A/N: I'm glad your all enjoying 'The Last Christmas' and once again thank you for all the reviews. It's time for things in this story to get serious, I'm about to kick it up to an eleven in this two parter. (Keep in mind this and chapter four were originally written as one huge chapter but I felt like it was just too much to handle at once). Enjoy, and don't forget to drop a review!

The Last Christmas

By JDWrites101

Chapter Three: The Longest Day Part I (Whitechapel Edition)

"You're real," whispered Ethan as he rubbed his eyes and gently shook the extended hand. A strange child like energy ran through him and he quickly looked the figure up and down again. Red coat, white hair, younger and thinner than he imagined, but there could be no mistaking it. "Santa... Claus."

"Please just Nicholas," said man as he took a step back and then motioned to the large door on the other side of the room. "I'm afraid we're going to have to skip the tour, we have far more pressing matters to deal with. If you would please follow me."

Nicholas opened the doors, took a step to the side, held out a hand and declared: "Welcome to the North Pole."

Ethan stopped when the bright light and cold poured into the room. When the initial shock wore off he quickly ran forward. He rested his hands on the bright golden rail and let out an excited laugh as he took in the sight. Far below them rested a large village coated in a blanket of pure white snow.

"I didn't know what to think of you," whispered Ethan as he watched his breath rise into the air. "I thought we saw you last year on Christmas Eve, but-I-you-this! It's incredible!"

"Christmas Eve?" whispered Nicholas as he brought up a hand and tapped his cheek. "Ah yes I remember now, the blonde boy who tried to bite me as I flew over Whitechapel. A spirited lad to say the least. Unfortunately I had to tamper with his memory to keep him from revealing too much."

He let out a hearty laugh and Ethan felt the strange energy overcome him once more. All at once it vanished when he recalled the events that had led to his sudden appearance in the North Pole. "You said something dangerous had been set in motion, what's happening?"

"My office is just a floor down, it be better if we talked there."

They carefully descended the steps before coming to another door. Nicholas pushed it open and Ethan once again felt his heat skip a beat. From the outside it appeared to be just another wall, but from within he could see a single window that stretched the entirety of the room giving a view of the snowy world beyond. In the center a large globe floated above the ground as several smaller ones orbited around each with the image of a different city displayed. Underneath the display a bright blue fire burned away giving the room an unnatural, but comfortable warmth.

"Terrible things are coming," said Nicholas as he went to his desk and tapped away at the keyboard. The images suddenly changed, the smaller orbs displayed Whitechapel while the giant globe pictured the book from before. "And I'm afraid it was partly my fault, I never imagined the Claustrum could be removed, let alone opened and its protective seal broken."

"The Claustrum? You mean the book from my dream?"

"I'd best start from the beginning, I apologize in advance for the rushed explanation. The Claustrum is a prison of my own unique design. It was created to hold the most dangerous of spirits, the ones that couldn't be stopped by the hands of mortals. The Heralds of Winter."

Benny was woken from the world of infinite Christmas trees and the warm embrace of his parents to the sound of his cellphone buzzing about on his dresser. He groggily slapped his hand on the top and smiled when it went silent. Sleep began to overtake him when it buzzed once more and was accompanied by a light tap at the window. He looked up and was greeted with both Sarah and Erica floating outside. He let out a high-pitched shriek and pulled his covers up higher.

"What are doing here?" Screamed Benny as he wrapped the blanket around him and opened the window. The cold rushed in and two vampires landed in his room brushing off their new layer of snow. "Were you spying on me? Hey watch where you're getting that I actually cleaned in here for once."

"Look outside," said Erica without the slightest hint of humor in her voice. He gave her a look and she pointed to the frosted pane. "Just look outside before you say anything else."

Benny walked over window and peered out. He blinked twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and then turned back to the women. They nodded and his mouth fell open in silent shock. Large thick green vines had grown across the entirety of the city. They were on streetlights, underneath cars, wrapped around houses and even ran along the branches of trees. But that wasn't what held his attention, no it was the flowers that had grown on them, the fully formed dark red poinsettia.

"How…? When...?"

"It must've happened overnight," said Sarah. She shivered at the thought. "I didn't think it was possible for anything to grow when it feels like it's below freezing but…."

"Finally somethings happened," said Erica with a grin. "Don't get me wrong that book was exiting and all but this is some good old fashion supernatural hunting. Should we get Rory?"

"No," said Benny as he scrolled through the texts on his phone. "He said he has to work. Apparently the flowers haven't slowed business down. He also said to check the news."

Sarah picked up the remote from the dresser flicked on the television. She quickly changed channels and together the three of them watched as the Whitechapel Daily News logo appeared. The reporter looked over her shoulder at the street behind her and then turned back to the camera with a frown.

