Well hello there my lovlies! Been a few months, hasn't it? Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I've been super swamped at work these past few months and I've been so tired I just haven't felt very creative. But I'm back! This chapter is a little shorter than the last couple have been I think, but that's because I wanted to split November into two parts. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or even just read this story. I appreciate you all so much!
As always, I want to give a heads up that Scott's view on therapy in no way reflect my own. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and if you feel like it, let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Santa Clause movies.
12. November '96 Part One
The morning of November first, Scott wakes up in the guest bedroom of the Miller's house. Soft sunlight is creeping in through a crack in the blinds, dancing across the fluffy beige carpet and baby blue duvet so it can linger across his eyelids. He rolls over to escape from the light, the bed groaning as he moves. Scott blinks his eyes open and lets out a huge yawn.
It's early enough that the house is still quiet. There's no sounds of Neil singing along to the radio in the kitchen, or of Charlie stomping around as he gets dressed for the day. It's really peaceful, calm. All he can hear is the soft tick tick tick of the clock on the wall. Scott sits up in bed and stretches, his back giving a satisfying pop. As his arms flop back down to his sides, his gaze lands on the red and black nylon overnight bag sitting near the door of the room. The topmost zipper of the bag is open, and a ruffly white satin shirt and messy blond wig are spilling out. He'd accidentally left the bag back at the Pole last night, but sometime while he, Laura, and Charlie were gone it had appeared, ready and waiting for him in this room with his pajamas, a change of clothes, and his toiletries. He's sure it was Judy who'd noticed he'd forgotten it. He makes a mental note to thank the elf-girl when he gets back.
Scott lets out another yawn and then gets out of bed so he can rummage around the overnight bag for his clean clothes. He has to pull the blue sequined jacket out to reach his sweater and jeans. As he holds it in his hands though, he can't help but smile, the memory of last night easily coming to mind. It had been a lot of fun. Neil had stayed behind to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, but even being one person short in their mixed up little family, they'd had a blast. They'd started off the night walking to the street closest to the main road. It was here they met up with Charlie's friends, Jessica O'Hara and Danielle Adams- who Scott remembered was the new girl Charlie had stopped Bobby from picking on- and their families. Danielle's mom, a curvy woman barely over five feet tall with wild brunette curls, who was dressed in a rabbit suit that strangely reminded Scott of the Easter Bunny, gave them a hearty hello as the O'Haras ushered them into their huddle. The last night of October had a chill to it, the wind cutting right through the fabric of their costumes. Crowding all together seemed like the best way to guard themselves against the cold. The adults went over what streets they wanted to walk around while the kids compared costumes. Jessica was wearing a sparkly, poofy princess dress with a plastic jeweled tiara, her blonde hair in neat ringlet curls, and her little brother Theodore (who everyone just calls Teddy) was dressed like a fuzzy brown bear. Danielle was dressed as a doctor. She proudly showed her friends her shiny little stethoscope, and the place where someone had carefully stitched "Dr. Danielle" in thin black letters onto her medical coat.
The group had set off down the street behind them, planning on making their way back to Laura's where Neil would be waiting for them with warm drinks and pizza and a scary movie for everyone to watch together. The sidewalks were packed with people, all in amazing costumes. Scott saw witches with pointy black hats, vampires with long capes and fake fangs. He saw brightly colored superheroes and more princesses with large crinkly skirts. He saw dragons, knights, clowns, zombies, and even a mother and her son in matching scarecrow costumes. And the neighborhood looked amazing too. The windows of almost every house were trimmed with shining purple and orange lights. There were glow-in-the-dark plastic skeletons, fake gravestones, ghosts hanging from tree branches that howled eerily when you got too close. He saw porches lined with jack-o-lanterns, their toothy grins flickering with the candlelight within.
Laura had tucked an empty pillowcase under her arm in case Charlie's pumpkin-shaped bucket got too full. Which, after three streets worth of houses, it definitely was. The smiles never left the kids' faces, and they positively crowed with excitement at how much candy they'd received. As they'd made their final stops before going back to the Miller's, Scott couldn't help but think about how much he regretted missing out on the last couple of Halloweens with his son. He'd been doing that a lot over the past few months- thinking about all the moments he lost because of his and Laura's fighting, and him always putting his job at the toy company before Charlie. And it's awful, but he'd realized he's spent more time with Charlie this year than the two before he put the coat on combined.
