#bernard the elf imagines

[where-dreamers-go]

Can you do a Bernard the elf x elf!reader fanfic where the reader gets terribly hurt and ends up in the infirmary and Bernard is freaking out. If not, that's okay. I just wanted to ask. Thank you.

(A/N: Hi there! I decided to lower the hurt level of Reader. Thank you for requesting.)

~~~

"Careful" Bernard the elf x elf! Reader

Joy. Building gifts. Who needed a day off? Certainly not an elf such as yourself. Very little could keep you from making toys for the children of the world.

What could possibly throw you from your schedule?

"Get more ice!"

"I'm fine." You stated.

"This is the North Pole!"

"Back up, please."

The North Pole's infirmary was crowded and the only patient was you.

Sighing, you looked at Bernard, who had only a minute ago had burst into the room.

Bernard's feet never stopped moving. Hands gestured every which way. Wide eyes could not look away from any movement.

"Bernard?" You held the bagged ice to your foot.

The elf rushed to your side. His nose nearly bumping your cheek.

"What is it? Is the pain worse?"

"An incoming bruise." You said calmly. "I'm going to be fine. I am fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You don't need to worry. All I did was drop the little hammer on my foot."

Grabbing your shoulder, he said, "And you're hurt."

"It wasn't a sleigh or anything."

A frown creased his face. "Don't joke."

"I wasn't."

The elf doctor interjected and stated, "You'll likely have a small bruise for some time. Nothing to worry about. No restrictions."

Bernard eyed you sternly.

Before he could say anything, you said, "I don't build toys with my feet."

Expression softening, Bernard lowered his voice. "Please be more careful."

~~~

Bernard the elf tags: @marepaw @flynn-thebin

~~~

If you'd like to be tagged in future insert readers please let me know.

[storiesforallfandoms]

santa's sister in law ~ bernard the elf;the santa clause

word count: 4292

request?: no

description: in which he is adamantly against the in laws coming to the north pole, until he meets santa's sister in law

pairing: bernard the elf x female!human!reader

warnings: christmas fluff, sylvia sucking a little bit but that's just canon

masterlist (one, two, three)

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄

a special christmas gift for @omeletdreamer 😌

Bernard was firmly against Carol's family coming to the North Pole. He liked Carol, don't get him wrong. She was a fantastic Mrs. Claus, and he loved her idea to start an elf school at the Pole. He understood that it was hard to adjust to life at the Pole, especially while she was pregnant. But bringing outsiders there was a big no-no. They were already pushing things by letting Laura, Neil, and Lucy in on the secret of Santa.

But all of his protests fell on deaf ears. Santa wanted Carol to have her family while he was going to be busy, and the other elves just wanted Carol to be happy. It was a thousand against one. So, Santa got into his sleigh and flew to get Carol's parents while the elves fixed up the Pole to look like Canada.

"This is never going to work," Bernard said to Curtis. "There's no way they're going to think this is Canada. Even if they believe these ridiculous store signs, they'll never believe Canada is inhabited by a bunch of children."

"Can you not be so negative for once?" Curtis asked. "It'll be fine."

"We are seriously pushing it with how many people know about the Pole and Santa. You can't blame me for being stressed out over it."

"Everything will be fine, Bernard. We have a plan. We got this."

Bernard huffed a sigh and walked away. He was tired of being brushed off like this. He didn't become head elf for nothing. He knew what he was doing. If only someone would just listen to him.

As he was walking away, he heard something in the distance. He looked up to see Santa's sleigh breaching through the entrance to the Pole. He couldn't see them yet, but he imagined Carol's parents in there, asleep from Sandman's magic, expecting to wake up in "Canada". He cringed to himself. There's really no going back now.

"I need a hot cocoa," he muttered to himself.

The kitchen elves were busy baking away when Bernard walked in. Carol had told them her mom's favorite cookies so they were hard at work making a batch to welcome Mrs. Newman. They were wearing comically large chef's hats pulled down to cover their pointy ears, which made Bernard glad his hair was long enough to do that naturally.

"Hi Bernard," Abby said, giving him a bright smile upon noticing him. "Want a hot cocoa?"

"I'd love one, Abby," he responded, sitting down at one of the tables.

She rushed off to make it for him. He picked up a cookie from a plate in the middle of the table to eat while waiting. Abby returned with his hot cocoa. He blew on it, disturbing the steady steam coming from the drink. He hoped that escaping to the kitchen would give him some time to prepare for Carol's parents.

He was taking his first sip of his hot cocoa when the kitchen doors opened again and in walked Santa, Mrs. Claus and her family in tow. Bernard nearly choked on his drink.

"And here's our kitchen," Santa was saying. "Oh, and Bernard's here too! Bernard is my, uh, he's my...assistant."

Bernard tried not to roll his eyes at the title.

He reluctantly stood and plastered a smile on his face. "Hi, nice to meet you...eh."

Carol's dad shook his hand while her mom pulled him in for an embrace. Bernard wasn't prepared for a third person to approach; a young woman with a smile so beautiful it left him speechless.

"This is my sister," Carol said. "We didn't know she was coming too."

"I'm (Y/N)," the woman said. "Mom and dad mentioned they were coming for a visit, so I asked Scott if it was alright for me to tag along."

"Of course it would be alright!" Sylvia cut in. "Scott's already had Carol from us for so long, he'd never say no to bringing Carol's loving sister with us to finally see her again."

Sylvia had a smile on her face but there was venom in her words. (Y/N) cringed and tried to ignore her mother's comment. "It's really lovely here so far. I'm glad I could come."

Bernard was still tongue tied. He kept opening and closing his mouth like an idiot trying to figure out something to say. (Y/N) was watching him, waiting, while Scott and Carol shared an amused look.

"Let's show you the rest of the place," Carol said, putting an arm around her sister. "We'll meet up with Bernard again later."

(Y/N) smiled and waved goodbye as the group left the kitchen. Once they were gone, Bernard felt like he was freed from a spell. He let out a long breath and slumped back down to the table. His hot cocoa had cooled down enough that he finished the rst of it in two gulps.

~~~~~~

Bernard was up late that night doing his rounds of the workshop. All the other elves had left for the night, but Bernard was often the last one up making sure everything was shut down and nothing was left out of place. With the in laws visiting, he was also making sure the workshop was locked up so no one would accidentally wander in and discover everything.

He was preparing to leave when he noticed the door to the kitchen was slightly ajar. He was sure all the baker elves had left for the night, but maybe someone had stayed behind. He poked his head into the room and almost gasped aloud when he saw it was (Y/N) who was leaning against the counter, a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She was in her pajamas, clearly preparing for bed. Bernard was about to back away and leave her be, until she looked up form her mug and caught him. She smiled and waved to him.

"Good evening, Bernard," she said.

There was no escaping now. He stepped into the kitchen and cleared his throat, trying not to seem as weird as he had earlier. He discretely made sure his ears were tucked away under his hair.

"Hi," he said. Simple, easy. You can't mess up a "hi".

"What are you doing up so late?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same thing."

She giggled. "Touché. I was having trouble sleeping so I decided to come out for a hot cocoa. That nice baker, Abby I think? She offered to make me one before she left. I was told she makes the best hot cocoa in all of the town."

"Oh, she does. She's the one you go to when you want a good hot drink made."

"She works magic, I'm sure."

Bernard tried not to let his smile falter. "You have no idea."

A silence fell over them. (Y/N) softy blew on her hot cocoa before taking a sip from it. A small trail of foam stuck to her upper lip as she pulled her mug away. Bernard couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

"What?" she asked.

"You just...you have something..." He gestured to his top lip.

She ran a thumb along her top lip, only smearing the foam more.

"Here, let me." Bernard reached up and wiped the foam off with his own thumb. He was suddenly very aware of their closeness when he looked into her eyes. Any words he could ever say were stuck in his throat yet again and he could only imagine how insane he looked, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "And thank you for having us here, too. I know it's a busy time of year for you guys. We don't mean to impose."

It took Bernard a moment to remember the story they had been telling Carol's parents: that Scott was a toy maker in Canada and that's why he would be so busy this time of year and needed someone to be there with Carol while she was pregnant.

"It's not imposition," Bernard assured her. "If anything, I think it's going to make Sa - Scott feel better to have you guys here for Carol while he's working."

(Y/N) nodded. "It's very nice of him to have us here considering how my parents tend to treat him."

Bernard thought back to the comment Sylvia had made earlier. The strained relationship between Scott and his in-laws wasn't anything new to him. Scott had mentioned it a few times before, most recently when he was voicing his concerns about bringing Bud and Sylvia to the Pole with Bernard in private. It was evident that both Newman sisters also noticed how their parents treated Scott, and it seemed neither of them were too happy with it.

"I understand why mom and dad get upset," (Y/N) continued. "One minute Carol was a proud principal at the local middle school, and then the next thing we know she's writing us to tell us she got married to a guy we've never even heard of and moved off to Canada to be with him. I mean, even I was skeptical then. But when she'd write to me about Scott and about being here, it was clear that she was so happy and she found the man of her dreams. Who are we to judge the quickness that they got married? As long as she's safe and happy, which she clearly is. But mom and dad don't see it that way. Dad is still convinced that Scott is a cult leader who stole Carol away or something."

(Y/N) paused and looked at Bernard. He had been listening as she spoke, just nodding along and not saying a word. She chuckled a little and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling on about my family drama."

"No! It's-it's fine. Trust me, I've heard similar stuff from Sa - Scott."

She gave him a look. "You keep stuttering on Scott's name."

"Yeah."

He couldn't think of a better explanation besides that. He felt an unfamiliar burning sensation in his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or just from being so close to her that made him feel that way. She giggled, though; a sound more beautiful than any of the twinkling bells that were often heard around the Pole.

"I'm just glad to be here," she said. "And I'm glad mom and dad can be here for when the baby is born. Maybe that will help them be a little less harsh on Scott."

She finished what was left in her mug and looked around the oversized kitchen. When Bernard realized she was probably trying to figure out where to put the dirty mug, he said, "Oh, I can take care of that for you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. You're our guest, and I can handle this."

She smiled and passed him the mug. "Well, thanks for talking to me, Bernard. I guess I should try to sleep again."

"Goodnight, (Y/N)."

"Goodnight, Bernard." She started towards the door, but then paused to turn back to him. "I hope you're not too busy tomorrow. I'd like to spend more time with you."

