SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN!
The next chapter. Ah, the excitement of 'OMFG WTF WILL ANA SUBJECT THIS POOR COUPLE TO NEXT AGGHH I CAN'T LOOK…AWAY! CAN'T LOOK AWAY!' *spirals into a tunnel of dread*
Yeah…that.
SHOUTOUTS! TO:
SafyreSky! Dearest Dani, you are my LIFESAVER sometimes, I swear: this story would not have become what it is without you. Well, maybe it would have, just a bit different. Small potatoes. My point still stands: thank YOU, for being the awesome person you are, AND fielding my crazy PM's (and PM problems :/) You are the BEST.
XXPay4XtraShippingsXX: Nice to see you, mon frère! *end creepy Jack quote, and SHUDDERS* Cliffy resolution INCLUDED. Hope you like it!
WolfieRed23: DON'T FLIP OUT! DON'T FLIP OUT! (I DO know CPR, but would like to not have to use it, THANK YOU!) And don't hate me! *sobs* I'm a really nice person, I just have to subject my characters to terrible things to make their ending seem more well earned *SPOILER ALERT!* Hope this renews some good feels for you.
WinterFrost15: IDK if you got my PM, or didn't, or said WHAT A WEIRDO QUICK HIIIIDDEEE, but I did reply to your lovely comment, so check your inbox if you haven't already. And again, THANK YOU SO MUCH *hugs*
Applejax XD : IKR! SCOTT YOU….ergh, never mind. I'd better not call Santa a pedo :P OOPS! Well, anyway, here's the next chapter. May it bring you better vibes than the last. XD
SO, AS USUAL, (Insert Usual Disclaimers here.)
'Kay! Let's see what's going on, SHALL WE?
-Ana
Chapter 15
Welcome to the New Age
ELLINGTON'S CHOICE: Radioactive, by Imagine Dragons
Darkness. That was all there was. No brilliant white light came flashing in like the Tristar Pegasus to save her from what waited inside of it. And the end never seemed to come. Elle could have sworn she was on her way to Wonderland, the way it felt. But Alice hadn't felt like she was on fire as she fell. Elle did.
Whatever magic Father Time had used must have fouled up, because this wasn't what he had warned them of. If only he'd actually have known what he was doing.
She would have sighed, if she could; but it felt like all of the air was being forced from her lungs, bit by excruciating bit.
'Bernard!' she yelled hoarsely into the blackness, but no reply came. Oh no, Elle thought desperately. Not again. Jack hasn't tricked us all again.
But then, the falling sensation stopped, and everything was horribly still. Elle found her arms and legs…heck, NOTHING would move; but she was lying on something soft.
And then she lost consciousness.
Bernard woke up with a start in his office chair. He was breathing heavily, and his heart was pounding erratically in his chest. Before he'd awoken, he could have sworn a name was on his tongue, but it was just out of his reach, try as he might to recall it. It was lost in a swirl of dark confusion in his mind, a confusion of almost everyone and everything. He couldn't remember what he'd done the day before, or the day before that. He couldn't remember the date, or time, or anything. It was like someone had wiped his mind clean in his sleep. The only thing he could think now was that he felt very strange.
He found himself in his normal work attire, but felt like they didn't fit properly. Wondering why, Bernard went to the mirror by the door and looked at his reflection. In the split second before he blinked, Bernard could have sworn he saw someone else looking back at him: a girl, with dark brown hair pinned up and framing her face with curls. And her eyes. Bright blue eyes. He felt a painful pang in his stomach in the briefest of moments, and then…he was looking at himself.
He blinked, confused. The girl had come and gone so quickly that he wondered if he'd really seen her, or if it was all just in his mind. But the ache in his stomach lingered long after the image had gone.
Then, he noticed that he was coated in a fine, silver powder.
Odd.
Back on his desk, a phone vibrated. His work phone, he realized. Bernard went and read the screen: Curtis.
He answered it. "Hello?"
"Goooood morning, Bernard!" said Curtis spiffily. Bernard cringed at the younger elf's volume level, and turned down the volume on his phone.
"Morning," Bernard grumbled. "Curtis, what's the date?"
"Um…" Curtis seemed thrown off by this question. "October sixth, why?"
"And the year?"
"2006. Why?!"
Bernard scratched his head thoughtfully. "I…don't honestly know. I just get the feeling something's wrong today, and I can't place what."
