Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Fifty-Three

Jess sighed heavily as she stared down at the large doll house taking up space at her workstation. She was suppose to be painting delicate shingles on the roof of the house, but the babies residing in her abdomen had decided now was the perfect time to start kicking.

"You guys are making it impossible to paint a straight line." Their mother complained. She rubbed circles around her stomach while staring disappointedly at the doll house. Now ten months into her pregnancy, Jessie was trying her best to stay ahead of her scheduled progress. December was fast approaching and she was still trying to get as much work accomplished as possible before Noel and Nicholas were born.

"You'll never have all your work finished by Christmas." Bernard frowned. He had materialized from seemingly nowhere behind his wife.

"I know I'm not going to finish it all." Jess sighed again. "But I have to get as much done as possible."

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say you'll never have all your work finished by Christmas without help."

"Help?" Jess snorted. "I know for a fact that no single department has elves to spare. So who is going to help me? You?" She chuckled. Bernard would sooner cut off one of his hands then paint the same house for several hours. Sure he strived for perfection, but painting just didn't hold any interest to him; and his wife knew that.

"Well not exactly me, but Curtis." Curtis? The painter elf repeated in her head. Well the idea had potential. Curtis had an incredible eye for detail. He did a lot of tedious work around the Pole so he clearly had the patience for the job. Add in his ever present need to impress Bernard and it just might have been a formula for success. Besides that ever growing stomach of hers was making it increasingly difficult for Jess to get close enough to her work.

"Alright." She nodded. "Send him over. He can finish this house, and I'll start on the next one."

"Don't you think you should, I don't know, take a break?" Bernard frowned.

"A break?" She laughed. "This coming from the man who used to sleep in his office?"

"No, that was different." Bernard countered. "I was living alone back then. I'm going to send Curtis over." He explained. "When he gets here, meet me in my office, please. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." Fifteen minutes later, Curtis arrived at the Paint Center wearing an apron with a pocket full of paintbrushes. Jess gave him brief but detailed instructions before walking up to her husband's office.

"You're not going to like this," Bernard huffed when his wife entered the room. "But I think you should seriously consider taking the rest of the year off..."

"Where is this coming from?" Jess questioned. She sat in the nearest chair and tried to talk some sense into the man sitting across the desk. "Christmas is two months away, we can't afford for me to take off this early."

"Jessie you're department is a whole month ahead of everyone else! Listen I've already discussed this with your father and we think..."

"Oh so you and my dad are all of a sudden best friends?" She smirked. She then leaned back in her chair and considered the idea.

"I can make it an official order as your boss if I have to." Her husband said reaching for the proper forms.

"After nine years I knew the 'I'm your boss' card would be played at some point." Jess reminded Bernard so much of her father when she tossed out quips like that. But also like Scott, she didn't seem angry when she used her dry humor. If anything she was buying herself some time to think.

"Well," She exhaled, getting to her feet. "I guess I'm going home. See, my boss just laid me off from my job. That will be an interesting conversation tonight over dinner with my husband."

"Maybe he'll soften the blow by cooking you're favorite, chicken cacciatore, for dinner." Her husband suggested.

"We'll see." She smirked before leaving the office. What to do now? She thought to herself. For the first time since she'd come to the Pole, Jess didn't have anything to do. No Christmas to save, no arguments to be fought, and no work whatsoever. Finding herself feeling lost and not really wanting to go home, she wondered the halls of the main workshop. There were plenty of recreational activities at the North Pole that Jess was usually too busy to participate in. There was an ice skating rink, a movie theater, and a swimming pool somewhere...

Hoping her wayward wanderings would lead to something interesting, she tried to keep an open mind as she stepped out into the snow. Before she knew it, Jessica Calvin was standing at the front doors of the North Pole School house. The school of course where her step-mother now worked. I'm here now. She shrugged. Might as well go in. Slowly wandering the unfamiliar halls, Jess eventually found Carol's office and knocked timidly. The door opened slowly and Carol smiled when she spotted her guest.

"Jessica, is everything alright?" Mrs. Claus asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah." Her step daughter nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry I don't come around for visits more often." She apologized as she stepped into the office.

"You've been busy." Carol waved her off. "I understand it's hard for you and Bernard especially with babies on the way. It's a wonder you two are able to get so much done."

"We have a lot of help. Especially from you and Dad." Jess smiled. "It's nice to see him happy again. He was never the same after his divorce with Mom. Charlie wasn't much older than three when our parents split and soon after Neil entered the picture we saw them less and less. Sure Dad and I had each other, but there was always this...loneliness, something missing. With our family torn apart we ourselves didn't feel whole anymore. Now me, I was fine with that; I had this whole rebel teen vibe going for me, but Dad...When Bernard and Curtis told him that he had to get married he was horrified. I was worried for him. How could a normal man find a wife in a month, let alone my sarcastic lone wolf of a father? " Carol laughed. That was sort of the first impression she gotten of Scott.

"But then Toy Santa took over the North Pole." Jess continued to explained. "I thought for sure it was all over. There was no way Dad could deliver the gifts, get married and save Christmas all in time. But then Charlie told me about how Dad had fallen in love with his principal. So we raced off to meet her. And Carol, when I met you I just knew. I knew that we had to make you believe. So I guess I came here to say, thank you. Thank you for loving my Dad as much as I know he loves you. And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say it."

"Well, really I should be thanking you, and Charlie." Carol smiled. "If it weren't for the two of you, I wouldn't be here now. Thank you for sharing your family with me. And thank you for believing in me, even when I couldn't."

After their talk, Carol and Jess were closer than ever, especially now that the later had so much more free time. Jess would visit Carol at school and even help the elf students with their art projects. In return Carol went with her step daughter to her doctor's visits and final preparations for the twins. Occasionally Jess would poke her head into the Workshop to check on her department, only to have Curtis or Bernard shooing her out. When Carol wasn't available, Jess learned to occupy herself. She would paint glorious canvases in the study of her new house or she would lounge in bed watching movies and eating Carmel coated popcorn. At long Last it was December 22nd, the day the twins were born.