sitting room and out into the hall.
"Sounds like a plan." Elle followed her out, closing the bedroom door behind them just in case. "And honestly? I'm not sure it's even possible to force feed Bernard. He's nearly always hungry."
"Probably why Mom likes feeding him so much," Jacqueline said, laughing as they wound their way to the second floor. As they approached the first floor, Jacqueline turned to Elle. "Brace yourself, I'm about to get loud." Taking a deep breath in, she yelled, "FINO! FIERA! GET OFF OF BERNARD!"
"NOT UNTIL HE TELLS US WHERE THE PRESENTS ARE!" Fiera yelled back.
"There's no need to shout you two, you're both in the kitchen now. Ellington! Hello! How are you, dear?" Winter asked, offering a hug.
Elle, who had flinched just a bit at the shouting, smiled and accepted the hug gladly. "I've been better. But then, if I was doing well I don't think I'd be getting a vacation right now, so I can't really complain."
"I could use one of those myself," Blaise said, hugging Elle with one arm. His other arm was a little preoccupied with squishing a disgruntled Fino to his side.
"Doing okay there, B-Man?" Jacqueline asked. Fiera had practically glued herself to Bernard's arm in her effort to find presents. A tickle on her sides made her let go enough for Bernard to yank his arm back and for Jacqueline to grab Fiera.
"I think Elle and I are in the same boat. I've been better," he said, shaking feeling back into his arm. "Thanks."
"Anytime," Jacqueline replied, handing Fiera off to Blaise.
"Well than, I'm certainly glad the two of you are heading out on a vacation. It sounds like you both need it," Winter said. "Have you had anything to eat, Elle? Would you like something? Some cocoa, perhaps?"
"Mom, we have to get going! If we go at just the right time, we can get free entry!"
Elle couldn't help but smile. "As much as I'd love to stay and have a bite, I think Jacquie has a point. I've heard there's a lot of food where we're going, and I don't want to ruin my chances of working up an appetite." It was oddly surprising to her that in spite of how anxious she had been about the concept of Santa and Mrs. Claus' family, Jacqueline's family didn't stress her out the same way. Interesting.
Winter laughed. "Alright, we won't keep you any longer. You have everything Jacqueline? Wallet? Money?"
"Yes Mom, I'm good to go!"
"Bernard? Elle? Do the two of you have everything you need?"
"I think so! Bernard made the list of things to bring so I assume we're more than prepared."
"Everything's in order," Bernard agreed, giving his satchel a pat.
"Well then what are you three waiting for?!" Blaise boomed, the twins still tucked under his arms. "Go on, get outta here!"
"Bring me back some poutine please, Jacqueline?"
"Sure thing, Fino."
"TELL US WHERE THE GIFTS ARE!"
"Absolutely not, Fiera. I'll see you all later! Any other requests?" Jacqueline asked. "That don't involve Christmas gifts?" she added, giving Fiera a look.
"Have fun dear," Winter said, kissing the top of Jacqueline's head. "Now off you go! Oh, and Bernard? Elle?"
Both elves turned, Bernard with a smile and Elle with a "Hmm?"
"Feel free to stop by after your vacation to tell us all about it," Winter said with a smile.
"Sure thing," Bernard agreed, and Elle nodded enthusiastically. It would be nice to see everyone again once she'd had a chance to properly clear her head.
"I'll make sure they do," Jacqueline said with a grin. "It's almost five there, we need to get going. Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Bye hot heads! See you guys tomorrow!" And with that, the trio left the house, Jacqueline breathing a sigh of relief the moment they got on the porch.
"That was not the reaction I was expecting from you," Bernard said.
"I thought we'd never get out of there, to be honest," Jacqueline replied, running down the steps and heading towards the gate. "I'm really very excited you guys are doing this vacation and I love that you're taking me with you on your first stop, but I really don't wanna dally." Jacqueline smiled, warm and sincere. "I want you guys to vacation to the max, if you catch my snow squall. You two need it. Really, it's been brutal for you both!"
Elle couldn't help but sigh. "It's kind of nice to hear you say that."
"You aren't still feeling guilty, are you?" Bernard asked with a slight nudge, looking a tad concerned.
