The Immergut was a strange contraption to behold. It was in a small area below the main room where the naughty and nice list was printed out. It was only accessible through a doorway in the floor. It had gone forgotten for so long that a table had been placed over it for sorting print outs. After moving it aside they lifted the doorway and walked down the stairs to a small area where a lone desk sat in a room that passed as just big enough for a bear. The desk itself had several gear-like wheels sticking out with names for different species and subtypes on the teeth. She didn't know how but after selecting canidae for example and pressing a button beneath it the next gear would lower into the desk and another would replace it with all the varying genus types within the canidae family.

She continued to match up the results she wanted till she had a large list that would surely provide several possible matches that Nick would like. The list included red and arctic foxes as well as several different species of foxes. One of the main things Judy had gained from talking with Skye was learning Nick found shorter females attractive. While height wasn't an option, she could choose between species, gender and age. After making her selections she'd push a button below the final gear and the machine would start printing the results. Which, to her surprise, were overwhelming. Soon the room that had once been big enough for a bear was rapidly losing space to mounting pages of candidates.

"Hey."

The sudden voice directly above her caused Judy to drop the papers she was holding as she spun around with a gasp, having been too distracted to notice anyone approaching.

"Nick! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack." Regaining her composure, Judy held a paw to her fast beating heart.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly, holding up a plate of food and a cup. "I didn't see you at dinner and your parents told me you were down here." He set the items on the desk and looked around at the mounds of papers. "So what's all this?"

"This," Judy gestured at the papers surrounding them, "is the list of potential Mrs. Claws candidates."

"Oh." Nick said looking around. "Ooohh." As the realization sunk in on just how many candidates she'd found. "Uh, so all of these…"

"Are potential candidates. I was talking with my dad while figuring out how to work the Immergut and he believes it will list anyone who is still on the good list after they stopped believing in Santa. So there's a good chance that most of these candidates are already married or spoken for and that should narrow our list substantially. I just hope it doesn't take too long." She said, turning her attention to the plate of food waiting for her.

"You'll need to use a travel globe to go over all of these in time." Nick said, picking up one of the lists. "Still, this could take a while. Do you want some help?"

Judy looked around the room, slowly chewing on the bite she'd just taken. "I don't know who we could ask. I'm worried it might cause a panic if all the other elves found out about…"

"Ah." Nick looked back at the sheet in his paw, try as he might, he couldn't place this person in his mind the way he could when checking the naughty or nice list. How were they going to narrow down a list of love inter…

"Hey Carrots."

"Hmm?" She responded, looking up from where she sat.

"Did you know leprechauns were real?"

"Yeah, I've met a couple. Kind of a rude and grumpy group if you ask me. Why do you ask?" Her ears turned sideways in curiosity.

"Can you tell me what other mythical beings exist out there?"

Not sure where he was going with this, Judy leaned back and started counting off the different beings she could think of.

"Well there's the tooth fairy, he's a big grumpy water buffalo, Sandman, a camel, the easter bunny, though he's not really a bunny, he's actually a hare, Cu-" Judy froze before she could finish the last name. Looking towards Nick to see a smug, knowing grin on his face before jumping out of her chair with both arms stretched out. "Cupid! Way to go Slick!" In her excitement, she gave him a quick jab in the arm before grabbing the paper he was holding and walking back to the desk.

"Ow." The jab had been so sudden Nick froze up from the sudden sharp pain in his arm.

"We can get Cupid to come and look through this list and let us know who's already in love and greatly reduce our number of candidates! I need to get a travel globe and leave right away!"

Nick watched as Judy shot up the stairs and out of view at an incredible speed. He kept his eyes on the open door for another minute or two before finally forcing them away. He looked around the empty room, rubbing his chest just above his heart. Looking at the stacks of paper, he supposed Mrs. Claws could be here.

Judy quickly raced back to Nick's room, making her way into his workshop and opened a drawer on the side of his desk. She reached in and pulled out one of the snow globes kept there. This one with a figure of a Santa landing the sleigh on a rooftop.

Swirling it around, she took a moment to enjoy the image of Santa delivering presents while it snowed. Remembering the real life image she'd experienced with Nick before closing her eyes and softly whispering.

"Take me to Cupid."

Her words were shortly followed by the familiar rush of air and momentum she was familiar with now. As soon as it ended, she opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself in a massive open area with strange low hanging fog or smoke around her feet. The sound of music had her ears turning around to find the source. In the distance, she spotted an orange figure bouncing behind a large, white, powdery desk. As she approached, she could make out the figure of a very large, portly cheetah.

