Well, here we are, my dear readers. The last chapter of The Emissary Clause. *sobs*
I have no words for this moment.
Literally, I used them all in this chapter. O.o
Except sorry this took so long, cause I just couldn't seem to get it out of my head, and onto the page.
Many thanks to:
SafyreSky, WolfieRed23, WinterFrost15, SilverMoonrise, and ShayLee64 for their lovely reviews.
(Insert Usual Disclaimers here.)
Thanks for being awesome! This is for you guys.
Chapter 16
The Way We Choose to Be
ELLINGTON'S CHOICE: Coming Home, by Diddy & Dirty Money
Elle woke up in her bed, in the dark. Her alarm was going off on the nightstand next to her, playing one of her favorite songs.
At first, she tensed. A nameless fear seized her. Where was she?
Then, breathing in, she realized that the smell of cinnamon lingered in the air. She reached over and flicked on the lamp.
The room sprang into existence around her. The red papered walls, and the green beams of the ceiling, with the golden insets. She was in her own bed, in her room, at the Pole.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Then, looking over at the clock, she realized that she actually had to get up for work.
Groan.
Dragging herself from the cozy bed, Elle sagged into the bathroom, and turned on the shower, blinking wearily at the swirling steam. All it reminded her of was warm coffee steam, and that only made her sleepier. Ellington relied on coffee to perk her up in the mornings back home, and though she was now a fully transformed elf, she still didn't get the kick she needed from cocoa, Despite Bernard's explanations of why elves didn't need coffee, it didn't trick her mind or body into believing this, which resulted in a rather bleary Elle in the mornings.
Thus it took her a good forty five minutes to shower and dress. She was just pinning up her hair when a strong, rich smell came wafting in through the cracked door.
Elle adopted an expression not much different from that of a bloodhound that had picked up a scent.
"It can't be," she whispered, suddenly much more awake.
Using her self-proclaimed 'stealth ninja skills', Ellington slunk out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and into the living room adjoining it, following her nose. The scent was strongest there, and indeed: sitting on the coffee table was…well, coffee. A venti-sized ceramic Starbucks mug full of coffee.
"Latte!" she gasped, sniffing at the contents. Her mind seemed to clear, and she immediately felt more awake. Eagerly she took the mug in hand and sipped at its contents, letting her eyes roll back in her head in delight.
"Who…" Ellington looked down at the table again, noticing for the first time a small scrap of paper.
Call it a compromise gesture.
Love you.
B.
Elle smiled thoughtfully. Compromise gesture indeed.
Love you too, she thought, and hoped it reached him.
I love you too, B.
She sat down on the sofa, and curled up with her mug.
P.S. You have the day off today, like you requested. Let me know when you're ready to talk.
Confused, Ellington frowned. She didn't remember asking for the day off. When had that happened?
And the bit about being ready to talk. What was it she had to talk to him about?
Well, a lot of things, when she thought about it. The miscommunications were far from over, and in the wake of Jack's mishaps she found out that her original worries had found space to crowd her mind.
And that was when she realized it: she was engaged to someone she barely knew.
Her parents…where were her parents?
Her sisters?
And how could she be engaged, anyway? She was an Orthodox Christian, and had decided long ago that faith was most important to her: she would only marry someone who was one in faith. It was the one thing her parents had made her promise. And they had had a point.
Where was the value in being united materially, physically with someone, if you weren't spiritually? And being of two separate minds in faith was the main example of this.
But the magic, knowing this, had chosen her… that had to stand for something, right?
Elle sighed. If only Jacquie were here. She could have used her best friend to talk to.
I am here, you know.
Elle jumped, almost upsetting her mug.
"My mind," she muttered, resettling into the sofa.
No, it's not. It's me, Elle. Jacquie.
"Jacquie?!"
Just…talk to me like I'm there. I'm listening.
Elle could have cried. In fact, she felt tears springing to her eyes. She and Jacquie hadn't parted well…but now was hardly the time to get into that.
"I don't know what to do," Elle moaned, and set her mug down to hug a pillow. "I'm here, I'm happy…well, I should be. But I'm not. And I don't know…why."