His face was on fire as she left.

~~~~~~

For the first time in his thousands of years as the head elf, Bernard wasn't concerned with his head elf duties. Of course he was still there if Santa needed him, but he decided not to spend the entire day in the factory and to seek out (Y/N) to spend time with her. She was delighted to see him and was more than happy to accept his offer to show her around "Canada" for the day.

This became a regular occurrence for a few days. Bernard would make sure to check in often to see if he was needed, but if he wasn't he was with (Y/N). He would feel bad about taking her away from her time with her family, but it seemed her parents were more concerned with fussing over Carol than they were about all four of them spending time together. And (Y/N) also assured Bernard that she was making time for Carol and her family as well as spending time with him.

Bernard was more than well aware he was falling in love with (Y/N), and he was also more than well aware of how bad that was. Elves falling in love was nothing new; he had officiated quite a few elf weddings in his time. But falling in love with a human was out of the question. Elves were immortal, humans were not. Scott and Carol were different - upon becoming Santa and Mrs. Claus, their aging processes had slowed down considerably. They weren't completely immortal, but they weren't aging as fast as normal humans did. But that wasn't possible for a human that an elf fell in love with. Even if (Y/N) felt the same way towards Bernard, she would still continue to age while he would stay the same for the rest of time.

But he couldn't stop himself. He was falling fast and hard. Carol's due date was creeping closer, and once it came it would only be a matter of time before the Newman family would have to go back home, meaning that (Y/N) would leave and likely would not come back. That thought hurt Bernard.

Bernard was approaching where (Y/N) was staying one day when she slipped out of the house instead. He was surprised; she had never left before he had gotten there before.

As he got closer he realized that her face was tearstained.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

(Y/N) jumped and turned to look at him. "Oh, Bernard. Sorry, I didn't see you coming. Nothing's wrong."

He was about to point out that she was very obviously upset over something when the door opened again and Sylvia slipped out. She looked like she was about to say something, but she noticed Bernard and gave him a tight smile, one that he had come to learn was very much her fake smile.

"Hello, Bernard," she said. "I was just having a conversation with my daughter. We were talking about spending the day with Carol. We haven't had an all girls day since we arrived. So, unfortunately, I don't think she'll be able to spend time with you today."

"No mom," (Y/N) said. "I said I would join you later for girls time. Besides, you know Carol has an appointment with the doctor. She won't be ready till later."

Her mother was smiling but her eyes were glaring daggers into the younger Newman girl. (Y/N) held the glare before turning to Bernard and taking hold of his arm. She didn't say anything as she dragged him away. He followed anyways, wanting to get as far away from Sylvia as he could.

"God, I don't understand what is wrong with her," (Y/N) said, letting go of Bernard long enough to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I swear she just doesn't want Carol and I to be happy."

"What was she saying?" Bernard asked.

"Oh, she was going off about the fact that I spend so much time with you. Had her usual rant about Scott taking her precious daughter away from her and dad, and then said she'll be damned if she lets it happen with me too. Basically tried to guilt me into not spending time with you today by saying that Carol was upset that she didn't get to see me much, which I know isn't true because just the other day Carol was saying how happy she was that you and I were getting along."

She shook her head. "I'm so sick of it. It's like she can't wrap her head around the fact that maybe, just maybe, life is so busy here that Carol doesn't always have time to visit. It has nothing to do with Scott being manipulative or a cult leader or whatever conspiracy her and dad have cooked up on a certain day."

Bernard listened in silence. He felt bad that (Y/N) had to have these issues with her mother. Carol was hearing it all now, but he was sure (Y/N) heard much more of it when she was back home with her parents.

None of the Newmans could ever understand the way things were with Carol and Scott. They could never know why things were like this, but they likely wouldn't understand even if they knew.

Unless...

It was an idea that shocked even Bernard that he had it. Head elf of the North Pole, Santa's righthand man himself, considering such a thing? After being so against Carol's family coming to the Pole? It was preposterous. But his brain was so clouded by love for (Y/N) that he wasn't thinking proper.

"Come with me," he said. He didn't wait for an answer, just took hold of her hand and pulled her towards the workshop.

His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in hips pointed ears. He had to remind himself there was no going back. This was going to be huge, and it could likely get him into a world of trouble.

He opened the doors to the workshop and (Y/N) stepped in. She looked around in awe at the working elves, most of which were not hiding their ears as the workshop was supposed to be off limits to the Newmans. None of them seemed to notice the two of them enter, and if they did, nothing was said.

Bernard watched (Y/N), nervously waiting for her reaction.

"Is this...what I think it is?" she asked him. "No, it can't be. I must be dreaming. I fell and hit my head and now I'm in a coma having a very vivid dream that all of these small people who are supposed to be Canadians have pointed ears like they're elves."

When she looked over at him, Bernard had taken off his hat and allowed his ears to peak out from under his hair.

"I've lost it," she decided.

"You haven't," he assured her. "All of this is real. It's why Carol hasn't been able to visit as much, or why you couldn't visit until now. Look, there's so much to know about all of this. So much that I want to tell you but technically I can't because there are strict rules about humans knowing about the North Pole."

(Y/N) had another quick moment of shock that she was able to very quickly recover from. "Rules that you're currently breaking by showing me...Santa's workshop. By admitting that you're an elf, these are all elves...oh my God, my sister is Mrs. Claus."

"It is all very complicated," he said. "But you deserve to know that Carol is truly happy here. She's not being held against her will, Santa isn't manipulative or holding her captive. He loves her so much that he risked you and your parents finding out about him - about us - so that all of you could be here for her while she's pregnant."

(Y/N) still seemed to be stunned. She looked around the bustling factory again, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Wait," she said. "But...if you all went through so much to make us think this was Canada, to keep who Scott is a secret...then why are you telling me now?"

Because I love you. Because I want you to stay. Because I want to be with you more than anything, even though I know that will never happen.

"Because I want you to know the truth," he replied. "About all of this. About...about me."

She was looking at him. He didn't know what else to say, so he just looked back. He waited for an answer. He willed her to say something, anything.

She didn't say anything, though. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed Bernard. It was quick, almost hesitant, and when she pulled away she looked embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said. "I...should I have done that? I should've asked first. Was it okay that I did that?"

He smiled. "It was more than okay."

"Okay. I'm...I'm going to do it again, if that's still okay."

Bernard chuckled and moved in to kiss (Y/N) first. He had only ever kissed one person before - when he was young one of the other elves had gave him a quick peck on the lips and ran away afterwards. Not exactly something glamorous or anything like that. So he was a little worried about whether or not he was a good kisser. Although, something felt so natural about kissing (Y/N), like he could never do it wrong even if he tried.

He paused when he realized a slight hush had fallen over the workshop. He and (Y/N) pulled away to see that all the working elves had stopped what they were doing to look at the two of them.

"Back to work!" Bernard commanded. They all quickly fell back into what they had been doing before. "Bunch of gossips, all of them. Everyone in town will know about this by nightfall."

"I don't blame them. I'd assume it's not every day that they see an elf kissing a human."

He chuckled. "No, I guess not."

They decided to step out of the workshop to talk more in private. (Y/N) looped her arm through Bernard's as they walked, a gesture that suddenly felt much more intimate than it had before.

"I guess it goes without saying that I can't tell anyone about this," she said. "Not even my parents."

"No. Which I know is a big ask, but we can't have the secret of Santa going around," Bernard explained.

"Not like anyone would believe me. They'd think I was crazy if I went home talking about how my brother in law is Santa and how I started crushing on one of his elves. They'd sent me to an institute for sure."

Bernard smiled at her word choice. So she had liked him this whole time, too. Had it been obvious? Or had she been trying to contain it just as much as he did?

"How...would things work...for us then?" she asked.

It was the question he was dreading. The one he continued to ask himself despite knowing the answer to: it wouldn't. He couldn't let (Y/N) hold on to him when she left the Pole. She'd likely never see him again, which was for the best.

Seeing the look on his face, (Y/N) stopped. "No, do not tell me it's not going to work."

"It can't work, (Y/N). There's too much complications between a human and an elf being romantically linked. It's never happened before, and for good reason."

"There's a first for everything."

He shook his head. "No, there can't be a first for this. I can't let you throw away any other romantic opportunities you have for me. We may never see each other after this visit."

"My sister is married to Santa. There's no way I'm not coming back after this. And besides, long distance relationships are a thing."

"This one would be...very long distance."

She slid her arm from his and took his hand in hers. "I'm willing to try. I like you too much to give up without a fight."

Every rational part of his brain was screaming for him to stop. He could not let things go further. It was better for her if they ended everything after that first kiss and went hteir separate ways.

But the less rational part of his brain was louder than the rest, telling him not to give up this chance at happiness outside of work. He deserved to love and to be loved, just like anyone else in the world. If it worked for Scott, it had to work for him too, right?

He sighed and squeezed her hands. "It won't be easy."

"I don't expect it to be."

"You won't be able to be here a lot unless you're willing to give up everything the way Carol did."

"That's fine, we can make that work."

"And if you do end up coming here permanently, you can't tell anyone who I really am, or who Scott and Carol really are. You'll have to lie to everyone in your life. Is that something you can be okay with?"

(Y/N) stepped closer to him so that their noses were nearly touching. "I'm already lying about Scott and Carol. What's one more lie about the man I love?"

Love.

It was enough for him to abandon all hope at resisting her. He closed the space between them, kissing her again so passionately that it made her head spin. She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself, while he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He could've kissed her forever. He could've stood there, wrapped around her and her wrapped around him, the cold nipping at them but barely bothering them, forever. He wanted to take this moment and freeze it, to never have to go back to his busy life as Santa's right hand elf ever again.

But she pulled away first, resting her forehead against his.

"I did promise my mom a girl's day," she said with a sigh. "And I think if I blow her off for this, she'll probably actually kill me."

"I guess I'll have to let you go then."

But he didn't, and she didn't let go of him. They laughed and kissed again.

It would be another several minutes before he would finally (and reluctantly) let her go.

[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Way it Was Before

Bernard the Elf x Reader

Fandom: The Santa Clause

Summary: Something is VERY wrong this Christmas, and it seems you’re the only person in the world who remembers the way things were before. Well, almost the only person. It’s up to you and the Head Elf to save the day before Jack’s wish becomes irreversible.

Note: I was literally possessed by the spirit of Christmas to write this. I still don’t understand how I whipped this up so fast. Also I have a few ideas kicking around for a sequel, so let me know if that’s something you’re interested in! Additionally, I will be uploading this to Ao3, so if you see it on there too, don't worry hahaha

Warnings: Language, a lil violence as a treat (nothing major just literally a few punches lol), a lil angst but a very happy ending <3

Word Count: 14k

Reader is: Female, 23

Well, that was it, then. It was over. You couldn’t help but feel a little torn up about it. You just weren’t cut out for the job, or maybe you didn’t have the magic for it. Whatever the reason, Mother Nature had made it clear. You were not the Spring Enchantress, and this would be your last foray into the Magical Realm for a very long time, if you ever set foot in it again.

Mother Nature had to visit Santa at the North Pole. You weren’t sure why, she didn’t tell you what she was there to pick up, but she did give you some time on your own to explore the Workshop for the last time.

Wanting to get away from the wandering eyes, you found a secluded nook and sat down, resting your head in your hands. You loved the Pole. It was so intricate and beautiful and whimsical and you would never see it again. You’d never step foot in Mother Nature’s Grotto or the Summer Isles, or even Halloweentown.

It hit you all at once and the tears came flowing before you could stop them. You just hoped none of the elves were around to find you. You didn’t want to worry them when they were already so busy.

“(Y/N), right?” a voice asked, drawing your attention to the doorway where he was standing. Bernard, the Head Elf. Your eyes wandered over his shoulder to the sign on the door. Of course, your crying spot had to be directly outside his office. Figured.

“Right. Yeah. Sorry.” You wiped at the tears, trying to compose yourself. You motioned to the door. “I didn’t realize…”

He shook his head. “That’s alright. Is something wrong?”

“I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m sorry, I can—”

“No, you’re no bother at all. Come on in. My couch is a lot comfier than that bench there.” He motioned you forward and you hesitated, but got up and walked into his office, a large, cozy room with forest green walls, hardwood floors, a small fireplace, a cozy couch, and a desk facing it. There was a shelf of snow globes on one wall, a shelf of old leather books on another.

Bernard motioned to the couch and you took a seat while he perched himself on the edge of his desk. He plucked a tissue out of the box and handed it to you, empathy etched in his brown eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“It um…Mother Nature…” You spoke slowly, composing your words. “She said I’m not the Spring Enchantress like she thought. So um…I’m getting my memory wiped and heading back to the Mortal Realm. Tomorrow, I think.”

“Wiped? Like entirely?” Bernard said, horror in his voice.

“I mean, I’ll still know who I was before I started training under her, but…all of the magic stuff, all of this…” You shook your head. “I knew it was all too good to be true.”

“I am so sorry this is happening to you.” He shook his head. “It’s not fair.”

“Yeah…” You nodded, wiping your tears on the tissue he’d given you. “I’m just glad she brought me here one last time. It’s so beautiful here.”

Bernard smiled softly. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small snow globe, waving a hand over it before handing it to you. “Even if you won’t remember this place…I’d like you to take a piece of it with you.”

You took a shaking breath, more tears flowing at his words, at the sincerity on his face, at the beautiful snow globe he’d given you. You stood to accept it and found yourself hugging him instead, seeking comfort from the most powerful elf in the Pole. His arms wrapped tight around you, comforting you at your most vulnerable.

“Thank you. So much. Even if I don’t remember it, I…I think I’ll still know. That it’s real. That all of this is.”

“Believing is Seeing.” Bernard said, meeting your eyes. “Someday, you’ll remember that.”

You hoped he was right…

THREE YEARS LATER

Leaving your Irish Folklore class, you were absolutely buzzing with ideas. It had been an amazing lesson. Your professor was very knowledgeable on all sorts of legends and fantasy creatures, where they’d come from, how stories about them had started. You, as a writer, were planning on using this knowledge to write an epic fantasy romance. You weren’t sure what exactly it would be about; you were still waiting for it to click, but you were sure it would eventually.

You walked to your favorite coffee shop, a little ways from your apartment, and grabbed a hot cocoa with extra whipped cream, your favorite around this time of year, sitting down with your work at your favorite table in the corner of the shop.

You took out your notebooks, comparing the notes you’d taken in class to the ones you had left over from…before. The inklings, few though they were, that had lingered in your mind, even after Mother Nature, yes, that Mother Nature, had supposedly wiped them all from existence. Granted, there wasn’t very much left from your time with her, just a few things: the Northern Lights dancing across the sky as you…as you…no, see, there it was. Nothing.

That was all that was left, pieces. And the snow globe on your shelf that you knew was more than just a snow globe, but you couldn’t remember why. Or who’d given it to you.

Sometimes you felt crazy, pushing against the walls of your memory, begging it for just one more detail, but that was how it had been for the last three years. You knew you weren’t making it up, that it was more than just fantasy, but you couldn’t tell anyone. Not even your therapist. The looks wouldn’t be worth it.

So you kept these things to yourself, jotting them down to get them out of your head. Or, rather, keeping them safe in case someday Mother Nature came to finish what she started, wiping it all away for good.

You worked on an outline for a short story for your creative writing class, but you didn’t feel all that confident in it. You sipped your cocoa some more, which had cooled to perfection, and opened an article you were supposed to read for your Folklore class. Something about elves. Festive, you thought with a chuckle. It was indeed the season for that, especially since that had been your last class before Christmas. A perfect send-off for the end of the semester.

Once you’d gotten a decent amount of work done, you packed up your stuff and headed back to your apartment, setting your bag in your room. You checked a few things off of your To Do List.

Gleaming on the shelf, your snow globe caught your eye. “Believing is Seeing.” You whispered to yourself, eyebrows knitting together when you did. It sounded familiar, but…you weren’t sure why. Or what it meant.

Down in the living room, your roommates were watching Christmas movies. In a few days, they’d both be headed home for the holidays and you’d be left on your own for a few weeks. You didn’t mind all that much. You did well on your own, in the quiet. You were kind of sad about spending the holidays alone, though.

Maybe you could find a community event to attend. A holiday party or something. Maybe your college would be doing something for the students who were staying. You hoped they’d let you attend even though you were a grad student.

On the TV, a cheesy Hallmark movie played out, the city girl deciding the small town she’d stumbled into was actually the perfect place for her and the handsome lumberjack that worked at the Christmas Tree Farm at the edge of town was actually her soulmate. You chuckled. You didn’t believe in soulmates. Not like that, at least.

“Hey, we’re going to a party tonight. Down at the Kappa House. You want to come?” Your roommate, Cindy, asked.

“Oh! Thank you. I’m alright, though. I’ll order some takeout or something.”

“Alright.” Megan, your other roommate, nodded. “How was your class?”

“Good! Yeah, I’ve just gotta finish this essay and then I’ll be good for the semester.”

“That’s good.” She grinned, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

You sat with the two of them until they got ready to leave, dressed in short red dresses, fishnets, and Santa hats. “Call me if you need a DD.”

“Oh we will.” They giggled, stumbling out the door, each armed with a bottle of cheap wine, leaving you on your own in the apartment. You did as you’d said and ordered some takeout, cranking out the rest of your paper and turning on some Christmas movies. Elf, Home Alone, all of the classics were on.

You felt something in the back of your mind, a little tingle. You froze, staring at the screen. You expected another little piece, a sliver, anything, but the feeling faded as quickly as it came. You sighed, setting your container of Lo Mein on the coffee table. Suddenly, you were tired. Maybe some sleep would help. So, after putting your things away and cleaning up after yourself, you changed into your pajamas and headed to bed.

You stared at the ceiling for a while, trying desperately to jog your memory for the little inkling that was about to emerge earlier, but to no avail. You shook your head and turned onto your side.

Believing is Seeing…

***

The next morning, you felt groggy and decidedly weird. You jotted down the dreams you remembered in your journal and went downstairs to get some breakfast to appease your growling stomach. You poured yourself a bowl of cereal with milk and plopped down in front of the TV, all but dropping it in your lap when you saw what was on the screen.

“Come on up to the North Pole, folks! Christmas Wonderland right at your fingertips! This year, we’re opening our Winter Wonderland Water Park, Hotel, and Resort! Pet the reindeer! Take a photo with an elf! And don’t forget to meet Santa!”

“What the Fuck.”

“Oh! See! I told you! We should go! They have a two for one on the Mistletoe Cruise!” Cindy grinned, hopping over the back of the couch. “Rewind it!”

You did as she said, pausing when the prices were on the screen. It just so happened to be when this so-called Santa was also on screen. Taking one look at him, you could tell something was wrong. His height, his voice, but most of all, his hair, which was frosted and spiked up. He may have been wearing the suit, but that was no Santa.

Chills ran up your arm at the sight of him. No, that was no Santa. That was Jack Frost.