Something else he'd noticed was how little everyone in the neighborhood seemed to care about him being there. Maybe no one recognized him in his goblin king costume, but Scott had been expecting at least some dirty looks or rude comments. Something. These were the people who had come running out of their homes in the middle of the night to watch him get arrested. The ones who'd stood in their pajamas and heavy winter coats as he was shoved into the back of the cop car. So it's not crazy to assume they'd have a problem with him joining the crowd trick-or-treating. But no one had said or done anything. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. People don't normally forget nights like last Christmas Eve so easily, and they certainly don't forgive them just like that. But maybe people in town were starting to believe that it was all a big misunderstanding. Maybe they were like Gary Lawson and they didn't think Scott should have been arrested. But then again, if they were like Principal Moore, then even if they didn't think Scott tried to kidnap his own son, they certainly didn't like him anymore. Every house they went to, every doorbell they rang or front door they knocked on, Scott wondered who the people answering were more like. Did they trust him again? Did they hate him? Or maybe it was neither and they didn't think anything about him at all. Scott wasn't the center of the universe. It was possible everyone had moved on months ago and the only one still worried about what happened last year was Scott.
When they'd made it back to the Miller's, the kids had made a beeline for the living room, where the cheesy aroma of a fresh-from-the-oven pizza wafted through the air. Scott had helped Neil bring in mugs of apple cider for everyone, and then their large group all sat down to watch a movie. Despite feeling a little out of his element- even before spending all his time with elves, Scott never spent much time with other people from his or the Miller's neighborhoods- he'd enjoyed the rest of the night. They watched Casper, which he thought was pretty entertaining for a kids movie. Charlie and his friends certainly liked it, because they asked to watch it again as soon as the credits rolled. By the time the O'Hara's and Danielle and her mom left, all the kids' eyes were drooping shut. Scott was exhausted, too. He'd said goodnight to Charlie, and then he and Neil cleaned up the living room while Laura tucked Charlie into bed. Neil did the dishes while Scott cleaned up spilled popcorn and candy wrappers. Finally, as the clock ticked just past midnight, the adults bid each other goodnight, and climbed into their respective beds to get some sleep.
Scott shakes his head, bringing himself back to the quiet bedroom. He grabs his toiletries and his change of clothes, and then tiptoes his way into the guest bathroom across the hall. The bathroom is chilly, the cold tile floor stinging his bare feet. Scott hurries over to the shower and turns on the hot water. In minutes steam starts to fill the room, the mirror above the sink slowly getting fogged with moisture. Scott undresses, slips past the shower curtain, and ducks his head into the spray.
A little while later he finally hears movement in the house- Charlie's unmistakable thundering footsteps from the second floor- so he shuts off the water and finishes getting ready for the day. Scott leaves the bathroom and stuffs his pajamas and toiletries back into his overnight bag. Bernard should be here to pick him up soon. November is the start of what the elves call "crunch time," so the boy will probably want to get back to the workshop as soon as possible. They have a lot to do between now and Christmas. Scott finished his first check of the list, so he needs to start his second run through. He has to meet with Larry and Josiah to decide on the flight plans for Christmas. Quintin mentioned wanting to make some final upgrades to the sleigh, so Scott needs to see how those are going. He also thinks he should be on the Main Floor as much as possible helping Bernard double check the presents before they're sent for wrapping. They won't have much time for fixing mistakes, so he needs to make sure none manage to slip by the elves. All in all, he's got a very busy two months ahead of him.
The doorbell rings, so Scott goes to answer it. He says good morning when he notices Neil coming out of his and Laura's bedroom at the top of the stairs. Neil manages a thank you for grabbing the door as he lets out a huge yawn. Bernard is waiting outside, looking as wide awake as normal.
"Morning, boss!" he chirps.
"It's only eight o'clock. Can you not be a morning person, just once?" Scott grumbles. He steps aside so Bernard can come inside.
