Does it Matter?
folder
S through Z › Santa Clause, The (All)
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
6,971
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
S through Z › Santa Clause, The (All)
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
6,971
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own The Santa Clause movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
How Long Has it Been?
Does it Matter?
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, let me clear things up for those of you who emailed that you were confused after you read the last chapter:
1. Serena is the name of my made-up character. She is Scott Calvin's daughter and Charlie's sister. We are pretending that she was present during the first movie.
2. This takes place the Christmas before the second movie.
3. Serena is three years older than Charlie. During the first movie, she was 10. Charlie was 7. Now, it is 8 years later, making her 18 and him 15.
Finally, for those of you who are willing to put up with all these silly changes, thank you!
____________________________________________________
Part 2-How Long Has it Been?
(Note To Readers: This part is told from Bernard's POV)
Incompetent. That is the only word to describe these new trainees, Bernard thought angrily to himself. We're already a week behind schedule and they don't even seem to care.
There was a crash behind him, and he whirled around. "Larry, if you break one more china doll. . ."
He was interrupted by Santa beckoning him over. "Go easy on them," Santa said, his eyes twinkling. "They're new, and they're probably nervous."
"Boss, if we fall any more behind schedule-"
"Now, don't you worry about that," Santa cut him off. "We'll make the deadline. We always do. Besides, starting this evening you'll have an extra pair of hands to help. Serena's coming up to stay until Christmas. She'll be here this afternoon."
"That's good," Bernard said, with some relief. "At least she knows her way around the workshop. These new guys couldn't tell you the difference from a cookie recipe to the floor plans of a doll house."
Santa laughed loudly. "Just give them a few days. You'll break them in."
Bernard sighed and stomped off back to his work. "Easy for you to say," he grumbled to himself as he watched the newest elf accidentally stitch the doll dress she was sewing on her lap to her own skirt.
The rush before the Christmas season was always stressful, but this year seemed even worse. Sure, he was always stern with the elves to make them work faster, but he was never worried that they wouldn't make their deadline.
This year, however, he was actually worried. It was only two months until Christmas, and several of his key elves had come down with the flu. As much as he hated to do it, he had been forced to dismiss them for fear of infecting the rest of the workers. New replacements had been hired, but they were slow and didn't know how to operate the machinery. So, as if he didn't have enough work already being the Head Elf, he was now in charge of training new workers.
Bernard watched an unattendened ball roll off one of the work tables and onto the floor at his feet. Sighing in frustration, he bent over to pick it up.
It was at that time, that he first felt a slight twinge of pain in his lower back. He wondered about it, as he put the ball back on the table. Even though elves can live forever, they didn't experience any of the pains of aging, and Bernard had never been sick, not even once in the 998 years he had been alive. I must have laid on it funny last night, he thought to himself as he twisted at the hips, trying to work out the stiff feelings in his muscles.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
That afternoon, Bernard was walking through the crowded halls pulling a cart with several boxes on it. The boxes contained a list of all the children in the world so that Santa could do his first "checking." He kept having to switch the arm he was pulling with because that annoying little twinge in his back refused to go away.
When he reached the boss's door, he knocked loudly. A few seconds later, the door swung open, but it wasn't Santa who had opened it. It was Serena, and the second he saw her, his mind seemed to freeze.
She was wearing a lacy white blouse and a green skirt that went down to her ankles. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a french braid down her back. Her blue eyes brightened when she saw him.
"Bernard," she said sweetly, "it's so good to see you!" She smiled at him and he felt his heartbeat speed up.
"H-Hi,” he managed to sputter, "I, uh, brought the list for your dad to, um. . ."
"Oh, right," she said quickly. "Let me help you with that." She reached over and grabbed the handle of the cart, her fingertips brushing his. He felt a blush spread across his cheeks as she helped him pull the heavy cart into the room.
"There," she said when the cart had been wheeled into place beside Santa's desk. "So, Bernard, how have you been?"
"Fine," he said, not looking her in the eye. "Um, look I'd better get back to work."
"Oh," she said, "right. Well, I'll be down later this evening. Tell me if there's anything I can do to help."
Bernard turned and practically ran from the room. He raced down the hallway and threw himself down on a bench.
What- had- just- happened? Bernard tried to sort things out, but his mind seemed all foggy, and he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.
I wonder if it was something I ate? he thought. Then he reminded himself that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. No. Those new feelings were definitely not food related. What could they have been? He had never felt that way before. They seemed to have sprung up when he looked at Serena . . . but what could have caused them?