"Kind of hard not to, really. But I think it's getting better the longer we're gone," Elle said with a slight smile, and he took her hand just as they reached the gate to catch up with Jacqueline.
"There isn't really a need to go directly to the teleportation point, I can just poof us there myself. You guys cool with me doing the poofing? I have the perfect place to poof us where we can just walk in the crowd and nobody will notice! It'll be busy, and also, Toronto is just like that," she added with a shrug.
"I'm down," said Elle. "I've been trying not to teleport lately anyway. Just, you know. To avoid problems." She hadn't put a lot of thought into it, but perhaps it would have been better for her to take something before they'd decided to go to a crowded space. Oh well, nothing for it now. She just hoped she was able to focus enough to not cause a problem.
"Yeah, sounds fine by me. You probably know Toronto better than I do," said Bernard, tossing his scarf back into place haphazardly. Somehow, it had come untucked—oh, probably when the twins had been climbing him like a beanstalk.
"Perfect!" Jacqueline said, stopping and sticking out her arms. "Grab on! It'll only be a little cold," Jacqueline said with a wink.
Once Bernard and Elle were holding on to her tight enough for Jacqueline to feel comfortable to go, they disappeared in a whirl of snowflakes and blue sparks. They reappeared moments later in a busy red-brick area. They were tucked neatly in an alcove as crowds walked by, chatting and laughing and seeming to be in good spirits. The faint sound of Christmas music reached their ears.
"Welcome to the Historic Distillery District! I remember when it was just the Distillery District. I mean, technically it still is though everyone refers to it as Historic," Jacqueline said with a shrug. The sidewalk crowd thinned and Jacqueline took a peek out of their alcove, motioning the couple forward. "You gotta see this view!" she said.
It didn't feel as jarring as Elle had expected it to be, stepping foot outside the more magical spaces she'd been in for the past year or so. It just felt a little chillier, somehow, like something was lacking. Probably the magic, she mused, realizing how stupid that train of thought was. Maybe she should just focus on staying in the moment. Regardless, she was thankful for Jacqueline's energy to make up for how guarded she felt.
"Not bad," was the first thing Bernard said, when they saw the beginnings of what seemed to be an expansive and well decorated space before them.
"That's a bit of an understatement," Elle said with a small chuckle, already impressed by all the lights. But Bernard didn't seem phased, nose already in the air. "You're not hungry already, are you?"
"What do you think?" He asked with a grin.
"Seeing as how you didn't eat at Jacqueline's house—"
"That you saw," Bernard replied, still grinning.
"So that's a definite yes then. Well I guess we're hitting up the food market first!" Jacqueline said.
They passed through the front gates, the person in the ticket booth at the front giving them a polite nod. Before five on weekdays, admission was free, and the trio had just made it in. Directly in front of them stood a large Christmas tree, fabulously decorated. It had to be at least fifty feet tall.
"It's 54 feet tall! One of the market's claims to fame! That tree has something like forty thousand lights and one and a half kilometers of ribbon, which is just shy of a mile, for context. It almost puts you guys to shame," Jacqueline teased, gesturing to the lights above the tree that draped along the open space, going from building to building. It was already dark out, but the market was glowing with the sheer amount of lights there were. A row of little cabin shaped kiosks was to the far left, carolers in period wear walking around the crowd, singing their songs. On the right were store fronts with beautiful shop windows, opening their doors to take part in the Christmas market as well.
"The Rockefeller tree is taller, but this gives it a run for its money," Bernard pointed out with a nod.
"I'd argue this one is trimmed more nicely though," Elle said, and Bernard seemed a little surprised.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, with the Rockefeller tree they just go real ham on the lights. This one has actual decorations and ornaments. That's a proper bauble to ribbon ratio if you ask me, especially for an outdoor tree."
"You don't say?" Bernard dug around in his satchel for something, eventually pulling out a camera and snapping a photo of the tree. "Well, I guess we'll just have to compare them when we get to New York, won't we?"
"We're taking photos?" Elle laughed, and Bernard couldn't help but chuckle too.
"Of course! You know everyone is gonna ask questions about where we went when we get back. Might as well show them, right?"
