"Jessica!" Neil greeted his stepdaughter. She was dressed from head to toe in clothes that she had worn before becoming an elf. Instead of an old pair of Bernard's slacks, she had on a normal pair of jeans. Instead of a Christmas sweater or other festive top, she was wearing a lavender t-shirt and ski jacket. Her feet were snug in a very worn out pair of UGG boots and a knit winter hat was pulled firmly over her hair.
"Hey Neil, Mom, Charlie." Jess greeted them all with a half smile and an awkward nod of recognition.
"Oh Scott you didn't tell us that you'd brought Jess along!" Laura gushed. She wrapped both her daughters in a warm hug.
"Well Laura, that's because I didn't bring Jessica along." Scott insisted. He looked down at his daughter with crossed arms. "What are you doing here Jess?" Sneaking away from the Pole had been easy. All she had to do was ask for a jetpack, but facing her dad's disproving look made Jess question if coming here had been the right thing to do.
"I um...I wanted..." She floundered for an explanation. What could she say really? She wanted to help with Charlie? He already had three parents who were more than capable to take care of him. That she couldn't stand being around Bernard at the moment? It was embarrassing to admit to any of them how bad her marriage was currently failing.
"Mom, can Jessie stay in my room while she here?" Lucy asked, her brown eyes flickered between her two parents.
"Well, you see Lucy, you sister has a lot of work to do, at home, in Canada." Scott growled the last half of his sentence at Jess.
"Can't she stay for a few days, Uncle Scott?" Lucy begged.
"Yeah, what's the harm Dad, let her stay." Charlie agreed.
"Jessica Calvin!" A very angry Bernard shouted into the workshop. It was bad enough that she had left work before all her tasks had been completed, but when he had come home to find his wife not there, the head elf was infuriated. Maybe she went back to work. He had thought. But here the workshop was dark and empty as it should have been. His anger only mounting, Bernard took to the nearest staircase. He charged up the stairs two at a time, spouting elfish swears as he went. Disrupted by all the sudden noise, Curtis poked his head out from his office.
"Bernard?" The number two elf questioned sleepily, his eyes squinted up at Bernard in the dark.
"Curtis," Bernard exhaled the elf's name in a sigh. "Is Jessica in there with you?"
"Where? In my office?" Curtis snorted. "I don't think she even knows I have an office."
"Well I can't find her anywhere." The head elf explained. He seemed more concerned than annoyed now.
"I'm sure she's around somewhere." Curtis shrugged. "Try going home for once." He advised before slipping back into his office.
"I did go home!" Bernard announced as he barged into the keeper of the handbook's office. His old office. That really annoyed Curtis. Despite the fact that Bernard had moved up to Head Elf hundreds of years ago, he still treated the Christmas Handbook office as his own.
"What do you mean you already went home? You went home and she wasn't there?" Curtis questioned, still slightly annoyed with his boss.
"Yes Curtis!" Bernard hissed. "That's what I'm trying to tell you!"
"Like I said, she has to be around." Curtis shrugged again. "Where does she usually hang out?"
"Well...umm...She-she used to like to sit in my office before..." Bernard let his sentence trail off, a guilty look showing itself.
"Before you were fighting all the time?" Curtis supplied.
"Yeah." Bernard nodded. He'd been so angry the last few months he hadn't been thinking about what he was afraid to lose in the first place, his wife.
"Sometimes, when Jessica doesn't want to go home, she likes to hang out in the kitchen." Curtis suggested. "She says she likes how busy it is in there, but mostly I think it's because it reminds her of you."
"Why would the kitchen..."
"It's where you had your first kiss." Curtis remembered.
"Curtis, I have to find my wife." Bernard declared.
"Great idea! You check in the kitchen and I'll check in the stables. Those are the only two places that she'd really go now that Santa's gone."
"Wait a minute!" Bernard snapped, suddenly angry again." What did you say?"
"You check the kitchens and I'll..."
"I meant the part about Santa. You don't think that she...She wouldn't!" Without giving Curtis time to respond, the Head Elf disappeared.
Scott was still standing in Neil and Laura's kitchen. His ex-wife had one arm slung around each of her daughters, she seemed so happy to have everyone all together for once. Lucy was grinning happily at her mother and older sister. Neil was standing near the trio, glad to see his step daughter but also sensing something was amiss between her and the Father of Christmas. Charlie was leaning on the kitchen counter staring back at his dad imploringly. Scott rolled his eyes. Everyone was expecting him to say it was fine for Jess to stay. Luckily Santa was saved the indignation of making that choice when the Miller's front door bell rang.
"I'll get it!" Neil jumped at the chance to avoid another Calvin-Miller blow out. The Psychiatrist really should have been surprised to see his step-son-in-law stand at the front door. Neil had already observed tension between Scott and Jess, he should have known Bernard would be close behind his wife.
"Hello Dr. Miller." Bernard greeted Neil, his tone was curt even for the Head Elf. "Is my wife here?"
"Why yes, as a matter of fact she is..." Neil debated giving Bernard a piece of his mind, but decided against it at the last second. "Come on in Bernard, everyone's in the kitchen."
"Bernard!" Scott growled at the sight of his number one elf. "What are you doing here?"
"Santa, I can assure you that everything at the workshop is fine and I won't be staying very long." Bernard promised. "I just want to speak with Jessie quickly."
"Well then why don't you and Jessica go back to Canada? This is why I didn't leave you in charge in the first place!" Scott growled. "I've been gone for what? A few hours? But here you two are!" Bernard looked down at his shoes. He knew Santa was right. The Head Elf had been acting irresponsible for months. He should have said something as soon as Curtis mentioned the Mrs. Clause. To top it off the way he'd been treating Jessica, Bernard knew he deserved much worse than being yelled at by his father-in-law.
"Dad, that's not fair!" Jessica rushed to defend her husband. "Bernard's the glue that holds the whole pole...er...workshop together! He has like a million responsibilities! He was just coming to collect one of his elves. He's doing his job, you can't get mad at him for that!" Bernard peeked over at his wife from the corners of his eyes. Jessica was the last person he'd expected to come to his aid. Charlie sure or maybe even Dr. Miller, but most definitely not her.
"But you can't leave!" Lucy whined from her mother's side. "Jessie you said you were coming to stay for a few days! You're my sister, and sisters are suppose to spend time together. We never spend any time together!"
"I know, Luce, I know." Jess looked over at her sister apologetically. "But you know how sometimes you have to go to school even when you don't want to?" Lucy nodded. "Well, right now I have to go back to Canada because Bernard needs me. But I promise once all the work is done, I will come back and we will spend a lot of time together okay?"
"You really promise?" Lucy asked.
"I do." Jess assured her before the two shared a hug. "Mom, Neal, it was great to see you again. Everything will work it's self out. I'll be back soon." She gave her mother a parting hug and kissed Neal on the cheek. She made her way over to Charlie and gave him a stern warning. "Char, straighten yourself out alright? You've got everyone at the workshop up in arms because you're on the naughty list. Curtis, Abby, Judy...the whole gang, it's all they talk about." At last she turned to Scott. "Dad seriously; Bernard, Curtis and I can handle things up North. Just take care of what you came down here for, we'll tackle everything else."
"You'd better." Scott warned as his daughter wrapped her arms around him. Then as sudden as they had arrived, Bernard and Jessica made their way out the front door.
"Thank you, for sticking up for me back there." Bernard thanked his wife as they stepped out of the house.
"I haven't decided if I'm still mad at you or not." Was all Jess said before she located her jetpack and took off.