"As you can see the vines that have seemingly grown over night have spread across the entirety of Main Street." The camera panned across the buildings to give them a better view before returning once more to her. She clicked her earpiece and then continued: "Local authorities are urging citizens not to touch the poinsettia as they are some off breed, and could have traits similar to poison ivy. Again they are saying these flowers could be potentially dangerous and are asking you to refrain from contact with them. Furthermore they're asking citizens not to burn them either with the promise to address the city later in the day when more information becomes available. We'll be staying on the scene as-"

Benny shut the television off and looked over at his friends. "Let's get Ethan."

"Geez how can it be so sunny and at the same freezing cold?" Asked Benny as he made his way across the lawn. Both Erica and Sarah shrugged for they were as baffled by the strange turn of events as him. He stopped at one of the vines and gave it a kick. What he expected was a weak soppy plant, what he got was as solid and dense as any wall. He let out a yelp of pain. "What the heck?"

Erica bent down and removed the small stake she had in her bag. She placed it against the vine and began to apply pressure. The wood creaked, then snapped. She looked up. "Yup this thing is solid."

"A solid dense poinsettia plant that grew overnight in the freezing cold," mumbled Sarah. "If that doesn't scream supernatural then I don't know what does."

Benny's phone buzzed and after reading the text said: "I guess my Grandma is over at the City Hall talking with the mayor, who is apparently aware of the supernatural side. She says this is a Class S problem and that it's only a matter of time before the magic begins rot."

"They what are we standing around for?" Asked Sarah. There was a fear in her eyes that all were aware of but none wished to accept. "Let's get Ethan, figure out what's going on and put a stop to it."

Sarah knocked the Morgan's door and frowned when Samantha opened it. She gave the small group a confused look then asked: "Yes? Can I help you?"

Benny smiled. "Uh… is Ethan here?"

"I'm afraid not." Samantha peered over her shoulder. "He left his laptop and book out in the living room so I think he headed out in a rush."

"So he's not here?" Asked Sarah. "Do you know where me might have gone off to?"

Samantha shrugged her shoulders. "I thought he had got up early to meet up with you. He's most likely off at the library studying or checking out these flowers. He loves it when things get supernatural. If he comes home I'll let him know you were looking for him."

The three of them stood in front of the Morgan house unsure of what to do next. There was a moment of awkward silence before their phones began to ring at once.

"Hello?" Asked Sarah.

"What do you want?" Demanded Erica.

"Benny speaking." Mumbled Benny.

"Your presence is needed at the Vampire Council," said Anastasia through all three lines at once. "If you don't report to us immediately we'll send guards after you and you really would not want that. We can't get a hold of the Seer so make sure he's with you. I expect to see you within the next half hour."

The line when dead and they looked at one another. It was eventually Sarah who spoke. "What do we do?"

"Let's track him," offered Erica. "Doesn't he have that app on his phone for location? The one he designed in case of emergencies?"

"I had forgotten about that," said Benny as he pressed a button. The app opened and they watched as the small red dot moved from Whitechapel and across the globe. When it came down from the sky they all had the same bewildered look on their face. In unison they asked:

"Ethan's in the North Pole?"

"What do you want?" Demanded Erica she stepped through the entrance the Vampire Council room and crossed her arms. The five vampires looked up from their seats and gave them all an annoyed glare. Benny and Sarah mimicked her posture and when the small girl said nothing the blonde added: "You called the three of us so speak up because if you haven't noticed the city needs some serious help."

"Where is Morgan?" asked Anastasia as she leaned forward with her fingers pressed together. "I asked the four of you to come and there's only three."

"He's out of town," said Benny. After their little discovery the group had decided it best to investigate the matter later. "So you'll have to settle for us, unless you want to call Rory instead."

"No… he should remain where he is. He has an order for the annual vampire winter festival and I don't-"

"Are you serious?" Asked Sarah. She laughed. "You didn't call him because he's cooking something for your stupid festival? If you haven't noticed there are vines covering-"

"What I do is none of your concern, you'd do well to watch your tongue. I called you here to investigate another matter besides the sudden appearance of the vines. There have several sightings of a large black furred creature stalking about in the forest. In fact we've got two injured from their attempts to capture it. I want you three to investigate it."

"Dark furred creature," mumbled Benny. "Like Sasquatch or something bigger."

"If I knew I wouldn't be asking for your help. Keep the matter under wraps, now go and investigate. Dismissed."

"And why should we?" Asked Erica. "What makes us any different that your minions?"

"Simple," she gave them a wicked smile. "Should something happen to any of you I don't have to worry about replacing you."

"After everything we've done for this city?" Whispered Sarah. "That's how you're going to treat us?"

"Don't act like you've done me a favor. Whitechapel is as much your home as it is mine. Dismissed."

Once they were outside Benny placed a hand to block out the sun and examined the clock tower. Though the vines had surrounded the bell and a large amount of poinsettia had bloomed across the face of the clock, he could still make out the time. It was just about noon.