He examined all his symptoms: A sort of haze had seemed to come over his mind. His heart had been beating at nearly twice its normal rate. He had felt slightly shy around her (which he had never had a problem with before), and his face had grown very hot. Then, there was that indescribable feeling that had enveloped him.
Something about his condition seemed familiar, and it suddenly shot into his head what it was. It was the last time Bernard had spoken with Judy. The day before she had married that fellow from wrapping, she and Bernard had spent their cocoa break chatting. She had been trying to explain to him what it was like to fall in love.
"It's like being born again," she had explained to him. "It's exhilarating but at the same time frightening. Your body seems to shut down. Waves of emotions just cascade over you, so much that it feels like you might break.
"Then, your body starts doing weird things. Your heart speeds up anytime you're around that person. You blush a lot, and do some silly things."
"Sounds rather nauseating," Bernard had said, tilting one of his eyebrows at her.
"It's not," she said, smiling. "It's the best feeling in the world, and when your love is returned, time seems to stop. Everything seems to stand still just for you two. The only word to describe it is . . . perfect. It's so wonderful that it's the only word for it. . ."
As Bernard played this scene in his mind, a sense of dread fell over him. That couldn't be it. It simply couldn't be. Sure, it all fit, but there was no possible way. He had known Serena practically her whole life, and he had never felt anything like this before.
He tried to remember the last time he had seen her. It had only been a little less than a year ago. He hadn't felt anything for her then, and she certainly couldn't have changed that much in a year. True, her hair was a bit longer, she was about an inch taller, and she definitely had some curves that hadn't been there before. . .
No! He could not think like that! She was the boss's daughter. The boss's daughter!
And she was so much younger. Here he was, almost 1,000 years old, and she was only eighteen! That was way too young!
There has to be some sort of mistake, he thought angrily to himself. That's all it can be, a mistake. I've never had feelings for her, and I never, ever will!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Later that evening, Bernard went down into the workshop after his cocoa break. He spotted Serena helping a group of elves make cookies. Bits of hair had pulled loose from her braid, and were framing her delicate face like a halo.
Bernard felt his heart speed up, and his breath became ragged. His hands started to tremble from those new feelings that were threatening to engulf his very being.
He dodged into the nearest room and leaned against the door. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep steady breaths.
This can't be happening, he thought bitterly to himself. This should not be happening.
____________________________________________________
A/N: Well, *cringes* what do you think so far? Please, as I have said before, no flames due to all the exception this story contains!
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, let me clear things up for those of you who emailed that you were confused after you read the last chapter:
1. Serena is the name of my made-up character. She is Scott Calvin's daughter and Charlie's sister. We are pretending that she was present during the first movie.
2. This takes place the Christmas before the second movie.
3. Serena is three years older than Charlie. During the first movie, she was 10. Charlie was 7. Now, it is 8 years later, making her 18 and him 15.
Finally, for those of you who are willing to put up with all these silly changes, thank you!
____________________________________________________
Part 2-How Long Has it Been?
(Note To Readers: This part is told from Bernard's POV)
Incompetent. That is the only word to describe these new trainees, Bernard thought angrily to himself. We're already a week behind schedule and they don't even seem to care.
There was a crash behind him, and he whirled around. "Larry, if you break one more china doll. . ."
He was interrupted by Santa beckoning him over. "Go easy on them," Santa said, his eyes twinkling. "They're new, and they're probably nervous."
"Boss, if we fall any more behind schedule-"
"Now, don't you worry about that," Santa cut him off. "We'll make the deadline. We always do. Besides, starting this evening you'll have an extra pair of hands to help. Serena's coming up to stay until Christmas. She'll be here this afternoon."
"That's good," Bernard said, with some relief. "At least she knows her way around the workshop. These new guys couldn't tell you the difference from a cookie recipe to the floor plans of a doll house."
Santa laughed loudly. "Just give them a few days. You'll break them in."
Bernard sighed and stomped off back to his work. "Easy for you to say," he grumbled to himself as he watched the newest elf accidentally stitch the doll dress she was sewing on her lap to her own skirt.
The rush before the Christmas season was always stressful, but this year seemed even worse. Sure, he was always stern with the elves to make them work faster, but he was never worried that they wouldn't make their deadline.
This year, however, he was actually worried. It was only two months until Christmas, and several of his key elves had come down with the flu. As much as he hated to do it, he had been forced to dismiss them for fear of infecting the rest of the workers. New replacements had been hired, but they were slow and didn't know how to operate the machinery. So, as if he didn't have enough work already being the Head Elf, he was now in charge of training new workers.