"Good point."
"I'm full of them."
"You're full of something," Elle rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
"And if I'm lucky soon I'll be full of good food. I think I smell roasted pork."
"Elves, honestly," Jacqueline said, laughingly. "C'mon, let's get some pork in you, cousin."
The trio walked past the tree and headed down the main walkway. The artisans had set up shop here, with all sorts of homemade crafts and gifts being showcased in each of the little log cabins. They took the first right, and were immediately hit with the scents of all sorts of different foods! There was grilled cheese, poutine—straight from Quebec, according to Jacqueline and the vendor—with booths giving out free samples of wines, beers, and brandy. It was the distillery district, after all. Jacqueline beelined to the poutine stand.
"I'll pass on that," Bernard said. "It's basically heart attack on a plate."
"Well if it's drowned in gravy I agree, it gets real yucky. But a tasteful amount of gravy? Not too bad, but still not quite my favorite."
"I've yet to meet a french fry that I didn't like, even a good cheese fry, but I've never even considered putting gravy anywhere near it," Elle admitted, curiosity piqued.
"Then I guess we have to get you some poutine," Jacqueline said, adding an order for Elle as well. "Oh, by the way, do you want Montreal style or just regular? Montreal style adds a bit of smoked meat on top."
"Whichever gives me the authentic poutine experience?" Elle said with a shrug. "I trust your opinion."
"Let's go original then," Jacqueline said, thanking the vendor and grabbing her order, passing him a twenty. "Here you go! Dig in, pal."
"Oh heck that looks good." First glance turned out to be correct, it was delicious. Elle couldn't tell if she was stress hungry or that it really was that good—probably a combination of both, but hey. At least eating gave her something to focus in on, because as much as she was trying to ignore it, being out and about in a large crowd was taking its toll. The impact of being around other minds—and chaotic, human minds, at that—hadn't quite occurred to her when she'd agreed to go to the market, because she'd just been so excited to be out and about with Jacqueline andBernard. Her two favorite people in one place, relaxing for once? That promised to be a great time, and the best way to kick off a relaxing trip away from work. But she'd underestimated how her mind might react to being outside of the Pole, and whether from some lack of Christmas magic buffering her mind or her own worries weighing her down, she found the place to be incredibly, painfully noisy. So much excitable mental energy was a lot to shield from, and she hoped that trying not to think about it would prove more effective than actively avoiding the thoughts crowding in from every angle. She could already feel the beginnings of a wicked migraine forming about her temples.
"…Elle? D'you hear me?" Bernard's voice cut in on her thoughts, and she realized she was frowning while munching.
"Sorry, wha' was that?" Elle asked around a mouthful of very hot cheesy potato.
"You okay? You've kind of been staring at the sidewalk for the past three minutes. We're here to sightsee, you know," he said, giving her a playful nudge. Elle couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, sorry. Just spacing out is all, I'm fine." It wouldn't do any good to have him and Jacquie worried about her mental state when she could manage well enough with a little extra effort, so she decided to stay mum on her steadily growing headache. Bernard didn't seem fully convinced, but he thankfully didn't push the subject.
As they kept walking, they passed the beer hall, a beer garden lit by hanging light strands and a large Naughty or Nice sign up on one of the restaurant walls. There were giant chicken legs there, along with bacon sammies and bratwurst. Back in the market, there were huts selling food between the huts selling wares. There were so many different kinds of fantastic foods! One hut put melted swiss cheese on all sorts of foods, another sold donuts with odd flavors—like maple and bacon, and cookies and cream.
"And over by the Ferris wheel, there's this huge open grill that serves hotdogs, and when I say huge, I mean huge. I wanted to get some Christmas shopping done for the other Legates back in the shops and huts as well, though. Where would you two like to go first? This is, after all, your vacation. I can also give you two alone time, if you'd like," she smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. "I can shop for the Legates by myself if you wanna get cozy on the Ferris wheel, or something," she added.
Elle wiped her fingers clean and tossed her trash into a nearby bin. "You know, I haven't been on a Ferris wheel in like…three years? I'd love to go on. Unless you've got a fear of heights?" she asked Bernard, half teasing. He rolled his eyes. "Just thought I'd ask. It's not like I've ever seen you ride the sleigh or anything, and it's not as if Elfsburg is particularly tall. High? You get the point."