"I think it would be best if we split up," offered Benny. He turned to the girls. "You should investigate the mysterious creature and while I start looking for a way to kill the flowers and vines. We'll meet up around one, OK?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Sarah.

"It's kind of strange," whispered Erica. When neither of them responded she pointed to the tower. "For it to be noon and not have the bell ring. Normally there would be people running about but with the cold, the empty streets and the silence it just makes the city feel... hollow."

It never failed that on a day off from school, school would come to the rescue. There were several reasons Benny found himself smiling, the first was the heat that was coming through the vents which helped slowly return the feeling to his limbs, and he second was the science lab. He quickly moved about picking up different sets of chemicals and tools he would need for the various tests he had planned.

Rory walked in with several poinsettia and placed them on the main table. Benny nodded and gave him a grin, the moment Anastasia had told him not to bother the blonde he had no choice but too. In fact it had been Rory's rather ingenious idea to come to the school instead of the Weir household.

"I asked you to get the ones that looked the healthiest," grumbled the Spellmaster. Armed with a pair of gloves he picked up a flower with the tongs and turned it over. Upon his initial examination he noted that several small brown spots had already begun to form. "It looks like their dying."

"They were perfectly fine up until a few minutes ago."

Benny placed the poinsettia on the table and cut a small piece off. He placed it on the petri dish, removed a glove and casted a spell. He stumbled backwards against the wall and fell to the ground in pain. Instead of the usual flow of magic it felt was as though it was being forcibly ripped from his body. After a moment the sensation passed and he struggled to catch his breath.

"You okay?" asked Rory. The blonde helped him helped him stand. "What happened?"

"I... I can see how these would be lethal to magic based people like me. It's almost like it tried to pull the supernatural out of me. Prolong exposure to these can't be good for anyone. Good thinking earlier with coming here instead of my house. Who knows what would've happen if we brought this inside with all those artifacts my Grandma has."

"To be honest I'd be more scared of what your Grandma would've done to us."

"No kidding."

He called out various tools for Rory to hand him as he continued on with his research. He thought of how much easier this would've been with Ethan, after all science had always been the brunette's strong suit. He shook the thought away, he couldn't afford to think like that. His friend could be in danger and the only way to get to him was to fix the city first.

"Hey I just thought of something," said Rory.

"What?"

"Well those vines only grew outside, and no where else. They didn't break into houses or buildings they were only outside."

"Okay."

"Well these flowers were in full bloom when I brought them in here. What if they had something to do with the cold and the heat is the one thing that kills them?"

Benny stopped for a moment and then grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Rory you're a genius!"

He ran for the teacher's desk and returned with a small blowtorch. He adjusted his safety goggles and gloves and then turned it on. Without even being near the flame but within the vicinity of the heat, the flower began to wilt.

"Heat kills them, no wonder it's been so cold. Why didn't we think of that before? Wait… When did the cold start to set in?"

Rory tapped his chin. "I'd say the day before yesterday. If I had to guess I'd say it was the night Ethan got the book."

"Then we need to hurry up and get to Ethan's house," said Benny. He began to turn off the various pieces of equipment. "Because if I'm right then that book, the cold and the vines are all related."

"Need for speed?" Asked Rory. He grabbed Benny by the shoulder and the next thing he knew they were rushing through the hallways, outside and then flying through the sky. By the time they landed in front of the Morgan household both were coated in a thin layer of frost.

"Next time warn me before you do that," stuttered Benny. He shook the ice loose and knocked on the door. When Samantha opened it he asked: "Can we come in?"

"Of course but Ethan's still not-"

"That doesn't matter. Rory get the book, and-" The blonde disappeared and he caught sight of Ross. "Just the man I needed to see."

The older man gave him a confused look. "How can I help you Benny?"

"Do you have a map of the city? With all the buildings in it and the forest line?"

"In my drawing room, if you want to follow me." He showed him into the room then motioned to the large table in the center. Together they leaned over it it and he asked: "What are you looking for exactly? Maybe I can be of some help?"

"This," he pointed a part of the forest and then moved over. "And here…."

"Does this have to do with something supernatural? I know I don't have powers but let me help in any way I can."

"This building," asked Benny. He tapped a large grey square. "What is it?"

"The power plant, why?"

Rory reappeared with two books. "Uh... I found two of them."

"That one in your left hand is a fake, give me the other." He opened it and found the pages blank. "Call Erica and Sarah now."

"Why?"

"Because the attacks, they're heading in the direction of the power plant. And whatever was in this book is out."

"What's going on?" Asked Ross.

"Right now there's only one thing keeping the vines away from the houses and buildings." He placed his finger on the power plant. "And whatever that monster is it's heading for it."

