Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Seventy

After meeting with Quintin, Jess went straight home to tell Bernard the good news. He was glad to be of some help for once, it had been a long time since he had felt useful. Jess, who had nowhere else to be, stayed at the house and played with Nick and Noel. They were all giggles and smiles the whole afternoon. The family was coming back together and things were finally starting to look up. Jessica even spend the night at the house. She slept on the couch, but it was progress.

The next morning, Jess hitched up two of the reindeer and took her father's sleigh to her mother's house. She brought Neil, her mother, And Lucy back to the North Pole. She was going to need as much back up around the Pole this year as possible. Only Charlie stayed behind because he had made plans to spend Christmas with his girlfriend Danielle. He'd wanted to stay out of the way with Carol expecting a baby and at the time Scott had agreed that would be for the best.

"Uncle Scott!" Lucy bounced over to Santa. Her red hair was pulled into two pigtails that swung behind here as she galloped along.

"Hey there, Luce! You have the warmest hugs." He praised her as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm so happy to be here Uncle Scott." She told him with a beaming smile.

"Well, we are glad to have you." Scott promised before looking to her parents. "You too Neil, Laura." He nodded at them each in turn. "I hate to leave now that you've just go here, but I've gotta go pick up the inlaws. Jess you coming?" He asked his daughter.

"No thanks." She shook her head. "I want to show Lucy around, and see what Frost is up to."

"Frost?" Curtis, who had seen the Miller's flying in over the town, walked up to Jessica and the family acting very suspicious. "Why would you think Frost would be up to something?"

"Oh I don't know Curtis, maybe his four page warning in the Christmas Handbook?" Jessica huffed. "I'm going to the town square to see what he's up to." So Jess marched off to the center of town where Frost was appraising the elves' efforts to Canadianize the Pole.

"Wonderful job elves!" Frost was nodding and smiling just too wide for Jess' liking. She didn't trust him as far as she could through Frost was nodding and smiling just too wide for Jess' liking. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. "Well, well, if it isn't Jessica Calvin!" His smile seemed to grow cartoonishly wider when he spotted her trudging over through the snow.

"Just coming to see how things are going. Santa will be back any minute with Mrs. Clause's parents." Jessica explained. The elves all nodded or greeted her before turning back to their work.

"You know, I've been Jack Frost for quite a long time." The troublesome figure told the number two elf. "I remember you when you were still human." Jess resisted the urge to squint her eye and show visible distain. Most of the other members of the Council had been around long before Jess was an elf too, but none of them had thought to mention it to her before. She decided not to comment and let Jack explain himself.

"I remember how you always hated the cold." He said. "Kind of funny you ended up here? Isn't it?" Frost forced a chuckle. "But then I suppose it was for true love. The old head elf, Barnaby, Wasn't it?"

"Bernard." Jess huffed. She was trying her best not to let Frost get under her skin, but it was difficult talking about Bernard to anyone, let alone the trickster herald of winter.

"That's right. Terrible accident. He fell off the roof if I remember correctly. So sorry about that." Jack Frost frowned but the expression felt void of emotion. "I'm curious, with Bernard gone, what would you do if Santa ever decided to call it quits?"

"That'll never happen." Jessica assured him. "My dad loves being Santa."

"But does he love it more than a second chance at having a family?" Frost asked. "People seem to forget that the secrets they whisper into the winter winds all have to collect somewhere. I know you're secrets Jessica. I've known them since you were a little girl."

"Jokes on you this time Frost." Jess shrugged. "I've never once whispered my secrets allowed. That was always Charlie's thing. I prefer to keep my cards very close at hand."

"Of course. You always were a smart one, Jessica." Frost offered up a twisted smile that only further annoyed Jess.

"I have work to do inside the workshop." Was the best excuse she could come up with before leaving the town square. She could only hope that she and Quintin could figure out Frost's plan before he could do any actual damage. There was just something about him that made her blood boil.