A Clause Journey (The Santa Clause story) 🎅🏻

chapter 11= Visitation rights...

Y/n's POV

I was sat in the judges waiting room with Laura, Neil, and Charlie. Charlie was seeing the judge today to figure out what we were gonna do about the whole Santa and the North Pole thing. I held the pocket snow globe that Bernard gave me in the palm of my hand.
"What's that, honey?" Laura asked me, pointing to the snow globe in my hand.
"Oh! It's nothing! Just a gift from a friend!" I replied with a nervous giggle.
Laura nodded in response and Charlie sat on a separate chair.
I shoke the snow globe slightly and the snow whirled around and revealed a moving image of Judy, the elf that showed my dad to his room swiftly wiping blood from Bernard's nose. I gave a sympathetic smile at the snow globe as the judge came up to Laura and Neil,
"Charlie, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?"
Charlie was hesitant until Laura hurried him along
"It's okay, honey. Come on"
Charlie got up and went inside the judges office
"We won't be long!" The judge reassured as he stepped inside his office with Charlie and closed the door.
Laura sat down in her chair and looked at Neil. I pretended to fall asleep whilst eavesdropping on Laura and Neil's conversation.
"Are we doing the right thing, Neil?"
Laura asked, holding back a few tears
"Something needs to shake Scott!" Neil replies
"Yeah, but...," Laura begins "But to take away his Visitation rights."
"Honey, the man is delusional!" Neil replies, quite calmly.
He is not! I thought to myself.
"Okay, okay...so maybe I'm having second thoughts, kind of. I just...I mean what was so bad about Charlie believing in santa?" Laura questions.
"Well, he's a little old," Neil began. Laura looked out of the window, looking unsure "Oh come, Laura, don't you remember when you stopped believing in Santa Clause?" Neil asked her.
"I was Charlie's age, I guess...I wrote santa a letter every week that year," Laura said, slightly pounded his fist through the air "....Well okay, you know....maybe not every week. But...boy I really wanted a mystery date game. Do you remember those?" She asked Neil. He seemed confused.
"No, of course you don't! You know, no one does! I mean, I don't think they even make them anymore, but...anyway, Christmas morning came and...oh, I got dozens of presents. I got everything. Except....Mystery date." Laura explained.
"I was three," Neil Began.
Three?!?! I thought to myself, keeping my eyes firmly shut.
"It was an Oscar Mayer wienie whistle!" Neil finished
"Christmas came......no wienie whistle," Neil added "And that's when I stopped believing!"
"You were three??" Laura questioned in a slight sympathetic tone.
"Yeah..." Neil said, making eye contact and shaking away tears.
"Oh Neil.." Laura patted Neil thigh and then took his hand in hers.
Then I heard someone running down the hall. I "awoke" and I saw my uncle Scott looking a lot fatter and now had a fully white beard.
"Uncle Scott!" I exclaimed, running up to him and hugging him.
"Hey, hon!" He says, hugging me back.
"Where's Charlie? I want to talk to him." Scott asked, turning to Laura and Neil.
Laura and Neil stood up at the same time and Laura said "He's with the judge." Just then, the door to the judges office opened and Charlie came out and then the judge.
"Dad!" Charlie yelled, running over to his dad and me and uncle Scott scooped him up into his arms.
I listened in as Charlie whispered to uncle Scott "It's all okay. I told the judge everything. About you and the North Pole." I gave my uncle a look as if to say this is NOT good!
"After reviewing all of your testimonies, I've come to a very difficult decision," the judge began. I held on tears when the judge started to speak again, saying "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." I covered my mouth with my hand. I heard Charlie sobbing loudly as he was ushered out by Laura and Neil and I started to cry into my uncles shoulder as we walked home together.

-time skip-
Thanksgiving...

Me and uncle Scott took a walk and passed Laura and Neil's house and saw the three and them having their thanksgiving dinner and the snow globe Bernard gave Charlie was sat at the table next to Charlie's plate. We exchanged looks and decided to ring the doorbell.
Neil opened the door for us and we looked at Neil and he leaned against the doorway.
"Hey, Neil!" My uncle greeted him.
"Hi, Neil." I greeted, quietly.
"Scott? Y/n?"
We walked in, uninvited but Neil blocked our way.
"You're not supposed to be here." Neil stated, matter-of-factly.
"Don't make my uncle beat you up, Neil!" I replied, sarcastically smiling.
"Oh, would santa really beat someone up?" Neil asked, mocking my sarcasm.
"I'm this close!" My uncle whisper-yelled, showing the gap in his fingers that was separated just a millimetre away. I was gonna walk into the house but Neil put his arm on the doorway to block the way.
"So you still believe you're santa?" Neil asked.
"I don't know!" My uncle stated, honestly.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Charlie's little voice came. I ducked under Neil's arm and uncle Scott- or....Santa followed behind.
Charlie was being carried by Laura when we layed our eyes on him. I pulled the beanie further down onto my head, trying not to blow my own cover.
"Of course you are, dad, how can you say that?" He said, sadly. "Think of all those kids!" I piped up. Neil rolled his eyes at me and I shot him a little death glare.
"The only kids I'm thinking about are you and your cousin!" Scott said, pointing to me.
"Dad, me and y/n are fine. You can't let them down!" Charlie pleaded.
"He's right!" I also started to plead.
"They all believe in you!" Charlie stated.
"Charlie, listen" Neil walked up to Charlie.
"You listen! You think you know who he is. You don't!" I yelled, pointing a finger at Neil. Neil looked up to me with his jaw agape.
"Charlie. Honey, listen. You're confused." Laura said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Me and y/n know exactly who he is!" Charlie said.
"Charlie! He's not santa!" Neil said, raising his voice.
"He is, too, Santa! We went to the North Pole together! I saw it! The elves are real old even though they look like me. Bernard called me 'sport' cause he knew everything, then y/n fell in love with him. Right, dad?"
Charlie explained. Uncle Scott looked at me with wide and I denied even though it was true.
"Remember!" Charlie pleaded as he tossed Bernard's snow globe to my uncle and I. We both looked into and the ball showed the North Pole with elves running around everywhere causing me to smile at myself. Then my pocket snow globe did the same and revealed a moving image of Bernard waving at me and giving me a two finger salute. I returned his action and put the snow globe back into my pocket.
It was never a dream....