(A/N: Happy New Year, guys! Wow! This chapter has been hanging over my head since last year but now that it's finally up, I can't stop smiling. I want to take a moment and thank everyone for following, favoriting and leaving reviews. Especially you, John2851! By the way, guys, if you like my story and the Arthur/Bryony pairing in general, go read John2851's story: A Special Christmas. This chapter wound up having a LOT more material than I originally planned and I had to do a lot of research on mild head injuries. That's partially why it took so long. Now, without further ado, enjoy chapter 2 of The Christmas Controversy!)

The Christmas Controversy

Chapter Two – Concussions & Kisses

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The month of December was much too busy for our duo to see each other. So, their interactions were mainly through text messages.

December 12th

"Hey, Artie!" Bryony texted, "I saw you in a dream last night."

"Quite the coincidence," Arthur responded, "I saw you in a dream of my own."

"Oh, yeah? What was yours about?"

"The two of us were walking hand-in-hand under the Northern Lights. And yours?"

The elf blushed hard as she took a moment to visualize that. And as she typed up her response, her hands began to shake slightly.

"There's not much I can recall besides resting beside you; your arm lovingly draped over me. It was positively blissful. I didn't want to wake up."

Arthur beamed.

"I wouldn't want to wake up either."

December 19th

"Are you putting your wrapping skills to good use, lady?" Arthur texted.

"Absolutely, Santa, sir!" Bryony responded, "3,000 and counting!"

"That's my girl."

December 23rd

But as was custom, the young Santa would be inspecting the elves' work in each department. There was much to be done before the big night.

His heart raced with anticipation upon entering the wrapping department. He could hardly wait to see her.

Bryony was so preoccupied with her scissors and tape she did not notice Arthur's presence until she heard his voice drift over her shoulder.

"Splendid work as always, Miss Shelfley."

With a thrilled grin, the she-elf turned around in her chair and leapt into his arms, hugging his neck. The sense of each other's touch had the duo overcome with familiar fuzzies that lingered throughout their short visit. They were able to catch up for about five minutes before Arthur had to move on. And Bryony found herself incapable of zoning into her work. With every ribbon she tied around each present; with every bow she placed on top, all she could think about was Arthur. His warm smile, his gentle hands, and of course, his charming personality: these feelings were becoming impossible to refute.

And Arthur's feelings were the exact same. With every elf he greeted or passed by during his inspection, the only elf on his mind was Bryony. Her gorgeous eyes, her adorable accent, and most of all, her spirited temperament. It made him happier than ever before.

December 24th

"Happy Christmas Eve, handsome!" Bryony texted, "You all ready for tonight?"

"Yes indeed," Arthur responded, "I am quite excited but my nerves are unpreventable."

"Don't be nervous. You're going to do great! You always do. The expectation is always scarier than the reality."

"Thank you, Bryony. Your words of wisdom provide me comfort. If I get anxious out there, I'll just think of you."

The she-elf giggled.

"Well, I'll be watching you, handsome."

December 25th

Bryony sat with her coworkers at the Pacific Branch of Packing, watching the mission go down on a large monitor. Arthur was doing a brilliant job and looked adorable in his Santa suit as always. She insentiently cheered him on throughout the night, making her colleagues laugh.

"Dude, he can't hear you," her friend, Rachel, giggled, playfully nudging her.

Bryony giggled as well, feeling mildly embarrassed.

The clock struck 3 AM. 106 countries down and 89 to go! Bryony and Rachel eagerly grasped each other's hands.

137 countries done! Bryony was beginning to envision herself in warm hug with Arthur.

178 countries wrapped up! Bryony's adrenaline was pumping hard: she could hardly wait to see her handsome Santa. The anticipation was overwhelming!

But then something horrifying happened.

They were just about to board the EVIE and exit London Ontario, Canada when Arthur slipped on an icy part of the sidewalk and loudly hit his head.

Bryony's whole world suddenly stopped spinning.

One of the field elves immediately called for the sleigh-ship's paramedics while a few others checked up on his well-being. He was barely conscious. Steve firmly but calmly instructed his delirious little brother to keep completely still through his commlink.

The paramedics swiftly zipped down, cautiously moved the injured Arthur onto a stretcher and got an oxygen mask on him.

Bryony began to breathe heavily as she anxiously wrapped an arm around Rachel's; who supportively grasped her worried friend's hand.

Up in the EVIE med bay, they checked his eyes for dilated pupils and his ears and nose for any bleeding. Thank old Saint Nick in the sky, there were no signs of fatal injury but a CT scan was still necessary.

Arthur's moans of pain shattered the wrapper's little heart. She very badly wanted to be there, holding his hand.

The paramedics cleansed and patched a couple minor cuts on the young Santa's forehead then placed a soft cold pack on his bump. They had him follow a penlight with his eyes. And his answers to all their questions confirmed that he had no lost memories. But he was slightly confused about where he was and had not any recollection of how or when he hit his head. Completely normal.

The results of the CT scan came forward and revealed nothing beyond a simple hairline skull fracture. Arthur was not going to recover immediately but he was going to be all right.

Bryony could finally breathe again. She clutched her heart with both hands and heaved a great sigh of relief as Rachel rubbed her back.

Steve called for the field elves to finish the deliveries on their own: there were only a few cities left. They proceeded to do so, albeit diffidently, and the mission was soon complete at long last.

