Chapter 11: Thanksgiving

November 24th 1:42 P.M. North Pole

"I'm afraid I still don't understand," Steve heard his mom comment as she set an extra place at the table.

"Mom, we've been over this. Her name is Molly Scrooge and she's a very good friend of Arthur's. He's been visiting her all year under my supervision. She was pretty miserable and lonely but thanks to your son and compassion she's done a complete flip-flop. She had no one to spend the holiday with so Arthur invited to come up here."

"That's where I get lost. How does she know?"

"It was a needed release of information, trust me. It's fine. We can trust her." His mother merely looked at him and he sighed. "Mother…"

"I know. I know." She continued setting the table for a minute. "She's the reason he turned down Abby, isn't she?"

Steve looked at her. "She makes him happier than I've ever seen him."

"Her last name is Scrooge and she hates Christmas! Arthur-"

"Arthur deserves to be with who he wants to be. I know you want what's best and in your mind that's exactly what you and dad had. But it's a different time and Arthur is a different person. As Arthur's family we support his decision." He went back to his HOHO before looking at her for one more moment. "He makes everyone happy. Let him be happy."

At two the SPIRIT pulled into the hangar bay and Arthur climbed out, helping a beautiful young girl who carried a pie in her hand. She looked a little shaken up and noticed Steve observe her with concern. "I'm a little afraid of heights." One of the reindeer stepped forward and nuzzled his head on her shoulder. "He's quite a flirt this one."

"That's B-Bambi. He does rather seem to fancy you," Arthur noted. "And this is my brother Steve. Steve, this is the one and only Molly Scrooge." His smile could not betray how ecstatic Arthur was over this meeting. Steve shook her hand and smiled.

Dinner was an interesting affair, Steve sitting out of the conversation most of the time to observe how everyone was reacting. Grandsanta seemed to really like her and was telling her stories about when he was Santa. His parents were much more guarded, almost sizing her up in a sense with their questions. The way Arthur looked at her made it blatantly obvious how he felt but…

There! He had managed to catch it! Arthur had mentioned something about Gwen and the bike before returning to his food. The way Molly had looked at him in that moment made it pretty obvious too. That had been what Steve was looking and hoping for.

He pulled her aside after the meal was finished. "I have something I'd like to speak to you about." She nodded, confused. "My brother is the greatest person there is. He puts everyone and everything before himself and quite honestly has the heart to match." He saw her smile in agreement. "He is my little brother and I love him and protect him."

"What does-"

"You mean everything to him. Don't screw that up. If you hurt him… it will destroy him, you hear. Now I consider you a friend, but hurt him and I will not cease to look at you as nothing more than something in my way. And the things in my way aren't that way for long. Is that understood?"

She looked utterly lost. It was almost amusing. It still hadn't clicked for her. But Steve knew it would soon enough. She was here now- inching closer and closer to the role he knew she would come to be in time. Molly Scrooge was going to be Mrs. Claus because she loved Arthur just as much as he loved her. He knew that now. "Is that understood?"

"Yes… it is."

"Good." And he walked away to get the final details ready for a month from now, satisfied with the girl who was going to become second in command of the North Pole. Arthur knew how to pick them.

November 24th 6:13 P.M. North Pole

Arthur gestured to the office. "This is where I used to work- answering letters." Molly smiled and walked in, him following.

"I can tell you really cared about them," she noted, flipping through some letters. He smiled and grabbed an envelope and a box from his desk. She noticed this of course. "What do you have?"

"It's an early Christmas present." He placed both in her hands.

"I didn't get you anything. Thank you." She opened the envelope to find the address Arthur had neatly printed last night. She looked at him puzzled.

"It's his address and phone number." Her face fell, but he gently put his hand up to her arm. "I'm not saying you have to, I'm not even suggesting it. But if the day comes now you won't have to look him up. It's all right there, just in case." She took this in for a moment before hugging him, tears falling onto his sweater. "And no matter what he says you have me." He felt her nod. "Open the other one. It's happier."

She wiped her eyes and lifted the lid off the box, pulling out two slippers identical to the ones from that Christmas years ago. "They light up!" He pushed the button and 'Silent Night' played as the eyes lit up. She laughed. "I didn't know if-"

"I love them. I absolutely love them." She hugged him again- quicker this time. "You are the absolute greatest Arthur. Thank you not just for this, but for this entire year. Thank you for saving me."

