Delivering Gifts And -THE NORTH POLE?! (chapter 3)

Delivering gifts and -THE NORTH POLE?! (chapter 3)

Soaring through the sky everything looks tiny. I hold onto Charlie as tight as I can as he and I peer over the edge of the sleigh. Suddenly the sleigh starts to descend onto a nearby roof.

"I hope you're all happy! And I hope the guy that lives here is a TAILOR!" Dad yells.

"You've got the suit on, now what?" I ask dad.

"The list." Charlie says calmly.

"Oh here's a list, how fortunate!" Dad snarks.

Dad steps out of the sleigh, bag in hand. Suddenly the bag starts floating up, bringing him with it.

"Are you ok dad?" I ask him.

"I lived through the 60s, don't worry about me!" He shouts down at me.

I climb out of the sleigh only to start flying up too. "What's this bullshit now?! I'm not in the suit!" I burst out before we are both sucked down the chimney.

"Ok what now?" Dad glares at me.

I take the sack from his hands. "We deliver." I say straight faced.

"Even if I wanted to, it's empty." He hisses.

I open it and find three boxes inside despite the bag feeling empty just moments earlier.

"I guess not dad, we better hurry though and get back to Charlie." I hurriedly placed the presents under the tree. I turn around to see this kid standing there, grinning ear to ear.

"Uh we got company dad," I nudge him.

"How come you don't have a beard?" The kid asks him.

"Because I shaved," he spits.

"You're supposed to drink the milk!" She points to a cup of milk and a cookie set out on the end table.

"Look I'm lactose intolerant and you should be asleep," he argues.

"And who are you?" She says pointing to me.

"I'm the spirit of Christmas, Santa can't do it all by himself you know. Now how bout I drink this milk and you go on to bed sweetheart." I convince the child downing the milk and pocketing the cookie.

"My mom calls me sweetheart! How'd you know that!" She rocks on her feet.

"I'm not Santa's helper for nothing, now off to bed with you." I whisper, ushering her up the stairs.

I make my way to the chimney and dad turns to me. "How did you know that little girl's nickname?"

"It just came to me, I don't know how, but it did. Now let's get out of here!" I say grabbing his arm as we get sucked back up the chimney.

"So how'd it feel?!" Charlie probes.

"Felt like America's most wanted. Now take us home guys!" He commands the reindeer and they take off flying.

At one point or another Charlie and I must have conked out. Next thing I know dad is shaking me and snow is biting against my exposed skin. I pull the blanket around Charlie tighter and him to me. Charlie is definitely awake as he is talking dad's ear off as I'm trying to wrap my head around this.

The reindeer start their descent onto a patch of land surrounded by pine trees. All that is here is a pole.

"It's the North Pole!" Charlie jumps up and down excitedly.

Suddenly a kid comes from behind the trees. He approaches the pole, flips the top open and puts in a code.

Dad tries to get his attention but he ignores dad.

Suddenly the ground begins to move.

"We're moving! We're going down somehow!" I shake dad.

"Yeah I can see that (y/n)!" He shakes me back playfully.

Comet turns his head to me. "We're home!" He says.

I look at dad and he seems unfazed. Like he didn't hear it so I look at Charlie and he's the same.

I must have hit my head at Dennys. First a guy falls off the roof. Then we squish like jello down some chimneys. And now I'm hearing reindeer talk to me.

We make our way down into what seems to be a workshop. Dad steps out of the sleigh. He turns to me and places a hand on my shoulder " stay here with your brother where you're safe." He asserts himself. I know I'm going to ignore him as I'm curious.

Dad walks over to a kid and starts talking to them.  I step out and lift Charlie, blanket and all out of the sleigh. I walk to dad with Charlie as a person around my age comes over.

"Hey! Who's causin' all the trouble around here?" He asks the kid.

"He is!" "She is!" Both dad and the kid point at each other.

"Are we on a coffee break?" The man asks the kid.

"We don't drink coffee!" The kid retorts.

"Then I guess the break is over! Back to work. Thanks." He grumbles and starts to walk away.

Dad squares his shoulders " Take it easy on her, will ya? Who are you?"

"I'm Bernard. Nice to meet you Santa." The man now known as Bernard says to dad.