Hmmm…are you still an elf?
She hadn't thought of this. Still clutching the pillow, Elle got up and went to a wall mirror to stare concernedly at her reflection. Sure enough, there were her ears.
"Yes."
Fully pointed.
Well that's something, at least.
"Jacquie, I don't think it's a physical thing. I think its…issues."
Issues. Like, emotional issues?
"Yeah." Elle threw herself down on the sofa again and picked up her coffee. "There's so much to sort through. I mean, sure; I'm here with Bernard, somehow we're engaged, and I am the Number Two Elf of Santa's Workshop, for tinsel's sake! I should be over the moon. But…"
But issues.
"Exactly. My sisters, my family...and religion."
Religion? Religion, of all things?
"Well…yeah." Elle explained. "You see, I promised my parents that I would marry someone who had the same beliefs as me, religiously."
That is absolutely antiquated.
"Well I DID!" Elle shouted. Then she realized that Jacquie was only really in her mind, so she didn't need to raise her voice.
Take it easy. Okay…and you guys are Orthodox. Wow, that REALLY makes things antiquated. You do realize Orthodox Christianity went out of popularity in like, the 10th century, right?
"You're forgetting Russia and Greece," Ellington corrected. "They were predominantly Orthodox until early 20th century."
Right, right.
A pause.
So, WHY is this a problem?
"Because Bernard doesn't know; and I'm friggin ENGAGED TO HIM."
Another pause.
Then, there was a low chuckle in her mind.
You need to talk to Bernard about this one.
"Great. Some help you are," Elle grumbled. "But that's only one thing. What about my family?"
Um, I hate to say this, but CALL THEM.
"Oh." That was kind of obvious. "Am I allowed to call them from here?"
A knock sounded on the door.
Why don't you ask?
"Come in," said Elle absently. She felt Jacquie slip out of her mind, as easily as she had come. The silence made her stomach ache.
Carol walked in. "Hello, Ellington." Seeing the look on Elle's face, she stopped short. "Are you alright?"
"Um…yeah." Elle shook her head. Whatever was going on, she needed to get out of her head, not further into it. "What's up?"
With a grin, Carol sat on the couch next to her. "Well, believe it or not, Bernard sent me to ask if you wouldn't mind having lunch with him."
"Why would I mind?"
"Because you asked for the day off. Alone. To sort through your thoughts, you said; and I think it's put him on edge. So much so that he had a coffee machine installed in the Kitchen this morning, and not two weeks ago he was adamant that you would have to adjust to living without it."
"I see." Elle frowned. He was going to make her live without coffee? Fatal mistake.
Carol looked worried. "Are you sure you're alright?" She set a hand on Elle's knee.
Elle jumped. "Sorry, I'm just too in my head right now."
"Ohh!" Carol wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "You poor dear. You're allowed to phone home whenever you want, you know."
"I am?" She looked up at Mrs. Claus, who was smiling sadly at her.
"Of course! You'll want all the time you can get! Here," she reached over and grabbed a cordless handset and gave it to Elle. "Call them. Ten to one it will make you feel better."
"Thank you, Carol," Elle sniffed. She hadn't realized she was crying, but there it was. "I think I will."
Carol gave Elle a quick squeeze before rising and going to open the drapes. "The sunlight in this room is some of the best in the building," she commented, gazing out of the floor to ceiling window with one hand on her hip and the other on her bulging belly. Elle cringed at the sudden light…and then at Carol.
"Wow," she said, somewhat lamely. "How is that baby treating you?" What were you supposed to say to a pregnant woman anyway?
Carol gave a laugh. "Oh, well enough I suppose," she said, then sighed. "I can't wait for December though. It's a pity you won't be here for the birth, I'll miss you!"
"I won't?" Elle thought. "Oh! The vacation, right. Well, that's only if I can convince Santa to convince Bernard to actually go. Which is doubtful, to say the least."
"Well, if Scott can convince him, you will be able to for sure," said Carol reassuringly. "I've never seen anybody change Bernard's mind as quickly as you can….which is perfectly understandable, of course."