"Oh." Curtis humphed. "Well. You're late. It's nine thirty, Bernard! What kept you this morning?"
"NINE THIR—" It really was. 9:33, the clock read. Bernard face palmed. "Great. Now the schedule's going to be late. AUGH! Please tell me that you're at least on schedule. FOR ONCE."
"Yeah, actually I am," Curtis said cheerily. "My pre-vacation rounds are going very well…I only missed five stops this time."
"Five stops?" Bernard couldn't believe his pointed ears. "Five stops? You missed FIVE STOPS and you're happy about that?!"
"Yeah." Curtis said this like it was an obvious fact. "Yesterday I missed eight."
"Uggghhh." Bernard rubbed his face miserably. "I am not taking this vacation. Santa can't make me."
"Um, hate to burst your bubble there, Bernard, but actually he can."
"Whatever. I'll be down in five."
"Hours, or minutes?" Curtis sassed.
Bernard hung up on him.
He told the truth though. Five minutes later and he was coming out of his office…only to find Curtis waiting for him.
"You're late," Curtis said slyly, smirking in his puffy blue vest and skull cap.
Bernard scowled. "You know, just because you're exhibiting the effects of the Krumholtz-Breslin Syndrome doesn't give you free right to mouth off to the Head Elf."
"It's called the Krumholtz-Breslin Syndrome for a reason," Curtis said. "Because only you and I are the ones who are looking any older around here. And, I might add, you still only look twenty something, but I'm catching up. I look at least fifteen." He raised his chin cockily. "Guess all that yelling you did, telling me to grow up paid off after all."
"Don't get snippy with me Number Two," Bernard said irritably. "I woke up this morning feeling like I have what humans call a 'hangover', and I KNOW I didn't drink. Plus, I'm covered in silver powder, I'm seeing things, and I've got no memories to speak of."
"Yeah, I can see that," Curtis said, brushing some of the dusty remnants off of the older elf's shoulder. "Why in the name of Kris Kringle would you ask me the date, of all things?"
"Does it matter?"
"Um, yes." Curtis said, casting a sideways glance down the hall at Santa's Study. "Frankly, Santa's had a weird streak today too…I mean, weirder than usual. He keeps referring to Buddy, and nobody's sure who he's talking about."
"I see," said Bernard, who really didn't.
"Well, I'm off to the Kitchen. I want to check in on that new cocoa machine that 's just been installed," said Curtis, wriggling his eyebrows meaningfully, and strode off quickly down the hall.
"That's not on the schedule!" Bernard called after him.
"And neither are you!" Curtis laughed at his own wit. "Maybe try catching up on your own schedule before you point the judgmental finger, eh?"
"And this isn't Canada, either!"
Finding no good reason not to listen to Curtis' advice, Bernard left the hallway and went down to the Workshop. Things were bustling as usual, and something inside of him seemed to calm down, looking at the normal orderly efficiency that ruled supreme under his supervision. Like a weight was off his mind, he realized; but in that weight's sudden absence, a different heavier nagging began, and the confusion continued.
He ignored it most of the day. Bernard went about his usual rounds almost by body memory. But little things were beginning to catch his attention—small bouts of confusion amongst the elves, packages being sent to the wrong departments, some sections of the Workshop running on a completely different (and unauthorized) schedule. The same unauthorized schedule. An abundance of silver dust was hanging around, scattered over random objects and people. And a strange feeling that he'd…well, lived this day before.
In fact, it was to the point of getting alarming. Bernard was starting to think he was seeing things twice. Or that he'd seen them before, but couldn't remember when. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the sensation, but no such luck.
And that girl. The one he'd seen in the mirror that morning. Well, the mirror wasn't the only place he was seeing things. In every available and reflective surface her figure would appear briefly before being replaced by his. Oddly, it was fascinating, not frightening; and Bernard found himself passing in front of store windows and shiny objects in the hope of seeing her again, even for just a moment.
By three thirty, he had had seen her enough to know what she looked like. It was strange how much he was affected by the sight of her bouncing curls, and red lips, and those bright, blue eyes…she always wore a long dark green pea-coat, and short black ankle boots. The intensity with which he focused on these details frightened him. Already he had had to shake his head several times that day after staring so hard at her reflection to realize that it was his own that was looking back at him.