Although there was a round of applause at mission control, the gangly Santa's return home was far from celebratory. His worried family met him inside the EVIE, greeting him with gentle hands. Arthur was much more alert at this point but still a little bleary.

"I can almost hear Grand-Santa scolding me from above," he commented, making his family chuckle.

Arthur wanted his bed more than anything but he was instead wheeled to the infirmary. To ensure the injured Santa suffered no additional symptoms, he would need to be under observation for the next 24 hours.

As Malcolm and Steve helped him off of the stretcher and into the cot, the young man complained of intense dizziness and nausea to which the medics instructed him to take deep slow breaths. They definitely helped but he was certain he was about to throw up as he lay back. A couple medics retrieved a bowl for him but his queasiness eased once he settled into the cot. So, they placed it on the end table just in case.

Meanwhile, Bryony wanted so badly to see him but only the Claus family was permitted to the infirmary. This frustrated her beyond belief but she pushed past it and proceeded with her responsibilities.

After tidying up the department with her colleagues, she joined them in some hot chocolate which helped her to relax even if could not get Arthur out of her head. Rachel reminded her that he would still be there in 24 hours and would probably be begging to see her.

Just then, a security elf entered the room.

"Bryony Shelfley, please report to the infirmary," he said, "Santa's orders."

Pure joy overcame her! With a grin etched onto her face, she hugged Rachel and got up from the table, faking a lax demeanor as she walked past the security elf. But as soon she was out of his sight, she gleefully dashed with a skip in her step.

At the infirmary, Bryony was greeted gratefully by Margaret who told her of Arthur's incessant wishes to see her. She escorted the elf to his cot, where he was already sound asleep. But Bryony did not care; she was just glad to finally be with him.

Margaret pulled up a chair for her son's dearest friend and for a blissfully long time, she sat there, holding and caressing his hand. She nearly dozed off herself, somberly watching his chest rise and fall.

But the doctors would need to wake the young man every two hours or so to check up on his symptoms. Arthur moaned groggily as his sleepy eyes gleamed strikingly in the lowered light.

"Hello, handsome," Bryony cooed.

He instinctively turned his head toward her and smiled weakly.

The docs performed tests similar to the ones performed on the EVIE med bay. And when Arthur displayed no signs of additional symptoms, he was allowed to sleep some more. But this time, he chatted a little with Bryony before dozing off. He was so happy to have her company.

As the remaining 21 hours progressed, Arthur was sleeping less and less. In fact, Bryony was now the one nodding off. He insisted she lay down with him and she hesitated at first but ultimately settled down between his arm and torso. The warmth of his touch and sound of his breath promptly put her to sleep.

During her slumber, Arthur held her close and stroked her cheek. Her peaceful face was so cute, he barely noticed his splitting headache anymore. Nor did he notice the dirty looks from Steve and the doctors.

The doctors were in the middle of another battery of tests when Margaret breezed in with some lightly salted mashed potatoes leftover from Christmas dinner and homemade turkey broth, insisting that the tests could wait until after he had eaten. The doctors were slightly annoyed, but were glad to see he was able to keep the food down.

At long last, the 24 hours were up! While Malcolm and Steve walked Arthur back to his room, Bryony returned to her dorm for a hot shower and some last-minute present wrapping. She would stop by later with a special Christmas surprise.

Arthur was thrilled to be back in his bedroom. The mini-lights were so comforting compared to the infirmary's gloomy lights and it felt better than ever to climb into his soft bed after so long in that lumpy cot.

Complaining of another headache, Margaret fetched him a painkiller and fresh cold pack. He did his best not to move his head too much as he took the pill with few swigs of water.

Margaret massaged her son's shoulders and even offered to run him a warm bath but he respectfully declined, wishing to sleep. And he suggested the remainder of the family do the same after such a grueling night. She sincerely agreed and kissed his cheek, wishing him a good rest. He wished her the same.

Settling deep into the bedsheets, Arthur placed the cold pack on his throbbing head and peaceably fell asleep.

He woke up to see Bryony seated on the edge of his bed, and he joked that he must be in heaven as there was an angel before him. She playfully smacked his hand, blushing hard.

On her lap was a finely wrapped present which she excitedly gave to him.

Arthur sat up slightly and read the tag dangling from the big red bow: it read To Arthur: My Favorite Santa. He tore the wrapping (which he felt slightly bad about) and found a shoe box. And in it, he was delighted to discover a fluffy pair of novelty reindeer slippers just like the ones he had to sacrifice two years ago.

"Thank you so much, Bryony," Arthur cooed, seizing both her hands in a gentle squeeze, "I only wish I had something to give to you."

"Artie, your friendship alone, is the greatest gift you could ever give me," she cooed back.

But Arthur noticed how melancholy she sounded. Just the way she said friendship sounded a bit off.

"Bryony, are you quite alright?"

She was not! These feelings she was having, the urges she was getting; it was overpowering!

Arthur then sat up a little more, resulting in a sharp pain from his forehead, down to his neck.

"Oh, Arthur," Bryony soothed, gently ushering him back down to his pillow.

Suddenly, as the elf hovered over the human, the two were practically in a trance, looking into each other's eyes. They could not believe what they were about to do.

As Bryony slowly leaned downward, Arthur closed his eyes and felt her luscious lips make contact with his own. It finally happened! Their deepest desires had reached the surface and it felt oh so wonderful.