Bernard watched an unattendened ball roll off one of the work tables and onto the floor at his feet. Sighing in frustration, he bent over to pick it up.
It was at that time, that he first felt a slight twinge of pain in his lower back. He wondered about it, as he put the ball back on the table. Even though elves can live forever, they didn't experience any of the pains of aging, and Bernard had never been sick, not even once in the 998 years he had been alive. I must have laid on it funny last night, he thought to himself as he twisted at the hips, trying to work out the stiff feelings in his muscles.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
That afternoon, Bernard was walking through the crowded halls pulling a cart with several boxes on it. The boxes contained a list of all the children in the world so that Santa could do his first "checking." He kept having to switch the arm he was pulling with because that annoying little twinge in his back refused to go away.
When he reached the boss's door, he knocked loudly. A few seconds later, the door swung open, but it wasn't Santa who had opened it. It was Serena, and the second he saw her, his mind seemed to freeze.
She was wearing a lacy white blouse and a green skirt that went down to her ankles. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a french braid down her back. Her blue eyes brightened when she saw him.
"Bernard," she said sweetly, "it's so good to see you!" She smiled at him and he felt his heartbeat speed up.
"H-Hi,” he managed to sputter, "I, uh, brought the list for your dad to, um. . ."
"Oh, right," she said quickly. "Let me help you with that." She reached over and grabbed the handle of the cart, her fingertips brushing his. He felt a blush spread across his cheeks as she helped him pull the heavy cart into the room.
"There," she said when the cart had been wheeled into place beside Santa's desk. "So, Bernard, how have you been?"
"Fine," he said, not looking her in the eye. "Um, look I'd better get back to work."
"Oh," she said, "right. Well, I'll be down later this evening. Tell me if there's anything I can do to help."
Bernard turned and practically ran from the room. He raced down the hallway and threw himself down on a bench.
What- had- just- happened? Bernard tried to sort things out, but his mind seemed all foggy, and he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.
I wonder if it was something I ate? he thought. Then he reminded himself that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. No. Those new feelings were definitely not food related. What could they have been? He had never felt that way before. They seemed to have sprung up when he looked at Serena . . . but what could have caused them?
He examined all his symptoms: A sort of haze had seemed to come over his mind. His heart had been beating at nearly twice its normal rate. He had felt slightly shy around her (which he had never had a problem with before), and his face had grown very hot. Then, there was that indescribable feeling that had enveloped him.
Something about his condition seemed familiar, and it suddenly shot into his head what it was. It was the last time Bernard had spoken with Judy. The day before she had married that fellow from wrapping, she and Bernard had spent their cocoa break chatting. She had been trying to explain to him what it was like to fall in love.
"It's like being born again," she had explained to him. "It's exhilarating but at the same time frightening. Your body seems to shut down. Waves of emotions just cascade over you, so much that it feels like you might break.
"Then, your body starts doing weird things. Your heart speeds up anytime you're around that person. You blush a lot, and do some silly things."
"Sounds rather nauseating," Bernard had said, tilting one of his eyebrows at her.
"It's not," she said, smiling. "It's the best feeling in the world, and when your love is returned, time seems to stop. Everything seems to stand still just for you two. The only word to describe it is . . . perfect. It's so wonderful that it's the only word for it. . ."
As Bernard played this scene in his mind, a sense of dread fell over him. That couldn't be it. It simply couldn't be. Sure, it all fit, but there was no possible way. He had known Serena practically her whole life, and he had never felt anything like this before.
He tried to remember the last time he had seen her. It had only been a little less than a year ago. He hadn't felt anything for her then, and she certainly couldn't have changed that much in a year. True, her hair was a bit longer, she was about an inch taller, and she definitely had some curves that hadn't been there before. . .
No! He could not think like that! She was the boss's daughter. The boss's daughter!
And she was so much younger. Here he was, almost 1,000 years old, and she was only eighteen! That was way too young!
There has to be some sort of mistake, he thought angrily to himself. That's all it can be, a mistake. I've never had feelings for her, and I never, ever will!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Later that evening, Bernard went down into the workshop after his cocoa break. He spotted Serena helping a group of elves make cookies. Bits of hair had pulled loose from her braid, and were framing her delicate face like a halo.
Bernard felt his heart speed up, and his breath became ragged. His hands started to tremble from those new feelings that were threatening to engulf his very being.
He dodged into the nearest room and leaned against the door. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep steady breaths.
This can't be happening, he thought bitterly to himself. This should not be happening.
____________________________________________________
A/N: Well, *cringes* what do you think so far? Please, as I have said before, no flames due to all the exception this story contains!