The elf rolls his eyes, and says sarcastically, "yea, sure. I'll get right on that." Scott goes into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Bernard follows him, adding, "Are you about ready to go?"
"Yea. Charlie wanted me to stay for breakfast though so it'll be a minute."
"Oh. Well I can come back in like an hour if you want?"
"No no," Scott says, pushing Bernard into a seat at the kitchen table. "Stay and eat with us. It'll be a nice little break before going back up to the pole."
"Alright," the elf agrees, though he sounds a little reluctant to do so.
Scott gets started on breakfast. He's not as good a cook as Neil, but he can make a decent omelette when he wants to, and bacon is easy enough to fry. Soon the kitchen fills with the robust earthy smell of coffee brewing and the sound of bacon sizzling in the pan. The Millers and Charlie join them at the table right as Scott slides the last cheese and pepper filled omelette onto its plate. Charlie is ecstatic to see the Head Elf and insists on sitting next to him so he can tell him all about how his Halloween night had gone. Scott chats with Laura and Neil while he eats, Laura reminding him of their appointment with Judge Whalen in a week and a half. After breakfast, Scott grabs his bag from the guest bedroom and then gives Charlie a hug goodbye. He promises the boy that he'll see him soon, and then the elf whisks them away to the Pole.
Scott gets right to work helping the elves. They weren't kidding when they described this time as "crunch time." The workshop is so noisy with voices and the whirring of machines and the banging of hammers that it hurts Scott's ears. Toys are piled high in carts before being sent off to wrapping and Scott does his best to make sure none of the ones with the neat blue tag bearing the words "Made Special for:_" and whichever-child-wanted-it's name written in Bernard's curly script or Curtis's slanted print leave without being checked for mistakes. Thankfully, after the issues last month, it seems like everyone is being more careful. He finds a couple with small mistakes- the wrong colored bow on a teddy bear, a bike with a pink basket instead of a white one- but they are easily fixed. Even so, the work starts to pile on with each passing day, until more than a weeks worth of days have blurred together and Scott suddenly finds himself overwhelmed. He's bounced back and forth from the Main Floor to the other departments so much, he feels like one of those ragged overused tennis balls kids use when they're learning how to play tennis in gym class. When Bernard stops by a worktable he's helping at one morning to ask if he and Scott could go look over some paperwork together, Scott wants to hug the boy, he's so relieved. They leave the noisy Main Floor and head to his much quieter office. Scott flops down into one of the squashy armchairs by the fireplace and lets out a sigh.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Bernard smirking at him, but the elf doesn't say anything about how exhausted he must look. Instead, he takes his own seat and starts rifling through his shoulder bag, pulling out a messy file of papers.
"I asked Clara to print me off the inventory reports for each department. The numbers look good."
"Oh yea?" Scott asks, taking the papers from his Head Elf. There's columns and graphs and all sorts of numbers in tiny, cramped writing. It sort of makes his head hurt.
"Yea. If we keep this up, we should definitely have all the presents ready by Christmas."
"Well, that's good." Scott says with a sigh. He lets his head fall back against the chair.
Bernard smirks at him again. "You okay there, Santa?"
"No," he grumbles. "I feel like all my muscles have been turned to jelly. I'm so tired. How on earth do you all do this every year. I've never done so much work in my life."
"Eh, you get used to it after a while. Plus, you know, we're magical. It takes a lot more to tire us out."
"Wish I was the same way."
"You are." Bernard laughs at the disbelieving look Scott shoots him. "I know it doesn't seem like it 'cause it's your first full year up here, but you really will get used to it. You just have to build up your... supernatural muscles first."
"My what?"
"Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to explain it." He pauses. "So, you know how you were told last year that Santa gets all his magic the first year after he puts on the coat? Well... I personally don't think that's quite right."
Scott raises his eyebrow, interested. "What do you mean?"
Bernard leans over and takes one of the reports back. He waves it in front of Scott's face. "There are how many children in the world that celebrate Christmas? And you get magic from each and every one of them. There's no way you get all of it that first year. I mean, how long did it even take for you to start changing? I know the Santa Handbook says you get your magic by that first Christmas, but if I had it my way it wouldn't. With all the magic you have, you probably won't really be in full control of it until some time next year. Santa's supposed to be able to create things with his magic just as easy as the elves do, if not more so. And have you ever tried to do that?"