"Excuse me?" As she approached the desk she realized the desk was taller than her and only the tip of her ears would show over the edge. "Down here!" She called.

The portly cheetah stopped his dancing and turned around to peer over his desk. Looking down, he saw a creature he knew existed but had never seen before. Dressed in her green and red outfit, his eyes bulged as realization hit him.

"O. M. Goodness. They really do use bunnies as elves. Oh wow! I gotta say you're even cuter than I ever imagined you'd be."

Judy visibly cringed from the dreaded C word.

"Uh, you may not know this but a bunny can call another bunny cute but when others do it's a little…" Trying her best to be diplomatic, she waited to see how he would react.

The cheetah recoiled with a gasp, bringing his paws to cover his muzzle. "I am so sorry, me Benjamin Clawhauser Cupid the third, the guy everyone thinks is just a chipper, over exuberant bringer of love, stereotyping you."

"It's okay." She responded with a giggle. "I really do need your help though. I-um, did you say Cupid the third?"

"Oh yeah, see most people think Cupid is just a single entity but really we're a family organization."

"Oh? How does that work?" She asks curiously.

"Well similar to how I think you elves and Santa work. The elves do most of the ground work with building the toys and Santa is kind of the overseer and head honcho who delivers the toys. The only difference is when it comes down to it, there are several Cupids in the family who go around 'shooting arrows'." He said the last words with finger quotes.

"Oh, that is interesting, but I have a tinsy bit of an emergency. Who do I talk to about it?"

"Oh that would be me. I can help you with whatever you need." He replied with a chipper tone. "What kind of emergency are we talking about?"

"Well," she started with some reservation, "you see, Santa, kind of needs to find a wife."

"Oh dear." He sighed. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help. You see, contrary to popular belief, we don't actually go around making everyone fall in love. We just show up when it happens and help them realize their true feelings. But even if we did do that, it wouldn't work on legendary beings such as Santa or even yourself."

"But this is an emergency! If I don't find Santa a wife before next Grizzmas it'll be the end of all Grizzmas's!"

Benjamin gasped at the news, but had a solemn reply.

"That's terrible but I'm afraid I still can't help."

"Actually, I don't need you to make Santa fall in love. I already have a list of possible candidates for Santa to choose from. I just need help narrowing down the list."

"Oh yeah! I can totally help with that. Where do we begin?"

With Cupid on board, or Ben as he liked to be called, Judy used the snow globe to whisk them back to the room where she'd compiled all the possible candidates. Surprised, Judy found that nothing had been moved despite the feeling of wind rushing around them.

"Wow, what a rush!" Ben exclaimed.

"I know, right?" After giving Ben a moment to adjust to his new surroundings, Judy quickly got them to work. Turns out, Ben had brought an iPaw with him that connected to a database the Cupids used to keep track of information.

"We aren't all knowing on these matters like Santa is." He explained, pointing out that among the legendary figures Santa was held in the highest regards for what he did to bring happiness in the world.

Hearing this, Judy couldn't help the smile that pulled her lips up. Glancing over, she saw Ben staring at her with his own goofy grin.

"What?" She asked, feeling her ears start to burn.

"It's nothing." He replied, shaking his head before turning back to the task at paw.

Judy thought about pressing him for an answer, till she was interrupted.

"There you are! We've been looking… Who's this?" Nick said, pointing towards the chubby cheetah.

"Nick! This is Benjamin Clawhauser Cupid the Third, he's here to help me narrow down the Mrs. Claws list."

A sharp ear piercing squeal cut through the room as Ben started vibrating in his seat. "Santa Claws!" Was all they heard him say before he collapsed onto the floor.

The two looked at the unconscious feline for a second before Nick spoke.

"That's Cupid?" He asked.

"Oh my gosh! Ben?! Ben can you hear me?!" Judy jumped down from her chair and was doing everything she could to make sure he was okay. Nick had walked from the stairs and was now standing over the two and Judy frantically tried to get a response.

"He seems kinda… big, to be cupid." Nick observed, causing Judy to look back with a glare.

"Really Nick?"

"What?" He tried defending himself. "I always thought cupid was a miniature deer."

"That's Bartholamew, he's my cousin." The cheetah said softly.

"Oh Ben, are you alright? Lay still, don't try to move."

"I'm okay, nothing hurts." He says, trying to sit up though Judy attempted to keep him still. "Just a little woozy."