Bernard was beginning to think he was going crazy. It was time for some answers, and he would get them from anyone he could.
"Ah… Freddy!" Bernard reached out and snagged the arm of a young elf.
Freddy looked surprised, but then grinned. "Oh, hi Bernard."
"Hi." Bernard was surprised; usually the elves looked worried if he stopped them…didn't they?
"What can I do for you sir?" Freddy's words snapped him back to reality.
"Um…have you seen a girl around? With curly hair and bright blue eyes? And tall, like me?"
Freddy thought. "Hmmm…no. Is this person an elf?"
"I…think so."
Freddy shook his head. "Hmm."
"She wears a long green coat, if that helps."
"Nope. Sorry, but none of the girls that are your size around here look like that." Freddy gave him an apologetic look.
"Right." Bernard let out his breath.
"But good luck finding her, whoever she is."
"Thanks, Freddy."
"No problem." Bernard watched Freddy wander off with the wrapping paper. Who was this girl, that she was sticking in his head like this? And nobody else remembered her?
Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "Hey there."
It was Carol. A very, very pregnant Carol.
Pregnant. Carol.
This was weirding him out, and Bernard couldn't understand why.
"Um, hello, Mrs. Claus," said Bernard, clasping his hands behind his back.
"Hello Bernard. Have you seen Scott around?" They were making their way to the Workshop again.
"No, he was with Curtis the last time I checked; but that was several hours ago." Bernard bit his lip for a moment before asking, "You haven't seen a girl around, have you? About my height, wearing a long green coat? Dark curly hair?"
Carol gave him an odd look. "You know, I get the odd feeling that I have," she muttered. "Only not today. And I don't know where, or when." Carol gave Bernard a searching look. "Have you felt like that at all today?"
"Yes," Bernard agreed lowly. "And I don't know why. The first thing I asked Curtis today was the date."
Carol paled. "I asked Abby the same thing."
They had made it to the Workshop, and the first thing they saw was Santa yelling at Curtis.
"But Curtis, it's not 2006!" Scott hollered at the elf. "It's 2013, and we've just been through a living hell, let me tell you, with the Unknown, and the Clause, and…"
"Sir, I hate to tell you this, but you aren't making any sense," Curtis argued. "It is 2006. I have no idea what the 'Unknown' is you're talking about, and there hasn't been any problem with the Clause in years! Not since you were married."
"I'm not talking about the Mrs. Clause! I'm talking about the Emissary Clause!" Scott scoffed. Carol came up and set a hand on her husband's arm.
"Honey, what's going on?" she asked, giving Curtis a wary look.
"Curtis here must be trying to tell me that we've somehow gone back in time; because yesterday was definitely December 22, 2013 last time I checked!"
Bernard had another odd pang in his stomach. December 22, 2013. That meant something to him…only he didn't know what.
Then, quite unexpectedly, the Workshop's massive double doors swung open, and Mother Nature stormed in. Literally. Storm clouds swirled in with her, making even clearer just how angry she was.
"Father Time is GOING TO GET IT!" she cried, looking around at the elves in a rage. "AND Tooth Fairy!"
"Mother N?" Santa asked, a bit alarmed. "What's going on?"
Mother Nature glared. "Everything has been misaligned. I'm worried…well…has anybody seen her?"
"Who?" Carol asked, confused.
Mother Nature's face grew anxious. "Where is she?!" she cried, shaking Santa by the shoulders. "Tell me she's here! Tell me she made it!"
"Who, for tinsel's sake?!" Santa gasped.
"Ellington! Ellington Connelly!"
With a jolt, Bernard felt memories flood back into his mind. That girl, the one he'd seen in the mirror. Her, in his memories: in the Workshop. In a strange costume. In a strange city. In the snow, by a lake. In what appeared to be the backseat of a car, in his arms. And lastly, in the Naughty and Nice Center, clinging to his coat.
'Don't let go,' the girl had said.
'I won't,' he had said, and buried his face in her dark curls. 'I promise.'
Recognition hit him hard, just as Mother Nature turned to give him a heartbroken look.
'I love you,' she'd whispered. That girl with the eyes.
Ellington. Her name was Ellington.
Santa turned to Bernard, a knowing expression already taking over his face. "Bernard…"
Bernard gave Mother Nature a horrified look. "It's my fault," he said breathlessly.
But she was my Elle.