Elle looked at her engagement ring with an odd mixture of happiness and worry. It was a simple thin gold band, entwining a pure white opal like a spiral barred galaxy…at least, that's how Elle thought of it. It was perfect; exactly the kind of thing she would have picked herself, as she wasn't really a diamond type of girl. She wondered where Bernard had gotten it.
"Anyway, I'd better get back," said Carol, coming away from the window. "I'll tell Bernard that you'll be ready for lunch in…?"
"Um…half an hour," Elle said. That would be long enough to talk with her family; sort things out…
"Half an hour then. Enjoy your phone call!" Carol went out.
Elle stared at the receiver for a long moment before dialing, wondering what she would hear from them. Almost afraid of it, actually.
Then, telling herself that this was silly, the only thing to do was move forward, she dialed the number.
"Connelly residence," said Josette properly.
"Hi, mom." Elle smiled into the phone at the sound of her mother's voice.
"Ellington!" Josette's happiness rang through, warming Elle from head to toe. "Phillip, get in here! Bring the girls! Ellie's on the phone!" she called. Elle could hear her father shouting in the background, then the familiar sound of her sisters rushing downstairs.
"Ellington!"
"Hey there, nerd bird."
"How's my Ellie Connelly?"
"Hi Annise, Dottie. Dad," Ellington laughed. "I'm…fine, now. How are you all? Where are you?"
"We're fine as usual, Ellie girl," her father loudly, as people do when on speakerphone.
"We're at home," said Annise.
Good. They were in Seattle then.
"Everything's good…why do you sound so worried?" asked Josette, the motherly worry creeping into her voice.
"No reason," Elle said quietly. "No reason at all." They were fine. They would be fine.
"So, how is work treating you? Is the internship working out?" Dottie wanted to know.
"Does your boss treat you well?" asked her father sternly.
"What is Canada like?" Annise gushed. This made Ellington pause.
"You don't...remember, Annise?"
"Remember what?" Annise was confused. "I've never been anywhere near as north as Canada."
"Hmm." This didn't sit right with Elle, but she let it pass. Then, she smiled. "Alright, then. Let me tell you about what I do at work."
To a point. She wasn't about to tell them where, what or who she worked with.
She just...couldn't.
Bernard knocked on the door to Elle's room nervously. Even though Mrs. Claus had told him that Elle was just a little preoccupied and homesick, he was still a bit apprehensive about the 'talk' she wanted to have with him. The laughter was encouraging though; so tentatively he opened the door.
"Alright…love you too guys." She was on the phone, positively beaming. "Yeah…maybe I will see you guys for Christmas. We'll see if I can get the week off. Alright…okay. I will. Uh huh. I always do. Yup. Okay, bye! Bye. Bye…." She hung up, and looked up at him, eyes glowing. "Hey."
"Hey." Bernard had his hands clasped behind his back. "Sorry…the laughter… I just—"
"…Got curious?" Elle laughed, and patted the couch. "C'mon, spend time with me."
He came and sat next to her, somewhat awkwardly. Elle gave him an odd sideways look. "Umm, I hate to say this, but you ARE allowed to hug me you know."
Ten seconds later she was very much in Bernard's arms.
"I was worried you were mad at me," Bernard admitted.
"Pffft, no." Elle buried her face in his shirt, and sighed. "I'm just…sorting through some stuff."
"Like what?" Bernard pulled back enough to look her in the eyes. "You do know you can tell me anything."
Almost anything, she thought.
Her silence betrayed her. "You don't know that, do you?" Bernard's eyes grew saddened.
"Well, it hasn't exactly been easy for us, for starts," Elle sputtered. "And I feel like I hardly know you. I mean, I feel like I've I've always known you—if that makes ANY sense—but like I know nothing about you."
"I see." Bernard nodded, but Elle felt him tense slightly.
Now she was getting nervous. "And there are other…issues to be deal with, as well."
"Such as?" His voice had a bitter edge to it.