"Are you sure?" Judy asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine." He said before yawning.

"Well, looks like our guest could use some rest." Nick interjected. "Will you be staying with us or commuting?"

"Oh, if I could stay here that would be perfect. I'll just send an L-mail to my boss real quick." He got to his feet and grabbed the tablet from the table. Typing out a quick message as he listened to the conversation behind him.

"L-mail?" Both Nick and Judy mouthed to one another.

"Oh no, I didn't realize it was so late." He heard Judy say. "Mom and Dad are probably worried sick."

"Don't worry about it. You just go get some rest. I'll show our friend here to the guest rooms and swing by your parents' to let them know you're back."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother-"

"Nonsense," Nick cut her off, "you're doing me a huge favor by taking on this task."

Judy let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks Nick."

"Dumb bunny."

"Sly fox."

Cupid couldn't help but notice the affection in those words. That thought accompanied him as he walked with Nick towards the room they'd offered, causing a silence that didn't go unnoticed.

"You're awfully quiet for someone who has a bubbly disposition." Nick said with a sidelong glance.

"Oh! Sorry, just thinking about something."

"Not backing out of helping us I hope?" It sounded like Nick's voice was mixed with both hope and dread to Ben.

"Oh, no no no! Nothing like that. It's just…" He trailed off, not sure how he should describe things at the moment. "This could take a while."

"Ah, yeah that list Judy came up with is something else. How long do you think it'll take to go through everything?"

"Oh that! Yeah, uh, that could take a while. Probably close to eleven months, maybe a year." Ben said, somewhat eagerly.

"Hmm, well, no need to rush yourself. Take your time and don't make mistakes." He said calmly. "Remember slow is smooth and smooth is fast." He finished just as they stopped in front of a door. "Here we are. If you need anything there's a bell for the night crew. They can help you with whatever you need. Goodnight Ben."

"Goodnight Santa!" He said quickly before rushing into the room and closing the door.

Nick only shook his head at the strange cheetah. The first person he'd met since becoming Santa that he couldn't get a read on.

The next morning came and Nick found Judy and Ben already hard at it. Ben looked like he had been woken up far earlier than he was used to while Judy seemed to be full of energy, as usual. He didn't interrupt their work, but did bring them breakfast and reminded them to take a break for lunch. He then went about what would be his normal routine till after the New Year celebration. He mingled with the visiting mammals, who he learned would join them for the celebration before returning home. That night he prepared a meal for him and Judy, setting the table with a candle and waited for her to arrive. Finally, after minutes became hours and the candle was burned halfway, he pinched out the light and put things away.

The next day, he did the same as before and mingled with the new comers and only peaked in on Judy and Ben. So continued this routine till New Years. He finally saw Judy and Ben arrive just in time for the count down that night and a few minutes after she came to wish him a Happy New Year. Just before running off to get sleep for the next day.

With the new year arrived and passed, it was time for the visitors to return home and Santa's workshop to get to work. Renovations needed to be made, repairs completed and the workshop put back into full swing. He didn't realize how busy he was everyday till two and a half months had passed and he returned to his room after a long day to find Bonney sitting on his couch, waiting for him.

"Oh, Nicholas I'm glad you're here. You have to do something about Judy." She pleaded.

"Hello Bonnie, lovely to see you waiting for me inside my den, unannounced." He said aggressively.

Bonnie blinked in surprise as he walked past her and into his private workshop. She stared at the doorway for a moment before following after him. Surprised at his reaction. She hadn't spoken to him since he'd come to talk to her and Stu about, well, everything. When she looked into his workshop he was sitting in the chair with his paws resting in his lap tinkering with something. He looked so sullen.

"I'm sorry." He said softly without looking up from what he was doing. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

"Nicholas, what's going on? Judy never leaves the Immergut and you've been distant with everyone lately." She gave him a gentle smirk when he looked up in surprise after describing him. "Here's a hint, with Judy distracted from her normal task everyone comes to me with their concerns over you."

Nick physically flinched at that. "I'm sorry, it's just that…" sigh "I just don't feel like I'll be able to find someone who's willing to give up everything for me. By the time Judy and Ben finish with their research the year will be nearly over. I don't have time to court someone or even try and go out on a date. And I was afraid of what would happen when I have to leave. I didn't want anyone to think…" He trailed off as Bonnie placed a paw on his forearm.

"You didn't want to be attached to anyone if you have to give up being Santa Claws."

It was a statement, not a question. She'd managed to see right through him and the defeated sigh along with how he slouched into the chair were all the confirmation she needed.