"I let her go."
ELLINGTON'S CHOICE: I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift
It was cold.
So. Very. Cold.
How could this have happened?
Not again…
These were Elle's first thoughts as she came back to consciousness.
Then, she realized she was lying down, and her eyes flew open. She sat up.
She was lying atop a snow drift, high up on a mountain. Far below, a small town could be seen.
Elfsburg.
It was Elfsburg.
I'm okay! Elle thought joyously, than closed her eyes. Teleporting would be easiest.
She focused in on the town in her mind…
…and nothing happened.
Elle frowned in frustration, and tried again.
Still nothing.
Irritated, she decided to try running. She took off down the hill… but couldn't seem to pick up above-human speeds. She tripped and rolled partway down a hill, landing face first in the snow.
And that's when she realized: she felt it.
The cold.
She hadn't felt the cold since at the Pole; not since she before became…
Her hands flew to her ears, and her stomach sank as she felt their rounded tips.
…an elf.
She wasn't an elf.
Despair (and panic) hit her full in the gut.
Elfsburg would be days away for a mortal. There was no way she could make it there before she froze. She didn't have the magical nature of an elf to protect her from the elements, nor the magical shield of the town to withstand the Pole's arctic weather. Already her arms and legs were cramping from the exertion, and cold.
A storm was picking up. The wind swirled around her, and brought eddies of snowflakes flying down, so cold they felt like small knives cutting her face. She was shivering terribly. There was no way out.
Well, there was one way….
NO.
She would not ask HIM.
Elle tried to stand, but quickly crumbled to her knees.
He had tried to pull her and Bernard apart. He had betrayed her.
And now, what was the point? She and Bernard would always fall apart; that much was becoming clear. Something didn't want them together, and she would die out here just so that they certainly wouldn't be.
Elle felt her vision blurring, and it wasn't just the snow flying around her. The darkness was beginning to creep back in.
So it had all been for nothing, then. Risking the Pole, the lives of countless people who had sacrificed themselves for her…and she had let them! All now rested upon her weary shoulders. Elle let her eyes fall shut, wishing she had been stronger; less careful and more daring. She wished for one last chance to make everything right. She wished for many things that were of no use to her hindsight.
But most of all, she wished for Bernard.
And then, the darkness covered the world, and she knew no more.
It was only minutes later that a second figure materialized in the snow beside her. This figure, clothed in a dark blue suit, was unfazed by the storm, and merely frowned at its best efforts to chill him. He blew absently at the snow, forcing a large berth between the flakes and himself.
It was only then that he noticed the crumpled green-clad figure at his feet.
"No," Jack breathed, falling down on his knees to check the person. "Ellington…"
It was, of course.
"How could this…happen?" For once, Jack was honestly confused. Weren't they supposed to have jumped back to the Workshop? Why were they stranded out in the cold?
"That old time mincer," Jack spat. "Frostbite! Couldn't he even pull off one procedure correctly?" He took a deep breath, and picked Elle up in his arms. "Bernard will never forgive me for this," he muttered, but tucked the girl into his arms, willing any warmth he could offer into her poor chilled body. Her lips were blue, and that was only one of the signs of hypothermia that she was showing.
Elle wouldn't last long in that environment, Jack knew; so he set his mind on Elfsburg, and tried teleporting.
Unfortunately, Elle wasn't the only one whose abilities were impaired.
"Oh what now?" said an exasperated Jack, glancing around him for anything helpful. There was nothing.
So Jack did, for once, the only decent thing he could do in his situation.
He started walking.
"How could you let this happen?"
"It wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know that we were standing on a fault line?"
"We're in the North Pole, Time!"
"Well, the seismic activity wasn't something I could have prepared for!"
Mother Nature sighed irritably. "Well, here we are now."
"Just where is 'here', exactly?" Santa asked.
The majority of the council members had been assembled in the Kitchen, standing around the table and (mostly) glaring at Father Time. Bernard, for his part, was pacing agitatedly across one end of the Kitchen, ignoring the conversation for the sake of his sanity. How could he have failed her? Again? He hadn't wanted to, or meant to let Elle go; it had just…happened. But he still felt responsible, and dreaded having to tell her that it was his entire fault.
That is, if he ever found her again.
The thought almost made him toss his cookies…some feat, as he hadn't eaten all day.