"Such as…ugh!" Elle threw up her hands, and reached for her now stone cold coffee. "Can we talk about this later? I know I said I wanted to talk but…I'm just not there yet."
"I think you've said enough," Bernard said, rising. A panicky sense of dread hit Elle in the stomach.
"Bernard, don't be mad, I didn't mean—"
"I'm not mad!" said Bernard, a little too forcefully. Elle jumped.
With a regretful sigh, Bernard looked at her ruefully. "Okay, maybe I am a little mad."
"No kidding," Elle muttered, sipping her coffee with raised eyebrows and flushed cheeks. This was going as terribly as she had expected. "Dammit, this is stupid. Why can't we figure this out, Bernard? I don't want to fight about it!"
"We're not fighting!" Bernard said, with a slight edge to his tone.
"Yes we are."
"No, we're not."
Elle gave him a meaningful look.
Bernard made an exasperated sound. "Okay, fine. We are." He fell back onto the couch in a resigned way. "Well, there goes the good mood."
"You're telling me."
A sigh. "How is your family?"
"Well and good," said Elle, "which is almost too good to be true. I would have thought…well…"
"What?"
"That something would be upset. I haven't the faintest idea why, but I get the feeling that we've been having a bit of a rough Time lately."
"You're telling me," Bernard said with chagrin. He sat a hand on top of his beret thoughtfully. "It was the first time a human had been appointed to a high position in the Workshop. Not to mention the whole 'falling in love' deal."
"What, was that sarcasm? Or regret." Elle crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. It seemed that he was a bit tense (no surprise), but with her own insecurities it made her feel a bit edgy.
"Neither. I just happen to be a little…wrathful towards a certain party involved," said Bernard evenly. A little too evenly.
"You're fortunate I've read The Lord of the Rings, Sir,or I might not know what you meant when you said it," said Elle properly, adapting a faux British accent. Then she crossed her arms. "And what reasons have you to be wrathful?"
Bernard had an impressed look on his face; but it was somewhat obscured by his barely contained irritation. "Two words," he muttered.
"Bad luck," Elle deadpanned.
"Jack. Frost." Bernard very briefly looked worriedly at her, but then composed himself and cleared his throat. Then he changed the subject. "I'm just saying, I don't think anybody was ready for it, you and me least of all. I don't think your parents were entirely convinced by your whole 'internship' story, either. Your father seemed very suspicious."
"That's just my father," Elle scoffed. "He's terribly over protective of me, always insisting that his 'little prodigy' has to be treated with kid gloves. The idea of my being employed by someone besides himself was a bit alarming to him." She rolled her eyes. "Even though I've always tried to be independent of that kind of thinking, he can't seem to get the idea out of his head that I need to be guarded from harm."
"I don't blame him," said Bernard, casting a sideways glance at her. "From what I've seen, you do."
"Hey!" Elle slugged him lightly in the arm. "Be nice."
"It's nothing personal," he almost laughed. "You just seem to be a magnet, for good and bad." He took her hand. "And me."
"That was almost…romantic, Mr. Emotionally Challenged." Elle grabbed his hand and pulled it, hard. Bernard was yanked across the sofa and partially onto Elle, who tumbled backwards into a half-reclining position. "Well, that was unexpected." She hadn't thought he was so relaxed as to just tumble over to her.
Their faces were almost touching, which gave Elle a VERY clear idea of just how wide Bernard's eyes were—wide in shock. He was quite literally lying on top of her, and that was the most unexpected thing yet.
"This is a development," he managed, after a long, stunned silence.
"Uh…yeah." Even Elle didn't really know what to do. This was hardly her area of expertise, and she was a little uncomfortable with how forward she had just been.
Then to her immense surprise, Bernard moved subtly forward and kissed her, softly.
Paralyzed, Elle didn't know what to do. After a few moments, however, Bernard broke the kiss and looked at her, eyes shining.
"You do realize we're engaged, right?"
"Umm, I think you just did a pretty good job reminding me," Elle whispered, still a bit out of sorts. "I thought you'd be the one all reserved, but here I am gaping like a fish."