"You trying to ride that thing by yourself?" Bernard replied, peering up at the giant wheel, but Elle could tell by the way the corners of his mouth were tilting upward that he was just playing along. "Cause with that attitude, it sounds like you might wanna ride by yourself."
Biting back a joke that wasn't exactly appropriate, Elle grinned. "Aw come on, B. You're gonna make me go all by my lonesome?" She threw a conspiratorial glance at Jacqueline. "In that case maybe I'll just take Jacquie, she's a good sport about my jokes."
"At least when you're not making puns!" Jacqueline agreed.
Eyes narrowed, Elle was about to reply that her puns were usually top tier, but when a group of rowdy and clearly already tipsy college students strolled by, it felt like she got sucker punched in the brain. "I'll give you that," she conceded with a smile, but couldn't help from rubbing her temple.
"Either way, you'd better hurry if you don't want to wait for the next set of rides," Jacqueline pointed out.
"Good point." Apparently that was enough to get Bernard moving, because he took Elle's hand. "We'll join you with your shopping when we're done, okay?" he told Jacqueline, adjusting his satchel.
"Sounds good! Have fun, you crazy kids." Elle figured Bernard would have had something to say about being called a kid by Jacqueline if their friend hadn't already been strolling off. He shook his head.
"Kids? Please."
"Oh don't grouse, B."
"I'll get her back for that one."
That decided, the two elves set a pace for the Ferris wheel. Somehow, with Bernard holding her hand, Elle found it easier to shift her focus away from the stifling mental traffic and back onto enjoying the picturesque evening market. She wondered if he were helping intentionally, or if he really was just that much of a pleasure to be around. In fact, she suspected it was a healthy amount of both.
As if to attest to that point, Bernard stepped into her mind for a quick word. 'You're having trouble again, aren't you?'
'I think it's the crowd, to be honest. I didn't exactly think it would be a problem, but apparently I've got this a little less under control than I thought I did.'
'Even after last week?' He asked, looking over at her with an eyebrow raised. Bernard had a point; with how bad her migraines had gotten before she'd left, she should have assumed this problem might crop up. Why else would Hismus have given her the tranquilizers?
'Speaking of those.' Elle knew where he was going with this already and didn't exactly like the idea of going powerless in public. 'I know we'd planned to have you take them when we got settled in at our first overnight stop, but it might be better to take them now,' he reasoned, sensing her consternation.
"Before something actually goes wrong,"Elle agreed quietly, aloud.
'Not to be a downer, but yeah. I'd really prefer not to have to watch you go through all of that again, you know? S'not good for you,' Bernard explained, rooting around with his free hand in his satchel for the correct monies to pay for their tickets.
'You've got a point. Passing out cold with a gusher of a nosebleed isn't exactly what I'd call a good time.'
A quiet snort of laughter. "That would be funny if it weren't so morbid," he murmured as he helped her into the carriage first. It was Elle's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Really? Can't spare a chuckle for my elves are short jokes, but the moment it gets dark I get audience appreciation?"
"What can I say, I'm a tough crowd. Besides, as the two tallest elves in Elfsburg, it's a little tone deaf, don't you think?"
"I think that's what makes it funny."
"Nothing funny about walking into low clearance doorways every other day."
"Finally, something we can agree on." Bernard took a seat beside her as she looked up at the canopy.
"We're lucky these are the weight balanced kind of compartments, or we'd be tipping like crazy from being on the same side," Elle mused as the wheel started to turn, lifting them away from the ground. Never mind that she may have been trying to distract from the idea of taking her medicine, because that was ridiculous. She wasn't afraid of being normal for a while, right?
Right?
Taking the tranquilizer felt anticlimactic, considering how much of an impact it would have. A simple pill, half red half white, would have looked like a Tylenol to an outsider but was a little too large.
When they got to the top, Elle composed herself enough to reach out to the machinery below, freezing the wheel. "Just so we have enough time for this," she explained, hands a bit jittery as she took the pill from Bernard with a bottle of water he'd apparently had in his satchel.