Suddenly my tattoo is so itchy. It feels like it's on fire. I don't know why but I feel drawn to this person.

I must zone out for a minute because Charlie is now next to dad. I rush over and pull him back slightly. Bernard may be handsome, but he's also still a stranger.

"I'm hungry and thirsty too!" Charlie butts in.

"Yeah dad, all he's had for the past couple hours are cookies I've pocketed from houses." I chime.

"And who might these be?" Bernard asks my dad.

"These are my kids Charlie and (y/n). (y/n) and Charlie meet Beh- beh-." Dad struggles to place the name just given to him moments before.

"Bernard, right?" I ask Bernard.

"Yes." He nods at me and then turns his attention towards Charlie, "Hiya sport"

"He called me sport just like you two do dad!" Charlie says excitedly.

"Wonderful" dad spits.

"Hey, you know what. I got somethin' for you. Okay, now hold out your hand, all right? Now, be very careful. This is very old, just like me." Bernard reaches into his satchel and retrieves a snow globe.

"Shake it Charlie,"I encourage him with a nod.

" Uh, Larry, take Charlie here and get him some chow." Bernard beckons a kid over.

"No, Larry, don't do that. Charlie!" Dad sputters.

"He will be ok dad. He's not dumb." I try to reassure dad.

"Exactly! You'll want to get out of those clothes as soon as possible. You two look drenched." Bernard gives a look over and shakes his head.

"Barnaby, I just wanna go home. Look, I am not Santa Claus!" Dad stammers.

"Did you or did you not read the card?" Bernard says through gritted teeth.

"Yeah why?" Dad snaps.

"In putting on the hat and jacket you accepted the contract" Bernard motions to our attire.

"The Santa Clause: "ln putting on this suit and entering the sleigh the wearer waives any and all rights to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Clause and the Christmas spirit in perpetuity until such time that wearer becomes unable to do so by either accident or design." Bernard reads off the card.

"Christmas spirit, what's that?" I ask him.

"The very essence of Christmas. You're responsible for all the holiday cheer." He explains to me. "Now the list will be shipped to your house. Mark each name with a P or a C."

"P for present and c for coal." I explain.

"What list?" Dad asks, confused.

"THE LIST! You know," Bernard points. "He's making a list" Bernard starts low.

"Checking it twice!" Charlie chimes in.

Bernard's hands meet his face in somewhat embarrassment.

The rest of the elves join in with "Gonna find out who's naughty and nice!"

"Now you and your kid gotta get your affairs in order. You're due back here on thanksgiving! That should leave you enough time for me to train them." Bernard says deliberately to dad.

"When do we get out of here?" I chime in.

Bernard turns his attention to me, "You leave tomorrow morning."

"What if I don't want to do this?" Dad asks angrily.

"Don't even kid about something like that!" Bernard glares at him.

"Why not?" Dad challenges.

Bernard's face falls, "Then there would be millions of disappointed children around the world. You see, children hold the spirit of Christmas within their hearts. And seeing as your kid now is the spirit of Christmas, you wouldn't want to be responsible for killing the spirit of Christmas and your kid, now, would you Santa."

What now?! I'll die if dad doesn't get with the picture. My jaw drops slightly and my eyebrows furrow. This has got to be some nightmare.

"Judy will take you to your room. Get out of the suit. It needs to be cleaned. I'll take (y/n) to their room." Bernard motions for me to follow and I do.

Dad's mouth falls open but he quickly shuts it.

This has got to be the worst night of my life thus far.

Work and a visit from an elf

(Chapter 4 of wrapped in love)

It's been eight months and the amount of mouth injuries I've gotten is impossible to count. Luckily my mouth instantly heals now, but it's still inconvenient. My canine teeth have sharpened and my ears have elongated slightly. Being a children's librarian it makes it easy to pass off as a cosplay in town. Dad is trying to deny what happened, but his hair has gone light grey and he has gained a lot of weight. I mean a lot. I'm setting up to record when I hear the sound of bells. I spin in my chair to see Bernard standing in my doorway.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Just checking in. How's everything going?" Bernard sits onto my bed.

"Cool, cool. My mom doesn't want dad to ever see Charlie again, but other than that I've been good." I say pulling on my sweater over my tank top.