An hour passed before Sarah and Erica came across any semblance of evidence. And when they did it was Sarah who found the dark tuft of hair stuck to the tree. She pulled it free and turned it over in her hand.

"Well it's doesn't have a were-wolf smell to it, in fact it smells like… winter…."

"What does winter even smell like?" asked Erica as she took a whiff for herself. "Oh… I get what your saying now."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think. I'm not an expert on these things, but I'd say we're dealing with a Sasquatch like creature… maybe. Then again when you factor in everything supernatural that lists kind of grows."

Sarah sniffed the air. "I getting hints of something but the cold's making it hard. I think we're downwind of whatever it might be."

Erica nodded and her phone went off. "What?"

"Erica it's Benny. Listen the monster is heading northeast towards the power plant. You have to get there before it does."

"Why? What did you find out?"

"NOW IS NOT THE TIMES FOR QUESTIONS JUST DO WHAT I ASKED! THE ENTIRE CITY'S FUTURE IS AT STAKE!"

Erica took to the air with Sarah in tow. "We're on our way. And If you ever talk to me like that again-"

"You'll bite yeah yeah yeah. You have to make sure the plant keeps running. If the power goes down then the vines will be able to take down the houses-"

"I'm going to have to call you back," whispered Erica. Far below them a large demon like creature was trudging through the snow. "I found our monster and it's not alone."

"What does it look like? I'll see if I can find any information."

"Maybe ten feet tall, large horns, big teeth, and carries some kind of bludgeon around, and hooves for feet. It's with an old man dressed entirely in blue, long beard, and a wooden staff, gotta go."

Together the two vampires charged down.

"Spirits?" whispered Ethan as he thought about his adventures over the last few years. When he couldn't quite place the name to a supernatural creature he added: "You mean like ghosts?"

"Ghosts are the souls of people who've refused to move on. Spirits are the collective energy of the world fueled by belief and given shape. When something is believed in, when a story becomes a legend that single entity becomes a spirit. It can be a human, a ghost, anything. Often times they are mischievous and playful but always benevolent, and never violent. The ones in that book, they are the ones who broke the rules, they are the original Heralds of Winter."

"You said that before," mumbled Ethan trying to keep pace with the man's tale. He was no stranger to being thrown into messes like this. "Who are they and what did they do?"

"They were originally tasked with ushering in the winter and keeping the seasons balanced out. And at one time they were ones who helped create the modern Christmas, but as the years went by they were slowly forgotten, and as their power faded they became dark and cynical."

"So how did I end up with the book? I was dreaming about it and then…. I didn't even know it existed before last night."

"The book couldn't be put just anywhere, so I hid it in the most logical place- everywhere. The Claustrum contains the pure belief of winter, and when one wishes to recapture the true meaning of the season, it's supposed to allow said person to read a story from within. A story from the spirits before they turned. Seeing your city so detached from the meaning of Christmas you must have summoned it to your dreams. To think a Seer would be able to interact with it, and cause it to materialize. I never once imagined that could happen."

"But that in and of itself is not the reason we should be afraid Ethan."

Erica landed squarely on top of the beast and Sarah off to the side of the old man in blue. She watched the old man stumble backwards in shock and then raise the staff. The brunette charged at him and sent him sideways into the snowdrift. There was a flash of blue light as his spell hit a tree and turned it to solid ice. Erica gave her a wild look and her only response was:

"I hate magic."

"They need belief to become stronger, right now the Heralds are at their weakest."

Sarah dodged the sudden swing of the monster's club and pulled Erica to the side when it tried to skewer her on its horn. Ice spread across the ground and the two vampires jumped backwards to avoid the sudden chill.

"He's not as fast or as strong as Benny," said Sarah. "His spells are easy to dodge, and the monster isn't strong as we thought either. But something isn't right about this fight."

"Then we'll end it quick," whispered Erica as she bared her fangs. "After all they came into our town and started this."

"Wait… I don't think they want to hurt us."

"Uh yeah they do."

"What makes them truly frightening isn't their powers."

"We attacked first," whispered Sarah. Let me try to reason with them OK? It can't hurt, maybe there's something going on that we're just not seeing. After all Anastasia did make a note of telling us the vampires tried to capture them."

Erica retracted her fangs Sarah walked forward with her hands held up high. "On behalf of the Whitechapel Vampire Council we want to both apologize and welcome you to the city. My name is Sarah Fox and this is my friend Erica Jones."

Erica watched them carefully and waited.

"Right now our city is in a state of crisis and we ask that you please refrain from heading in the direction of the power plant. Innocent lives are at stake."

The beast and the old man shared a look. Then the creature spoke.

"It's their ability to sway hearts. To get the innocent to truly and utterly believe in them."

"We need your help."

A/N: I'll leave you with that. And I'll see you Friday for the next update. Don't forget to drop a review, and if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. I'll do my best to answer any and all of them!