"We're in the Twilight Zone," said Father Time wearily.
"The…what?" Santa laughed bitterly. "Oh, come on. We don't have time for jokes!"
"And this is no laughing matter!" cried Mother Nature, the storm clouds regrouping over her head.
"IT'S NOT A JOKE, FOR CRIPE'S SAKES!" Father Time pounded his staff on the floor. The others jumped at the unexpected noise.
"The Twilight Zone?" Easter Bunny asked feebly. "You mean…that place really exists?"
"Obviously, yes," said Father Time, settling into one of the chairs. "The Twilight Zone is the place where broken timelines rest. There is no continuation of Time; everything is stagnant. The idea of Groundhog Day is based on the concept of this place."
"Well that's…morbid." Mother Nature seemed a bit taken aback…which alarmed the rest of the group; but they said nothing.
"To say the least," Father Time admitted. "But there is no way for non cohesive timelines to continue—or reform—without the necessary components: in this case, Ellington, and if I'm not mistaken, Jack."
"Jack?" Bernard paused in his pacing to address the Council, his face taught with worry and anger. "Do you think he did this? Tricked us all again? Trying to trap us here, in the Twilight Zone, while he hightails it back to the Escape Clause period with Elle?" His face fell at the thought, and he buried his face in his hands. "Oh god…what if…he was Santa for twelve years, the Mrs. Clause…and his fascination with…Elle…and…"
"NO," said Father Time firmly. "The seismic activity wouldn't have allowed for it. The earthquake disrupted the dimensional shift necessary to time travel. Jack is stuck somewhere in this reality; as is Ellington."
Bernard let out his breath, and gave a sharp nod. "Right. Right."
"Besides, you two are engaged, and Jack can't overstep the magic of the Clause," Cupid pointed out.
"Well, I'm really miffed," said Tooth Fairy with a huff. "This amnesia dust must be expired, because it hasn't worked AT ALL like it should. Only some of you forgot things, and even those who did only forgot temporarily."
"Did you make sure the dust was made before 2006?" Father Time asked.
"Why would I do that?"
Father Time sighed deeply. "Because, if you travel back in time to before the dust was made, it doesn't work like it should. Its manufacture date hasn't even happened yet!"
Tooth Fairy scowled. "Oh. Well, that would have been good to know."
A long awkward silence fell upon them.
"Wait a minute…" said Santa thoughtfully. "If Ellington's somewhere in the Pole, then as her fiancé, can't Bernard—"
"Teleport to her location?!" Bernard tensed, and tried to teleport.
Nothing happened.
"You can't," Father Time explained. "The dimensional shift prevents teleportation for five hours…and that's if you make it out of the Twilight Zone."
"But…nobody's seen her in the Workshop, or Elfsburg!" said Bernard anxiously. His face fell. "Oh no…
"Then she's probably out in the snow," said Mother Nature solemnly."And NO, you cannot go after her. It's a slender chance that you would find her, in this storm, without magic."
"But I can't just let her DIE!" Bernard yelled. "I can't just…sit here, and do…do NOTHING!"
"That's the only thing you can do, Bernard," said Father Time sadly. "This time, you can't save her."
Bernard visibly crumbled. "Then…I've failed her."
Carol rose and took Bernard by the elbow. "Come sit down, Bernard. It's not hopeless yet." She led him to a chair near the end of the table.
"You're all forgetting a crucial part," Scott said. "Jack is out there too, and Ellington is his key to a second chance at defrosting. If anyone can find her in this mess, Jack can."
"So now we're relying on Jack to save Elle," Bernard muttered miserably. "Oh joy."
"Jack can't teleport either," Father Time pointed out. "It could be hours before they make it here."
"Then we wait," said Mother Nature with no small amount of tension. "We wait out the storm."
So they did.
And Bernard felt like he was losing his mind.
Again.
Jack trudged through the snowstorm, squinting against the flakes barraging his face. "Oh icicles!" he yelled. "Give me some space, would you?"
The flakes immediately gave him a five foot berth.
"That's more like it," Jack grumbled. He may have been Legendary, but it was a long walk to Elfsburg, and normally he would have just teleported. Something was stopping him, and it was very …inconvenient, to say the least.
