Chapter 9: Pasts (Merry Christmas Everyone!)

June 17th 4:29 P.M. Millennium Park

"Well, so much for promising weather," Molly sighed from under an alcove. She had planned on showing Arthur the sights of Chicago, but apparently Mother Nature had other plans. "Do you know Mother Nature, by the way?"

"I haven't met her personally. She keeps to herself up in the clouds. My dad met her once though." Arthur loved talking about his family- another way they were complete opposites.

"You said you have an older brother right?"

"Yeah. His name is Steve. He's probably the smartest person I've ever known in my entire life. He's the one who is the real brains behind the holiday."

"Well, the brains don't work without a heart," she commented.

"What about your family?" he asked. She shot him a look. "Come on. You never mention and I'd just like to know what made you so dark and dreary against Christmas." Her face didn't change. "Okay,we can forget I mentioned it. I was just-"

"The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas," she began. He nodded that he was listening."Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was seven years old. Me and Michael and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn't home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing." She saw she had his undivided attention. "So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. None of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That's when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Michael and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father." Arthur was white. "He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He'd been climbing down the chimney... his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus... well, until I met you." He just stared at her in horror for a long moment before she couldn't hold it in. Molly started laughing so hard she was crying.

"I don't see how that story's funny! I'm so sorry-"

"Arthur, that was from Gremlins!" He just stared at her. "It's a movie. You mean you haven't watched every Christmas movie. Well, actually it's a monster movie that takes place during Christmas. I don't recommend it for you." He was still just staring. "It didn't really happen."

This he registered and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God! I didn't know how I could save the holiday for you after that one. Don't do that! I was freaking out!" She laughed again and this time he joined her.

She felt another question come to her. "How'd you become Santa?" She saw the frown. "Hey, this is supposed to be a happy story!"

"I stole the position from Steve actually. You see everyone used to think I was the embarrassment of the Christmas family. I always left doors open, tripped over everything, got in everybody's way. But I was just trying to make Christmas perfect for everyone. I couldn't help it." Molly nodded emphatically as he looked her way. Arthur was a klutz and sometimes got in the way but he never meant to do anything but good.

"Well, almost five Christmases ago there was this little girl who had somehow been missed by all my brother's fancy machines. She wanted this beautiful pink bike but my brother and dad said it was just one kid. So I delivered it myself in the nick of time with their help once they saw that Christmas is about making everyone happy."

"And they named you Santa Claus?" He smiled.

"I became Santa Claus. But, you know, sometimes I wonder if one day they're going to realize it was a mistake. They never believed in me before, what- what if it happens again? Maybe I would be better off down in the South Pole. I just wish I make every Christmas bright for every kid." He put his head down and Molly gave it a moment before elbowing him.

"It wasn't a mistake, just to let you know. And the South Pole, are you kidding me? You belong exactly where you are doing what you want to do. You know I'd never lie to you. I consider myself a very blunt person. So you know I'm not BSing you when I say that you're the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Christmas."

He looked at her for a long moment before giving her a long and tight hug. She felt more secure in that moment than probably her entire life. "Thanks Molly. You're the best."

July 4th 11:05 P.M. North Pole

Bryony paced nervously in the hangar doors when Steve stepped in. "He's not back yet, sir. Do you think something happened?"

"No, he's just taking his time like we told him. The last thing we need is for a firecracker to hit the sleigh on his way back."

"It was nice of you to let him out tonight, sir. He did go thrice this week already."

"It's a holiday and I trust her to look after him. If she's got it half as bad as Arthur does soon enough the North Pole will have their Mrs. Claus." Bryony nodded. Only Steve seemed to see what had been obvious to her as well. "That'll be interesting. A Mrs. Claus who formerly went by the last name of Scrooge."

"His parents wouldn't find it funny though."

"I'm not worried about them. He obviously wants to be with Molly so he should be with Molly. Making him take up with this Abby girl is going to make him nothing but lonely and miserable for the rest of his life. If they wish that on Arthur than truly something is wrong."

