Chapter 9: Coffee and Cocoa

The door creaked open, slowly. Ever so slowly.

Elle poked her head out. Glanced left, glanced right. Glanced up as well, for good measure.

"No sign of big brother Frost anywhere," she confirmed. She threw open the door and stepped out into the hall.

Jacqueline tried to stifle giggles as she walked out of the room behind Elle, closing the door gently. "He went back to sleep a while ago. I doubt he'll be up and at em any time soon, especially since our…hmm, I dunno what to call it."

"Training?"

"That works, I suppose. Yeah, since our training has been cancelled due to unprecedented snowstorms."

"That means I get you all to myself," Elle said. "Woo!"

The two friends laughed, turning the corner and crashing right into a pajama-clad Jack.

Jack looked confused for a moment, then surprised. Then strict. Or at least, he tried to look strict. "And where do you two think you're going, hmm?"

"Elle has admitted that she loves me more than Bernard so we're eloping."

"Haha, funny joke! Really. I know first hand that they have it bad for each other."

Elle flushed. "I'm taking Jacquie out for breakfast so that she can have some food in her system as she fights off this nasty headache and so we can catch up like regular best friends would."

"Elle, she needs rest!"

"She's right here and can speak for herself!" Jacqueline said angrily, hands on her hips. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled. "Jack. I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. It's nice to have you watching out for me. But I have been resting for an entire day and I'm feeling way better now! Honestly! I'm actually for real fine this time, okay? The headache is gone and I'm hungry."

"And lack of food can bring back a headache," Elle added, speaking from experience. "C'mon Jack. She needs fresh air and I wouldn't drag her out if I wasn't one-hundred percent sure she was fine."

Jack's shoulders fell. "Are you two sure? Absolutely positive?!"

They both nodded.

"Alright, fine. You two go have some girl time. Just, be careful, okay Jacqueline?"

"Yeah, duh, of course we will be!" Elle said.

"Is the offer to run up your tab still on the table?" Jacqueline asked, grabbing Elle's hand and skirting around Jack.

"Absolutely not!"

"Whatever you say, Frosty. See ya!" Jacqueline said, waving and running off with Elle.

"Be reasonable about what you spend!" Jack shouted back, watching their retreating backs with a frown. They'd be fine. Of course they would. He could cover his tab, even if they ran it up.

Maybe he would properly get out of bed though, and keep close. Y'know. Just in case.


Far away in a stanky forest, The Man paced back and forth, angry. He punched the wall, flames following his fist. Another scorch mark to add to the rest.

The dosage hadn't been enough and he couldn't fathom why. He had planned everything so perfectly, used every bit of warlock skill he had to engineer his ruse. The potion? Brewed to perfection! It was his specialty, after all (the potion making, specifically. Not this specific one). He had managed to block her mental connections easily enough, and then it was just a matter of digging about and whispering her deepest thoughts and fears into her mind, rendering her completely broken and thus, under his control.

Simple enough.

But the recommended dosage hadn't been enough. She was too strong and his influence had barely lasted more than five minutes, and she fought him tooth and nail. If he wanted his grand scheme to work, she'd need to be under his control longer. The more chaos, the better! He had been so close with the boy, so very close but after centuries of work, that had nosedived at the last possible minute!

Curses were so much more manageable than potions. Angrily, The Man waved his hand and a very frightened Kasper appeared, toothbrush in hand.

"S-Sir!" he said, ripping the toothbrush out of his mouth.

"How much of the potion did you use?" The Man snapped.

"Uh, a. A quarter, sir. Just, just like you said!"

"Give me that vial."

With a shaky hand, Kasper pulled the vial out of his pants pocket. The Man snatched it out of his hands, surveying the content.

"How come it isn't empty?"

"Uh. You, uh, you only said a quarter, sir."

"I know what I said! It's been three days, elf. Why isn't it empty?"

"Oh! Oh. Well, you see, sir, it's just. Well. Nobody has uh, seen her since yesterday, s-sir."