Even with the radius Jack had cleared, it was nearly impossible to see beyond that. The storm was thick; and Jack, for some infernal reason, couldn't calm it. It was as if the weather was obeying someone else's orders, and not the winter sprite's. He was only seeing responses from very basic orders. In all rights he ought to have been able to call off the snow, but he couldn't, and his irritation at this was great.
Besides, even the Jack Frost could get tired from physical strain, and Jack had walked for a good seven miles already.
More than once he had considered stopping and waiting out the storm, but then looked down at Ellington in his arms. She would have been beautiful, with snowflakes caught in her eyelashes and in her hair; but her lips were blue, and her face was abnormally, deathly pale. Her rounded ears served as the final reminder of her mortality, and made the threat even more real: if he didn't keep going, Ellington wouldn't either; and she, unlike him, could die from the cold.
So more than once, he had taken a breath, and redoubled his efforts.
After all, he didn't want to have to tell Bernard he had let his betrothed die out in the cold. That would get ugly, for sure.
He didn't let himself think that he was doing it for Elle's sake, either. He told himself it was all for his second chance.
But he knew that he would always have a spot in his heart for the girl he couldn't have; and that little, low burning flame fueled his resolve.
She loved Bernard. And he wanted her to be happy.
So that was all that mattered.
"Three more miles, Ellington," he whispered down to the unconscious girl. "Just hold on."
ELLINGTON'S CHOICE: Clarity, by Zedd Ft. Foxes
It had been eight hours.
Eight, long, tedious hours.
Father Time was unable to speed up the clock. In the Twilight Zone, all Legendary Figures were almost powerless.
So they had sat, waiting. Lunch time had come and gone; dinner was fast approaching, and dusk with it. But still there was no sign of Jack.
Or Elle.
It was torture, Bernard was sure. Nothing, in all of his long long years, had ever come close to this in terms of mental anguish.
He had waited so long. She had given up so much. They finally, at last, had found each other—and so quickly, it had been taken away.
What had he done to deserve this? Bernard hadn't ever considered himself a bad person, but he wondered now what grievous sin he could have committed to deserve this. Not only did he feel his own agony, but the agony of putting Elle through so much…even for the sake of true love. She was so innocent…sure, she had a tough façade, much like himself; but in the short bit of time he had had alone with her, he had found that she was the type to love deeply, intensely.
She deserved more than this.
And if he ever got another chance, he would make sure he gave her everything she deserved, and more.
I should have protected her. I should have been out there in the cold with her, not Jack.
Tears sprang to his eyes at the was sitting, hunched over the table, hands clasped together and head bowed. Bernard blinked quickly, trying to stuff back the tears, but one got away from him, and fell.
The room was so still that it made an audible splat as it hit the table's lacquered surface.
Santa laid a hand on Bernard's back. "Easy there, Bernard."
Carol patted his hand, resting on the table. "Have hope dear," she said quietly; but the tears had begun to fall from her own eyes.
The rest of the Council was doing their best not to cry as well. They all knew the truth.
It had been too long. Ellington wouldn't have lasted this long, even as an elf.
The snow could be heard through the walls of the Kitchen as it buffeted the Workshop harshly.
No one could survive that.
The despair was setting in. Bernard knew he had failed.
He had fought the Clause, and now he would get just what he had wanted. He would spend the rest of his life alone.
Wish. Granted.
"Bernard," Mother Nature began, her voice choked.
But she never got to finish. From beyond the doors of the Kitchen, a loud banging resounded.
The room's occupants stared in shock towards the sound.
"The…" Santa began in disbelief.
"…Doors." Bernard shot up from the table and ran out.
The elves were pressed back against the walls of the giant room, as the cold winter weather swirled into the Workshop. A large cloud of the snow hovered in the center of the floor.
Then, the double doors slammed shut, and the snow fluttered to the ground, revealing a bright blue glowing orb.
Bernard's heart stopped. He couldn't even bear to hope…
It was Jack.
And in his arms, a bundle of frosted green—
"GET THE MEDIC!" Jack hollered hoarsely, kneeling on the floor. "And get Bernard! Quickly!"
The elves snapped into action, hustling after Doctor Hismus and the Elfermary in a sort of overdrive. The rest crowded around Jack and the mysterious form in his arms.
Bernard moved as if in a dream. He felt nothing; not the cold, not the crowd that he pushed through, not the snow melting in a pool as slid to his knees next to his former enemy.