"Oh, sorry about that." He winces.

"They'll work it out. They always do." I shrug.

"What exactly are you doing?" He asks, looking behind me at my books laid out.

"I'm gonna be going to work at the library" I say putting on my barrettes. 

"Can I come?" He asks.

"Absolutely! Just wondering, why?" I ask, putting on my clip on earrings.

"I have to see what your like with children. It's customary." He explains.

"Makes sense." I nod as I grab the bag he gifted me.

"It's just down the road so I walk." I say slipping on my shoes.

"Are you sure you can walk in those?" He points to my platforms.

"Yeah, totally. I've been rocking platforms for over ten years." I smile.

We walk out the door and I lock it behind me. The walk to the library is a short but pretty one. The flowers seem to bloom and the birds sing in the trees. After a short five minutes, we are there. Entering the library, I am greeted by a chorus of hellos from patrons and coworkers. I clock in and walk back to Bernard.

"Reading corner isn't for another couple hours, I've got shelving until then." I gesture to my cart.

"That's okay. I need to see how you work with others anyways." He shrugs.

Quickly and efficiently I stock all the returns and still have twenty minutes until reading to the children. Bernard observes from the corner as I check out several people.

"Oh I love this book!" I say to the person I'm checking out, gesturing to the book Misery.

"I adore Stephen king and haven't been able to find this one yet. Im excited to read it." The customer grins.

"Well, tell me how you like it when you return it." I smile back.

The head librarian taps my shoulder as the customer walks away.

"It's time." She smiles.

I grab my small bell from the counter and make my way to the reading corner where Bernard already sits. I bring the bell up high and ring it six times. Children seem to come out of the brickwork and swarm around the reading corner. Some racing to the front and others preferring to sit back.

"What story are you telling today Ms. Calvin?" A girl with no front teeth lisps.

"Today we are reading... where the wild things are!" I drumroll and pull out the hardback.

"That looks scary!" A boy from the back calls out.

"Remember, it's fiction! And fiction means-" I start and they all bellow "fake!"

"The monsters in this book are not real and cannot hurt you! And if they were, I'd be here to protect you!" I flex my arm and the kids erupt into giggles.

"Now we have the main character, his name is max! And he's naughty!" I explain the premise.

I open the book and begin reading.

"The night max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind"

I flip the page. "And another."

Flipping the page "his mother called him wild thing" I say in a sweet voice.

"And max said 'I'll eat you up!" I give a gruff voice.

"So he was sent to bed without eating anything."

"That very night, in max's room, a forest grew." I rustle the potted plants behind me, "and grew- and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around."

"And an ocean tumbled by with a private boat just for max and he sailed off through night and day. And in and out of weeks, and almost a year to where the wild things are!"

The kids become enthralled with the story. Some stomp when the wild things do and some make scary faces. The children no longer appear scared and relax into the story. I close the book and set it onto the shelf.

"What story are you reading us tomorrow?!" A girl from the back calls out to me.

"Well I guess you'll have to come here to see!" I taunt jovially.

The group erupt into giggles and sighs of disappointment. They begin to scatter back into the library when the girl with no teeth approaches me.

"Ms.Calvin? Who's your friend?" She points to Bernard.

"This is Bernard! He's from out of state so he's just visiting for the time being." I lie.

"Oh, that makes sense. So can you tell me what book your gonna read next?" She pleads with me.

"Now Gisselle, that wouldn't be fair for the other kids." I ruffle her hair.

"I know." She giggles as she runs off.

"How'd I know her name?" I mumble.

"That's part of being Santa. They're all knowing. Most of the time anyway." Bernard shrugs.

"Oh. That makes sense I suppose. Anyway my shift is over, we better get back to pick up Charlie from the bus station.”

I sling my bag over my shoulder and punch out. I send a goodbye to the head librarian and she nods. Walking the way to Charlie's bus stop I think about what this means for my family. Getting to the stop, we wait about five minutes until Charlie's bus pulls up. I sit on the bench and change my shoes, a new pair appearing in my bag and I slip my platforms into it.

"Why the change?" Bernard asks.