"Well today you are going to see her. I don't care what you have to do! You will see her and you will give her the rest of that vial," he said. He strode over to a shelf, grabbing another vial and giving it to the elf. "The rest of the vial. Today. If you ever want to see her again, you will do this."

"I will! Just don't hurt her! Don't hurt Polly."

The Man didn't reply. He simply waved, sending Kasper away.

Three quarters. That was twice the recommended amount. That should do the trick, The Man thought.

"Soon enough, I'll have everyone who had a hand in my loss right where I want them," he said, walking towards a glass container. Inside sat a crown. He stared at his reflection, the crown sitting just above the image of his head. He grinned. It would look so good once it was right where it belonged, and he showed it off to everyone who had done this to him. And then, he would make them pay. He already had thought of several creative ways to do so—the whole thing with the girl was one of them. And he was having such fun playing this long game. The look on his face would be worth it, all of those thousands of years of it.

Failures aside, The Man still had one thing under his belt in the meantime.

The girl may have fought off his influence, but he still had access to her deepest, darkest, fears and thoughts. And had been able to mirror her defense tactics to the real world. For now, this would do. And while he waited for the next round to kick in, he could choose which thoughts to send her way that would hopefully render her completely under his control this time.

Everything would fall into place, The Man thought, as he began to rehearse.


The Courtyard looked good as new this morning. The ice rink was being well used, elves smiling and laughing as they skated laps around one another. The last of the new windows was being replaced, the glass gently placed in and sealed. The square sparkled with a fresh layer of snow; it was a crisp winter morning, one that they hadn't seen since January. Jacqueline inhaled the crisp, cool air, happy to be out of her room and glad to see that the damage had been repaired. So well, in fact, that you couldn't even tell there had been damage at all!

The pair made their way to the righted bistro tables, aimlessly chattering while taking their seats.

"You guys worked fast," Jacqueline said, rearranging her skirt. Really missing my leggings right now, she thought to herself once she had settled.

"I told you we had it handled," said Elle.

"I know. I just. Needed to do something to fix what I had done."

"Force of habit, I guess?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, you usually fix stuff like that when Jack does it. It's only natural that you'd wanna fix it when you did it, too."

Jacqueline frowned. "I don't know how to feel about that," she said.

Before Elle could reply, Kasper appeared. "Miss Elle! Miss Frost! Hi!"

"Good morning Kasper!" Elle said. "How're things going over here for you?"

"Just about excellent, thanks," he replied. He looked a little relieved, Elle noted. Like he was glad to see them. She glanced at Jacquie, who shrugged. Ah, okay. She had noticed it to. "Ready to order?"

"The usual for me," Elle said.

"Sure! And a cocoa maybe for you today, Miss Frost?"

"I'll go with the cocoacinno today, I think."

"Sure thing!" Kasper said, clicking his pen and writing the drinks down. "I'll be right back out with those!"

He scurried off, and the girls shared a look.

"He seems…eager today," Elle said. "More so than usual."

"You mean he isn't always like that?" Jacqueline asked, eyebrow quirked.

"You've met him before?"

"Mhmm. Yesterday when Jack and I came out here for breakfast. I thought he was an eager beaver, since he was like that yesterday, too."

"Gingerbread latte for you, Miss Elle, and a tall cocoacinno for you, Jacqueline!" Kasper announced, arriving seconds later.

"Thank you, Kasper. You're really on the ball today, aren't you?"

"Well, with how nice you've been to me, Miss Elle, and how helpful, it's the least I can do. Just shout when you've decided on food!" and with that, he scurried right back into the Grille.

"What's up with that?" Jacqueline asked.

"There was something about the way you said that that sounded just like your brother."

"I mean. We are related. And I've spent the past like, twenty four hours with him exclusively. Idiosyncrasies and such."

Elle laughed. "By that you meant Kasper."

"Yeah, more so his attitude. Vibe. Aura. Whatever floats your fancy."

"Well, Kasper's a…special case."

"What, is he like a second Curtis?"