"No... I didn't know I could. How do I do that?"
"It's supposed to come naturally. As easy as breathing, you know? But if you've never even had the inkling to give it a try it's because you magic isn't ready to yet. Once you get there this job will be a lot easier, trust me."
"How come you've never told me this before?" Scott takes the report back. It's an itemized list of stuffed animals from Theo's department, separated into different columns by amounts made, colors, sizes, and how many have specific customizations. The total amount so far is huge. Scott knows that not every child asked for a stuffed toy, so the number he has in his hand probably doesn't even come close to amount of children who believe in him. And he gets magic from every one of them? That's... that's a lot of magic.
Bernard watches him for a moment, an odd, clouded expression passing over his face. "I'm not supposed to, actually. I'm only supposed to tell you what's in the handbook. Doesn't matter if I agree with it or not."
"What? That's doesn't make any sense. Do you know how relieved I am now that I know there's a good chance I can get better at my job? Why wouldn't you be allowed to tell me all this?"
"Because," the boy says with a sigh, "One of the Legendary Councils from forever ago decided that only what was written in the handbook should be taught to the new Santa's and if changes needed to be made, they were the only ones allowed to do it. Did I ever tell you that I was the one to write that dumb book?" When he sees Scott shake his head, he continues. "I originally wrote it after our... fourth Santa? I think? Anyway, I got tired of having to go over everything just for the big guy to forget what I said the next day. So I wrote down everything I knew into one book and just started giving it to the new Santa when he finally moved up to the Pole. It worked great for a while, and the Council was so impressed they made that rule.
"The problem is though, I eventually realized that I didn't know everything there was to know about Santa, and I actually had some stuff wrong- like when you get complete control of your magic. So now, even though I know loads of stuff not written in that thing, I'm not allowed to tell you any of it unless that rule is changed. And while I think I could convince Mother Nature and maybe even Tooth Fairy that the handbook is outdated, I'd probably never get the others to listen to me about why it needs to be changed. They're a pretty open-minded group, but I'm still just a magical creature to them. Cupid says I don't know what I'm talking about half the time."
"But, it might be really helpful to know some of that stuff! I mean, maybe all the other Santa's wouldn't get so overwhelmed either if they knew the job gets easier after a while."
"Maybe, but there's nothing I can do about it. But that's why I tell everyone that you don't have to follow everything in there to a T. And to ask me if you have any questions about what you read. I don't think the book is totally useless. It does have a lot of information in it you need to know. It's just there's big stuff in there that isn't right at all. If you ask me to clarify something for you, then I should be able to tell you about it without breaking the council's rule."
Scott frowns. "You're not going to get in trouble for telling me about the magic, right? Because I technically didn't ask."
"No, not unless you tell on me!" Bernard jokes. Scott laughs, just as the phone on his desk lets out a shrill ring. He heaves himself up to go answer it. Laura's voice comes crackling over the line.
"Hey, Scott!"
"Hey, Laura. What's up? Everything okay?"
"Yes..." She hesitates for a moment. Scott gets the feeling she's waiting for something. When whatever it is doesn't come, she lets out a barely audible sigh. "Are you, uh, on your way down?"
Scott pauses. Had he made plans to go see Charlie?
"Our appointment with the judge is at two o'clock, remember? You never said whether or not you were taking one of the reindeer down or if Bernard was just going to bring you so I wanted to make sure-"
"O-oh! Right. Sorry about that. I thought I told you." Scott quickly checks his watch. Thank goodness, it's just now past eleven o'clock. "B-Bernard is going to drop me off about a quarter after one. That should be enough time to pick Charlie up from school and make it to the courthouse. Right?"
Laura lets out an obviously relieved sigh. "Yea, that should be plenty of time. Sorry. When Neil and I realized we hadn't heard from you I was worried the appointment had slipped your mind."
"No, no," Scott says through an awkward laugh. "I'll be there. See you guys soon."