"Good idea," he agreed, patting her knee. "Hey." He caught her attention. "I'm right here, okay?"
"Bernard, if something goes wrong—"
"Nothing's gonna go wrong, I promise." She didn't reply, not fully sharing his confidence but without the energy to argue. Instead, she simply nodded, looking down at the red and white pill in her hand.
"Well, here goes nothing," she muttered, downing it quickly to not chicken out of taking it altogether. For a moment, nothing happened. She could feel the thoughts of everyone in the crowd below, like a sort of fog hanging over the market. But then something changed, and it was like her perception shrunk; now she could only sense her own and Bernard's thoughts, and then just her own. Elle's heart quickened at the feeling of her powers withdrawing, like they were pulling backwards out of her fingers, fading through her body and inwards towards her brain. "Oh," she said quietly, limbs buzzing.
"You okay?" Bernard's question sounded far away, her vision blurring. Was the carriage swaying, or was that just her? She couldn't decide, nor find the attention span to try to as her hearing faded out, replaced by a low pressured ringing. The odd tingle sat there in her mind, swirling between her ears for a moment, growing smaller and smaller and then just sort of…winked out of existence.
It was so quiet.
"Elle." She wasn't sure how many times Bernard had called her name, nor how long he'd been squeezing her hand that hard. Her attention had been so far inward that she hadn't noticed him trying to get her attention; but given how concerned he sounded, he must have been trying to rouse her for a while. The wheel was still sitting at the top, unmoving. How long had she been zoning out?
"Yeah?" She asked, and he looked relieved.
"There you are. Had me real worried for a minute there."
"Sorry, B." She took a deep breath. "How long did that take, exactly?"
"About six minutes by my count. You gave the carriage a run for its money too. I was almost afraid you were gonna reintroduce us to the ground before you snapped out of it."
"That's a different kind of ride altogether," Elle mumbled, rubbing her face. She felt his hand run up and down her back as she leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. I just worried it might not work—or worse, backfire—and then we'd be cutting this trip much shorter than I'd hoped to."
"How did you know that it did?" Elle asked. "How do you know they worked, I mean. I haven't told you if it did yet."
"Well, we stopped tossing like a ship in a storm, for one thing," Bernard pointed out, peering out over the edge of the carriage down at the market below before shaking his head and blinking, twice. "But you didn't respond to me when I tried to speak to you mentally, so I guess I just assumed. Am I right?"
"Yep." She took a deep breath, uncurling the fingers of her free hand. "Couldn't hear a word you said, if you did reach out. That's pretty odd, when I think about it. I thought maybe I'd still be able to hear you, cause of—"
"The bond?" Bernard finished with a nod. "Yeah, I'd wondered about that too. Seems like it doesn't quite bridge our brains like we thought it might."
"Do you think it was all my telepathy the whole time?" Elle wondered, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I really don't know," Bernard admitted.
"Maybe it just isn't strong enough yet." She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Had they done something wrong? Had she? Or was she just expecting too much? Maybe that kind of connection wasn't normal, after all.
"Stop that." She looked up to find Bernard giving her that little sideways smile she was so fond of, running his thumb over her knuckles. "I don't have to have a connection to your mind to know that you're overthinking. We didn't do anything wrong. We've only been at this a year, right? That's hardly any time at all really, and this kind of connection is new to both of us. You even more so, because you don't have experience with magic beyond the past few years."
"Yeah well, guess that kind of makes me feel like a dumbass," Elle confessed with a laugh, swiping at a tear in the corner of her eye. When did that get there?
"You're not dumb, Elle. Far from it. But these things take time." I just hope we have enough of that, Elle thought, glad for once that he couldn't hear her. Time. "We're gonna be alright, sweetheart. Try not to be so hard on yourself, okay?" Oh god, she wasn't gonna start crying now, was she? Hiding her face in his shoulder to avoid having to say more seemed a good idea, and with his arm about her shoulders, it was all a little easier to bear.
"Yeah. We're gonna be alright," Elle repeated, really letting the words sink in. It was starting to snow again, and they found themselves both looking up at the sky. "I mean, I got you to go on vacation, right?"