"It was absolutely no problem. I got a lot out of the deal too."

He watched her as they toured the North Pole very closely from how much she enjoyed to how well she fit in with the elves. Her words from that day had been haunting him. She could see living in the North Pole, especially if he was here.

She had to feel what he did. She had to. He nodded to himself, decided. There was just one question to ask that would clench his decision. "Did you take the job yet?"

"No. I haven't decided yet." That was that. He had his suspicion why that was. So tonight he'd take her home and put himself out there. He had to at least go for it. She gasped in shock and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards something. He felt her warm hand squeeze his. He could just feel it- they were meant to be together.

November 24th 9:34 P.M. Chicago Apartment

Molly stirred the two cups of hot chocolate, which lately she had preferred to coffee. Arthur was standing beside her, awfully quiet. He had been since they got back. Everything had been absolutely perfect from dinner to his gift to just walking around the North Pole together. She could still remember holding his hand. "Hey, what's up? You've been awfully quiet for it officially about to become the holiday season."

He was quiet for a long moment. "I think I figured out why you're so hesitant to take the job."

"Please, do tell so I can fix the problem." She held the cup out to him but he seemed off in his own world.

"I… I think you're not taking it because you don't want to. There's another job in another place you've been thinking about. Maybe not consciously, but I think all this wondering about a new career path and stuff is for a good reason."

"And what reason it that?" she asked, genuinely curious and completely lost.

"Molly Scrooge…," he placed his hand over hers on the mug, "I love you." CRASH! The mug fell to the floor, sending glass all over and a puddle of hot chocolate on the floor. "I am in love with you completely and truly and absolutely. And I think you can't take that job because you feel the same way and that means a life at the North Pole… with me. You said you wouldn't mind living there and I believe you meant it." Her mind was absolutely blank. She literally had nothing. This was it- this was the moment in the romantic comedy where she got the guy and the happy ending. "So I am asking you Molly Scrooge if you would come to the North Pole and live with me." She felt her hands go to her mouth and he helped her into a chair. "I know- I know it's a lot to ask but I love you and want you there with me every day for forever. And deep down I think you want the same thing too."

"I-I-I just can't leave-"

"We'd make it work. You hate your job anyway, we could pack-" Her brain had now in hyper drive as she imagined it.

"No. We're not doing that. I'm not leaving Chicago. I'm not moving to the North Pole." She was in survival mode. He placed his hand on hers.

"Molly, I know. You're scared. I understand with everything that's happened to you. But I am never going to abandon you or hurt you. You know that. I'm not saying we should get married-"her mind froze again,"I'm saying we should try. You don't need to be scared." That was it. She pulled her hand away and rose. Who did he think he was?

"I'm not scared! I'm not! That's not the reason this isn't going to work."

"Then what is it? We can-"

"I don't love you. You're wrong."

"Molly-"

"I don't. I don't. I don't love you like that Arthur. You're my best friend, nothing more. There is never going to be anything more. You need to move on."

"I don't want to. You're amazing and-"she couldn't take this. She couldn't take this. Her survival mode went into overdrive.

"You need to move on because I don't believe you could ever make me happy." His face immediately fell. "I would rather you be at the South Pole." His face turned into one that she could literally feel breaking her heart. "I'm Molly Scrooge. I hate Christmas. I don't believe in magic or spirit and I don't believe in you." It was like the final knife twist. "I don't believe in you. I never will believe in you." He finally met her eyes.

"And we both know you never lie, right? You're a very blunt person." Tears were in his eyes. "I'm going to walk out of that door and I don't think I'm going to come back. Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning you-"

"I understand. And I agree because I don't want you here. Especially after some ridiculous confession like this." She walked to the door and held it open. He walked to it and looked at her. His eyes screamed for anything to keep him from walking out that door. She merely gestured for him to go. And he did.

The second Molly closed the door her entire heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. She should be glad. She had survived the storm and come out safe and sound. Everything was okay. But somehow this hurt more than having her heart broken. She fell to her knees sobbing and not being able to stop or control it. Molly Scrooge knew if her life was a romantic comedy Arthur was the guy she'd live happily ever after with.

It was too bad Molly Scrooge's life wasn't a romantic comedy.