Jack's eyes were wild, and he held Elle protectively against himself. But when Bernard fell beside him, the two exchanged a look that spoke more than words.
Was she..? She wasn't…..
"Here." Then, with a sharp nod, he released his grip on her, and passed her into Bernard's arms. "She's all yours, elf."
Bernard couldn't find words. He had to know… he set two fingers under her scarf, against her neck.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP THUMP.
No sound had ever been sweeter to his ears.
Bernard let out his breath, and the tears began streaming down his face. He pulled Elle close, into his arms and willed all of his magic into her. "I've got you," he whispered. "I've got you." He rocked her back and forth like a baby. "I've got you." The ice began melting off of her and pooling around them.
The rest of the Council rushed up around them. Jack rose to his feet, brushing himself off.
"Jack!" Santa gave Jack a hug. Jack's eyebrows shot up. Then Scott realized what he was doing, and hastily released his fellow Figure. "Uhhh…good to see you."
"Oh! Well, it's nice to see someone missed me," said Jack, giving the Council a wry look. Even Mother Nature smiled at him, and Father Time shook his head bemusedly.
Then they all looked at Bernard on the floor with Ellington.
"She's okay," Jack said, holding up his hands. "A little chilly, but nothing some quality time with her fiancé won't cure."
"Jack, you really rose to the occasion," said Mother Nature approvingly. "I will do my best to keep this incident in a corner of my psyche when you pull the Escape Clause."
"Of course!" Santa agreed. "I might even be willing to extend a tentative invitation to stick around for awhile…given, of course, that history takes its usual course."
"You mean, a defrosted Frost, hanging around Santa's Workshop?" Jack grinned. "I like it."
The elves began to stir uncomfortably, as a golden swirling light encompassed the group.
Father Time laughed happily. "Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to Warp!"
"Energize," Santa agreed, glancing down at his two head elves on the floor.
"Here we go!" cried Carol, and with a blinding flash the group disappeared, bidding the Twilight Zone a not-so-fond farewell.
"I love you."
Elle felt arms wrapped snugly around her waist, and a warm breath on her left ear. She found solid ground beneath her feet, and she was warm…and dry.
Safe.
And in her fists was the rough fabric of someone's coat.
Elle opened her eyes, and found herself looking into a pair of deep, brown ones.
"I've got you," Bernard said, the tears welling in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.
Then she remembered. The snow, her mortality, and…Jack?
Jack had done this, she realized. Jack had brought her home.
"I know," said Elle, slipping her arms around Bernard's neck. "I know. You didn't let go."
Kiss me, Elle thought, just testing her telepathy.
And he did.
A cooing erupted around them, but Elle ignored it. She had never been so happy to be foolish in her life. Oh god, she was never going to let him slip away. Not ever.
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Bernard said, with a great deal more cheek than he felt. He was all desperate and needy inside, and somehow that had come out instead. He brushed her curls away from her face and made a mental note to work on his 'bedside manner'.
"Duly noted," Elle said, then gasped, clutching at her ear protectively. What would Bernard do if he saw her ears had gone round?
Bernard gave her a puzzled look. "What?" He tucked her hair behind her ear without comment.
Elle felt the edge of her ear carefully.
Wha…
The edge was perfectly normal. That is, it curved upward, into a perfect point that would have made a Vulcan proud.
Or an elf.
"Nothing," Elle said, and ignoring Bernard's knowing look, kissed him again. She, for once, would be the needy one. No need to remind herself later.
This was her chance to do things properly. And she wasn't about to mess up again.
"Ah-he-HEM!"
Bernard and Elle both whipped their heads around to see Santa with his arms crossed, giving them a look that was half impatient, half joking. "Ah, lovebirds? Care to see if we've made it to the past successfully before having a make-out session in the middle of the Workshop?"
Elle blushed furiously.
"Ah, hmm. Nope." Bernard unabashedly went right back to kissing Elle, much to her surprise.
Well, at least Bernard was unfazed.
The rest of the Council laughed, and Santa went red—well, redder than usual, and that was saying something. "That's new."
Except for Jack, who said, "Well, my part here is done, I think. For now. I assume we have arrived in the correct time, this time, Father Time?" Jack wriggled his eyebrows.
"Oh you are incorrigible," Mother Nature said sharply, at which Jack chuckled in that not-so-manly way of his and snapped his fingers.