Bernard's short laugh curled into a cloud of vapor in the chilly evening air. "Sure did. Now that's what we'd call a Christmas miracle. Can't say I saw that coming."
Elle fixed her gaze on the city lights, a determination taking over her. "Next year I'm gonna be ready for this," she said firmly. "No matter what happens, I'm going to be able to handle it, without stepping away from the Pole. Jack or no Jack. With or without Clause drama. I'm gonna be ready."
"We'll be ready," Bernard corrected gently, with a pat on her shoulder and a kiss on her head. "You don't have to do it all alone. And we'll have more time to unpack everything that's happened this year, while we're away. There's no rush."
"You have no idea how grateful I am for that, B." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while the wheel sat still.
It felt odd, somehow, after being used to having silent conversations all the time since—well, since before the beginning of their relationship, really.
"How are you feeling?" It shouldn't have been a hard question, but Elle struggled to find the right words for it.
"Well, I can't hear you or anyone else in my head. That's kind of weird, but it's a heck of a lot better than everyone's thoughts crowding in on me. I didn't think I was claustrophobic, but lately…" she let out a sigh. "So good, I guess? Kind of hard to tell so soon."
"We'll keep an eye on it," Bernard said, not sounding too concerned. Or at least, like he was trying not to sound concerned.
"I'm going to try not to worry," Elle reassured him, sitting up and stretching. "It's just being normal for a bit, no big deal."
"Uh huh." Bernard grinned. "Just don't forget you can't levitate stuff, or it's gonna get awkward."
"I wouldn't do that in public anyway, ya goof. Or at least, not out here." A few more minutes passed.
"Hey, B?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think I stuck the wheel too tight? This thing still isn't moving."
"I sure hope not, or I'm gonna have to poof us out of here and that might draw some attention."
"How much you wanna bet we're stuck?"
"Oh we're betting now, huh?"
"Might as well, we've got nothing better to do."
Bernard chuckled. "Fine. I'll bet that we're not stuck."
"How much? Ten bucks?"
"How bout a kiss?"
Elle rolled her eyes. "You're lucky Jacqueline isn't here to see you being sappy."
He laughed outright. "What, an elf can't make a wager for something he wants?" If Elle thought about it, it really did feel like he was actually starting to relax a bit. Maybe this was good for him, too.
"Fair enough."
"And if you're right? If we're stuck?"
"You gotta steal and wear Jacquie's hat."
Bernard's eyes narrowed. "What, that white fluffy monstrosity? Now that's just playing dirty."
It was Elle's turn to laugh. "Yeah, I know how you feel about your beret. Still, you could branch out sometime."
"Is that really what this is about?"
She grinned. "Nah. I just wanna watch you guys bicker."
Regrettably, two minutes later the ride was moving again. Elle couldn't help but feel like Bernard might have done something magical to rig the wheel into moving again, a point she was protesting when they'd safely made it back to ground level.
"Just admit you're a sore loser," Bernard said as they made their way to find Jacqueline. Elle was making an attempt at scowling but kept breaking into smiles.
"No, you just don't play fair. And was it just me, or did the attendant give us a dirty look when we got off?"
Bernard broke out in a grin, shaking his head and bumping shoulders with her in an attempt to keep his voice down. "Well, I don't know, Elle. You did give the compartment a real big jostle, perhaps they got the wrong idea?"
Elle's jaw dropped and she turned pink up to her ears—but she was still laughing. "Excuse me? I—"
"There you guys are!" A package-laden Jacqueline appeared before them, all smiles and blissfully unaware of the topic at hand that Elle was very glad to let drop. "I thought you got stuck up there, you were gone so long. Almost came up to get you two myself!"
"We were stuck for a minute, but it turned out alright," Elle said, shooting Bernard a do not kind of look. He missed it though, too busy sidling up to Jacqueline.
"Wow you sure got some shopping done, didn't you? That's record timing," he said, casting a glance back at Elle and a wink to boot. Oh, something was up. "Want some help with those bags?"
"Oh yeah sure, that'd be great! Here, take this one it's—hey!" And just like that, Bernard had successfully pilfered Jacqueline's hat.