Elle nearly choked on her latte. "Haha, no. One Curtis is more than enough. Kasper's…clumsy. Very nervous. A lot clumsy, really, and way smaller than the other elves in his age group. He's a hard worker, very clever, and really nice, but he just doesn't do well around others, especially as of late. He gets nervous and then the clumsy kicks in. And once he gets nervous, and starts getting clumsy, instead of being understanding, most of the elves in the Workshop get on his case pretty badly, which just makes him feel worse, you know? Then they all complain that he's getting in the way, or underfoot. It's only really started since his sister went missing."

Now it was Jacqueline's turn to choke on her drink. "I'm sorry, an elf has gone missing?"

Elle nodded. "Kasper's sister. One day, they were walking to work together. The next day, Kasper arrived late, really shaken up and talking about how his sister had been taken by flame monsters."

"Flame monsters."

"Yup."

"In the North Pole?!"

"That's what everyone else said, too. It didn't make it easy for him to be placed in the Workshop, after that. Bernard suggested we put him in one of the village shops—it's less tense outside of the Workshop. I talked to Abby, pulled a few strings and got him placed here at the Grille. It's a smaller environment, not really related to the Workshop in the grand scheme of things, and Lena is very sweet. Here he won't be yelled at and he won't hear the rumours."

"Rumours? Wait, let me guess. The elves think he had something to do with it, don't they?"

"Sort of, yeah. We don't take disappearing elves lightly around here because it never happens. So, Bernard investigated, and so did the Elfficers. The house was untouched. It smelt a little too much like fireplace but other than that, it was fine. They searched the whole entire Pole and didn't find Polly anywhere. I couldn't pick up on her thoughts at all. It's like she just disappeared, into thin air."

"Which I'm sure started the rumour mill."

"We've heard every rumour you could possibly think of. Every time a new one appears, we make sure to stop it as soon as we can. They all watched CSI: Elfsburg way too much when it came out this year, if you ask me. I think they forgot that it was a fictional series made by the drama department and that there's a literal disclaimer that says 'these events are not real'."

Jacqueline couldn't help but giggle at that. "Was it at least good?"

"It wasn't bad. The storyline was engaging. Acting over the top but I mean, so are the drama kids. Speaking of drama kids, what's your plan?"

"What do you mean? And are you implying I'm a dramatic person? Because if you are, look who's talking."

"Now I don't know how to feel about that," Elle teased.

"Consider us even, then."

Elle chuckled. "I meant your plan for Jack's freezer burn."

Jacqueline smiled and squished her face. "I have no idea what I'm doing," she said.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously!" she let go of her face, sighing. "I was hoping maybe while we practised something would happen. I can't figure it out. You see, most of us magibeans have a core. It's what makes us, well, us. It's our very essence, gifted to us by the Source of all magic. Our cores are like little sources in all of us. That's why we can do a heck of a lot of crazy magic things. You know, create from thin air, teleport, power an entire season…that sort of thing."

"Interesting," Elle said, sipping from her cup and paying close attention.

"It's like in Atlantis: the Lost Empire. You know how they had those necklaces that kept them alive and stuff? That's basically what our cores are."

"So you can't just have your powers stop working. They're a part of you, and if I remember right nobody knows where the Source is, so it's not like they could steal it."

"Right. And besides, the Goddess of the Springs protects it. It would be pretty hard to steal from a Goddess, I should think. So that brings me to two conclusions—either the Source broke, or Jack's core is all weird."

"And the second one is probably more likely, since everyone else I know with magic has their full powers," Elle said, looking over her drink at Jacqueline.

"Exactly. And on top of that, as far as I know there's never been an incident like this—of someone losing their powers."

"Why not ask your Mom?"

"Winter?"

"Well, maybe there has been an incident before. Maybe she would know. Or your Dad."

"That's a good point," Jacqueline realized, sipping her own drink. "I'll answer their letter after breakfast and ask about it. Maybe they'll be able to offer some insight."

"If they're as old as I think they are, I'll bet they can. Have you decided on a cronch?"

"A cronch?"

"Yeah, like a crunch? Food? For breakfast?"

Jacqueline laughed. "A cronch. I like that! I could go for an omelette today."

"Then let's order," Elle said, calling for Kasper. "And then you're gonna tell me all about the "Clifton Manor Incident" that I am oh-so-curious about."