A small smile crept onto Bernard's lips. "I used up my reservations a long time ago."
"Well, you'd better damn well have kept some of them!" Elle whispered furiously, knowing that her cheeks were glowing red at just what that could imply.
A look of realization flitted through Bernard's eyes, and a light blush crossed his cheeks. "Oh…wow, didn't think you'd be thinking of going that far." He gave her a reproachful look. "So, you're embarrassed by this"—he looked them up and down—"but thinking of that?"
"Damn you," Elle muttered, mortified. She knew he was only teasing her (though completely at her expense) and that did nothing to stop the violent butterflies scraping at the inside of her stomach.
"Actually, you probably won't." He got a mischievous look on his face. "You're too nervous to be a real risk."
Now, if there was one thing that could spur Ellington to any task, it was the threat of being called chicken. Childish, yes; but still she was subject to that irritation when her 'valor' was challenged.
Suddenly, Elle was very set on proving him wrong. "Oh really?" So she slipped one leg around his, tango style, laughing when his eyes widened dramatically. "You are such a hypocrite." Then, she slid her hands around his neck and set her forehead against his. "And, you underestimate me, my dear. For one who has yet to test me, you are very quick to pass judgment."
Bernard actually needed a moment to recover from this, as it was now his turn to be a little star struck.
Then, swallowing hard, he said, "Testing?" His voice cracked.
"Look who's all nervous now," Elle chuckled.
A frustrated look took over Bernard's face. "That's hardly fair." He kissed her again, but this time, there was something else in his eyes….
Several minutes went by.
Finally, at the point when their 'exchange' had grown most heated, Curtis waltzed in.
Of course, the sight that met his eyes was very incriminating. Bernard, pinning Elle to the couch…kissing…lots of kissing…hands….and legs…..
"AUGH!" Curtis threw his hands over his eyes in horror. "HOLY NIGHT! My eyes!"
Bernard whipped his head up, half furious, half embarrassed. "FROSTBITE CURTIS, HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU TO KNOCK!" he bellowed.
Curtis had failed to notice that both Elle and Bernard were fully clothed, and their hands were not doing anything explicit whatsoever.
"I can't…unsee it," moaned the bespectacled elf.
"Not a word," Elle said firmly, sitting up and straightening her shirt out. Bernard was doing the same. Still, she was blushing furiously, not only because Curtis catching them was humiliating. It was mainly because Bernard was flustering her in a way he hadn't ever before, and it was rather…exciting. To say the least. "What is it, Curtis?"
Still covering his eyes with one hand, Curtis blindly held out a plain white envelope. "S-Santa passed your new name this morning, Ms. Elle. I was sent to deliver it…"
"Silver bells, I forgot."Casting a regretful look at Elle's flushed face and a quick kiss on her mouth Bernard rose and took the envelope from Curtis, taking the younger elf by the shoulders and turning him back towards the door. With a little shove Bernard sent him sprawling into the hall. "Go get your prescription checked, O Keeper of the Handbook. We weren't doing anything above a PG-13 rating." Then, he slammed the door to vent a little.
"Seemed pretty R to me!" Curtis hollered, making both Elle and Bernard cringe.
"You didn't see everything!" Bernard hollered back.
"And boy am I glad of it!"
Bernard's fists clenched into fists. "Do NOT make me come out there and shut your mouth FOR YOU!"
Silence.
With a sigh, Bernard crossed back over to the couch and made himself comfortable sitting with Elle halfway in his arms, a blanket tossed carelessly over their legs.
"Keeper of the Handbook?" Elle wondered aloud, her voice a little raspy. In actuality her mind was rather boggled by the fact that she was actually…well, cuddling with her fiancé, of all people. A fiancé. She had a real, flesh and blood fiancé; and looking at Bernard with the scarlet still creeping out of his slightly sparkled cheeks and his curls falling into his eyes, she realized that she loved that fiancé very much. Not to mention the fuzzies that his warm gaze was giving her…
And she couldn't even summon an 'ugh' to combat the thought.