He hangs up the phone and turns back towards his Head Elf.
"Bernard is going to do what now?" the elf says, a frown on his face as he leans heavily back into the plush cushions of his armchair.
"Can you take me down to Laura and Neil's at one?" Scott asks, suddenly feeling panicked. "I forgot we had an appointment with Judge Whalen today. He's supposed to decide if he wants to extend that stupid court-appointed family counseling. I won't make it in time if I take one of the reindeer."
Bernard shrugs his shoulders. "Sure, Santa. But why didn't you tell me or Judy about your appointment? We could have reminded you and arranged one of the reindeer to take you down this morning."
"I forgot."
Bernard shoots him a disapproving look. "That's really not something you should forget about. Laura would've been furious if you missed that meeting."
"I know, I know. But I've been so busy it slipped my mind. Thanks for taking me down, though." He moves to sit back down in his armchair. "We better finish going over these reports so I can go get ready."
Bernard drops him off in the Miller's backyard at ten past one. Scott says another 'thank you' to the boy and then lets him know he should probably be done around three-thirty. Bernard disappears back to the pole in that shower of red and green sparkles as Scott walks up to the sliding glass door and knocks on the window. Neil looks up from where he's reading at the kitchen table, smiling when he sees him. He motions for him to come in, so Scott slides the door open and steps inside. It's chilly and windy outside, so the warmth of their home is wonderful. Scott takes off the jacket he'd put on and folds it over the back of a chair, and then takes a seat himself.
"No work today, Neil?" he asks.
Neil shakes his head. "I had a few appointments with patients this morning, but I left around lunch time. How's the Pole?"
"Busier than ever," Scott sighs, just as Laura comes walking into the kitchen. She has one hand on her growing belly.
"I think Lucy has decided to take up kickboxing," she says to her husband. "Hi, Scott!" She adds when she sees him.
"Hey. Did you two find out the baby's a girl? I thought you were waiting until after they're born?"
"We are," Neil explains. "Lucy is what we're naming them if they're a girl. If the baby's a boy we're naming them after my grandad, Phillip."
"I'm positive they're a girl, but Neil doesn't believe me." She rolls her eyes as Neil huffs at her.
"It's not that I don't believe you. I just don't think you can really tell without an ultrasound." he says.
Laura gives Scott a look, like she wants him to agree with her. Scott holds up his hands in a silent plea to remain neutral. She sits down with a grumble. "I don't need an ultrasound to say. I'm telling you, being pregnant with Charlie felt different. It's definitely Lucy and not Phillip in here."
She says that last bit while gently patting her belly. Neil is shaking his head, but he doesn't say anything else about it. A wise choice, in Scott's opinion, because he remembers from the first time Laura was pregnant that she had quite a short fuse in the last couple months. He doesn't spend long catching up with them- not that there's much to catch up on. He was here just a little over a week ago- before it's time to go pick up Charlie for their appointment. They hop into Laura's minivan and Neil drives them to the school to grab Charlie, and then to the courthouse. Unlike the last time they were here, no one speaks to the judge alone. They all file into the room together and take their seats. Judge Whalen moves a stack of heavy looking books off a chair by the window so Neil can set it between Scott and Laura. Charlie takes that new seat and then once everyone is settled, Judge Whalen gets started.
He asks each of them how they felt about the family counseling, and how their communication with each other has been. Scott begrudgingly admits that Dr. Sanchez has been helpful to them, but he tells the judge that he thinks they've learned all they can from her, and that they'll be fine on their own now. Neil disagrees with him, of course, repeating what he'd said in their last counseling appointment about how he was worried about a "bad patch." Even though he's a little concerned about it himself, Scott doesn't think they should be worrying about something that might not happen. And even if it does, it shouldn't be a big deal. They're closer now, so they should be able to handle whatever comes their way. But Neil, and Laura, say how they act when things get hard will set the precedent for how they handle any issues in the future. And if they fall right back into fighting and blaming each other like they were before, than all the progress they've made will be for nothing.