It was coming back to you a little now.

“What…the North Pole…?” You murmured, confused.

“Obviously. What, did your parents never take you as a kid?” Megan asked. “We went all the time when I was growing up.”

“I can’t say they did, no…” You shook your head. No, this was bad. Something was very wrong here. Your stomach sank, veins on fire and chills unending.

You got changed at the speed of light and headed out to town, stopping in the book store next to your favorite coffee shop, where on the front rack was this new Santa’s memoir. It was titled, “Becoming Santa” and you doubted anything in it was anywhere near the truth.

You scooped up a copy of it as well as a book on the history of the Pole. There had to be something in there, some hint, some…someone you could contact. You checked out at the counter and headed next door to the coffee shop, spreading out your books and notes. You grabbed a cocoa with extra whipped cream and a shot of espresso. You knew you’d need the caffeine for whatever lied ahead.

You combed the books extensively, rolling your eyes every paragraph as you waded through Jack’s stuffy memoir. It was…impossible. You couldn’t believe this had all happened overnight. Unless there was magic involved. You cracked open the history of the Pole book, which had pictures, thankfully. You were able to look through and see if there was anyone you recognized. The longer you stared at the pictures, the more it confirmed your suspicions. You had been to the Pole before, but not in the capacity your roommates were discussing. It hadn’t been a theme park, a tacky tourist destination loaded to the brim with money-grabs. No, you had been there when it was a gorgeous, beautiful workshop, full of joy and love and…for lack of better word, Christmas cheer.

A single tear slipped down your cheek and you sat back in your chair, taking it all in. You remembered. Most of it, anyway. There were still bits and pieces that wouldn’t click into place just yet.

“This seat taken?” Someone asked.

You looked up, staring for a long moment as his features came into focus, his kind brown eyes, dark curls, a pointed ear sticking out from under his hat. He was the exact same as the last day you’d seen him, right down to the red tunic embroidered in golden symbols, the tassel necklace around his neck.

You gasped softly. “Bernard?”

Click.

His face split into a grin and a wave of relief swept over him as he all but collapsed into the seat across from you. “Thank the stars. I didn’t think you’d remember me.”

“How could I forget?” You asked, mostly to yourself. You had forgotten him. Well, until now. But it was all coming together. Something about seeing him made everything else, all those loose, scattered pieces, finally come together.

“So far, you’re the only one who remembers.”

“Remembers you?”

“No, remembers…the way things were yesterday.” He lowered his voice and you nodded, eyes wide.

“Okay cool, I’m not crazy. Always nice to know.” You sighed, closing the book and sliding it over to him. “I’ve been looking for…I don’t even know what, to be honest, but I knew it wasn’t right.”

“That’s…yeah.” He nodded, flipping through the book before closing it again.

“So what’s going on?”

“No idea. I was on my way out of the Pole when it hit, which is probably why I was spared. All of the elves…” He shook his head, arms crossed. “I don’t have any magic. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Why me?” You asked softly, voice breaking at the edges. “How did you find me?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you since everything happened. I’m really sorry. What happened to you isn’t fair and I understand if you want to stay out of it, but I need your help. You’re the only person I have left.”

“I was on your team the second you sat down.” You told him, earning a tired smile. “So I did find…something. Um…Santa. Our Santa, I mean. When did he…?”

“He put on the coat in 1994.” Bernard replied with certainty.

“Okay that’s not good.” You opened Jack’s memoir to his origin story, in which he claimed to have become aware of his Santa Powers in the same year on the same night. “That never happened. Jack…he must have gone back in time and overwritten things.”

“How would he even have done something like that?” Bernard asked, taking the book from you and reading through the section you’d underlined.

“Father Time,” you mumbled. “Maybe he did something to Father Time.”

“Maybe.” Bernard nodded. “He’s in London. Big Ben. We can head there. But first, we need to find our Santa and pray that he remembers too. If not, our goose may already be cooked.”

***

Bernard ordered a drink for himself and the two of you left the shop, sticking a nice tip in the jar on the way out. You led Bernard to your apartment. Your roommates were still there, buzzing about their impending trip to the North Pole.

“I thought you guys were going home to see your families for the holidays.” You said, prying to see just how much they had changed in this new reality.

“Oh right, right, we were, but this deal is just too good to pass up, you know? My parents will understand. We’ll just celebrate…over spring break or something.”

“Yeah, yeah same. It’ll be fine, I’ll just mail them their presents.” Megan agreed, going right back to vacation planning with Cindy.

You gave Bernard a look that he returned before the two of you went up to your room. You pulled open your laptop and sat on the floor, Bernard looking around your room, eyes careful, admiring every detail until he found it, the snow globe he’d given you still sitting on the shelf.

He smiled softly, picking it up and giving it a shake before setting it back. “You still have it.”

“Of course I do. I’ve had it in all of my apartments. I don’t move anywhere without it.” You smiled and paused, thinking. “Did you…use your magic on it when you gave it to me? Maybe that’s what’s bringing my memory back.”

“No, I only used my magic to inscribe the plaque.” He explained, pointing to where the words were inscribed in curling cursive words, Believing is Seeing. “Something else is protecting your memory, even now.”

“Mother Nature?” You wondered quietly. Then again, if she wanted to protect your memories, why would she have wiped them in the first place? It didn’t make sense, so instead, you turned your attention to Google. “Alright, what’s Santa’s government name? As long as Jack didn’t kill him, we should be able to find him.”

“Scott. Scott Calvin.” Bernard replied, sitting on the carpet beside you, leg brushing against yours. “When we found him, he was living in Illinois. He might still be close to there now.”

“Scott Calvin…” You said quietly, typing his name in the search bar along with Illinois to attempt to narrow down the search results. It was common name, but hopefully not too common. You scrolled through hits from Facebook, showing Bernard the profile pictures to see if there was one he recognized. After all, you never saw Santa when he was still human, only as the Big Man himself.

“There! There, that’s him!” Bernard pointed to one of the Scotts. You clicked on his profile and started scrolling.

Marriage Status: Divorced

Employment: Frost Toys, Illinois

“Frost Toys.” You read, sounding deflated. “Even he’s working for Frost.”

“Can you get a phone number? His business phone maybe?”

“Can do.” You hopped onto his LinkedIn and found his contact, punching in the number and handing your phone to Bernard.

He waited while it rang, shaking his head when it booted him to voicemail. There was a long beep and Bernard said, exasperated, “Hey Scott, this is Bernard. If you remember me, remember anything, please call back. We’re going to fix all of this.”

He hung up and handed the phone back to you, looking disappointed.

“It’s okay. It’s gonna be fine.”

“Having trouble believing that at the moment.” He exhaled, frustrated. “This is bad.”

“On a scale of zero to plastic Santa…?”

He chuckled, mood lightening the tiniest bit. “You heard about that?”

“It was the talk of the meeting that month.” You laughed, remembering. Your smile faded when you remembered who else had been at that meeting. Maybe that was where Jack had gotten his messed up little idea of world domination.

“I’d take three of that guy before this.” Bernard shook his head. “What now?”

You thought before shrugging. “I guess we’re going to Illinois.”

“You’re serious? You’re coming with me to get Scott?”

“Or what, let you do this on your own? No way. Help me get some stuff together. I just put gas in my car so we should be good for a while.”

He smiled, getting to his feet and pulling you up after him. “Alright, what do you need?”

As quickly as you could, you gathered up the absolute basics: a pair of pajamas, an extra set of clothes, your toothbrush and toothpaste, your hairbrush, extra fuzzy socks, and a phone charger. Once the two of you were done, you stopped in the kitchen to load up on snacks and drinks for the long car ride, garnering looks from your roommates.

“Hey, who’s the guy?” Cindy asked, having missed him on his way in, apparently.

“I’m Bernard, a friend of (Y/N)’s. We have, uh, History together. History class, that is.” He offered his hand, but neither of them shook it, still too wrapped up in their phones and the cruise tickets they were busy booking.

“Ohhhh, right, I think I remember her mentioning you.” Megan nodded, agreeing. “You two going somewhere?”

“Illinois.”

“Why?” Cindy asked. “What’s in Illinois?”

“We’re going to see The Bean. I’ve heard it’s lovely this time of year.” You shrugged. “Probably cheaper than a North Pole trip, too.”

“The Bean…” Bernard chuckled, shaking his head as he shoved a box of Rice Krispy Treats in the snack bag along with some Hershey Kisses and a bag of Twizzlers.

“Okay, Mr. Sweet Tooth, pack some salty stuff for me,” you muttered, elbowing him.

“Heh, right. Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly, packing a few saltier options that would appeal to your human taste buds.

“We probably won’t be back by the time you two leave, so…lock up good, alright?” You asked, meeting each of their eyes.

You loved your roommates. You knew they weren’t usually like this, dropping literally everything for a vacation. It was something about this timeline. Christmas wasn’t…happy like it was supposed to be. It was a bitter, greedy thing that was pushing these girls, who loved their families very much, away from their loved ones during the holidays. It made you sick.

“You alright?” Bernard asked, noticing the moment you began to space out. The last thing he needed was to lose you, too.

“I’m good, yeah. Let’s go.”

***

Hauling your little suitcase and your bag full of snacks, the two of you walked out of the apartment to where you’d parked your car. Thankfully, it was still there, one of the things the new timeline seemed to have no effect on. You slid your suitcase onto the back seat and Bernard set the bag of snacks on the floor in front of the passenger seat.

You settled into the driver’s seat, turning on the car and adjusting the temperature and the mirrors. Bernard fiddled with the radio, looking for Christmas tunes and finding them, catching the end of White Christmas just in time for an announcement from the radio host.

“We’re playing your favorite Christmas Hits all day, 24/7. That was White Christmas by Michael Bublé, up next, Santa’s new hit single, Come Meet Santa.”

“You’re kidding me.” You groaned as an insufferable song started blaring from the speakers, Jack singing about his fancy new resort at the Pole.

“He’s got the reindeer in a petting zoo?” Bernard asked, disheartened as he listened to the lyrics.

“Oh my god…” You shook your head. “We’ve gotta find Scott.”

You connected your own Christmas playlist to the aux cord, doing away with Jack’s twisted idea of Christmas and set up navigation to the Frost Toys office building in Chicago. You figured even if it wasn’t exact, it would get you close enough to Scott by the time he called you back. Well, you hoped he would. Hope was kind of all the two of you had.

You drove out the front gates of your college campus and started heading towards the highway. “Let me know if you need a bathroom break or anything.”

“Alright.” Bernard nodded, still looking tense.

“Did you…try to call the Pole? I don’t know if there’s a special number for that or…?”

“I did. Customer Service put me on hold.”

You blinked. “Customer Service?”

“Yeah we didn’t have that department yesterday.” Bernard crossed his arms and leaned back against the seat, eyes squeezed shut in what you were sure was the immense stress of the situation. “Sounds like Curtis is in charge up there now, though. It’s like I never existed.”

“Oh.” You said, turning on your blinker to get in the faster lane. “I’m really sorry, Bernard.”

“Yeah, it’s…we’re gonna fix it.” He insisted, repeating your sentiment from earlier. “We have to.”

“We will.” You assured him.

He chuckled darkly. “This whole time, all I’ve been able to think about is how…this…what I’m going through now is what you’ve been going through for the past three years.”

“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t really know what I was missing out on until today.”

“How do you mean?”

“Something about you showing up jogged my memory. Before that, it was just little tiny bits and pieces. If it weren’t for your snow globe, I definitely would have thought I was losing my mind. I remembered Mother Nature and the…role she played in this, I guess, but I could not have told you what she looks like. All I’ve had is the idea of her.”

“And now?”

“Now I remember. Pretty much everything, I think. Santa, the Pole, you, all of it.”

“Well that’s good for us.” Bernard chuckled.

“And when it’s over, I’m sure she’ll just…wipe me all over again.”

“I will see to it myself that that does not happen.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she ever did that to you to begin with. Lead you on like that just to drop you like nothing happened.”

“Yeah.” You shrugged, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know, I just…like I said to you that day in your office—I think, it’s still a little fuzzy—I always knew it was a little too good to be true. I always felt like I just…I was the puzzle piece that didn’t fit. That there was this big, beautiful, magical world out there, but I wasn’t meant to…be part of it, I guess.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Bernard shook his head. “I’m 1600 years old and I’ve never met someone who doesn’t have a place. And having met you, I can guarantee you do belong. If Mother Nature can’t see that, then that’s her loss.”

You smiled softly. “Thanks.”

“You know, we can always use a hand in the ornament department.”

“I’d work anywhere you stuck me just to be able to hang out at the Pole again.”

“See, that’s the spirit.” He laughed.

The two of you drove for a handful of hours and you did decide to stop for gas, just to be safe. That, and you were really craving a gas station slushee. So, you filled the tank while Bernard grabbed the two of you some slushees for the rest of the drive down.

While he was standing there, there was a weird, floaty feeling about him. For a moment, his hands began to fade, sparkles taking their place, but as soon as you walked through the doors, the bell jingling above your head, the feeling went away and he exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling solid again.

“You alright?” You asked, voice hushed.

He squeezed his eyes shut, nodding before daring to meet your gaze. Never in his millennia and a half had he ever felt so weak.

“Bernard?”

“I’m fine!” He insisted, raising his voice slightly, but softening when he met your eyes again. “Sorry, I’m…fine.”

“Hang in there.” You whispered, standing closer to him. “I can’t lose you, too.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything. The two of you went back out to the car, sipping your slushees and turning the Christmas music back on when it was interrupted suddenly by an incoming call.

You looked at Bernard and he reached over, putting the call on speaker. “Hello?”

“Bernard? Is that you?” Santa’s voice came out of the speakers and you sighed in relief.

“Santa? Oh thank the stars.” Bernard closed his eyes, a long breath working out of his lungs.

“What the hell is going on? Where are you?”

“We’re about an hour from Frost Toys. We did some research and found this, uh, new job of yours.”

“Don’t get me started.” He chuckled. “I’ll send my apartment address. Does this number work? Whose phone is this, I didn’t know you had a cell phone.”

“I don’t. It’s a long story, but I’m with a friend and we’re on the way.”

“Good. Well then, I’ll see you two soon. The sooner the better.” Scott sounded very relieved. He hung up and texted over your new destination, which was just a little ways further than the building you were already heading towards.

With new fervor, you pulled out of the gas station and got back on the highway, reaching Scott’s apartment with speeds even Bernard was impressed by. You pulled into the parking garage, got your little orange slip to put on the dash, and took the elevator into the building. Scott buzzed you upstairs and you met him outside the door of the snazzy, modern downtown apartment. At the very least, this timeline had given him a cushy job. He ushered the two of you inside.

“Bernard.” Scott greeted, hugging his Head Elf briefly before the two turned back to you. “I’ve never been so relieved to see you.”

“Likewise.” Bernard sighed.

“And you are…?”

“(Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N).” You introduced, offering your hand. “I don’t expect you to—”

“Oh! You were Mother Nature’s apprentice for a bit, weren’t you?” He asked, remembering.

“Yeah. That was me.” You nodded, deciding to spare him the gritty details. “I’m here to help save Christmas.”

“That might be easier said than done…”

“(Y/N) thinks Jack might have used time travel to do this. We were planning on going to see Father Time to see if any of this is something he can fix, or…or if Jack did something to him and that’s how he accomplished all of this.”

“It wasn’t Father Time.” Scott shook his head. “Jack tricked me with a wishing snow globe. Made me wish I had never been Santa and…took the coat for himself.”

“Oh.” Bernard murmured, nodding. “The Escape Clause. Well that would do it, then.”

“There’s gotta be some way to undo this.” Scott said. “It can’t just be over. This can’t be it. Carol…she doesn’t even know who I am.”

“Mrs. Claus?” You asked softly and he nodded solemnly.

You’d met her on a few occasions and she had always been so nice to you, relieved to have another human-ish woman at the Pole, as she said, which always earned a laugh from you. And now, she was a school principal again at a public school who didn’t believe in Christmas anymore. Even Mrs. Claus wasn’t safe from Jack’s trickery.

“Okay, so…we go to the Pole, then. Get…plane tickets, I guess. My roommates were planning their vacation there when we left, so if they can do it, I’m sure we can.”

“Definitely.” Scott nodded, searching for tickets on his phone.

“We go there, find that snow globe, and undo all of this, set it right, the way it’s supposed to be.” You said, determined.

“You think it’ll work?” Scott asked Bernard and he thought over it for a long time before nodding.

“It has to.”

***

Scott booked three tickets for the earliest flight in the morning, at five. You changed into pajamas so you could attempt to get some sleep, and Bernard put something on the TV. You emerged from Scott’s guest bedroom, face wiped clean of makeup, hair freshly brushed, and cute little penguins on your pajama pants. Bernard grinned.

“What?”

“Penguins?”

“I thought they were cute.” You defended, shrugging as you plopped down on the couch next to him.

“I never said they weren’t.” He shrugged, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

“Hey, pizza sound good, you two?” Scott called from the kitchen.

“Sounds perfect.” You replied.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Bernard agreed, flipping channels until he found what he was looking for. Ah yes, the Christmas movies. Specifically, the stop-motion Rankin/Bass movies you’d watched during your childhood. Absolute classics.

You gasped, childlike wonder filling your features. “Oh, I love this one.”

“You like these movies?”

“I’ve seen just about all of them, I think. We always used to watch them when I was a kid. These were my childhood. I like them a lot more than the Hallmark movies my roommates are always watching.”

“Rightfully so.” Bernard agreed. “These guys just…got it.”

“Better than anyone else.” You sat criss-cross on the couch. “Riddle me this, Mr. Head Elf, is Rudolph real?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, (Y/N), but no, he is not.”

“No! What? You’re lying!” You covered your face with your hands. “My life is a lie.”

“I wouldn’t lie about something like that.” He laughed. “Rudolph is not one of our reindeer. The rest all are, though. Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen.”

“Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen?” You asked.

Bernard smiled, proud. “Precisely.”

“Hey,” Scott held the phone away from his face for a second, covering the microphone with his hand, “pepperoni good? Thin crust?”

“Sounds good to me, Santa.” Bernard gave a thumbs-up. He could not, for the life of him, remember the last time he’d even had pizza.

“Yeah, I love thin crust.” You agreed.

“Great.” He nodded and walked back towards the kitchen again, finalizing the pizza order.

The commercial break hit with, of course, an ad for the North Pole Waterpark and Resort. There were clips of miserable elves playing games in the arcade, forced to work as lifeguards in the waterpark, facilitating the reindeer petting zoo.

You frowned, that familiar feeling of dread settling into your stomach again. This was awful.

“That’s Betty, there, in the green. Third in command. Second, now, I guess. She looks…”

“Miserable.” You finished.

“Yeah.” Bernard nodded. He let out a frustrated shout. “I can’t believe this is happening! Look at them! Look at what he’s done to the Pole!”

Bernard took a shaking breath and slumped back against the couch, his lack of magic hitting him once again and that floaty, sparkly feeling returning.

“Bernard?” You asked, voice rising in concern.

“It’s my magic. The magic of the Pole, of Christmas, everything. Elves are…well, we’re basically made of magic, so if we don’t fix this, and soon…” He shook his head, words trailing off into hopelessness.

“Take some of mine.” You said, quiet, but certain.

He stared at you for a long moment. “What?”

“Take some of my magic.” You told him, more confident this time.

“You still have magic?” He asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“And no idea how to use it, but you do. You need it more than I do right now.”

“O-okay.” He nodded, sitting up a little straighter.

You unfurled your legs, turning to face him. You turned his hands so they were in a receiving position and placed your palms on his, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes to focus yourself, tuning into the fragments of magic still inside of you and then pushing them towards him, through his hands, up his arms, into his chest.

He flinched a little at the feeling, the sharp, cold tingle, but his eyes widened when he saw it, your magic, flowing into him. It was iridescent, teal and purple and pink and blue, waves ebbing and flowing, its gentle glow lighting up your features in the dim room, your hair blowing around softly in the gentle breeze it created.

It looked like the Northern Lights.

He pulled away after a few long moments, stopping the flow. You opened your eyes to look at him.