"Yeah, you turned down the additional title, because Curtis hated to part with that old thing," Bernard said, turning the envelope over in his hands. "You also said it had something to do with the Emissary Clause, and not wanting to have to literally carry it around all the time."
"Makes sense. Still, give him a break," Elle chastised, even though she was horribly apprehensive about the envelope in Bernard's hand.
Her new name. Yikes. She'd all but forgotten about that little detail.
"I do. Plenty of them. But the moment that he starts being horrified by our private life is the moment he loses break rights." Bernard shook his head. "Honestly, will he ever learn to knock?"
"I think he may just have figured it out this time," said Elle wryly. She took a deep breath. "Well, my new name. I'd almost forgotten about the whole renaming business. I do hope you weren't too wicked in your selections?"
Bernard smiled. "No. A promise is a promise," he said, sitting next to her again. He held out the envelope to her. "Well, go on. I want to see which one he approved of."
"Any guesses?" Elle asked, gingerly taking the envelope. She saw now that it was sealed with a large red wax stamp that had SC monogrammed into it.
"Maybe. But my lips are sealed."
"Funny, I don't remember them being sealed a minute ago."
Bernard chuckled, and pressed his lips to her temple. Elle had to close her eyes, almost finding it necessary, before blinking rapidly to rid her eyes of the lights she could she dancing there. Oh, how cliché, she thought, and began picking at the seal in a halfhearted way. She was a little afraid of just what renaming meant.
Forgoing her old life to become an entirely new person for the rest of eternity.
A fully fledged elf, with a bright future in Santa's Workshop. A new identity.
"Don't be afraid," Bernard whispered into her ear. Elle jumped, worried that she had involuntarily projected. But she let it pass, and opened the flap of the envelope.
Inside was a rectangle of paper as large as the envelope, folded in half. Slowly, she drew out the sheet, and flipped it so the raw edges faced her.
Then she closed her eyes, and made a mad grab for Bernard's hand. "On three."
"One," said Bernard quietly.
"Two."
"Three."
Elle flipped open the paper…but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.
Five seconds passed, before Bernard nudged her. "Look," he said, and Ellington didn't miss the note of happiness in his voice.
So she opened them, and saw one word, written in Bernard's distinctive flowing script.
Ellenora.
"Ellenora," she said aloud, tasting the name on her tongue. It seemed…
…Right.
"What do you think?" Bernard was watching her with a hopeful look. It had been his name choice, after all; and he had long wondered what she would think of it.
"It's…." Elle couldn't find words. "Perfect."
"You can keep your nickname," said Bernard, "which is easier, because most of the elves know you as 'Ms. Elle' by now. A totally unrelated name would be confusing for everyone." He paused. "And anyway," he said softly, "I wouldn't want to lose my Elle so soon." He threaded his fingers through hers.
"Ellenora," Elle said, looking down at their intertwined hands. "Ellenora and Bernard."
A twinkle crept into Bernard's eyes. "I like the sound of that."
Elle broke into a grin. "So do I," she admitted, looking down once again at her engagement ring. "So do I." She leaned into him and sighed.
Bernard wrapped an arm around her snugly. "It will be alright, you know. Any new thing takes time to adjust to."
"We'll be alright though, won't we? No matter what happens?" Elle thought of all of her worries, all of the issues that she and Bernard would have to overcome together. "Because we aren't very good at this…at love. And I don't want to lose you…" Her voice caught. She hadn't ever thought that she would become so hopelessly romantic. At least, not openly. She had been secretly for quite some time.
"We won't," Bernard said firmly, gently squeezing her shoulders. "I won't let us. If it comes to it, I'll take the fall. But I'm not going to let us fall apart again."
"I don't want you to have to 'take the fall'!" Elle whispered, exasperated. Bernard raised an eyebrow at her forcefulness. "Bernard, I'm half of this relationship, and in case you didn't notice, it isn't the fourth century anymore. You have to let me pull my weight, like I do around the Workshop. Like you did when we were just friends!"
"I wasn't afraid of losing you back then," Bernard said quietly, looking down at their hands. The room seemed to grow quieter around them as Elle thought about just what that meant.