"You won the bet, you didn't have to," Elle said, laughing.
"Yeah, but once you'd given me the idea how could I refuse?"
"You two used your alone time to conspire against me?"
"Only casually."
"In the spirit of fun!"
"Gimme my hat back, Bernard!"
"Oh please, it's not as if you need it to stay warm," Bernard teased, turning the hat over in his hands to find the front.
"Oh really? Well, in that case, I guess you won't mind if I help myself to this." In a flash that Elle suspected was faster than human, Jacqueline had thrust her packages onto Elle and descended upon Bernard with free hands, snatching his beret clean off.
"Hey, hold up!" It was too late; the beret was perched proudly upon Jacqueline's head, the colors a strong contrast to her frostier color scheme.
"What's that? Can't hear you beneath this nifty new hat of mine."
"Glamour your ears, for elf's sake!" Elle hissed through her giggles, unable to cast the protection herself.
"According to Jacqueline here, there's no need. Am I right?" Bernard waved a finger at Jacqueline's own ears, who stuck her tongue out at him.
Elle recalled what her friend had said before they left. Since it's the Christmas market, nobody's gonna question snowy looking hair. Or pointed ears, for that matter! She shrugged lightly, readjusting her hold on the parcels. She felt lighter, somehow, watching the two chase each other around with a smile on her face. I really am terribly fond of them, she thought, pleasantly secure in her thoughts being her own for once.
Not that she would have minded them knowing.
So it's been a hot minute since I've updated this old thing, huh? Four years, I can hardly believe it. Pandemic aside, I had a metric fuck ton of life changes in the past few years. Some were harsh, most left me in a much better place, but boy did they ever leave me absolutely, creatively drained. Even though I had this (and a few other chapters) partially prepped, I just wasn't comfortable with posting them yet. Now at long last, I've finally been able to tweak them to my liking! As I said a long time ago, I honestly don't think this work will ever be complete—I'll always have more to add as I have SO much to cover and I just love these goofs so much, ya know? They're the comfort blorbos for sure.
This is a part one of at least two vacation chapters. As a warning: the next one will deal with heavier themes, which I'll add warnings for in the beginning of the chapter. Nothing graphic, just unpacking of some of the past events of the story. Even though it's a bit sadder, it doesn't end that way and I'm honestly really proud of it so far. I hope you all will like it when I get around to posting it as well.
A HUUUUGE shoutout to safyresky for co-authoring this chapter with me, almost two years ago I believe? And for reviewing it more recently as I prepared to post it. I'm so grateful she helped me out because I always dread Jacqueline being ooc and frankly, the best way to avoid that is to seek the council of the resident Jacqueline expert herself! As an aside that I always like to mention every time the Frosts grace my work, if you'd like to see more of their delightfulness, please check out Dani's works! Meet the Frosts, Crystal Springs and Frostmas all have the Frosts in them and are literally my favorite works in this category (no bias, of course) and I know CS does have Elle (and by extension, bernelle) in it! We have ANOTHER collaborative chapter coming soon, when Elle actually gets around to moving into the loft. So stay tuned for that one as well!
Also feel free to check us both out on tumblr, usernames are the same as here! We both have more drabbles, art by ourselves and other lovely creators of our ocs, and much, much more! :D
Can't wait to hear what you all think of this chapter! And thank you all, to those who have left reviews when I was away. It meant so much to read them and know that this story is still loved after so long. :)
Disclaimers:
I am not Disney or Disney affiliated and therefore do not own any rights or credits to any characters, concepts or places portrayed in or from "The Santa Clause 1, 2, or 3", or the new Disney+ series, The Santa Clauses. What I do own are my own creative work and original content and characters, including the Connelly family, the Emissary Clause and Elle herself. Please do not use my concepts, plot or characters without my permission.
Many characters and concepts are borrowed/used shamelessly from the works and headcanons of SafyreSky, all rights and credit go to her for coming up with such incredible ideas. These include but are not limited to the Legate concept, Jacqueline Frost and the portrayal of many other non-canon/canon characters. I have permission to use these and frequently check with her to be sure I do her work justice.