“Do you feel better?” You asked, concern etched deep in your gaze, pulling at his heart strings in a way he hadn’t felt in centuries.

“A lot better. Thank you,” he said. “But save some for yourself. That might be what’s protecting your memories.”

“Right.” You nodded, thinking. “That makes sense.”

It was quiet, the murmur of the TV the only sound other than Scott in the kitchen, getting dishes out in anticipation of the pizzas arriving, their ceramic clattering against the fancy marble counters you’d spotted on your way in.

You looked at Bernard, really looked at him for the first time. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been crushing on him a little bit, back when you were acquaintances, when he was the knowledgeable, responsible, somewhat stern Head Elf with a heart of gold and you were Mother Nature’s apprentice, vying for a destiny you would not receive.

You remembered the way your heart would lurch when he peeked into the meetings you sat in on, with the rest of the Legendary Figures, and occasionally, the Guardians of the Seasons, if their presence was necessary.

One of the other elves, you were pretty sure her name was Abby, had given you a tour the first time you were there, she’d introduced you to him, and she’d also called to attention the way your cheeks went rosy the moment you walked away from him.

You wondered if he thought of you, if he had those memories too, tucked away someplace special, or if you were just another passerby in his long, long life. Sometimes you almost forgot he was hiding a thousand years behind that youthful face.

Sitting there, you weren’t sure if it was him who started leaning in or you, but it stopped as soon as Scott called for you from the other room, like a scratched record in the middle of a sweet, slow Christmas ballad, pulling you both back down to reality.

“Pizza.” You chuckled, standing up from the couch. Maybe it was the lighting, but you swore Bernard’s cheeks were rosier than they had been before.

“Right. Pizza.”

The two of you walked out to the kitchen together and sat on the barstools pulled up to the counter, grabbing slices of the thin-crust pepperoni.

“So, I booked the North Pole tickets. I also booked us tickets from there to London…Just in case.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Bernard chuckled.

“Hey, you look better.” Scott noted.

“I’m feeling a lot better, too.” Bernard motioned to you. “(Y/N) here still has a few tricks up her sleeve.”

“Good. We’re gonna need all the magic we can get.”

***

You didn’t get very much sleep before your alarm went off. It had been about what you were expecting. You never slept well when you were stressed.

You did, however, have a dream.

You were sitting in a meeting with Mother Nature and the Guardians, the two of them that were left after the Spring Enchantress’ retirement. Of course, you were training up to fill the position, so it wouldn’t remain empty for long.

Mother Nature led the meeting, held in the giant tree at the center of her Grotto, glancing at her watch every few minutes until finally, he showed up. Jack Frost. Even then, chills ran up your spine, though, at the time, you were convinced it was a side effect of his existence in general.

“Sorry I’m late, ladies. Had quite the hold up in Toronto.” He shrugged, sliding into the fifth seat at the round table, a snowflake embedded in the crystalline mosaic on the table’s surface. “What are we talking about?”

“You, actually.” Mother Nature stated, sitting up straighter. “We were wondering how the search for the Aurora was going, since you’ve elected to take on the task yourself.”

“Ah, yes, well, it’s certainly not easy. Winter Guardians don’t just fall from the sky, you know. But I’ve searched all of the places she used to pop up. Hence my overlay in Canada.” Jack shrugged. “And besides, it’s been five centuries since we’ve had one, I think we’re doing just fine without her.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” The Autumn Witch, a gorgeous young woman named Amber Sanderson, interjected, meeting him with her sharp gaze. Her long, curly orange hair was as beautiful as the autumn leaves, brown skin smooth and ageless, even after her thirty or so years on the council. She didn’t look a day over twenty-five.

“Then what would you say, Ms. Sanderson?” Jack countered, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “If you have a problem with the way I’m running things, I’d prefer if you were forward about it.”

“We have been.” Evangeline Cho agreed, the Summer Sorceress. As her season had just started, she was glowing even more brilliantly than she usually did. “Every year, winter creeps further and further into autumn and spring. And it seems you haven’t done anything to stop it.”

“What, I can’t control that! I’m getting more powerful! It’s merely a side effect.”

“Which is precisely why we need someone on this council who can control their abilities. Such as an Aurora, which you were tasked with finding nearly a century ago, Frost.” Mother Nature stated, her voice cool and even. “If you’d like one of us to find her instead—”

“Oh no, no, that won’t be necessary. I promise you, by next winter, we will have an Aurora again and I’ll go back to managing snow days and frosting window panes.” He drew an X over his heart. “Cross my heart.”

“Excellent.” Mother Nature nodded. “Meeting adjourned.”

You blinked awake in time with Mother Nature’s gavel, staring at the ceiling of Scott’s guest room. That wasn’t a dream. You were certain. It was a memory. You’d have to tell the others.

***

Once your alarm went off, you got dressed and met Scott and Bernard in the entryway of the apartment. Bernard, who hadn’t changed his clothes, had one pointed ear sticking out the brim of his hat, a dead giveaway if there ever was one. You rummaged through your carry on and produced a knitted hat you’d made a few years back, motioning to his ear.

“Oh. Right. Thanks.” He nodded, swapping his usual headwear for the hat you gave him, slipping it on with ease. “Where’d you get this?”

“I made it. I knit.”

He chuckled, checking his reflection to make sure he was covered well. “Well aren’t you just full of surprises?”

“As we’re both learning.”

Scott drove the three of you to the airport and you arrived early, hoping your plane would be a little ahead of schedule, but when you found it was actually delayed an hour, it gave you time to grab drinks at the coffee shop.

“Hot cocoa, shot of espresso, extra whipped cream, please.” You ordered, Bernard just behind you.

“I’ll have the same, but make it a double shot.”

“Coming right up,” the barista nodded, setting to work.

Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise, filling the sky with orange and pink, sunlight glistening on the icicles hanging from the windows. You smiled, appreciating the quiet moment despite the dread looming overhead.

Once your drinks were ready, you joined Scott on a chair near the windows.

“So um, I had a dream last night. I think it was a memory from before.” You said, not sure how else to bring it up.

“What was it about?” Scott asked, curious.

“I was at a meeting with Mother Nature and the Guardians. Jack was there, sitting in for…the Aurora, I guess.”

“The Winter Aurora.” Bernard replied, nodding.

“What is that?” Scott asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“Well, there’s a Guardian for each season, often a woman, gifted with the powers of that specific time of year. They work with their Legendary Figures to oversee the flow of time and ensure everything is on schedule. The Spring Enchantress, the Summer Sorceress, the Autumn Witch, and the Winter Aurora.” Bernard explained. “We haven’t had an Aurora at the Pole in 500 years…”

“Well that would explain why I’ve never heard of her.” Scott nodded, thinking. “So Jack took her job?”

“Yeah, they were talking about his…powers increasing, I’m assuming because he was getting buffed by her powers in addition to his. And how winter is creeping into autumn and spring because of it.”

“That’s not good.” Bernard shook his head. “The seasons have to be balanced. Jack’s hunger for power is messing up the eco system.”

“Mother Nature said he was supposed to be looking for her, and I don’t know…maybe he just…wasn’t looking.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Bernard took a long sip of his cocoa. “I’ll add that to the top of my list as soon as we get everything else back to normal.”

As soon as you finished your drinks, the plane started boarding, so you followed after Scott and onto the plane. Through the windows in the walkway, you could see the plane, giant, winter blue, and emblazoned with a giant picture of Jack Frost’s Santa impression, giving a thumbs-up.

“I’m gonna puke.” You rolled your eyes.

“Ditto.”

The three of you boarded and settled into your seats, all in a row. Scott had brought his laptop along to do some research on the flight. He figured it was better to go in with something of a plan than be blindsided by whatever you found on the other side. You had a feeling the Pole would look a lot different than last you’d seen it.

You settled into the window seat and got as comfortable as you could. For a supposedly luxury flight, the seats were surprisingly stiff. Knowing Jack, you should have expected him to cut corners, even in his power fantasy brought to life.

“How are you feeling about all of this?” Bernard asked, voice soft.

“As well as I can, I guess.” You shrugged. “I’m glad I’m not doing this alone.”

He nodded, eyes meeting yours, soft and serious. “I am, too.”

A lady in a flowery dress walked past, her perfume so strong, you caught a whiff of it from the window seat, its floral scent immediately tickling your nose. You tried your best to suppress the sneeze, but to no avail. You sneezed two times, waiting for a third, but it never came.

“Jeez.” You shook your head, reaching for the Benedryl in your bag.

“What’s that for?”

“My allergies. That lady’s perfume was pretty strong.” You chuckled.

“You have allergies?” Bernard asked, eyes narrowing. “Spring allergies.”

“…Yeah?”

“You have spring allergies and Mother Nature thought you were the new Spring Enchantress?” Bernard asked, looking skeptical. He knew Mother Nature. She was an intelligent, almost all-knowing being. He knew she wouldn’t make a mistake that obvious.

“That part never made sense to me either.” You shrugged.

“She thought you were a Spring, but…you’re obviously more of a Winter. I might be a bit biased, though.” He smirked.

Your heart raced when he said it, the realization hitting you that he was flirting. You were getting hit on by Santa’s Head Elf. That was something not everyone could say.

“I mean, I was born in December. The 21st.”

Suddenly, his flirting demeanor was gone, replaced instead by a look of realization, like you had just given him the last piece of the puzzle he’d been trying to solve since the day you left the Pole. “The Winter Solstice…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Let me see that, Santa.” Bernard took the laptop from Scott’s lap desk, clumsily navigating with the mousepad and punching something into the search bar. “Where was it your parents are from, (Y/N)?”

“I grew up in South Carolina. We were supposed to live in Michigan, but Dad got a job opportunity at the last minute, so we moved right after I was born.”

“Whereabouts?”

“Traverse City.”

“Hmm…” Bernard clicked through articles a bit before finding a story that made your heart race. “Is…Is this the house?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s…Oh my god.” You covered your mouth, reading through the article. Three months after your family had moved out, there had been a freak snow storm that took out half the houses in the neighborhood. And your house had been hit the worst, the roof over what would have been your nursery was caved in completely.

“Jack hasn’t been not looking for the Aurora. He’s been killing her every time she’s popped up.” Bernard concluded, a horrified look on his face.

“Wait. So you’re saying…” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I’m…”

“Mother Nature appointed you Spring Enchantress to throw him off of your scent.” He said. “That has to be it. It’s the only explanation.”

“Are you sure?” You asked, fingers shaking as you wiped your sweaty palms on your pants. “I…I mean, wouldn’t I know? I’m not…special. Not like that…”

“Are you kidding me?” Bernard asked, incredulous. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. (Y/N), I’ve seen your magic. It’s the only think keeping me alive right now. It…” He reached for your hand, positioning your palm so it was facing upwards and as soon as he did, a wave of stunning Northern Lights glowed between your fingers. “Do you see that? I’ve seen Aurora magic. This is that. I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner…”

“Woah.” Scott muttered, eyes falling on the scene unfolding between the two of you.

You curled your fingers, pulling the magic back into yourself and extinguishing the light. You sat with it for a moment and met Bernard’s gaze. “He tried to kill me.” You murmured, tears brimming in your eyes. “He tried to kill me for…for power? For a title?”

“We’re not going to let him get away with it.” Scott stated, fire in his gaze. “We’re not going to let him get away with any of it.”

You felt a tingling on your head and watched as white trickled from your scalp down to the ends of the piece of hair at the front of your face. Your heart raced and you touched the hair with shaking fingers.

It was real now. You were the Winter Aurora. And you had a feeling the closer you got to the Pole, the more evident that would become…

***

By the time the plane landed, the three of you were settled on a plan. Scott, Jack’s biggest priority, would cause a distraction, buying time for you two. Bernard would find the elves and try to snap them out of it. You, as the only one Jack wouldn’t fully recognize, would go find the snow globe and get it to Scott so he could undo his wish and fix everything.

Was it a perfect plan? No. But it was all you had, so it would have to be enough.

You walked off of the plane together, hoping the streak of white in your hair wouldn’t draw too much attention. Once you were inside the gates, the three of you huddled, finalizing your plan.

“You’re going to be fine on your own? Do you know how to get to the snow globe room?” Scott checked.

“I’m…being here…yeah, I’m definitely gonna be able to find it.” You nodded, still completely blown away by the powerful waves of magic, hitting you all at once for the first time. “It’s all coming back to me.”

Bernard grinned, hopeful. “Good. Good luck.”

“You too. Stay safe. I…I really don’t trust him. What he’s capable of…” You said warily.

The Head Elf shook his head, confident. “Is nothing compared to what you are.”

“Let’s save Christmas.” Scott announced.

The three of you split off. You watched as Bernard and Scott walked away together, Scott playfully nudging Bernard. About what, you couldn’t be certain, but you had a pretty good feeling it had something to do with you.

Cheeks flushed for more reason than one, you took off, following the swirling feeling around your heart, dodging past security elves with a stealth and speed you didn’t know you possessed. It was like muscle memory, suppressed very deep in the core of your being. A power you had never tapped into, but one that was quick to embrace you. You felt it in your soul, the Pole wanted you there, and it was very glad you’d returned.

Following the instructions Scott and Bernard had given you, you walked briskly down the corridors, slinking past bakery elves on their way to one of the many tourist eating spots. The workshop itself sat big and empty, barely an elf in sight. The few that were there looked tired, sad, working on tacky Santa Claus bobble heads and cheap gift shop pens. It broke your heart.

Distant voices echoed against the cavernous halls. In your mind, you heard echoes, too. Laughter and love and light, elves building toys, creating things together, working to make the kids of the world happy, no matter what it took. The workshop had been wrapped in pine trim and string lights, warm and bright.

Now, it sat dark and empty.

You wiped a tear from your cheek and continued down the hall, to where the entrance to the Hall of Snowglobes was. And at its entrance, was Betty, who stared at you for a long moment as though trying to place where she recognized you from, but quickly shook it off.

“You can’t be back here. No visitors allowed. I can escort you back to the main area, though.” She offered, smiling.

“Your name is Betty, right?”

She hesitated. “How did you…? Nevermind that, you’re still not allowed back here.”

“I have to be back here.” You told her. “It’s important. The fate of Christmas depends on it.”

“Well, the fate of Christmas depends on me doing my job, so if you’ll follow me this way.”

“I can’t do that, Betty.” You shook your head. “And I know you don’t want to either. Don’t you see that all of this is wrong? That what Jack’s done to the Pole, the capitalism, the resort, the gift shops, the reindeer in the petting zoo, this is not what Christmas is supposed to be. You know that. I know you know that.”

Betty’s features saddened and for a moment, you thought you’d won her over until she reached for a walkie talkie. “Security, we’ve got a tourist that needs to be removed from the Workshop.”

“Great.” You huffed, summoning your power to your hand, just as Bernard had shown you. But instead of sending a blast of energy at her, you let it slowly waft over, rainbow colors and dancing lights slowly enveloping her. As the magic hit her face, she blinked through it, eyes awash in the pinks and teals and purples. Yet another streak of white flowed through your hair.

She dropped to her knees and stared up at you, tears in her eyes as it all came flooding back. Her voice fell to a whisper. “You’re our Aurora.”

“I am.” You nodded, feeling confident in your title for the first time. “And I need your help. We don’t have much time.”

“Bernard, he’s gone! He—”

“He came here with me. We have to hurry. We need that snow globe.” You told her and she nodded.

You helped Betty to her feet and she ushered you into the Hall of Snowglobes, carefully plucking the little glass orb that had started all of this off of its pedestal and handing it to you. You held it with careful hands, admiring it. It was beautiful, if not absolutely dangerous.

“We’ve gotta get this to Santa.” You told her.

She nodded, following you out of the Workshop and into the bustling center of town, an absolute sensory overload if there ever was one. Tourists packed the streets, vendors were shouting over the noise, and above it all, speakers were blaring Jack’s Christmas Album, each new song worst than the one before it.

There was a massive stage, covered in fake ice and bright lights, and on said stage, was him, Jack Frost in all of his faux Santa glory, his red suit iced at the ends, hair spiked and ridiculous, like icicles. Behind him, was a row of toy soldiers and in their grasp was none other than Bernard, eyes wide in fear as Jack manifested a blast of snow in his hand.

“(Y/N)!” Scott shouted over the crowd, waving wildly to get your attention.

“Get this to Scott.” You handed the snow globe to Betty, urgency in your voice and your eyes. “I’ve gotta get Bernard.”

“On it.” She took the globe from you and weaved through the crowd expertly. You ran towards the stage as though everything was moving in slow motion.

“This guy isn’t Santa! He’s trying to ruin Christmas!” Bernard shouted, voice cracking as he did.

Jack laughed loudly, and the crowd assembled did the same. “Do you hear him? I am Santa! Without me, there would be no Christmas! What gives you the right to say any of this?”

“I’m the Head Elf!” Bernard insisted, struggling against the toy soldiers. “I’ve seen a thousand Christmases and dozens of Santas! You are nothing compared to any of them!”

“Alright, tough guy, you think I’m not Santa? How about I show you what a real Santa is capable of?” Jack threatened, ice in his voice. He raised his hand to freeze Bernard and you dove onto the stage, tackling Jack to the ground, earning a loud gasp and several concerned voices from the crowd.

“Don’t you dare touch him, you fucking narcissistic popsicle!” You shouted, getting a good punch in before retreating to Bernard’s side, kicking the toy soldier behind him and pulling apart the large ribbon bow binding his wrists. Parents covered their children’s ears, shielding them from the harsh language. Some of the crowd cleared out, retreating to a safer distance, while others pulled out their phones, desperate to go viral on YouTube.

“Come on.” You grabbed Bernard’s hand and he squeezed yours, following you off of the stage and through the crowd to where Scott stood with the snow globe. He shook it and made a wish, but nothing happened.

“What?” Scott asked, trying again. “It won’t work.”

“It’s the Escape Clause.” Bernard closed his eyes, remembering the rules. “Jack made this wish. He’s…he’s Santa now; he’s the only one who can undo this.”

“Oh my god.” A wave of dread flowed over you.

“And those, my dears, are the words I will never utter.” Jack said, dusting himself off and sauntering over to the four of you, his security not far behind, ready to apprehend all of you. “It was a nice try, though. Really valiant effort, all four of you. Scott, Bernard, Betty…and you. I can’t say I recognize you.”

“Maybe if you had half a braincell, you would.”

He scoffed, offended. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. They’ll figure that much out when they get you to jail, I suppose.” He shrugged and the security officers seized the four of you, taking the snow globe and giving it back to Jack. He tossed it in the air cockily a few times before chuckling. “You know, I don’t need this thing. I’m never going to wish all of this away.”

Frost tendrils crept up the glass dome and in a great burst of light, it shattered. You gasped, feeling the magic settle. This was it. This was reality now. There was no way to undo it.

“O-oh.” Bernard took a stuttered breath, faltering. He collapsed to the ground and you pushed away from security, rushing to his side and collecting him in your arms.

“Bernard?”

He shook his head. You raised a hand to give him more of your magic, but he lowered it with his own. “You have to finish this, Aurora.” He said, eyes serious, glimmering despite the pain you could tell he was in. “You’re the only one who can.”

He leaned forward, a hand brushing the hair away from your face, capturing your lips with his own, his kiss soft and tender, tasting faintly of peppermint, and then he disappeared in a burst of sparkles, his silver and gold magic drifting forward into your chest.

You gasped, tears rolling down your cheeks, arms empty and heart emptier. “No! NO! What did you do to him?” You turned, facing Jack.

“The only thing I could. Protecting Christmas from the likes of you.” He shrugged. “What was it he called you? Autumn? Is that your name? Autumn?”

“No.” You told him, rising to your feet, pure magic lifting you from the ground and setting you on your feet.

His eyes widened and he took a step back.

“I’m the Aurora.” You rose into the air, teals and purples and pinks swirling around you in a rush of power. You raised your hand, manifesting the snow globe within it, its broken shards reforming in your grasp, effortless and precise. Once it was whole again, you shook it, magic swirling within its waters, overriding the rules of the Escape Clause with rules of your own.