Father Time scowled and pulled out his pocket watch. "Indeed," he said. "We have arrived successfully."
The entire group gave a cheer.
"Then I will see you cats, in a couple of months!" Jack pulled his frosted glasses out and slipped them over his eyes, ready to teleport.
"Frost!"
Jack froze. It was Bernard who had called his name. He turned slowly to face the Head Elf. "Yes, Mr. Grumpy Pants?"
Elle saw Bernard's eye twitch at the nickname, but he paid it no mind. "Thank you," he said seriously. And that was all he said. The rest passed between the two immortal beings wordlessly.
Jack was, at least partially, forgiven.
"No problem." Jack said clipped but casual. He grinned around at the others. "Ciao!"
And he was gone, in a flash of dry ice.
"Well, thank goodness that's over!" said Easter Bunny.
"But what about the Amnesia dust?" Carol asked worriedly.
"Oh, I'll grab some fresh stuff tomorrow," Tooth Fairy said. "And this time, I'll get it right." He winked.
"Won't we all," said Santa, with a fond look at his two starry-eyed Head Elves.
"Santa!" Curtis rushed in, finger already in the air in that annoying I'm-about-to-say-something-you-don't want-to-hear way that he had. "RDS is out of interchangeable magnetic hex key sets. May I have permission to order twenty new ones?"
Santa shrugged towards Bernard and Ellington. "Don't ask me, ask them."
Curtis made a face. "Ugh, not again! Ever since you two got engaged, it's PDA all over the place!"
Bernard frowned. "PDA?"
"Public Displays of Affection!" cried Curtis.
"Wow, you've grown," Elle commented, seeing how Curtis now appeared to be around fifteen.
"It's the Krumholtz-Breslin Syndrome," Curtis said, suddenly beaming. "I'm old enough to take on Head Elf duty…should the situation require it," he reneged.
Bernard glared. "Order the hex key sets, Curtis. And stay out of my sight today."
Curtis scowled and frumped off. "Just wait till you go on that vacation!"
"Never going to happen!" Bernard called after him. "You're in RDS for a reason, and I'll see it stays that way!"
"All's well that ends well," said Mother Nature happily, after Curtis had gone. "I think it's time we all had some dinner!"
"I'll take some lunch first," grumbled Cupid.
So they all headed off to the Kitchen for a victory meal…a well earned one, too.
"Bernard?" said Elle carefully. They had fallen behind the others a few paces and were holding hands as they walked.
"Hmm?"
"What was all that about a vacation?"
Bernard sighed. "Remember what I told you about the Escape Clause? How I wasn't in the third movie because I was away on vacation?"
"Yeah?" Elle thought. "Ohhh…"
"He's trying to get me to go on that vacation," said Bernard, a dark look on his face. "Something I'm dreading."
"Ah." Elle clasped his hand a little tighter. "Well, dread no longer."
Bernard looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Elle gave him a lopsided grin. "If you go on vacation, mister, I'm going with you."
"Oh." Bernard thought about this. A smile began spreading across his lips. "Well, then. I might be persuaded into going."
"That's right." Elle chuckled. This might just turn out to be more fun than she had expected.
TADDAAAA!
They made it! *fist pump* YESSSS!
Ah well. It's not over yet. I've got one more chapter, before closing this puppy up.
I'll be sad to see TEC go! Fortunately, I'm already working on a sequel….but I'll put details about that in the NEXT CHAPTER.
IN OTHER NEWS: ELLE HAS A CAMEO! WOOT WOOOT! In Crystal Springs. SafyreSky has asked to use Elle in her story! It was only supposed to be for a bit but it turns out that Elle will be playing a larger role in the story than we'd both thought! Her cameo begins in the next chapter, Chapter Five, of Crystal Springs. So if you want to see what happens after Elle and Bernard get back from their vacation, check it out! Favorite and Follow Crystal Springs peoples! You WON'T be disappointed. 10/10 DO RECOMMEND!
OKAY, UNLEASH THE KEYSMASHES ON ME! Rants, RAVES, sob sessions, you name it; the review section is open for new entries. I'd love to know what you guys thought about how TEC ended up; i.e., were you satisfied with the finale? With the twists and turns the story took? This is almost the end, so put your two cents in NOW while this story is STILL KICKING! And so that you can have a mention in the LAST CHAPTER!
HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
Cheers!
-Ana