"Charlie likes to be carried. And I can't do that in platforms without risking injury to both of us." I shrug.

The bus doors open and charlie is the first kid off, running to me with open arms.

"(Y/n)!!!" He throws his arms around me.

I pick him up and place him onto my shoulders.

"Bernard! You're here too!" He points.

"Hey sport! I'm here to see how your sibling and dad are doing." Bernard smiles.

"Dad's in denial. I learned the word from Neil." He smiles proudly.

"I'm sure you want to get home before dad gets back, so we better head out." I start walking.

Bernard trails behind us. We soon make it to the house and I unlock the door. Placing Charlie down, he kicks off his shoes and runs to the tv.

"Can we, oh can we watch muppets Christmas carol? Please (y/n)?" He asks with puppet eyes.

"It's not even winter yet, sport." I sit next to him.

"But it's my favorite!" He pleads.

"I can't say no to you, you watch it and I'll start dinner." I kiss his forehead.

I walk into the kitchen and start to prepare supper.

"This a new thing with him?" Bernard nods his head at the movie.

"Oh no! It's been his favorite forever. He watches it all the time." I clarify.

"So your dad. How's his transformation going?" Bernard clasps his hands.

"He's convinced it didn't happen. Even though we both have changed dramatically." I sigh.

"That's ok. You have three more months to get your affairs in order. Then you both will move to the pole." He wrings his hands.

"Like forever? How's that fair to us?" I get up.

"Well someone has to deliver Christmas presents. And your dad is now responsible for Christmas cheer." He holds his hands up.

"He's like the least cheery person I know." I try to explain.

"Well that doesn't matter now." Bernard shrugs.

"How am I supposed to tell him?" I ask.

"Not my job, sorry." He says, proofing into glitter once more.

"This is fucking bullshit!" I set the knife onto the cutting board.

I hear the door bell ring and sigh.

"Can you get that Charlie?" I ask him.

"It's the list!" He calls back.

The what now?

Caught and Laura is a bitch

(Chapter 9 of two souls entwined in the North Pole)

"What the hell is this?!"

I wake up with a start, nearly falling off the bed. An arm pulls me back before I can fall. I open my eyes as Bernard pulls me back up. I recognize that voice as my fathers. Uh oh.

"Why is there a person in your bed with you? And with Charlie here nonetheless! I though you were more responsible than this." Dad degrades me.

"Ugh. Can you turn it down a few notches first." I groan. "Secondly it's just my boyfriend!"

The light flicks on and I shield my eyes. "I'm sorry that my dad is insane Bernard." I apologize.

"Bernard! How the hell did you even get here?" Dad asks.

"Magic." Bernard deadpans, running his eyes from the light.

"Well, I apologize (y/n). But you should have told me." Dad shuffles into the room.

I rub my forehead as Bernard scoots closer to me.

"Told you what? My soulmate from the North Pole is spending the night?" I ask exasperated.

"Well when you put it like that..." dad mumbles.

"What's going on in here?" A small voice rings out from the doorway.

Charlie stands there, blanket in hand and a teddy bear dressed as Santa Claus tucked under his arm.

"Nothing sport. Your dad just didn't know I was staying over tonight." Bernard explains.

"Can I sleep in here with you guys? I had a nightmare!" Charlie stumbles to the bed.

I look to Bernard and he nods.

"Come on buddy. You'll be safe in here with us." I smile, picking Charlie up from the ground.

"I'm sorry for accusing you kid. I've just been so stressed going through these changes." Dad starts.

"I have too! My ears have grown points and I can now talk to animals. I'm still developing powers and Bernard has been helping me." I explain.

"So... how long has this been going on exactly?" Dad asks.

"Well... kinda since a week after the incident." I grimace.

"I mean no disrespect Santa. But they ARE my soulmate. This would have happens whether you became Santa or not." Bernard clasps his hand in mine.

"I guess we always knew you were destined for something greater than this. I just wish your mother could see you now." Dad starts tearing up.

"Oh, dad!" I get up, hugging him tight.

He realizes me from the hug and pats my shoulder.

"I think I'm going to need some sleep kiddo. Have a good night." He kisses me on the cheek, his beard tickling my cheek.

He shuts the door behind him, turning off the lights in the process.

