Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Sixteen

Jess yawned and stretched her hands high above her head. She glanced at a clock that hung on the wall, it was just past two in the morning. Three weeks of the summer had already passed and most nights she slept just fine, but occasionally there was a night here or there where she just felt restless. The guest room that had been assigned to her was nice enough. A green paper boarder of jingle bells surrounded the bright red painted walls. There was a dresser for her to store her clothes in and a floor length mirror tucked into one corner. Someone, probably Bernard, had also put an easel and a set of paints in another corner. The silky sheets, and warm fluffy comforter were probably the most comfortable ones Jess had come in contact with, so it wasn't the bed that kept her up at night either.

Whatever the cause, Jess found that on nights where it was difficult to sleep, a short walk around the workshop usually did the trick. Peeling back the sheets, she tucked her feet into her warm fuzzy slippers. There was a soft, green bathrobe hanging by the door, which she wrapped around herself before stepping out into the hall. The hallway that housed the guest bathrooms led directly to the main floor of the workshop. Once on the main floor, Jessie usually liked to have a look at the new toys the elves had finished that day. On this night in particular she noticed something unusual. Bernard's office lights were on. There was no way he was still working at that time of night, the other elves had ended their work day hours ago. Climbing the stairs to the upper level, Jess decided she'd turn off the lights in Bernard's office before returning to her room for the night. Jess swung the door to Bernard's office open wide and she was surprised to see that he was actually still in there.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She mumbled quickly. The door began to shut but Bernard called out to her.

"Wait Jessie, stay. That is...I mean if you want to..." He was overtired and didn't really know what he was saying. Or so he thought at the time.

"Well, I didn't mean to disturb you." Jess said as she stepped into the office and closed the door. "It's just, I couldn't sleep, and I saw your lights were on, so..."

"No, it's okay." Bernard assured her. "I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes too. So I come up here and I-I work." He laughed.

"Is that why there's a cot in your office?" Jess questioned. She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the object in question. Last Christmas when she'd seen it, she just assumed he used it during the busy season.

"Yeah...Sometimes I do such a good job of working myself to sleep, that I can't make it back home." He admitted embarrassed.

"I usually just walk around the workshop." Jess confessed. "I hope that's okay. I don't ever touch anything or mess with the production line..."

"It's alright, feel free to walk the floor whenever you want. You might even be able to improve a few things. You know, I've have enough work for one night..."

"I'm sorry, let me get out of your hair..." Jessie turned to leave, but Bernard stepped out from behind his desk.

"Before you go, would you like to join me for some hot cocoa and cookies?"

"Yeah." Jess smiled. "That sounds great." She reached out and laced the fingers of her right hand between the fingers of Bernard's left. Giving his hand a comforting squeeze, she looked up at him. "Lead the way, Mr. Head-Elf."

Still holding Jessie's hand, Bernard guided her to the main kitchen where Judy's special recipe for hot chocolate was served on tap. Despite the fact that the kitchen elves had all gone home for the night, the lights were left on 24/7. Cookies, other desserts and even select meals were kept in food warmers over night for midnight snacking.

"So mugs are here." Bernard pointed to a wall where hundreds of pewter mugs hung from pegs. "But the question is," He dropped Jess' hand to search the nearby shelves. "Where do we keep the plates?"

"You mean to tell me you don't know where the plates are?" Jessie teased. "I thought you knew everything."

"Well," Bernard sighed as he continued to look around. "I hardly ever eat during normal meal times. Abby or another kitchen elf usually brings food to my office. And when I eat late at night, which is very rarely, I don't take a plate...Ah hah!" The head elf had found what he was looking for and slid one white ceramic plate off the shelf it was housed on. "So what's your favorite kind of cookie?" He asked walking towards the cookie warmers. "I'm partial to chocolate chip myself."

"Sugar cookies are my favorite." Jess told him before sliding two mugs off the wall. Bernard stacked a small pile of chocolate chip and another of sugar cookies onto the same plate, before putting the plate down on the counter. He helped Jess fill the mugs with hot chocolate and the two began to enjoy their snack. "This was a good idea." The teenage girl decided as she bit from her cookie.

"Definitely." Bernard agreed, sipping from his mug.

"Oh...Bernard you've got a little something on your..." It was more than a little something. Bernard's whole upper lip was covered in a hot chocolate moustache. Jess searched the immediate area and found a stack of napkins next to their plate of cookies. Using a clean napkin she wiped the chocolate stain off her best friend's lip.

"Thanks." Bernard typically didn't like to be touched, but there was something about the gentle flourish in Jessie's movements that was comforting. She was leaning against the steel kitchen counter, with a bright smile on her face. He stared at her wondering what was it about her that was so fascinating to him. Jess looked back at him, not sure herself what she'd done to attract the attention of the world's most important elf. Somehow, when her green eyes locked sights with his pair of light brown ones, something clicked in each of their brains. The teenage girl and Santa's head elf leaned forward involuntarily.

Bernard and Jess' first kiss didn't last longer than five seconds. The instant their lips found each other's, someone else entered the kitchen. Panicked, Bernard tugged Jessie into a nearby food pantry. They listened and waited for the kitchen to become vacant once more.

Santa had decided to visit the kitchen after a typical late night cookie craving. He'd seen Bernard's light on but when he'd gone to invite the elf along, he wasn't in his office. Naturally the father of Christmas just assumed he'd find his right hand man already in the kitchen. That's why he wasn't the least bit surprised to find two practically full mugs of cocoa and a plate of cookies already laid out on the counter. Obviously Bernard and Curtis had been up late working when they'd decided to have a midnight snack.

"I don't mind the snacking boys," Santa said picking up the two mugs and bringing them to the wash station. "But you've got to clean up after yourselves." Pilfering the plate of cookies for himself, and armed with a fresh mug of cocoa, Scott left the kitchen and headed back towards his room.

"I can't believe I'm one of those girls who hides from my dad in the closet so he doesn't see me with a boy." Jess fretted as she and Bernard stepped back into the kitchen.

"Technically it's a food pantry." Bernard hissed. "And I haven't been a boy for fifteen hundred years."

"I...well...you know what I mean." Jess fumbled. "I'm sorry. I'll just... go back to my room now."

"Let me walk you back. Santa might still be out there, and I can hear much farther than you." He offered his hand out to he and Jess accepted it. Bernard walked her back to her room before sleepily flopping onto the cot in his office.