"She hates Christmas though."

"It does seem Scrooge and Festivus are rather two opposite poles when you think about it. But if anyone can make the holiday grow on a person its Arthur."

"When do you think he's going to figure it out?"

"Hopefully soon enough. I don't know how much more of this sneaking around we can take." Bryony merely nodded.

August 16th 7:20 P.M. Navy Pier

Arthur knew something was wrong when Molly wasn't at work. It was a work night and with the large cases she had been given lately she stayed until at least ten every night. He had been tempted to take the reindeer up but knew that was far too risky and Steve would have his head. So instead he just wandered- somehow just knowing she'd be on the dock looking out at the lake. It was like they were two magnets almost.

"Is everything alright?" he asked sitting on the ground next to her. She stared blankly ahead. "Molly, you can talk to me. You can trust me." There was a long moment before she pulled her knees to her chest and sighed, almost in defeat. "Trust me. It helps to say the stuff out loud. Otherwise you're just waiting to explode- like when you open a bag of tinsel." There wasn't even a hint of amusement. But at least there wasn't a hint of anger either. There was just... nothing. "Molly, you're scaring me," he admitted. Finally, after what seemed like forever, her lips started to move.

"Let's just say today is the anniversary of a pretty bad day." She didn't seem to be able to say anymore, stumbling over forming the next sentence. Arthur swept in to help her.

"The day they took you away from your mom and dad." She gave one slow nod, slightly puzzled.

"How-oh right. The letter I wrote." He nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head. "Okay."

They sat in silence for a long time before she spoke again. "They did some pretty bad things to Michael and me. I know now we needed to leave, but-"

"They were your mom and dad."

"Then I fell onto every sort of wagon under the umbrella- drugs, alcohol, smoking, promiscuity, even vandalism of school property. I was definitely on the naughty list."

"I can't believe that."

"Oh, it's true though. So my aunt threw me out and my brother left me on the steps of a rehab program. He was eighteen by the time I left so he had gone to England and never looked back. I haven't talked to him since. I'm terrified to even try. I-I try to hide from all of that, pretend I'm normal. That's why I hate Christmas so much. Christmas is the one day you're not supposed to be alone- the one day everyone has someone and is happy to be with them. But I will never have that. I'm going to be alone forever. All the boys I've ever known took one thing and then broke my heart. The only thing I've had going for me is when I got out of rehab I started hitting the books and decided to become a lawyer."

"Why did you want to be a lawyer?"

"It seemed like the good idea."

"Don't you love it though?"

"Come on. No one but you loves their job. I'm sure I'd be happier at thousands of other jobs, but I picked my path. I have to live with it. So all that stuff I had to go through, it all came from this day. This day when Social Security came to my house, saw my scars, and pulled me away crying and screaming." Arthur noticed her pull down her sleeve to reveal a scar on her shoulder. "This one's from when I had cookies before dinner."

Arthur gently tugged her sleeve back up. She wrapped her arms around herself and started breathing heavier. "I can't. I can't."

"It's okay. I'm here." And with that a choked sob burst forth as she started to rock back and forth. The last layer of wrapping paper was violently ripped away as Molly started sobbing to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks. Arthur gently moved her onto his lap where he cradled her with his arms as she sobbed into his chest. "It's okay. I'm here," he repeated again and again, whispering into her ear.

He had no clue how long the two of them sat like that before she fell asleep, but it was dark outside. Dark enough he could call the sleigh (he didn't care how risky it was at the moment) to take her home and tuck her into bed. He stared at her for a moment reflecting on everything she'd told him. It was worse than he'd imagined.

But he was here now. She may be stuck with physical scars, but he was going to make sure she was never threatened by the ones in her head. She wasn't alone. She didn't deserve to be. Arthur spent the night on the couch- always there is she needed him.