Of course. She wasn't the only one with worries, fears…issues. He had them too. Probably more than she had. He had been through hell trying to get her out of Jack's foils, and she hadn't even considered what that might have done to his heart, mind. Soul. She had rejected him, kept him away, then yelled at him and given him her heart in a frenzy of desperation. It had been quite the ride, and they were both suffering from some emotional whiplash.
Well, duh. Elle would have face palmed, if both of her hands hadn't been busy.
"You're afraid now?" she ventured, setting a hand on his cheek concernedly. Bernard seemed rather affected by this gesture, and leaned into her touch.
"I have much more to lose now; more than I ever have before," he commented. "Any man with a beautiful woman will be anxious of losing her. Even more so when he loves her with all his being." Bernard looked in her eyes seriously, the obvious truth in them a bit disconcerting, and not a little foreign.
Elle blushed. She still wasn't used to being complimented, let alone loved by him, and seeing as she was terribly weak in regard to her usual façade of snark and cynicism she was a bit lost for words.
Hey, romance hadn't been her thing….before now. Now, she couldn't help but hope it would last.
Anyway, he obviously meant what he said, and that was a lot to process. "'All his being' is a pretty strong aphorism for someone 'he' just met months ago. Especially in the life of an elf," Elle said thoughtfully. "I don't expect perfection, Bernard. Even if you have to grow to love me, I think I should be happy."
"That's not good enough," Bernard insisted. "And anyway, after what we just did on the sofa"—his ears went red at how that sounded—"after everything I've done to have you here, in this room, in my life, with me, NOT Jack freaking Frost, you think I need to grow to love you?" He was getting angry, his breath speeding up and his eyes glinting dangerously.
"I…well I…" Elle was at a loss. "No."
"That's right." Bernard said, then sighed and pulled her closer…if that was even physically possible. "My point is, we can work out how to do this. We can work through the hang ups we both seem to have…and be exactly who we were meant to be. What we were meant to be. Together." He had been unlacing their fingers, and now held up his hand flat against hers. His was only a bit larger than Elle's.
Ellington—that is, Ellenora— knew that just because the moment was perfect didn't mean that the troubles would go away easily. But in that moment, she felt strong enough to believe they could, in time.
"As long as this is who we choose to be," said Elle, looking at her ring glistening white on the hand pressed against Bernard's. "I believe it. I believe." She projected into his mind the talk they had had in the Twilight Zone. Bernard jumped a little, then looked amazed.
"Just don't you give up on me," Elle said, shyly. "I may take some time to adjust to life here."
"Agreed," Bernard said, visibly happy. He seemed to be just brimming with enthusiasm of a sudden. He leaned forward and kissed her.
"And," Elle pulled away, "we have to go on vacation together. Whenever Santa decides. Promise you'll take me?"
Bernard gave her a long look. "Did Curtis put you up to this?"
"No. I just want some time away from work with you. Is that so wrong?" asked Elle, batting her eyelashes at him in mock innocence.
With a sigh, Bernard began to smile. "Oh, alright. I suppose some time away, with just you, would be worth the torture of being away from the Workshop." A worried look came over his face. "I just hope production won't fall behind while we're gone."
"Stop acting like we've left already," Elle commanded, poking him in the chest in a chastising way.
Bernard sat up straighter and feigned a serious expression. "Yes, Ms. Elle," he said with a sharp nod. "My apologies."
Laughing, Elle leaned over and kissed him, right on the tip of his nose. "Okay, at least I didn't get 'ma'am'ed." She got up off of…well, pretty much his lap, and let the blanket drop onto the floor. "Well, I'm really rather sure your lunch break is over. Unfortunately, you forgot to eat."
"Not hungry," Bernard stated, rising and pulling her back into his arms. "It was worth it, anyway."
"You know, it really didn't take much for you to become a hopeless romantic," Elle said, eying him carefully.
"Are you kidding?! It took a whole lot to make me a romantic."
"Yes, and no," said Elle ambiguously.