"Nick may I give you some advice?" She took the way he looked up at her curiously to mean yes. "When you came to visit last you shared how vulpines tend to take courtship slowly and the female takes the lead. With rabbits it's different. Courtship is much faster and the male takes the lead. Sometimes, when a doe is being stubborn, the male will be more aggressive and demanding. In ancient times that aggression was also how bucks gained dominance over a warren and any discenters would be dealt with aggressively as well. Even today, when a rabbit questions someone's authority, whoever is in charge, be they male or female, will become more aggressive by standing taller and facing their ears forward and up. It's a sign that they are in charge."

"So you want me to be more aggressive rather than stand offish?" Nick asked, confused, even more so when Bonnie laughed.

"Only if you need to." She said breathlessly. "But I would like for you to talk to Judy. She and Cupid have been working nonstop since she brought him here."

Nick went back to fiddling with the object in his paws at that. Not going unnoticed by Bonnie.

"The poor dear looks like he's lost twenty pounds from when he first arrived. I've tried talking to Judy but she just goes in a tangent about the end of Grizzmas. Would you please see if you can talk some sense into her?"

Nick released a heavy sigh, closing his eyes before nodding. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." Bonnie replied, with a grateful smile. "Goodnight Nicholas."

She didn't wait for a reply. Nick stayed where he was for a few more minutes. Finally placing the small windup toy on his work desk. A feral rabbit that jumped as they jumped millenia ago.

At the Immergut, Judy and Clawhauser worked tirelessly to get through the quota of papers Judy had set for them. Judy calling out names as he typed them in. Lately they've been finishing later and later in the day. Though she couldn't figure out why as Ben let out another yawn beside her.

"Come on Ben, just five more and we can call it a night." Judy encouraged him.

"You said that an hour ago!" He whined in reply.

"This time I mean it, it's getting late. Next name is-"

"Hopps." Both froze before looking towards the stairs to see Nick walking down them, frighteningly quiet. "How goes the search?"

They both looked at him surprised, he hadn't been back down with them since they'd first started. And now that she saw him, Judy felt there was something she was forgetting. She quickly pushed that thought aside and began updating him on their progress.

"We're making good progress. We've managed to get about thirty percent of the way through the names we have so far and we have a total of seventy nine candidates to go over with you when we're finished. We're almost done for the night and then we'll-"

"I want you to stop pushing so hard." He interrupted, remembering what Bonnie said about asserting dominance.

Judy sat stunned for a second. Not sure if he really meant it or if he had given up on being Santa. She couldn't allow that.

"Nick, if we slow down we'll never finish in time before-" He interrupted again.

"I'm not telling you to stop but I am placing you on a new schedule." He looked to Ben. "Cupid, breakfast is served from five to seven every morning. I don't expect you to be here with Judy until seventhirty. Lunch is between eleven and one, you get one hour for lunch and dinner is served between five and seven. You will stop working at five. Both of you." He gave Judy a hard glare with the last sentence before turning to leave.

Judy felt as though he were trying to placate her. To convince her that he was just acting the role of being in charge and secretly giving up. She had to try and convince him not to hold them back.

"Nick, please if we could-"

The sound that resonated around the room had the fur on the back of Ben's neck standing on end and his tail to poof out. For Judy, her ears lowered and she instinctively made herself try to appear smaller, but her stomach was doing flips as the sound of his growl seemed to vibrate through her.

Nick didn't intend to growl, only to appear as Bonnie had described. He stood up straight, pointed his ears up and faced forward. The growl that left him surprised him and he nearly cut it off midway before noticing how effective it seemed to be. When he finally did finish, he looked at Judy. Seeing her appear so vulnerable nearly caused him to break his act but he knew he had to push forward. How could he convince her that this was the right course of action? He did miss spending time with her. She was really the only friend that he'd managed to make despide how long he'd been here without her helping him. So, he decided on a plan that would both be agreeable to them both.

"Hopps, you will join me for dinner at the end of every day."

"Dinner! Oh no, I forgot about joining him for dinner!" She thought to herself.

Nick didn't react but he could easily see her inner turmoil. "As my head elf I still need your expertise on some things within the workshop and you can give me an update on your progress. This new schedule will start tomorrow, I'll see you both at breakfast. Goodnight."

Nick turned and left without waiting for a reply, walking back up the stairs and out of the list room. As he walked along the balcony to his room he couldn't help the confident smirk that pulled at his lips.