"This seems to be a concern Dr. Sanchez shares as well." Judge Whalen says, looking over a paper on his desk. He sets it down and folds his hands together. "My job is to do what I think is best for Charlie. And while I am very happy with the progress you all have made, I have to consider the fact that there's a chance you might regress, which would not be in your son's best interest. I think it would be better for all of you to continue the family counseling. We can revisit this decision in a few months, but for now I think things should continue as is."
Scott feels like he'd been the lead in a race, only for him to trip right before the finish line. He cannot believe he has to spend even more time stuck in Dr. Sanchez's office. While he can't in all honesty say that all the time he's spent there so far has been a waste, he still doesn't really buy into therapy. Not to mention, it's now the busiest time of the year at the Pole. He can't really afford to waste time coming all the way down here just to sit in a room and talk about his feelings. He does understand everyone's concern about what might happen if this supposed "bad patch" does come to pass, he really does. But what good is sitting in Dr. Sanchez's office going to do?
They leave the courthouse not long after that. Neil leaves them standing on the steps so he can go grab the car, which they had to park a little ways down the busy street. Scott's face must be giving away how annoyed he is because Laura shakes her head at him. "Come on, Scott. It's not that bad. It might do us some more good to be in therapy for a little longer."
"How is siting in a chair and talking about our days or playing dumb games about our feelings going to do us any good?" he snaps.
"What do you mean 'how?'" Laura says with a frown. "It's already helped us get closer as a family."
"Therapy didn't do that. We did that."
"Therapy had a hand in it," she argues. "You can't honestly think we'd be where we are right now without Dr. Sanchez's help. We used to always end up in a fight whenever we got together, now-"
"Now, we know how to talk to each other. And Dr. Sanchez had nothing to do with that. We apologized to each other. We decided to start doing things together as a family."
"Dr. Sanchez helped you realize you have a problem balancing your work life and your home life. And she helped Charlie open up about blaming himself for what people in town think of you."
Scott shakes his head. He can feel his face heating up, he's getting so annoyed. "I'm sure Charlie would have told us about that eventually and we could have fixed it just like we did before. And you could have told me yourself that I have a problem making time for Charlie and I would have done something about it."
"I have told you before. I've told you more times than I can count on both hands. But you never listened to me about it until we started going to see Dr. Sanchez."
"That's not true-"
"Yes it is, Scott!"
"Please stop fighting."
This last bit was said by Charlie, in such a small voice, Scott swears he can feel his heart crack. He looks down at his son. Charlie's hands are shoved into his jean pockets and his head is bowed so neither of his parents can see his face. Scott's immediate thought is to tell the boy they weren't fighting, but he stops himself before he can say the words. He always did that before whenever he and Laura argued, and it never made Charlie feel any better.
"Sorry, sport," he says instead. "Your mom and I just got a little worked up. But you're right, we shouldn't be fighting."
Laura nods her head, and gives Scott an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, too. Why don't we actually talk about this at home?"
"I can't," Scott says with a sigh. "Bernard's picking me up at three-thirty. We're swamped at the Pole."
"You mean you can't stay for dinner?" Charlie asks.
"No, sorry sport."
Charlie kicks his foot against the stone step. "Well... can I go back up with you? Like last year?"
"I don't think so, Charlie."
"But I helped the elves a lot! I could make toys or help Quintin work on the sleigh."
Scott shares a look with Laura, before kneeling down to his son's level. Charlie's face is all scrunched up, like he's trying to stop himself from getting upset. Scott squeezes his son's shoulder in what he hopes is a reassuring way. "I'm going to have to say no, Charlie. You'd miss a bunch of school if you did, not to mention your mom and Neil didn't get to do all the things they usually do with you around Christmas last year. You didn't get to pick out a tree or bake cookies with your mom. You should spend this year with them."
"But..."
"Maybe your dad can come down for Thanksgiving instead?" Laura suggests. "I know you're busy, but you can swing one extra day off, right?"
Scott thinks about all the work that needs to be done. He really shouldn't. It's his first full year and he wants things to go right. He should be focusing his attention on the workshop.
But one look at Charlie's face- at how hopeful he got at the idea of his dad coming down to spend Thanksgiving with him- and Scott knows he can't say no. "Sure. I'll be there."
"Promise?" Charlie asks.
"Promise."
