Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Eighty

Scott almost literally bumped into his wife and her parents while he raced through the snow. Carol, Bud and Sylvia had decided to go looking for Scott after his and Carol's blow up fight. Bud and Sylvia felt guilty because he was slightly right. They hadn't exactly tried to make their visit an easy one. Carol just didn't like the way that she and Scott had ended things. It wasn't like them to fight like this.

"Scott!" Carol exclaimed as her husband got to his feet and brushed snow off his suit. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Come here Mrs. Claus!" He ordered, pulling her into his arms. "Oh, I've missed you. I missed you so much."

"What? It's only been a few minutes." Carol looked back at him in confusion.

"It's only been...oh of course it's only been a few minutes!" Scott nodded. "But it only takes a few minutes to see the truth of an entire lifetime!"

"I don't understand." Carol looked back at her parents, but they only shrugged in response.

"A man goes out into the world, and expects his dreams to come true, and then...then the unexpected happens. You pick up a red coat and become Santa Claus. That's big! That's huge! And-and that's a lot of pressure. I mean taking care of all the children of the world, and the elves, and the SOS, and the North Pole! But he loses sight of what's really important. A woman falls in love with him and gives him a baby. I love being Santa Claus and I love you."

"I love you too." Carol nodded, only slightly following what her husband just said. "Have you been drinking coco?"

"No!" Scott waved her off. "I'm back! Hey, you guys know what happened?" He looked over at Bud and Sylvia.

"No." Bud answered in a slight grumble.

"We ticked each other off." Scott explained. "Just like families all over the world are doing on Christmas Eve that love each other. And it's okay, because we don't have to be perfect to be good families. We just have to be together."

"I'm still so very sorry that we just added to all this pressure that you're under." Sylvia said. "And I think that we should apologize, don't you, Honey?" She turned to Bud.

"No," Bud smirked. "It's good I'm tough on him. I'm his father-in-law. It's my job."

"Yes!" Scott agreed excitedly. "As long as you promise to do it every Christmas, it's fine with me. In fact, I'd like to show you guys what I do."

"Scott!" Carol exclaimed. "What about the S.O.S?"

"The S.O.S. is about secrets." Scott shook his head. "And secrets aren't for family. I'm tired of keeping you from your family. Neil and Laura have known all along and that's never been a threat to the S.O.S. besides, Bernard's back and I think that he would agree with me, that no one else needs to be separated from their family, ever again. So, if you guys would follow me to my factory..."

"Elves!" Scott called attention to the various workers who were hustling or bustling by on the workshop floor. "Stop working please!" He ordered. "Stop working for just a minute. I'd like you all to say hello, to the in-laws."

"Hello in-laws!" The elves called back in a loud chorus before returning back to work. By now most of them were used to the Calvin family and their random announcements like this. It was just the way things were done with this Santa.

"Elves!" Bud remarked. "They're not little Canadians, they're elves!"

"If-if they're elves..." Sylvia speculated. "And this is not a toy factory, this is...this is probably Santa's workshop."

"And if this is Santa's Workshop," Bud followed her train of thought. "Then, he's...he's the guy! You're the guy. You're father Christmas."

"It's a little freaky." Scott nodded. "But you get used to it."

"Dad!" Jess bounced down one of the main staircases of the workshop with Quintin trailing close behind her. "Bernard's filled us in on everything, and Charlie's here."

"Charlie?" Scott repeated, not sure if he's heard his daughter right.

"Yup." She nodded. "He called a little while ago apparently and when Curtis explained how backed up we were he cut out of his trip with Danielle. He's with Bernard looking for Frost."

"Wait, Jessica she's not you're daughter, she's another elf?" Sylvia looked between Scott, Carol and Jess for an explanation.

"So much for the S.O.S. then, eh?" Quintin laughed.

"It's a really long story Mrs. Newman." Jess sighed. "I promise, we'll explain everything later. Q, can you get a monitor and the other equipment set up? We want to have everything ready for the council when they get here." Jess gave her friend a pointed look. He nodded in response before getting to work.

"Equipment? Monitor? What have you two been up to?" Scott questioned.

"I'm afraid Frost has been up to a lot more than just tricking you into the Escape Clause, Dad." Jess was about to tell her father all the things that she, Quintin and Bernard had been able to link to Jack Frost before Lucy's voice rang out through the entire workshop.

"Uncle Scott!" Lucycried frantically as she came charging towards Scott, Jess and the Newmans.

"Whoa Lucy, what's going on?" Scott asked.

"I found her locked in a closet." Curtis explained as he came up behind Lucy, slightly out of breath.

"You've got to see what Frost did to my mom and dad!" Lucy insisted.

A pair of E.L.F.S. elves wheeled in two ice sculptures that looked disturbingly similar to Laura and Neil. It went unnoticed by the Calvins and the Newmans that the other members of the Council had already begin to arrive. Toothfairy, Mother Nature and Father Time were among the crowd who watched the two iced figures get placed in the center of the workshop.

"It's going to be okay." Scott assured Lucy. He just had to find Frost. Luckily the frozen trickster wasn't very far away. Bernard and Charlie burst through the main workshop doors dragging Frost along with them.

"Jack, this isn't funny." The father of Christmas snarled. "Unfreeze them, right now."

"No way, Claus." Frost rebutted. "I can't unfreeze them, without unfreezing myself, and that is something I'll never do."

Scott looked to Jess, then Bernard and he could tell by the looks on their faces that Frost was right. The only way for Laura and Neil to be unfrozen would be to thaw Frost too. He looked at Quintin and Curtis, who didn't seem to have any ideas. So, Scott scanned the crowd frantically, until his eyes landed on Mother Nature.

"Mother Nature!" He waved her over. "Can you help me out here. Can you thaw them out?"

"I'm sorry, Santa." She frowned. "Our powers don't work on other legendary figures." The other members of the council made themselves known as they agreed with Mother Nature.

"Isn't that a shame?" Frost said with a wicked grin. Scott turned away quickly, wanting to look anywhere but at Frost. What he wouldn't give for a flame thrower in that moment! Then his eyes landed on Lucy, and he had a sudden idea.

"Do you think it will work?" Lucy asked, seemingly reading Scott's mind.

"Well, the real question is, do you?" Scott questioned back. If life at the North Pole had taught him anything it was that belief was the most powerful magic on earth. Lucy studied Frost. His frigid exterior, his twisted smile. She knew she could melt his cold exterior. She stepped towards Frost with a practiced gate.

"This is what you're all reduced to?" Frost laughed. "Sending a little girl in to save the day, are we? What are you gonna do? Adorablize me? Sweet me into submission? Cute me to death?" Frost was so distracted trying to come up with creative quips that Lucy took him completely by surprise when she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.