"It was wild," Jacqueline said, smiling fondly and sipping her drink again. Elle was right. Maybe her parents would offer some insight…and maybe they would know what happened to herself as well. Making a mental note to reply to them after breakfast, she took a long sip of her cocoacinno and launched into her tale.

"The year was 1732. I had recently returned to London from a stint in the Azores, after a pretty profitable and fun pirate career…"


Santa sat in his office, enjoying his cocoa. It was letter time, and he loved letter time.

There were so many letters arriving daily, and only a handful of them made it to the North Pole proper. Many other ones had to be intercepted in Alaska, or Nunavut, and brought to the North Pole by the mail elves the rest of the way. A few places had the direct to him address. Canada was closest, so that's the address he had told Lucy to use—with a few little tweaks, of course, so they made it right to his desk. And boy did Lucy use it! She sent letters year round, and they were always a welcome read. She had also shared the address with her parents, and Bud and Sylvia as well.

It was one of the big reasons Santa loved letter time.

Lucy's letters were a treat, especially when letters from Carol's parents came with them—those made her day! Lucy would have all kinds of fun stories from home, silly things Charlie had done, what she had done at school, that sort of thing. She asked lots of questions about Buddy and Jack as well.

In return, Scott told her all about the Workshop and day to day life at the Pole. When it started getting warmer, Santa had let her know and had kept her updated. In fact, two nights ago he had sent a letter straight to Lucy, once he had found out about Jack's powers being MIA and the Deliquesce being a consequence. He was reading her reply now.

Dear Uncle Scott,

I'm glad you figured out what was wrong with Jack, at least. I told you he wasn't evil anymore! I hope he's okay and that the person they called to come help him is helping him!

I'm glad the North Pole is gonna be safe. I was really worried for you and Carol and all the other elves! I hope everything goes well, and that if it does, we can all go up again this year! I can't wait. Mom says it's too early for me to start decorating. It's too bad we can't be decorated for Christmas all the time like at the North Pole!

I really hope we can go again this year, Uncle Scott! I'm being extra good too, just to make sure! Keep me posted!

Love,
Lucy

PS give Comet kisses for me!

Scott smiled. She was such a sweetheart. Extra nice, as if she could be any nicer! Scott reread the letter, trying to figure out if she meant lip kisses or Hershey's kisses, and frowned.

"Bring them all up again? Oh boy," he thought out loud. Putting down the letter, Santa took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He had figured that it would become a sort of tradition. Not that he minded; it would make him and Carol very happy, but there was just so much going on this Christmas. Jack's power shortage, The Deliquesce, and now Jacqueline's little meltdowns. Sure, it was a one time thing, and Bernard and Elle both trusted Jacqueline and said it was out of character for her…but still, Santa was concerned. Granted, now that there were no secrets between the family, and his head elves were back, and Jack wasn't an issue (well, in the usual way), things should be a lot easier.

Maybe when everything calmed down a bit he would bring them all up North. Carol's parents were asking to too, after all. Even from far away they spoiled their grandson, and had grown quite the soft spot for Lucy. They even let her call them Grandma and Grandpa!

He would bring them later, for sure. But not now. Right now it was much too hectic.

"Santa, I don't know what to do. Actually, let me rephrase that. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing."

Santa blinked, thrown off by Jack bursting into his office so suddenly and unexpectedly. "There's a lot of things going on right now, you may need to specify. Just a bit."

"I've been keeping a very close watch on Jacqueline to make sure she's okay after, y'know, whatever yesterday's incident was…"

"Okay, and that's good."

"Do you think?"

"Well, yeah. You're looking out for your sister. Good on ya. I'm sure she appreciates it."

"She said she did, but I think…maybe I'm being a bit too overbearing."

"How so?"

"I let her go out with Elle and then proceeded to get out of bed and keep a close eye on them y'know, just in case."

"And how did you end up here?"

"Bernard told me to leave them be and that I don't need to be constantly watching her, she can take care of herself, that I was being a little bit over the top. And my pacing was annoying him, so he sent me here."

