The next week at Santa's workshop was, well let's face it, a whole mess of awkwardness. Zack kept trying to swoon Lilly,

and Lilly was starting to think she should just give in, since Bernard ignored her as if she was nothing more than a speck of

dust. Probably the only thing that let her keep some dignity was the fact that Zack was trying to make a puppet of her. She

was better than that…..she hoped….

As for Bernard, he'd left the ball early, on the brink of a total breakdown. He'd mumbled an excuse to Santa, not knowing

that Santa knew, and still knows, what was going on between Lilly and him. Oh how that elf could move him. She could

either make him, or break him, and apparently she chose to break him……or so he thought. Now, every time Curtis tried to

say one word about Lilly, Bernard shouted at him to be quiet, just not exactly in those particular words (Ahem, Shut up).

Poor little elf.

Bernard headed for the band room, wanting to just get away from it all. When he got there, he started playing the piano.

His playing was quite beautiful indeed. Or as Lilly usually referred to him when she was telling her friends why she loved

him: Drop dead, Gorgeous, always drooling at the last word of it. Stephanie and Rosa came out from behind a corner,

ready to bug him about Lilly. "Hi Bernard!" Rosa practically shouted. Bernard abruptly stopped playing as his eyes widened

in horror. Rosa scared the heck out him when it came to the subject of a certain elven girl (Ahem! Lilly). "Ok Bernard. We're

getting straight to the point. We know you think that Lilly likes Zack because of the way they danced at the ball. Well,

we're here to tell you the truth. We promised Lilly we wouldn't tell but you really should know." Stephanie said hurriedly,

hoping Bernard wouldn't 'slay' her.

"Go on…" Bernard said, his curiosity giving in to his better judgment. "Lilly didn't want to dance with Zack. You know how

much of goody-two-shoes she is! She couldn't be rude and say no now could she? It's not in her Lilly nature. Afterwards

she told us that the reason she was so into their dance was because she was thinking of you the entire time! She then

went looking for you, and almost broke down when Santa told her that you left early. She felt really guilty. She said she

was going to get the nerve to ask you to dance with her even and not an upbeat song; a slow romantic song like "when I

fall in love." Lilly wanted to tell you how she feels about you!" Stephanie said, forgetting her self control and letting it all

out. She paused slightly, gaining control again. "Bernard," she almost whispered, "Lilly loves you ok? And not like puppy

love, real, pure love, with unbelievable intensity that you wouldn't believe!"

"Why would she have wanted to dance with me after having have had such an extravagant dance with Zack?" Bernard

asked, hoping Stephanie and Rosa were right. "How many times do we have to repeat ourselves?! She loves you! She

wouldn't care if you guys danced and it felt as if you were trying to land a plane! All that would matter was that you guys

would be together at last. That….well she said this was what she wants most even though it's rather disturbing….that she

would finally be in your arms, feeling safe for once in her life, as if no evil existed, or for that matter no Zack existed." Rosa

finished, only joking about the last part. It worked though, Bernard gave a small chuckle.

"Ok, let's say Lilly does like me, what should I do?" Bernard asked, wanting to have Lilly 'in his arms' as Rosa said. "I know

just the thing boss…" Stephanie said an evil and mischievous grin on her face along with a glint in her eyes.

By the way, she and Seth were now happily married, and are going to move to Las Vegas to gamble!!

Just kidding, but they were dating.