A voice came out of you then that you weren’t sure was your own. It came deep from your chest, echoing across the pole, accompanied by a wave of power, the same magic you’d used on Betty, but tenfold, fierce and fiery, prickling like static all down your arms as it left you.

“May Everything Return to the Way it Was Before, to the Way it was Always Meant to Be.”

And with one final rush of magic, everything went white.

***

It took a while for the picture to form in front of you, your hearing distorted, the colors slowly coming back one by one.

You were kneeling there in the center of the Workshop, which was full of elves, their work paused as they watched the scene unfolding. Scott was Santa once more, wearing his red undershirt and suspenders, looking jollier than you’d ever seen him. Carol stood beside him, looking confused.

Mother Nature was there, as was Tooth, and, of course, Jack Frost, wearing his signature blue suit as opposed to the red one he’d been wearing moments earlier.

You got to your feet, looking for Bernard in the crowd, but not finding him. Your heart lurched, your search brought to a halt by Jack’s nasally voice.

“Aw, come on now, kid, no hard feelings, right?”

Rather than replying, you wound up and punched him square in the jaw with more force than you were used to possessing.

“OOOOOOOH…” The elves murmured, wincing as Jack fell to the ground, gripping his face.

“I’m going to ask you one last time and you are going to answer me. What. Did you do to him.” You demanded, a fierce power zinging through you.

“I didn’t do anything to him! This is all a big misunderstanding! Right, Santa? Tooth? Back me up on this!” Jack groveled, shielding his face with both hands, cowering in fear.

“Can’t do that, Jack.” Scott shook his head. “You have to answer to her.”

“Where is Bernard?”

“I feel like there are more pressing issues at hand—” Jack deflected, shrinking further away from you.

“What’s that?” One of the elves asked, pointing to a column of sparkles manifesting beside you.

You turned to look, staring at it until it clicked. Reaching into yourself, you let the last pieces of Bernard’s magic flow out of your chest, where it had retreated for safekeeping. Silver and gold glitter rushed out of you, swirling from the ground up until he was standing there again, solid and real.

He all but collapsed into your arms, holding onto you tightly while he found his balance again.

“Bernard,” you sobbed, holding him close, your arms desperate to prove he was real again, that he was solid and wasn’t going anywhere.

“Hey, no need for tears, Aurora. I’m alright.” He grinned, meeting your gaze. His hand rose to your cheek and he wiped your tears away as he took you in for all that you were. “Thanks to you, I am.”

“(Y/N)?” Mother Nature asked, voice soft and warm.

“I…I can explain.” You insisted, turning to face her.

“No need, dear one. I know why you’re here. I’ve always known.” She smiled, bowing her head. “And now that you’re here, we can finish this.”

You looked to Bernard and he nodded, letting go of you to give you a gentle push forward, his eyes proud and supportive.

“Kneel.” She instructed, and you did, dropping to one knee in front of her.

The elves fell silent, desperate to witness what was unfolding for the first time in centuries.

“(Y/N) (L/N), through your bravery and selflessness, you have proven what I’ve known all along. You are the Aurora Borealis, the Winter Guardian, and Protector of the North Pole and all her Magic. For the first time in five centuries, the North Pole has an Aurora, which means…” She looked to Jack, who shook his head desperately.

“No. No way. I am not giving an ounce of my power to that…that…she punched me! Twice! Did none of you see that? She’s violent!”

“After everything you did to the Auroras before her, you’re lucky all she did was punch you!” Bernard snapped, arms crossed. “Not to mention the fact you destroyed her house in an attempt to kill her.”

Jack gasped in faux shock. “What, me? I…I would never—!”

“Jack.” Mother Nature reprimanded sharply. “You don’t have to give her the power. It was never yours to begin with.”

She outstretched a hand and, as easily as turning on a faucet, the power he’d been given, the magical, dancing light, was siphoned out of him and floated straight into you. Your feet lifted from the ground, head tilting back as your body slowly rose from the floor, power greater than you’d ever seen or felt ebbing and flowing around you, changing you into the thing you were always meant to become: the Aurora Borealis.

Your hair fully turned white, glimmering like fallen snow, a few stray streaks of pink and purple and teal scattered throughout. Your skin took on a subtle sparkle, every part of you becoming stronger, right down to your fingernails. Your clothes were replaced with a simple, glittering dress, the color of the night sky.

Gently, you touched down again, fully reborn.

The elves murmured and whispered in awe and you looked around to find a row of proud faces.

Mother Nature stepped forward and took both of your hands in hers, meeting you face to face for the first time in three years. “Dear one, I am so sorry for everything you’ve been through. I should have warned you, I should have done more to ready you, but I didn’t and…I let you feel alone.”

“I am alive because of you. Because you misled him. Everything you did was to protect me. I understand that now.” You told her, voice smooth and confident.

She touched her forehead to yours for a moment before pulling away to meet your gaze again. “Then, dear one, I have one last question for you.”

“I’m ready.”

“Hereby and Forevermore, your duty as the Winter Aurora is to the North Pole. You are tasked with its safety and secrets, to protect all of its residents and the magic they hold. Do you accept the Title of Winter Guardian and all of the responsibilities it holds?”

“I do.” You nodded, meeting Bernard’s eyes for a brief moment, only to find the warmest, proudest smile on his face.

“Then this belongs to you.” In her hand, Mother Nature manifested a small, elegant silver tiara, embellished with glittering snowflakes. She set it gently in your hair, completing your transformation once and for all.

Jack started sneaking towards the door, but you lifted your hand, a wave of power rushing around him, turning him back towards the rest of you and giving him a push back towards the rest of you. He stumbled forward, looking around the group nervously.

“You’re—you’re not gonna kill me, right?” He asked. “You still need me! I’m the one who oversees the snow days and-and the snowmen! Think of the snowmen!”

“We do need a Jack Frost.” Mother Nature said. “Which is why while you were here terrorizing Santa, I was locating your successor. Jack, come on in.”

The doors of the Workshop opened and in walked a much younger man with shaggy white hair. Your best guess put him in his early twenties, and his wardrobe was much more modern than the other Jack’s as well, a blue hoodie adorned with silver swirls. He carried a large stick with a curve at the end of it, somewhat resembling a scythe.

“Nice to meet you.” He waved casually, leaning against his stick.

“My successor?” Jack’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re firing me?!”

“Oh, we’re doing more than firing you.” Tooth chuckled. He looked to you. “Aurora, what do you think we should do with him?”

“He needs to be put…somewhere he can’t hurt anyone else.” You decided. You turned to the Head Elf and he perked up, interested to hear your suggestion. “Do you have a snow globe I could borrow?”

He grinned and reached into his satchel, pulling out a fresh one. “I like the way you think.”

“What? No! You can’t just—” Jack shook his head, looking to Santa, to Mother Nature, to even Mrs. Claus for some other solution.

“This is for all of the Auroras before me, for the elves you brainwashed and the reindeer you stuck in a petting zoo. You’ll have lots of time to think about what you’ve done. And maybe someday, in five hundred years or so, I’ll let you go live a boring human life.” You told him, taking the snow globe from Bernard and focusing.

There was a bright flash of sparkles and then it was done, Jack was trapped in the confines of the little snow globe in your hands and he looked very angry about it, but his complaints were too muffled to make them out clearly. Santa reached for the snow globe, so you handed it to him and he gave it an amused swirl.

“Well done, (Y/N).” He complimented, passing the snow globe to Curtis. “See to it that this gets locked away properly.”

“Will do, Santa.” Curtis nodded and headed off.

“Now, (Y/N), if you are going to be staying here, I suppose someone will have to show you around the place.” Santa smiled knowingly.

Bernard cleared his throat. “I believe that would be my responsibility as Head Elf, Santa.”

“Yes, I believe it would.”

The Head Elf offered you his arm and you gladly took it, letting him escort you up the stairs of the workshop and down the hall so the two of you could have a private moment. As soon as you were out of sight, he turned to face you, his hands cupping your cheeks, nose brushing against yours.

“See, I knew you were more of a Winter.”

“Do I look okay?”

“You’ve never looked better.” He murmured, closing the distance between you and pressing his lips to yours passionately. In your Mortal life, you’d had your fair share of kisses, but kissing Bernard was something else entirely. He was experienced, that was for sure.

After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours. “Now, where would you like to explore first?”

***

Bernard took you around the Workshop, showing you all of the departments, which were full of elves, all of them working hard to ensure Santa was on schedule to leave that night. Bernard checked in with each of them as he did, making sure everything was going according to plan. Tooth and Mother Nature had stuck around to help out, and some of the other Legendary Figures had arrived as well, introducing themselves to you when you came around.

Finally, as the end of your tour, Bernard led you to an ornate set of stained glass double doors. As if by magic, they swung open when you approached, giving way to a beautiful bedroom, tall, arched ceilings, dancing Northern Lights projected across them. Stained glass windows, a large, wooden desk, hardwood floors and shelves and shelves of books. There was a carved armoire in the corner of the room, and against the leftmost wall, on a platform, was a giant canopy bed.

“This is the Aurora’s suite. You can decorate however you’d like. I had some elves from the interior design department get it fixed up for you.” Bernard explained, your arm looped through his, hand resting on his bicep. “If you’ll turn your attention right over here…”

He led you to the desk, dropping your arm and plucking something off of the desk. Your snow globe! The one he had given you three years before, still inscribed with those famous words that had started your entire adventure to begin with, the last remnant you had from this life before it was ripped away from you.

“My snow globe! How did you get it here?”

He shrugged, handing it to you. “My magic came back. Which means I can give this back to you.”

Bernard lifted his hand and you pressed yours against it, palm to palm. Gently, your power flowed from him back into you, a light breeze blowing through the room. He brushed your hair away from your face and pressed a long kiss to your cheek.

“There’s still a lot to do, but…I think we’re going to be able to pull everything together by tonight.”

“Well then you better get out there, Mr. Head Elf.” You smirked, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips.

He met your eyes, “You’ll be okay?”

“I’m going to be just fine.” You assured him, setting the snow globe back on the desk so you could rest your arms on his shoulders, his hands resting on your waist. “And after, you and I will have all the time in the world to figure this out.”

“Oh! I didn’t mean to interrupt…” Curtis muttered, standing in the doorway.

“Curtis!” Bernard exclaimed, his voice cracking.

You giggled when he abruptly pulled away to face his number two.

“The tree topper department needs an extra set of hands.” Curtis said, motioning back towards the workshop.

“Can I help?” You asked.

“Oh, Aurora, you don’t have to—” Curtis shook his head.

“Yeah, but…can I?” You asked, eyes curious.

Curtis grinned. “Yeah, of course.” He made eye contact with Bernard. “I like her already.”

Bernard gave you a nudge. “I do too.”

***

At Santa’s request, you met him and Bernard at the stable gates to see him off for your very first Christmas as the North Pole’s Guardian. Your heart was racing. You didn’t know what was expected of you or what you’d have to do, but Bernard was there, his smile ever so reassuring.

Some of the elves that worked with the reindeer helped get them all properly harnessed and ready for the flight, carefully attaching their reins to the sleigh. Bernard walked you through what you’d have to do. As one of the oldest elves in the Pole, he remembered the process well.

“It’s easy. All you’ll have to do is raise your hand.” He was standing right behind you and raised your hand with his own, positioning it just so. “And lower the barrier so Santa can leave. And if you can’t, we have controls for that now. It’s…mostly ceremonial at this point.”

“Well that does make me feel a little better.” You smiled, turning towards him.

“And, um, after, I think you should…check the armoire in your room. I left something for you.”

“Oh you did, did you?”

“Something for the party. You don’t have to wear it, though.” He shrugged awkwardly, cheeks extra rosy.

“And the party starts…?”

“The minute Santa gets back.” Bernard explained. “And then we get three months off and pick back up in March.”

“Alright.” You nodded, smiling. “Plenty of time for you to show me the ropes.”

“I was thinking exactly the same thing.” He smiled, looking both ways, but not risking a kiss, not with all of the elves assembled to send Santa off.

“Everything ready?” Scott checked, donning his famed coat and hat for the flight just as a few elves loaded the famous gift bag, filled to the brim and then some, onto the back of the sleigh.

“All set, Santa.” Bernard nodded.

Scott put a hand on your shoulder, the other on Bernard’s. “We owe this Christmas to you two. Wouldn’t be standing here without either of you.”

“All in a day’s work, Santa.” You smiled.

“I’ll see you when I get back. And then the real fun begins.”

“I’ll see to it that we have enough eggnog at the ready.” Bernard replied with a wink, which Santa laughed at.

“Excellent.” He climbed into the sleigh and gave you the signal.

Just as you’d practiced, you lifted a hand and focused on the barrier protecting the Pole, made of the same magic that flowed through your veins. Effortlessly, the veil parted, making way for Santa’s sleigh and the elves erupted into cheers as Scott flew off into the sky. Bernard cheered loudly, turning to you and scooping you up in his arms, spinning you around in his excitement. You squealed with laughter.

Once your feet were on the ground again, you met his eyes briefly before pressing the quickest of kisses to his cheek and walking over to Carol, who was smiling a proud, maternal smile.

“Let’s get you ready for that party, huh?” She asked, looping her arm around yours. “You’ll have to fill me in on everything you’ve been up to! It’s nice to have a human-ish woman around here again.”

“I missed you, Carol.”

“I missed you too, hon.”

***

The deliveries went on without a hitch and Scott was back at the Pole faster than you could sing the Twelve Days of Christmas. Carol, you, and Betty had gone into your room to prepare. Carol did your hair, perching your snowflake tiara perfectly atop your head. You felt like a princess.

Betty helped zip up the dress Bernard had left for you, an elegant silver gown with a layered skirt, a tasteful slit up the leg, and off the shoulder sleeves, a layer of tule on top that was embellished with silver stars.

“You look stunning.” Carol complimented, resting her chin on your shoulder as the two of you admired your reflection.

“Thanks to you.” You tilted your head. “I’m still getting used to the hair, but…I think it looks nice like this.”

“Makes you look like a superhero.”

“I kinda feel like one, too.”

“Well you should. Scott told me everything that happened. I’m glad you were there to help.”

“I’m glad I was, too.” You said, pausing before asking, “So…theoretically speaking of course, is there a rule prohibiting the Aurora from…dating?”

Betty gasped, smiling. “I knew it! You and Bernard—”

“You and Bernard?”  Carol asked, interested. “I never would have guessed.”

“Never?”

“Well, maybe a little.” She admitted, pinching her fingers together. “Saving the world together is a very romantic first date.”

“So…I am allowed to…date him?” You asked, earning a giggle from Betty.

“There is nothing, to my knowledge, prohibiting either the Aurora or the Head Elf from falling in love,” she reported. “But I can check the handbook if you want me too.”

“That is good to know.” You tapped your temple, laughing a bit.

Downstairs, you could hear the music pick up and the three of you took that as your cue to join the festivities.

Soon, you were standing at the rail overlooking the Workshop floor, where Bernard was standing, chatting with Curtis, Santa, and some of the other elves. As soon as he caught sight of you, he froze, his glass of eggnog halfway to his mouth and eyes locked on you.

You smiled coyly and lifted the skirt of the gown, carefully navigating down the stairs. He ditched his glass on a cluttered table and met you at the foot of the stairs, taking your arm.

He swallowed thickly, admiring you for a long moment before murmuring, “You look beautiful, Aurora.”

“Thank you, Bernard.” You smiled, tucking your hair behind your ear. “You picked a great dress.”

“Would you like to dance?”

“I’d love to.” You nodded, letting him lead you over to where the rest of the elves were paired up, swaying to a slow song. Your arms settled around his neck as he tugged you closer, a hand on your waist, the other finding your free hand.

It was clear in seconds that he knew how to dance, as he expertly spun you out and then back into him with ease, his chest flush against yours, mouth right against your ear. It was one of those moments you were forced to remember he’d lived a hundred lifetimes. He carried them well; he always had.

When the music picked back up, he said, “Let’s go get some air.”

You nodded, letting him lead you back up the stairs to the railing, where a few stray elves were also hanging out, getting some space from the heat of the party. The two of you leaned against the metal, looking down over your new home.

You were quiet for a long while before finally asking the question that had been on your mind since early that morning, in an airplane in another timeline. “Did you know her? The other Aurora?”

He nodded, face serious. “I knew her, yeah. I wasn’t Head Elf at the time, only second in command. She and I were acquaintances, but she was nice.”

“Mmm.” You hummed.

Bernard reached over and touched your hand. “I much prefer what you and I have this time around.”

“And what is it you and I have?” You asked.

“I’m…not sure yet.” Bernard shook his head, tugging you ever so closer, a gentle hand on your waist. “But I do know that in all of my 1600 years, I’ve never felt like this before. Even before, when you left, when I thought I’d never see you again, I was waiting for the day our paths would cross. I wish it had been under better circumstances, but…”

“But, I’m glad you found me.” You interjected, taking another step forward and resting your head on his shoulder.

Bernard leaned in to kiss you, but stopped, noticing all the elves watching. However, when you pointed straight up at a bundle of glowing mistletoe, he knew there was only one thing he could do…

THREE MONTHS LATER

“Ladies, thank you so much for agreeing to meet here at the Pole.” Mother Nature smiled at each of you, seated at the large round table in your office, which was, coincidentally, right down the hall from Bernard’s office.

Around the table were yourself, Mother Nature, and the three other Guardian Spirits, Briar Flores, Amber Sanderson, and Evangeline Cho, each of you dressed for your respective season, but Briar was absolutely glowing, as though a halo of light was positioned just behind her head at all times.

“Thank you for having us, (Y/N).” Briar thanked, bowing her head. “My place is absolutely a mess at the moment. Bunny has paint on just about every surface in the building.”

“Any time, Briar. This place has been quiet since the elves started their break. Things should be getting started up again soon, though.”

“If you need any help saving Christmas this year, you let us know.” Amber chuckled.

“Knock on wood Christmas doesn’t need saving this year.” You laughed, knocking on the table.

“I am serious, though, as soon as Easter is over, we all need to get mimosas and brunch. There is this lovely little island that is just so flowery and perfect this time of year, you’d all love it.” Briar beamed.

The rest of you murmured and nodded in agreement, stopping only when Evangeline looked up at the doorway, biting back a grin.

You looked up to see Bernard standing there, a bouquet of snowdrops in his hand.

“Hello, Bernard. How can I help you?”

“Oh, Aurora, I didn’t mean to interrupt. The guys in foliage need a second opinion when you have a minute.”

“Right, of course.” You nodded, looking to Mother Nature.

“Meeting adjourned. I’ll see you all next month for a progress report.” She smiled, straightening up her papers. The rest of you all stood up from the table and began to exit the office.

Mother Nature rested a hand on your shoulder, glancing back at Bernard. “You look really happy here, (Y/N).”

“I am really happy here.”

“Good, I’m glad.” She gave your shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll see you next month.”

Once the others had scattered to the winds, Bernard walked into the office, closing the door behind him.

You quirked an eyebrow. “The guys in foliage, huh?”

“Partially. Partially just the Head Elf wanting to make sure his Aurora had something pretty to look at.” He whispered, an arm drawing you closer for a kiss that you gladly reciprocated.

“Your Aurora already has something pretty to look at.” You replied, a finger booping the end of his nose.

He shook his head, grinning. “Does the flirting never cease?” “Check in with me in a few hundred years.” You replied, setting the snowdrops in your vase before lacing your fingers through his, your other hand rising to rest on his arm as you walked out of the office and towards the large room you’d been using to train your powers. “Now, where were we with those lessons…?”

Tagged: @madameggroll, @capamericant, @midnightmisses, @five-hargreeves-apologist

[herbalsingularitea]

Possessive Bernard the elf with a pregnant human!Reader Imagine

—

- After Scott and Carol have their baby it makes Bernard start thinking

- You go on a date after seeing baby Buddy earlier that day and Bernard seems really lost in his thoughts

- With some gentle coaxing you get him to tell you that he’s been thinking about children

- At first you think he just means Buddy and you agree with him that the Claus’s baby is adorable

- He lets it go, just nodding and agreeing with you but you can tell there’s still something on his mind

- Later on during the date you two get into a snowball fight

- He sneak attacks your snow fort and tackles you into the snow where you guys wrestle around trying to shove snow in each others face

- Eventually it devolves into just rolling around making messy snow angels