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't have stayed or I knew you'd get in trouble." Bernard starts.

I cut him off with a quick kiss.

"Don't you even start Mr! I wanted you here as much as you wanted to stay. Now let's get some well deserved rest."

"Yes my snowbird." He beams at me.

Charlie snuggles into my side, practically straddling my leg. Bernard reaches around me and scoots as close as he can.

"Goodnight darling." I yawn.

(TIME SKIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY TEDDY BEARS)

I woke up to no Bernard. The pajamas he borrowed neatly folded and set on the bedside table. Today is the dad Laura is taking dad to court. With our luck it won't be a good outcome. And with Charlie telling everyone about dad being Santa makes it seem like he's in unfit father. I'm going to court with him to testify for him to keep custody.

Charlie is cuddled into my side lightly snoring. I look sadly down at him, knowing that today very well may be the last time I see him. I gently scoot away. Taking this time to get dressed. I put on a blazer, collared shirt, slacks and a clip on tie. I ponder how to hide my ears and settle on a thick elastic headband. I walk downstairs and start to get breakfast ready.

"So, how do I look?" Dad saunters into the kitchen.

I turn to see him barely fitting into his suit.

"Err..." I pull a face and shake my head.

"I guess I'll just go with a sweater." Dad trudges off.

"Pancakes!!!" Charlie runs into the kitchen, hopping up onto the bar stool by the kitchen island.

"Yes, pancakes with maple syrup just for you!" I set the plate in front of him.

"Thanks (y/n)! You're the best!" Charlie says before shoveling pancakes into his mouth.

"Now remember! You can't say anything about Bernard, or dad being Santa, or me being the spirit of Christmas. Can you remember that sport?" I ruffle his hair.

"I'll try!" Charlie smiles.

“Good." I smile back.

After breakfast we all head into the car. I buckle Charlie's car seat and hop into the passenger seat of the car. It takes about ten minutes to drive to the courthouse and it's silent the entire way. Everything has a nervous air about it.

We go into the building and the proceedings start. Soon I am called to the stand.

"Your honor, Scott has been nothing but a good father to Charlie and I. He raised me on his own when my mother died as a young child. He's been constantly working to provide for Charlie and I. Never a day went by that we were hungry or not wanted. I want nothing but the best for Charlie." I tell the judge and he dismisses me from the courtroom.

Sitting outside the courtroom, I can't help but feel teary eyed. Dad comes out soon.

"They're talking to Charlie one on one. They said they'll call us back when they reached a verdict." Dad says, tears blooming in the corners of his eyes.

I pay the back of dad and I hear the potter patter of little footsteps.

"It's all okay. I told the judge everything about you and the North Pole!" Charlie beams.

Uh oh.

We are called back into the room. I sit next to dad, his hand enveloping mine.

The judge bangs his gavel and begins to speak. "After reviewing all of your testimonies, I've come to a very difficult decision. I'm sorry to do this in light of the holiday season, but in the best interest of the child, I'm granting the petition of Dr and Mrs Miller. Mr Calvin, as of today, all of your visitation rights are suspended pending a hearing after the first of the year."

Tears leak from my eyes and I have to support dad from collapsing in anguish. Leaving the courtroom all I can think is 'Laura is such a mega bitch!'

I feel called out 😬

Boo-hooing

(Chapter 13 of two souls entwined in the North Pole)

"What's all this boo-hooing going on here?" Bernard asks, magically coming from somewhere in the kitchen, pita sandwich half eaten in his hand.

"Hey, how ya doin?" He nods to Neal, mouth half full of food.

"It's nothing Bernard. We're just saying goodbye to Charlie." I explain.

"What goodbye? Charlie, you still got the glass ball, right?" He asks, swinging his free arm around my waist.

"Yeah." Charlie nods, brushing tears away.

"Well, all you gotta do is shake it whenever you want to see your dad or sibling." Bernard explains.

"Really?" Charlie asks in awe.

"They can come back to see you anytime of day or night." Bernard reassures.

"Hey, have I ever steered ya wrong?" He asks.

Charlie shakes his head as Neil and Laura approach us.

"Nice sweater. Did we make this?" Bernard asks, trying to check Neil for a tag as he shakes him away.

