My Christmas Star ( A Santa Clause Story Ft Bernard x OC)

Chapter 2: Plan B

Stella's POV

Dad was at his company's Christmas party and I was thawing out food for dad to make for Christmas dinner. I've been trying to teach him how to cook this past month and, well...it hasn't gone too well but he told me he felt good about his time and I'm taking his word for it, which might be a bad idea but I saved up some money from my hosting job at Osso Buco just in case we needed a plan B, which we will more than likely need.

I heard a car pull up and saw that it was my mother and Neal here to drop off Charlie. I got out and waited at the front porch, I did not try go over to greet or confront either of them. After a few minutes of standing out in the cold, my dad's car pulled up and I sighed in relief. As soon as my dad's car pulled up in the driveway, Charlie and my mother got out of the car and approached the front porch stairs. My dad scurried out of his car to greet Charlie.
"Oh, sorry I'm late," my dad said before he placed a kiss on Charlie's head. "Hi," he greeted my mother.
"Hi," my mother replied.
"Did you want to come in for a minute?" my dad asked.
"Neal's waiting in the car, so–" my mom said as she gestured to the car.
"Why doesn't he come in?" my dad asked. I rolled my eyes.
"'Cause, Daddy, he says you'll just end up saying something snotty," Charlie replied as he took the gift that my mom's handed him.
"Not necessarily. Could be rude or sarcastic. Whatever it takes," Dad said before he smiled and waved at Neal who smiled and waved back.
"See? I gotta go. Here," my mom said as she handed my dad the sack of gifts she had in her hand.
"Hi, Stella," Charlie greeted.
"Hey, bubs. Let's get inside, it's freezing," I said as I put an arm around his shoulder and opened the door.
"Watch those steps. They're real slippery," my dad told my mother who ended up slipping anyway.
"Ooh!" my mom grunted.
"Told ya," my dad said as the three of us walked in the doorway. My mother closed the door behind us.
"Let's put those gifts under the tree, huh?" I said to Charlie as I led him to our Christmas tree. I tried my best to ignore the conversation going on between my mom and dad as Charlie placed the gifts under the tree.
"There aren't that many presents over there," Charlie said as he walked out of the living room towards our parents.
"Well, that's because Santa isn't here yet," my dad replied.
"Neal doesn't believe in Santa," Charlie said. I almost dropped the gift I had in my hand before I gently placed it down at the base of the tree.
"Well, Neal's head comes to a point," my dad replied to Charlie as the sound of a car horn came from outside. I smiled to myself.
"He's smart. He's a doctor," Charlie said.
"He's not a doctor. He's a psychiatrist. Take your coat off. You're stickin' around, aren't ya?" my dad told Charlie as my mom went outside for a split second then came back in. I helped Charlie take his coat off then placed it in our coat closet.
"I just want to–"
"Did that jerk tell Charlie there was no Santa Claus?" my dad asked. Uh-oh...
"What? No. Oh, Charlie came home from school the other day in tears, because some big kid told him there was no such thing as Santa. And, you know Neal. Well, he sat him down and–"
My dad cut my mother off.
"--He told him that there was a Santa Claus."
"Well, all he said was that Santa was more like a feeling. You know, more like a state of mind than a person," my mother explained. 
"Which is literally equivalent to telling him there is no Santa Claus," I interjected.
"Yeah and who gave you permission to tell Charlie there's no Santa Claus?" my dad said in agreement to my statement. "I think if we're gonna destroy our son's illusions, I should be a part of it," my dad said. I rolled my eyes and huffed, which blew a loose piece of hair out of my face.
"Yeah, but you're never around, are you, Scott?" my mom snapped back.
"Mom, knock it off," I hissed at her.
"Oh, oh, please," my dad groaned.
"Listen, all we are trying to do is give Charlie a firm grasp on reality," my mom defended.
"Charlie's only six, mom! And he has every right to still believe in whatever he wants to," I argued.
"That's a good idea. But, you don't want kids runnin' around usin' their imaginations," my dad replied sarcastically.
"Oh, yeah. This from the guy responsible for the Do-lt-All-For-You-Dolly," my mom remarked.
"Leave her out of this," my dad said before my mother started to mock the doll.
"Don't you burp me, don't you change me. I'm the dolly–"
"--Why do you guys always have to fight?" Charlie interjected as he appeared in the hallway. I sighed.
"I, uh, swear we're not fighting. It's your mom's singing. It sounds a lot like fighting, doesn't it? Cats even," dad said to Charlie before imitating a cat. "The trouble is, Neal and your mom, they don't believe in Santa because they were real naughty. Which is why they'll probably get lumps of coal in their stockings," my dad replied, looking between Charlie and my mom.
"I don't know. It seems kind of babyish to believe in that kind of stuff," Charlie said as he placed his arm on the metal shelf that my dad and I built to put Christmas card/framed photos on.
"Charlie, don't say such a thing," I scolded him.
"What are you talkin' about? I believe in Santa Claus. I'm not a baby," my dad said to Charlie.
"Well–" my mom said with a shrug.
"Maybe it's time you left. We don't want to keep Dr Pinhead waiting," my dad told my mom. My dad went into the kitchen and grabbed the recipe book I left out for him. I stared between my mom and my brother. Charlie embraced our mom and whispered to her. "Do I gotta stay?" he asked.
"Listen, you, your sister and your daddy are gonna have a great Christmas, okay?" my mom told him.
"The best," I whispered to him.
"Will you pick me up tomorrow?" Charlie asked. I sighed.
"Of course," my mom replied.
"Early?"
"Yes."
"We're talking sunup? You're here?"
My mom chuckled. "You'll be fine. Ah, merry Christmas, Charlie. I love you," my mom said as she engulfed Charlie in a big hug.
"I love you too, mom," my brother said, blowing my mom a kiss before walking away. My mom looked at me. I crossed my arms at her.
"Still mad at me?" she asked. I stared at her and didn't say anything.
"Okay...well. Merry Christmas, Stella. I love you," my mom said as she blew me a kiss. She gave Charlie one last kiss goodbye before leaving.