- Once you get too tired and collapse in the snow, he rolls over top you to give you silly tickly kisses that make you both giggle

- He’s still laughing when “I want to put a baby in you so badly” slips out

- You both freeze and he looks so panicked that he said that out loud but you’re blushing like crazy and ask if he’s serious

- He says he thinks he is and you shyly say you want that too

- He’s never looked so happy in his life and the silly kisses return, slightly more saucy than before

—

- Fast forward to several months later and there’s been random bursts of magic in the workshop

- All the elves start giggling and whispering anytime it happens

- You ask what’s up and Judy explains that uncontrollable magic bursts like that mean that someone’s got an elfling on the way

- Elflings are rare so everyone is super excited for the new baby and are trying everything to figure out who’s pregnant

- You don’t think it could be you since you haven’t had any symptoms and it would be really early if you were

- As time passes and no one comes forward announcing they’re pregnant, everyone is confused

- The magic bursts get stronger and stronger as time goes on

- One day you’re walking through the workshop with Bernard and a whole line of rocking horses explodes in a familiar burst of sparkles

- Every elf freezes as they watch the sparkles settle and then they slowly look over at Bernard and you

- Since Bernard is Head Elf, he’s got the most powerful elf magic in the North Pole and would be the only one capable of doing magic like that

- In one wild display of magic, everyone knows it’s you who’s pregnant

- Judy makes you cocoa to calm you down while you and Bernard try to wrap your heads around becoming parents

- Bernard seems very much in shock and kind of distant with you while Judy, Curtis, and Scott congratulate you both

- You start to worry that he doesn’t want the baby after all because he can hardly look at you

- But all doubts leave you as soon as you get home

- Once the door is closed and you’re alone, he falls to his knees and nuzzles your stomach, giving you so many kisses and refusing to leave your side the rest of the night

- You swear you see him tear up a couple of times when he thinks you aren’t looking

—

- He makes all your favorite foods during your pregnancy and you happily soak up all the extra love and attention he gives you

- He thinks you look so unbelievably beautiful while carrying his child and takes every chance to tell you that

- As you grow, even elves from out of town immediately know your baby is his because his magic is nestled within you now and can be easily recognized by other magical creatures

- Mother Nature takes one look at you and gives you and Bernard a knowing look

- Cupid won’t quit waggling his eyebrows at Bernard

- He rolls his eyes but you know he secretly loves it

- You feel strange sometimes knowing that everyone sees you as his because of this but it makes him so happy

- You start to feel self conscious about how you look. “Ugh. I’m so out of shape and weird looking now.”

- But he’s always so quick to reassure you. “Hard disagree. I love seeing how your body grows to nurture our child. In fact,” he purrs, sidling up to wrap his arms around you, “if you weren’t already pregnant, I’d put another baby in you right now.”

—

- The more time goes on, the more obsessed he gets with touching your belly and talking to the baby

- He never misses saying good morning and good night to his precious little elfling

- He gets more and more possessive of people touching you and will glare and snap at anyone who moves too abruptly around you

- The only one he seems okay with is Carol, which you are so thankful for since she’s the only one who you can talk to about the difficulties of pregnancy

- Bernard gives you lots of belly rubs to soothe the aches and pains and one day while he’s doing that he feels the baby kicking

- He cries

—

- Sometimes when the baby is keeping you awake at night with kicks he’ll roll over and spoon you and put a hand on your belly and push his magic into you and you can feel the baby push their magic back. You don’t know exactly what it is that’s happening but it calms the baby down without fail plus it’s really warm so you always fall back asleep no problem

- On the last leg of your pregnancy, you struggle to fit into a dress you had made for a holiday party months ago

- You’re so mad that you wasted the money and won’t be able to wear it. “God, this is so frustrating!”

- You see him watching in the mirror with a little smirk

- You groan at his look. “Stop smiling. This is all your fault. You’re the one who did this to me in the first place, you jerk”

- His smirk just gets wider. “I sure did.”

- He’s got no shame, that asshole.

—

- Elves are much smaller than humans, so while the pregnancy lasts around 10 months, you only look about 6-7 months pregnant before you give birth

- The actual birth isn’t too hard, but Bernard is so incredibly proud of you

- He keeps going back and forth between kissing you and the baby

- And of course he cries then too

[rebelliousstories]

Hope

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Bernard the Elf x Reader

Fandom: The Santa Clause

Request: No

Warnings: Light Angst, Fluff, Pining

Word Count: 2,070

Masterlist: Here

Summary: The head elf is down in the dumps, and nothing can bring him out.

“Okay everyone, let’s get to work.” The usual hustle, and bustle of the workshop ran without a hitch. Except, that the head elf held a scowl on his face for some reason. Bernard stomped through the shop with his hands clasped behind his back, and putting off a foul energy in the magic around him. No one knew why though. Production was running ahead of schedule, with the machines running perfectly to keep up with the workload. Nothing was broken. The SOS was safe, and they had an incredibly successful year. So why was Bernard in such a bad mood?

It seemed that nothing could pull him from that mood either. No amount of warm sugar cookies decorated like little Christmas trees soothed the beast. He refused to take a sip of warm cocoa, or even look at the gingerbread houses. Bernard seemed to be dragging through the workshop, from his mood to his steps. And no one took more notice than the big man himself. Santa watched his number one elf stomp through his workshop for half of the day, before deciding to do something about it.

“Bernard?” He called from the top of the stairs. Said elf turned his head around quickly, and in doing so, knocked over some dolls that he was meant to be inspecting. Startled, he tried to help pick them up but another call of his name from Santa caused him to trip and nearly fall over his own feet. Bernard was flustered, with a ruby red blush washing over his cheeks and ears, but still made his way to the big man. Straightening out his clothing, and clasping his hands behind his back, he tried to appear normal.

“Yes, Santa?” Bernard sounded usually happy, as he tried to hide the grumpiness he felt from his boss. Although he stood as he normally would, his fingers were fiddling with themselves, and his feet refused to stay still. His eyes darted all around the workshop and Santa but he could not stay still for some reason.

“Walk with me.” Santa crooked his finger and began to walk away from the elf. Bernard, momentarily distracted with something down below, startled himself in an effort to keep up with Santa. He followed the taller man with some curiosity in his mind. It was not often that he was reprimanded or spoken privately about subjects. Which is why he was even more confused when they did not go to Santa’s office, but rather outside the workshop to a quiet part with no one else around to hear them. It was here that Santa stopped and looked at Bernard in a way that made the elf feel nervous.

“Um, is everything alright, Santa?” He asked timidly. A million thoughts ran through his head as he tried to anticipate what was to come from this conversation.

“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me, Bernard.” Scott held a caring glint in his eye as he saw the fidgety elf before him.

“Of course everything is alright, Santa. Why wouldn’t it be? Nothing is wrong. Everything is good.” He began to ramble towards the end, but a hand on his shoulder stopped the elf.

“Bernard, what’s going on? You’re not acting like yourself.” His gentle inquires made Bernard think for a long time. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words would come out. He could not put into words what he felt like. He could not seem to find a proper expression or combination of words to describe the feeling in his chest.

“I- I- I don’t know. I guess I’m just… well, I don’t know, Santa.” Bernard shook his head in disbelief at his own words. He genuinely did not know what was making him feel this way.

“Well, Bernard, I think I know what your problem is, and how to fix it.” On his face, Santa carried a mischievous look. The head elf was equally confused and terrified as he awaited an explanation.

“Bernard, when was the last time you had a break?” Santa asked, clapping the elf on the shoulder and starting their walk towards the town center yet again.

“Well, I had a cocoa break yesterday with Abby. But I had to leave early because-”

“No, no, no! Bernard, come on. Now I mean a real break. Taken a day or two off, relaxed. Have you ever gotten away from work for longer to sleep and eat?” The pair stopped once again, and Santa made sure to turn Bernard to face him head on. However, just like before, Bernard thought far too long for what should have been a simple answer.

“Um… I think the last time was about, eh, three hundred or so years ago?” Bernard squeaked out. Observing Santa’s face drop at his admission, he quickly tried to cover it up.

“But, it’s fine. I’m totally fine with the work load, okay?” He began to ramble before Scott held up his hands and attempted to quiet down the elf.

“I mean, sure it gets a little stressful.”

“Bernard.”

“But it’s not like I haven’t been dealing with this for more than enough time to get used to it.”

“Bernard.”

“And I can make do for now. There’s no reason for me to be feeling this way. Maybe I just had some bad cocoa, or a stale cookie. Yeah, that’s it.”

“Bernard!” The elf immediately ceased his rambling at the loud shout of his name. Bewilderment encased his eyes as he looked towards his boss, who was currently taking in some deep breaths, before continuing to speak.

“You need to take a break. A real break. I mean, I take one after every Christmas. You need some time away from work and to relax.” Santa tried to explain to the elf. Bernard still looked confused as his boss stopped and watched his face.

“Look, you’re exhausted, you’re stressed. You need a break. It’s important to take some time away from work. Now, come on, what do you like to do when you’re not working? When you have free time, what does my number one elf like to do?” His smile permeated his words and body, making everything seem jolly and well.

“I’m always working Santa. I don’t have time for hobbies.” Bernard explained, very matter of fact.

“Well, what about that book and cocoa place across town? You always end up going there and seeing what’s her name.” A bright red blush remembered on Bernard’s cheeks and ears re-emerged while his eyes looked everywhere else but his boss’ eyes.

“Bernard, take a couple days off. Go to that little quaint shop, and actually talk to the girl. Maybe offer her your name rather than staring after her wistfully?” The smirk on Santa’s face grew as the elf’s eyes grew in shock. His mouth floundered open for a little bit, utterly confused as to how he knew that information.

“So, off you go. Enjoy your time away from the workshop. We’ll be fine without you.” He pushed said elf away and began to shoo him further away. Bernard looked like a confused wild animal, and he kept his eyes on Santa, but walked away from the man. Turning around, he was totally lost as what to do. He would have turned around and gone to work, but the temptation to get away and go to the bookstore was strong.

Looking back, he went through the list of pros and cons in his head. On one hand, if he went back to the workshop, he could personally make sure that everything was running smoothly. He could be there if any problems came up, and he could have peace of mind over the workshop. Contrarily, if he left and took some time off, he could finally have time to read some of the books he has gotten but have yet to pick up. He could catch up on sleep that he surely missed, and he could go see her. He knew that he probably looked frantic as he stood there in his head, but he did not care. His mind was made up.

Walking across the courtyard, Bernard took the back ways to get to the little store he had come to love over time. He knew every route that would take him to the same place, but this was easily the fastest way to get there. Wanting to spend as much time as possible in the store, he sped up his pace, ducking between buildings and shops on his way. It was not too much longer when he saw a familiar sign in the distance. The Neighborhood Books-Elf greeted his eyes as Bernard stepped around the corner. He let out a sigh of relief before making his way to the door, and entering the little wonderland inside.

“Welcome in!” A cheery voice sounded out when she heard the bell chime, which drew Bernard’s attention over. A young elf girl behind the counter, around 1,500 years old, was mixing up a drink and walking around to pour the kettle in the mugs on the table.

“Anyone need a cocoa top off?” She flittered around the small dining area where elves of all kinds were drinking and reading, and enjoying themselves. Bernard felt the breath get knocked out of him as he watched her around the small shop. Maybe it was his imagination, but the sparkles on her cheeks seemed brighter, and her cheeks a little rosier. She reminded him of an angel tree topper with how gracefully she moved. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Bernard felt it. He instantly felt better as they stared at each other. He raised his hand and offered a small wave along with a smile. When she returned the gesture, he was pleasantly surprised. As much as he would have liked to stand there all day looking at her, her work pulled her away from the situation and she returned to behind the counter.

Bernard quickly turned around and tried to find a book quickly so as to make it back to the tables sooner rather than later. As he browsed the shelves, he noticed that the chatter continued, and the bell chimed as new elves kept coming in. He did not even see what book it was that he grabbed before he made his way back to the tables that were calling to him. His fingers fidgeted with themselves while he waited for the elf girl to come by his table. Bernard knew it was only minutes, but to him it felt like hours before he saw her yet again.

“Hello there. Can I get you something? Drink and a snack perhaps?” He felt his heart skip a few beats as he laid his eyes upon her. The rosy cheeks and ethereal glitter complimented her wide, sparkling eyes so beautifully. His mouth suddenly felt so dry and he tried to find a response for the elf in front of him. She rocked gently back and forth on her feet as she tried to hold eye contact with him, but found herself staring at his hands mostly. Bernard cleared his throat before shifting his book around on the table.

“Um, yes. Please. Could I do a cocoa and some chocolate chip cookies? The ones with-”

“The sea salt on top? So you’re usual?” Her blush increased as she revealed how much she remembered about the head elf in front of her. At the same time, Bernard felt his cheek fire up but chuckled softly.

“Yeah. I’d really appreciate that.” He smiled shyly at the girl, who returned it. She turned away with his order but did not get far.

“My name’s Bernard.” He blurted out. She slowly turned around and set her sights on the elf who was blushing like mad. A quiet whisper brought her name to his attention, before she turned away and left to make his order. Bernard let her name roll over his tongue a few times before he slumped down in his chair just a little bit. He knew he had a grin on his face but he could not find it in him to care. Turning around, their eyes met briefly as she was making his drink. Both elves turned back to their tasks, and Bernard could not help but feel, there may be some hope after all for him.

[justalineinasong]

sweet nothings

bernard x gn! reader

Summary- Bernard is overworked, but you make him feel better.

Inspired by Taylor Swift's Sweet Nothings, love that song so much and it just feels like such a Bernard song. Let's be real, he is a swiftie!

Bernard was known for his on time and upright behavior. He had always been that way. The elf knew that if he ever wanted to raise amongst the ranks within the workshop, he'd have to do what was right. what was right was being on scheduled and showing other's that you were dependable. Bernard did everything in his power to make the other elves, and of course Santa, like him. However, Bernard never knows when to take a break.

For instance! The year before Scott became Santa, the workshop was running as smooth and on time as possible. In fact, it was October and the elves had surpassed their quota! Everyone was thrived about, everyone but Bernard. Bernard, in stead of letting himself celebrate, felt as if this meant bad luck was coming. Bernard had spent all day and night worrying himself sick just thinking about all the things that could go wrong before Christmas.

That's where the lovely Y/N comes in. Y/N had a way of calming not just Bernard, but everyone in the workshop. See, Bernard was Head elf, but there are actually various head elves all belonging to their own department. Like Judy was the head of baked goods and hot cocoa mixologist. Y/N was head of North Pole security and the Effective Liberating Flight Squad unit (E.L.F.S for short). Everyone felt safe knowing Y/N was there watching over them, making sure nothing went wrong. The North Pole had its fair share of experiences with research groups, archaeologists, and other interferences. Y/N had it all under control. What none of the other elves knew, was how Y/N could calm Bernard down with on look!

Bernard currently pacing up and down they workshop, checking in on everyone and the toys. This would have been fine, even nice, if it wasnt he 4th rotation around the workshop in an hour. The elves knew it was his job and he was just making sure everything was running smoothly, it was almost November so they couldn't blame him! However, everything was going smoothly. This year had been the most productive since Scott to over! Bernard had nothing to be concerned about.

That's why Scott went to Y/N. Just as all the elves knew, Santa knew of your spell over Bernard. Once he noticed Bernard going to make his 5th workshop check-up, Scott went to find Y/N. The H/C elf stood calmly in their security room. The walls covered in monitors, each showing a different angle of the Pole. Y/N had always found their job calming, even if it wasn't always calm. They had the unique job of assuring every elf, and occasional human, that they were safe! Y/N was talking to Danny, a E.L.F.S agent, about grabbing hot cocoa for the unit when Scott came in.

"Y/N, are you busy?" The sudden, new voice caused the E.L.F.S to look towards Santa, each giving him a wide grin to greet him 'hello'. Y/N looked to Santa, matching their agents smiles.

"No, I'm not! Everything is running smoothly, did you need me for something?" Confidence laced the elf's words as they stood tall, well as tall as an elf could stand!

"Yes, would you follow me?" Santa's question was met the a sharp 'of course' as Y/N followed his lead out of the security unit and to the workshop.

"It's November and all of you guys are doing fantastic- as usual!" Scott praised, but his face showed a different story. He sighed, his hands had go to reach the grand workshop door's golden handle. Yet his hand never made it. In stead, he turned back to Y/N with worried eyes. "Bernard is on edge, more than usual. He needs to calm down. You're the only I know who can get him to take a break."

The elf softly smiled at Santa, their hands reaching up to rub their eyes gently. "I told him he needed to sleep in today, sir. He was so overworked last night, he came home and passed right out...couldn't even bare to eat..." Y/N thought that when they told their lover to sleep in a bit, relax a bit in the morning, he would! Y/N wasnt asking him to take the day off completely- just a break in the morning! Bernard was gonna be the death of them.

"Please get him to take a nap or something before one of these poor elves snap at him. I think he'd fall over from being shout at right now." Scott was just as worried as you were, you knew that. The Jolly man reached to open the door, allowing you to walk through.

The moment the door had opened, every elf in that workshop had their eyes on Y/N; However, they were only looking at Bernard. Y/N quickly walked down the spiral staircase as the elves went back to work, they all knew why Y/N was there. Bernard looked scared at the sight of his lover. He knew he should have listened to them. Sure, his partner was the sweetest elf in the world, but Y/N wouldn't hesitate to drag Bernard's ass back to their home and force him to sit down. Bernard had a funny feeling that everything was about to happen.

Y/N grabbed his boyfriend's arm, Bernard had never seen him so worried. his lover's anxious look was painful for him to look at, Bernard felt sick when he realized he cause it. He never meant to stress Y/N out, they didn't deserve it.

“Have you slept?” Y/N soft voice made Bernard break, thankfully no one saw him tear up as his lover was already dragging him out of the workshop. “I mean, I know you’ve slept…but like really slept!” Y/N exclaimed as they let go of Bernard’s arm and turned to him. Their heart breaking at the sight of a misty eyed Bernard. “Oh snowflake…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you…I'm just worried.”

“I- I kn-know…” Bernard choked out causing Y/N to pull him close into a tight hug, their hand rubbing his lower back. The two stayed like that for awhile, Bernard softly weeping in Y/N arms, until Y/N slowly pulled away.

Their soft eyes looked to their lover, “You need to tell me what’s going on? Everything in the workshop is going great, darling. Talk to me.”

Bernard looked at his feet. He didn’t really know how to put all his thoughts and emotions into words. A shaky breath left his lips, “That’s the issues…” He heaved out, looking to meet Y/N confused face. “I-I don’t know, everything is going like to well…” Y/N hummed softly at what Bernard said. Bernard’s fear wasn’t silly and Y/N knew he just wanted to have a good Christmas this year. It’s a big job being head elf. Christmas was the last major holiday of the year, beside the New Years Eve. Bernard carried a heavy weight, his lover knew that.

“I see, you’re scared something is gonna go wrong…” Bernard nodded softly as Y/N took his hands in theirs, rubbing their thumb across Bernard’s calloused hands. “I understand where you’re coming from, love, I do…but nothing bad is gonna happen. It’s gonna be okay. Let yourself have this one, celebrate.” Y/N’s smile brightened up Bernard’s life, and their words never ceased to comfort him.

“Yeah…you’re right. Maybe I was being a little to…much.” Bernard softly chuckled, looking at his feet once more, and then back to Y/N.

“I don’t think you could ever be too much, or maybe I’m just biased.” Y/N soothed, letting go of one of Bernard’s hands so they could wipe his tear stained cheek. Bernard melted into the soft touch, his eyes fluttering close.