"Maybe he's right, then."

"About the pacing?"

"No, about the over the top thing. And I mean, if you're thinking you're being a bit overbearing then well…maybe you are."

"Well how do I take care of her without being over the top or overbearing?"

"You know Jack, you don't have to make up fourteen centuries worth of years in a day. It seems like that's what you're trying to do."

"I guess you're right. I just…I don't want to loose her again," he said, staring out the window thoughtfully.

"I don't think you will. This sort of thing takes time. Don't rush it Jack, okay? Give her some space but also be there for her. Be patient. If she hasn't left for home yet, then I think you're doing alright."

"Really?"

"Really."


"And then Bernard said SEE YA IN COURT, CLIFTON, and I poofed us out of there, the prick frozen solid to the floor! And then, a bunch of books fell on Mathew. It was hilarious."

Elle laughed. "Oh my god, I can't even BEGIN to imagine to look on his face!"

"Right? And Clifton was so cheesed, oh man."

"What happened after that?"

Jacqueline shrugged, finishing off her drink. "We poofed over to my place, I had a breakdown and passed out on the couch. When I woke up in the morning, Bernard had the case ready to go and some very reassuring words and good points. And a new set of clothes thanks to the housekeeper."

"Bernard? In new clothes?"

"Well he looks like he walked right out of the middle ages! That simply wouldn't do in Early Modern Britain."

"I have a decent idea of the fashion of the time and there's no way Bernard switched out his hat for a tricorn, or a WIG."

"Yeah, he was all "Jacqueline I have to draw the line somewhere!" and so I let him keep the beret on. He won the case in that thing," Jacqueline said, stretching her back over the back of the chair.

Elle laughed, then sighed. "How are we on time?"

"Jack's been silent as the grave. Eerily so, come to think of it," Jacqueline said, sitting back up. "I did not expect that, to be honest."

Elle picked up her phone, glancing at the notifications. "Ten o'clock? Already?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," Jacqueline said.

"I should head back in."

"What happened to the free morning?"

"I have personal projects all over the place and a handful of things to do. That's why my morning is free, you goof."

"I'm a personal project!"

"Please don't say you're also a thing to do," Elle laughed.

Jacqueline smirked. "I won't. This time, at least." She paused for a moment, surveying Elle. "You're doing okay though, yeah? Having a good time?"

"Yeah! Yeah. I am," Elle said, looking content. "Well, mostly. You know how it is."

"Too well," Jacqueline said, drumming her fingers on the table. "You could take the day off with me," she began.

"Jacqueline…"

"I'm just saying! We could have a Netflix day, and just marathon something." She tilted her chair back again, balancing precariously on two of the thin, metal legs.

Elle frowned. "Is there even anything good on Netflix right now? It like just started streaming, right?"

"It did! We could go to a Blockbuster then, and grab a rental there."

"Why not just use North-Flix? Or go to Elfbuster?"

Jacqueline paused, frowning at her friend. "The ghostbusters have branched out?"

Elle laughed. "Jacqueline, oh my gosh!" she kicked her friend's chair gently, Jacqueline loosing her balance and falling into the snow, chair and all.

"Okay, I deserve that. I know it's a movie rental service like Blockbuster but with Elf, and not like Ghostbusters but with Elf."

"You nut."

"Takes one to know one. So does this mean you're gonna skip to spend the day with me?"

"I'd love to but you know I can't. I mean I could but I would much rather get back to work to free the evening up for a movie marathon maybe, hint hint."

"You know I can't take the Lord of the Rings elves seriously, Elle. They're just too tall."

"Please? I think you'll really like it."

"I'll think about it if you help me up. Physically, no moving me with telekinesis please."

"Alright, fine," Elle said. She offered Jacqueline her hands, only to find herself facedown in the snow beside her friend, snow in her mouth.

"Mmfffm!"

"Pardon me?"

She came out of the snow, brushing the chunks off of her green jacket. "You're the worst."

"You love me."

"But you're still the worst. You can help yourself up now," Elle said, getting up and smiling nonetheless.

"Ugh, fine," Jacqueline said, a winter wind blowing her to her feet.

