Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Nineteen

Scott escorted Jessie and Charlie back to the Miller's house. The two kids spent the rest of their summer helping Neil and Laura clean the house and prepare for the baby. Neil and his wife learned early on not to question Jess about exactly what had happened between her and Bernard. Even Charlie knew not to ask many questions about his favorite elf.

The new school year started in September and Jess put all of her energy into her last year of high school. She was directing the School play, a photographer for the yearbook, and tutoring freshman English. Between helping her mother and her numerous after school activities, Jess didn't had time to go out on dates. She didn't really want to either. There was only one person, one elf, that she'd ever love.

October came and went, and with it Jessie's eighteenth birthday. The rest of the year passed on in much the same way. Scott, Charlie and Jess did deliver the world's presents together on Christmas Eve but when they stopped off in the North Pole, Bernard didn't emerge from his office the entire time. On February 12 Charlie and Jess' half-sister Lucy was born. Charlie turned eleven in May, and Jessie's High School Graduation was scheduled on June sixth.

The Naughty and Nice List office not only housed the famous list, but also a large surveillance system that allowed Santa and his elves to watch the children, and adults, of the world. That's how the list was compose. N&N elves would watch the monitors for any behavior that was particularly naughty or nice. The conductor of said behavior found themselves on the corresponding list. Then it was up to Santa to check the list twice for corrections.

June sixth wasn't a particularly productive day in the workshop. Many of the workshop elves were still on their vacations. Sure there will still plenty of day to day activities that required Bernard's attention, but lately he'd found himself visiting the N&N department more frequently. He'd taken to tuning a free monitor to a familiar home in the Northern Hemisphere. That morning he watched Jessie eat breakfast with her graduation cap on. Then he watched her carry Lucy in her arms and laugh when the baby played with her graduation tassel.

"You know, most father's would shoot a guy for stalking their daughter." Bernard practically jumped out of his skin when he heard Santa's voice behind him.

"Santa! I-um...It's not what it looks like." The head elf fumbled for an explanation.

"Really?" Scott feigned surprise. "Because Curtis told me you've been up here monopolizing this monitor for two hours."

"Curtis." Bernard hissed his name like a cartoon villain would his nemesis. He turned to give the Keeper of the handbook a piece of his mind, when Santa grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Hold on there, firecracker." Santa insisted. "Curtis was just worried about you. We all are. Why don't you just go talk to her instead of watching her on a TV screen."

"She doesn't want to see me." Bernard promised his boss.

"That's not what it sounded like when she called me." Bernard's opened his mouth to question how she'd called him, but Scott held up his hand. "You're not the only one who can ask Quitin's team for special tech. She called last week to remind me about her graduation tonight. Why don't you come with me?"

"I don't know Santa." Bernard shrugged. "It doesn't seem appropriate for me to show up like this..."

"Well ho-ho-no! Not like that!" The big guy agreed. You'll stick out like a sore thumb!"

Jessie's High School held their graduation in the gymnasium. All the future graduates sat in folding chairs on the center of the gym. Family and Friends of the students sat in the two rows of bleachers that lined the walls. Charlie, Laura, Neil and Baby Lucy sat two rows from the front and it was easy enough for Scott to find them.

"Dad, who's that?" Charlie asked when he saw his dad being followed by a high schooler.

"It's me, Charlie!" Scott's new friend laughed. "Do I really look unrecognizable?"

"Oh my god, Bernard?" Laura squinted from her seat. The head elf looked completely different in human clothes. He was wearing a starched white shirt and pressed black pants. His whole look was completed with a sneakers and a black bow tie.

"Where are your elf clothes?" Charlie demanded as Santa and Bernard sat next to him.

"He left them at the pole, Sport." Scott explained. "We want him to blend it okay?"

"Okay!" Charlie pretended to zip his mouth, so his dad and Bernard knew the secret was safe with him.

After the ceremony concluded, Jess ran over to her family with a smile on her face. Her white graduation gown flowed behind her like robe as she bounced towards the people she loved most in the word. She hugged a crying Laura and a sleeping Lucy. She then embraced Neil and Charlie before wrapping her arms around her father.

"I'm proud of you Princess." Scott said as her hugged her back. "I brought you a graduation present." He stepped to the side to review Bernard. There wasn't a second of hesitation before Jessie lunged forward and hugged her favorite elf. She rested her chin on his shoulder and held him tight.

"I'm so sorry!" She whispered.

"No I'm sorry." He whispered back. "What I said at the pole was completely out of line. I'd give up anything to be with you."

"And I'd do anything for you." Jess promised. She took her head off his shoulder and held him out at arm's length. "The past ten months without you has been the worst. I had a lot of time to think about it and I decided I want to move to the north pole and I want to become an elf."

"While I appreciate the sentiment Jessie, we'd have to get married for you to become an elf." Bernard explained. "I'm willing to do anything for you Jessica Calvin, but I don't want you to.."

"I do." She interrupted him.

"Huh?" The head elf looked down at the girl that he love.

"I do." Jessie repeated. "That's what you say when you want to get married." Bernard bent down and kiss his future wife on the lips.