“Sometimes…everything is just so much…” Bernard murmured, his eyes slowly opening. “When I try to take a break, something always tells me how I should be doing more…” The head elf looked up to his lover with soft, tired eyes. “I’m just too soft for all of it.”

Y/N looked to Bernard, his eyes just as soft and tired as their lovers. “It’s okay, I’m right here. Whenever you need to run, just run home to me.” love pouring out in their words like sweet honey.

[lume7]

Bernard the Elf x Reader

So this is a bullet point sort of imagine/headcanons that I’m also using as the framework of a fanfiction I’m currently writing because there is not enough work with everyone’s favorite head elf, Bernard. (This is for the first Santa Clause movie and some slight changes to the timeline of the movie just because I can.)

- You’re Scott’s kid and Charlie’s older sibling and met him for the first time when you got roped into adventures on Christmas Eve in 1994. (You’re an eighth grader at this point.)

- That night when you were still up because you had seen the lack of Christmas cheer in your dad’s house and wanted to still make it special for your little brother. So you had been in your room cutting snowflakes and making garland to make the morning magical for him.

- After the divorce you had taken on a sort of parental role for Charlie because of the instability the pair of you had being caught in the middle of a neverending custody battle. So when you had arrived at the North Pole you were extremely protective of Charlie. In response Bernard had to convince you that you were both safe and more importantly no harm was going to come to Charlie while you were there.

- For the most part of that first day (night?) you met Bernard, you were looking after Charlie as the pair of you were taken around the workshop for food, etc. and only really talked somewhat normally late in the night when your father and brother were asleep.

- Bernard of course was still awake due to the stress of that Christmas, the whole new Santa and the Santa Clause not being taken well by your dad. So you ran into him while you were exploring that workshop looking for some paper and scissors to continue on the decorations you started back at home for Charlie.

- He was confused why you were still up and explained that you were on the search for paper and scissors to finish your surprise for Charlie. Bernard being an elf offered to help you finish your surprise for Charlie.

- Bernard was easily a lot better than you at it but ensured you that yours were not bad at all. He was secretly impressed at your artistic abilities as you were a human after all and had no were near as much experience as he did. You explained that every year at Nutcracker rehearsals you and the other kids would make these crafts every year decorating your dressing rooms.

- Bernard shared about what it was like being head elf and how Christmases through the years had been for him with the different Santas.

- You shared how life was since the divorce, how Christmases used to be celebrated before it happened and your strong opinion that Nutcracker music is definitely categorized as Christmas music.

- The pair of you talked until sunrise and he sent both you and your family back home.

- When you woke up in your bed you were positive it was a dream but when you saw your dad in the pajamas and Charlie began talking your ears off about the previous night you knew it was real. The final piece of proof was the decoration the two of you had worked on being all over the family room and your stocking being stuffed with a wooden nutcracker.

- As the year continued on you got wrapped up in school, ballet and shielding Charlie from the worsening relationship between your parents. You also continually encouraged Charlie to not talk about what happened that last Christmas because it just added fuel to fire of the newest battle in what you deemed the custody war.

- However the final straw was when the boxes of the list to your dad’s house caused you to trip, break your ankle, benching you from dance until it healed. Your mom and Neal used this as the final piece of evidence of how Scott’s actions had not only created a mentally/emotionally unsafe environment for your brother and you but also a physically unsafe environment. As crazy it was all and the questioning from the judge full custody was awarded to your Mom and Neal.

- The next months are mainly you just being horribly frustrated, depressed and mad at the world. Neal of course encourages you to talk and feel your feelings (as well intended as he is) the day that would have been your Nutcracker auditions you finally snap and hobble up to your room. You see the nutcracker and end up tossing it across the room in frustration because it’s a reminder of both how everything has changed again and how your injury is not allowing you to participate in the Nutcracker this year.

- After the nutcracker clatters to the ground you regret it immediately seeing that it has broken. You gathered up the pieces and began to fix him as best as you can.

- Charlie sees you in your room when you’re crying quietly as you attempt to fix your nutcracker. He immediately dug out the snowglobe from Bernard that he had hidden away from mom and Neal. Charlie quietly slips into your room and sets the snow globe on your desk as a gesture to make you feel better.

- Since the snowglobe is magical and allows communication Bernard was able to find out what’s happening and that’s the second time you see him.

- You felt extremely guilty and embarrassed when you saw him with the broken nutcracker sprawled out on your desk and puffy eyes. He’s confused on how the nutcracker had gotten into the state it was now in and you admitted to your regretted outburst.

- Bernard quietly listened and made no comment on your outburst but directed all his attention to the broken nutcracker. “It’s not a bad beginning to a repair job,” he told you as he looked over its current state. Bernard pushed his way onto the desk chair with you and silently began fixing the nutcracker. “There, all better,” he said as he placed the fixed nutcracker back on your desk.

- That’s when you both noticed how close you both were causing Bernard to stand up abruptly causing you to fall off the chair.

- The third time you see Bernard is when your dad comes to say goodbye to Charlie and yourself before going up to the North Pole. You end up going with Charlie and your dad to the North Pole.

- The next month or so you help around the workshop.

- Most of the time Bernard ends up assigning you to areas that need a little extra help and conveniently he is often the one that needs an extra hand as it draws closer to Christmas.

- You helping is mostly listening to him talk about the inner workings of the workshop and offering potential solutions. Sometimes they’re good solutions and sometimes they’re not but you’re a good sounding board for him and his work.

- On Christmas Eve you joined your dad and brother on the delivery. When your dad gets taken to jail, Charlie stuck on the roof, you had come into the house and were now stuck being relentlessly questioned by your mom and Neal.

- They gave up and decided that they will have to take you in the next morning for psychiatric help. Neal is making you a sandwich when your dad and Charlie come back.

- Just like the movie your mom and Neal come to the realization that your dad truly had become Santa. Bernard appeared and ends up taking the sandwich that Neal had been making for you.

- After Bernard explained the whole snowglobe to Charlie he took his scarf and wrapped it around you. Bernard thanked you for helping him the past month around the workshop and soon disappeared in a poof.

To Be Continued in Part 2 (which will focus on the second movie) 

-> https://at.tumblr.com/lume7/bernard-the-elf-x-reader-part-2/avn7osf72kwt

[neils-weenie-whistle]

if you’re writing could you do an enemies to lovers with bernard!!!! I have yet to see one and i love your writing i think it would be sosososososo cool but don’t feel pressured ok love u byeeeeeeeee

Mistletoe

Bernard the Elf X GN! Reader

A/N: It's more of a one sided enemies to lovers but it was fun to write anyway! Hope I did it justice anon!

Elves are inherently cheery beings, it’s hard to be upset or grouchy when you live at the literal North Pole surrounded by the cheeriest season of the year three hundred and sixty five days a year. Sure, they get upset sometimes, even angry but it was very rare to see an elf in a persistently bad mood.

You didn’t think your mood was persistently bad, it just got significantly worse when he was around. The he being, Santa’s Head Elf, his right hand man, Bernard. There was a justifiable reason, you wouldn’t just hate an elf without a reason! He had beat you out for the Head Elf position, long ago before your current Santa had taken the role. Maybe it wasn’t a very good reason to hold a grudge but getting that job had meant the world to you and to add salt in the wound, he was now technically your boss. 

It seemed the healthy rivalry that had gone on before either of you had the position had morphed into something else entirely. 

He seemed to take pleasure in rubbing his victory in your face as much as possible, every chance he got. Assigning you to jobs no one else wanted to handle, hovering to make sure you did everything… it was like he was intentionally trying to peeve you. Then he had the audacity to pretend like he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. 

Maybe it would be less annoying if he actually admitted he was doing something wrong… Okay it wouldn’t. But it would be nice for him to do it anyway.

The whole point of this to say if there had ever been a friendship between the two of you, and there hadn’t been much of one, it had been stomped out by Bernard’s position and the way he used his position to make your life a living hell.

“I could’ve sworn there were more gumdrops on this side of the house,” you pointed to one side of the gingerbread house you and your fellow elf, Ginger, were looking at. She frowned and began counting the candies herself, nose wrinkling as she did so. You liked when the two of you got paired together. She wasn’t close enough to be considered a friend, but she understood you and she was one of the few elves who didn’t try and make you talk about Bernard.

“No… They’re the same.” She finished her count, crossing her arms and sticking to her guns. There was no way she was right, you had just counted. They had been uneven when you’d counted and you doubted that had changed in the minute it had taken her to recount.

You opened your mouth to point this out when an annoying voice spoke. “They’re right, you’ve got too many on the left side, Ginger. You counted one twice.”

It was Bernard, he had a clipboard in hand and he didn’t even look up from it when he said this. You let out a hiss of annoyance and he rolled his eyes.

“Pleasure to see you too, (Y/n). Since Ginger has it covered here, maybe you can help on stuffing duty.”

“Actually I-” Ginger began but she was cut off by your scoff of indignation.

“She just counted the gumdrops wrong! Twice!”

“Stuffing!” Bernard looked up from his clipboard and you slammed the piece of gingerbread you were holding down on the table. The sound drew the attention of everyone in the kitchen area of the workshop, but you were too upset to notice.

“You’re always putting me on the boring jobs! Why can’t I stay here and help out? I never get to work in the kitchen!” Your ears twitched slightly, but it seemed like Bernard couldn’t even be bothered to give you the time of day. He was already walking off, not waiting to hear your crazy outburst.

Something in you snapped as you stalked over in your pointy shoes and grabbed him by the arm.

“Have you got a problem with me or something, Head Elf?”

He was surprised by you, but the surprise was quickly washed away by the slightly irked expression on his face. “I have work to get done, (Y/n), this can wait until later-”

“No, no it can’t! I need to know!”

You realized at this point you were becoming a little hysterical. The elves around the two of you had stopped working to stare, if there was something that elves liked more than working for Christmas, it was gossip between other elves.

Bernard seemed to notice this fact to. He barked at the others to get back to work and, pulling his arm free of your grip, guided you to a secluded corner of the workshop where prying eyes wouldn’t be likely to see.

“I don’t have a problem with you, now can you let me do my job in peace.” He snapped, once the two of you were in private. You crossed your arms over your chest, funny for a guy with no problem he seemed to be quite bothered.

“Then stop assigning me to the bad jobs.”

He huffed. “You burnt down the kitchen last time you were in there.”

“That was 300 years ago, let it go. I have grown and matured as an elf.”

“Right, because yelling at me and causing a scene in the workshop is so mature.”

That was the last straw, you tackled him to the ground and yeah, maybe it wasn’t a smart idea to tackle the Head Elf but the only thing you were thinking about was how annoyed you were with him. The two of you wrestled on the ground for a solid three minutes before you were being pulled apart, a group of elves had assembled clearly having heard the scuffling and someone must have alerted Santa to the issue because he was holding onto the collars of both you and Bernard’s shirts.

“Alright, alright, settle down. What is this all about?” He asked, looking between the two of you. To Bernard, he added, “I thought you were better than this, come on, you’re the Head Elf. Act like it.”

The Head Elf smoothed out his shirt and adjusted himself, clearly slightly embarrassed that he’d not only been in a scuffle but he’d been caught in one. He didn’t seem to have anything to say for himself, opening his mouth to attempt to explain what happened but falling short.

You realized that it was your chance to spin this in a way that looked good on you, maybe even get a promotion to Head Elf as the current one seemed to be crumpling under pressure. It was almost too perfect of a chance but as you collected your thoughts, a pit formed in your stomach, almost like the feeling you get when you eat too much gingerbread.

“It wasn’t his fault, Santa. It was mine. I tackled him.” 

And yeah your ears and cheeks were tinged with the familiar heat of embarrassment, especially when the big boss gave you that pointed look but at least you’d done the right thing and told the truth.

Santa let you off with a warning. It was too lenient considering this wasn’t the first time you’d gotten in trouble with him but you decided not to look a gifted horse in the mouth and let him return to his duties, the rest of the elves dispersed as everything interesting had ended. It was time to get back to work, that meant stuffing duty for you.

Bernard was already back to his own job, almost like nothing had ever happened in the first place. What a relief, the two of you wouldn’t have to have an awkward conversation about it after all.

Stuffing bears sucked, it was mind numbingly boring, but you probably deserved it as punishment for tackling Bernard. In retrospect, you shouldn’t have let what he said get to you so badly. Maybe it just stung because all those years ago you felt like you were overlooked for the Head Elf position because of your lack of maturity.

You hadn’t seen Bernard all day, which bummed you out. You’d actually planned on apologizing to him the second you did. Hate him or not, he was still Head Elf and his job was to be respected by all the other elves. Today, you’d practically made a mockery of him in front of everyone.

The Head Elf, however, did not make another reappearance that day. Or the next. The next day after that you saw him at a distance, but it was clear he was trying to stay away from you so you left him to his own devices. On day 6 of stuffing duty, though, you were painfully bored and had to see if there was a way you could get switched somewhere else.

He was cheerfully overseeing some other elves’ jobs when you approached, not seeing you until you were already within conversational distance. He backed up a little, an uncertain look on his face.

“You’re not going to tackle me again are you?” He asked and you winced. It wasn’t your shining moment.

“No… I came to see about a reassignment. And apologize. Because that was really out of line of me, I know you didn’t like me and it was frustrating but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and I’m really sorry-”

Bernard blinked as you spoke. “When did I ever say I didn’t like you?”

You could feel your body becoming hot with embarrassment again.

“I- Well, I just assumed because of our rivalry for Head Elf, and you always give me the lame assignments and you’re always hovering-”

It was his turn to be embarrassed and his face really flushed, it was funny in all the time you’d known him you’d never seen him so flustered.

“Aw, come on. We both know that rivalry was just for show. I never really hated you.” He waved you off. “I assign you to do that stuff because I know and trust you’ll get it done, you never let me down. As for the hovering, I hover over everyone!”

His voice raised a pitch as he finished the last part and he coughed clearly embarrassed by his voice crack. You blinked.

“Bernard…”

“(Y/n)?”

“You’re bleeding…” You pointed to his hand that he’d somehow let rest on one of the sharp parts of the toys that he’d been overseeing. He looked down surprised and smiled sheepishly, hurrying off before you could say anything else. That had been strange to say the least. As he nearly disappeared, you realized you’d never gotten that reassignment and hurried to follow after him.

In the Elfimary, Bernard sat, trying to wrap his own hand while muttering about how much of an idiot he was.

“Do you need some help with that?”

You gently took the bandages from him and began to slowly wrap them around his hand. Neither of you said anything, but the closeness was making Bernard’s head spin. He had always had a crush on you, but he’d never done anything about it. How could he? He’d dashed your dreams of becoming Head Elf and afterward it was clear you never really favoured him.

Not to mention you tackled him. That showed perfectly well where your feelings lied regarding him.

He met your eyes as you finished wrapping his shallow wound.

“Bernard? About that reassignment…”

Ah. Right. He was still at work, he still had a job to do. “Yeah, I’ll find somewhere else to put you. Sorry.”

Your hands were still holding his wrapped one, the two of you just sitting there staring at each other. Before you could respond or pull away, he leaned forward to press his lips to yours, using the last swells of whatever courage he had.

He tasted like peppermint and hot cocoa, a popular diet up here at the North Pole. You suspected you tasted the same as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

At first it was shocking, but as the kiss deepened and the two of you let it happen, you realized that maybe the spark for this had been there all along. You’d just been avoiding it because you wanted to believe he was your enemy.

“I’m really sorry, I should not have done that without asking,” he breathed, resting his forehead against yours.

You laughed breathily. “I owe you one for tackling you. Kind of wish I’d done this sooner instead.”

“You don’t still hate me?”

Some part of you was still a little upset with him but you shoved that part of you away, reaching up to cup his face.

“After that? No way…”

“We’ve got to get back to work..”

“Blame it on the mistletoe.”

If nobody could find the two of you for the rest of the day because you were kissing in the Elfirmary, then that was your business.

[kringletheelf04]

Bernard the elf x reader Masterlist

——————————

(Two souls entwined in the North Pole)Bernard the elf x reader

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Wrapped in love

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

[minniesmelody]

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐜’𝐬

𝑨/𝑵: 𝖨 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁．𝖡𝖺𝗌𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖨'𝗏𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁．𝖠 𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗌 𝗂 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁，𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁𝗌 𝗈𝗋 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌． 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖿𝖿 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁．𝖤𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒！

✿ 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿

⚘ 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍

❄︎ 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 （𝗌𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝖼， 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗈𝗇， 𝖾𝗍𝖼）

𝙀𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙈𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙣 :

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 － @galaxy-siren ✿

𝘚𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 － @galaxy-siren ✿

𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 － @loveshotzz ✿

𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 － @galaxy-siren ✿

𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 － @lokis-army-77 ✿ ⚘

𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 － @jules-hadalittlelamb ⚘

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦́？－ @eddiesguitarskill2 ⚘

𝙂𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 :

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 － @bookshelf-dust ⚘

𝘎𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘴 － @bookshelf-dust ⚘ ✿

𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙤𝙮 :

𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 － @dracowars ⚘

𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 - @dmslvt ✿

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 － @mellifluousart ✿

𝘊𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 － @dracoslittleangel ❄︎

𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙛 :

𝘏𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 － @theelfbernard ✿

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦 － @storiesaboutthatonecharacter ✿ ⚘

𝘕𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 － @j-nope-not-today ✿

[ivorydragoness44]

Imagine Bernard checking on you:

  “Everything seems to be going beary well,” Santa smiled upon you and your fellow plush toy accessorizing elves.

  “Thank you, Santa,” you all chimed off before he began to walk away.

  “Keep up the good work.”

  The fastest bow tie-er in the North, he had called you on more than one occasion. It was a skill that you took pride in over years of practice. If there was a toy or present in need of a bow, you nearly jumped at the opportunity. Christmas and making toys were everything to elves.

  Stepping closer, Bernard leant over beside you. His warm breath tickled your ear. “Remember to pace yourself,” he said with quiet concern. “You know how you get when you rush.”

  You gave him a smile, pausing your current work on an ultra plush bear. “I’ll be fine, Bernard, thank you.”

  He gave a small nod, and before either of you could say more, you twisted in your seat. Nimbly reaching up, you gently pulled at Bernard’s necklace, centering it’s main charm with his shirt.

  “Oh,” he stilled watching you, “thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome, Bernard.”