"You show off," Elle said, as the chair telepathically righted itself.

"You show off!"

"Takes one to know one I guess," Elle said. Both girls dissolved into laughter once more.

Jacqueline sighed, content. "I can at least walk you back to the Workshop," she said, offering her arm.

Elle laughed. "Well, since we're both headed that way anyway, sure." She grabbed Jacqueline's arm, but the sprite stood frozen in place, staring off into the distance. Elle frowned. "Jacqueline?"

"Hmm?"

Elle tugged her arm. "Jacqueline!"

She snapped out of her stupor. "What? Oh! Sorry. Got distracted. Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"I could have sworn there was a weird dark figure by the ice rink," Jacqueline replied, staring intensely at the aforementioned rink. She rubbed her eyes. "Weird."

Elle glanced over, concerned. There was nothing there. "I'll keep an eye out," she said, offering her elbow now. "You good to go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Absolutely," Jacqueline said, still looking suspiciously towards the ice rink as they began to walk forwards. "I need to get it together, goodness gracious. At the rate I'm going, we're never gonna get Jack back on his feet."

Why would you bother, though? He did leave you in the first place, after all.

Both women stopped short and glanced at each other.

"Did you—?"

"I did not say that," Elle said immediately. "I didn't even think that!"

Jacqueline looked panicked. "I didn't say that, either," she said, her flushed cheeks paling. "He's back now," Jacqueline said, fiercely. "And I will help him."

Elle glanced around, though she was unsure what she was looking for. Jacqueline was looking around as well, though she looked like she knew what she was trying to find.

I know why he left.

"Okay, WHAT is happening here," Elle said.

"You heard that too?!" Jacqueline asked.

Elle nodded. "But I can't pinpoint a source? I don't feel anyone thinking that—"

"Over there! There it is!" Jacqueline pointed towards the Workshop and booked it. Elle was positive that a snowy Jacqueline would have been left behind, a la the dust cloud gag in cartoons if this had been a cartoon.

Elle didn't dally. She ran, hot on Jacquie's heels, as the sprite burst open the lower doors to the Workshop.

It was because of this place, she heard again.

"No! No it wasn't!" Jacqueline yelled, holding her head and closing her eyes tightly. "Get out of my head!" she shouted, and a gust of wind billowed out around her. It rustled the clothes of the elves close enough to the front of the work floor. Elle's jacket fluttered back, her arm blocking her face as the wind settled. She looked at Jacqueline.

There was a smattering of frost surrounding the sprite, two feet around her. Her eyes were shut tight, her arms on her head.

"Jacqueline?" Elle walked closer.

Her arms fell, her eyes opened. She looked disoriented, briefly; then furious. She looked around rapidly, standing defensively.

"Jacqueline?" Elle tried again. She placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Jacqueline whipped around, nearly knocking Elle over.

Elle's eyes went wide. Because when Jacqueline looked at her, she looked right through the elf. Like she wasn't even there.

She had hoped that what had been happening, hadn't been what Elle thought it was. But that look confirmed it for Elle.

Jacqueline was about to go off again.

Right inside the Workshop.

"Run," Elle said, quietly.

The elves closest to them began to back away. Jacqueline's hands began to glow.

"Run!"


A/N: And here we see my deep dive of letters to Santa pay off! I always get confused with which chapter it's in. These three (8-10) kinda run together. I'm pretty sure they all take place within 24 hours? I dunno, my brain's fried (quarantine be like that) but god DAMN the Jacquie attacks are SO MUCH BETTER NOW! (Edited April/May 2020, I will never stop editing this thing I'm convinced).

FUN FACT: Santa has Canadian citizenship AND clearance to land in Pearson Airport in Mississauga/Toronto (That's my favourite fun fact tbh)! Do read and review, tell me what you think of these rewritten/edited chapters! I love hearing from readers! About literally anything.

Also, if you haven't watched Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, please do. It's an EXCELLENT movie-my fave Disney animated classic-and their crystal necklaces is a very good explanation for how I headcanon magic to work. I find it so amazing how many of my favourite works have influenced CS!