Laura smiled at Neil as they sorted through their suitcases to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. "I'm so happy for Scott and Carol," she murmured.
"They do make cute babies," he agreed.
"Why can't I go?" Lucy whined as she came into their bedroom.
"Because you have school, Luce. You'll get to see them soon," Laura responded, ruffling her daughter's hair.
"This isn't fair." She glared at them before stomping out of the room.
"I cannot believe my daughter loves my ex-husband this much," Laura deadpanned.
Neil laughed. "Don't forget how much I love your ex-husband."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. We all do. It helps how much he's grown since he's become Santa." Still hard to wrap her head around sometimes, even all these years later.
Neli kissed the side of her head, and then grabbed their suitcases - the elves would be picking them up soon so they could meet Scott and Carol's daughter. Charlie was already there, living semi-permanently in the North Pole now and trying to mentor his baby brother, who worshipped the ground he walked on. "Let's get this show on the road."
They arrived at the North Pole ten minutes later, and immediately set out to find Scott and Carol. Scott beamed when he laid eyes on them. "She's here, and she's so beautiful."
"Of course she is. Does she have a name yet?" Laura pressed impatiently.
He laughed. "Patience, Laura. Carol wants to tell you."
"And how is Carol?" Neil questioned, looking around in delight as always. He'd never get used to this. It was awe-inspiring.
"She's fine. We're relieved she had this baby in the middle of summer and didn't give birth around Christmastime this time around, though." Carol's pregnancy with Buddy had been a little too stressful for Scott's taste but it had all worked out at least. He opened the door and let Neil and Laura in to see Carol and the baby.
Carol looked up with a huge smile on her face. "Hey, you two. Come meet her."
Laura rushed over. "Oh, she's so beautiful, Carol. You and Scott definitely make the cutest kids. Charlie and Lucy notwithstanding, of course"
"Thank you. Four hours of labor and only a few pushes. Labor's still a bitch, though."
"Are you going to tell us her name?" Neil pleaded hopefully.
Carol glanced at her husband, laughing when he gave her and the baby a quick kiss. She handed the baby over to an eager Laura. "Laura, meet Laurel Sylvia Calvin slash Claus."
Laura gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "Laurel?"
Neil wrapped an arm around his wife. "Laurel," Scott confirmed.
"Laura, we love you - you're one of our best friends. You've been such a great help, and we wanted to honor you. So Laurel it is. We knew right away what we wanted to name her when we found out she was a girl, and the name ended up suiting her, thank God. Sylvia's after my mother, of course."
"I love you guys." Still holding the baby, Laura wrapped an arm around Carol briefly before returning all her attention to her little namesake.
"Congratulations." Neil stood up and pulled Scott in for a hug.
"Thank you." Scott couldn't stop beaming. His family was complete now - Carol was the love of his life, and she and all three of his kids meant everything to him. He couldn't imagine his life without them. Becoming Santa had turned everything around for the better, and he was so glad he had accidentally killed the old one.
When Laurel started crying, Laura handed the baby back over to Carol, and she and Neil went to eat dinner with Scott, who fortunately had some free time.
When Scott returned to his wife's side, he was alone - Laura and Neil had gone to visit Charlie and spend some time with him. "I love you more than I can ever say," he whispered to Carol.
Carol sniffled. "Right back at you. Wish I could think straighter but I did just deliver your baby," she teased.
Scott laughed and kissed her. "And you'll hold that over my head for the rest of our lives - looking forward to it, sweetheart."
They had found each other mostly rather unexpectedly but neither had any regrets. This was what Scott was meant to do for as long as he possibly could, and Carol looked forward to continuing to see him bring joy to children across the world. And all these years later, she was still in shock that Santa Claus was real and she was married to him. This life kept them both on their toes.