~~~~ ~~~~

Thank you for reading~~

Reblogs are always appreciated

[where-dreamers-go]

"Holiday And Cake Merriment" Bernard the elf x elf! Reader

(A/N: @nibbles-bailey148 Requested a Bernard and a sick reader. I leaned more to the fluff. I've never written for Bernard this early in the year. The last Bernard insert reader was the earliest one I've done.

Warnings: None. Fluff?

Word Count: ... I'm on my phone.)

~~~

Finally. Merriment was in full swing. December was every elf's favorite month. Everyday lead to Christmas with joyous anticipation. Not a day went by without building toys. All for the magic, Christmas spirit, and the believers of that magic.

Music vibrated through the air of the stable. Cheers mingled with various dances lead by vintage shoes as another successful delivery of gifts was complete.

Celebrations would go on for a while before elves headed home or skipped to the Toy Workshop in a rush of excitement. Every year almost delightfully the same or better.

Yours was neither. At least not until Bernard was forced to walk you home.

"There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. You know that?"

You gave him the side-eye.

Bernard raised his hands in defense.

Leaning back into the couch, you groaned. Oh, so pitifully. A small hint of tired dramatics.

"I'm partied out." You murmured.

Bernard adjusted your blanket and sat down beside you without disturbing you too much.

"Merry Christmas, my party elf." He pecked his lips to your cheek.

"Party elf?"

"Would you rather: cake devouring elf?"

"No." You wrapped your arms around your stomach and leaned into Bernard's warmth. "No more cake. Please."

The logs in the fireplace popped and crackled. A cozy Christmas morning. Still early. Extremely early.

"Do you want any more hot chocolate?" He asked quietly.

"No thank you. And.... I think I'll just fall asleep here. I'm too comfortable."

Bernard kissed the top of your head as you nuzzled his sweater. "Just this once."

"Again."

He pulled you closer.

"Merry Christmas, Bernard."

"Merry Christmas."

~~~

✨ If you love my writings and want to support me, I have a Ko-Fi where you can buy me a coffee. I would be eternally grateful. ✨

Happy reading!

~~~

Bernard the elf Tags: @marepaw @flynn-thebin @tealeyewonder @thecaptainsgingersnap

**Let me know if you would like to be tagged in insert readers, either through replies, ask, or message.**

[herrscherofsentence]

Being Bernard’s kid :)

———————

gn!reader

just some light cursing btw

———————

 •Firstly Bernard is an amazing father

•For fucks sake your growing up in the  north pole. In Santa’s workshop. There wasn’t much you couldn’t do

•Being Bernard’s kid had its ups and downs, for one your the head elf’s child but your also just basically his assistant.

•However at times Bernard can be a little rough around the edges, along side to this he in is overworked so he rarely has time to do stuff that other fathers and their child would do together. Even though all the elfs are jolly and happy if you do something that really tickles Bernard’s feathers to the point he has to ground you then you did something BAD.

•The most he would do as a punishment is probably no playing tinsel ball with the tinsel elves or he’ll just tell you to go with your least favorite job at the north pole and tell you to do that instead. Maybe no listening to music on the job with them fancy headphones he gave you when he was on a break.

•To make at least some memories you two could eat some form of pita together, or sit outside together with some hot cocoa.

•overall 10/10 dad

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Christmas/Holidays/New Year's Eve Masterlist

In the mood for some winter fluff? Look no further than these curated picks from my collection.

General Winter Imagines

Arthur Curry x Reader

Sweater Weather - Fluff

When it gets colder outside, the king of the sea loans you his sweater.

Jack Frost x Reader

Snowflake - Fluff, Soulmate AU

Your soulmark is a snowflake, and thus, winter easily became your favorite season. However, you have a good feeling about winter this year, a tingly feeling that makes your mark glow...

Tired of Gray - Fluff, Soulmate AU

It’s Christmas time and you’re just about sick of your gray, gray world. Luckily, your soulmate is known to visit in the winter.

Christmas/Holiday Imagines

Bernard the Elf x Reader

The Way it Was Before - Alternate Universe, Bernard exists during Escape Clause Plot, Magic!Reader, a light angst, a lot of fluff.

Something is VERY wrong this Christmas, and it seems you’re the only person in the world who remembers the way things were before. Well, almost the only person. It’s up to you and the Head Elf to save the day before Jack’s wish becomes irreversible.

Home for the Holidays - Fluff, Christmas, Santa’s Daughter!Reader

When you come home for Christmas, Bernard realizes that you’re the reincarnation of someone very dear to him.

All I Want For Christmas - Fluff, Christmas, Santa’s Daughter!Reader

Being Santa Claus’ daughter, it was only inevitable that you’d catch feelings for his head elf…

Dear Santa… - Fluff, Writer Elf!Reader

The writing department has been especially short on elves this year, and this means you find yourself responsible for writing a whole bunch of letters. Luckily, the head elf has his eye on you.

Druig x Reader

Merry Little Christmas - Fluff, Christmas, GN! Reader

Christmas with the Eternals is a little extra special this year because of a certain mind-controlling telepath…

Prince Eric (Barbie in the Nutcracker)

Real - Fluff, Christmas

After arriving back in your living room, you’re startled to find out that the previous night was real, Mouse King, Nutcracker, and all.

Home - Fluff, Christmas

The locket is supposed to take you home, but in your heart, you know you’re already there.

Steve Harrington x Reader

About Time - Fluff, Soulmate AU, Time Travel

You discover a time-traveling wormhole in your closet and a hot guy from the 80′s on the other side of it.

Steve Rogers x Reader

The Nutcracker - Fluff, Ballerina!Reader

When your winter recital finally comes around, Steve is more than happy to support you.

Warren Worthington III x Reader

Merry Christmas, Darling - Fluff, Christmas, Mutant!Reader, Gender Neutral!Reader

The Holidays are in full swing at the X Mansion, and as always, you are tasked with helping run the place. But things are a lot less dull with a certain winged mutant around.

Santa Baby - Fluff, Christmas

You use the power of invisibility to put a Santa hat on each of the X-Men. 

New Year's Eve Kisses

New Year’s Eve Kisses 2017 - Steve Harrington, Marty McFly, Edmund Pevensie, Thackery Binx, Wanda Maximoff

New Year’s Eve Kisses 2020 - Alex Vreeke (Jumanji), Jack Frost, Ben Tennyson, Diaval, Peeta Mellark

New Year’s Eve Kisses 2021 - Bernard the Elf, Bucky Barnes, Diana Prince, Killian Jones, Pietro Maximoff

New Year’s Eve Kisses 2022 - Eddie Munson, Druig, Kili, Neville Longbottom, Peter Pan

[and-justice-for-zoisite]

~𝓡𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓛𝓲𝓼𝓽~

Okay, so, I’m not really that motivated to write from my own ideas, but if y’all could send in some requests based on the characters listed then I’d appreciate it very much.

Requests // Open! 

I’m honestly up for writing anything, any reader, any character, any reasonable story, any gender, I will write it for you.

Anything with a ‘*’  is a favourite. 

-

Fandoms I write for:

- Mortal Kombat* - Black Butler * - MBAV * - The Santa Clause - The Outsiders - Alien - Death Note

Miscellaneous:

-Bernard The Elf (The Santa Clause)  -David 8 (Prometheus) 

𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕂𝕠𝕞𝕓𝕒𝕥:

-Fujin ******** -Cassie Cage* -Jacqui Briggs -Shang Tsung -Frost -Sindel -Liu Kang -Kung Lao

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝕄𝔹𝔸𝕍:

-Benny Weir * -Ethan Morgan * -Sarah Fox  -Erica  -Rory 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝐃𝐄��𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄:

-L Lawliet  -Mello  -Matt  -Near  -Misa Amane

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝔹𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕖𝕕'𝕤 𝔼𝕩𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔸𝕕𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖:

-Bill S Preston Esquire * -Ted “Theodore” Logan *

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝓣𝓱𝓮   𝓞𝓾𝓽𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼:

-Ponyboy Curtis  -Sodapop Curtis  -Darrel Curtis  -Dallas Winston  -Two-Bit Mathews  -Johnny Cade  -Curly Shepard  -Steve Randle  -Bob Sheldon  -Cherry Valance  -Marcia 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝔅𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔨 𝔅𝔲𝔱𝔩𝔢𝔯:

-Charles Grey* -Ronald Knox* -Sebastian Michaelis  -Mey-rin -Finnian -Hannah Annafellows 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[rebelliousstories]

With Bernard making a comeback, does anyone want some fics featuring the best head elf? Sorry not sorry Curtis.... I have missed my childhood crush so much, y'all don't understand.