"Fine, be mysterious." Bernard hugged her a moment, then pulled away and looked her up and down. "Hey, you dressed for work on your day off?"
"Uh, well, I kinda forgot I had the day off. Until I found the latte, that is. Thanks for that, by the way. But hold up…" She furrowed her brow at him. "Carol tells me that you were going to keep coffee from me? Make me live without it, I believe she said."
Bernard blanched. "Well, yeah…I mean, as an elf technically you shouldn't need it…"
"Damn you!" said Elle, not for the first time. "I barely pulled myself out of bed this morning, you calloused jerkhole—"
Mid rant, Bernard set a finger to her lips. "I caved already, remember?" he said softly.
Elle thought a moment. "Oh. Yeah. Right." She kissed him quickly. "Thanks for that."
From somewhere beyond the door, deep in the Workshop, a siren began to blare. Archie's voice came over the intercom. "Um, could we get Santa, Bernard and Ms. Elle down to the floor, please? There's been a slight problem with the tape machine in Wrapping…."
"Ugh, great. That again." Bernard gave Elle an apologetic look.
"Hey, say no more." She sprinted off and out of reach, into the closet. "I've had enough thinking for one day. Mind if I stick with you for awhile?"
Bernard cocked his head and grinned. Elle was still that odd girl that had been an Emissary, she was still herself. If there was one thing he needed be VERY glad for was that becoming an elf hadn't dulled her personality. She was still as lively, argumentative, and hotheaded as she had been before…much to his satisfaction. It was that girl he had fallen in love with, after all.
"I was hoping you'd ask that," he said, musing on how lucky he was that his stubbornness hadn't won out in the end. He would have missed out on the best thing he'd ever had. "You're welcome to stay with me for as long as you like."
Elle popped back out of the closet, long green peacoat and black ankle boots on. "That sounds like an invitation."
"It is if you want it to be," Bernard said.
"Good." Elle came and took his arm in a mock ceremonious manner. She took a deep breath, and looked over at him. "Well, are you ready for this?"
Bernard grinned lopsidedly at her, the light glancing off of Elle's engagement ring, worn on the hand set upon his arm. "Look out, world. Here we come."
And so their story began…
ELLINGTON'S
ELLENORA'S CHOICE: Cold December Night, by Michael Buble.
Seriously, though, guys. Go find that song (Michael Buble version) and listen to it while rereading this. It is their shipsong, unless somebody can one-up me and find a better one. (: *sobsobsob*
It would be on the end credits to their movie.
Anyway, I would just like to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to Read, Review, or PM me about this story. You are all wonderful people. I love you all!
On another note, I am writing a sequel to The Emissary Clause. Because there are still many issues to be delved into, and solved (hopefully. We'll see…) When I complete the first chapter and/or the holiday season comes back around, I will post it onto this story so that my followers here know to go and follow it. If I get people really wanting the story up I may go ahead, otherwise, it will be up by Oct/ Nov. 2014.
Also: SafyreSky continues to use Elle epically in Crystal Springs! She has done a wonderful job writing Elle in character and I am immensely proud to have Elle be a part of her story. Crystal Springs is actually a continuation of TEC, of sorts. Definitely check it out for more of Elle, Jacquie, Bernard, Jack, the whole sheboodle!
WinterFrost15 is using Elle in her story as well, beginning in the next chapter she posts (I think.) Already she has made a totally hilarious reference to Elle in Frost and Fire that had me rolling. It's going to be a really great story that I can't wait to see more of!
So please, check out their stories, posted in The Santa Clause category, and follow them both!
And if anybody else has the urge to write about Elle, please PM me! Before you do it. Please. She does belong to me. *creepy Gollum voice* my…Prrrrecious…
Bernard: No. MINE. *hugs Elle*
Oh right. Sorry.
I don't mind talking TSC with you, either. Drop me a line if you want/dare! ;)
Please take the time to review and let me know what you thought of this last chapter. It would really mean a lot to me :3
Until We Meet Again!
All the Best, to You and Yours,
Ana, aka etiquette-faux-pas