I chuckle. I don't know if he's genuine or not, either way it's funny. He turns and looks at me with a love struck look. Walking over to me he caresses my face.

"Your laugh is the most mirthful noise I have ever heard in my sixteen hundred and twenty two years of living." He says as I stare into his captivating chestnut eyes.

I snap out of it hearing Neil's distressed voice. Bernard's hand drops from my face to entwined with mine. Turning, I see Neil approaching Laura.

"Laura! They're sucking us into his delusions. Look at the elaborate measures they've taken. " Neil tries to reason.

"Neil, relax." I say.

Stepping into the chimney, Bernard gives me a kiss and poofs into glitter. Dad follows me. Placing a finger on the tip of my nose, we shoot up the chimney. On the roof sits our sleigh and we load into it. From down below on the street we hear voices.

"Chief! Look up there!" I hear a police officer shout.

The voices of children ring out through the quiet night. Hushed whispers of parents are also hears. All of them talking about us.

"Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!" Dad calls out and cracks the reins.

The reindeer take off and we are gone in the blink of an eye, soaring through the black night sky. We place presents under every tree from Illinois to Ohio. Suddenly a light with Charlie's face on it starts rapidly blinking. Pressing on the button beside it, we are teleported to Laura's living room.

"Hey sport!" I call to Charlie.

"Dad! (Y/n)!" He runs to us with his arms open.

"You miss us already? We've been gone, what? Ten minutes." Dad asks checking his watch.

"We were on our way to Cleveland when we got your call, sport." I ruffle his hair.

"Do you wanna go for a quick ride?" Dad asks him.

"Yeah!" Charlie jumps up and down in excitement.

"Of course, it's up to your mom." I chime in.

"Please mom?" He gives her his signature puppy dog eyes.

"Go on. Get outta here." Laura jokes.

"All right. Hold on." I say grabbing ahold of dad as he boops his nose.

Back in the sleigh we continue to deliver all the presents, this time with Charlie with us. Landing back in front of Laura's house, I give Charlie a quick hug.

"Now, I know I'm only a shake away, but I'm gonna be packing for the pole. So if you need me again, just call my cell." I tell Charlie.

"Sport, I love you so much. I couldn't have done this without you." Dad gives him a kiss on the cheek.

We take back off and land on our roof.

"Dad, just fly back without me for now. I've got to pack our things, and a big, green sleigh shouldn't be on our roof in the morning when people wake up." I hug dad goodbye and open up our house.

Going upstairs, I open my room. Taking out my suitcase, I start packing all of my belongings. I had all of my clothes already folded, so this goes by pretty quickly. I go into Charlie's room and pick up his stuffed bear dressed like Santa. I can't help but think, how often will I get to see him. I guess he could always FaceTime me, if there actually is wifi in the pole. I decide to take it with me, a souvenir of my little brother.

"What's wrong snowbird?" I hear a voice I've grown to love ask me.

"Just thinking about Charlie." I say turning around to face Bernard.

"You know, your dad isn't the only one who can teleport." He grins.

"What do you mean?" I ask, quirking my eyebrow.

"Since you're technically the spirit of Christmas, all you gotta do is picture where you are and wiggle your ears, and you'll be there." Bernard swings his arms around my shoulders.

"That would have been nice to know, ya know!" I playfully smack his hand off me.

"I'm sorry!" He feigns a hurt look. "But just to let you know, the rest of the elves can get your stuff. You didn't have to come here."

"I figured, but I wanted to make sure I got my bag and Charlie's bear." I smile down at the bear.

"Well, now that I'm here, I can take that for you." He says taking my suitcase from me.

I grab a hold of his hand and entwine our fingers together.

"Would you like to do the honors of taking us home, snowbird?" Bernard asks, a gentle smile gracing his face.

"I'd love to." I grin back.

Wiggling my ears and thinking of my dad, we appear in the workshop. He's standing in front of all the elves when we appear in front of him. He stops mid sentence and gapes at us.

"Sorry, dad. I'm new to this." I apologize and drag Bernard off the stage and down the hall to my room.

"This is new, but as long as you're here with me, I think I can manage." I say smiling at him.

"I'll always be here snowbird."